Chapter 7: 007 The Plot of True Virtue

Chapter 7: 007 The Plot of True Virtue

"Yang Shu and Xia Xuewen, move a little closer. We need the audience to feel the chemistry between Pan Lingfeng and Zhong Baobei."

The filming of "The Noble Young Master" was progressing rapidly. After all, every minute counts, and every day of delay meant burning more funds.

As a director, Hua Zhu had little personal investment in "The Noble Young Master." For him, it was more of a mandatory project. Once it was completed and aired, the drama would likely be relegated to a poor time slot by the platform to fill their schedule.

Top-tier directors have grand artistic ideals, but B-list directors like Hua Zhu make a living by working on various platforms. High viewership ratings and streaming numbers were lofty terms that didn’t really concern him.

However, the actors' performances were far better than he had expected.

"The Noble Young Master" was a pretentious drama with an absurdly unrealistic plot. Yet, both the lead actors, Yang Shu and Xia Xuewen, and the second male lead, Lu Xu, were taking the filming seriously. They didn’t resort to exaggerated, distorted expressions.

In other words, they weren’t hamming it up.

Hua Zhu had seen his fair share of ridiculous actors in the web drama circle. There were those who had once been popular but were now just scraping by. They couldn’t make it onto mainstream platforms and didn’t take web dramas seriously, casually filming them for a quick paycheck.

Hua Zhu knew that the plot of "The Noble Young Master" wasn’t great, but during filming, he could at least sense the actors' dedication to their craft.

After some time, he even felt that the actors were starting to really "get it."

Pan Lingfeng was still his usual arrogant self, but Yang Shu managed to portray not only his character’s arrogance but also his endearing side. He would jump in frustration if Zhong Baobei discovered his secrets but wouldn’t threaten or harm her. Xia Xuewen’s portrayal of Zhong Baobei, although a bit ditzy, proved to be reliable in crucial moments, unlike those female leads who only cried.

Hua Zhu knew he hadn’t written the characters to be so well-rounded, but the actors had brought them to life with their performances.

Lu Xu, on the other hand, didn’t need any guidance at all.

It was as if he had fully embodied the character of Yu Wei, performing with a level of skill and maturity that was astonishing.

Hua Zhu occasionally felt a pang of regret for Lu Xu. With his talent, Lu Xu really didn’t need to be stuck in the web drama circle. He deserved a much better future.

…

Online chatter about Lu Xu was still going strong.

Thanks to Gu Sinian’s viral Weibo post about the music note and tears, his new drama was gaining a lot of attention.

As a fellow member of Verse, Gu Sinian was starring in Grape Film and Television’s annual blockbuster "The Watchers." The film’s director had stepped down to direct this drama, which featured a dual male lead setup. Both male leads were award-winning actors, and the actor with the most screen time aside from them was Gu Sinian.

Grape Film and Television had invested heavily in this drama, both in terms of production costs and promotional expenses, making it the most expensive project the platform has ever undertaken.

There were rumors that after the release of "The Watchers," Gu Sinian would definitely rise in status.

In contrast, the configuration of Lu Xu’s new drama was dismally poor.

Whenever "The Watchers" promotions mentioned Gu Sinian’s name, Lu Xu’s "My Precious Noble Young Master" would inevitably get slammed.

Hua Zhu’s previous works were also dug up by netizens.

"'Innocent Like You,' 'My Eighteen-Year-Old Queen,' 'Crazy Man'… What on earth are these?!"

"Who wouldn’t say that Lu Xu’s new drama’s cast deserves its fate?"

"Really… He really doesn’t deserve to be mentioned alongside Gu Sinian. He doesn’t deserve it at all."

Gu Sinian retweeted the official announcement of *The Watchman*. Because he had endured so much mistreatment from Lu Xu, his fans eagerly retweeted and commented, generating an astonishing amount of buzz and support. The official blog of *Misty Pass*, which Yao Yuan and Xie Qingyang were part of, also retweeted the post.

"For Verse!"

Subsequently, Xie Qingyang and Meng Qin both retweeted it.

"For Verse!"

"Verse's spirit is still alive and well!"

"In my heart, Verse will always be in the top three!"

"Ahhhhhh! Seeing their retweets makes my heart melt! It's okay if someone doesn't love Verse; someone will always love Verse!"

"...Someone is retweeting the promotion post for *My Baby Noble Son*."

"I give up; he’s just that kind of person, so I’m not surprised at all."

*The Watchman* is expected to launch on Grape TV during the late summer, while *My Baby Noble Son* should launch on Chenxi TV soon after filming wraps, according to Hua Zhu.

However, *The Watchman* will air during prime time, while *My Baby Noble Son* is stuck in a late-night slot.

After the filming of *The Watchman* wrapped, there were many adjustments made in post-production, including reshoots. The *Noble Son* crew didn’t have much time for that. With his extensive editing experience, Hua Zhu quickly made the necessary adjustments.

Although the director stated that it was all because the actors performed well, the entire process went smoothly.

The crew of the production: "..."

In short, the *Noble Son* crew never had the intention of benchmarking themselves against *The Watchman*.

In fact, when the publicity campaign for *The Watchman* began in late May, *Noble Son* was still in the midst of filming.

Yang Shu used to wrinkle his face at the mention of the galloping noble son, but now he can successfully hold back his laughter. His understanding of the character Pan Lingfeng has deepened significantly compared to the beginning.

Meanwhile, Lu Xu was filming the scenes after Yu Wei's descent into darkness.

Yu Wei had already fallen in love with Zhong Baobei, and to him, discovering that he was Zhong Baobei's brother was more painful than anything else.

Zhong Baobei told him that their chemistry came from blood relations, but he refused to acknowledge it.

Yu Wei had completely blackened.

He went crazy, imprisoned her, and deceived his parents; all he wanted was for Zhong Baobei to stay with him forever.

Lu Xu found this part of the plot insane, but he still had to bring out Yu Wei's madness.

Before filming this part of the story, Lu Xu carefully studied the script. He didn't make Yu Wei go mad suddenly but instead laid some groundwork in his previous performances.

Throughout his acting career, Lu Xu had portrayed many madmen.

For young actors, to show a breakthrough in their performances, they usually have to play some outwardly expressive characters, which generate more discussion and contrast.

However, Yu Wei wasn't a madman, just someone with some obsessive traits.

In his previous performances, Yu Wei saw Zhong Baobei as his salvation. Even though Zhong Baobei's heart leaned towards Pan Lingfeng, he still believed he had hope. When Pan Lingfeng was revealed to be Zhong Baobei's brother, Yu Wei's joy couldn't be contained.

But now, he had discovered he was Zhong Baobei's brother.

This was considered a major scene in the later stages of filming *Noble Son*.

The recent episodes filmed by the crew revolved around the mystery of Zhong Baobei's origin, but privately, the younger cast members complained that the most intense moment was when Yu Wei's character turned dark.

"I think I'm dramatic enough, but now I have to see how Lu Xu does intense," Yang Shu said, rubbing his chin. He had brought a bag of sunflower seeds and poured half of it out for Ji Zhan.

"Curious," Ji Zhan mumbled through a mouthful of seeds.

"Can you two stop watching this like it's some kind of joke?" Xia Xuewen interrupted them. "I'm feeling the pressure."

Lu Xu also looked over at the two, and Yang Shu and Ji Zhan, with wide, curious eyes, blinked at him.

Lu Xu: "..."

Their big scenes were almost wrapped up, with just one left for Lu Xu and Xia Xuewen.

This scene was also the first time Yu Wei revealed his true face to Zhong Baobei.

Hua Zhu and the crew kept things casual, typical for a small production. When it was time to shoot, they just went ahead.

Hua Zhu called out "Action," and Lu Xu and Xia Xuewen immediately entered filming mode.

Ji Zhan, still happily munching on seeds, was nudged by Yang Shu a few minutes in.

"Look!"

In the center of the set, Yu Wei's gaze at Zhong Baobei was different from before.

His eyes usually held a hint of restraint, mirroring his protective nature toward Zhong Baobei.

But this time, Yu Wei blocked Zhong Baobei, his eyes filled with emotions that even outsiders could feel. His gaze was focused, his fists clenched tightly, wanting to get close but not daring to get too near.

His eyes conveyed that Zhong Baobei was his entire world.

Ji Zhan stopped munching on his seeds.

He was worried he might make a sound that could affect Lu Xu's performance.

After witnessing Lu Xu’s typically restrained performances, seeing him fully unleash was striking. Xia Xuewen, on set, likely felt the intensity firsthand.

And even in this state, although Yu Wei had already turned dark, his body remained restrained.

It turns out that deep affection can be visually portrayed—Lu Xu’s performance embodied that perfectly.

"Don't look for him, don't go!"

Yu Wei's voice began excitedly but grew hoarse over time. If you listened closely, you could detect a hint of despair.

In front of Zhong Baobei, the darkened Yu Wei was also vulnerable.

However, Zhong Baobei’s heart belonged solely to Pan Lingfeng, and she rushed toward him, completely oblivious to Yu Wei trailing behind.

Yu Wei's eyes shattered, as if he himself had broken.

Yang Shu also stopped grabbing seeds early on. Honestly, he had always believed that idol dramas should be acted by people with good acting skills. If you wanted to see how an actor could simultaneously express deep love, despair, and brokenness, you just had to look at Lu Xu.

Despite having acted in idol dramas himself, Yang Shu believed these roles often downplayed emotional depth. Actors were expected to look good rather than delve deeply into their characters’ feelings.

After the scene was finished, Hua Zhu called for a cut, but Lu Xu and Xia Xuewen stood in place for a while, taking time to recover from the filming state.

In fact, *The Noble Son* would later reveal another mystery—that Yu Wei wasn't actually Zhong Baobei's brother either.

But by then, Yu Wei had already let go of his hopeless love. He chose to give Zhong Baobei her freedom.

"It’s a heartfelt, uplifting story, so we can’t just rush through it," the director said. "We’ve got enough material; I’ll handle the editing."

Even the experienced Lu Xu chose to remain silent.

He had no idea how the director was going to logically wrap it up.