Chapter 9 Broadcast

Chapter 9 Broadcast

In any case, amidst all the praise, Lu Xu could hardly find any objective evaluation of Gu Sinian's acting skills.

Marketers were hyping Gu Sinian to the sky, making it sound like he was a shoo-in for next year's Best Newcomer Award. Lu Xu couldn't understand why Ling Ge Entertainment was promoting Gu Sinian so early in his career. In his opinion, Gu Sinian hadn't fully grasped the character he was playing.

Yet, Gu Sinian's screen time started increasing from the second episode, even outshining Ren Anyi’s screen time.

Lu Xu shook his head silently.

After two episodes of *The Watchers* aired, it was almost 10 PM. In another two hours, *My Precious Young Master* would also go online.

While *The Watchers* dominated the trending topics, *My Precious Young Master* didn’t even crack a single spot.

Only a few marketers specifically drew comparisons between the two dramas—

"Both former members of Verse, isn't Lu Xu doing too poorly compared to Gu Sinian?"

"Grape Film and Television's annual blockbuster VS Chenxi TV's low-budget web series, the comparison is really tragic."

"This is what happens when you mess with your own team—karma, baby!"

"...From the title to the trailer, it's all so cringeworthy. What era is this? Do people really watch that kind of drama?"

"Honestly, Lu Xu should just quit the biz; this is getting embarrassing."

"+1, I really don't want to see his name alongside other Verse members."

Since the rumors about him starring in *Young Master* spread, the comments from marketers have been predictably harsh, and Lu Xu had gotten used to it.

With *The Watchers* premiering tonight, fans of Verse members were rallying behind it. The voices criticizing him were actually much fewer than usual.

Lu Xu figured the criticism would fade by tonight. After all, *Young Master* wouldn't air until midnight, and Gu Sinian's fans wouldn't stay up so late just to bash him, right?

As it turned out, he had been too naive.

Right after Lu Xu bought the annual membership for Chenxi TV, Yang Shu pinged him on WeChat: "Hey, check this out."

Yang Shu sent a screenshot where Gu Sinian had just liked a Weibo post saying, "Lu Xu is such a disgusting 18th-tier nobody trying to ride Gu Sinian's coattails."

Lu Xu checked and found Gu Sinian’s like was still there, but it vanished after refreshing.

When Yang Shu saw Gu Sinian's like, he debated whether to show Lu Xu, but then he thought, even if he didn't send it, Lu Xu would eventually find out online.

As *The Watchers* premiered, *Young Master* kept getting dragged through the mud. Although Gu Sinian was gunning for Lu Xu, he was still the main character in *Young Master*!

Even though *The Watchers* had stepped on *Young Master* so many times, their small-time crew had never responded, yet the other side wasn't satisfied and had to personally humiliate Lu Xu once.

Yang Shu and Ji Zhan complained: "Talk about two-faced—one minute he’s all about 'eternal love for Verse,' the next he’s liking shady posts by accident. Who does that?"

Yang Shu had never seen Lu Xu do anything to Gu Sinian; he had just unfollowed the other Verse members.

If he were Lu Xu, he would have unfollowed such a teammate ages ago.

Lu Xu had already been quite dignified.

The show *Watchmen* has only recently started airing, so it's natural that Gu Sinian's activities have been under constant attention. As soon as he liked that post, it was immediately shared on the front pages by marketers.

"It was just a slip of the finger. Please don’t drag Starlight Award nominee, master of music and dance, former Verse frontman and dancer, and the only talented newcomer in *Watchmen,* Gu Sinian, into this. Thanks."

"Accidents happen all the time."

"Besides, even if it wasn't a slip, is Gu Sinian wrong for liking that post?"

"Hilarious, is Lu Xu just getting defensive?"

As the hashtag "Gu Sinian's like" started trending, a staff member of Gu Sinian came forward to claim responsibility, saying that they had been holding Gu Sinian's phone and accidentally liked the post. Gu Sinian himself had no ill intentions.

"Quick, thank Gu Sinian. Isn’t the heat for *My Precious Young Master* here now?"

...

After scrolling through Weibo for a long time, Lu Xu finally couldn't resist replying under the comment, "Starlight Award nominee, master of music and dance, former Verse frontman and dancer..." "Does one person really need all those titles? You’d need four different IDs to book a hotel room."

"..."

"Hahahahahaha!"

"What a weirdo, cracking me up out of nowhere!"

"Hahahaha, I’ve been wanting to call this out for a long time but didn’t dare to, afraid of getting scolded."

"Is Lu Xu always this funny? I’m not even a Verse fan!"

Not only that, netizens discovered that after dropping that soul-searching reply, Lu Xu's account started liking posts too.

"Isn’t Gu Sinian’s acting awful?"

Liked, then unliked.

"*Watchmen* is a pretty good drama, but someone's acting is really dragging it down. Is it okay to say this?"

Liked, then unliked.

"Gu Sinian, tsk, so tea-like."

Liked, then unliked.

Repeatedly liking and unliking.

Netizens couldn’t figure out how Lu Xu managed to sift through all the spam to find those few posts mocking Gu Sinian.

Within minutes, he had liked dozens of anti-Gu Sinian posts, and every time someone questioned him, he claimed it was just a slip of the finger.

As Lu Xu kept liking and undoing, viewers who had watched *Watchmen* and were pure drama fans finally found the courage to criticize Gu Sinian's acting. Even if Lu Xu was just seeking revenge on Gu Sinian, the content he liked happened to be what the fans wanted to say but didn’t dare to.

In this way, Lu Xu dragged things out until midnight.

Netizens now had a clear understanding of Lu Xu's "crazy" behavior—over the course of two hours, he had repeatedly liked and undone hundreds of anti-Gu Sinian posts.

"A relentless slip-up machine."

"Isn’t Gu Sinian popular enough already? Why the passive-aggressive jab at your old teammate? Lu Xu hasn't provoked you recently."

"Not a fan, but I’ve always wanted to say this: Verse kicked Lu Xu out already, so why keep emphasizing that teammate bond? You three can perform by yourselves; why drag Lu Xu into it?"

Suddenly feeling a bit of sympathy for Lu Xu, I decided to give 'My Precious Noble Son' a chance.

Lu Xu's antics piqued the curiosity of netizens about 'My Precious Noble Son.'

Before this, 'Noble Son' and 'Watchmen' weren't in the same league at all, but the promotional tactics used by the 'Watchmen' crew elevated both dramas to the same level.

Despite not spending a dime on marketing, 'Noble Son' quietly climbed the trending list after it aired.

Even though the drama has been airing, the criticism hasn't let up.

...

In Lu Xu's opinion, if 'Noble Son' wasn't his own drama, he wouldn't have the courage to click on it.

When one of Pan Lingfeng's goons yelled out 'Galloping Horse Noble Son,' Lu Xu couldn’t help but cover his face, feeling utterly mortified.

But as long as the actors aren't embarrassed, the show can still hold together.

And although 'Noble Son' completely lacks logic, since the logic has already been destroyed to this extent, the logic itself no longer matters.

...

Tan Qi was drawn to 'Noble Son' solely because of the fan wars between Verse fans.

She had been a fan of Verse for a while. When she first got into them, she was all about Lu Xu because she was totally into good looks. When Verse first debuted, she chased them offline a few times. In her opinion, Lu Xu’s looks easily outshone the other three members.

Though Lu Xu’s popularity plummeted and he was embroiled in scandals, the breakup of Verse was pretty messy. To some extent, Lu Xu was her first crush, the first idol she ever adored.

Tan Qi hadn't chased stars for a long time, and if it weren't for seeing Gu Sinian and Lu Xu trending together, she wouldn't have known that Lu Xu had taken on a web drama called 'My Precious Noble Son'—the title alone sounded pretty dumb.

Unable to sleep late at night and knowing Lu Xu rarely had new work, she decided to watch 'Chenxi TV' to see how terrible this drama really was.

Even now, just mentioning that she had once been a fan of Verse’s Lu Xu would attract a lot of mockery, so Tan Qi gradually became unwilling to talk about it.

Watching this drama felt like her final goodbye to Lu Xu.

After all, she had genuinely supported Lu Xu, and Tan Qi didn't want to say anything too harsh; that would be denying her past self.

Regardless of where Lu Xu is now, back when Verse was just starting, he brought her joy.

Actually, early fans of Verse knew that Lu Xu was very popular. He stood in the C position for the group's promotional activities and commercial endorsements, but later on, he was gradually marginalized. Compared to his teammates, Lu Xu’s resources were indeed scarce. Ling Ge Entertainment even used his popularity to pull resources for other members. The fans protested about this, but the protests were ultimately useless.

Why was it that just as Verse was about to disband, a bunch of scandals about Lu Xu were exposed?

After the disbandment, the four members' circumstances changed drastically. If Lu Xu were really as described in those scandals, how could he have fallen so far as to act in a bad web drama?

But thinking about these things now is pointless.

Tan Qi understands clearly that Lu Xu doesn't have a chance to make a comeback.

He can only take on dramas like 'Noble Son' now, and in the future, he might not even get opportunities for lousy web dramas like 'Noble Son.'

There are too many stars in the entertainment industry who only get popular for a short time. Those with good luck might still be able to struggle a bit, but those with bad luck have long since disappeared from the public eye.

When she clicked on the first episode of 'Noble Son,' Tan Qi was shocked by the gaudy visual style of 'Noble Son.'

She had watched many dramas and knew that modern drama productions pursued texture. The bigger the budget, the darker and more cinematic the visuals tend to be. 'Watchmen' was like that.

Gui Gongzi is all about being flashy and vibrant. Whether it’s the Aristocratic Academy Ariel or the Horse Riding Noble Young Master Pan Lingfeng, there are plenty of things that make her want to roast.

No horses, no cars, so what exactly is being raced?

Luckily, the crew had enough taste not to opt for those garish emo hairstyles.

Tan Qi took a deep breath and decided to stick it out until the second episode for Lu Xu’s sake.

If they could boost the view count a bit, maybe things would get easier for Lu Xu. Perhaps he could even continue to get more acting roles?

After the first episode started, Tan Qi found that the two main characters of Gui Gongzi were well-cast.

Pan Lingfeng and Zhong Baobei's actors looked youthful and attractive. At the very least, they lived up to the title of "Noble Young Master." Zhong Baobei wasn’t one of those weak, overly dramatic damsels in distress. Her smile was sweet and bright, her eyes sparkling, making her very pleasing to watch.

In terms of appearance, the two were absolutely qualified.

Tan Qi couldn’t help but wonder why, in recent years, female leads seemed so deeply troubled. Even in youth dramas, they often wore a look of sorrow.

Once she got used to the flashy visuals, Tan Qi found she could actually sit through the plot of Gui Gongzi...

When Zhong Baobei first entered the campus, she encountered the arrogant Pan Lingfeng. Unlike the male leads in shojo manga who go out of their way to bully the female lead, Pan Lingfeng was only a little rough around the edges, his personality not bad at all.

After becoming his desk mate, Zhong Baobei became the only savior for his academically challenged class as they faced a challenge from the honor students' class. The overly arrogant underachievers lowered their heads and asked her for tips on studying.

The bullies approached Zhong Baobei with fierce looks, only to ask her for homework help!

They didn’t want to cheat, but they didn’t want to lose too badly either.

After studying hard, they shamelessly boasted about studying until 10 p.m. — though in reality, everyone had studied past 11 p.m., okay?

As Tan Qi watched, she found these people kind of... cute?

And Zhong Baobei wasn’t some hapless newcomer to the aristocratic academy. When she needed to be domineering, she was, especially when tutoring. One glance from her was enough to silence the academically challenged bullies.

For some reason, Tan Qi kept thinking Pan Lingfeng’s outfit looked familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before, but she really couldn’t remember.

Although the aristocratic academy seemed to have no money and the horse-riding noble young master couldn’t afford a luxury car, she had unknowingly finished the first episode.

Tan Qi had set her expectations low for Gui Gongzi and braced herself for how bad it might be, but after watching the first episode, she found that it wasn’t what she had imagined.

She felt that the Gui Gongzi crew knew they were poor and that their logic was flawed with many overused tropes, so they embraced the messiness when they needed to.

Because of this clear self-awareness, Tan Qi didn’t feel out of place while watching the drama.

In the second episode, Lu Xu's character Yu Wei finally appeared.

After taking on this role, Lu Xu had been getting a lot of criticism, and Tan Qi didn’t expect him to perform exceptionally well.

Gu Sinian had been cast in a big production like Watchmen, and Ling Ge Entertainment even arranged acting coaches for him. His performance in Watchmen still felt very abrupt. Compared to that, Gui Gongzi couldn’t compete in terms of cast and resources.

However—

The moment Yu Wei appeared on screen, Tan Qi couldn’t help but let out a scream!

Even though the visuals were still bright and the production still felt poor, what appeared before her was an incredibly handsome face.

She had been chasing new dramas, but in recent years, she had definitely not seen a character more handsome than Yu Wei!

Unlike the glittery stage makeup from his Verse days, Yu Wei’s look was simpler, maybe just a light dusting of powder, but it perfectly showcased Lu Xu's original features.

Even in the moment the character turned around, Tan Qi immediately sensed his personality—he was likely a gentle, melancholic soul.

There are many characters with cold personalities in TV dramas, but young actors often seem stiff when portraying such roles, either putting on a poker face or remaining expressionless, leaving viewers unable to guess what they are thinking.

However, the on-screen Yu Wei was completely different.

His face didn’t twist into exaggerated expressions; he wasn’t overacting. Although he had a quiet personality, he didn’t wear the same expression in every scene.

Tan Qi replayed the scene multiple times, closely examining Yu Wei’s gaze as it lingered on Zhong Baobei.

Yu Wei didn’t say he liked Zhong Baobei, and his body language was restrained, but in that moment, no one who saw his eyes could doubt that he had fallen for her at first sight.

Tan Qi thought that maybe he was too serene, like the night, while Zhong Baobei was the warm sunlight that could banish the shadows.

In this episode, Yu Wei didn’t appear for long; he only showed his face and exchanged a few words with Zhong Baobei. Yet, Lu Xu fully embodied the presence of this character.

He had a handsome face, slender finger joints, and eyes filled with affection, yet his body was full of restraint.

Tan Qi wouldn’t openly praise Lu Xu’s acting prowess, but to her, his gaze at Zhong Baobei was like playing chords on her heartstrings.

It was as if she had returned to the first time she watched an idol drama.

Back then, those handsome guys who now seem so ordinary had once made her teenage heart race.

Tan Qi had originally expected to see an exaggerated performance or that Lu Xu would portray a lifeless, expressionless Yu Wei.

However, in the drama, Yu Wei’s presence wasn’t jarring. His eyes were both passionate and reserved, making the character feel as if he truly existed.

Lu Xu’s performance exceeded her expectations.

Even though *The Noble Son* was just a low-budget, mediocre drama that Tan Qi initially clicked on to boost its views, she now found herself genuinely interested in the show.

…

After finishing two episodes and repeatedly watching Yu Wei’s scenes, it was almost 2 a.m. by the time Tan Qi exited Chenxi TV.

Before exiting, Tan Qi took a careful look at the view counts. Both the first and second episodes of *The Noble Son* had over 5,000 views.

This data… exceeded her expectations.

*Watchmen* broke 10,000 views on its first day, and that was because of its strong cast, including veteran actors like Yue Hui and Ren Ningyi, as well as Gu Sinian, who brought in the traffic. It was clear to anyone that Grape Film and Television had put a lot of effort into this drama.

Frankly speaking, if *Watchmen* hadn’t hit 10,000 views on the first day, it would have been a letdown given the all-out promotional efforts by Grape Film and Television.

But what did *The Noble Son* offer?

Lu Xu had previously struggled, and Yang Shu and Xia Xuewen were still newcomers.

Tan Qi added both shows to her favorites.

*Watchmen* was great, and the plot of *The Noble Son* was also acceptable.

Tan Qi appreciated heavier, more serious dramas, but she also loved lighthearted, straightforward youth dramas.

It was already very late, but Tan Qi still couldn’t fall asleep. Lying in bed, she opened Weibo and searched for the keyword “Noble Son” first. There weren’t many real-time discussions about the drama, but when she searched for “Lu Xu,” she found many like-minded fans—

“Suddenly realized how handsome Lu Xu is!”

“The stylist for *The Noble Son* did an amazing job. Lu Xu’s look is quite handsome.”

"Is this what Lu Xu looked like during the Verse era?"

"I always thought Lu Xu was just coasting in Verse. The cold, brooding heartthrob isn't his usual character, but he actually portrayed it!"

"Who would've thought I'd get hooked on a trashy show in the middle of the night?"

Even though late-night discussions were limited, Tan Qi was surprised the next morning to see that, among the trending topics for *Watchmen*, *The Noble Son* had unexpectedly made it into the top ten.

More importantly, the trending topics for *Watchmen* were all started by marketers, and dominated by fan comments, while *The Noble Son*, despite having less buzz, lacked a uniform format, clearly indicating spontaneous fan discussions.