Chapter 36: Signing the Contract

Chapter 36: Signing the Contract

It was widely known that Lu Xu was not selected for the role of Wu Shen in "Rising Sun." Gu Sinian's fans had previously mocked him for this.

Lu Xu himself didn't say much at the time. For an actor, being selected or not for a role is quite normal.

Now, "The Son of Heaven" has surpassed "Rising Sun" in both popularity and reputation. Fans supporting Lu Xu were secretly thrilled. Missing out on "Rising Sun" was no big deal; the role of Qin Zhao was not bad at all!

But fans never expected that Lu Xu had gone through such an ordeal!

From the chat records, Lu Xu, upon receiving the rejection notice, remained polite throughout, showing enough respect to the "Rising Sun" crew. However, the assistant director, who only needed to deliver the result, sarcastically mocked Lu Xu.

"Such a condescending attitude, I'm totally grossed out."

"Thank goodness Lu Xu didn't end up in 'Rising Sun'; I've never seen such a mess of a crew."

While fans were upset for Lu Xu, on the other hand, Mu Qian, who had been very active recently, posted a new Weibo message:

"What does 'like obedient actors' mean???"

Mu Qian paired the text with a picture of a kitten with a mushroom cloud above its head, expressing the director's extreme anger.

Netizens then realized that when Lu Xu was advised to leave "Rising Sun," Mu Qian was still the director!

Curious netizens then went to Mu Qian's Weibo to ask: "Director Mu, is this your advice to Lu Xu?"

Mu Qian: "Do I look like the obedient type?"

In the chat records, the assistant director "helpfully" reminded Lu Xu that the crew likes obedient actors and advised Lu Xu not to be too edgy.

The thing is, everyone could see that Director Mu Qian was the rebellious type, edgy enough to poke holes in his opponents.

So, was this so-called "reminder" the personal opinion of Chen Changyin, or someone else in the "Rising Sun" crew besides the director?

"This drama will take weeks to unravel."

"What a big drama."

Netizens with experience in following such dramas concluded that whether it was the conflict between Lu Xu and Ling Ge Entertainment, or between Mu Qian and Ling Ge Entertainment, the problem must lie with Ling Ge Entertainment.

...

During this period of turmoil for Ling Ge Entertainment, the popularity of "Rising Sun" continued to decline. Even though "Rising Sun" itself was worth watching, with so many dramas unfolding, some viewers would naturally turn to other series.

Moreover, the follow-up plot of "Rising Sun" did not keep up.

"The drama is more interesting than the show!"

The crew fighting with the scriptwriter, the former director fighting with the crew and the assistant director, the scriptwriters fighting with the current director, the current director cursing the audience in a fit of rage, interspersed with a series of technical errors like plummeting popularity, account hacking, and accidental posts, netizens said they were tired of following the drama.

As a bystander caught in the storm, Lu Xu's mind was also a mess. It took him a long time to sort out the relationships and he commented that it was quite a feat to gather such a group of talents into the same crew, "Rising Sun" was indeed impressive.

While this grand drama was unfolding, the data of "The Son of Heaven" was not affected at all.

After the popularity rose to 9000, the daily views of "The Son of Heaven" gradually stabilized, with the increase not as large as before, but it still firmly occupied the top position on the popularity chart, and one day it successfully broke through 10,000.

The historical drama genre itself is relatively niche, and "The Son of Heaven" is not purely a feel-good drama; it has touching parts and parts that make people feel sad. The current increase is normal.

However, one day, when the series was already more than halfway through, and the story's Emperor Cheng gradually aged from his prime, the popularity of "The Son of Heaven" suddenly soared to over 12,000.

The reason was none other than the confrontation scene between Crown Prince Qin Zhao and Emperor Cheng.

Qin Zhao laid bare the significance of his existence as the crown prince, venting years of pent-up resentment and completely exposing his father's true intentions.

On screen, the crown prince's icy gaze and relentless questioning effortlessly tugged at the audience's heartstrings.

At this moment, Qin Zhao truly lived up to the role of a crown prince.

The video of Lu Xu and Cheng Yun's scene quickly surpassed ten thousand retweets—the crown prince's resentment had burst through the screen, and the two of them now looked nothing like father and son.

Cheng Yun's acting skills need no further explanation; *The Son of Heaven* has reintroduced him to the audience, making him a "hidden gem of an actor" in their hearts. As for Lu Xu, his expressions, voice, and breath in this scene were surprisingly as seasoned as Cheng Yun's.

"Actually... Lu Xu is only in his 20s."

"That's why both Mu Qian and Liu Chunfeng were willing to cast him. These two directors are quite picky."

"Qin Zhao's character isn't actually that well-written, to be honest. He's not as compelling as Wu Shen in *Rising Sun*. If the actor doesn't handle it well, Qin Zhao would just be overshadowed by Emperor Cheng. But Lu Xu brought Qin Zhao to life—he wasn’t just a plot device; this crown prince felt real and human."

"I feel so much for the crown prince! I’ve rewatched Qin Zhao’s scenes more than a dozen times."

"+1 +1 +1, I used to think Lu Xu could only argue..."

Although Qin Zhao's character has already exited the story, among the ever-changing roster of characters in *The Son of Heaven*, his presence ranks surprisingly high.

As a historical figure, Qin Zhao has been portrayed by other actors in different dramas. Some versions of Qin Zhao were too weak, while others depicted him as a loser with a despicable demeanor.

He was merely a supporting character, overshadowed by the successful.

In a way, Lu Xu has redefined Qin Zhao.

For Qin Zhao, there was no path forward and no retreat. The crown prince position, which entangled him for his entire life, was held by him for a full forty years.

Forty years as a crown prince—who could endure that?

Even someone with extraordinary talent might not endure such a long time, perhaps acting faster and more ruthlessly than Qin Zhao.

As both a former and current fan of Lu Xu, Tan Qi has rewatched Qin Zhao's cuts from *The Son of Heaven* dozens of times. Thanks to the show's popularity, she has found many like-minded fans online. Now, her homepage is flooded with Qin Zhao-related content, with new videos popping up every time she refreshes.

Tan Qi isn't the type of fan who chases details, but others are. Qin Zhao's character has been analyzed repeatedly, and she has discovered many details she hadn't noticed before.

Her fellow fans are incredibly talented! They’re all masters of spotting details!

Of course, the root of it all is that Lu Xu acted so well.

During the Verse era, Lu Xu didn't show any signs of acting talent. Fans like her had the impression that Gu Sinian was more suited for acting. Everyone thought that after Verse disbanded, only Gu Sinian would pursue an acting career.

Perhaps... it wasn't that Lu Xu couldn't act, but that Ling Ge Entertainment had been pushing the narrative that Gu Sinian was the one suited for acting, just like the rumors they spread about Lu Xu. Over time, these narratives became accepted as truth.

"The world has finally discovered Lu Xu!!"

"Thank you, Lu Xu, for proving yourself. Now I can boldly say my favorite is Lu Xu!"

"Ahhh, the rags-to-riches story really gets to me!"

...

Qin Zhao's role has successfully doubled Lu Xu's Weibo followers. Recently, besides comments like "I wish I had Lu Xu's mouth," the rest of his comment section is filled with protests about his lack of activity.

Lu Xu: "..."

Indeed.

His Weibo is almost entirely filled with content bashing others, occasionally reposting official promotional posts. As fans put it, it's indeed managed by a real person, but... perhaps a bit too overactive.

But in a way, the overly lively Lu Xu and the dark, timid, and introspective characters he portrays are also part of his charm.

Fans are particularly drawn to the contrast.

Moreover!

Lu Xu, who has such a beautiful face, has never posted a selfie. Most of the pictures online are stills from dramas or candid shots.

Another fascinating thing about Lu Xu is that he has always had a high online presence, but he rarely appears in public.

Fans have been begging for a while, torn between wanting Lu Xu to post selfies and hoping he joins a new drama soon.

It feels like Lu Xu would prefer the latter, but the former is easier to accomplish.

...

Recently, Lu Xu has been choosing an agency. After careful consideration, he feels that Feiyang Entertainment is more suitable. The other companies are expanding into other businesses, not solely focusing on actor management. Lu Xu personally doesn't mind the expansion, but the businesses these companies are expanding into have little to do with acting, or even the entertainment industry.

Lu Xu doesn't want to be pulled away from filming halfway to attend some corporate promotional event.

In the following days, he spent a lot of time discussing contract details with Xu Wen. The contract terms set by Feiyang Entertainment are very detailed, even covering promotional activities. However, Lu Xu is not entirely inexperienced. The contract he signed with Ling Ge Entertainment is there, clearly pointing out the pitfalls.

He added some requirements and then signed his name on the contract.

After finishing this, Lu Xu could finally push the pile of commercial offers to Xu Wen.

He really doesn't have the energy to pick through them.

After the broadcast of "The Son of Heaven," Lu Xu's commercial offers increased again, along with some invitations from fashion magazines. But in his view, the quality of these offers is still mediocre, and the cost-performance ratio isn't high.

After all, he's just a supporting role in "The Son of Heaven." If he were the lead, the treatment would be different.

Sure enough, Xu Wen bluntly told him, "Only one or two short-term collaborations are worth signing, the rest are unnecessary."

Feiyang Entertainment does have some long-standing commercial partnerships, which he can secure for Lu Xu.

Apart from commercials, Lu Xu has also accumulated many invitations from production teams. Objectively speaking, the teams inviting Lu Xu now are all low-budget productions, mainly historical dramas and modern idol dramas.

But Lu Xu wants to try other genres.

"I'll help you filter the scripts first," Xu Wen said. "If we only look at quality, it's easy to choose."

"But—" Sitting on the small sofa in Lu Xu's home, Xu Wen looked around, "Shouldn't you consider moving?"

He originally thought Lu Xu should live in a mansion and drive a luxury car, meticulously groomed from head to toe, which would match the persona they discussed during script talks. But—the person who opened the door had messy hair, still handsome, but compared to their first meeting, he exuded a laid-back, reclusive vibe.

He could tell that Lu Xu isn't particularly concerned about appearances.

Lu Xu isn't particularly concerned about his living situation either. The apartment he's living in now isn't very big, not the kind of neighborhood a star would typically choose, at least not secure enough.

Right now, Lu Xu doesn't have this concern, but in the future... he definitely will.

Fortunately, the apartment isn't too messy, and there's no sign of anyone else living there.

In this industry, it's normal for stars to have private lives, but Xu Wen hopes his business partner will prioritize their career. He doesn't want to go through the daily grind of dealing with scandals and covering up issues again.

The Agent was very satisfied and excited about signing Lu Xu, and he had no doubt that Lu Xu would achieve great fame in the future.

Although Lu Xu had many demands, Xu Wen understood that these high standards stemmed from his dedication to his acting career.

Lu Xu had a clear vision of what he wanted. This kind of actor is deeply committed to self-improvement, never letting distractions divert his focus.

"Looking forward to working together," the Agent extended his hand and gave Lu Xu a firm handshake.

Lu Xu promptly updated his Weibo profile, including the work email for Feiyang Entertainment.

Eagle-eyed fans spotted the change almost instantly.

Yet, no one outpaced the official Weibo account of Feiyang Entertainment. In no time, Feiyang Entertainment made it official: Lu Xu was now part of their team.

The accompanying image was not an official photo of Lu Xu, but a cheerful little dog joyfully riding a bicycle towards a wooden house, with the Feiyang Entertainment logo printed on the house.

"Lu Xu's officially with us now, so hands off!"