Chapter 37 037 Fear of His Success

Chapter 37 037 Fear of His Success

"After departing from Ling Ge Entertainment, Lu Xu's first move was to Feiyang Entertainment. It feels like two extremes."

"But somehow it fits perfectly!"

Artists under Ling Ge Entertainment are more focused on entertainment value, often ranking at the top of the hot search list, while Feiyang Entertainment has attracted a group of skilled actors, with slightly less buzz.

The new generation values hype more, and newcomers signed to Feiyang Entertainment don't have much presence.

If Lu Xu were still a member of Verse, Feiyang Entertainment would definitely not suit him, but now it's different.

With just the role of Qin Zhao, Lu Xu has proven his potential as an actor.

After Qin Zhao's departure from the show, "The Son of Heaven" maintained a stable popularity of around 12,000, making it the best-performing series since the start of the year.

Although this data can't secure the annual championship, it has already secured a spot in the top ten for the year.

Yunxi Film and Television has also moved past the slump of mediocre ratings for multiple series, now having a show to boast about. Moreover, "The Son of Heaven" not only has outstanding data but also a better reputation than its data—the chemistry between actors, every gesture and expression, leaves a lasting impression, not just sweet but also bitter and spicy, making it more worthy of audience appreciation.

Lu Xu is the youngest actor in "The Son of Heaven" cast and the most watched one.

A show with the popularity of "The Son of Heaven" could easily propel a super new star, but unfortunately, Cheng Yun, Guo Yining, and others are seasoned veterans in the entertainment industry. Even if they are highly promoted, the series they can star in are very limited, and their commercial value cannot be further expanded.

Though Lu Xu's screen time is limited, his performance stands out.

Plus, the older members of the cast are very optimistic about him, always mentioning him a couple of times whether he's present or not, thus enhancing Lu Xu's presence.

"The Son of Heaven" is a typical serious drama, with a rich plot, a genre particularly favored by authoritative award ceremonies. The first time Qin Zhao's role gained wider recognition, netizens started a thread on the forum discussing whether Lu Xu could win an award.

At that time, there were few supporters.

But as "The Son of Heaven" became more and more popular, and Lu Xu's portrayal of Qin Zhao was recognized by more and more viewers, new threads on the forum became quite lively.

Although the vast majority of netizens believe that Lu Xu's chances of winning an award are very low, if he were to compete for the best supporting actor, he would have to compete with Guo Yining and others.

Given Lu Xu's current qualifications, it would be extremely difficult to surpass Guo Yining and others.

After a long debate on the forum, a reply was silently pushed up.

"Don't you think that just by having Lu Xu's name appear here, he has already won?"

Upon hearing this, the netizens fell silent.

Forum users are notoriously critical, and anyone with subpar acting skills eyeing awards would surely face ridicule.

...

Lu Xu's signing with Feiyang Entertainment was noticed by several of his former teammates.

The failures of "Watchmen" and "Rising Sun" left Ling Ge Entertainment completely out of sorts. Since both series dropped from daily champions to dismal ratings, the higher-ups at Ling Ge Entertainment were filled with anger, not knowing where to vent.

Gu Sinian was directly banned by the higher-ups from taking on any roles for a while.

In fact, no production team would be foolish enough to approach Gu Sinian for a role.

He has no acting skills or appeal, and every show he's involved in flops spectacularly, as if he's absorbed bad luck, which keeps expanding, truly terrifying directors.

When Gu Sinian appeared at the Ling Ge Entertainment building, he no longer had the luster of his Verse days.

There were still fans holding up light boards to encourage him, saying that none of this was his fault.

Gu Sinian looked haggard and dejected, making his fans' hearts ache. If possible, they wished they could hug Gu Sinian and comfort him, telling him not to give up.

Luckily—the other two members of Verse did just that.

Xie Qingyang hooked his arm around Gu Sinian's neck, while Meng Qin patted his back in a comforting manner. Though neither of them said a word, everything was understood without speaking.

Seeing this scene, the "only three" fans of Verse were nearly moved to tears.

So much had happened in Verse, and the members' reputations had all taken a hit, but Xie Qingyang, Meng Qin, and Gu Sinian were still genuine.

As the elevator doors closed, the fans outside disappeared from view.

Six people, including the three members and their three managers, rode the elevator together.

The earlier closeness was gone in an instant. The three stood far apart, and though Gu Sinian couldn't see Xie Qingyang's eyes behind his sunglasses, he was certain he heard a faint snort from the other's nose.

"Don't come to next month's interview," Xie Qingyang said. "I'll call you another day."

As for when that "another day" would be, Xie Qingyang didn't elaborate, but Gu Sinian knew full well it would likely never come.

Xie Qingyang had started an interview show, inviting many close friends to participate. Most celebrities in the industry were quite supportive, and the show had a good reputation.

However, Xie Qingyang wasn't satisfied with this status quo. During the Verse era, he had been the leader and center, with all the spotlight on him. At his peak, Verse had enjoyed the same treatment as top-tier movie stars.

But now, he could only play a supporting role on the show, catering to the guests' ideas and knowing how to respond to their jokes.

Originally, having Verse members participate was a key talking point for the show, but Xie Qingyang now had no desire to invite Gu Sinian at all.

Xie Qingyang simply told Gu Sinian this decision. Meng Qin, standing nearby, stayed silent, but his scrutinizing gaze made Gu Sinian even more uneasy.

Verse had broken up because of clashing interests, and the bonds between the members had long since faded after the breakup. The three now had their own studios, all under Ling Ge Entertainment, and were even in direct competition for resources.

Gu Sinian and Meng Qin had a particularly strained relationship.

Meng Qin had always been sarcastic and sharp-tongued, with a knack for avoiding risks that was unmatched in Verse. Now primarily active in the fashion industry, he had fully embraced the habit of sucking up to the powerful and stepping on the weak.

His casual glance was more unsettling to Gu Sinian than outright insults.

On the trending list, the hashtags #Verse Intimacy and #Once Teammates Always Close had already been bought. Seeing them made Gu Sinian want to smash his watch.

Unfortunately, his watch endorsement had already fallen through, and the watch was too expensive for him to afford breaking.

At this thought, Gu Sinian couldn't help but bitterly say, "You don't think that when Lu Xu becomes popular, I'll be the only one suffering, do you?"

"Will he not go on variety shows, or will his kind of fashion industry not cater to others?"

Seeing the changing expressions on their faces, Gu Sinian felt slightly better.

Lu Xu hadn't even become a major star yet, but he had already caused the three of them to lose a significant amount of resources. If Lu Xu ever became a breakout star, their identities as former Verse members would only subject them to endless comparisons.

None of them wanted to see Lu Xu, their former subordinate, rise above them.

...

If Lu Xu knew his former teammates' true thoughts, he would only say that overthinking is a disease that needs to be treated.

If someone stepped on him, he'd step right back—that was just how he rolled. But the other three members of Verse seemed to expect him to lie down and take it, which was something he could never do.

In the entertainment industry, there are always people rising to fame at any moment. No one stays at the peak forever, nor does anyone remain in a low point indefinitely.

He is merely someone who has experienced a low point and is now on the verge of a comeback.

Why should he be considered lesser than Xie Qingyang, Meng Qin, and Gu Sinian?

Do those three have exceptional acting skills, looks, or noble charisma?

Nothing at all.

Some say Lu Xu is playing the role of a revenge-driven male lead, but Lu Xu himself doesn't see it that way.

He believes he is simply doing what an actor should do: acting well, being responsible to the script, and to his fellow actors.

This is just what being an actor entails.

Yet, even such a simple thing is something many fail to achieve.

...

The scripts Xu Wen had filtered gradually made their way to Lu Xu. According to his agent, there were plenty of scripts, but unfortunately, most didn’t meet Lu Xu’s standards.

He picked out three leading roles, all from low-budget projects.

There were also three supporting roles in major productions, one of which was directed by a renowned director, widely recognized in the entertainment industry as a director known for launching stars. Starring in his drama would almost guarantee fame.

This director has a good relationship with Feiyang Entertainment, and most of the artists who rose to fame through Feiyang Entertainment have collaborated with him.

"I don't recommend you choose his script," Xu Wen advised Lu Xu after bringing him the script. "You already have plenty of exposure, and this role doesn’t give you much room to shine."

Although the script was obtained through the connection with Feiyang Entertainment, in Xu Wen's view, Lu Xu had already made an appearance in "The Son of Heaven." He needed roles with more screen time and greater potential for personal breakthrough.

After some thought, Lu Xu finally zeroed in on a suspense drama.

Among the three low-budget productions, he preferred this one.

The other two scripts included a period drama set in the Republic of China era, telling the story of a couple separated by war, who ultimately took completely different paths. Their love was unwavering, but their beliefs doomed them to never stand together.

It was a good script, but Lu Xu felt that the drama focused too much on the love story, with a somewhat superficial portrayal of the career line, not as strong as "Rising Sun."

Objectively speaking, if it weren't for Ling Ge Entertainment's mismanagement, "Rising Sun" would definitely have been a great drama.

Additionally, there was a multi-male lead drama about four male leads who were madly in love with the female lead, willing to go to extreme lengths for her.

Lu Xu: "..."

He didn’t quite get the appeal.

However, the script was indeed interesting, and the male lead character assigned to him was quite appealing—handsome, domineering, tragic yet strong, and willing to be saved by the female lead, even developing a masochistic trait.

Once he’s more open to it, he wouldn’t mind giving it a shot.

In the comments section of his Weibo, fans have been urging him to take on more handsome roles.

"Current dramas have unattractive men playing handsome roles, while handsome men are criticized for lacking acting skills, so they try to prove their skills by playing ugly roles! Handsome men, please be as confident as the unattractive ones!"

"Crazy +1, until my fingers are worn out."

"Handsome men may lack acting skills, but at least they have looks, while unattractive men have nothing..."

Lu Xu reflected on this and thought there might be some truth to it.

However, the demand for handsome men is greatest in idol dramas. Lu Xu feels that perhaps his acting experience is too rich, leading him to habitually choose more mature roles.

The suspense drama he is interested in tells the story of a handsome man seeking revenge after undergoing plastic surgery. It's a pure pleasure drama, with bloody battles and the thrill of nearly being exposed, featuring an intriguing plot and character design.