Chapter 41: 041 Visiting the Set

Chapter 41: 041 Visiting the Set

"Holy crap!! Lu Xu's beauty has been magnified N times, and the key is that Lu Xu is already the top 1 in my heart in terms of looks!"

"The eyeliner is so charming! What's with this feeling of being both handsome and beautiful with so much allure?"

"Ahhhh, all the handsome guys come and play hot roles for me, ahhhh!"

"Frantically taking screenshots + saving pictures, Ji Xiuya had me mesmerized for thirty seconds, how can he be so good-looking!"

The official Weibo of "The Supreme" was blown away by the response. Before releasing the trailer, the official Weibo of "The Supreme" had also posted other behind-the-scenes snippets, but the reposts, comments, and likes were only a few thousand. The reposts quickly surpassed ten thousand, and the numbers kept climbing—something the crew had never experienced before.

The difference might be... the behind-the-scenes clips didn't include Ji Xiuya?

The crew went back and checked their previous Weibo posts, and sure enough, the ones featuring Ji Xiuya consistently got more reposts and likes.

"Is looks really that big of a deal?"

"Duh, otherwise why would everyone chase after beauty instead of ugliness?"

To some extent, "The Supreme" started getting noticed from the group photo of Zheng Xiao, Wei Yi, and Lu Xu.

Anyway, with such a fan-favorite character like Ji Xiuya, the crew can save a lot on publicity costs.

The "The Supreme" crew seemed to have hit the jackpot. When the trailer reposts exceeded fifty thousand, the official Weibo jumped on the chance to post a bunch of behind-the-scenes clips related to Ji Xiuya.

Posts like "A Day in the Life of Demon Lord Ji," "Mirror Mirror, Who's the Hottest Guy Around?," and "Demon Lord Ji Gets Schooled by the Leads—Click for Details!" kept fans busy saving pics nonstop.

The comment section of "Demon Lord Ji Gets Schooled by the Leads" was going wild.

In the noisy set, Ji Xiuya glared down arrogantly, his fingers slightly curled like eagle claws: "I will make sure there is no one left in this crew..."

"Stop being so over-the-top, want some lychees?" Wei Yi threw lychees at Lu Xu one after another, and Lu Xu caught them one after another.

When he stopped to peel the lychees, Zheng Xiao grabbed his hair, and Wei Yi pulled his arm: "Show me how to be cute."

"Hahahaha!"

"He’s so focused on catching lychees, and even more focused on peeling them—like a puppy!"

"Cute! The drama queen is acting up again, this Demon Lord."

"No one in this crew gets lychees—they’re all mine!"

"Golden retriever puppy munching on lychees.jpg."

"More! Give us more behind-the-scenes content~"

"Can I just say? Casting Lu Xu as Ji Xiuya was a genius move—his face is pure eye candy!"

"The Supreme" is just a low-budget production. With so many shows airing at the same time, "The Supreme" didn’t stand out at first. During the summer, when big productions dominate, "The Supreme" would’ve been totally overshadowed.

But now, the popularity of "The Supreme" has soared.

"There's another series to chase." Tan Qi and her friend whispered.

A series like "The Son of Heaven" has so many fan works, you can imagine how huge the number of fan works of Ji Xiuya will be after "The Supreme" is broadcast!

This is the happiness of being a fan!

After the official announcement of the release date for *The Supreme*, the *Nine Turns Decree*, featuring Chen Ye, also revealed its release schedule. It didn’t align with *The Supreme* but was instead set for the more bustling summer season.

On one hand, the *Nine Turns Decree* team didn’t want to be tied to *The Supreme* anymore, as the latter’s cast and scale paled in comparison, and being associated would only give *The Supreme* free publicity. On the other hand, it was also because Chen Ye’s sudden departure from *The Supreme* was considered unethical.

Lu Xu’s fans are a bunch of fanatics. Last time, they exposed and hounded two mid-tier actors, leaving them in a mess. If they were to clash with *The Supreme* again, the already fragile reputation of those mid-tier actors would be completely ruined.

However, despite their true feelings, when it came to marketing, the *Nine Turns Decree* team adopted a different tone—given their production scale, only the summer season was fitting for them!

“Tsk, they’re really full of themselves. A summer release, huh? How impressive.”

“They say they won’t belittle smaller productions, but aren’t they doing it every day? What if their popularity ends up less than *The Supreme*? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”

Of course, the supporters of *The Supreme* were just venting. Although Lu Xu’s previous works, *The Noble Son* and *The Son of Heaven*, had managed to exceed expectations, it didn’t guarantee that *The Supreme* would have the same luck.

...

Tan Qi and her friend watched the *The Supreme* trailer seven or eight times and replayed the clip of Lu Xu catching lychees over and over. Finally, they arrived at the set of *The Path of Bones*.

The number of fan visit spots was limited, and Tan Qi had struggled to secure one. As soon as she arrived on set, she saw Lu Xu talking to the director.

“He really looks different,” her friend whispered.

Tan Qi nodded silently.

During the later stages of Verse, or more accurately, during the time she gradually stopped paying attention to the group, Lu Xu had become increasingly silent. His radiance faded, almost to the point of vanishing.

He had always been in the shadow of his teammates.

But now, even though his styling was far less trendy than during his time in the group, Lu Xu gave her a feeling of lightness.

His face was relaxed, and he seemed gentler overall, but his gaze was sharper than before, and his posture was more confident.

Back in Verse, perhaps because he was criticized so much, Lu Xu had seemed very insecure, his posture not as straight.

At this moment, Lu Xu seemed to have a disagreement with the director. The two talked for a long time, and after a while, the director called over another actor. Soon, more people gathered, and Lu Xu was surrounded by a group. Some held his arm, others joked with him. Clearly, he was the center of *The Path of Bones* set.

Later, the disagreement seemed to be resolved, and Lu Xu turned around with a bright smile on his face.

Tan Qi couldn’t help but capture the moment in a photo.

The sunlight was perfect that day, with blue skies and white clouds, everything warm and radiant. Lu Xu seemed to stand in the middle of a halo, radiating warmth.

Later, she got the chance to take a group photo with the cast.

The crew members were clearly experienced. When they saw younger fans, they instinctively pushed Lu Xu to the front.

Tan Qi and her friend stood beside Lu Xu, so nervous they could barely speak—being close to Lu Xu amplified the handsomeness of his face countless times.

A Lu Xu even more handsome than during his Verse days!

After meeting him in person, Tan Qi realized that Lu Xu’s personality was still very much the same—he didn’t talk much, far less lively than on social media. But when she finished taking the photo and wanted to say something to him, only to freeze from nervousness, she heard Lu Xu’s soft voice beside her: “I remember you. You used to come see me often.”

His voice was still as light as a feather, but it made Tan Qi want to cry on the spot.

For Lu Xu, Verse was probably an unhappy chapter of his past, but he still remembered the fans who loved him.

She was truly grateful that Lu Xu had moved on, allowing her to visit the set and watch the dramas he starred in regularly.

Whether in the past or now, she will always remember the moment she liked someone.

...

The current Lu Xu naturally doesn’t have the memories of his predecessor, but the original owner was a good person and cherished his identity as a member of Verse. He kept many photos from his debut: group shots with members, fan photos, and award moments.

The girl visiting the set was a familiar face from the early fan photos, and Lu Xu had an impression of her.

He wouldn’t delve into why she hadn’t appeared for a while. Her return must mean she still genuinely cares for Lu Xu.

So, the time the original owner spent in Verse wasn’t wasted.

Even someone constantly criticized for dragging the team down, mired in scandals, and labeled as trash had fans who truly loved him.

Lu Xu truly wished the original owner could see this.

...

"Lu Xu, you're really popular!"

"Today, all the visitors are here for Lu Xu; hardly anyone came to see us. Time ages us all. Back in the day, I was the campus heartthrob; now, I'm just an overlooked old man."

"A heartthrob, you? More like a weed," another actor mocked Qian Ji's boast, "When do you think I met you? You weren’t even as handsome as me back then."

"Don’t hit below the belt; can you spare me some dignity?"

Occasionally, there are naysayers about *The Path of Bones*, but inside the crew, it’s calm. Most actors in it had read the original and took the roles out of interest.

Acting with a deep understanding of the characters naturally elevates the performance.

*The Path of Bones* is not highly regarded, so there are no external interfering factors. The only real star in the crew is Lu Xu, and he has just become famous, so there won’t be situations where he’s chased by a bunch of fans.

Today’s scene is a perilous event following Yu Yi’s discovery of a secret.

More than one person plotted against the "01" team, including Du Xingchuan, who is a university professor on the surface but engages in dirty deeds behind the scenes.

The trek to Du Xingchuan’s home was treacherous—Yu Yi cracked codes, overcame obstacles, and uncovered his secret.

That night, he confirmed Du Xingchuan was home and set his plan in motion.

Du Xingchuan was indeed at home, working alone.

Yu Yi moved with his usual caution and killed Du Xingchuan. But just as he finished and tidied up, footsteps echoed outside the door.

The voice was identical to Du Xingchuan’s.

Yu Yi waited silently. After a knock went unanswered, the footsteps faded.

As Yu Yi seized the moment to open the door, the familiar voice spoke again: "It’s you, isn’t it?"

"You killed Ji Yue and Zhong Xiao, and I guess Du Xingchuan’s body is lying on the ground now, isn’t it?"

Alarm bells blared in Yu Yi’s mind, and his skin prickled.

*The Path of Bones* is both a revenge drama and a mystery drama. This was Yu Yi’s closest brush with death.

Outwardly calm, he used subtle gestures to distract, but inside, he was wound tight, his heart nearly splitting.

The rest of the scene was easy for Lu Xu, but this moment demanded he capture the tension and thrill.

He couldn't see who was at the door, and a dead body lay on the ground. He had to rely solely on this performance to convey Yu Yi's emotions.

Lei Ai's eyes were glued to the monitor, his eyes didn't blink, and his eyebrows didn't even twitch.

Lu Xu was in a close-up shot.

On screen, the young man's throat moved soundlessly, his fingers clenched tightly around the sharp knife. In the dark, beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, his muscles tensed to the breaking point.

In the vast space, it seemed like only his breathing was audible.

But he knew someone else was there.

At that moment, time itself seemed to turn into a weapon of torture.

The sweat on his forehead grew heavier until his whole body was drenched.

"Cut!"

Once the scene was done, Lei Ai couldn't help but clap for Lu Xu.

This was a scene Lu Xu pulled off entirely on his own, with no help or input from anyone else. In that tight space, it was all on him to perform.

Getting his body into the best shape for filming is also one of the benchmarks of an actor's skill.

Ever since he joined the crew, Lu Xu has never let him down.