Chapter 60: 060 Transition Chapter

Chapter 60: 060 Transition Chapter

"Lu Xu is killing it! Did anyone catch last night's 'Very Night'? I'm totally hooked!"

"I watched it! Honestly, I was hooked by his looks at first, but then—Lu Xu's reenactment was just brilliant and touching!"

"Why hasn't the actor variety show invited Lu Xu yet? He's the gold standard right here."

"I say no way. Who in their right mind would ditch filming for a variety show gig?"

The air times of 'Very Night' and 'The Path of Bones' overlapped, and Lu Xu's appearance on 'Very Night' had fans worried the finale of 'The Path of Bones' might lose steam.

Tan Qi had her phone and tablet ready, watching the 'The Path of Bones' finale while sneaking peeks at 'Very Night.'

She'd been following 'The Path of Bones' and wasn't about to miss the finale, but Lu Xu's first appearance on 'Very Night' still caught her attention for a few seconds—

What a fresh-faced college guy!

He wore a crisp white T-shirt and jeans, with a tiny 'The Path of Bones' comic poster on the front, barely noticeable against the white. His shiny, soft black hair made Lu Xu look incredibly fresh.

Instead of the usual eight-tooth smile, he grinned at the camera, his eyes sparkling like stars.

—Lu Xu is nothing like the characters he plays, yet he somehow makes each one unforgettable.

It's pure magic.

...

The ending of 'The Path of Bones' was no surprise to those who'd read the original, so they were ready for it.

But when Yu Yi stepped into the prison that would trap him forever, the audience couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

Maybe it was because, away from the luxury, Yu Yi showed his real self.

Only then did the audience see that behind Yu Yi's calm, mature revenge was a face that looked so young.

It was hard to believe his heart was already soaked in blood.

When his friend's wife asked if it was worth it, he simply said, "Worth it."

That one word brought Tan Qi to tears. In that moment, she felt like she'd stepped into Yu Yi's soul.

Tan Qi replayed the scene of Yu Yi waving goodbye to the little girl over and over.

This was Yu Yi saying goodbye.

The screen flashed 'The End,' but Tan Qi was still reeling from the impact of Yu Yi's character.

It took her a moment to notice that 'Very Night' was still... playing.

She glanced back at 'Very Night,' just as Lu Xu was portraying Yu Yi in the final scene.

Different scenes, but the same emotional punch.

She felt it twice over.

Though Lu Xu looked like any other college guy in his simple outfit, when he became Yu Yi, every expression, pose, and move was pure Yu Yi.

... That night, 'The Path of Bones' pretty much owned the trending list.

Whether Tan Qi searched for *The Path of Bones* or Yu Yi, the real-time comments were filled with cries of sorrow.

"Yu Yi is so tragic!"

"Lu Xu's version of Yu Yi is just too heartbreaking, sigh. He's not inherently a cruel and cold person, but reality is too harsh."

"Lu Xu is so strong! His emotional transitions are seamless!"

"Sigh, a YouTuber edited a video titled *If That Night Never Happened*, and I burst into tears! In the edited clip, Squad 01 didn't take the escort mission, Old Cat dressed as a mascot to cheer up his daughter at the mall, Flying Squirrel broke a plate while washing dishes, and everyone pooled money to send Yu Yi to school. Although they were poor, everyone was happy."

"Wahhh, Lu Xu's look on *Very Night* is exactly how Yu Yi could have lived!"

"I really want to see Yu Yi happy."

Lu Xu, who participated in *Very Night*, was very cooperative. Not only did his T-shirt feature a still from *The Path of Bones*, but he also obediently rode a bicycle as arranged by the show. Later, he reenacted the final scene of Yu Yi.

In others' impressions, Lu Xu should be a quirky guy who loves to challenge everything, but on the show, his smiling gaze at the camera made him look more like an obedient puppy.

GIFs of Yu Yi from the drama and Lu Xu's performance on the show were compared by many social media influencers, and the comments were unanimous—"No wonder Lu Xu was nominated for the Starlight Award, he's just too strong!"

*The Empress* had particularly few trending topics that night.

However, on the day *Very Night* aired, most production teams would avoid competing with it. Even if they bought trending spots, the effect might not be much better than not buying.

Of course, it was also because *The Empress* hadn't reached its finale yet.

In *The Path of Bones*, Lu Xu's scenes took up a large portion, and the series only told Yu Yi's revenge story, so the length was naturally shorter.

*The Empress* was different. Even though Qiao Mengyao's scenes had been reduced, it was clear to everyone that the scenes she lost were far fewer than the scenes other actors gained. After all, it was one versus four, so the series' length naturally expanded—*The Empress* had a full 60 episodes.

*The Path of Bones* had already finished its story, while Xi Rongyi's grand and magnificent life was only halfway through.

This was one of the criticized aspects of *The Empress*—after more than 30 episodes, Xi Rongyi's career line had just started, but her character in the drama was still a sweet young girl.

However, in the original work, Xi Rongyi was more mature, and her empress life gradually began after she turned 30.

The production team let the unimportant career line and the dragging emotional tug-of-war occupy a large part of the series, making it hard for the audience to imagine how the *The Empress* team would fill this gap with only 20 episodes left.

They couldn't just drag on in the beginning and then rush to finish, could they?

"Better watch *The Path of Bones*, your forever happy home!"

"Upstairs... don't think I don't know you're trying to lure me in to kill me!"

"Upstairs, just wait, I'll find a truckload of bread people to deal with you!"

"Oh sorry, you don't have money to hire people [tongue-in-cheek]."

...

For the audience, the February TV drama market was particularly strange.

It was surprising enough that *The Empress*, an out-of-the-ordinary series, was scheduled for February, but what was even more surprising was that *The Empress* couldn't beat *The Path of Bones*.

Fans of Qiao Mengyao, Xu Qingtian, Di Yiyun, and other actresses could at least keep *The Empress* from flopping as badly as *Watchmen* or *Nine Turns Decree*. To say the least, the emotional tug-of-war in the drama had its appeal.

But the popularity of *The Empress* kept dropping.

The finale episode of *The Path of Bones* successfully broke 14,000 in buzz, while *The Empress* couldn't hold the 10,000 mark, dropping below it.

If nothing unexpected happens, by the time *The Empress* reaches its finale, its buzz probably won’t surpass *The Path of Bones*.

However, no one anticipated that the episode of *Very Night* on the day of *The Path of Bones* finale would give the drama a huge promotional boost—new viewers kept *The Path of Bones* trending above 10,000 for the following week.

*The Empress* is still trending on social media, with fans of several male actors still going at it.

Yet, *The Path of Bones* remained at the top of the popularity charts, a position it held until the finale of *The Empress*. Only then, with the actors’ rallying, did *The Empress* reclaim the top spot on the charts.

"I’m now convinced there’s some kind of mystique about Lu Xu."

"I… initially favored *Watchmen*, then *Nine Turns Decree*, and now *The Empress*."

"To the person above… it’s never too late to turn back."

"Amazing! Does anyone now disagree that Lu Xu is an A-list actor? *The Path of Bones* is too strong; this is what effective drama-making looks like."

"Four dramas, each racking up over 10,000+, a Starlight Award nomination, and the only variety show he participated in, *Very Night*, smashed viewership records."

"I wonder if the male actors of *The Empress* have any regrets now?"

While viewers believe the male actors of *The Empress* might regret, in reality, the female lead Qiao Mengyao regrets more.

Although *The Empress* didn’t become a massive hit, the male actors gained significant visibility from the show. Before *The Empress*, they weren’t entirely unknown, but they certainly lacked attention.

And now?

The more fiercely the fans go at it, the more famous they become. The blame for *The Empress* underperforming falls on Qiao Mengyao, since she’s the female lead. At worst, others can share some of the blame, but it certainly won’t be solely on one person.

In the entertainment industry, being in the spotlight is what matters most. No matter how one gets there, being popular first grants a seat at the table.

Regardless of whether "The Empress" was a flop or not, their intentions have already been achieved.

But for Qiao Mengyao, although the failure of "The Empress" didn't hurt her too badly, it did put a crack in her reputation as the "Empress of Ancient Romance."

Her status comes from the accumulation of one drama after another. From Qiao Mengyao's point of view, she naturally hopes that each of her dramas can achieve good results.

"We shouldn't have picked the February slot," her agent complained. "'The Path of Bones' hogged all the attention."

Qiao Mengyao shot her a look, and the agent's voice immediately lowered.

"At least we've settled the debt with Wei Fangfei," Qiao Mengyao rubbed her forehead. "Even with a different slot, 'The Empress' would've only done a bit better."

Qiao Mengyao wasn't totally in the dark about the actions of the male actors and their agencies behind the scenes.

She also saw the protests from her fans.

She went along with it because she gained more than she lost—agreeing to "The Empress" being scheduled in February, helping to undercut "The Path of Bones," and allowing the male actors to add and steal scenes.

Her fans thought she got the short end of the stick, but in reality, she didn't.

Qiao Mengyao knows better than anyone what she needs right now.

The title "Empress of Ancient Romance" is impressive, sure, but she's not sure how long she can walk this path.

Plenty of actresses have made it big in this genre. The agencies keep pushing new faces one after another. Although Qiao Mengyao refuses to admit defeat, she also knows that certain roles should be played by actors who are suitable in every aspect.

Otherwise, why do those "uncle circle" actors only become popular when they're older?

What could they have played when they were young?

They had the acting skills, but the audience simply didn't buy it. Who wants to watch unattractive men and pretty young women in sweet romances? They were shut out of the idol drama game from the start.