Chapter 64: New Co-Star

Chapter 64: New Co-Star

Lu Xu was reading the script when he noticed his agent looking at him with an expression of wanting to speak but holding back.

"Speak your mind," Lu Xu said, giving him a puzzled glance.

"I’m curious..." Xu Wenda began, "where did you learn to argue like that?"

He had figured out that no matter who Lu Xu argued with, he never lost.

Whether it was someone being sarcastic or inciting fans to attack, Lu Xu would always deliver a swift and decisive rebuttal, leaving no room for the other party to fight back.

In the past, if Feiyang Entertainment had signed a star as controversial as Lu Xu, the PR and marketing departments would have been swamped, often working overtime to issue statements. But with Lu Xu, he handled everything himself.

Lu Xu only sparred with outsiders, never causing trouble for his own people.

Xu Wenda had been managing Lu Xu for some time now, and he could say that apart from occasionally clashing with others, Lu Xu had no bad habits.

And... Lu Xu wasn’t wrong.

Not only did Lu Xu get unjustly berated, but even on his rarely used Weibo account, there were comments from Zhang Che’s fans asking him to control Lu Xu.

Xu Wenda: "..."

Just go to sleep in the middle of the night.

Really, staying up late can cause hair loss, anxiety, irritability, and make one look worse.

It should be Ye Hai Entertainment’s responsibility to manage Zhang Che, making sure he doesn’t spend so much time pondering life in the middle of the night, or he’ll just become more and more depressed.

All in all, the more the agent looked at Lu Xu, the more he liked him, and had already categorized him as one of his own.

As the saying goes, appearance reflects the heart; how could someone who looks so good be a bad person?

...

Lu Xu was almost certain to take on "Whispers of the Dead." The title sounded terrifying, but the plot focused not on the supernatural, but on the meticulous process of unraveling the mystery to find the killer. The protagonist, Jiang Lin, understanding the whispers of the dead was just a gimmick to attract viewers, while the actual investigation process was quite hardcore.

Jiang Lin's role was set for Lu Xu, and for Su Yang's character, the production team brought in a second-tier actor.

In the entertainment industry, the line between first-tier and second-tier actors wasn't always clear, especially among male actors, where the distinction wasn't as fine as it was for female actors.

Zhang Che, Wen Li, and Xie Linshen were clearly in the top tier, while Lu Xu currently stood somewhere between first and second-tier. Although "The Path of Bones" had indeed made him popular, his body of work still lacked depth compared to other actors.

He started acting too late and had fewer projects under his belt.

Thus, while Su Yang's role attracted attention from many male actors, none of the top-tier actors would consider supporting him.

Lu Xu wasn't particularly interested in the casting for "Whispers of the Dead," but the production team did reject a few actors who were impossible for Lu Xu to collaborate with—Bai Yuyi and Rong Sheng from "Empress."

It was unclear what these two were thinking; the lawsuit between "Empress" and "The Path of Bones" hadn't even concluded, and they were already eyeing a collaboration with Lu Xu.

"Maybe they want to stir up some CP chemistry?" the assistant director muttered.

Director Xu Yan gave him a disapproving look. "Stir up CP chemistry? This is supposed to be a socialist brotherhood."

"Director Xu, you're out of touch. These days, male CPs are even hotter than romantic leads," the assistant director said. "But you can't force it; a forced pairing won't be sweet. You have to let the audience find their own sugar. The production team can occasionally sprinkle some to add excitement, but not too much."

Xu Yan: "...You really know a lot."

To be honest, when Xu Yan took on the script for *Corpse Echoes*, he never considered hyping up the CP between Su Yang and Jiang Lin. The plot of this drama was rich enough and didn't need any extra elements to fill it out.

In the script, these two were just a well-coordinated team.

Lu Xu's willingness to take on the role of Jiang Lin greatly pleased Xu Yan, mainly because he had interacted with directors Lei Ai and Liu Chunfeng, who all spoke highly of Lu Xu.

Xu Yan might not fully trust his own judgment, but he absolutely trusted Lei Ai and Liu Chunfeng in their talent selection.

Of course, Lu Xu's performances in *The Son of Heaven* and *The Path of Bones* were truly astonishing.

This year's Starlight Award has yet to kick off, but historically, the Starlight Award hasn't favored dramas like *The Path of Bones* that lack positive energy. However, if an actor's performance far surpasses that of their competitors, the possibility of a nomination is quite high.

Xu Yan had a hunch that Lu Xu would be the exception.

Over the years, the nominees for Best Actor at the Starlight Award have either come from productions where the entire cast delivered outstanding performances, captivating the audience, or from a single character who shone brightly throughout the show.

Both types are rare, and *The Path of Bones* falls into the latter category.

...

The actor playing Su Yang in *Corpse Body* is named Shao Yao, a signed artist under Ming Niao Entertainment.

Ming Niao isn't very prominent in the industry, and Shao Yao is considered the company's biggest star, the top actor.

He didn't start with ancient costume dramas but first gained recognition in serious dramas before gradually building his current fame.

However, compared to other actors, Shao Yao's disadvantage is clear—he comes from a small company and has far fewer resources than his peers.

When Shao Yao first became famous, other agencies tried to poach him, but since he signed with Ming Niao right after graduation, the company, from the CEO down to his agent, treated him exceptionally well, so he never considered leaving.

He had a rugged appearance, not the effeminate pretty boy type that was popular these days. His personality was also... straightforward, and his interactions with people were rather stiff, so in the early years of his career, he had a decent amount of popularity, but it had declined significantly over the past two years.

Su Yang was a role he had auditioned for before, thinking he wouldn't get it, but after much back-and-forth, the production team still came to him.

"Once you're on set, you need to be polite to the director and the screenwriter. I'm not asking you to flatter them, but can you at least say a few gentle words?" his agent nagged, "This time, you'll be working with Lu Xu. He's very popular right now, so don't argue with him."

Shao Yao peeked out from behind his sunglasses: "Will he be a diva?"

The agent: "..."

This guy was over six feet tall, looked imposing, and seemed tough, but he was actually quite soft-hearted, afraid of being bullied by someone who acted like a diva.

"I haven't heard any rumors about Lu Xu being a diva. When I said don't argue with him, it's mainly because— you won't win against him."

With Shao Yao's poor verbal skills, he would probably be knocked out in one round if he faced off against Lu Xu. The agent wasn't underestimating his client; it was just that Shao Yao... really couldn't win an argument.

When Shao Yao first graduated and signed with Ming Niao, the agent thought he would end up as a third-tier or lower celebrity.

But he worked extremely hard and had some good luck with roles, and somehow ended up in the second tier.

Of course, climbing higher would be difficult. Ming Niao couldn't provide the resources that only large companies could offer. Fortunately, Shao Yao wasn't greedy. He took one or two roles a year, chose his characters carefully, and occasionally took breaks, managing to steadily reach his current position.

"Don't be nervous," the agent said, seeing Shao Yao looking as solemn as if he were about to take the college entrance exam, and gave him a light tap, "Greet everyone properly later."

"What if he acts like a diva?"

Seeing that he was still worried about Lu Xu acting like a diva, the agent couldn't help but rub his forehead.

Forget it, with Shao Yao’s personality, he must have been blessed with good fortune to get this far.

He should trust in his client’s luck; perhaps the other party is getting along well in the "Whispers of the Dead" production team.

The agent led Shao Yao to meet the director and the other actors from the "Whispers of the Dead" crew.

It was early April, and the weather in City C was already starting to warm up. The set was also hot, but Director Xu Yan listened politely to his introduction—Shao Yao playing Su Yang was a decision made by the production team, yet Shao Yao was not familiar with the director or the other key creatives, as they had never worked together before.

As for Lu Xu...

On set, his appearance was far less dazzling than when he attended events, looking quiet and composed. His personality turned out to be much more reserved than the agent had expected, neither overly enthusiastic nor coldly distant.

This made the agent feel somewhat relieved, as Shao Yao was completely unskilled at dealing with people who were overly friendly on first meeting.

At least Lu Xu seemed to have a normal personality, the agent thought, glancing cautiously.

For the rest of the day, he stayed with the crew, mainly to smooth things over for Shao Yao in advance, asking the others to take good care of his client. However, what he was most concerned about was still Lu Xu, his gaze often drifting in Lu Xu’s direction.

After observing for a long time, the agent concluded two things: First, Lu Xu was probably not the type to throw his weight around or be wasteful.

Lu Xu’s agent was also present on the first day, but did not stay long on set, only bringing an assistant to handle Lu Xu’s affairs.

With such a small entourage, it would be hard for him to act like a big star.

Second, wherever Lu Xu went, he always carried his script.

The outside world often praised Lu Xu as a naturally gifted actor, but the agent suspected that might not be entirely true.

He observed Lu Xu for the entire afternoon and noticed that whenever he could see him, Lu Xu was always reading his script—sitting with it, lying down with it, muttering lines to himself.

All in all, he was a very normal person.

He and Shao Yao should… not have any arguments, right?

Noticing that Shao Yao had also picked up the script to read, the agent couldn't help but feel relieved.

Shao Yao's relationship with his co-actors in the previous production was particularly poor, to the point where they constantly tried to trip him up, causing his resources to plummet, all because of his stubborn temper.

When someone was reciting numbers, neither the director nor the screenwriter said anything, but Shao Yao went up and gave a harsh critique.

When the other actor said he couldn't remember his lines, Shao Yao insisted he at least say a few lines. The other actor then changed from saying "one two three four five" to "going up the mountain to hunt tigers." The other actor didn't think much of it, but Shao Yao was visibly upset every day.

The co-actor was more famous than Shao Yao, and his agency was one of the top companies in the industry. With Shao Yao being so disrespectful, the other actor naturally didn't hold back.

In that production, when the other actor bought milk tea for the entire crew, he would always leave out one cup for Shao Yao.

No matter how Shao Yao hinted for the other actor to memorize his lines, it was useless. The other actor deliberately kept saying "one two three four five," knowing that his higher popularity and better resources meant he didn't need to consider Shao Yao's feelings.

Shao Yao could only put on a brave face, but after this collaboration ended, he didn't dare to act for a long time. Though he didn't say much, his agent could see that he felt wronged.

This was the downside of being straightforward and tongue-tied, but because there was no need to be cautious around Shao Yao, his thoughts were easy to understand, which made the agent feel more at ease.

For this production of "Whispers of the Dead," the agent especially hoped that Shao Yao would get along well with Lu Xu.

If he had been treated like Zhang Che treated Lu Xu, he would have been in tears long ago.