Chapter 74 074 New Divine Gold

As the comments suggested, the atmosphere of the *Voices of the Dead* trailer on the official blog felt like a completely different show—bright lighting, a clear blue sky, unlike the perpetually dark skies in scenes where crimes occur.

This version of the trailer focused on the interaction between Jiang Lin and Su Yang.

Jiang Lin, always in a T-shirt paired with jeans, occasionally switching to a Hawaiian-style shirt, looked every bit the aimless wanderer.

Su Yang, on the other hand, was always in a neatly pressed shirt and trousers, his expression serious, as if he might draw a gun from his waist at any second.

Yet, these two were partners.

*Voices of the Dead* is a drama with dual male leads. Tan Qi realized this as soon as Lu Xu joined the cast. She had initially thought that Lu Xu and Shao Yao's characters would start off disliking each other, only to become sworn brothers in the end. But then—

These two were in sync from the very beginning!

In the first scene of the trailer, Jiang Lin furrowed his brow, and Su Yang seemed to sense it instantly, locking gazes with him. In the next moment, Su Yang perfectly positioned himself, blocking every possible escape route for the suspect.

"Leave it to you, partner."

Their high-five was fleeting, but their trust in each other was unshakable.

Su Yang never questioned Jiang Lin's words, even when their newly transferred superior deemed listening to the voices of the dead "absurd." Su Yang continued to carry out the tasks Jiang Lin entrusted to him.

In the second case, the crime scene was too complex, and it was Su Yang who first stopped Jiang Lin: "Let me handle it, stay back."

Jiang Lin was talkative, Su Yang was taciturn, but whether it was casual talk or vital information from the other, both approached it with a serious analytical attitude.

Tan Qi felt that the characters' chemistry must be built on the actors' own rapport.

Whether at the crime scene or in the remote outskirts they investigated, these two maintained a consistent stance—when Jiang Lin was in danger, Su Yang could rescue him immediately.

Tan Qi was absolutely certain that the *Voices of the Dead* crew had not added any sweetness.

But the question was, isn't this level of trust, where they entrust their backs to each other, a super sweet moment?

Most importantly, in this short two-minute trailer, the crew managed to create a sense of continuity.

When the superior mocked Jiang Lin's ability to hear the voices of the dead, Su Yang stood in front of the superior's desk, his shoulders stiff, but he didn't move.

He was a man of few words, not one to easily clash with others, but at that moment, the anger in his eyes was clear.

His stubbornness was only for Jiang Lin.

And in the final scene.

All the evidence pointed to Su Yang; this case was connected to him, and the criminal was changing their usual tactics based on internal information.

Only Jiang Lin was firm: "It's not him."

Jiang Lin was a laid-back person, seemingly carefree, indifferent to most things, and didn't mind others mocking him.

But at this moment, he didn't give in either.

His stubbornness was only for Su Yang.

When the criminal punched Jiang Lin off the building, Jiang Lin's gaze caught Su Yang's. Though Su Yang was downstairs, perhaps due to their innate chemistry, he also met Jiang Lin's gaze.

Then—Jiang Lin realized his back hadn’t hit the ground; someone had caught him.

He confidently left his fate in Su Yang's hands.

In the trailer, Jiang Lin and Su Yang never said "I trust you," but it was all conveyed wordlessly.

Tan Qi was instantly captivated after just one viewing.

The trailer clearly highlighted their personalities—one laid-back, the other rigid—but fundamentally, neither Jiang Lin nor Su Yang were the type to change easily for anyone.

He seemed laid-back, but even in the grisliest scenes, even when working with tough police inspectors, he still maintained his usual flamboyant style.

He had his own principles.

Yet, Jiang Lin's rare moments of firmness were because of Su Yang.

Su Yang's rare moments of anger were because of Jiang Lin.

"How can you not root for them??"

"Anyone who doesn’t see it has no taste!!"

"The Husky and German Shepherd pairing is perfect!!!"

"...They’re just partners with a brotherly bond... but sorry, my eyes are impure!! I've tainted this world!"

"Lu Xu fits Jiang Lin’s vibe perfectly—it’s so relatable, who else gets it?"

"Honestly, I haven’t even noticed Lu Xu’s face yet, my attention is entirely on the characters' interactions."

"Totally agree! Plus, Lu Xu and Shao Yao’s off-screen chemistry makes me feel there’s real spark between the characters."

The official Weibo trailer for *Voices of the Dead* got 50% more views than the Grape Video version, and the comments section was flooded with "shipping" remarks.

"Because the audience’s joy is just that straightforward."

"The Grape trailer sold me on *Voices of the Dead*’s intriguing story, but the official Weibo trailer told me it’s worth shipping—this is a perfect drama!"

The *Voices of the Dead* team: "..."

Actually, the focus of the trailer was really to emphasize the cooperative and trusting relationship between Jiang Lin and Su Yang, but since the audience has their own interpretation, then—

Listen to the audience.

Even though the interactions between Jiang Lin and Su Yang were minimal—just a high-five and a rescue.

But... listen to the audience.

The audience knows best.

Even though they were prepared, the *Voices of the Dead* team was still taken aback by the audience's enthusiasm. After all, two versions of the trailer were released, and the audience's attention was bound to be divided. In such a situation, the viewership data might not look good.

As it turned out, the viewership for both *Voices of the Dead* trailers was just slightly below *The Path of Bones*.

Lu Xu played a totally different role in *Voices of the Dead*—a laid-back street wanderer who was truly casual, but not the stereotypical kind.

"Can’t wait for the drama to premiere!"

"Hehe, *Voices of the Dead* won’t face a rival like *The Empress*, so the hype should be pretty good, right?"

"Just believe in Lu Xu. I used to think Shao Yao couldn't have any on-screen chemistry with anyone, but his pairing with Lu Xu is... quite fitting."

The audience silently anticipates the broadcast of "Voices of the Dead," hoping for another hit series for Lu Xu with a high viewership.

After all, Lu Xu only has one leading role in "The Path of Bones," which is still not enough.

Most importantly, the timing couldn't be better, as "Voices of the Dead" has no strong competitors, and the plot looks quite promising.

It is also unlikely that there will be any snide comments about Lu Xu—because everyone has been shut down by him.

Truly, they were no match for him.

However, it turns out that whenever Lu Xu has a new series to release, the launch is never without hiccups.

This time, the problem wasn't with Lu Xu, but with Shao Yao.

It's still the fallout from "Nan Xiangzi."

After "Nan Xiangzi" aired, Shao Yao's reputation took a hit for a while. Recently, his frequent interactions with Lu Xu have helped rebuild his reputation—apart from his tendency to openly like Lu Xu's posts, it's also because Lu Xu mentioned in an interview that he admires Shao Yao.

Because Shao Yao is dedicated and hardworking, which are good qualities an actor should have.

Every word a celebrity says is usually blown out of proportion.

When Lu Xu said Shao Yao is serious, it came across as implying that Shao Yao was too meticulous on the set of "Nan Xiangzi" and offended the lead actors.

Actually, Lu Xu himself didn't have such thoughts.

But the male lead of "Nan Xiangzi" thought he did.

Moreover, Yan Qichen's laid-back approach to acting has been quietly criticized by more than one crew, but his popularity and his agency's savvy mean few in the industry dare to offend him.

Lu Xu is different; everyone knows his mouth is... something else.

Lu Xu just said it casually, not deliberately, but Yan Qichen took it the wrong way.

Adding to his original dislike for Shao Yao, seeing Shao Yao about to ride on Lu Xu's coattails, Yan Qichen was even more annoyed.

If Lu Xu knew Yan Qichen or had dealt with him, he would definitely recognize that Yan Qichen is a different kind of oddball compared to Zhang Che, Gu Sinian, and Chen Ye.

Yan Qichen's move was—

One day, when he was invited to a live stream for a skincare brand, the host mentioned that the night cream is quickly absorbed and has a calming, sleep-promoting scent. Turning around, she saw Yan Qichen with red eyes and so moved.

Host: "..."

"It must be that our product is so effective that Brother Yan is moved to tears hahaha..."

Yan Qichen wiped his tears: "I thought of a past experience, when I was filming a drama, a co-star inexplicably said I wasn't doing well. I was under a lot of pressure, and he wanted to direct me, I couldn't sleep for nights."

"I never thought that sleep would become a luxury, I was so haggard."

"At that time, I was thinking..."

"If only I had encountered our product back then, right? Hahaha, it's really effective."—the host quickly interjected.

Yan Qichen: "..."

#Eccentric#

The host was speechless.

If looks could kill, she would have stabbed Yan Qichen all over.

You're here to sell products!!!

What a mess!!!

Fortunately, she was quick-witted and managed to shift the focus back to the product. Otherwise, such a major broadcasting mishap would have cost her company deductions in salary, year-end bonuses, and sales commissions.

Seeing that Yan Qichen was about to say something more, the host quickly stepped forward: "In short, if you feel your skin is rough and your complexion is dull, hurry and click on link number 2. There's a promotion recently—buy one, get one free, plus a free sleep mask."

"Teacher Yan, feel free to grab a set too."

Yan Qichen: "..."

His tears were completely gone by now. He wanted to accuse Shao Yao a few more times but completely forgot his lines.

The brand host ushered him out of the live stream room like banishing a ghost.

Yan Qichen's remarks didn't escape the marketers. With "Voices of the Dead" set to air, Shao Yao was getting more attention than usual.

"...Is he talking about Shao Yao?"

"Who else could it be besides Shao Yao? Absolutely."

"LOL, the D brand night cream host totally nailed the save. Yan Qichen was totally frozen; I cringed for him."

"HAHAHAHA, 'Teacher Yan, feel free to grab a set too,' I laughed so hard I snorted."

"Yan Qichen, who went all out to diss Shao Yao, versus the host sister who went all out for her career. Who gets the struggles of a working person?"

"I really don't get it. The brand shelled out millions to have you here, just to hear you throw shade at Shao Yao?"

After catching the live stream clip, Shao Yao turned to Lu Xu for advice: "How should I respond?"

Lu Xu gave him some pointers.

Shao Yao took the advice to heart.

Right after the D brand live stream wrapped up, Shao Yao reposted their official Weibo: "I'll grab a set."

"..."

"Ahem, picking up some bad habits from Lu Xiao Gou, are we?"

"That 'ha' has a certain flair."

"Yan didn't buy, so Yan's bad. Shao bought, so Shao's good."