Chapter 81: Who is Lu Xu

Chapter 81: Who is Lu Xu

"Voices of the Dead" has become another industry-acclaimed hit series this year.

The most obvious change is—when Lu Xu attends events, he usually gets a front-row seat.

In the entertainment industry, seating arrangements themselves reflect one's status.

Although Lu Xu attends few events, no host would ever neglect him wherever he goes.

Script offers and commercial deals are pouring in.

Xu Wen is swamped, and Feiyang Talent Agency has assigned two additional assistants to Lu Xu, one of whom is specifically there to alleviate Xu Wen's pressure.

Feiyang Talent Agency suddenly realized that Lu Xu had unknowingly become the company’s top earner!

Objectively speaking, since Lu Xu signed with Feiyang Talent Agency, the company has provided him with solid resources, not treating him unfairly just because he joined midway, but Lu Xu’s returns have been staggering.

Even though Lu Xu is not keen on endorsements, his commercial value is the highest among Feiyang's roster.

In fact, with Lu Xu's joining, Feiyang Talent Agency, this veteran talent agency, has made a comeback.

Feiyang has always been dedicated to its artists, and since Lu Xu dislikes the company interfering with his choices, the company does not interfere.

This arrangement has worked wonders—

Lu Xu currently ranks first on the actor potential rankings, popularity chart, and rising star chart.

On the character chemistry rankings, Jiang Lin and Su Yang rank first.

On the series popularity chart, "Voices of the Dead" is way out in front.

As for endorsement and commercial invitations, it's no exaggeration to say that the combined number of commercial deals for all artists under Feiyang Talent Agency does not match Lu Xu's alone.

...

After the finale of "Voices of the Dead," Lu Xu declined over half of the commercial offers to finally found time to look at new scripts.

He found that this era is different from his previous life—actors are constantly in the spotlight, and there are more reality shows and commercial collaborations.

In his previous life, being an actor was a relatively mysterious profession; one could not be overly exposed, or the audience's attention would be on the person rather than the roles they portrayed.

In this life, film actors tend to keep a lower profile.

"Movie scripts are coming my way?"

Lu Xu just realized that among the scripts sent to him, a small portion are actually movie scripts.

The divide between film and TV is quite clear, and among male actors of Lu Xu's age, it’s clear who’s in film and who’s in TV.

In the past, film directors chose actors based on having a "film face," but in recent years, this trend has changed somewhat, as the world is in a period of declining aesthetic standards.

In Lu Xu's view, the concept of a "film face" might have some truth to it, but it's also a way for insiders to gatekeep.

The film industry worldwide is an insular world run by a select few.

Lu Xu started with one of the scripts.

It's a wuxia script about a hermit swordsman who adopts a daughter and re-enters the martial world to cause chaos for her sake.

The script wasn’t thick, but the sound of Lu Xu slamming it on the table was surprisingly loud.

"This is director Zhang Zhizhen's latest project," Xu Wen added.

Lu Xu gave Xu Wen a look that clearly said, "Is that it?" The agent shrugged at him, looking helpless.

The second script followed a lost young man on a journey of self-discovery.

There were also scripts about teenage angst, rock musicians... Lu Xu couldn’t help but frown: "The intentions are way too obvious, right?"

He wasn’t impressed with the quality of these scripts.

Although the investors and producers were quite renowned, in Lu Xu’s view, the directors themselves might not even know what they were trying to achieve.

Likely capitalizing on his recent fame, they wanted to rope him in to cash in on his fanbase.

This is par for the course for a breakout male star.

It’s worth mentioning that the more famous the directors of these films were, the more they offered Lu Xu minor roles, as if he should be thankful.

"Turn them all down," Lu Xu rubbed his forehead, "I have plans to make films, but not like these."

Lu Xu preferred shooting commercial films that some famous directors dismissed as "shallow" or "lacking depth." At least the audience could get some thrills and laughs. As for these so-called "deep" and "philosophical" films, Lu Xu could only sum them up in one word—crap.

The film industry seems to be the same in every era.

Especially some directors who are ideologically confined and can’t keep up with the times—their character portrayals always center on themes of violation and lust. Yet even these two themes are handled in a way that’s far less avant-garde than others.

"Let’s check out the series first."

As Lu Xu flipped through the scripts, he suddenly spotted an old acquaintance in one of the cast lists: "Director Mu is finally taking on projects again?"

In Lu Xu’s memory, Mu Qian had apparently pissed off both Grape Pictures and Ling Ge Entertainment, and likely You Zichen’s Non-Self Pictures too.

Lu Xu had Mu Qian’s WeChat, but even though the script had been sent to Flying Entertainment, Mu Qian hadn’t reached out about collaborating.

Lu Xu was already taken aback that Mu Qian was directing, but as he kept reading, he spotted another familiar name.

The scriptwriter was none other than Jin Mu, the mind behind "Rising Sun."

After "Rising Sun" flopped, Lu Xu hadn’t heard much about Jin Mu for a long time.

He had loved the "Rising Sun" script at first glance, but unfortunately, a collaboration never happened. Still, Lu Xu absolutely believed in Jin Mu’s talent.

He couldn’t help but open the script and read it carefully.

It’s worth mentioning that when he auditioned for "Rising Sun," Lu Xu only had part of the script for the character Wu Shen, but now, the script he received allowed him to see the complete content.

That’s the perk of being a top star.

Jin Mu’s new script tells a story of struggle, somewhat similar in theme to "Rising Sun," but the timeline has been moved to the modern era.

After Lu Xu scanned the script from beginning to end, he looked at Xu Wen, who already understood his answer: "Take it?"

"Take it!"

The new script is called "The Year I Was 18," spanning from the protagonist’s 18th year to 40.

It’s a story about going back in time to change one’s life.

The script is quite simple. It tells the story of a down-and-out middle-aged man who returns to the age of 18, gains self-awareness, lives in the moment, and makes up for his regrets. Everyone has been 18, and everyone has many regrets in life. Everyone yearns for a chance to start over, but only the protagonist gets it.

Returning to 18, he doesn’t become instantly smarter, doesn’t know lottery numbers, doesn’t engage in wild fantasies, but lives each day diligently.

You can’t say such a life is unhappy.

After all, the most important thing in life is to have no regrets.

It’s a simple, slightly heartwarming script.

Jin Mu isn’t the type of scriptwriter who crafts grand, dramatic stories. The characters he writes may not have tumultuous lives, but they all possess a strong sense of conviction. As an actor, Lu Xu is always moved after reading his scripts.

He missed out on acting in *Rising Sun* last time, but this new script is something to look forward to.

...

*Voices of the Dead* has been extremely popular, putting Lu Xu’s name on everyone’s lips in the industry.

Directors and scriptwriters in the industry are often asked about Lu Xu in various settings. Reporters are curious if they have plans to collaborate with him, and so are other actors.

Of course, there are also directors and scriptwriters who occasionally mention Lu Xu, and whenever they do, marketers immediately churn out speculative articles like *"XX Director Plans to Collaborate with Lu Xu."*

Though Lu Xu himself is completely in the dark.

Zhang Zhizhen is one such director.

He rose to fame as early as the 80s and 90s, with several representative works to his name, making him a veteran in today’s directorial scene.

Of course, being a senior doesn’t mean his influence is as strong as it used to be. After all, the film industry now depends on audience votes. Even if new directors are disliked by these veteran directors, as long as audiences are willing to buy tickets, capital is willing to invest in the newcomers.

In comparison, veteran directors are in a bit of an awkward spot.

They have their status in the industry and a few awards to their name. Although their attempts to break into Europe and America in the early years weren’t successful, they did make a mark in the overseas film industry.

There’s just one problem—audiences aren’t buying it.

They try hard to lean into commercialism, but their commercialization isn’t as thorough as that of the rising directors. As for art, they excel at portraying the trauma of their era, which doesn’t resonate with today’s audiences.

Not long after *The Path of Bones* took off, Zhang Zhizhen publicly praised Lu Xu in front of many reporters, expressing his desire to collaborate with him in the future.

Recently, with *Voices of the Dead* gaining popularity, reporters brought it up again, and Zhang Zhizhen smiled and said, "Of course, I’d like to collaborate. There’s a role in my new film that suits Lu Xu well. Collaborating with such a talented young actor, we can better understand what today’s audiences want and grow together."

The reporters couldn’t help but get excited.

When *Voices of the Dead* reached 15,000 in popularity, some speculated that Lu Xu would likely move into film.

For TV actors, transitioning to film is a big deal—unless they’ve been in the film industry from the start, those who move from TV to film are inevitably recognized as top-tier actors.

Zhang Zhizhen has clearly offered an olive branch. How could Lu Xu not take it?

However, after waiting for a long time, reporters heard nothing about Lu Xu starring in Zhang Zhizhen’s new film. Instead, Mu Qian and scriptwriter Jin Mu inadvertently revealed one day that Lu Xu had already joined the crew of *The Year I Was 18*.

Mu Qian and Jin Mu are longtime partners and friends. For various reasons, Lu Xu didn’t get to collaborate with them on *Rising Sun*, but in the eyes of reporters, even if it was to make up for that missed opportunity, Lu Xu didn’t need to give up Zhang Zhizhen’s film to choose a project with Mu Qian and Jin Mu.

The difference in their status is obvious, and anyone with eyes knows what the obvious choice should be.

Reporters rushed to Feiyang Entertainment for the latest updates, but there was no need for further investigation—photos of Lu Xu on the set of *The Year I Was 18* had already leaked.

"Is Lu Xu crazy?"

"Perhaps he has an obsession with Jin Mu's script? He was previously booted from the 'Rising Sun' set, maybe he's just unwilling to let it go."

"Even if it's just to blow off steam, there's no need to give up on Zhang Zhizhen's movie, right? How is Feiyang Entertainment managing his career, or is everything just left up to him?"

"I used to think Lu Xu could become a top-tier superstar, but now it seems I was thinking too much. He just doesn’t have the drive."

The reporters rushed back to grill Zhang Zhizhen.

The director now had a different demeanor. When asked if he had already invited Lu Xu, he furrowed his brows, stroked his chin, and looked at the ceiling for a long time before finally showing a puzzled expression: "Who’s Lu Xu again?"

"As for my movies, I only invite male actors who are more dedicated, promising, and worth developing. As for the Lu Xu you mentioned, he was never on my list of options."

"The cast for 'The Swordsman' is already set. I can only reveal that the selected actors are those I believe are the most fitting for the roles."

Zhang Zhizhen's interview was only halfway through, but the internet was already abuzz.

"Pfft, Lu Xu thinks he’s all that, but in the director's eyes, he’s just a small fry."

"I’m cringing so bad, doesn’t Lu Xu feel embarrassed?"

"Does this make Lu Xu the first to get the boot from the film industry? So shameful!"

"...Lu Xu's fans are still trying to save face by saying he gave up on Zhang Zhizhen's movie. I think it's clearly that Zhang Zhizhen didn't want him. Between Zhang Zhizhen and Mu Qian, even a fool knows who to choose, right? I think Lu Xu just didn’t pass the audition, tsk, now he can’t act all high and mighty, huh?"

The cast for Zhang Zhizhen's new film 'The Swordsman' is indeed finalized. Apart from the actors playing the lead swordsman and his adopted daughter, the only young male face on the cast list is Zhang Che.