Chapter 97: Reception of the Finale

Chapter 97: Reception of the Finale

Both "Voices of the Dead" and "The Path of Bones" are thrilling and horrifying, while "The Year I Was 18" was consistently low-key, so much so that when the series' final viewership surpassed 16,000, many industry insiders couldn't sit still.

Those who hadn't followed "The Year I Was 18" specifically sought out the series to analyze it, examining the reasons for its explosive popularity.

"...Warmth is the theme of 'The Year I Was 18.' Although the series isn't long, it captures the small details of everyday life. While watching this series, I was always drawn to Huang Luning, hoping his changes would be meaningful, and that those who love him and those he loves could find happiness."

"A TV series doesn't necessarily need to be dramatic, but it must have moments that resonate. It's been several hours since the finale, but I'm still reminiscing about the everyday moments of Huang Luning's family."

"The ending was so warm, it brought warmth to this cold world."

Although most netizens' comments aren't very professional, they give a feeling—Huang Luning is someone living right beside them, someone who went back in time and changed his life.

To put it in detail, it wasn't a monumental change, it didn't stop the Earth from spinning, it didn't make technology leap forward in a day, but in the days of watching this person's story, my heart was always warmed.

"I love every series Lu Xiao Gou has acted in!"

"Now 'The Year I Was 18' is my number one!"

"Comparing 'The Year I Was 18' and 'Rising Sun,' casting the right actors makes all the difference."

After the dismal failure of "Rising Sun," the crew was busy placing the blame on Jin Mu, with no one wanting to take responsibility for the series' failure.

Objectively speaking, the script of "Rising Sun" is definitely not worse than "The Year I Was 18," and Jin Mu even invested more time and effort in the former than the latter.

Yet the outcomes were completely opposite.

Not only that, even though "The Year I Was 18" was a huge hit, no one in the crew sought to take credit.

Mu Qian thanked Jin Mu for his creation on Weibo, and also thanked actors like Lu Xu, Han Xiao, and Zhou Lin for their efforts.

Jin Mu, in turn, expressed gratitude to the actors for bringing the script to life.

Lu Xu, who was filming in "The Deception" crew, wrote a long article about Huang Luning, saying he was first moved by the story of "The Year I Was 18," and only later discovered that the script was created by Jin Mu.

"The challenge of portraying an ordinary character is maintaining relatability. I always imagined Huang Luning as someone living beside me, one day I would go downstairs to eat and encounter him devouring his meal at the next table, see him dozing in a subway corner, and also encounter him grieving the loss of a loved one..."

Lu Xu seldom writes such heartfelt words, and after this Weibo post was published, it was immediately reposted by other members of "The Year I Was 18" crew.

"I absolutely love Huang Luning!"

"As an audience member, it's incredibly rewarding to see a beloved character cherished by the actor!"

"As for 'Rising Sun,' I don't even want to talk about it..."

"Rising Sun" is a series from a long time ago, but because it's related to several main creators of "The Year I Was 18," the series was dragged into the spotlight for criticism again.

A certain marketer even took the title "Same Scriptwriter, Different Performances," comparing the acting skills of Lu Xu and Gu Sinian.

It can be said, the comparison was harsh.

Gu Sinian was so angry he smashed several cups: "When will this end!"

He only had two series, "Watchmen" and "Rising Sun," that flopped, yet it seems like he's been marked with disgrace forever.

"Even if I flop, it's not as bad as 'The Swordsman,' right?" Gu Sinian grumbled, "Could Ye Hai Agency have bought this hot search?"

From Gu Sinian's understanding of Lu Xu, Lu Xu would basically not do such a thing, but his agency Feiyang Performing Arts might. However, currently "The Year I Was 18" is hot, and the series' own popularity is sufficient, there's no need to elevate its influence by undermining "Rising Sun."

"Rising Sun" is, after all, Jin Mu's drama.

Gu Sinian thought it over, feeling that the negative hype around "Rising Sun" was likely bought by Wild Sea Agency, especially since "The Swordsman" had flopped spectacularly, and Wild Sea Agency was trying to divert public attention this way.

The agent gave the same answer—because after one night, not only did "Rising Sun" reappear on the hot search list, but the hashtag "#Gu Sinian Lu Xu Acting Comparison#" also appeared on the hot search rankings.

Gu Sinian: "...Why not use that money to boost the box office for 'The Swordsman'?"

Gu Sinian has always been a bit underhanded, both during his time in Verse and after the group disbanded.

He subtly posted ticket stubs for a comedy and a mystery film released on the same day as "The Swordsman": "Both are stories I love!"

Wild Sea Agency naturally caught on to Gu Sinian's intentions.

Zhang Che's list of people he disliked grew from Lu Xu in Verse to the entire Verse group.

Although Xie Qingyang and Meng Qin hadn't provoked him, in his heart, no one in Verse was worth a damn.

...

"The Year I Was 18" premiered in late August, just in time for the following year's Starlight Award evaluations, and the crew immediately nominated Lu Xu for Best Actor.

"Voices of the Dead" also nominated Lu Xu and Shao Yao for Best Actor, but relatively speaking, the two leads' impact in the series paled in comparison to Huang Luning's.

From the moment Starlight Award nominations opened, TV drama forum users gradually started posting prediction threads.

"Putting my money on Lu Xu to win Best Actor this time."

"With Huang Luning in the mix, how far is Lu Xu from the Starlight Best Actor title?"

In the past, when it came to awards, young actors were often overlooked. Previously, when Zhang Che made several attempts at the Starlight Award, forum users were mostly skeptical.

But since Lu Xu was nominated for "The Son of Heaven," the attitude of netizens has gradually shifted.

Even if Lu Xu didn't win Best Actor for his role as Yu Yi, in the eyes of netizens, his performance in "The Path of Bones" was nearly on par with Yue Hui's.

—The topic naturally shifted from predicting the Starlight Best Actor to anticipating "Deception."

Many forum users are betting on Lu Xu to win the Starlight Best Actor.

First, in the past year, there have been few dramas as influential as "The Year I Was 18."

Second, Lu Xu's two weaknesses from last year have been overcome—one is his age. This year, he is still young but has already been nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor once each, giving him the necessary experience. The other is that Huang Luning is a warm and positive character, and after the series aired, various official platforms dissected the show multiple times.

One netizen even changed their username to "Has Lu Xu Won the Starlight Award Today?" and declared they wouldn't change it until Lu Xu won.

"Deception" is still filming, but because the recent discussions about whether Lu Xu can win the Starlight Award have been so heated, Gao Xingchuan and Yue Hui have already set the film's release date—around the time of the Starlight Award ceremony.

If Lu Xu wins the award, "Deception" will be the first film of the Starlight Best Actor.

If Lu Xu doesn't win—at least he will have a nomination, and many viewers will feel it's unfair, which for the "Deception" team is undoubtedly a way to draw in audiences.

Lu Xu: "...Can you not make it sound so righteous when you talk about using me?"

"Is this using you?" Yue Hui patted his shoulder with a look of righteousness. "This is our duty as actors."

Lu Xu signed a profit-sharing deal for "Deception," not a fixed salary.

Although this is Lu Xu's first film, his fame is undeniable, and the crew couldn't just offer him the salary of a typical newcomer.

But to be honest, the "Deception" production team is on a tight budget.

The investments were all brought in by Yue Hui, and as everyone knows, filming a movie is a costly endeavor. Even though "Deception" has cut costs, the crew still can't afford the hefty paychecks of the two leads.

So both Yue Hui and Lu Xu signed revenue-sharing agreements. The higher the movie's box office, the more the actors earn. As Yue Hui put it, both he and Lu Xu are ready to take a hit.

Lu Xu: "...I'm not prepared."

What's this feeling of being trapped?

...

For Lu Xu, the good thing about "Deception" compared to "The Swordsman" is that the production team kept a low profile during the filming period. They didn't hastily leak promotional material early on, nor did they claim to revive a fading genre.

This is because "Deception" is inherently enigmatic and not suitable for revealing too much.

In addition, in this movie, both Yue Hui and Lu Xu are main characters. The production team isn't relying on Lu Xu to drive ticket sales. Even if the box office after release doesn't meet expectations, the responsibility won't fall on Lu Xu alone.

The "Deception" game has a total of five rounds. As the game progresses, the real identity of "Chang Qing" is revealed.

Shi Xinshan noticed something fishy about "Chang Qing" from the beginning, but he didn't expect that the "Chang Qing" who entered the game wasn't the real Chang Qing, but someone else—he only realized this in the third round of the game and demanded that "Chang Qing" reveal his true face.

"Remember to make him look sharp."

Early in the morning, Gao Xingchuan instructed the makeup artist, "This face is very valuable."

Lu Xu: "...Director, I'd be happier if you didn't say that in the tone of a butcher haggling at a market."

Gao Xingchuan is about the same age as him, and the two speak quite casually.

Gao Xingchuan ignored Lu Xu's complaint, studying Lu Xu's face intently and occasionally giving various suggestions.

In previous scenes, Gao Xingchuan emphasized the pacing, but for today's scene, the director had already mentioned to Lu Xu before filming that they would do close-ups of his face, to highlight Yan Huan's wit and valor.

"Win over the audience with good looks!"

Lu Xu: "...Shouldn't it be the plot?"

Forget it, he's already given up resisting.

Today happened to be the day Shao Yao visited the set. Seeing Lu Xu being messed with early in the morning, he couldn't help but let out a suspicious chuckle.

Lu Xu shot him a glare, and Shao Yao instantly regained his composure.

"Cut the bangs a bit shorter, make sure his eyes are completely exposed, yes!" Gao Xingchuan was still muttering on the side.

The makeup artist didn't do much to Lu Xu's appearance; his features were already dazzling enough. Removing the glasses belonging to "Chang Qing" and applying a light layer of foundation was sufficient.

Lu Xu is an actor who knows how to capture the camera; he clearly understands how to attract the audience.

Before filming, Lu Xu was still joking around with the director, but once filming started, his demeanor immediately changed.

As soon as Shi Xinshan finished speaking, he saw a smile appear on "Chang Qing's" face: "Alright."

With the glasses removed, the face that appeared in the lens was radiant and striking, starkly contrasted with the game's mood. At this moment, this person was no longer rigid and dull, as if he had suddenly come to life.

This round of the game was still about identifying the real culprit.

But compared to the previous level, which provided very little information, this level offered a vast amount of information, numbering in the tens of thousands.

The few remaining participants at the table were pale-faced, but Yan Huan wore a faint smile on his lips: "It seems no one has chosen this answer?"

"Then I'll choose it."

His eyes were filled with certainty, making people wonder whether he was feigning composure or truly composed.

But at this moment, Yan Huan was undoubtedly the center of attention, so dazzling it was blinding.

And the next moment, after he selected the answer, he lightly raised an eyebrow and beckoned to the other participants at the table: "Sorry, goodbye."

He mimed a gun with his fingers, no bullets or smoke in sight, but as his words fell, a trap suddenly appeared on the ground, swallowing the participant whole.

It was as if Yan Huan had orchestrated the entire scene.