Chapter 110: New Film

Chapter 110: New Film

Although the statement cleared Qi Di of responsibility, the audience wasn’t convinced. Compared to the evidence of Qi Di flashing his pearly whites and “friendly” photos with domestic fans, there was clearly more proof of him disrespecting fans and other stars.

“The puppy magic is at it again, I’m not saying it, but why even mess with him?”

“…I saw a fashion insider spilling the tea earlier. It seems Qi Di has been fighting for the Brand C endorsement for the past few years. He has a solid track record, but unfortunately, he doesn’t have widespread appeal. Brand C still chose Lu Xu, who’s a better fit overall.”

“Facts have proven that Brand C didn’t make the wrong choice. Even when Lu Xu goes overseas for events, he nails his role as a spokesperson. Honestly, if it were Qi Di, with his temper, would Brand C even stand a chance?”

“Another point, fashion is all about the face. The same brand looks different on different people, especially when comparing Lu Xu and this so-called high-class face… it’s even more obvious.”

Because of this set of comparison photos posted by netizens, Qi Di’s reputation took a nosedive. Although Liu Rennong’s studio is still trying to secure resources for him, investors are playing it safe. What Qi Di touched upon is a major red flag for movie investors.

At least in the short term, Qi Di will have a tough time acting so cocky again.

…

Lu Xu didn’t continue to pay attention to Qi Di, only marveling at how two-faced the guy was: “Do fans owe him money?”

Xu Wen shook his head: “Not only do they not owe him money, but fans actively give him money. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t get them any respect.”

Lu Xu truly couldn’t understand this so-called noble act of biting the hand that feeds, as he certainly couldn’t do it.

He did remember offending Liu Rennong.

As soon as Lu Xu brought it up, Xu Wen handed him another pile of scripts: “What are you afraid of? Liu Rennong isn’t the be-all and end-all. If you can’t shoot his movies, can’t you shoot other directors’ movies?”

“The Deception” made waves overseas, and Lu Xu offending both Zhang Zhizhen and Liu Rennong, two heavy hitters in the industry, instead earned him the favor of new film directors. Recently, he’s been flooded with scripts again.

Among them, there are actually two youth films!

Lu Xu was somewhat happy.

He’s not exactly ancient, and he’s not bad-looking (in his own opinion), but for some reason, after “The Son of Heaven” aired, no one’s been knocking on his door for youth dramas.

Movies too!

Lu Xu once suspected that he had played too many dark and gloomy roles, making people think “psycho” when they see his face?

“That’s quite psychopathic.”—This was the answer given by Zheng Xiao and Shao Yao, “The psychopath among psychopaths, we hereby dub you the King of Psychos.”

Lu Xu: “…”

He decided to secretly sell Zheng Xiao and Shao Yao’s bicycles.

No, better to buy a competitor’s brand, to let Zheng Xiao’s sponsor boss know that this spokesperson isn’t qualified, couldn’t even get his own circle on board!

Xu Wen: “…Maybe the crew thinks you don’t like those sunny and cheerful types of roles?”

Lu Xu: “…”

He thought about it carefully, and it’s not the crew’s fault for having this misconception.

It’s his problem.

The characters he plays are anything but sunny and cheerful!

Lu Xu didn't quite like one of the two youth films. Although it was labeled as a youth film, its essence was dark—oppressive parents, icy relationships with classmates, and a future without light. Everything was gloomy, and the light the protagonist pursued never reached him.

Lu Xu felt like he was watching a teenage version of *The Path of Bones*. The father-son relationship in the script was akin to a modern take on *The Son of Heaven*, but it was even more despairing than both dramas.

At least Yu Yi got revenge for his friend. In *The Son of Heaven*, Qin Zhao and Emperor Cheng were technically father and son, but in essence, they were ruler and subject.

It was too heavy, too tragic.

Although Lu Xu thought that if this film were made, it would resonate with some young people—it truly captured the lives of certain youths in their most extreme forms.

Still, Lu Xu preferred more uplifting stories.

Just like how he didn't like *The Eternal Night*, this youth film also only pointed out problems without providing solutions. The gloom depicted in the script would only make those already gloomy and repressed even darker, without offering them any outlet or means of self-salvation.

The production team had communicated with Xu Wen, saying they wanted a skilled young actor to portray the character and showcase the struggles of contemporary youth. From this perspective, Lu Xu was clearly well-suited.

The production team was quite enthusiastic and offered Lu Xu a salary above the standard, but he still decided not to take the role.

He just didn't like this script; even reading it made him uneasy.

As for the second script—it was indeed a genre Lu Xu had never experienced before.

To be precise, it was the sunny, cheerful, golden retriever type—a sports boy, quite close to how fans imagined him.

Although... he wasn't much of an exerciser himself.

Of course, Lu Xu would get in shape before joining the production, but usually, he was as lazy as they come. He didn't attend events that often, right?

His manager had no issues with this, so Lu Xu didn't consider it a flaw.

Compared to the previous script, this one was excessively upbeat, depicting the story of young men and women chasing their dreams.

"Strive! Fight! Passion! How fitting for me!"

The manager: "..."

The manager couldn't even look.

To be precise, Lu Xu was a bit older. Of course, he didn't look his age, and he was youthful enough. Perhaps because he focused more on acting and less on the glitzy events, Lu Xu looked almost the same as when he starred in *The Noble Son*.

*The Noble Son* was also a youth campus drama. It was a bit crazy, and the over-the-top content had little connection to youth, but at least it proved that Lu Xu could handle this type of role.

In this script, Lu Xu was invited to play a college youth, an athlete—after losing an important high school match, he got injured. Although he successfully entered university, his sports dream was shattered.

Becoming a professional athlete had always been his dream, and he would give everything for it, but reality was cruelly heartbreaking.

However, the character didn't give up. He kept rehabilitating, persisting, training, starting from lower-level competitions, slowly giving his all, until finally standing in the center of the dream stage.

This character was undoubtedly the protagonist. In the script, he persevered with the encouragement and warmth of his friends. His comeback was filled with love and his own persistence, and these factors combined to create his miracle.

The script had very few depressing parts. The protagonist was always positive, sunny, cheerful, and optimistic—a lively and restless husky off the field, and a calm and agile German shepherd on the field.

Xu Wen told Lu Xu that this script didn't consider anyone else; they chose him right away.

Xu Wen thought Lu Xu should give it a try, not because the production team was so enthusiastic about pursuing him, but because Lu Xu had never tried this type of role before.

If he didn't take it now, it would be harder to do so in the future.

Many actors, after becoming famous, refuse to take on youth films, especially in the movie market. Famous directors prefer to tell deep and meaningful stories, while films full of youthful energy are mostly the debut works of new directors.

As if acting in a youth film means the actor is immature, or it's just a work to "cash in on fans."

A renowned director like Zhang Zhizhen would never stoop to cashing in on fans. He needs an audience that "understands his cinematic art." Even though "The Swordsman" features Zhang Che, his original intention was never to cash in on Zhang Che's fanbase but to "give a young person who has never made a movie a chance to open their eyes to the broader world."

To this, Lu Xu responded, "Please don't open your eyes anymore; Zhang Che has already been burned by it."

Lu Xu put this youth film on the back burner and went on to study other scripts, but he eventually circled back to this youth film.

Objectively speaking, the industry isn't short on good scripts. He came across some more artistic ones, but the role he was offered was too complex. Even he found it hard to grasp, let alone the audience.

As for commercial films—directors still don't see him as a box office draw.

The film industry is a circle that tells men's stories, and this principle is even more evident in commercial films. Yet, even in commercial films centered on male leads, the lead roles always go to middle-aged actors.

The dual male leads in crime films, the dual male leads in detective films... The roles left for Lu Xu are mostly a young supporting officer or a highly noticeable villain, but the screen time is far too little.

Young actors are mostly just there for show.

Unless a big director specifically prepares a role for him, like the one Qi Di played in "How Much Do You Know."

These movie roles offered to him are not even as good as Yan Huan in "Deception."

As an actor, one can't keep going from one worse role to another, right?

Lu Xu couldn't help but lament, "Do I have to forge my own path in the future?"

An actor who was once a TV world heavyweight did just that. In his youth, the film industry wrote him off. Only in his later years did he manage to secure high-quality films and start winning awards, thanks to his connections with a group of directors.

Yet, even then, the veteran directors still looked down on him, saying he wasn't cut out for films.

Most of the roles he played were either the result of favors from up-and-coming directors or films he invested in himself.

"That might not be a bad idea," Xu Wen glanced at him. "You're pretty well-off now, right?"

Lu Xu suddenly realized, "That's true."

After "Deception" made a huge profit at the box office, Lu Xu came to understand that Yue Hui's shift to the TV world might have been a fallback.

He was an award-winning actor but not a box office draw. As he aged, his options for roles became narrower. At this point, it was better to carve out his own niche.

The chances of successfully carving out such a niche are slim, and from this perspective, Yue Hui was quite lucky.

Yet, even though "Deception" was a success, Yue Hui's next step was to return to acting, not thinking about creating new opportunities, because the process from script to screen for "Deception" was too drawn out, and the ordeal too much.

Yue Hui couldn't handle the grind anymore.

But Lu Xu is different; he's still young and—very wealthy.

After receiving his share from "Deception," even health supplement companies started reaching out to him, and the insurance company that had once scammed him eagerly asked if he was interested in another deal.

Lu Xu: "..."

Does he look like the type to wake up and find his fortune gone?

Xu Wen: "Not exactly."

"More like someone who would wake up to find his millions swindled away, get so mad he'd claw back 9.999 million."