Chapter 114: The Cruel Entertainment Industry

Chapter 114: The Cruel Entertainment Industry

The plot of "Feather of Youth" is straightforward, making the filming process naturally smooth. However, for Lu Xu, it was undoubtedly the most exhausting movie he had ever shot. After filming, there was a lot of frantic running around, and the physical exertion was considerable.

However, Yin Pei is not a difficult character to interpret. He is sincere and cheerful, not one to put on airs, and doesn't pile on complex personas. He is indeed a sunny puppy.

Yin Pei is a rare, simple character in Lu Xu's acting career.

Playing such a role can even improve an actor's mood.

Although—on the day the movie wrapped, Lu Xu lamented, "I won't be able to eat those delicious burritos for a while."

"I thought you'd be reluctant to part with us!" Guo Yingyu said in exasperation. "You two ate all the burritos; I barely had a few bites!"

It was the last day on set, and Lu Xu and Hu Yan had gone out to buy giant burritos, loading them with extra toppings.

Hate!

The "Feather of Youth" crew had a large group chat, as well as a smaller one for just the three of them, mainly used for casual chat and sharing memes.

Hu Yan's nickname was "Rambling," Lu Xu's was "Dog," and Guo Yingyu's was "No English Skills."

Guo Yingyu was crowned by Lu Xu and Hu Yan as the woman with the most memes globally, especially her cleaver memes. From people to cats to Ultraman, nothing escaped the fate of being threatened by a cleaver.

Lu Xu even worried about her phone's storage.

Guo Yingyu: "...Worry about something more practical, thanks."

Before filming "Feather of Youth," Guo Yingyu thought Lu Xu was an untouchable visual icon in the entertainment industry. But after getting to know him, she realized that while he was serious and diligent during filming, outside of work—his main talent seemed to be bickering.

Quite silly.

Guo Yingyu didn't feel disillusioned by her idol friend. On the contrary, after truly interacting with Lu Xu, she respected him even more.

Lu Xu was already very popular, with no shortcomings in terms of popularity, awards, or even the box office of his first movie. He was firmly established in the top tier.

Yet, despite this, Lu Xu maintained his initial passion for acting.

In fact, when not filming, Lu Xu was good-looking, immediately captivating, standing out even in an industry filled with handsome men and beautiful women.

But once he entered filming mode, his charm could even feel intimidating—his charisma amplified infinitely, achieving 100% synergy with his character, to the point where co-stars might feel like they could be overshadowed by him.

Too strong!

Guo Yingyu felt she had learned a lot on the "Feather of Youth" set. After returning, she decided to hold off on new projects for a while, giving herself time to process what she had learned.

Her agency probably had the same idea when they pushed her to star in this film.

Even though the movie had wrapped, Guo Yingyu still remembered the moment Lu Xu helped her get into character—unconsciously, her own performance was enhanced.

Thinking of this, Guo Yingyu couldn't help but send a cleaver meme, making Lu Xu and Hu Yan wonder if she had been triggered by something again.

...

After returning, Lu Xu took some time to adjust. He had just finished filming "Feather of Youth," and Xu Wen hadn't picked a new script for him.

As an actor, Lu Xu's frequency of joining projects was already quite high. He was widely recognized as both hardworking and diligent, to the point where fans of other male stars would use him as a benchmark when urging their idols to work harder.

"I am truly a man burdened with great sin."

Xu Wen: "..."

#Doesn’t it feel awkward to say that?#

Even though Lu Xu isn’t joining a new project right now, his schedule is still packed. Some of his brand endorsements have expired, and naturally, the brands want to renew their contracts with him. However, as Lu Xu has firmly established himself in the top tier, he has gradually taken the initiative in brand collaborations.

His agent has dropped two brands that don’t align with his image.

Lu Xu’s endorsements, as always, prioritize quality over quantity. Over the years, he has only worked with a few brands. He’s usually on set, so he can’t often attend brand events.

During breaks from filming, Lu Xu either shoots brand commercials or attends promotional events, including some charity activities. For him, these events are just as exhausting as filming.

This time, Xu Wen also sent him invitations to several variety shows, one of which is a performance-based show: "Skip this one."

He would never participate in a performance-based variety show.

First, because such shows usually have scripts. Lu Xu is a traditional actor who believes that acting should be shown in actual projects, primarily judged by the audience’s feelings, rather than a panel of judges sitting high and mighty, critiquing performances while actors remain jobless after the show.

Second, in Lu Xu’s view, there is no fixed standard or formula for acting. Are the judges always right? A judge might have awards and industry acclaim, but does that necessarily mean they possess top-tier acting skills?

Lu Xu strongly disagrees.

Although he has won the Xingchen Award and is categorized as "good at acting," Lu Xu believes that acting has no limits.

Some actors shine depending on the project, genre, and co-stars. The scripts in actor variety shows are relatively mixed, and even the judges can’t guarantee expertise in all genres.

"Who am I to guide or critique?" Lu Xu rubbed his head. "...Watching some people act is exhausting."

For example, the contestant list for this show includes You Zichen.

Lu Xu deeply suspects that the production team approached him to stir up old drama about "Rising Sun."

He recently watched a clip of one of You Zichen’s performances—it was so bad it trended on social media for all the wrong reasons, and Lu Xu happened to come across it.

He was still talking about his acting dreams, but whether it was his stiff performance or the nonsensical plot, it all made Lu Xu feel dumbfounded.

Honestly, Lu Xu thinks You Zichen should give up on acting.

Aside from the acting show, there’s also a talent competition, but this time Lu Xu isn’t invited as a host but as a guest for one episode to interact with the contestants. He can choose to perform on stage with them or not.

Lu Xu: "...Why do they keep asking me? Don’t they get what I’m capable of?"

"The production team really likes your interactions with Let let," Xu Wen said. "That Challenge-style interaction you did with Let let smashed records, and no one has surpassed it since."

In other words, the production team wants Lu Xu’s popularity.

Lu Xu recently won the Xingchen Award for Best Actor, and the global box office of "Deception" was unexpectedly high. But Lu Xu jumped right back into filming, leaving no time for industry buzz.

"Oh, and the fee’s gone up again," Xu Wen said, gesturing.

Lu Xu: "...That’s a lot of money."

"The execs are pushing for you to join."

After all, Feiyang is a legacy agency, but its artists aren’t big online. Cheng Yun and Guo Yining are practically grandpas—dragging them onto variety shows feels cruel.

After some thought, Lu Xu accepted the talent show invite.

First, the pay was great, and second... Verse has been trending again.

It all started with a discussion thread on a certain forum.

"Let’s discuss: Was Lu Xu’s performance really dragging Verse down back then?"

"Below are videos and GIFs as evidence, the OP isn’t trying to start drama, just offering an objective take."

"Although Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin's skills have all declined somewhat now, during the group era, the three of them were far more skilled than Lu Xu."

"Lu Xu’s current popularity doesn’t mean he pulled his weight in Verse back then. His skills were lacking, though fans argue he never got the chance to practice. But he could have chosen not to join Verse in the first place."

The thread slowly blew up online, sparking heated debates. Netizens were arguing: How would the teammates’ fans feel if a less prominent member suddenly skyrocketed in fame and overshadowed the others?

Objectively speaking, even Lu Xu himself is well aware that his performance in Verse wasn’t exactly stellar.

Lu Xu hates how his Verse days keep resurfacing, but this is not something he can prevent.

The best way to kill a rumor is to start a new one.

Everyone says he’s untalented, right? He’s dead set on proving them wrong.

...

The variety show "Sunset Idol" has aired five episodes. The next episode features guest stars, and three days before the broadcast, the showrunners dropped the list of guest stars.

Mainly because the leaks were already out, the showrunners couldn’t keep it under wraps even if they tried.

The announcement of the other four guest stars didn’t cause much discussion, but the second the list dropped, the comments on "Sunset Idol’s" official blog were flooded with confusion.

"Wait, is this for real???"

"Ahhhh, I’m not seeing things, am I???"

"...the program team actually invited Lu Xu? I can’t believe it!"

"Although Verse is in a heated debate, Lu Xu’s success makes it hard to picture him as an idol. But Lu Xu indeed started as an idol."

"Incredible."

The title "Sunset Idol" has a bittersweet ring to it, but among the various idol survival shows, this program is indeed very unique—the contestants are all former participants of idol survival shows who never made it big.

If they fail to debut this time, their contracts will be terminated.

It’s like reheated leftovers meets survival of the fittest.

But miraculously, this variety show’s ratings are quite good. Perhaps because they’ve failed too many times before, the contestants are all in a make-or-break mindset. What people are capable of when pushed to their limits can be seen from "Sunset Idol."

Lu Xu has a question: "Is it possible to break a contract without penalties if the company’s terrible?"

Xu Wen nodded: "Of course there is."

"The contestants will still strive to debut. Failing after giving it your all isn’t the same as slinking away in defeat."

"If they perform well, they still have the chance to sign with a new company. If the old company cuts ties, and no new company wants them, they’re in a tough spot."

As soon as Xu Wen finished speaking, he saw Lu Xu silent for a while.

The agent realized this mirrored Lu Xu’s own experience after leaving Verse.

"I’m the perfect guest star—I’ve been there."

Lu Xu couldn’t help but sigh, "The entertainment industry is brutal."