Chapter 160 160 After Filming

Chapter 160: After the Shoot

In the days leading up to the wrap, Lu Xu and Shao Yao wandered around aimlessly. Though the modern architecture near the filming location wasn’t particularly bustling, the natural scenery was unlike anything in City C.

As an actor, Lu Xu had traveled to many places, but most of his time was spent on film sets. It wasn’t often that he stayed in one remote location for months to film.

Being in such an environment truly gave him an expansive feeling. During the shoot, he focused entirely on his character without other distractions.

All in all, Lu Xu was truly at ease.

As *Fearless Life* neared completion, Shao Yao returned to his company ahead of schedule. Before leaving, he bought a bunch of jerky snacks from nearby stores, saying he’d share them with Zheng Xiao.

Lu Xu… also quietly bought some to bring back for Xu Wen and Zheng Xiao.

Portraying Bai Qianshan gave Lu Xu a sense of enlightenment.

Collaborating with directors of different styles allowed him to learn different approaches.

Lu Xu never expected that filming *Fearless Life* would lead to him becoming friends with Miao Zhi. He initially thought the director was the type who was laid-back about everything, but after getting to know him, he realized Miao Zhi was simply too sincere—to the point of standing out.

Not to mention Liu Rennong—even Zhang Zhizhen, before *The Swordsman* flopped, had thrived in the film industry as a highly respected director.

In terms of fame, both of them surpassed Miao Zhi because they could produce artsy, highbrow films, while Miao Zhi’s works were more grounded in their themes, more solid, and never lost the audience.

On the day Lu Xu finished filming his scenes, the director was as quiet as usual, but his demeanor showed a hint of reluctance to part. The two agreed to meet again in City C.

…

When *Fearless Life* first began filming, it was still cool autumn. By the time the movie wrapped and Lu Xu returned to City C, the weather had already turned warm.

During this period, Lu Xu only attended the press tour for *Reversal City*. While on the studio lot, he was relatively active with Weibo and celebrity gossip, but after moving to the new filming location, he became so engrossed in his character that he barely had time to check his phone.

A video of Lu Xu at the airport was captured by passing netizens.

Among celebrities, Lu Xu was the type with almost zero stealth—he walked around with his face fully exposed, at most wearing a cap. In City C, he rode his bike freely; at the airport… he proudly displayed his tan.

His blatant appearances meant fans didn’t swarm him, but Lu Xu still got roasted.

“Looking a little dark there.”

“…Handsome guy, do you remember you’re actually a handsome guy?”

“Dark but still handsome—let’s crown you Lord of Darkness.”

“Upstairs, I actually looked up photos of Lord of Darkness. How can they be so ridiculous?”

“LOL, Lu Xu, do you have any star image awareness? What kind of celebrity disappears for months without a trace? The other day, I saw a post online asking if Lu Xu was even still alive.”

“Still… alive? Bursting into laughter! Alive, yes, but he’s lost his pretty-boy status.”

Lu Xu’s fandom’s dog comparisons had now fully transformed into a black-furred puppy, with golden retrievers and white dogs becoming rare sightings. Fans protested, “This is unfair to white dogs!”

Fortunately, Lu Xu tanned fast but lightened up just as fast. Before long, he began attending various events arranged by his agent.

Not long after returning to City C, Miao Zhi also came back. The two had a meal together, bringing Shao Yao along. Miao Zhi dressed casually, while Lu Xu and Shao Yao were even more laid-back. Yet, despite this, the trio was still caught by paparazzi tailing Lu Xu.

After all, they were all well-known in the entertainment industry.

During Lu Xu’s filming of *Fearless Life*, some tabloids had dug up old grievances between Miao Zhi and Liu Rennong. It was only then that netizens learned the two were actually rivals. Naturally, some speculated that Lu Xu taking on *Fearless Life* was Miao Zhi’s way of messing with Liu Rennong.

Although neither side had such thoughts, it didn't stop tabloid fans from hoping netizens would interpret it that way.

After all... Lu Xu had already *defeated* two key members of Liu Rennong's studio consecutively.

Qi Di left Liu Rennong's studio and still hasn't found a new agency. As for Bei Hong, one film like *Sanctuary* was enough to nail him with a shameful legacy. Rumor has it that Liu Rennong's studio is giving Bei Hong an "extreme makeover," steering him toward the path of a pretty-boy idol.

Youth films easily attract fans, and Bei Hong's biggest issue is insufficient popularity.

As long as he gains enough fans, the scandal from *Sanctuary* won’t matter much.

"Pretty-boy... idol?" The moment Lu Xu heard this term, his eyebrows furrowed into a knot. "Is that suitable?"

"Not now, but it will be once he films it," Xu Wen said. "This is actually a proven path—many male actors take it, and it’s one of the easier paths to fame."

Lu Xu: "..."

How to put it? Standing on that dirt slope near the *Fearless Life* set, beneath the vast sky and the magnificent sunset, his thoughts reached cosmic proportions—yet he still couldn’t imagine Bei Hong as a pretty-boy idol.

"Maybe it’s a youth film with some fantasy elements," Zheng Xiao tried to smooth things over. "Like an alien-themed youth film, where the protagonist has a sharp-angled face like a carved diamond."

Lu Xu: "...You didn’t spare him either."

In a way, the reason he and Zheng Xiao became friends was precisely because they never held back when trash-talking people.

Lu Xu defended himself: "I’m actually not that fond of gossiping."

Zheng Xiao immediately understood: "I know, neither am I. It’s just that some things happen that are beyond our comprehension."

The two then sent a [handshake emoji] in the group chat to acknowledge each other.

Shao Yao, on the other hand, only contributed ellipses.

When Lu Xu and Zheng Xiao asked why he didn’t voice his opinion, he replied: "I really can’t think of that many words."

#StillLearning

#EndlessLearning

Upon returning to C City, Lu Xu first handled his scheduled endorsements prioritized by Xu Wen—over the past year or two, his commercial activities had decreased somewhat, as he had, in a way, moved past the hustle phase of a star and entered a more stable phase.

His endorsements were all long-term collaborations with familiar brands. As he aged, he landed deals with automotive and home furnishing brands.

For snack and beverage brands and electronics, companies preferred younger stars with higher exposure and more youthful fans.

Though Lu Xu had many young fans, his fanbase was also maturing day by day, becoming a group with purchasing power. Films like *Reversal City* and *Feather of Youth*, which grossed over 1.5 billion yuan, had his fans to thank for their success.

Though his number of endorsements wasn’t as high as before, Lu Xu’s collaborations were stable and high-quality. Across the entire entertainment industry, his deals commanded top-tier fees.

Commercially, Lu Xu was still the undisputed king within Feiyang Entertainment.

Honestly, ever since Lu Xu signed with Feiyang Entertainment, the company had been searching for the next Lu Xu. Unfortunately, after years of looking, no successor had emerged.

Finding a young actor whose looks and acting skills even reached half of Lu Xu’s seemed like an impossible mission.

It’s worth noting that Feiyang Entertainment wasn’t the only one doing this.

After all, Lu Xu got his start in the boy band Verse. Some agencies even tried mining active idol groups for a member who could follow Lu Xu’s path—but the reality was, just in terms of looks alone, today’s idol groups couldn't hold a candle to the standards of *Verse* back then.

Makeup and styling have advanced significantly in recent years. As long as you dare to cake on the makeup, even average-looking guys can be made to look like pretty boys.

Even... not to mention Lu Xu, even Gu Sinian, who was publicly ridiculed, has decent looks as an actor. What he was mocked for was his acting, not his appearance—at least the crew wouldn’t suddenly realize their male lead had a geometric nut-like face.

After some time, these talent agencies gave up.

But during certain moments—like when Lu Xu was nominated for the Starlight Awards, when his series became a breakout hit, or when his box office crossed ¥1 billion—such thoughts would reignite.

In short, over the past few years, several companies have pushed young actors who do bear some resemblance to Lu Xu in appearance.

"...Even though Puppy got famous for his looks, he still won the audience over with his work."

"Hilarious, the key is their acting pales next to Lu Xu’s. Seeing them on screen just makes me cringe—don’t they feel awkward themselves?"

"...Why are they so fixated on finding faces similar to Lu Xu’s? Why not look for acting skills like his? Is it because they don’t want to?"

"Honestly, they could try finding someone with an X-factor—that might work better than just resembling him in looks."

Lu Xu himself never expected talent agencies to actually promote so-called "mini-Lu Xus," and not just one. One day, he glanced at a comparison chart posted by marketers and was genuinely surprised.

Seriously... pointless.

But as Xu Wen said, visibility comes first. Only after becoming famous can one clear their name, and then it’s not too late to win over the audience with their work.

...

Between promotional events, Lu Xu hadn’t looked at any new scripts.

He considered himself consistent with projects, with a decent pace, but the speed at which his projects were released was unexpectedly slow. Despite working nonstop all year, his only completed work was the recently wrapped *Fearless Life*.

It felt like all that effort was for nothing.

Lu Xu rarely had unreleased projects.

Platforms snapped up his series, and for films—though he was still a newcomer in the industry—theaters wouldn’t turn down money. If it could be released, Lu Xu’s movies would premiere as soon as possible.

For an actor, having only one project in the pipeline means they need to quickly start filming another, or else face a drought.

Of course, many productions invited Lu Xu, but after finishing *Fearless Life*, he found himself deepening his craft. He had processed some of it during filming, but it wasn’t enough. During his free time, he wanted to think further.

Lu Xu had acted in many works and wasn’t afraid to tackle any type of character. To brag a little, he could handle most of the roles audiences were familiar with.

But Lu Xu didn’t believe he had reached the peak or that he no longer needed to improve.

He always felt that the path of an actor was infinitely broad, with no upper limit. New roles were always challenges. Even if he had already nailed a role, who could say that was the character’s own limit?

Lu Xu took a full two-month break.

During this time, he didn’t join any productions or take on extra business engagements. His daily routine consisted of reading books, watching dramas, films, and interviews.

His absence and lack of public appearances led fans to bombard the official blog of Flying Entertainment with private messages, asking if Lu Xu had secretly taken on some mysterious role.

Lu Xu was undeniably top-tier. Even without work lined up, fans wouldn’t assume he was idle at home—it could only mean he chose to be.

Flying Entertainment issued a statement to clarify.

Fans naturally accepted all of Lu Xu’s choices, whether it was taking on films they deemed beneath him or choosing to take a breather.

Lu Xu’s actions only proved that he truly loved acting and was committed to becoming a better actor.

"Who’s he kidding?"

In a villa in City C, Bei Hong snorted at the media reports. "Only idiots would believe this!"

"This whole ‘humble artist’ shtick he’s playing? The persona he’s built makes people think it’s real."