Chapter 168 168 Pessimism

Chapter 168: Backlash

There were indeed many scripts inviting Lu Xu, and commercial film offers were abundant. Objectively speaking, among the scripts Lu Xu had participated in, *Deception* could also be categorized as a commercial film, while *Feather of Youth* was a drama. However, due to their relatively low production budgets, neither film would be considered a big-budget blockbuster.

Currently, industry professionals are playing it safe—investors are reluctant to fund large-scale projects easily, and directors rarely take the lead in producing them. In the audience's perception, so-called blockbusters have gradually become just star-studded lineups.

The film Li Yan wanted to collaborate on with Lu Xu had a modest cast, mainly starring just the two of them, but the investment was certainly not low—loaded with CGI and spectacle.

They secured funding without a hitch, though in reality, even with Li Yan’s unquestionable box-office appeal, securing such a massive investment was no easy feat. Adding Lu Xu to the mix made it possible.

In the eyes of some investors, the combination of Li Yan and Lu Xu was dual insurance.

This was a story blurring the line between reality and myth—an Eastern-style adventure. Objectively speaking, in terms of theme, it bore some resemblance to *Sanctuary*, but the script was far better developed than *Sanctuary*.

This was why Lu Xu agreed to take on the role.

His decision stemmed from careful consideration, as well as advice from his agent, who encouraged him to dip his toes into blockbusters.

The top-tier actors in the film industry—those with the highest audience recognition—are always the ones topping the box office.

Lu Xu wasn’t deluding himself into thinking his new film would instantly rake in 4 or 5 billion yuan at the box office. He simply felt it was time for him to try.

Besides, the script itself was quite intriguing—not sensationalist, but a tale of ordinary humans maneuvering through a divine realm. Supernatural phenomena in the mortal realm were tied to the gods, and the characters played by Lu Xu and Li Yan were humans tasked with resolving these anomalies.

It incorporated ancient mythology as well as elements of occult horror that piqued ordinary curiosity. While introducing the script to Lu Xu, Li Yan brought in the director and screenwriter, even showing Lu Xu preliminary character concept art.

What satisfied Lu Xu the most was that, although the film was rooted in myth and legend, featuring spirits and monsters, the designs of these creatures didn’t mimic Western-style monsters. Instead, they aligned more closely with the fantastical imagery envisioned by ancient Chinese folklore.

Including *Sanctuary*, current domestic films about the supernatural and mythical often featured villains that transformed into revolting mutant creatures by the climax—either covered in toad-like warts or dripping with slime, giving audiences the creeps.

As an actor, though special effects weren’t his forte, Lu Xu hoped the projects he participated in would maintain a certain aesthetic appeal—whether in character design or narrative substance. There should at least be some characters that left audiences feeling warmth or fondness.

Lu Xu had actually hesitated over whether to accept this film.

After all, *Sanctuary*’s failure was still fresh. If he turned down *Sanctuary* only to take on this one, it might make him seem hypocritical.

But after wavering for a while, he read the full script several times and ultimately decided to commit.

If he wanted to do it, he would—he wouldn’t let backlash sway him.

Li Yan had also leveled with Lu Xu: because *Sanctuary*’s failure was so devastating, many actors had avoided this film due to its genre overlap.

Before *Sanctuary*, Li Yan had met with the director to discuss plans for this project. At the time, aside from Lu Xu, there were several backup actors in consideration—or rather, many male actors had expressed interest.

After all, Li Yan’s box-office draw was unquestionable.

The crew had hoped that if *Sanctuary* succeeded, it would prove there was a vast market for this genre. Even though *Sanctuary* had an all-star cast far more impressive than this film, a successful precedent would embolden followers.

What happened next… the whole world knew.

In short, *Sanctuary* crashed and burned. While the stars who participated might have profited handsomely, the genre itself was sent to purgatory—investors pulled out, confirmed actors dropped out, and what was once a steady stream of four or five fantasy films a year virtually vanished in the market.

Only because Li Yan still had some box-office appeal did this project manage to survive.

Lu Xu felt that *Sanctuary*’s sole contribution was perhaps launching Bei Hong, an unknown newcomer, into the spotlight, giving him some visibility among fresh faces. Beyond that, its impact on the fantasy genre was nothing short of disastrous.

...

"Who saw *that* coming?"

"Actor Lu Xu, who just won the Contention Award, has confirmed his next project. Who's curious?"

Not long after Lu Xu and Li Yan announced their collaboration plan, a new thread quietly popped up on a film forum.

"New project? Still 'Fearless Life'? Surely Lu Xu wouldn’t return to TV dramas?"

"Knowing Lu Xu, he might actually do it. Didn't he go back to do 'Chivalrous Fragrance' before?"

"When an award-winning actor takes on a TV drama, it’s called slumming it. Usually, it’s when they’re struggling in the film industry and reluctantly take on a drama. But Lu Xu just won the Contention Award—he’s riding high. Why would he need to go back to TV dramas?"

After several comments, the original poster finally showed up: "I’d rather he went back to TV dramas. He actually took on a fantasy film, something like 'Sanctuary.'"

"???? 'Sanctuary'??"

"Fantasy film??? Didn’t 'Sanctuary' offer Lu Xu before, and he turned it down? Is he going back on his word?"

"Maybe the production team offered enough money? Speaking of which, didn’t 'Sanctuary' offer him a sky-high paycheck too? I remember it was 60 or 80 million—way beyond what ordinary people earn. Now that he’s won the Contention Award, his fee must have gone up even more."

"Probably not about the money."

"Then he must be getting too big for his boots, thinking he can do anything after winning the award? I think Lu Xu should keep his feet on the ground. Sure, he won the award, but he’s never proven himself in blockbusters. If he really takes on this so-called big-budget fantasy film, I doubt he can maintain his current reputation."

The thread went on for a while, with many netizens suspecting the original poster was spreading fake news. However, as the discussion reached nearly a hundred comments, major marketing accounts and film bloggers on Weibo began leaking the news as well.

Lu Xu is indeed collaborating with Li Yan on a big-budget fantasy film.

Currently, Lu Xu has just won the Contention Award, and Li Yan is widely recognized as a box-office draw—arguably the top actor of his generation. But since audiences were so burned by 'Sanctuary,' the news of Lu Xu’s new film was met with widespread skepticism.

Some said Lu Xu and Li Yan were getting too big for their boots, while others believed their collaboration might turn out better than 'Sanctuary.'

"But it definitely won’t be that much better!"

"Lu Xu must be flooded with offers, right? It’s said that among actors his age, he gets first pick of scripts. Is this film really a must-do?"

"...I can’t help suspecting there’s some conspiracy here. Could Lu Xu be returning a favor? Like when Qiao Mengyao took on 'Empress'—it flopped, and fans felt so bad for her. Later, when the production company got into financial disputes, her contract was exposed, showing she took the role to return a debt."

"Actors at that level often have no choice. Lu Xu might act all aloof and detached from industry capital, but I suspect he must have sacrificed something to win the Contention Award. Is it really that easy to win? If he’s in the entertainment industry, he can’t be the spotless saint fans imagine."

"Sacrificed what exactly? Do tell."

"Ah, now I’m curious too..."

This comment, with its mention of "sacrificed something," sparked a flood of replies, with netizens speculating wildly about what Lu Xu might have given up.

Then, at one point, a user noticed that an account with the ID "Lu Xu," complete with a verified red V, had also weighed in curiously.

Clicking into the profile revealed a follower count surpassing 60 million, with the latest post being a repost of the Contention Award’s official blog, vowing to keep working hard.

"Wait, the actual Lu Xu?"

"LOL, so what did Lu Xu sacrifice?"

"Even the man himself is curious about what he sacrificed. So, what was it?"

As it turned out, the internet’s sleuthing skills were impressive—they actually found out what Lu Xu had truly sacrificed. Days earlier, one of his assistants had posted on Weibo lamenting that his boss had ruined his bicycle tire while riding in the rain.

"Found the answer! Sacrificed a bicycle tire!"

"A noble sacrifice indeed!"

"?"

"Don't be confused, people upstairs. Even though Lu Xu has publicly feuded with the Verse's other three members—Zhang Che, Zhang Zhizhen, Chen Ye, Qi Di... and so on—his bicycle tire remained perfectly intact."

"You say that like it's true, and I actually believed it."

In short, aside from the bicycle tire, whether Lu Xu sacrificed anything else became an unsolved mystery in the entertainment industry—because even Lu Xu himself didn’t know the answer.

The audience's skepticism was temporarily quelled by Lu Xu’s response, but the fact remained that his collaboration with Li Yan faced widespread skepticism.

Some prying journalists even interviewed Bei Hong, asking for his thoughts on Lu Xu taking on a fantasy film project.

Bei Hong didn’t say anything harsh, but his expression was rather peculiar—the meaning was clear without words.

Many netizens felt that since Lu Xu had won the Contention Award for Best Actor, he should take things slower. There was no need to rush into another project. With the trophy in hand, he had the foundation for a long-term career in film—no reason to hastily jump into a big-budget blockbuster to prove his box-office appeal.

Eventually, even Xu Wen faced harassment, as many fans disapproved of him securing such a project for Lu Xu.

Left with no choice, Lu Xu had to address it himself: "I took this film purely because I liked it."

When marketers shared his response, the comments section was flooded with remarks like, "Clearly, he’s not thinking clearly," and claims that Lu Xu was still basking in the glory of his Contention Award win, too dazed to think straight. Once this new film flopped, he’d fall back to making high-quality, audience-beloved works.

Lu Xu: "..."

So, in the end, it was all Sanctuary’s fault.

After discussing with Li Yan, Lu Xu realized their personalities were quite similar—both were the type who doubled down when others doubted them.

Originally, they had planned to give 100% effort to the film. But once the skepticism surfaced, they immediately saw eye-to-eye and decided to give it 110%.

Of course, before diving into the new project, Fearless Life was officially released.

Lu Xu had promoted Reversal City while filming Fearless Life. Now, considering director Miao Zhi’s support, he naturally dedicated himself wholeheartedly to promoting the film.