Chapter 210 “Black and White” Release

Chapter 210: "Black and White" Premieres

When "Reversed City" wrapped up, Mu Lang was in a foul mood. He was dissatisfied with Zhao Yifan's performance, and the latter had caused a series of issues for the production team. To some extent, this reflected his inadequacy as a director in managing the crew.

By the time the new film wrapped, Mu Lang's mood had completely changed. He waved goodbye to Lu Xu with a smile, remarking, "It really is more comfortable working on a low-budget film."

Large-scale productions involved too many people and affairs. As Mu Lang grew older, he found that his energy wasn't what it used to be after a long shoot.

Lu Xu was such a relief.

The only problem was—right after the new film wrapped, Lu Xu actually started asking about plans for the next movie.

Mu Lang said helplessly, "Do you want to work me to death?"

In the past, it was always him pushing Lu Xu; now it was Lu Xu pushing him. Mu Lang found this change hard to adjust to.

Faced with Lu Xu's cheerful grin, Mu Lang couldn't do much about it. They had worked together on two films, and Mu Lang's authority over Lu Xu was virtually non-existent.

With his acting duties completed, Lu Xu moved on, but Mu Lang still had a backlog of work. The director kept in touch with Lu Xu, updating him on the progress of the film.

The title hadn't been finalized yet. Mu Lang had a few ideas in mind and wanted Lu Xu's input.

Lu Xu: "..."

He felt like he was becoming Director Mu's top lieutenant.

"Isn't that great?" Xu Wen glanced at him, "The director likes you, and you like the director."

Xu Wen was also surprised by how well directors seemed to like Lu Xu. From TV drama directors like Liu Chunfeng and Mu Qian to film directors like Miao Zhi and Mu Lang, Lu Xu got along well with all of them and maintained contact even after projects ended.

Directors are not ruling out the possibility of continuing to collaborate with Lu Xu in the future.

In recent years, Lu Xu has primarily focused on filming movies, but he has also considered venturing into television dramas. Lu Xu never intended to remain a leading man in films indefinitely; if his career spanned too long, audiences might eventually grow tired of him.

In short, as long as there is acting to be done, Lu Xu will persist in it. He is determined not to abandon this profession.

...

Returning to City C, Lu Xu felt somewhat disheveled.

Given that Ma Yanwen was far from being associated with the word "handsome" and was even a rather dark character, the abs Lu Xu had developed for *Code A77* were no longer necessary. He indulged himself in eating and drinking without restraint, resulting in a rounder belly and face. Coupled with the makeup designed by the stylist... it was truly hard to describe.

Lu Xu's agent issued an order for him to lose weight.

The agent generally wouldn't force Lu Xu unless there was a specific task at hand, but the promotional period for *Black and White* was just around the corner.

Although Lu Xu was not the lead, he had stepped in to save the day temporarily, and his presence as a supporting antagonist was no less significant. The pre-promotion for *Black and White* had already begun, and Lu Xu hadn't participated. Now that he had finally wrapped up his new film, the production team was determined to include him in the promotional activities.

While Lu Xu was still shooting his new film, Ren Ningyi had already sent him several messages.

Ren Ningyi, the lead actor, took the promotion of the new film very seriously. After the movie's release date was set, the production team even used the name "Ren Ningyi x Lu Xu" for publicity—despite the fact that their screen time together in the film was limited.

There was no choice; Lu Xu's last film was *Night Sky*, and if *Black and White* could capitalize on some of *Night Sky*'s popularity, it would be immensely beneficial for the production team.

Of course, while Lu Xu needed to support the promotional efforts for *Black and White*, his responsibilities were far lighter than Ren Ningyi's. The roadshow schedule was packed for Ren Ningyi, who had to attend almost every event organized by the production team. In contrast, Lu Xu only needed to select a few events to participate in.

In the two-minute trailer for the film, the character played by Lu Xu, Cui Kaiwen, also featured prominently.

Director An Bin did not hold back in including the chilling scenes featuring Cui Kaiwen in the trailer.

"I thought the next one was *Code A77*, almost forgot about *Black and White*."

"…Another deranged villain, it seems Lu Xiaogou rewards himself with a deranged villain after every normal role."

"LOL, you’ve really nailed the pattern, upstairs."

In *City Reversal*, he played an antagonist, followed by protagonists in *Fearless Life* and *Nightly Stargazing*. In *Black and White*, he returned to an antagonist role. Fans couldn’t help but marvel at Lu Xu’s special affinity for villains and his effortless mastery of diverse characters.

Isn't it because Lu Xu can handle these vastly different roles so well that he "rewards" himself?

Idols can carry a plot with their looks, and Lu Xu can do the same.

Fans who follow Lu Xu’s movements know that he took on *Black and White* purely to save the production. The *Black and White* crew deliberately created an atmosphere where Ren Ningyi and Lu Xu were seen as the pillars of the film, undoubtedly considering box office appeal.

However, screenings with Lu Xu’s presence indeed generated far more enthusiasm from the audience than other sessions. Moreover, after *Black and White* hit theaters, discussions about Lu Xu never ceased, whether it was his chemistry with Ren Ningyi or the chilling portrayal of Cui Kaiwen, which often dominated the trending topics.

Cui Kaiwen is a devil shaped by both internal and external factors.

In his youth, he already displayed a dark side, and after enduring cruel treatment from his parents, he turned his hands toward weaker beings.

As an adult, he became intelligent and adept at manipulating people, leading him to control everything around him with even greater abandon, pushing everyone and everything into deeper darkness.

"…When Ren Ningyi appeared, I only marveled at how he hasn’t lost his edge, with such crisp action scenes. When Lu Xu appeared, all I could think was, ‘Get away, you creep!’"

"The only thing I’m curious about is, how is that cat doing?"

"Heavens… If I ever met someone like Cui Kaiwen, I’d surrender without a fight. He has his own twisted logic, and no one can persuade him. It’s just terrifying, the kind that makes your scalp tingle."

Fans noted that Lu Xu had once again delivered a brand new villain.

Lu Xu's acting is so good that I suspect everything Cui Kaiwen did, Lu Xu has done too. I hope the production team can clear up my doubts.

On that day, both #Cui Kaiwen# and #Lu Xu's Acting# trended on social media. The official Weibo of the production team specifically explained that Lu Xu had not been in the group for long, and Cui Kaiwen was purely acting; he had never tried to imitate any of Cui Kaiwen's behaviors.

Regarding the cat that Cui Kaiwen had allegedly abused, the official Weibo set up a special section for cats, emphasizing on the first day, "The cat is still alive, it just doesn't like Cui Kaiwen very much."

Lu Xu forwarded this Weibo post, saying, "Actually, there's no need to explain."

The official Weibo soon released more footage, such as the entire cast playing with the cat, which seemed to dislike only Lu Xu, even trying to scratch him several times.

Lu Xu bought cat food and treats, but the cat refused to accept his feeding.

In the production team, whenever Lu Xu came around, the cat would turn its body away, showing only its backside to him.

There were too many materials showcasing Lu Xu's awkwardness, and the official Weibo was delighted to share them. Besides the cat's disdainful expressions, one could even hear the wild laughter of Ren Ningyi and other actors in the background.

"The life of a puppy rejected by a kitty."

"In public: the cruel cat abuser Cui Kaiwen; behind the scenes: a puppy trying to cuddle the cat but getting slapped instead."

"Ha ha, I originally thought Lu Xu could compete for the Best Supporting Actor at next year's Zheng Ming Awards, but now I think, based on the cat's performance, it deserves an award too, maybe the Best Pet Award?"

"I carefully identified the cat, and it is indeed the same one from the movie. The cat is doing well, super lucky!"

After the production team of *Black and White* released content related to the cat, the movie's attention soared, and artists happily drew various images of the cat rejecting the dog, reducing Cui Kaiwen's villainous intimidation by 80%.

Lu Xu: "..."

For the production team, having attention is a tremendous blessing.

The box office success of *Black and White* was certainly not solely dependent on the cat and dog meme, but there's no denying that this meme did indeed bring the film to the attention of more viewers.

With the audience's interest piqued, they naturally gave *Black and White* priority when choosing which movie to watch.

*Black and White* was released in spring, a period not particularly known for blockbuster releases. Ren Ningyi’s star power was decent, but he wasn’t one of those must-see actors at the moment. Therefore, he had little confidence in the film’s box office performance.

Lu Xu's involvement in the promotion, especially after the character Cui Kaiwen gained some popularity, clearly led to an explosive increase in the film’s attention.

The box office first broke 500 million, then reached 1 billion... Given the current market conditions, where overall activity is not high, achieving such box office results was truly beyond the expectations of the production team.

"It’s all thanks to the cats; we should buy them more cat food."

"Ha, why not just provide them with a lifetime supply of cat food? They deserve it."

The memes related to *Black and White* continued to circulate online, and the film’s box office kept climbing.

When *Black and White* surpassed 1 billion in box office earnings, Ren Ningyi couldn't help but boast about it in his WeChat group—1 billion was already a very impressive achievement for him.

These days, it’s not easy for actors to earn good box office numbers.

With the film breaking even, the pressure on him as the lead actor naturally eased.

While others haven’t had the chance to work with Lu Xu, he not only collaborated with him but also achieved good box office results. Wasn’t this something worth celebrating together?

"Tsk..."

"Give me back the money I spent on the movie ticket! I can't stand you showing off like this!"

"Old Ren, I’m just saying, you can brag about your own movie, but why do you have to brag about Lu Xu? You’re not as handsome as him, you know."

"I can't stand it anymore. Wait for me, I'll send a message to Xiao Lu right now. It's been so long, if he can collaborate with you, why can't he collaborate with me?"

"Send, all of us will send."

*Black and White* performed well at the box office, and Lu Xu received a flood of congratulations. He replied to messages until his fingers ached, just after expressing his humble gratitude, his phone was flooded with nearly identical messages asking when they could work together.

Lu Xu: "…"

Sorry.

The pressure he felt at that moment was exactly the same as the pressure he had put on Director Mu Lang.

What Lu Xu didn't know was that in the coming days, every time *Black and White* reached a new milestone at the box office, Ren Ningyi would inevitably boast about it in the group chat, and Lu Xu would inevitably face new pressure.

"This is the price of being too popular," the agent preempted Lu Xu's thoughts, speaking his lines first.

Lu Xu: "…Can't you let me be happy for a bit?"

"No." Xu Wen's words were unusually cold, "Hurry up and lose some weight."

Participating in the promotional activities for *Black and White*, Lu Xu did indeed lose some weight, but fans who knew him well could see that he looked more plump compared to the period when *Night Sky Observation* was released.

"Isn't there a new film to shoot recently?" Lu Xu counted, "And not much other work either."

In the past, during breaks from filming, Xu Wen would arrange various commercial activities for Lu Xu, but these had significantly decreased recently. In his free time, Lu Xu had some official events to attend.

Now, Lu Xu could moderately reduce his public appearances.

Xu Wen was also adjusting the plan according to Lu Xu's development. When they first signed, the agent had indeed mapped out a comprehensive development plan for him, but by now, most of those plans had not come to fruition.

Lu Xu cared deeply about his work, and the agent supported him by selecting the best projects. On this point, the two were quite in sync.