FS-novel Chapter 548: Hype a CP? He'll just kill the person later, and then you won't be happy.
Chapter 548: Hype a CP? He'll just kill the person later, and then you won't be happy.
The naive and kind-hearted fans believed Yuan Sitong's words. Only a small minority sensed something off from Xiao He and Zhao Qinyuan's attitudes, but their doubts were quickly drowned out by the fans' screen-flooding comments.[Great, it's a happy ending! We're done for! Pfft, no, I mean we're blessed!]
[So Song Chenye ends up with Huo Wan'er, right? First time tasting such a pure, strong-couple dynamic! So satisfying—]
[Actually, I'm a CP shipper too. Can we get more sugar to munch on later?]
[Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao, isn't your production team selling the CP this time? The kids were hoping to get some offline sugar.]
[Oh right, I just realized most of the discussion about 'Record of Chasing the Wind' is about the plot itself. Not many people are shipping CPs. It feels weirdly... normal.]
[Ah, since when did hyping CPs become the standard promotional package in the industry? Are you okay? In 'Record of Chasing the Wind,' Song Chenye is basically a lone wolf, and the female lead is clearly in unrequited love.]
[Not saying hyping CPs is bad, and not saying it's good either. It just feels like 'Record of Chasing the Wind' isn't really suited for it.]
[Would you ship the emperor and his concubines in a palace intrigue drama? No, because the viewers care more about the plot.]
[Wuwuwu, no sugar online or offline, this is too painful.]
Seeing these bullet comments, Xiao He could only offer a silly "hehe" laugh, not daring to give any real response.
Hype a CP? Later, when Song Chenye kills the person, they'll be unhappy again.
They might even end up chasing after him, cursing him out.
Forget it, forget it. Spare Song Chenye, and spare him too.
Besides, CP chemistry is really a matter of fate.
Anyway, for as long as Xiao He has been around, the most popular CP he's been paired with is his work.
As for other, less popular pairings, they naturally exist. After all, Xiao He has acted in quite a few dramas, appearing alongside various men and women. Fans will combine and imagine on their own. But these are a very, very small minority. Xiao He doesn't need to pander to them to make money, so over time, they naturally drift elsewhere or are refined by Xiao He into pure Little Box fans.
Xiao He pretended not to see the comments, and Yuan Sitong pretended not to see them either.
What a joke. She had no desire to hype a CP with this fierce god. The fact that she had swallowed her pride to chat about gossip earlier was already her effort for the sake of munching on melon seeds. If she deliberately tried to hype a CP, Yuan Sitong was afraid Xiao He would later, to avoid suspicion, go "whoosh whoosh" and unleash his killing intent towards her.
No, no, no! She still wanted to live a few more years!
It was Zhao Qinyuan beside them who saw these bullet comments. He chuckled lightly, speaking somewhat innocently and naturally: "Why only let Sister Sitong and him hype a CP? I'm here too. I can join you. Let's all be lively together. The main thing is to live our days well."
The others: "..."
The bullet comments: "..."
Wow! Almost forgot about you, this ancient true god!
But hyping a CP was, of course, impossible.
Everyone chatted and laughed, completing the live stream mission. The friendly interaction felt more natural than forced CP hype. Drama fans saw the team spirit and stopped obsessing over romance, turning instead to eagerly ask about all sorts of trivial behind-the-scenes tidbits from 'Record of Chasing the Wind.'
The live stream ended smoothly just like that.
That night, various topics from the live stream room hung on the entertainment charts. Clips from the stream were used by fans for secondary creations, once again adding to the heat for 'Record of Chasing the Wind.'
When Xiao He stepped down from in front of the camera, his phone showed it was already past 11 PM.
"See you later, Brother Xiao."
Yuan Sitong still had to rush back to Beijing. After hastily packing her things, she said goodbye to Xiao He and left.
Xiao He was also busy preparing to head back. He nodded towards Yuan Sitong and then headed downstairs with Xiao Chen.
The August night in Shanghai had already shed its daytime heat. The streets in the city center were still bustling with people, carrying the unique, lively prosperity of a major metropolis.
Xiao He leaned back in the rear seat, preparing to close his eyes and rest.
Right at that moment, Xiao Chen's phone suddenly rang.
"Hello? Mhm, mhm, Brother Xiao has finished the live stream."
"He's resting."
Xiao Chen answered the phone, listening carefully to the person on the other end before replying: "Okay, I'll tell Brother Xiao right away."
He immediately turned his head and handed the phone to Xiao He: "Brother Xiao, it's Sister Liu."
Xiao He opened his eyes and obediently took the phone from Xiao Chen's hand.
"Hello."
Even after a busy evening, his voice remained calm and even, unaffected and showing no sign of fatigue.
In contrast, Liu Rulan's voice on the other end carried a hint of hoarseness and weariness: "You just finished up?"
"Yes. How are things on your end, Sister Liu?"
"Pretty good. But there's a script now that might require your urgent consideration."
Xiao He raised an eyebrow: "What? It's not one to repay a favor, is it?"
"Bingo, you guessed it."
"The second male lead in a project by Old Zhong's student. He fractured his leg from a fall while filming some time ago. I asked around, and they haven't found a replacement yet," Liu Rulan said. "The script is okay. Old Zhong helped us out so much this time. Want to go repay the favor?"
Both Old Xu and Old Zhong were judges Xiao He had privately visited before. The former was Liu Rulan's connection, the latter was introduced by Ning Jiaqi. Both were significant figures within the judging panel. Both had expressed affirmation of Xiao He's acting skills and promised to fully support Xiao He in securing the award later.
So they were considered Xiao He's biggest reliance in his bid for the Golden Flower Award-Winning Actor title.
Now that a production team connected to Old Zhong's student had run into trouble, it was only natural for them to step in and cover, repaying the favor.
"Alright," Xiao He nodded in agreement, but then his tone shifted. "But there must be some complications, right?"
Judging by Liu Rulan's tone, it felt like repaying this favor was somewhat reluctant and hesitant...
"There are indeed a few," Liu Rulan sighed. "I won't hide it from you. This production team has two major problems. The first is that the script is adapted from a South Korean one, so their production is a remake. The original version next door already exists and is considered a classic. You know the rule about domestic entertainment remakes almost always being terrible."
A classic is a classic. Sometimes, it truly is insurmountable.
For the actors in the remake, this is an arduous challenge. If their performance doesn't measure up to the classic original, getting criticized is a given.
"Mhm, that's acceptable."
Xiao He remained calm. "What's the second problem?"
"This project is meant to promote someone, so... you could easily become a foil."
Xiao He was silent for a moment, then voiced a questioning retort: "It's already the second male lead. Becoming a foil seems pretty normal, doesn't it?"
He's already a supporting character. He can't exactly outshine the protagonist, can he?
Liu Rulan: "...You know that's not what I mean."
This "foil" doesn't refer to a simple character level.
It means this production team has a clear hierarchy, and the internal atmosphere is definitely not good. Even if Xiao He goes to save the day, the final amount of screen time he keeps and the state of his performance won't be decided by him, nor even by the director, but by the 'royal' favorite.
Xiao He would have no say or decision-making power!
The most famous example is a certain actor in the industry who kindly went to save a production, only to have all the scenes he rushed to film over half a month completely cut in the final edit.
Yet the actor couldn't say anything about it. After all, the paycheck was collected, and the editing was done. Besides fans crying injustice, no one else would care about that effort.
So this was what Liu Rulan was most worried about.
Production teams purely meant to promote someone are the most annoying!
She was afraid Xiao He would go and get treated poorly.