Chapter 74 (074) The discussion continues regarding "The Powerful Minister".
Chapter 74
"Let's Travel" is a celebrity travel reality show launched by Qingxi Video. Because Geng Yue was one of the members initially selected, the show received a lot of attention from all sides when it first aired.
The promotional focus of "Let's Travel" has been on Geng Yue. Although other celebrities have some fame, they are far less popular than Geng Yue.
Many netizens remember that when "Let's Travel" was initially seeking sponsorship, one of the male guests was not the one who is appearing now.
It's normal for people to come and go in the entertainment industry. That male guest wasn't a big name, so he was replaced. Nobody cared.
The guest himself never even mentioned it.
He's not famous enough, so he could be replaced at any time. What good is appealing? Who doesn't know that the guest who replaced him is from the same company as Geng Yue?
The popularity of "Let's Travel" still depends on Geng Yue. Who would offend Geng Yue for the sake of an unknown nobody?
...
When "The Powerful Minister" first gained popularity, viewers only thought that the actor playing the emperor was good-looking and had a good acting style. As the plot developed, He Xun gradually attracted the attention of more viewers.
He Xun has acted in many dramas before, but he has always been a nobody in the entertainment industry with little presence. Only recently has he started to be eagerly dug up by the audience.
While taking the test, a netizen who loves travel variety shows suddenly felt that He Xun looked somewhat familiar.
It seems she appeared in a travel reality show.
But when he looked up He Xun's resume, he found nothing. This person rarely appears on variety shows, and even when he does, it's mostly to promote his dramas.
He Xun is also not a very sociable person and has a low profile.
However, this netizen did not think that their memory was flawed.
He searched and searched diligently, and finally found a trace—
He Xun almost became a member of "Let's Travel", but was kicked out at the last minute.
Netizens quietly posted their findings online.
The recent hit drama "The Powerful Minister" has sparked widespread discussion about the relationship between the emperor and Shao Jing, with analyses ranging from happy endings to tragic endings. Even viewers who haven't watched the show have become very familiar with these two characters.
Moreover, this netizen included He Xun's name in the post.
The post quickly went viral.
"Wow, it really is He Xun! My current thought is—the entertainment industry is really cruel."
"If it weren't for 'The Powerful Minister,' I would never have noticed that 'Let's Travel' had actually invited He Xun."
"So He Xun was kicked out because he wasn't popular enough? The one who replaced him is a newcomer that Geng Yue's company started promoting. He had a pretty good reputation on 'Let's Travel'."
"However, I now feel that 'Let's Travel' is a bit of a loss. The show was quite popular when it first aired, but it has gradually faded away recently. Inviting He Xun just happened to coincide with the huge success of 'The Powerful Minister,' which could also bring a wave of traffic to the show."
"...Speaking of which, I suddenly realized that in this situation, He Xun should have signed a contract. If you're going to invite someone, just invite them. Why kick them out? Even though He Xun is a nobody, the person who replaced him is also a nobody with no fame."
The online discussion gradually heated up.
In matters like this, netizens are always quite adept at digging, especially the fans who recently became fans of He Xun. As they dug deeper, they suddenly realized that He Xun's removal might not be as simple as his lack of fame.
"Don't forget, He Xun and Lin Yuan are friends."
"!!!!"
The drama "The Powerful Minister" is currently airing, and everyone knows that He Xun and Lin Yuan are friends—"What does this have to do with He Xun being rejected by 'Let's Travel'?"
"Let's Travel" is a travel reality show launched by Qingxi Video. If it were Xingyao Video, it would be understandable that Lin Yuan rejected He Xun.
"The platform wouldn't go that far. Xingyao Video is even considering buying the copyright to 'The Powerful Minister.' Personal grudges are nothing compared to making money. Xingyao Video might even cooperate with Lin Yuan in the future."
"Geng Yue is a different story."
"There's more to this than meets the eye."
"Ahem, I used to work for Qingxi Video. I happened to be in contact with 'Let's Travel.' HX was indeed one of the potential guests for the show. In the end, we chose him because he was more like an 'I'—the other male guests were all quite lively, and we needed someone like him, the quiet type, to balance things out. But GY disagreed. The production team was also working on him, but GY was very insistent. There's no evidence that he rejected He Xun because of LY, but at that time LY had just won the Golden Wing Award, and HX was showing off his friendly relationship with LY, so..."
"Is Geng Xin really that narrow-minded?"
"Everyone, that's the Golden Wing Award. Once he wins the Golden Wing Award, he can set himself apart from other male actors of the same generation. If he doesn't win the award, he'll have to work even harder to move forward."
Netizens: "..."
Upon closer examination, they found these analyses to be quite reasonable, and not entirely conspiracy theories.
He Xun had little interaction with Geng Yue before. He had a serious appearance, and there was no conflict between him and Geng Yue in terms of their roles, so he did not pose a threat. Why was Geng Yue so disgusted with him?
Besides the fact that He Xun and Lin Yuan got along well because of "The Powerful Minister", what other reason could there be?
Currently, the audience has a very good impression of He Xun.
The drama "The Powerful Minister" became a hit, giving He Xun his representative work. Through understanding He Xun's past, it is clear that he is a low-key and clean person with no scandals. After graduation, he honestly became an actor, is a homebody, and doesn't like marketing.
Who did He Xun, who worked diligently and conscientiously, wrong? Why should he be treated like that?
Netizens then took out a magnifying glass to examine the program "Let's Travel," and they actually discovered some details—
"Geng Yue really loves being flattered. The person who flatters him doesn't have to do any work."
"His personality is arrogant and lazy, but he loves to criticize others. However, he is popular and has many fans, so no one wants to offend him."
"So I'm not the only one who thinks this way? He really made it very obvious. He Xun is truly an innocent victim."
"Who would have thought? He Xun offended Geng Yue because of his friendship with Lin Yuan. But... it was probably destined. Both Lin Yuan and He Xun are the kind of people who are very dedicated to acting. You can see that from the behind-the-scenes footage of 'The Powerful Minister.' They have great chemistry in their performances. It's normal for them to become friends. The logic is: He Xun loves acting → becomes friends with Lin Yuan → it's normal for Lin Yuan to win the Golden Wing Award → Geng Yue holds a grudge against him."
"So as long as He Xun loves performing, he's destined to be resented by Geng Yue, and there's no way to change that. Given He Xun's attitude towards performing, it's hard for him not to love it, right?"
There's a saying that when you see one cockroach in your house, you've already seen a whole nest of them.
Geng Yue's performance on "Let's Travel" has been judged by the audience. If it were just a TV show, one could say that the audience misunderstood Geng Yue.
However—let's talk about "The Sunny Place" first. The director had previously spoken ill of Geng Yue, blaming him for dragging the entire crew down with him.
Since the Golden Wing Awards ceremony, the male and female actors in the crew have interacted with each other, especially the two supporting actresses, who often go out to eat together. However, Geng Yue has had zero interaction with the rest of the crew.
"Back then, Geng Yue released a press release implying that he was a hidden gem of the Golden Wing Award, but he was later proven wrong by being the worst actor in the entire crew. Now, only a few months later, his fans have already started writing history, saying that the crew didn't value him and that the director favored other actors. I said, bro, can you please not go this far?"
Does anyone remember the incident where Geng Yue bullied extras?
“At a brand event at the end of November last year, he was probably in a bad mood because he didn’t win the Golden Wing Award. He refused to come out of his van in the freezing cold. His fans waited outside for more than an hour. It was a day when the temperature dropped sharply, and a group of people were freezing.”
"Hilarious, bullying extras? He's bullied plenty of these nobodies, including some veteran actors who've been around for years. They're just not as famous as him. He stole their lines and embarrassed them, making them look so pitiful that even the lead actress couldn't bear it and stood up for the veteran actor."
"And there's more..."
The netizens got more and more excited as they talked, and they practically gave a full account of all the scandals Geng Yue had ever had since his debut.
Geng Yue debuted early and had good luck with roles, almost never experiencing the low points that other actors go through. Therefore, compared to others, he lacks a certain maturity in his personality.
In the past, if Geng Yue had been exposed like this, his fans would have rushed out to angrily scold netizens, while also copying and pasting how excellent Geng Yue was, how promising he was, and how his rivals were envious and jealous.
However, "The Powerful Minister" is currently airing and Lin Yuan and He Xun have gained a new batch of fans, who are currently very enthusiastic about the show.
Did Geng Yue suffer any injustice? No! Those reports are all true.
He Xun was the one who truly suffered injustice.
The variety show that was supposed to be booked suddenly dropped. If "The Powerful Minister" hadn't become a hit, who could He Xun have complained to?
It's not easy for someone as popular as He Xun to get on a variety show, and these new fans are hoping to take this opportunity to see He Xun appear more often!
Geng Yue completely ruined this opportunity.
Just like Lin Yuan lost the opportunity to debut with Wink, some people said that Wink's subsequent members were not good, and it would have been better not to add Lin Yuan at all.
These words sound light and easy, but only Lin Yuan has the right to say them.
A lost opportunity is a lost opportunity. Even if it's not the best, it's still an opportunity that Lin Yuan earned through his own efforts. Why should others just take it away?
They got it but then blamed the opportunity as bad. What do they take Lin Yuan for?
The same applies to He Xun.
"Let's Travel" may not have a positive impact on He Xun's career, and it may be a waste of time for him to participate. But does that mean that others have the right to deprive He Xun of his opportunities?
What was taken away was taken away; it wasn't something He Xun willingly gave up.
...
The drama "The Powerful Minister" has been airing recently, and the cast and crew members often participate in live streams and share interesting stories from filming. During one of the live streams, a fan happened to ask about He Xun's opportunity being taken away.
He Xun was quite frank about it: "Yes, that's true. The production team contacted me."
"Filming variety shows is a two-way choice. If the production team thinks I'm not suitable, then I'm not suitable. There's nothing to criticize."
He Xun did not blame the "Let's Travel" program team, but he also did not speak well of the program team. He simply admitted that the incident had occurred.
While Geng Yue's side might have thought his behavior was somewhat tactless, netizens felt that He Xun's response was far more magnanimous than that of Geng Yue's agency.
Just recently, Geng Yue's agency issued a statement saying that the claim that Geng Yue was excluding He Xun was nonsense, and that He Xun's failure to be selected was due to communication problems between him and the "Let's Travel" program team.
In short, Geng Yue did nothing wrong, and if he did, the only one who was wrong was He Xun.
Geng Yue's agency even implied that it was all a publicity stunt by He Xun, who was using the opportunity to ride on Geng Yue's popularity and market himself.
Netizens: "..."
He Xun remained silent on the matter.
He wasn't originally the type to argue with people. After losing the opportunity to participate in "Let's Travel," his agency even hinted that he should have less contact with Lin Yuan because Lin Yuan had offended a lot of people.
If He Xun hadn't become friends with Lin Yuan, he would definitely have been on "Let's Travel".
Before "The Powerful Minister" aired, He Xun didn't have many opportunities. It was really not easy for him to appear on "Let's Travel". It was a pity that such a good opportunity was wasted. The executives of his agency felt it was a great pity.
He Xun himself remained silent, as if he hadn't heard the complaints.
But at this moment, Lin Yuan spoke up.
"If we only look at the ratings, it's hard to say who's riding whose coattails, isn't it?"
In the live broadcast room, Lin Yuan pulled out a ratings chart—since the news of He Xun being kicked out of "Let's Travel" was exposed, the ratings of "Let's Travel" which had been plummeting, actually saw a slight increase.
The current viewership ratings cannot be sustained by the guest team led by Geng Yue alone.
"If possible, I would rather compete fairly with certain people in the field of awards than resort to underhanded tactics."
It is self-evident who Lin Yuan is referring to as "certain people".
For Lin Yuan and He Xun, neither He Xun being squeezed out of "Let's Travel" nor Lin Yuan causing He Xun to be implicated was a source of joy. However, after the live broadcast, netizens started shipping them again.
To some extent, the reason why the characters are so appealing is not only due to the script and acting skills, but also to the actors' off-screen performances.
Everyone already knows that Lin Yuan and He Xun are friends.
Aside from the fact that the two are friends, what netizens don't know is that because of Lin Yuan, He Xun missed a job opportunity. This opportunity was very valuable to He Xun; if "The Powerful Minister" hadn't become a hit, he might never have been able to get such an opportunity again.
But He Xun never complained; he didn't think it was Lin Yuan's fault.
Lin Yuan was also speaking out for He Xun—if he were one of those "smart people" in the entertainment industry, he might have pretended that this matter had nothing to do with him.
In any case, the one who suffers the loss is He Xun, not him.
After this live broadcast, He Xun's new drama was confirmed—a high-quality urban professional drama in which He Xun plays the male lead, co-starring with a veteran actor in the industry.
When the producer introduced the preparation work for this drama, he specifically mentioned that the original plan was to invite Lin Yuan, but Lin Yuan recommended He Xun instead.
It's not because Lin Yuan's schedule was full and he didn't have time to take on this role, nor is it because the plot of this drama conflicts with "Major Cases".
Lin Yuan carefully read the script and thought it was very good, so he solemnly recommended He Xun.
He felt that He Xun was a better fit for the lead role, and with He Xun's acting skills, he could perfectly portray the character.
He didn't feel guilty towards He Xun; rather, he felt that with He Xun's abilities, he could definitely play the role well, even better than He Xun.
After careful consideration, the producers ultimately decided on He Xun.
...
The more netizens ship Shao Jing and the Emperor, the more they feel that it would be perfect if Lin Yuan and He Xun could become friends—if the two hadn't gotten along so well to begin with, they probably wouldn't have been able to create the sparks between Shao Jing and the Emperor.
"Even if Shao Jing and the Emperor suffer a tragic end, it doesn't matter, He Xun and Lin Yuan are still doing well!"
"that is!!"
The final episode of "The Powerful Minister" achieved a peak viewership rating of 18% and an average viewership rating of 16%.
The finale didn't offer much information; it was simply the end of Shao Jing's life.
The once imposing prime minister, who could command respect even without anger, was now just an old man lying in bed. Yet, what Shao Jing was thinking about was still his youth in the capital.
Does Shao Jing feel remorse?
He has no regrets; he has done everything he wanted to do, only some things are left unsaid.
Having reached the end of life, there's no need for so many worries.
Ten days after Shao Jing left, the emperor suddenly fell ill and died.
In any case, news of the former Grand Secretary's death still reached the capital.
Although the relationship between the emperor and Shao Jing could not continue, the emperor would still keep track of Shao Jing's news in the capital. If the two of them had lived longer, perhaps one day the emperor would have forgotten his past wariness of Shao Jing and only remembered his merits.
Unfortunately, neither of them lived to see that day.
"Sigh, I expected this ending, but I still feel..."
"Waaaaah, I don't have any romantic pairings in my head, I just think 'The Powerful Minister' is super super super good! Lin Yuan and He Xun gave the characters a soul."
"I disagree with the person upstairs. I think this ending is great. This is the true ending. No one can say for sure what the emperor and his ministers really thought."
"After leaving the court, Shao Jing corresponded with his old friends and left some writings of his own. He commented on Song Kuan and his former political enemies. He remembered clearly who had wronged him, even to his grave. But he remained silent to His Majesty the Emperor, as if he were guarding some secret."
"+1, the emperor never spoke ill of Shao Jing. In fact, during the days when Shao Jing was away from the capital, His Majesty treated his officials quite harshly. He is an autocratic emperor and is ruthless. Perhaps he developed a dependence on Shao Jing when he was young, so he couldn't bring himself to be ruthless towards Shao Jing."
"Ahhh, this is even more amazing to ship!"
On the day of the finale of "The Powerful Minister", Lin Yuan and He Xun took turns trending on social media, and the production team of "The Powerful Minister" also took the opportunity to release more behind-the-scenes footage.
In this final scene, both Lin Yuan and He Xun portrayed the vulnerability of their characters, and their aged faces almost made people forget that the two actors are now young.
Then, after the filming was finished, these two... crossed their legs and started eating sunflower seeds.
She hadn't even removed her makeup yet.
He Xun even punched Lin Yuan for no apparent reason.
The video also includes the director and screenwriter's voices, seemingly complaining that He Xun is too talkative now.
"Then who's to blame?" He Xun pointed his finger at Lin Yuan without any politeness.
"Why are you blaming me again?" Lin Yuan clapped his hands. "I was the one who bought the sunflower seeds."
"Didn't you eat the sunflower seeds I bought yesterday?"
"I bought the oranges that day too, and you said you wanted to eat cherries, so I bought those as well."
Netizens: "..."
Isn't this just elementary school kid-style arguing?
"I'm dying of laughter. I watched the behind-the-scenes footage released by the production team of 'The Powerful Minister.' At first, Lin Yuan and He Xun didn't speak at all, especially He Xun. He didn't utter a word all day except when filming. Some people say that Lin Yuan cured He Xun's muteness."
"It's obvious."
“Every time I finish watching their behind-the-scenes footage, I have to take a moment to process it—I can’t quite accept that one of them played Shao Jing and the other played the emperor.”
"I also……"
"In the scene where the friend bids farewell to Shao Jing, I was in tears one second, and the next second Lin Yuan fell flat on his face on set. My expression was just like He Xun's at that time, I was so happy that I couldn't stop."
"The He Xun of the past VS the He Xun after meeting Lin Yuan, indeed, it is difficult to learn to be good, but it is easy to learn to be bad."
"Hahaha, so cute! Both of them are so cute!! Actually, this version of Lin Yuan is totally acceptable. I recommend listening to Lin Yuan's 'Hibernation,' it's such a cute song."
"I already heard that, okay?"
"The theme song is also very good. Tian Yi's song gets more and more addictive the more you listen to it, and the closer you get to the end of the story, the more you can appreciate the flavor of the song. Lin Yuan's friends are indeed not simple."
When "The Powerful Minister" aired around episode 20, its ratings had climbed to the top of the charts and remained stable, with no other drama airing at the same time able to compare.
At this point, "Linlang" had dropped to 16th place on the ratings chart.
"The Powerful Minister" has ended, but "Lin Lang" is still ongoing.
Clearly, the plot of "The Powerful Minister" is far richer than that of "Lin Lang". "Lin Lang" itself doesn't have much plot to fill in, and the story's progress relies purely on the emotional tug-of-war between Zhou Linlang and Qi Yejue. Even in the last few episodes, the two are still locked in a tug-of-war.
If "Linlang" had a better pace and the two actors had performed more energetically, the tension might have attracted the audience. However, in the final scene, it was clear that neither Ye Liuchuan nor Zheng Mian were putting in much effort, and the more the characters struggled, the more tired the audience felt.
Therefore, until the very end, "Linlang" was unable to salvage its reputation.
Ye Liuchuan only stayed on the popularity ranking for a short while. After that, Lin Yuan and He Xun took the top two spots on the list.
Thanks to the two actors' performances, "The Powerful Minister," a drama that was initially not well-received, gained a large following.
For a TV series to be successful, the director and the script are important, but the audience can also sense whether the actors are giving their all.
Lin Yuan is not the only actor to have played Shao Jing, but he gave the character a soul.
Lin Yuan will not replace Shao Jing. Regardless of whether he plays Shao Jing or not, Shao Jing will always be an unforgettable figure in history, and there will always be people who love Shao Jing.
However, Lin Yuan's portrayal of Shao Jing provides those who like Shao Jing with the possibility of imagining him—perhaps at some point in history, Shao Jing was exactly as Lin Yuan portrayed him.
He didn't garner any more negative feelings towards Shao Jing; he put his heart into portraying the character.
"The Powerful Minister is a rare historical drama that has been recognized by the audience without vilifying any historical figure. The actors' love for their roles is not just lip service, but can be reflected in their performances."
"Lin Yuan must love Shao Jing. At least at some point in his portrayal of the character, his soul resonated with Shao Jing's."
...
With the official conclusion of "The Powerful Minister," Lin Yuan has become one of the most accomplished male actors in the industry.
When he received the Golden Wing Award, the outside world's assessment of him was that his foundation was not solid enough.
In other words, the award may have prestige, but it cannot translate into popularity for Lin Yuan.
Audience approval still depends on a highly popular TV series, or a hit song like "Hibernation" or "Hot".
Lin Yuan had all of those things.
Although "The Powerful Minister" was Lin Yuan's first drama, it was a rare one that didn't rely on actresses to boost his popularity or was a popular historical romance drama. Lin Yuan's rise to fame through "The Powerful Minister" laid a more solid foundation than that of other actors.
The popularity gained through historical dramas must ultimately be maintained through historical dramas.
Lin Yuan, however, was able to transition much faster. His acting skills in "The Powerful Minister" made him perfectly suited to other types of dramas.
"Thousand Mountains" and "The Powerful Minister" proved that Lin Yuan can play both old and young characters, can handle both perverted and politically scheming roles, can win awards for his movies, and can achieve the highest ratings for his TV series.
Although he doesn't have many works, he has taken each step very steadily.
"Who remembers that before 'The Powerful Minister' aired, the director of 'Lin Lang' mocked Lin Yuan for trying to ride the coattails of the show?"
"Who is trying to ride whose coattails? If it weren't for 'The Powerful Minister,' probably no one would even bother mentioning 'Lin Lang' now."
"Hehehe, He Xun has a new variety show offer, comparable to 'Let's Travel,' but the guest lineup is much stronger than 'Let's Travel.' He Xun and Lin Yuan, hurry up and become famous!"
On the night of the finale of "The Powerful Minister," the sound of shattering glass could be heard from several buildings in City A.
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Author's Note: Update! [Let me see][Let me see][Starry eyes][Starry eyes]
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