Chapter 74
The words "Mom" immediately cooled Shen Li down. She quickly straightened her clothes, sat up straight, and answered the video call.
"Mom, Dad, is something the matter?"
"How many calls have you made that you haven't answered? What are you doing?" Mother Shen said angrily, glancing up to see that there were other people beside her daughter. "Is Mingxiu here too? Show yourself, your godfather wants to see you."
"Good evening, godfather and godmother." Luo Mingxiu quickly straightened his clothes and hair and moved closer to the camera.
Father Shen: "Mingxiu, didn't your new drama just air? We were just watching it, it's great. We sent you a red envelope in the group chat, wishing you great success, remember to accept it."
"Thank you, godfather and godmother." Luo Mingxiu opened his phone and accepted the red envelope.
"Why aren't you two checking your messages? You can't even get any red envelopes to pop up in the group chat."
“It’s not summer yet. Is it hot over there? Why are your faces so red? Why are you staying together so late? Are you filming and sharing a room?” Mother Shen paused mid-sentence, exchanging a glance with Father Shen.
Mr. Shen seemed to understand something, coughed, and looked at the screen: "It's fine for young people to have a lot of energy, but they should take care of their health."
Mother Shen: "Exactly, filming is so tiring. You need to get a good rest at night. If you don't get enough rest sleeping together, then book an extra room. Even if young people have great stamina, they still need to be mindful of boundaries. After filming, you can be as affectionate as you like..."
"Stop, stop, Mom," Chen Li said, rubbing her forehead. "Can I say something? What are you thinking? Luo Mingxiu's new drama premiered today, and we watched it together. We just finished watching it, and he went straight back. How did we end up living together? We were working, it's really not that..."
Thirst.
Shen Li didn't dare say the last two words because she felt a little guilty. Based on their mutual help just now, they were indeed quite eager.
The video call ended, and Shen Li yawned. She raised her hand, and Luo Mingxiu naturally leaned over to let her rub it.
"I don't want to go back, could you..."
"No, get out." Shen Li immediately pushed him away, like a heartless scumbag.
Luo Mingxiu: "It was just sleeping."
"Do you think I can believe you?" Seeing his pitiful state, Shen Li hooked his chin and gave him a goodnight kiss, coaxing him, "You're sleepy, go back to sleep, you were great tonight."
"Alright." Luo Mingxiu left reluctantly.
Shen Li slept very well that night.
Unbeknownst to many, the kissing scene between Luo Mingxiu and Luo Mingxiu has already sparked rumors of a romantic relationship online.
Due to recent marketing trends, a prominent figure in the entertainment industry who specializes in revealing celebrity relationships jumped on the bandwagon, fabricating a story that the two were dating.
At the time, the film was being shot, and most passersby thought it was a promotional event for the movie.
However, some passersby believe it to be true, saying that Luo Mingxiu has never acted in a kissing scene, but he gave his first on-screen kiss to Shen Li, and he secretly admires her, even if they don't date, he is still pursuing her.
This fictional narrative attracted traffic and was widely reposted by marketing accounts.
The solo fans fought hard to clarify and debunk the rumors, and attacked each other's brainless fans, while also accusing the studio of pretending to be dead and being inhuman.
Meanwhile, the fans of the Li Ming CP (Li Ming and Ming Li Ming) became calm and organized in the face of these rumors and the fact that the celebrities involved did not clarify.
Amidst the chaos outside, the super topic moderator urgently posted: In order for the smooth release of the movie and for the two to have more collaborations in the future, from now on, it is forbidden to repost information from marketing accounts, and it is forbidden to discuss marketing content. Related posts will be blocked. We hope everyone understands!
Many high-level accounts commented in support of this post, but it angered some new followers.
Mom Sweet Me: [Speechless. If this kind of genuine sweetness appeared, other brands would have already gone viral. I've never seen anything like this where people can't even enjoy it.]
Bird: [You old folks are sticking together, aren't you? Newbies aren't allowed to post, I tried three times and it still wouldn't post. What did I do wrong?]
This talent show is ruining my youth: [I came here to ship couples, not to be controlled and have to watch other people's faces. Supertopics are supposed to be for our own enjoyment, but they keep saying I can't post this or that. I'm unfollowing.]
The supertopic moderators replied one by one: [@算鸟, posts from anyone who has just followed the supertopic must be reviewed. This is not targeted at new fans. Due to the recent special circumstances, many troublemakers have come in and posted some leading comments, so the post review process has been stricter. Posts without violations will be posted later.]
[@MomSweetMe, we LiMing fans have always been like this. We won't gossip about things that might affect solo fans or the idol. You're not one of us, are you? What are you stirring up here for? It's because of people like you that we have to do this, to prevent innocent people from being misled and making the supertopic a mess.]
[@This talent show ruined my youth, goodbye and don't come back to me]
Cats and dogs are the sweetest in the world: I'm a new fan, and also a fan of their works. I've been involved with other CPs before. I'd like to say something as a moderator for the super topic. There are some things we should keep to ourselves and not say them out loud. We collect and analyze those materials, and many marketing accounts will copy our comments. This way, it gets spread and becomes a big deal.
Especially now that there's a battle between individual fans, if we're too conspicuous, it won't be good for the supertopic or either of them. So please stop saying things like "I'm giving you attitude." This is the most peaceful and genuinely caring CP supertopic I've ever seen!
Chasing the Light Boy: [Supporting my sister! I believe that people who genuinely like them and want the best for them don't care about being cautious now. The day they officially announce their relationship and it goes viral will be the day we truly break out of our comfort zone!]
Lilith: [I will follow the management's instructions and await good news.]
Purple sweet potato dumplings: [Awaiting good news]
Pear in My Heart: [Awaiting Good News]
...
As expected, "Dark Corner" became a hit, just as Shen's father had wished. This short and concise drama showed its potential for explosive success from the very first episode.
However, because it was a drama starring Yao Yunhe, many people initially watched it with a critical mindset, but ended up getting more and more hooked, and the number of views skyrocketed.
Especially in the last two episodes, when it was revealed that the serial killer was the female lead's younger brother, Liu Dong, this plot twist caused the viewership to soar.
The iconic scene where the Liu siblings confront each other with knives, and the male lead confronts Liu Dong, has been imitated by many video accounts. Even people who don't watch the show can find clips of these two episodes on short video platforms.
Liu Dong's previous obedient and innocent demeanor contrasted sharply with her final, crazed state, which made Luo Mingxiu famous once again. However, unlike his previous positive image, this was a frightening and infuriating way for him to gain attention.
To what extent did it go viral? Luo Mingxiu's comment sections on various platforms were flooded with criticism. Viewers were terrified by Liu Dong's cold-blooded and perverted nature, and many said that Luo Mingxiu had given them a stereotype of men with black-rimmed glasses and a naturally born hairstyle, and that they were now traumatized by his face.
When celebrities are filming a show that's become popular, the most direct result is that a lot of people gather around to watch them on their way home from get off work.
The crew of "Restoration" were undoubtedly stuck in traffic on their way home from filming.
People were calling out the names of their characters.
"Liu Xia, Liu Xia—"
"Liu Xia, you are the best baby."
"Liu Dong, you heartless bastard!" Someone shouted from the dense crowd. The voice was extremely loud, and then a big guy wearing a mask rushed over and deliberately bumped into Luo Mingxiu.
But Shen Li was pushed to Luo Mingxiu's side by the crowd, and the big guy bumped into her.
Shen Li staggered and almost fell, but luckily Luo Mingxiu caught her in time.
"Get out of the way!" Luo Mingxiu almost shouted, which shocked the people around him, and they all stopped and dared not move.
Luo Mingxiu grabbed the burly man who was trying to escape, raised his right hand, and held a gleaming knife in his hand.
Seeing the situation, Yao Yunhe, who was walking ahead, quickly ran over and pulled Shen Li aside to check on her: "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," Shen Li shook her head.
"This isn't a real knife, it's plastic." The big guy was so startled that he dropped the knife on the ground; judging from the sound, it was indeed plastic.
"In the end, Liu Xia failed to kill him. I was just making a joke and trying to scare you by imitating that scene."
"That's all? A plastic knife won't hurt anyone?" Luo Mingxiu's face darkened. "Have you no brains? Doing this in a congested place where collisions and falls are common!"
The man didn't speak, but looked Yao Yunhe up and down. Yao Yunhe frowned, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar, and took a step forward.
The man immediately lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, I got too excited."
“Apologize to her.” Luo Mingxiu looked at Shen Li.
"I'm sorry." The man bowed deeply again in Shen Li's direction.
When that knife was revealed, Shen Li felt a chill run down her spine. She hadn't recovered yet when she walked over and picked up the plastic knife that had fallen to the ground, making sure it was safe.
She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the man, saying, "The prop knives on the market now are very realistic. No matter how much you like to joke around, you can't just bring them out like that, or you'll scare people to death."
“And you too,” Shen Li looked at the people around her, “This is a public space rented by the production crew. Your blocking us like this not only affects us, but also the people who work and live here every day. There are online platforms, and the lead actors also have special meet-and-greets offline. Please show your love for the drama and the actors in appropriate settings, okay?”
The onlookers dispersed.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The man apologized hastily, turned to run, but was caught by Yao Yunhe's bodyguard.
Yao Yunhe ripped off his mask, her expression immediately turning disgusted: "It's him, that stalker who followed me before. No wonder you didn't dare to look me in the eye. You were beaten up last time and you still wouldn't behave."
"Call the police," Yao Yunhe ordered his bodyguard.
"No, I'm sorry, Yao Yao, you can't do this to me, you can't..." The man's mouth was covered and he was dragged away.
The farce is over.
Yao Yunhe turned to face Shen Li and Luo Mingxiu: "I'm sorry, it's all because of me."
“This person has been watching me for a long time; you are all implicated because of me.”
“I can’t blame you,” Shen Li said. “There’s nothing we can do. The problem of illegitimate children is a real headache, and it can’t be solved in one go.”
Luo Mingxiu didn't say anything. After scolding the man, he kept looking at Shen Li, checking her for any injuries.
"I'm still very sorry," Yao Yunhe said, noticing Luo Mingxiu's anxious look. "I'll send you something as compensation later. I'll be leaving now."
As soon as Yao Yunhe and her group left, Luo Mingxiu asked Shen Li, "Does it hurt?"
"Huh?" Shen Li was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was still worried about her. "It doesn't hurt, I'm not injured."
“Really?” Luo Mingxiu looked at her shoulder. “The person who bumped into you was very big.”
Following his gaze, Shen Li patted her shoulder, arm, and waist: "I'm really fine. That guy just looks strong, he doesn't have much muscle. It's only when a muscular guy bumps into you that it hurts."
"It's good that you're not hurt. I was so scared," Luo Mingxiu said.
“You mean that knife?” Shen Li said. “I was scared too. I thought someone was really going to assassinate you.”
Luo Mingxiu looked at her, the worry between his brows still lingering: "I'm not afraid of that, I'm afraid of you. If that were a real knife, and you were accidentally injured today, I would hate myself for playing the role of Liu Dong, and I would never play a murderer again."
Shen Li laughed out loud: "Idiot, what does this have to do with what role you play? Didn't you hear Yao Yunhe say that person is a stalker? A stalker is someone who has an extremely possessive desire for their idol, to the point of being extremely obsessive."
"If it weren't you today, but any other male actor, he would have done the same. He's doing this on purpose to get Yao Yunhe's attention and keep her away from other men."
"Isn't it scary? Popular celebrities like her have the most stalker fans, which are very annoying and difficult to deal with."
"Have you ever encountered this?" Luo Mingxiu asked.
“I encountered this when I first started out,” Shen Li said. “Back then, offline fandom wasn’t as popular, and there was a lot of online harassment. Before I transitioned to other roles, I played some annoying characters in melodramatic dramas and received those anonymous curse-like things.”
"After the transformation, and with the ability to start my own company, this problem has never occurred again."
She spoke these words without any emotional fluctuation, her expression as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself.
Luo Mingxiu looked at her, his throat feeling a little dry: "I don't think I've ever encountered anything like this before. Is it because of Qingli?"
"It's partly due to the company. I pay more attention to this aspect. When Qingli was established, we set up a department specifically to deal with stalker harassment. However, you and Sun Qi haven't encountered many stalkers, mainly because you're not celebrities."
“Because we have Qingli backing us, we have a shortcut to still have resources and fame,” Luo Mingxiu’s eyelashes trembled as he looked up. “Otherwise, if you want to become famous in this industry, it will be like Yao Yunhe and you, struggling all the way up.”
"Oh?" Shen Li smiled in surprise. "You can understand it that way, but it's not a shortcut. Qingli isn't a place for just anyone. Over the years, we've only signed the two of you."
"I selected you two based on your looks and acting talent. If you don't cherish your natural advantages and work hard to bring me benefits, you will be eliminated. I will not show any favoritism."
"I understand." Luo Mingxiu looked at Shen Li and saw the relaxed and calm smile on her face. He suddenly wanted to hug her.
He followed her every move since she entered acting school, from her first movie to her rise to fame. He knew a lot about her, from being universally hated online to proving herself step by step with her work. He couldn't be by her side during those years, and what he learned online was only the tip of the iceberg.
She has gone through a lot, but she never talks about the pain, as if the storms she had experienced before were nothing to her.
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Li waved her hand in front of his eyes, her gaze fixed on a few passersby a few meters away. "Your car is on the other side. Let's split up and walk separately. If we just stand here and don't move, some passersby will be taking pictures of us."
"Hmm." Luo Mingxiu's voice was a little low.
Shen Li looked away and saw him raise his hand to wipe the corner of his eye.
"You cried?"
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