Chapter 33 Going into the Sea (in forum style) [Now it's really a case of you insulting me and me insulting you...]
[Main Post: Shocking bombshell! Those two in your group who were about to explode have gone to film a dual male lead movie.]
[1L: Possibly about to explode? Which two? My group has plenty of potential bombshells.]
[2L: Two male leads? What kind of two male leads do you mean? Is it the kind I understand? Did they go into the adult entertainment industry??]
[3L: They're all poised to explode? Surely not? Every one of the poised stars in my group has resources; do they need leading roles to go into the adult entertainment industry?]
[4L: Who would want to climb the ladder slowly if they could ascend to immortality in one leap? Even older men go into the sea; isn't that normal?]
[5L: So after all this talk, which two are the ones about to explode? If they're just those two newbies who joined the team, it wouldn't be surprising if they ended up in the sea.]
[6L: Actually, I always felt those two would definitely go into the adult entertainment industry. They don't seem like they can stand being alone; their desire for fame is practically written all over their faces.]
[7L: The comment above is hilarious. Everyone in this industry wants to be famous, right? They're already on the verge of exploding, yet they act all high and mighty.]
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[59L: Judging from the tone of the original poster, I think the two actors who will be playing the two male leads are definitely not some newcomers who haven't gained much fame yet; they're probably among the most famous ones.]
[60L: For example?]
[61L: For example, equations and equations] [This reply has been collapsed]
[62L: Holy crap, you really dare to say that? Are you out of your mind? Aren't you afraid of being reported by Sister Feather and Sister iCheng?]
[63L: I really want to see these two go into the adult entertainment industry. It would be very interesting, wouldn't it? They'd be filming the same show, starting from the same point. It would be more meaningful for whoever is the first to rise to fame, saving them from being entangled for years.]
[64L: Come on, are you just here to see the ascension result? I don't even want to talk to you, you just want to see them have some romantic scenes!]
[65L: I feel like Feather Sister and iCheng would be disgusted to the point of vomiting. I'd feel good if they were disgusted.]
[66L: You'd better watch out, Feather Sister is coming to deal with you soon]
[67L: So who is it? Where is the original poster? They posted a title and then disappeared. Are they trying to bait people?]
[68L: I thought anyone with a brain could see this was a bait post, only a few people who hate Fang Xuran so much are still taking advantage of it.]
[69L: Stop mentioning your father Cheng. With all this free time, why don't you check if your favorite character is still at home picking their toes?]
[70L: kswl, Feather Sister and iCheng Sister are such a perfect match!] [This reply has been collapsed]
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[162L [Original Poster]: It's Fang and Cheng. The contracts have already been signed. They auditioned on the same day. The paparazzi have photos. If you don't believe me, wait for the official announcement. Feel free to dig up this thread.]
[163L: Holy crap!]
[164L: Holy crap!!]
[165L: Holy crap, the original poster is still alive! OP, say a few more words!]
[166L: Wait till I'm dumbfounded, is the original poster saying what I understand? Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi are going to go to sea?? And together?? Huh???]
[167L: This world is so fantastical]
[168L: I almost laughed out loud, sorry]
[169L: Now it's really a case of you insulting me and me insulting you, and our brother is sleeping together! Feather Sister and iCheng Sister kswlkswl] [This reply has been collapsed]
[170L: Knowing that Fang Xuran has become famous, so many people are concerned about his activities. They're even faster than his fans. Some low-profile accounts with no achievements dare to come out and spread gossip, and a bunch of people are rushing to flatter them. If you care so much about Fang Xuran, come to KuYu to watch "Bright Eyes and Beautiful Faces". The average number of views per episode has exceeded 30 million. The plot is high-quality and has received countless positive reviews. Be careful not to get a stomachache from eating too much bad gossip.]
[171L: Since Cheng Muzhi has been mentioned, then welcome to judge "Under the City Gate". He has only been in the industry for three years and has only had five dramas broadcast. Who has he become famous for? He still has two dramas in the pipeline and is about to join an S+ ancient costume drama. Don't bring your unknown and rotten gossip to Cheng Muzhi.]
[172L: Feather Sister and iCheng are still such a perfect match]
...
[344L: To be honest, this poster's account was only registered three days ago, and there are no previous posts. It seems fake.]
[345L: But what this poster said is very certain. They said they welcome digging up old posts and that we should wait for the official announcement. They also said that paparazzi have pictures. It feels like if it's true, the official announcement will be coming soon.]
[346L: I'm sure I'm spreading rumors, but if I'm not sure, how can I lie? Look, I've fooled a whole bunch of people, haven't I?]
[347L: I can't imagine how exciting it would be if it were true]
[348L: No need to even think about it, it's definitely fake. Those who believe it will come to me to buy health supplements when they're old.]
Shi Yao slept until 11 o'clock before getting up. She had just finished organizing the performance pictures last night when she received a call from Lu Jiang, who said he wanted to hold an online meeting.
The meeting's content was simple: to finalize the lead actor.
At the request of Ying Shiyao and the investors, the audition only lasted one day. After the audition, the casting process began immediately. Fortunately, after the audition, everyone had their ideal candidates in mind, and the meeting went very smoothly.
The four main characters are Fang Xuran, Bai Wenning, Qiao Xi, and Cheng Muzhi.
However, the final casting of these four actors surprised Shi Yao. She originally thought that Cheng Muzhi and Qiao Xi would take on the roles of Jiang Nanqiao and Ye Xin, but in the end, Fang Xuran and Bai Wenning were cast, while Cheng and Qiao would play the couple Xue Hao and Meng Tao.
This result was exactly what Fang Xuran wanted. The role he most wanted to play was Jiang Nanqiao. After seeing Cheng Muzhi's performance yesterday, Shi Yao thought that the role would be assigned to him because Fang Xuran is really suitable for lively and cheerful roles. Xue Hao is a perfect match for him.
Unexpectedly, the person who was ultimately switched to the ideal role was Bai Wenning. In fact, Shi Yao also felt that Bai Wenning was more suitable for Ye Xin, but she preferred Meng Tao in order to break through, and Shi Yao supported her. In the end, after many twists and turns, Bai Wenning still won over Ye Xin, which satisfied another idea of Shi Yao's.
Fang Xuran and Bai Wenning played an official couple.
This will make it easier for the two of them to make a career change together.
Last night, after finishing work and hanging up the phone, it was almost 1 a.m. Lu Jiang said that he would notify the four people to sign the contract in the morning and also to do a preliminary makeup test. If everything goes smoothly, the official announcement will be made in a couple of days.
After Shi Yao got up, she found that Fang Xuran and Bai Wenning had indeed sent her thank-you messages in her unread WeChat messages, so it seemed that the signing went smoothly.
Thinking about checking on the progress of "Shining Idol," Shi Yao opened Green Petal to see if Yingxu's popularity could hold the top three.
After one night, the number of fansite admins posting pictures increased significantly. The admin in charge of compiling statistics was very dedicated, as if he lived in front of the computer, updating at least three times an hour.
As of when Yao woke up, the latest rankings showed that Yingxu was still in first place, with an astonishing 29 fansite admins posting pictures. The second-ranked trainee had 25, the third-ranked trainee had 22, and the rest had more than ten. Yingxu was slightly annoyed.
No one in the group still considers Yingxu the same nobody he used to be, nor does anyone think his popularity is unusual. Everyone naturally ranks him at the top, and Yingxu is also ranked very high in some other data charts. Yingxu's fans have gradually infiltrated the ranks of the top three fan groups.
Shi Yao left the show group with satisfaction. She intended to close Green Petal directly, but her hand accidentally slid and clicked into the TV series group. As a result, she was attracted by the hot post at the very top with more than 800 posts.
"Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi are playing two male leads together...going into the adult entertainment industry?!" Shi Yao stared in astonishment at the main post of the trending thread, while the replies and comments below were even more interesting.
The TV drama group has over 800,000 members, a mixed bag of people, including fans from various factions, as well as many planted trolls. Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi are both popular young actors, and they have quite a few rivals. Many people want to see them make a scene, which is why this post has such a long thread.
The fact that the original poster posted a title and then disappeared without saying another word, yet the thread still garnered over a hundred replies, shows that Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi are both popular figures on the forum.
If the original poster hadn't returned, the thread would have only gone on for two or three hundred floors before it died down. But then, the original poster made a surprise return when the thread was over a hundred floors in, dropping an even bigger bombshell, and from then on, the thread was out of control.
Shi Yao exited the post and glanced at the TV series group's homepage. She hadn't looked closely when she first opened it, but sure enough, almost the entire TV series group was discussing this post. When the homepage was refreshed, eight out of ten posts were about Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi going to work in the adult entertainment industry.
These two are going to sea? How come she didn't know?
Out of curiosity, Shi Yao reopened the post to watch the drama unfold. After reading all of the original poster's replies, she had a general idea of what was going on.
The person who posted this exposé is either a paparazzo with photos, as mentioned in the thread, or a staff member from Lu Jiang and Qin Yuechi's side.
I only saw Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi appear together, and I knew that the two of them were going to audition, but I didn't know which group they were auditioning for, nor did I know that there were two female leads in this production.
Shi Yao switched back to WeChat and sent a message to Fang Xuran, asking him if he had gone anywhere alone with Cheng Muzhi yesterday, and how he was photographed by paparazzi.
Fang Xuran replied quickly, his screen filled with exclamation marks, saying that he and Cheng Muzhi only bumped into each other in the same underground parking garage yesterday. Their cars were parked together, and it was absolutely impossible for them to go out together. He hated Cheng Muzhi.
The mystery was now solved. Shi Yao understood the situation, sent a few words to reassure Fang Xuran, and then reopened the green petals.
It seems the person who posted this is the paparazzi who took the photos.
Although it's unclear why paparazzi were staking out that underground parking garage, they certainly didn't know about Lu Jiangxin's new group. Otherwise, they would have gone to the art museum entrance to take photos, not just the parking garage.
Lu Jiang's staff are quite strict, and it's impossible that they didn't know that in addition to the two male leads, there are also two female leads in this drama. The reason why the paparazzi who posted this was so conservative is probably because they haven't found out the specific details yet.
However, he was afraid that people wouldn't believe him, so he added a paparazzi photo at the end.
The group is in an uproar right now, everyone is guessing which group Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi went to, and which BL adaptation company has such a big budget to have both of them on board.
Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi's fans worked hard to refute the rumors in the group, but they couldn't fight against so many people. There were just too many people watching the drama, and they couldn't shut them up.
The post was published an hour ago, and within just one hour, it had over 800 replies. The entire group was discussing it, but fortunately, it hadn't spread to other platforms yet, and marketing accounts on Weibo hadn't started reposting it. After all, there was no concrete evidence yet, only the few words the original poster had said.
During the refresh, a new reply from the original poster appeared. This was the second time the poster had spoken since the previous reply, which had been posted over a hundred times.
[887L [Original Poster]: Fans, stop sending me private messages to curse me. I've already taken the photos, so cursing won't help. I'll release the photos tonight.]
This reply caused the thread to grow even faster, quickly surpassing a thousand posts and still increasing rapidly. The group was completely dominated by Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi, with many unscrupulous bystanders starting threads to list which BL adaptations had sold their rights but hadn't started filming yet, trying to figure out which one Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi had taken on.
A new message popped up on WeChat. Before Shi Yao could even open it, a voice call also popped up. It was from Fang Xuran.
"Sis, a lot of outrageous rumors have suddenly appeared online saying that Cheng Muzhi and I are going to go into the sex industry. What's going on? Should I clarify these rumors?"
Shi Yao comforted him simply and sternly emphasized that he should not deny the rumors, and told him to tell Cheng Muzhi not to deny the rumors either, and to just wait for her arrangements.
Fang Xuran hung up the phone with some doubt. Shi Yao pondered for two seconds and then called Lu Jiang again, briefly explaining the absurd rumor to him. She told him that everything should proceed as planned, without changing the steps or adjusting the time, and without making an official announcement in advance to refute the rumor, as she would be there to support him from behind.
Lu Jiang didn't have so many thoughts. He had only just learned about this and was still hesitating whether to make an official announcement in advance to prevent the rumors from becoming more and more outrageous. Since You Yao had vouched for him, he stopped worrying and went back to worry about the costume photos.
The incident involving Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi came suddenly and became inexplicably popular. With the original poster's repeated instigation, the rumor eventually spread to other platforms. Both of them had a high level of attention, and the news was so explosive that even without any artificial assistance, it quickly rose to the top of the trending searches.
This was the most united Fang fans and Cheng fans ever. Fans from both sides were running around between various marketing accounts, controlling comments and refuting rumors, and trying to reduce the trending topics, but the results were not good and the gossip continued to spread.
Fans were extremely anxious and frantically sent private messages to their respective studios, urging them to come out and deny the rumors. However, both Fang Xuran's studio and Cheng Muzhi's studio remained silent.
Half an hour later, a new post with insider information appeared on the Green Petal TV series group.
At this point, no one in the group was in the mood to pay attention to anything else; everyone was frantically speculating which group Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi would join. However, the title of this leaked post was so compelling that it was impossible not to pay attention, and it received a hundred replies in seconds.
[[Main Post] Confirmed new information: Lu Jiang is going to direct a TV series. Auditions are over, casting is complete, and an official announcement will be made soon.]
[1L: Lu Jiang? ? Is this the Lu Jiang I know? Doesn't he only make movies?]
[2L: He did act in a TV series, but it was ten years ago, the famous electronic pickled mustard tuber series "The Rise of the Times". I always thought he wouldn't come down to earth to act in a TV series again. Does the poster have any other verifiable information?]
[3L: Lu Jiang's next project has already been decided. Isn't it that crime thriller? Your team has been hyping this up for ages, and several actresses born in the 90s are fighting tooth and nail over it.]
[4L: I've always felt that the movie's hype was fake. Lu Jiang has always had a new cast and crew that just pops up at the start of filming all these years. I've never seen a movie hyped up for so long before. I feel like some fans are just trying to get rid of it.]
[5L: OP, are you trying to bait people again? Lu Jiang's last TV series had a huge open audition process that lasted for half a year. This one's already finished without me even hearing about it. Are you an employee of Lu Jiang's studio?]
[6L: The last audition was because they were using a completely new lineup, so the fact that they didn't hold an open audition this time means they're not using newcomers, right?]
[7L: This isn't Lu Jiang's style. Even when he's making movies, he always holds open auditions. He always did this before.]
[8L: Why are there so many rumors popping up today? This morning there was news that Fang Xuran and Cheng Mu were going to work in the adult entertainment industry, and now Lu Jiang is going to direct a TV series for the second time. Is today some kind of special day?]
[9L: The previous poster also said they'd be officially announcing it soon, and now this poster is saying the same thing. I want to see who announces it first. If this is just a tease, I'll kick them all out.]
[10L: It's okay, anyway the poster next door said they'll post photos tonight, so at least one of them will be announced.]
[11L: OP, do you have any other information, like the genre or who the lead actors are? It's hard to verify just that it's going to be filmed]
[12L: I want to lick my idol's boots. No matter the genre, it's definitely an award contender. I hope my idol can get in, even a small supporting role would be fine.]
[13L: I'll also lick my favorite's boots. If my favorite could actually get into Lu Jiang's group, I'd be laughing in my sleep.]
[14L: Don't even think about those born after 1995. Lu Jiang doesn't like using young people. Those born before 1995 can still have a chance, but I'm fast enough to dream first.]
[15L: Why can't those born after 1995 dream? Maybe Lu Jiang will change his style this time.]
[16L: Keep dreaming if you want to be happy. Go look at Lu Jiang's previous works. In which one of them is the protagonist under 35 years old?]
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[73L [Original Poster] Reply to 11L: This time it's a period drama, a story about young people, with all the main actors born in the 2000s]
[74L: Born after 2000?! All of them?! Ahhhhhh, if you say that, I'm really going to start dreaming!]
[75L: Where are those people who said that people born after 1995 shouldn't even dream about it and that it's absolutely impossible? Come out here! Haters, speak up!]
[76L: LOL, you believe whatever people say. Do you have any real achievements? Yet you dare to fabricate rumors about Lu Jiang, and a bunch of people are even kissing him. No wonder they say our group is a basin of idiots.]
[77L: The original poster didn't reveal any details, saying the person had nothing to show. But after revealing some details, people say the person is making things up. They've said everything they could want. Anyway, they'll make an official announcement soon. We'll find out soon.]
[78L: Sorry, I'm bold, I'll dream first. Since all the main actors are born in the 2000s, I'll dream that I'm one of the main actors!]
[79L: Lu Jiang is best at period dramas. His last one was a huge hit, and his movies have also done very well. If this rumor is true, it's an amazing opportunity.]
[80L: There are many types of period dramas, which period specifically, OP?]
[81L: Hey OP, are you still there? My child has never cursed at you. Could you secretly message me with some more details? I promise to keep it a secret.]
[82L: Am I the only one who noticed the original poster's comment about "all the main actors"? It seems like there are quite a few main characters.]
[83L: It's an ensemble drama. Lu Jiang really likes to do ensemble dramas; he's very good at directing them.]
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[263L: When will filming start? They won't start filming secretly, will they? How will they verify it later? It's not that I want to question the original poster, it's just that I've been fooled too many times.]
[264L: If the lead actors aren't complete amateurs, it'll be hard to keep the start of filming a secret. If they disappear for a few months, fans will definitely ask about it.]
[265L: When will they officially announce it? This drama is driving me crazy! I wasn't even this excited about the last one.]
[266L: Because the one from before has already been confirmed, but this one is still uncertain. If one of the potential stars in my team gets this prize, then we'll be the first to ascend to immortality.]
[267L: Oh God, if this rumor is true, then my favorite might not have been selected, but my favorite's rival must also not have been selected, you know?]
[268L: LOL, it's frustrating when your own character is stuck in the same place, but it's even more worrying when your character is making great strides.]
...
[351L [Original Poster] replied to 263L: Filming will start soon, and the official announcement will be made in a few days at most. Some people in the thread have already guessed the real candidate. There's been a lot of attention lately. I can't say more. You'll know when the official announcement is made. Bye]
[352L: Aaaaaaah, front row seat, grab the OP! Who is it? Has anyone mentioned it in the thread?! Who has been mentioned in the thread?!]
[353L: Hi, all the potential breakouts in my group have been mentioned, everyone's just drooling over them.]
[354L: I have a bold idea, could it be Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi? Could the OP be referring to them when they said "they've been getting a lot of attention lately"?]
[355L: ? ? ? Is Lu Jiang going to adapt a BL novel?]
[356L: Wow, so the person who went into the sex industry was Lu Jiang.]
[357L: Can you guys use your brains? Doesn't that sentence mean Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi are the two male leads in Lu Jiang's new drama? Who said it has to be a BL adaptation? The poster next door didn't say that either.]
[358L: But if those two are acting in Lu Jiang's new drama, why didn't the poster next door just say Lu Jiang directly? Wouldn't that get more attention?]
[359L: Is it possible that he didn't know either?]
[360L: Nonsense, these two could never appear in the same drama, let alone have two male leads and be a BL adaptation.]
[361L: Both of them were born in 2000, could it be...]
Having successfully completed the construction of the high-rise building, Shi Yao was satisfied and finished her work. Accounts for the TV drama crew were easy to buy, so she didn't use her previous account. Instead, she temporarily bought a new account from the seafood market and then pretended to be a gossipmonger to post a message.
As expected, the discussion in the selection group has split into two: half are discussing whether Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi are really going to be the two male leads, and the other half are discussing who the lead actors in Lu Jiang's new drama are, and whether it is the two who were rumored to have taken on the role of the two male leads.
Lu Jiang's new production team did keep it very secret, but some people in the industry still knew about his audition. The TV series team had a lot of industry insiders planted their own accounts, and soon after, a few of these accounts couldn't help but appear in Shi Yao's post to confirm that Lu Jiang was indeed about to start filming a new drama.
A well-known industry insider on Weibo also mentioned Lu Jiang's new drama, saying that casting is indeed underway and has already concluded, but he doesn't know much more because of the high level of secrecy.
At this point, the news that Lu Jiang was about to start filming his new drama was thoroughly hyped up. The attention given to Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi in the morning was mostly diverted, and fewer people were concerned about whether these two were going to enter the adult entertainment industry. Fans of each other were busy promoting their favorite characters.
The original poster who first exposed the equation was unhappy that the attention was diverted, so two hours earlier, they posted the photos in the thread, which were exactly what Shi Yao had guessed were photos taken in the garage.
Because of the distance and poor lighting, the photos are not very clear, but one photo shows their faces clearly. It is indeed Fang Xuran and Cheng Muzhi, and the two are chatting in front of the car with peaceful expressions.
So the trending topics that had just subsided rose again. Fang Cheng and his partner's rivals were busy gloating, thinking that the two had really gone into adult films. Fans on both sides were confused, because they all thought that their own fandom had a bad relationship with the other side.
Many onlookers commented that they thought the two had gone out together, proving that celebrity gossip shouldn't be taken at face value, and that the two weren't actually on bad terms.
The poster who posted the photos insisted that the two were not there for fun but for an audition, saying that he overheard their conversation but did not record it, and that the two had accepted roles in a drama with two male leads.
The group was arguing fiercely about whether or not to go to sea, and the whole of northwestern Shanxi was in complete chaos.
The most critical issue is that both Fang Xuran's and Cheng Muzhi's studios remain silent.
Just when the fans were about to lose their temper, Lu Jiang's homepage reposted a Weibo post.
It's an official announcement for the new drama.
[@TV series Under the New Sun Tree: Under the new sun tree, on the road of youth, it's a pleasure to meet you all @Bai Wenning @Fang Xuran @Cheng Muzhi @Qiao Xi (in order of debut length)]
Author's Note: My neighbor suddenly started renovating with a power drill, and my head is buzzing while I'm writing this.
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