"Ahhhh, a photo together, ahhhh, I'm dead!"
"Aaaaaah, spinning and jumping on the spot without stopping! My precious baby!"
For a moment, Xu Chun thought he had fallen into a marmot den.
After reassuring his fans, Xu Chun sent a voice message to say good night. When he saw them flood the chat with marmot screams again, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
To promote his new drama, Xu Chun had changed his Weibo profile picture to a still from Twin Cities. It showed only a young man's profile, the corners of his mouth turned down slightly, his lips thin and his jawline graceful and smooth. He had a clean-cut air, tinged with faint melancholy.
Xie Jianyuan had naturally changed his profile picture to one of Song Han as well. Since their stills had similar poses and filters, people could easily read something else into their use as profile pictures.
"Am I the only one who thinks Xie Jianyuan and Xu Chun's new profile pictures look like matching couple icons?"
"Sweetie, if you don't know what to say, we suggest you shut up."
"Yes, you're the only brainless person who thinks that."
"CP dogs are everywhere. You really can ship anything, can't you? If any two people so much as exchanged a glance, you'd probably imagine a whole romance."
"Yikes, these fans are terrifying. A passerby just said the pictures looked like couple icons, and they got attacked for it."
"Passerby, my ass. CP dogs are pissing all over the public square. Get back to your own turf, you trash."
"But these two are promoting their new drama so heavily, and Lu Xian's in Twin Cities, right? The drama won't get banned from airing, will it?"
"Since someone mentioned Third Lu, everyone spit and burn a stick of incense before you leave."
Lu Xian's scandals and misconduct had affected the production somewhat. On top of that, he faced astronomical compensation claims from investors and advertisers. It could be said that the hard evidence had completely finished him.
The impact on the production was not too serious, though. After all, filming for his scenes had not begun. They had only filmed the orphanage scenes, and his scenes later in the story had not come up yet. Xu Chun had considered this before making his move.
The director was looking for someone to take over Lu Xian's role, and filming could resume by the end of the month at the latest. So Xu Chun had spent the past few days mulling over something else.
Director Chu's new film.
He had heard of Director Chu before. He was the youngest renowned director in the industry, with a string of honors to his name, but he had an erratic temper. He had once berated quite a few actresses until they cried and quit productions. When his temper flared, he didn't care whether you had brought funding to the production or were an A-list star; he scolded everyone all the same.
Xu Chun had specifically arranged for someone to introduce him to Director Chu. The director looked very young, handsome and tall. Someone like him seemed better suited to being in front of the camera.
"Hello, I'm Xu Chun."
Quite a few prominent people from the industry were at the banquet. Xu Chun found Director Chu and greeted him with a smile and a handshake.
"I've heard of you." Director Chu's manner was neither warm nor cold.
Xu Chun's expression did not change, and he began chatting with him as warmly as ever. "I've long admired your work, Director Chu. Resolve, which you directed three years ago, is my favorite film. Even now, I still haven't gotten over Lü Yi's death in it. You'll have to take responsibility for that, Director Chu."
Smiling, he walked with Director Chu toward a secluded part of the banquet. His joke subtly brought them closer. Sure enough, Director Chu's expression softened.
"For the sake of the plot, that character had to die," he said, sounding somewhat wistful.
Xu Chun took two glasses of champagne from a waiter, handing one to Director Chu and keeping the other. He wasn't much of a drinker, but he knew to adapt to the occasion, so he took a few token sips.
Xu Chun had put a great deal of effort into dealing with Director Chu. He flattered him without making it obvious, putting all his cleverness to use.
The two talked about everything from neorealist films to Hollywood commercial films, and from domestic actors to foreign ones. Director Chu was pleasantly surprised to discover that Xu Chun's tastes were exactly the same as his own.
"Perhaps it's fate," Xu Chun said gently.
Director Chu was not so foolish as to believe that two people's tastes could be exactly the same, of course. Still, it showed that Xu Chun had put effort into getting to know him. In any case, being valued never felt too bad.
"You came to see me about that new film, didn't you?" Director Chu smiled knowingly.
The new film he referred to was the realist gay art film Unexpected Joy. It told the tragedy of the male lead, Zhou Mu, who discovered his sexual preferences at sixteen and ultimately fell into endless panic. After suffering blows from various sides, he finally set out on a path of no return.
Xu Chun nodded calmly and said honestly, "I did like it a lot after reading the script."
"You're well informed," Director Chu remarked, his meaning unclear.
He paused and looked Xu Chun up and down, then gave him a meaningful smile.
"You know what kind of subject matter this film deals with, don't you?"
Xu Chun was slightly taken aback, but then he smiled and nodded. "Of course."
Director Chu's smile widened. "You don't mind?" He asked because a male actor he had previously chosen had been unable to accept the subject matter and had politely turned him down.
"I don't mind." Xu Chun shook his head.
"I should tell you in advance that the intimate scenes are a little explicit," Director Chu said.
Xu Chun frowned slightly at that. After thinking for a moment, he readily nodded. "I can do it."
Director Chu patted him on the shoulder. "All right, I have an idea now. Wait to hear from me."
A weight lifted from Xu Chun's heart, and he breathed a small sigh of relief. Once he relaxed, his conversation with Director Chu became much more natural, and the two grew a little closer without even realizing it.
Director Chu kept his word. Generally, when someone was chosen for a role in advance, they did not have to audition, or at most went through the motions. Director Chu likewise had Xu Chun privately perform a short scene, then immediately waved him through.
After all, Xu Chun's acting had always been recognized in the industry, his productions had been well received, and he had been generating a steady buzz lately. He was indeed a suitable choice, so in the end, he did not audition at all and was given the role outright.
In the past, he had only been able to watch others receive such treatment while he worked himself to exhaustion, competing with countless others for a single narrow chance. That was why people said life was unpredictable.