Chapter 28: Rhymes
[Tell me his name right now!!!]
[…It seems like this is an unfiltered original photo. It perfectly captures the beauty of Ji Xiuya in my mind, a solid 10/10—absolutely stunning!]
[If the Demon Lord in the drama also has this kind of look, I’d be willing to rewatch Supreme a hundred times!]
The set of photos released by the Supreme production team appeared unpolished, showing the actors in raw, behind-the-scenes images. Yet, whether it was the male or female lead, or Lu Xu’s first appearance as the villain, every shot was incredibly eye-catching.
Lu Xu’s expression perfectly mirrored the description of Ji Xiuya in the original novel. It looked lazy at first glance, but carried a faint sense of aloofness.
Even though these photos weren’t official stills, fans of the original work had already quietly saved them.
At the very least, in terms of looks, Lu Xu passed the test.
Of course, as soon as the Supreme production team posted the photos, some puzzled comments began to appear in the discussion section—
[I remember… wasn’t Ji Xiuya originally played by Chen Ye? Why was he suddenly replaced by Lu Xu?]
[+1.]
Fans who had followed the casting announcements for Supreme knew that Ji Xiuya’s role had initially been assigned to Chen Ye. Old photos from the production’s start-of-filming ceremony still showed Chen Ye in attendance. Yet, somewhere along the way, Chen Ye was replaced by Lu Xu.
In terms of fame, Chen Ye was still slightly more prominent than Lu Xu.
[What happened?]
[About Chen Ye… didn’t he go to film Book of Nine Revolutions? I recall his fans mentioning it. So did he terminate his contract with Supreme to shoot Book of Nine Revolutions?]
[Wouldn’t that be considered a breach of contract? Did the Supreme team just let it slide?]
[…I looked into it, and honestly, you can’t blame Chen Ye. The lineup for Book of Nine Revolutions is leagues ahead of Supreme.]
Chen Ye had previously acted in one or two notable roles. When he first joined the Supreme production team, his fans were not particularly happy about it. In their minds, Chen Ye’s status in the industry was above taking on a supporting role in a drama like Supreme.
However, Ji Xiuya’s character was well-written, with a strong presence despite being a supporting role, so his fans reluctantly accepted it.
Later, when Chen Ye terminated his contract with the Supreme production team, his fans knew the truth but chose to keep it under wraps, ensuring the news didn’t get spread by gossip accounts. After all, it wouldn’t reflect well on an actor to do something like that.
But when it came to choosing between Book of Nine Revolutions and Supreme, the fans knew exactly which one was the better choice. Book of Nine Revolutions was a high-budget production marking the return of a mid-career A-list actress to television after many years. The other actors in the Book of Nine Revolutions cast were also significantly more famous than Supreme’s Zheng Xiao and Wei Yi.
Both roles involved playing second fiddle, but supporting an A-list actress versus supporting a minor celebrity like Wei Yi was a completely different matter.
When Supreme revealed the new actor playing Ji Xiuya, Chen Ye’s fans initially planned to stay silent. After all, Chen Ye had already parted ways with the show, and there was no need to stir up any trouble.
What they hadn’t expected, though, was the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the casting change in the comments section.
[This Ji Xiuya is amazing!!]
[As a sucker for good looks, I’m beyond satisfied. I can’t wait to see the finalized costume design! I thought back during My Baby Prince that Lu Xu would look stunning in historical attire!]
[Fantastic casting change!!!]
[Did Chen Ye voluntarily terminate his contract? I honestly thought the Supreme production team replaced him.]
[Lu Xu is gorgeous! Haha, can we finally talk about this now? I wasn’t happy when they cast Chen Ye as Ji Xiuya to begin with. I just felt like he wasn’t a good match for the role. I’m so glad they replaced him. I’m thrilled, haha!]
The comment section showed no nostalgia for Chen Ye at all; everyone was too busy drooling over a few photos!
Chen Ye’s fans: “…”
Was this some kind of joke?
Chen Ye’s fans were furious.
He was already filming Book of Nine Revolutions, and yet the original fans of Supreme still acted as though they despised him!
[This kind of deliberate comparison—do you think we can’t see through it? Please, Chen Ye wouldn’t even lower himself to play Ji Xiuya, okay?]
[Some people actually treat Supreme like it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. Ridiculous. The guy’s already moved on to Book of Nine Revolutions. What does Supreme have to do with him anymore? Stop being so self-important—it’s laughable.]
[…Lu Xu’s acting? Seriously? He did one over-the-top performance in some trashy drama and now thinks he’s a skilled actor? Get real.]
[Other than his face, is there anything else worth hyping?]
In the eyes of Chen Ye’s fans, the Supreme production team was clearly using Lu Xu to put Chen Ye down.
But Lu Xu wasn’t even worthy of comparison.
Sure, Chen Ye breaking his contract and leaving was a bit much, but the fans firmly believed that any actor, if given the choice between Book of Nine Revolutions and Supreme, would choose the former without hesitation.
[Let Lu Xu enjoy his brief moment of glory. Once Supreme airs, he’ll be the one crying.]
…
Jiang Wangshu had long anticipated that this set of photos would stir up a storm online.
But that was his plan.
The truth about Chen Ye’s contract termination was no secret to his agency or fans. Yet, both the agency and fans treated Supreme as if it were unworthy of Chen Ye from the start.
Unworthy? He was the one who actively auditioned for the role of Ji Xiuya in the first place.
If they had at least apologized and acknowledged their fault, the matter could have been put to rest. But Chen Ye’s arrogant, opportunistic attitude throughout the ordeal left Jiang Wangshu deeply dissatisfied.
That said, Jiang Wangshu wasn’t intentionally sending Lu Xu to be ridiculed. It was simply that Lu Xu fit the role of Ji Xiuya perfectly, and his styling was stunning—more than enough to make it a key selling point for the drama’s promotion.
Lu Xu playing Ji Xiuya was indeed a better fit than Chen Ye.
While Chen Ye’s fans pretended to be oblivious and kept praising how prestigious Book of Nine Revolutions was, anyone with eyes could see that even this casually taken set of photos of Lu Xu was far more stunning than Chen Ye’s earlier costume shots.
Jiang Wangshu logged into his Weibo account and posted:
[In my heart, the only Ji Xiuya—no one else comes close.]
His post, dripping with subtle sarcasm, openly supported Lu Xu in the role of Ji Xiuya.
As a director, Jiang Wangshu was known as an easygoing person in the industry, someone actors often underestimated. But even a soft personality had its limits, and this time, Jiang Wangshu decided to push back.
…
Lu Xu, for his part, found it rather refreshing to have someone else arguing on his behalf.
He didn’t mind the Supreme production team posting his photos online, even though it would likely spark heated debates.
After all, since he had taken on the role of Ji Xiuya, a clash between him and Chen Ye was inevitable sooner or later—unless Supreme completely avoided promoting the show altogether.
But now, with the director stepping in, the situation became even messier.
On one side, the Supreme production team showcased Lu Xu’s photos to prove he was the better choice for Ji Xiuya. On the other, the Book of Nine Revolutions team released images of Chen Ye discussing scenes and encouraging each other with the mid-career A-list actress on set.
The caption from Book of Nine Revolutions read: [Only by standing tall can you see further.]
[Savage!]
[That’s absolutely brutal!]
[This round goes to the Book of Nine Revolutions team. What a ruthless move—they really hit where it hurts.]
[They’re masters of throwing shade, no doubt!]
[He’s already supporting an A-lister; why would he care about some small-time production like yours? Don’t take yourselves too seriously!]
…
After Book of Nine Revolutions posted their response, Chen Ye finally felt a bit more at ease.
Deep down, he knew that jumping from Supreme to Book of Nine Revolutions wasn’t the most honorable move. If Jiang Wangshu and the Supreme production team kept targeting him with criticism, it would inevitably harm his reputation.
After all, Jiang Wangshu wasn’t some rookie director. Chen Ye knew that Director Jiang had a good relationship with several other directors in the industry. While Director Jiang was known for his easygoing temperament, that didn’t mean his peers would treat Chen Ye kindly if the situation soured further.
Chen Ye was genuinely concerned that his career progression might face obstacles.
But with the Book of Nine Revolutions production team firmly backing him, his worries were somewhat alleviated.
Chen Ye had also seen the photos posted by the Supreme team. He understood they were venting their frustrations, but the overwhelmingly positive response from netizens still left him dissatisfied.
That Lu Xu, a guy who relied entirely on his looks, had no business being compared to him. Jiang Wangshu, in Chen Ye’s eyes, must have been losing his touch to cast a pretty but talentless shell like Lu Xu as Ji Xiuya.
No one understood better than Chen Ye how challenging it was to play Ji Xiuya.
Chen Ye wasn’t exactly the most generous person, and he had a somewhat opportunistic streak. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have jumped ship to Book of Nine Revolutions the moment the opportunity arose, abandoning Supreme halfway through production.
He was desperate to make it big.
But he felt no guilt about it.
Who in the entertainment industry didn’t want to become a star? Everyone knew that the ones who constantly marketed themselves as “indifferent to fame” were often the most calculating. After all, how would the public even know about their “indifference” if they weren’t working to promote it?
Choosing Book of Nine Revolutions simply allowed him to climb the ladder faster, and that was all that mattered.
Once he became a household name, who would care that he’d breached a contract in the past?
The Book of Nine Revolutions team’s post perfectly echoed his own thoughts: [Only by standing tall can you see further.]
If he stayed stuck in a low-tier production like Supreme, how could he ever hope to achieve stardom?
Without hesitation, Chen Ye quickly shared the post, adding his own caption:
[I want to stand at the top with my fans.]
The post immediately garnered numerous likes and supportive comments.
Chen Ye’s fanbase was known for their fervent loyalty, and they were particularly motivated in this instance because they believed Supreme was deliberately trying to undermine him.
Even if the so-called “undermining” was nothing more than posting a few behind-the-scenes photos.
Chen Ye’s fans first targeted the Supreme production team, then swarmed Lu Xu’s Weibo, emphasizing that Chen Ye had already risen to the top and warning that Lu Xu’s repeated attempts to “cling to him” would lead to nothing but trouble.
Seeing the flood of harsh comments in his feed, Lu Xu quietly glanced at the director.
Jiang Wangshu offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”
Lu Xu sighed. “Forget it. I’m used to it by now.”
Still, remaining silent after being attacked felt wrong, almost like conceding defeat.
If people wanted to call him low-tier, acting in low-tier dramas, well, they weren’t entirely wrong. But if it was a fight they wanted, he could fight back.
Having not posted on Weibo since joining the Son of Heaven production, Lu Xu figured this was as good a time as any to dust off his long-neglected skills.
Marketing accounts, well-acquainted with Lu Xu’s personality, were confident he wouldn’t take the insults lying down. It simply wasn’t in his nature to stay quiet.
Sure enough, not long after, they caught wind of Lu Xu’s response.
This time, he showcased the literary skills he had honed while working on Son of Heaven: [Above every peak lies another peak, as one by one, they flee with a streak.]
[…It rhymes surprisingly well.]
[LMAO, Lu Xu’s sharp tongue never fails. I admit defeat!]
[HAHAHAHA is Lu Xu pivoting to a literary persona? But he’s got a point—if Chen Ye could ditch Supreme for Book of Nine Revolutions, who’s to say he wouldn’t bail on Book of Nine Revolutions for something else? They shouldn’t assume they’re the ultimate ‘high ground.’]
[Maybe he should train for the Olympics.]
[HAHAHAHA!]
[For the rock climbing event, right? I can’t stop laughing!]
Thank you for the hardwork!
Hmm