Famous! Ch.33

Chapter 33: Whose Fault?

When the popularity of Son of Heaven surpassed 7500, Gu Sinian instinctively sensed that something was amiss.

When it came to matters involving Lu Xu, his intuition was always eerily accurate.

Previously, Son of Heaven had consistently maintained a popularity score above 6000. Breaking past 7000 had seemed like an insurmountable challenge. Yet, overnight, its popularity had skyrocketed by an astonishing 500 points, leaping forward with incredible speed.

This increase of 500 points was well beyond the usual range.

When the trending topics list inexplicably included the hashtags #TrueFriends and #PrinceQinZhao, the unease in Gu Sinian’s heart only deepened.

It felt as if he was reliving the competition between The Watchers and My Baby Prince all over again.

The discussions surrounding Son of Heaven were also steadily increasing.

The next day, Gu Sinian discovered that his premonition had come true.

In just one night, Son of Heaven’s popularity had not only broken past 8000 but had climbed to 8400+, a mere step away from 8500.

[Holy sht! Closing in on 9000!]

[…Son of Heaven is now in second place. Rising Sun is in danger.]

[I truly didn’t see this coming. Son of Heaven is at 8400+ and still rising, while Rising Sun’s popularity has dropped to below 8600.]

[Is the Lu Xu moment happening all over again?]

Previously, Rising Sun’s popularity had far outpaced Son of Heaven. Fans of the drama and casual onlookers alike had assumed that the competition between the two shows would undoubtedly end with Rising Sun’s victory. Who would have thought that Son of Heaven would unexpectedly rise from behind?

Although Lu Xu hadn’t been making snide remarks like his infamous “Verse Friendship” posts, the leaderboard still showed Rising Sun and Son of Heaven neck and neck. The former remained in first place, while the latter trailed by only a step.

“An Unpredictable Turn of Events…”

Under the hashtag #CloseFriends, the shifting faces of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Personnel—both in their youth and old age—captured countless imaginations. Thousands of comments ultimately boiled down to just two words: “What a pity.”

Meanwhile, under #PrinceQinZhao, two pivotal scenes between Qin Zhao and Emperor Cheng profoundly moved the audience. The prince’s worry turned into fear, his admiration transformed into disappointment… Even among viewers who hadn’t followed the series, the character of Qin Zhao left a lasting impression.

[Such nuanced acting, from both of them.]

[No wonder Qin Zhao went mad—living like that every day, who wouldn’t lose it?]

[For the first time, I realize how talented Lu Xu is. This must be natural ability. There’s no way he could afford three acting coaches.]

[Hey upstairs, don’t go overboard with the sarcasm.]

Perhaps because Son of Heaven had gained so much traction, Rising Sun could no longer dominate this time slot alone. Encouraged by the power of trending topics, previously silent viewers began venting their criticisms.

Gu Sinian and Li Li, who played Wu Shen, bore the brunt of the complaints.

Objectively speaking, in the early episodes of Rising Sun, both Gu Sinian and Li Li delivered decent performances. At that time, the main characters were brimming with youthful passion, yet lacked the mature perspective that comes from experience. However, as the story progressed and the characters—having been educated, guided, and exposed to the harshness of reality—underwent rapid growth, the two actors struggled to keep up with their now-complex roles.

They excelled at delivering fiery slogans and portraying fervent idealism. But when the plot delved into themes of personal empathy or the salvation of humanity, their performances began to feel shallow.

Director Xiao Bo made an inexplicable choice by inserting a romantic subplot into an already intense storyline. While the original novel did contain some romantic elements, they were minimal in scope.

Even in those moments, such as when Wu Shen was arrested by the military police and bid farewell to his girlfriend, the original novel emphasized ideals rather than melodramatic romance.

Love in times of peril was all the more precious, but what drew the two together and guided them from beginning to end was always their shared sense of justice.

However, in Xiao Bo’s adaptation, the romantic subplot became entangled with unnecessary melodrama. Beyond Wu Shen’s girlfriend, another female character with feelings for him was introduced, and her role took up a significant amount of screen time.

Li Li’s already lackluster acting made the addition of this tedious romantic subplot even more insufferable. The entire sequence became dull and uninspiring.

[And the voice dubbing! So awkward!]

[The voice actors were passionate, and the lines were full of fervor, but their performances? Forget it. Fans will praise them anyway.]

[Objectively speaking, the earlier episodes of Rising Sun were worth watching. But as the characters matured… well, maybe it’s because they haven’t read enough books, but their acting just felt bizarre.]

[@GuSinian, learn a thing or two from @LuXu about acting, instead of just buying negative trending topics about him.]

As Son of Heaven approached a popularity score of 8500, breaking records for historical dramas in recent years, a search for related keywords still revealed articles like “Analyzing the Failures of Son of Heaven” and “The Future of Historical Dramas.”

The data analysts chimed in once again.

[I deliberately combed through the trending topics from top to bottom and concluded: Son of Heaven has averaged 12 negative trending posts daily over the past week, mostly posted between 10 and 11 a.m.]

[When Son of Heaven hit 7000+, it already broke records. On that day, the most popular negative trend was ‘Lead Actor Cheng Yun Can’t Carry the Drama.’ Now it’s over 8000, but the same number of negative trends are being posted. Either bots are involved, or someone bought a monthly package.]

[The funniest part? The character Qin Zhao hadn’t even appeared yet, but the trending topic ‘The Worst Role of Lu Xu’s Acting Career’ was already bought. The comments section was full of criticism about how terrible Qin Zhao was, even though no one had seen him act yet, which really made people feel like they were seeing ghosts!]

Netizens: …

…Is this what business war looks like?

So vicious!

After clicking on the evidence shared by the data analyst, they saw it was true. Qin Zhao’s first scene hadn’t even aired, yet there were already numerous posts bashing Lu Xu’s acting. But once Qin Zhao finally appeared in the show, compliments on his portrayal began to steadily grow.

As viewers lamented the misfortune of Son of Heaven’s cast and crew—suffering blow after blow—Lu Xu suddenly reposted the trending topic ‘The Worst Role of Lu Xu’s Acting Career’ and added a big, bold question mark.

[Caught red-handed!]

[I’m dying! He hasn’t even acted yet, and it’s already called his worst role.]

[LOL, Lu Xu didn’t even say anything, but that giant question mark is somehow hilarious. What do we do?]

Although the characters Lu Xu played were typically serious, his penchant for witty comebacks had given him a bit of a comedic reputation among fans.

Sure enough, after posting the question mark, Lu Xu first shared a screenshot of the trending leaderboard, highlighting the popularity score of Son of Heaven, which was sitting comfortably in second place.

Then, he started crafting sentences:

[The failure of Lu Xu’s acting career is not hiring three acting coaches.]

[The worst role of Lu Xu’s acting career is now ranked second on the popularity charts!]

Netizens: “…”

#LooksLikeHeHasLowIQ

Some viewers joked that Lu Xu had matured in the past few months since he only circled Son of Heaven’s score and didn’t point out the narrowing gap between it and Rising Sun.

Enthusiastic netizens quickly calculated the popularity gap for Lu Xu and, worried that Gu Sinian might miss it, eagerly tagged him in their posts.

Gu Sinian: “…”

He was too frustrated to even react. If he had the energy, he swore he’d give Lu Xu a good beating.

In any case, once Son of Heaven’s popularity began to soar, it showed no signs of falling back.

The Spring Examination Scandal and Relief Grain Case arcs left a deep impression on viewers, thanks to Lu Xu’s portrayal of Qin Zhao. Although Qin Zhao was an incompetent Crown Prince—ineffectual and cowardly—this very vulnerability made him feel authentic.

The day these episodes hit the trending charts, Son of Heaven’s popularity officially surpassed 9000+, achieving what many considered a miracle for a historical drama.

[Lu Xu’s ‘Worst Role’ Hits 9000+!]

[Lu Xu’s ‘Worst Role’ Is About to Become the Highlight of His Acting Career!]

As the plot of Son of Heaven delved deeper, discussions surrounding the show grew increasingly vibrant, hinting at its rise to full-blown hit status.

Gu Sinian began to suspect that Lu Xu was somehow his nemesis.

While industry insiders attributed the decline of Rising Sun’s popularity to a lackluster second half of the storyline—and, to some extent, to Son of Heaven siphoning off part of the audience—Gu Sinian was convinced it was all Lu Xu’s doing.

Both The Watchers and Rising Sun had promising initial popularity. But whenever they went head-to-head with a project involving Lu Xu, their ratings and reviews plummeted. It didn’t matter how many trending topics Lin Ge Entertainment and Grape Film bought, whether they praised Gu Sinian or attacked Lu Xu—he always ended up being the one to lose out.

Not long ago, the trending topics were filled with praise for Rising Sun, but in recent days, whenever Gu Sinian checked them, he saw more and more comments criticizing his and Li Li’s acting. Some even questioned whether the outcome would have been different if Lu Xu had played Wu Shen.

Gu Sinian could only scoff. Even if Lu Xu had taken the role of Wu Shen, it wouldn’t have changed anything—Wu Shen was just a supporting character. Could he have altered the trajectory of Rising Sun’s popularity?

As if Lu Xu had that kind of power.

Gu Sinian was growing increasingly anxious. The Watchers had already flopped once, and his acting career couldn’t afford a second failure.

But the harsh reality was that Rising Sun’s popularity was dwindling by the day. To some marketing accounts, the show was a classic case of “starting strong and ending weak.” No matter how you looked at it, such a sharp decline from a strong opening meant someone had to take the fall.

Gu Sinian glanced at his manager, silently calculating his next move.

When The Watchers failed, there was no way for him to avoid taking the blame—its director and lead actors were some of the biggest names in the industry, and Gu Sinian couldn’t afford to offend them.

But Rising Sun was a different story.

The drama’s main investor was Lin Ge Entertainment. The director, Xiao Bo, was a last-minute replacement and not even as well-known as Mu Qian. The screenwriter, Jin Mu, had middling fame. And as for the rest of the cast? Most weren’t even signed with Lin Ge Entertainment.

After discussing his idea with his manager, who then proposed it to Lin Ge’s higher-ups, they decided to shift the blame onto screenwriter Jin Mu.

Xiao Bo, at least, had some standing in the industry, and he had stepped in to save the production. If they pinned the responsibility on him, it would tarnish Lin Ge Entertainment’s reputation even further.

Jin Mu, on the other hand, was the perfect scapegoat: a freelance screenwriter with limited backing.

In the world of television, screenwriters were often the least influential figures in the production chain.

…

Articles initially praised Gu Sinian’s acting, noting significant improvement since The Watchers, and commended Director Xiao Bo for stabilizing a chaotic production despite being a last-minute replacement—a feat described as no small accomplishment.

So, how did Rising Sun fall into its current state?

Naturally, the blame was placed on the script.

The critiques highlighted that Jin Mu’s script failed to align with the era’s sensibilities, resulting in a disconnect between the actors’ performances and the audience’s expectations. While the actors gave it their all, viewers struggled to find emotional resonance in the story.

The core message of Rising Sun was deemed fundamentally flawed, with its detailed execution coming across as overly detached and pretentious.

[As a screenwriter, controlling the quality of the script is a basic responsibility. Next, I’ll analyze Jin Mu’s mistakes in three aspects…]

Before Jin Mu could respond, Mu Qian, upon seeing this trending topic, flew into a rage.

“Analyze your f***ing nonsense!”

Mu Qian outright posted the original audition footage from the production!

“Let’s settle this. Watch carefully, you blind fools, and see who acted well and who didn’t!”

It seemed Lin Ge Entertainment had conveniently forgotten that Jin Mu and Mu Qian were close friends—and that offending Mu Qian’s friend was worse than offending Mu Qian himself.

Mu Qian was notoriously unyielding when it came to defending his friends, willing to go to any lengths to fight for them.

Netizens watching the drama unfold: “…”

Lu Xu really was a walking drama-generator.

Anything remotely connected to him would inevitably spiral into a gossip goldmine, extending the entertainment season endlessly.

Rising Sun had long since moved on from Lu Xu, yet there he was in the audition footage Mu Qian released.

#LuXuIsEverywhere

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