Chapter 45: The First Business

“Lu Xu, have you added me on WeChat?”

“And mine, don’t forget.”

“Thinking about how, once the filming wraps up, the real handsome guy will be far away from me… Days without a handsome guy are like a puppy without a bicycle. So disappointing, so heartbreaking.”

Lu Xu was one of the last actors to finish filming in the Path of Bones crew. The shooting schedule for this drama wasn’t particularly slow—Lu Xu had spent about three months filming in total.

When he joined the crew, the weather was still quite hot. By the time he wrapped up, the temperature had already dropped.

On the day of the wrap, Lu Xu added dozens of new contacts to his phone.

He had gotten used to it. Since My Baby Prince, every drama he worked on always brought the most friend requests on the day of wrapping up.

Lei Ai couldn’t help but complain to the others, “Couldn’t you all have added him earlier? Hasn’t Lu Xu been here the whole time?”

With the filming officially wrapped, the actors and crew were no longer as wary of Lei Ai as they were during production. “Director, you don’t get it. Handsome guys are to be admired from afar, not casually approached.”

“Lu Puppy isn’t someone you can just pet whenever you like.”

Lei Ai: “…”

He really was getting old; he didn’t quite understand these young people.

Even so, Lei Ai agreed that Lu Xu was indeed handsome.

Those few scenes where Lu Xu played the role of a killer had left a lasting impression on the director. The composition of light and shadow in those shots was unique. Even in such intense and violent scenes, Lu Xu’s looks were still dazzling.

The juxtaposition of blood and an extraordinarily beautiful face in the same frame only heightened the impact.

Lei Ai was at a bit of a loss as to how he would edit those scenes. He wanted to preserve as much of the material as possible because, in his eyes, every frame was a treasure he couldn’t bear to cut.

As for when the nickname “Lu Puppy” started circulating, the director had no idea.

However, the atmosphere on The Path of Bones set was genuinely harmonious.

Perhaps due to the lessons learned from Undercover, there were rumors in the industry that Kong Le’s books were difficult to adapt. During the filming of The Path of Bones, the crew faced quite a bit of criticism and skepticism.

Even Lei Ai had been “sincerely” advised not to take on the project.

Hearing such remarks left Lei Ai feeling frustrated.

He truly loved The Path of Bones.

Fueled by this frustration, he resolved to make the series as good as it could possibly be.

Lei Ai wasn’t alone in his determination; the rest of the crew shared his vision.

More importantly, the team had cast Lu Xu as Yu Yi.

Lei Ai could confidently say that even the harshest fans of the original book would be satisfied with the casting choice.

Lu Xu embodied Yu Yi to perfection; he might as well have stepped straight out of the book.

Whether portraying Yu Yi as the quiet and warm-hearted character he started as, or the cold and ruthless figure he became on his path of revenge, Lu Xu brought the character to life in a way that felt utterly authentic.

Everyone on set knew that Lu Xu wasn’t a fan of The Path of Bones and didn’t have any special attachment to the role of Yu Yi. Yet, he still performed in a way that exceeded everyone’s expectations.

How could this group of devoted fans not work hard when their lead actor was setting such a high bar?

A typical day on the set of The Path of Bones went like this:

After every scene, a group of crew members—who had memorized every detail of the original story—would cheer enthusiastically, shouting, “So accurate! So spot-on!”

The director couldn’t help but cover his face in embarrassment at their reactions.

Over time, this dynamic evolved into a noticeable bias toward Lu Xu. No matter how he acted, everyone would say it was great.

Even Kong Le, the original author and the on-set supervisor, displayed a similar attitude. Lei Ai had expected the writer to be more demanding, but Kong Le would simply watch the scenes with shining eyes and, after a long pause, say, “Pretty good.”

So, who exactly was being supervised here?

Lei Ai even suspected that Kong Le was secretly monitoring him instead.

The director quickly and sadly realized that he was the only one on the entire set who maintained strict standards for Lu Xu.

And that wasn’t the end of it—

One day, shortly before Lu Xu finished filming his scenes, Kong Le showed up with a stack of first-edition copies of The Path of Bones. Normally, as the author, Kong Le would be signing books for readers. But this time, he asked Lu Xu to sign them instead. The signed books became a hot commodity among the crew, with everyone scrambling to get one.

In fact, Lei Ai secretly snagged a copy for himself.

Only Kong Le knew about this. If the rest of the crew found out, Lei Ai feared his authority as a director would crumble entirely.

But everyone understood why Lu Xu was receiving such treatment: it was because he was both talented and hardworking.

Acting is a profession that relies heavily on natural talent. Some actors are born with a magnetic presence that draws audiences in. Others can leave a lifelong impression with just one role, becoming irreplaceable. Lu Xu was one of those rare talents who could resonate deeply with viewers through his performances. Yet, he never rested on his natural abilities.

Lu Xu rarely made mistakes during filming. If a scene had to be reshot due to another actor’s mistake, he never complained and always cooperated to ensure the scene was completed.

During the time Lu Xu was filming The Path of Bones, Ji Xiuya’s popularity was skyrocketing. Lei Ai noticed that despite this, Lu Xu’s approach to his role remained unchanged.

In fact, his portrayal of Yu Yi became even more compelling.

It was a pity that there weren’t any suitable projects for Lu Xu at the moment. Lei Ai thought to himself that if the chance arose again, he would definitely work with Lu Xu one more time.

Or twice.

No, ten times.

After finishing The Path of Bones, Xu Wen presented Lu Xu with two options: one was to immediately join another film crew, and the other was to take a short break and start accepting some commercial endorsements.

At the time, Lu Xu’s number of commercial deals was zero.

Even though many brands were already lining up, eager to collaborate with him.

By now, it was late in the year, approaching its end. Over the past year, there hadn’t been many dramas that could truly be called massive hits. Son of Heaven was one, and Supreme was another.

The characters Qin Zhao and Ji Xiuya were already popular individually, but after the dramas aired, their pairing as a “CP” unexpectedly became a phenomenon. Fans churned out endless fan creations, and even the meme about a puppy riding a bicycle found its way into the mix.

Even the managers found the whole situation baffling.

When Xu Wen signed Lu Xu, other agents at Feiyang Entertainment had remarked enviously on his good fortune, often with a tinge of sourness in their tone.

But in less than six months under his management, Lu Xu had become even more popular.

And Xu Wen hadn’t even started pushing him yet.

Previously, Xu Wen had been responsible for a female actor who had won a prestigious film award. Although she wasn’t quite in the league of the top-tier stars, she was highly respected within the industry, and her commercial value was impressive.

Her departure from Feiyang Entertainment had been a significant loss for the company’s leadership.

Xu Wen himself had regretted it too. But after signing Lu Xu, for some reason, he had a strong premonition—Lu Xu had the potential to surpass her achievements.

Xu Wen strongly recommended that Lu Xu take a break.

This year, Lu Xu’s exposure had already been substantial, and there was no need to continue pushing for more visibility.

Lu Xu had one drama awaiting broadcast. Although his backlog of completed projects wasn’t extensive, the recognition he had gained from Son of Heaven and Supreme was more than enough to set him ahead of his peers.

Xu Wen had never planned for Lu Xu to be a “quantity-over-quality” type of actor.

In his view, Lu Xu was already working hard enough. Given his natural talent as an actor, Xu Wen believed it was crucial not to overuse that talent but to take a pause, reflect, and refine.

Actors who don’t take time to reflect often don’t have long careers.

Even those who rely on their raw talent to establish themselves as serious actors can’t ride on that talent forever.

Of course, every actor has their own goals and aspirations.

Xu Wen believed that Lu Xu belonged to the category of actors who pursued depth in their craft. When it came to acting, Lu Xu didn’t need his manager hovering over him—he clearly understood what he wanted.

“Year-end is awards season. This year, Son of Heaven should yield some results,” Xu Wen remarked. “As for Supreme, the chances are slim.”

Lu Xu was well aware of this.

Even if Son of Heaven achieved recognition, the judges at the awards were likely to favor established powerhouses like Guo Yining and his peers.

“Not necessarily,” Xu Wen glanced at him. “No one can predict the judges’ preferences.”

Based on Lu Xu’s view, just the competition within Son of Heaven’s team for the Best Supporting Actor award would be fierce.

The only male lead in Son of Heaven was Cheng Yun. Beyond him, it was the ensemble cast of seasoned actors who brought depth to the drama’s many episodes.

The first commercial endorsement Xu Wen arranged for Lu Xu was for a well-established shampoo brand.

The brand had recently launched a new men’s shampoo and was throwing money around in the entertainment industry in search of a spokesperson. Lu Xu was immediately chosen by the brand.

Although the brand didn’t have a significant market share among young people, its overall recognition was strong. In the past, the brand’s endorsers were usually top-tier actors or singers. However, the brand now recognized young consumers as an important market and saw this product as an opportunity to break into that space.

Shortly after Son of Heaven aired, Xu Wen had already been in contact with the brand. At the time, the brand had shown interest in collaborating, but the contract negotiations didn’t go anywhere.

Once Supreme aired, however, the discussions smoothed out immediately.

The brand had done extensive research beforehand.

The pool of young male actors to choose from was already limited. Those who had no significant shortcomings in popularity or accolades were mostly pre-booked by competing brands.

Meanwhile, the brand was unwilling to settle for actors with lower popularity.

Before Lu Xu, the brand had considered three other members of Verse. However, Gu Sinian had recently flopped with two dramas, and while Xie Qingyang was thriving with his talk shows, the brand felt his popularity was still confined to the idol sphere.

For celebrities to achieve mainstream recognition, they needed solid works: actors relied on hit shows or films, and singers needed widely popular songs.

Actors who frequently appeared on television were clearly the best choice.

At this point, someone within the brand raised a question: if they were already considering the other three members of Verse, why not consider Lu Xu?

With a face that good-looking, freshly washed hair would look fragrant.

During the ad shoot, they could even create some… dynamic shots.

“Dynamic what?”

The employee who had suggested Lu Xu pulled out a tablet and opened an older online poll.

The survey question was: “Would you rather see a n*de photo of Chen Ye or Lu Xu?”

The poll had garnered tens of thousands of votes, with over 90% of respondents voting for Lu Xu.

“No one’s going to buy a product just to see n*de photos, right? We’re a respectable company; we can’t push the boundaries like that.”

“Just show his neck and shoulders,” another person suggested.

“Will anyone buy it?” The higher-ups still looked skeptical.

“Research shows that even for men’s shampoo, the majority of purchasers are women. If it’s not for their own use, they don’t care much about the product itself.”

“So why wouldn’t they buy something used by a fragrant, handsome guy?”

Moreover—

The employee with the tablet brought up a group photo of Verse’s four members. “I’ve already examined it with a magnifying glass. Of the four, Lu Xu has the thickest hair.”

This explanation was surprisingly reasonable and much more persuasive than the previous one.

Thanks to his outstanding talent (mainly his thick hair), Lu Xu secured the first commercial endorsement of his acting career.

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