Chapter 63: I Can’t Sleep
In fact, as soon as Lu Xu showed interest in playing Jiang Lin, Zhang Che proactively reached out to the crew of Voice of the Dead, expressing his interest in the role as well.
However, the production team of Voice of the Dead decisively rejected him: “The role of Jiang Lin has already been cast.”
Wasn’t it possible to change the casting decision?
Zhang Che fell into another bout of emo.
So, late that night, when most people were already fast asleep, Zhang Che quietly posted online once again:
[Why can’t there be a little more fairness in this world?]
This time, he didn’t delete the post immediately as he usually did. Instead, he left it up for quite a while.
Zhang Che’s fanbase included plenty of night owls, and they quickly noticed the update.
[What’s wrong, sweetheart?]
[Did something unfair happen to you?]
[It’s probably still about the Stellar Awards, right? Every time that gets brought up, Zhang Che’s eyes dim.]
[Don’t be sad, darling. Even LX didn’t win an award either, remember?]
Fans speculated that Zhang Che was still upset about his nomination for the Stellar Awards. Having followed him for a long time, they had grown accustomed to his emo moments. Some would even say it was precisely this vulnerability that made them fiercely loyal to him—Zhang Che wasn’t some perfect, untouchable star; he was fragile and needed comfort.
And the only ones who could comfort him were his fans—no one else could manage it.
But this time, things were different—
Not long after Zhang Che posted his lament about “fairness,” a marketing account took a screenshot and shared it:
[A-list actor B and a rapidly rising newcomer A seem to have some private conflicts. Rumor has it that A has been aggressively snatching up B’s resources lately.
[B is having a tough time, honestly. A’s behavior is just too overbearing.]
Since the marketing account had taken a screenshot, it wasn’t hard to figure out who “B” referred to. As for “A,” although the account didn’t explicitly name anyone, it liked a comment mentioning “LX” in the thread.
[???? Lu Xu stealing Zhang Che’s resources???]
[Are you serious? Their popularity levels aren’t even close. How could Lu Xu possibly snatch anything from Zhang Che???]
[Lu Xu only has The Path of Bones. So what if he got a Stellar Awards nomination? A nomination ≠ winning, FYI.]
[Can we all agree that Zhang Che has it rough? Among the popular actors, he’s one of the most dedicated to his career and constantly seeks to push his boundaries.]
Zhang Che already had a considerable fanbase, and with the recent buzz from the competition between The Empress and The Path of Bones, Lu Xu’s presence was also sky-high. The topic exploded instantly.
#LuXuStealingResources #ActorA #LuXuZhangChe hashtags trended back-to-back, flooding social media. By the time Lu Xu woke up, his comment section was predictably filled with countless messages like, “How can you sleep so soundly?”
Feiyang Entertainment quickly released a statement early in the morning, denying the marketing account’s claims of “resource theft.” The statement asserted that even if there were resource conflicts, Lu Xu would compete fairly.
Unfortunately, Zhang Che’s fans weren’t buying it.
As for the “How can you sleep so soundly?” comments, Lu Xu responded: [My sleep quality is excellent. I slept straight through till morning.]
[Stealing someone else’s resources and still being smug about it?]
[Unbelievable. How do you even sleep so guilt-free?]
Lu Xu replied: [Can you please not post cryptic messages in the middle of the night? Can’t it wait until daytime?
[When you post at night, marketing accounts have to work overtime.
[My company’s staff starts work at 9 a.m., but you forced them to release a statement at 5 a.m.
[And why should I lose sleep just because you can’t sleep at night? I’m not your dad!]
Perhaps the term “your dad” was a bit too blunt, so Lu Xu revised his response several times. The first revision became “your father,” the second was “your biological parent,” and the third evolved into “your long-lost… relative.”
Netizens: “…”
On further thought, they had to agree.
Sure, Zhang Che could post emo posts in the middle of the night as much as he liked, but from the perspective of regular workers… it was honestly exhausting.
Before Lu Xu finished his long string of posts, he tagged the marketing account that had spread the “B vs. A” narrative:
[If he can’t sleep, why can’t you sleep either?]
In his next post, he tagged Zhang Che directly: [Isn’t someone else already staying up with you? Why keep asking me?]
[LOL, is this Lu Xu’s morning grumpiness kicking in?]
[Honestly, though, Lu Puppy isn’t wrong. One screenshot, one vague post, and suddenly he’s painted as some sort of irredeemable villain.]
[…I just have to say, if your own ability is strong enough, no one can ‘steal’ your resources. Also, B, have you forgotten how, when Ye Hai Media was backing you, you snatched resources from others too? This kind of thing is so common in the entertainment industry.]
[You’re an A-lister now, maybe cut back on the endless emo posts? You’re almost 30, yet you’re constantly posting cryptic, accusatory sentences online.]
[If you want to accuse Lu Xu of stealing resources, then show a spreadsheet or some data. Don’t just throw around baseless claims.]
Interestingly, Ye Hai Entertainment fans did come up with evidence, though the company itself couldn’t officially step in. Instead, the fans took the lead.
For instance, Zhang Che had auditioned for Ou Qingchun’s new drama, and shortly after, Lu Xu auditioned for the same role.
Similarly, projects like Tears Remain, Snowy Night Diary, and Spring in the Ancient City were all cases where Zhang Che auditioned first, and Lu Xu followed soon after.
Lu Xu openly admitted:
[Yeah, I went.
[And what now? Should every crew Zhang Che auditions for hang a sign saying, ‘Lu Xu and dogs not allowed inside’?]
Netizens: “…”
Lu Xu’s fans: “…”
They wanted to remind him that by saying this, he was essentially calling himself a dog.
Oh well, they were used to it by now.
[So… this is what they’re calling resource stealing?]
[Uh, well…]
[Director Ou already issued a statement saying that both Lu Xu and Zhang Che auditioned normally, and there was no unfair competition involved.]
Throughout the afternoon, Lu Xu tagged Zhang Che several times on social media, but despite being clearly online, Zhang Che ignored him completely.
Lu Xu posted: […You don’t sleep at night, and now you’re still awake. Next time, could you tag me before you go to bed? If you sleep, I won’t sleep.]
[HAHAHAHA, Lu Xu’s given up!]
[Who wouldn’t be scared after being hounded by people asking, ‘How can you sleep so soundly?’]
[Lu Xu: I’m out, I’m out.]
[Starting to feel bad for Lu Xu. What happens if Zhang Che actually decides to sleep next time? Will Lu Xu just stay up all night?]
Zhang Che himself remained silent, but Ye Hai Entertainment eventually issued a statement denying the rumors. They asserted that the so-called resource competition between “B” and “A” was entirely fabricated and baseless. Ye Hai Entertainment also warned that they would pursue legal action against the marketing accounts spreading false information. They called for everyone to remain calm and avoid unnecessary harm to others or themselves.
Lu Xu: “?”
[Why does your team get to release statements during the day, but my team has to wake up at 5 a.m. to post one?]
Now Lu Xu was feeling emo too.
So, he liked a post from a small account that read: [Everyone in the industry knows Ye Hai was involved in sabotaging The Path of Bones with The Empress. LX was in their way, after all. Just think about the Stellar Awards, and then think some more…]
Lu Xu quickly unliked the post, only to continue “accidentally” liking other things.
More and more alleged insider accounts started revealing details, such as Ou Qingchun reportedly favoring Lu Xu. Additionally, after Lu Xu auditioned for Tears Remain and Snowy Night Diary, both productions seemed to lean toward him.
[Let’s be honest, the difference in acting skills is real. The production teams aren’t blind.]
[Remember how The Path of Bones got ripped apart before? Lu Xu just didn’t have time to constantly emo about it. Compared to the ‘injustice’ Zhang Che faced, this is nothing. Zhang Che’s struggles don’t even come close to what Lu Xu has dealt with.]
[Zhang Che just got overwhelmed, plain and simple.]
[First it was this meltdown, and before that, it was the Stellar Awards nomination meltdown.]
[Fans just like to shift blame. Stellar Awards judges and directors aren’t blind either.]
Zhang Che’s fans wanted to lash out at this industry insider but held back, knowing the account had previously leaked several things that turned out to be true.
At the very least, the relationship between Ye Hai and Qiao Mengyao’s agent was a proven fact.
Fearing more credible revelations, Zhang Che’s fans focused all their energy on criticizing Lu Xu instead, blaming him for his careless “accidental” likes.
In response, Lu Xu declared: [All I want is to sleep when it’s time to sleep and eat beef patties when I feel like it. My standards are very low.]
He vowed to defend his right to eat beef patties.
He vowed to protect his right to not wake up in the middle of the night to respond to nonsense.
*
If Zhang Che had only been emo at first, he was now fully shutting down.
Zhang Che had the type of personality that couldn’t handle criticism and needed his fans’ constant reassurance. But when he logged on, he found himself bombarded by countless persistent mentions from Lu Xu.
—Usually, Zhang Che would vent his dissatisfaction late at night, his fans would go on the offensive against rival actors, and they’d hound the target until they shut down instead.
This time, however, the tables had turned.
After all, Zhang Che’s fans were acting voluntarily, charging into battles on his behalf—it wasn’t his intention.
But now, he couldn’t tell whether Lu Xu was a person or a perpetual motion machine.
He was utterly shocked by Lu Xu’s seemingly infinite energy and relentless determination.
No matter what Zhang Che’s fans said about him, Lu Xu’s response was always to tag Zhang Che directly.
Oh, and Lu Xu would also tag Ye Hai Entertainment while he was at it, asking how their pursuit of legal action against the marketing account was going.
“Why does Lu Xu have so much free time?”
How was he constantly online?
Zhang Che’s manager had advised him to avoid the negativity online, but he couldn’t resist checking. And when he did—he found Lu Xu had pinpointed a new issue.
The marketing account that spilled the gossip about “B” and “A” had posted their update only 20 seconds after Zhang Che’s original post.
In those mere 20 seconds, they’d managed to screenshot the post and write a 500-word article with godlike speed.
Lu Xu shared: [In the international speed-typing championship held in G-country, a secretary from the Czech Republic, XX, set a Guinness World Record with an average typing speed of 807 characters per minute.]
And then he tagged the marketing account:
[@XXEntertainmentNews, the UN needs talent like you.]
Fans were rolling with laughter:
[That’s how they make their living as a marketing account!]
[First, we had the X Pleasure House drama; now, we’re onto Guinness World Records. Lu Xu, what on earth are you looking at online every day?]
[Just scouting talent. @UnitedNations, time to take action.]
[@UnitedNations, don’t miss out on this!]
[Or maybe the marketing account is just perfectly in sync with Zhang Che. Both staying up all night, and then telepathically capturing Zhang Che’s post immediately.]
[This is love. Please stop b*llying the poor puppy; he can’t handle sleepless nights.]
At this point, Zhang Che genuinely didn’t want to look at Weibo anymore.
But his troubles were far from over.
Lu Xu wasn’t particularly satisfied with the script for Spring in the Ancient City. While the production team wasn’t overly fond of Zhang Che, they had still shortlisted him as a potential lead. They were even preparing to negotiate a contract with him—until the marketing account “exposed” the rumor that Lu Xu was snatching his opportunities.
The Spring in the Ancient City production team froze.
According to the marketing account’s narrative, all three productions—Spring in the Ancient City, Tears Remain, and Snowy Night Diary—were complicit in helping Lu Xu steal roles from Zhang Che.
If Spring in the Ancient City offered Zhang Che the role, it would seem like they were trying to validate the rumors—since Lu Xu had indeed expressed interest in their project after Zhang Che’s audition.
And if they did offer him the role, fans would interpret it as the team succumbing to public pressure, implying they were forced into collaborating with Zhang Che. Either way, the production would be burdened with controversy.
So, they decided… better not.
After all, Zhang Che’s side had shown more enthusiasm for the role in the first place.
But regardless of whether Zhang Che joined or not, it wouldn’t change the fact that Spring in the Ancient City was a strong contender for awards.
After much deliberation, the production team conveyed their decision to Ye Hai Enetertainment: they wouldn’t be working with Zhang Che.
By not collaborating with either Lu Xu or Zhang Che, the production could remain unscathed.
Zhang Che: “…”
Honestly, he had only wanted to mess with Lu Xu. Who would’ve thought that his attempt to annoy Lu Xu would end up backfiring so spectacularly?
That evening, Lu Xu, the lunatic, tagged him again:
[Are you asleep? I can’t sleep.]
[Why can’t the world have a little more sleep?]
Fans were quick to react:
[Zhang Che, how can you sleep? Lu Xu can’t sleep because of you!]
[Even the puppy who usually sleeps so well can’t sleep—poor puppy.]
Zhang Che: “…”
Divine punishment.
**TN
Happy New Year! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° May the New Year bring you happiness, peace, and prosperity.
Hahaha! Truly the best chapter I’m loving this one so much XD
Please accept my deepest gratitude for posting this first chapter of 2025. My wish for the new year is simple: please continue translating this, so rare to see no romance modern day male MC nowadays.
Btw there’s still a word(?) in Chinese not translated to English: X乐屋. What’s that?
HDKSNDHSKKSBS best karma