Chapter 109: Overseas
As expected, the trending hashtag “Does it look that good?” quickly shot to the top of the hot search list. The accompanying picture was Lu Xu riding off on his bike, his carefree silhouette fading into the distance.
[…Hahaha!]
[Absolute kill!!]
[Lu Puppy riding a bike is seriously adorable!]
[One of the reasons I follow Lu Xu is because there’s always something entertaining to watch, lol. Puppy never lets me down.]
[If it were me standing in Qi Di’s place, I’d definitely feel inferior. From this perspective, Qi Di is way more confident than I am. No wonder he’s a big star.]
[…Lu Xu is so bold! He’s not even a little afraid of Director Liu Rennong. I might be a nobody, but let me just say this—I really don’t understand why Qi Di is hyped up so much. Does he even have any standout qualities?]
[His standout quality is definitely his arrogance. He constantly looks down on everyone.]
Qi Di’s reputation in the entertainment industry wasn’t great. He had offended one star after another. Lu Xu, who wasn’t part of the more fanatical type of celebrity fanbases, was an exception. Even for those with wild fanbases, going up against someone as well-connected as Qi Di often meant having to back down. As a result, Qi Di’s attitude worsened over time, and he dared to offend just about anyone.
Before Lu Xu, no other celebrity had openly stated that Qi Di wasn’t good-looking.
Tonight’s trending topics were especially lively. Although this was just a minor conflict between Lu Xu and Qi Di, both of them were notorious troublemakers in the entertainment industry. This clash could definitely be called a face-off of equals.
Fans from all sides noticed that their idols quietly logged online shortly after the topic began to heat up.
When so many people are involved, mistakes are bound to happen. Sure enough, during the explosive rise of the hashtag “Does it look that good?”, one celebrity accidentally liked the post. Though the like was quickly removed, it didn’t escape people’s attention.
[This is hilarious. Ma Zifan liked it. He had his lead role stolen by Qi Di.]
[How many people in the entertainment industry are secretly enjoying the drama?]
[I’m more curious about just how many people Qi Di has offended. I didn’t know before, but after a quick tally, he’s practically the tyrant of the entertainment industry!]
[Now I just want to know who’s offended more people—Lu Puppy or Qi Di!]
Everyone was well aware that Lu Xu and Qi Di were at odds. However, Qi Di was still the third lead in How Much Do You Know?. A role in the top three was considered part of the box office performance, which was an industry standard. There was no way Deception’s box office numbers could surpass those of How Much Do You Know?.
Even so, Yan Huan’s presence in Deception was far more impactful than the character Qi Di played in How Much Do You Know?.
Though Deception broke the 1 billion yuan box office mark and was undeniably the top-grossing film of the Spring Festival season, its niche theme limited its potential to rake in massive profits.
[Lu Xu might never encounter a blockbuster like How Much Do You Know in his lifetime?.]
↑ This was a quote from one of Qi Di’s fans.
They looked at Lu Xu almost with a sense of pity.
Qi Di’s fans weren’t entirely blind to his personality flaws. Their enjoyment came from the effortless satisfaction he provided. Resources that other stars could only dream of were within Qi Di’s easy reach. The pedestal he stood on was something other celebrities could only look up to.
By supporting someone like him, his fans shared in that sense of superiority.
Even when facing someone like Lu Xu, a top-tier star in the drama world, Qi Di could still hold his own.
So what if his popularity couldn’t match Lu Xu’s?
Qi Di had what Lu Xu could never hope to obtain.
That said—shortly after this so-called iconic fan quote of Qi Di’s was posted, Deception’s official account announced that the film would partner with distribution companies from North America, Japan, and South Korea to release Deception in overseas markets.
[!!! How did it suddenly go international?]
[?? Deception, what other secrets are you hiding from me?]
The theme of Deception wasn’t a particularly popular genre in the domestic market, so achieving such success had already exceeded the production team’s expectations. In a way, Deception was almost too much like a power fantasy—it didn’t have the artistic depth or profound themes of other Spring Festival films.
However, it was precisely Deception’s unique and rare theme, combined with a box office exceeding 1 billion yuan, that qualified it for an overseas push.
Take the other Spring Festival films as examples: The Train Home was inspirational, while Eternal Night focused on parent-child relationships. Both were high-quality productions, but similar films that had previously attempted overseas releases had performed only moderately well.
While Deception wasn’t created with the overseas market in mind, it was the kind of film that had low barriers to international promotion. It bore similarities to recent globally popular films and series, making it an ideal choice for exploring international markets.
[What if Deception becomes a hit overseas?]
[That’s not so easy.]
[Wasn’t How Much Do You Know? released internationally? I remember its performance being pretty average.]
[Hey, hey, hey! You don’t seriously think Deception’s overseas earnings can close the box office gap with How Much Do You Know?, do you?]
Before Deception premiered overseas, no one dared entertain such thoughts.
However, the film’s domestic box office exceeding 1 billion yuan had already caught the attention of some international distributors. Additionally, the success of similar themes in the international market over the past two years allowed Deception to secure a distributor with considerable expertise in promoting such films.
The film first gained traction in Japan.
Deception fit well with Japan’s traditional themes, but as a foreign film, its initial impact was limited. Early audiences mainly consisted of international students and local Chinese communities.
Yet the movie’s plot was gripping enough to overcome those limitations. It avoided long-winded, boring scenes, and just when viewers thought they could catch their breath, the next sequence would push their adrenaline to its limits.
The scene where “Chang Qing” removed his glasses and transformed into Yan Huan even made it onto Japan’s trending topics list.
[So it’s Lu Xu’s face that caught fire first, after all!]
[LMAO, people calling Lu Xu’s face a holy artifact—just how sacred is it?]
[A treasure of humanity, the handsomest of the handsome! Join the Lu Sect! The Lu Sect is boundless; turn back now, and salvation awaits!]
The North American market’s reception of Deception wasn’t as enthusiastic as Japan’s, but the main storyline was clear and easy to understand. Additionally, North America had seen similar films in the past, making the theme more familiar to audiences there.
While Deception was gradually fading from the domestic box office, it unexpectedly appeared on a global box office leaderboard on one platform. The contrast was striking and almost surreal.
In conclusion—this Spring Festival season, Deception earned a total box office revenue of 1.996 billion yuan. Despite falling just short of the 2-billion mark after much anticipation, this achievement placed it second only to The Train Home, surpassing Eternal Night and When I Was a Child.
However, in the overseas market, Deception inexplicably triumphed.
For the film’s production team, the movie’s popularity overseas was completely unexpected.
They had dreamed of such success, but they never thought it would actually come true.
Lu Xu and Yue Hui were even invited to attend several international film events. C-brand went as far as inviting Lu Xu to one of their local flagship stores for a promotional event, where he took center stage as the spokesperson. His prominence in the event photos left no doubt about his importance.
[Is C-brand slapping Qi Di in the face? LOL.]
[They couldn’t swallow their anger after their event got disrupted. It’s fine if Qi Di looks good, but what was the point of blocking Lu Xu’s featured product? Did they think some rich lady would see Qi Di’s face and suddenly feel like shopping?]
[The global box office for Deception is about the same as How Much Do You Know!?]
[So what? Lu Xu will never star in a huge blockbuster like How Much Do You Know? in his life. A little dog can only act in Deception, which makes a small profit of a few billion yuan. [dog emoji][dog emoji][dog emoji]]
[…Suddenly, I wonder, does Lu Xu have a right to any of Deception’s overseas box office earnings?]
Gao Xingchuan gave the answer—he does get a share.
The contract stipulates that Lu Xu and Yue Hui will both receive a portion of any earnings from Deception, in whatever form they come.
[Getting rich!!!]
[I’m all in for Lu Xu’s career! Bring it on, bring it on!]
Everyone was guessing—was Lu Xu already making hundreds of millions from just Deception alone? Could he retire from now on?
However, no one envied Lu Xu’s paycheck, because he didn’t get it by cutting corners on the production costs. Deception was made well, with high box office returns. This outcome satisfied everyone on the production team.
The photos of Lu Xu taken by C-brand were posted on the brand’s official social media—this was C-brand’s way of actively defending their choice of him as their spokesperson.
At this point, Lu Xu’s fans were finally satisfied.
Yet, one netizen sensed something wasn’t quite right.
That morning, she couldn’t resist sharing photos of Lu Xu from his overseas events alongside his domestic event photos. Then she added a few pictures of Qi Di.
[If I’m not mistaken, Qi Di only squeezes our domestic stars? (See photos 2, 3, 4), but when he’s overseas, he’s super well-behaved, greeting international stars politely and even willing to stand in the corners. (See photos 4, 5, 6)]
[Ah, this…]
[!!! Now I remember! It really is like that!!]
[And he’s so super enthusiastic… It’s the same with his fans. When he’s facing international faces, he’s incredibly polite, but when he’s facing domestic faces, his expression is like he’s been wronged, like someone owes him eight million yuan.]
[The funniest part was when a fan asked him for a photo. Qi Di’s expression was pretty sour, but as soon as the fan spoke in Japanese, his demeanor instantly changed. He even put his arm around the fan and eagerly posed for the photo.]
[…I don’t like this. It’s really unnecessary.]
[Don’t like it +1.]
The issue of Qi Di stealing the spotlight from other celebrities had been exposed before, but only the fans of the b*llied celebrities were outraged. It had little impact on Qi Di himself.
However, when his double standards were revealed, many more netizens began to voice their dissatisfaction.
[Harsh punches at home, but all soft whispers abroad, huh?]
[All I have to say is three words: I am unworthy. How could I be worthy of watching his movies? I’d be grateful if he doesn’t roll his eyes at me.]
[…I kind of regret buying a ticket to How Much Do You Know?. I really loved that movie back then!!!]
[It’s okay, the movie How Much Do You Know? is indeed great, but that doesn’t mean Qi Di’s future films deserve our support. I’ll just say it here: Qi Di’s films, made for noble audiences, should be watched by noble audiences. We lowly folks are not worthy.]
Netizens spontaneously started boycotting Qi Di’s films. Some enthusiastic individuals even compiled lists of his current business endorsements and his ongoing and upcoming projects.
At this point, his agency and his lofty manager could no longer stay silent.
The agency didn’t dare issue a threatening statement, as the netizens were visibly furious. The main issue was that Qi Di himself, along with Liu Rennong Studio, had always come across as arrogant. Any attempt to intimidate the public now would only add fuel to the fire.
The agency claimed that it was Qi Di’s first time traveling abroad, and he was struggling with jet lag and not feeling well. The foreign individuals he took photos with were reportedly high-ranking executives from a brand, and he couldn’t afford to offend them.
Although—he had, in fact, traveled abroad before.
The statement also claimed that Qi Di had no intention of b*llying anyone and that his relationships with domestic celebrities and fans were excellent. It urged netizens not to misunderstand.
To support this, photos of Qi Di with domestic fans at various events were posted on trending topics, showing him in high spirits with a bright smile on his face.
Although—all the photos were taken this month.
Netizens: “…”
So, why wasn’t this statement issued immediately when Qi Di was first exposed for stealing the spotlight from other stars?
[Domestic celebrities don’t mean a thing. Can they block his access to good resources? Offending one or a hundred of them makes no difference.]
[But when audiences refuse to watch his movies, that’s another story. Investors aren’t throwing money around for fun. Pushing someone like him into the spotlight could cost millions or even billions in lost box office revenue. Who’s willing to take that loss?]
[Sliding to kneel this fast, tsk tsk. Why didn’t they do this earlier?]
[It’s just about making money, no shame in that. If it weren’t for the money, this b*lly brother would be back at it next month. Believe it or not?]
Love love love this story. Always have to thank the translator for bringing it to my attention. ❤️