Chapter 116: A New Invitation
Vampire styling was typically intense and alluring, evoking a dark, damp, and cold atmosphere, as if an opera could be sung on stage—
Lu Xu’s crimson eyes seemed to peer directly into the depths of one’s soul.
Becoming a Vampire wasn’t a fast-paced song. The choreography wasn’t quick either, but the sweeping arm movements required significant synchronization among the performers.
Lu Xu stood either side-by-side with the K-group contestants or surrounded by them in a circle. The camera alternated between wide and close-up shots. Surprisingly, despite his reputation as someone who was terrible at both singing and dancing, Lu Xu managed to coordinate seamlessly with the contestants.
During the wide shots, the performers’ movements were uniform and fluid. In the close-ups, Lu Xu’s face was undeniably striking. Yet, his dancing didn’t drag the performance down in the slightest.
His slender but pale figure vividly embodied the frailty of a vampire.
“When I become a vampire…”
“I’ll spend a thousand years in drunkenness.”
The moment this lyric was sung, a wave of exclamation marks flooded the live comment feed. The voice was both familiar and unfamiliar, clearly not belonging to any contestant of Sunset Idol.
It could only be Lu Xu.
It wasn’t the raw and strained voice people had imagined, nor the sound of a leaky air blower, let alone a cow’s moo. The pitch wasn’t high, and there was even a hint of melancholy to it. Yet, it carried a delicate, lingering charm, instantly pulling the listener into the world of vampires.
Even as he sang the lyrics, Lu Xu’s footwork didn’t falter. Perhaps due to his long absence from the stage, he didn’t wink at the camera or attempt to show off. Instead, he effortlessly conveyed the dark, damp chill of “becoming a vampire,” appearing entirely at ease.
[…It sounds quite good.]
[Unexpectedly good. The coordination in this group is excellent. The first shot was of Lu Xu, and the visual impact was maxed out. After that, every contestant had their moment to shine.]
[Lu Xu’s lower register is amazing!]
[K-Group was the stage I least looked forward to, but now I feel like they really nailed the atmosphere!]
Although Lu Xu wasn’t assigned many lyrics, he delivered each line with outstanding precision. His low notes paired with the other contestants’ high tones added layers to Become a Vampire. Even in the chorus, his voice wasn’t drowned out by the others.
And let’s not forget—when the camera swept past him, his pale, bloodthirsty face seemed to drain the soul right out of the viewer.
Become a Vampire was a lament from a vampire who had lived for millennia, tired and lonely. Though not human, he mastered human emotions and desires.
He longed to love someone but couldn’t bear to turn that person into a vampire, condemning them to millennia of loneliness alongside him.
The choreography was cold, yet there was a lingering tenderness to it.
When the camera zoomed in on Lu Xu for a close-up, his crimson eyes radiated deep affection, tinged with regret.
[Ahhhhh!]
[So good! The imagery is so strong. K-Group for the win!]
[Isn’t this what Lu Xu’s styling should look like? What on earth was that during the Verse era?]
[Judging just from this performance of Become a Vampire, Lu Xu’s skills aren’t bad, right? If Lu Xu’s role was as the visual centerpiece, with this level of performance, paired with teammates’ dance and vocal skills, it’s no surprise Verse became popular.]
In fact, before Lin Ge Entertainment could release a “Verse Members Skill Comparison” video, marketing accounts were already posting “Then and Now” comparisons of Lu Xu’s performances following the K-Group stage on Sunset Idol.
It was clear that in Verse’s earlier performances, Lu Xu’s abilities fell short compared to his teammates. But the real issue lay elsewhere—his teammates always claimed the center position, while Lu Xu was saddled with ill-fitting costumes and terrible makeup.
He had been treated like Verse’s experimental subject, with the ugliest makeup styles always tested on him.
In addition, Lu Xu was never assigned many lines. The so-called “proof” repeatedly cited by fans of his former teammates—that Lu Xu had more lyrics—was based on just one song from a single Verse album.
[I’m so frustrated! I just realized that Become a Vampire might be one of the very few stages where Lu Xu truly shone in his ‘idol’ career!]
[…Now that Lu Xu has erased everything related to Verse, revisiting their past stages reveals almost no moments where he truly sparkled.]
[Damn it! He should have been shining all along!]
[My anger toward Lin Ge Entertainment lies exactly here. Lu Xu could’ve been the permanent face of the idol world. And now? He’s not even mentioned in idol rankings anymore!]
[Even so… Become a Vampire doesn’t feature some god-tier styling, just normal, decent makeup. But—who would dare deny that the moment Lu Xu steps on stage, he looks divine?]
After the Become a Vampire performance, Lin Ge Entertainment hastily released a video comparing the skills of the Verse members. However, fans’ expectations for “skills” weren’t as high as Lin Ge Entertainment seemed to think.
Verse was, first and foremost, a group. Within any group, it’s natural for not every member to excel in every area. Some weaknesses are to be expected.
A “god-level” all-rounder could easily debut as a solo artist and wouldn’t need to be part of a group.
As long as the members brought out their individual strengths while maintaining strong teamwork, the group could still thrive.
Lu Xu’s role as the group’s visual centerpiece, paired with decent singing and dancing skills, was enough to make him shine in Verse. His looks were so captivating that people could forgive any lack in skill.
However, looking back on Lu Xu’s idol career in Verse, fans struggled to recall any iconic moments tied to him.
Even now, Lin Ge Entertainment continued releasing videos to discredit him.
But anyone who had seen the Become a Vampire stage would understand one undeniable truth: some people are born to shine.
Lu Xu was undoubtedly that kind of idol.
Sunset Idol achieved its highest ratings since the show’s inception, largely thanks to the Become a Vampire stage featuring Lu Xu. Whether in terms of view count or individual performance clips, it far outperformed all other groups.
The earlier concerns from contestant fans—that Lu Xu’s presence would drag the team down—proved unfounded. On the contrary, his participation boosted K-Group’s popularity significantly.
While Lu Xu wasn’t the most skilled performer among the guest idols, his presence created an immersive experience for the audience.
Many fans who had followed Verse during their prime no longer revisited the group’s old stages. Instead, they watched Become a Vampire over and over again.
As for claims that Lu Xu’s lack of skills had held Verse back, those were quickly dismissed by fans who pointed out the obvious: if it weren’t for Lin Ge Entertainment’s mismanagement, they wouldn’t need to dig through Sunset Idol to find scraps of his brilliance!
It wasn’t Lu Xu who held Verse back—it was Verse that held Lu Xu back!
[The evidence is clear, isn’t it? The moment Lu Xu left Verse, he soared!]
[I’d argue it was Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin who dragged Verse down. Look at how those three ruined the group’s reputation, and yet they still have the nerve to attack Lu Xu.]
Lin Ge Entertainment and the trio’s attempts to smear Lu Xu backfired, as netizens turned on them with harsh criticism instead.
The power of persuasion was indeed remarkable—Lu Xu’s growing fanbase not only supported him but also actively “enlightened” the fans of Xie Qingyang, Gu Sinian, and Meng Qin, convincing them that those three were the true weak links in Verse.
Lu Xu: “…”
There was no need to work so hard at preaching.
Before participating in Sunset Idol, he had hired a teacher for intensive training. The original Lu Xu had been utterly exhausted at that time. Back when Verse was still struggling for recognition, he had tirelessly attended programs and events, pouring himself into the group day and night.
Later, when Verse finally gained fame, the spotlight fell primarily on his teammates, while his shortcomings continued to be highlighted.
In the early days, the original Lu Xu’s skills were indeed lacking. However, as time passed, he improved significantly—just not enough to silence the criticism. Worse still, he had lost the chance to showcase his growth.
After all, Verse was a team. When one member became the target of ridicule and the others responded with indifference—or worse, fanned the flames of mockery—it was the group as a whole that suffered.
Lu Xu stretched his arms and exhaled deeply.
“Are you going to participate in these kinds of shows again?” Xu Wen asked, glancing at him.
“No, it’s not for me.”
His primary focus remained acting. As enjoyable as the stage atmosphere was, Lu Xu preferred the immersive environment of a film set.
He was just… occasionally saddened for the original Lu Xu.
That feeling of pouring your heart into something and getting nothing in return—Lu Xu understood it all too well.
Although—over the next few days, his vampire styling spread widely across major platforms, becoming one of his rare iconic looks since his role as Ji Xiuya.
Chen Ye even cosplayed this vampire look during Yao Yuan’s livestream, only to be pelted with rotten eggs by fed-up fans.
Chen Ye’s method of riding on Lu Xu’s popularity—lamenting how he hadn’t been cast as Ji Xiuya, cosplaying Ji Xiuya, cosplaying Yu Yi, cosplaying Yan Huan—had thoroughly enraged Lu Xu’s fanbase.
But there was nothing they could do about Chen Ye and Yao Yuan, who clung to Lu Xu like stubborn, shameless clowns. They had long abandoned their dignity—what could anyone do to stop them?
Cosplaying characters played by Lu Xu was a double-edged sword: the uglier the cosplayer, the more awkward the attempt.
Chen Ye was fully aware of his lackluster appearance, but he insisted on cosplaying anyway, taking shamelessness to a new level. From a certain perspective, he was indeed invincible in his audacity.
While Lu Xu was busy with variety shows and endorsement deals, post-production for Feather of Youth was nearing completion. The film was scheduled for release in the latter half of the year.
Given the universally appealing subject matter of Feather of Youth, it passed through the review process even faster than Deception. With no need for extensive special effects or complex setups, the entire production had been smooth and efficient, without a single delay.
Lu Xu had originally planned to take a break until the release of Feather of Youth. However, midway through his downtime, he received a call from Liu Chunfeng.
Since the broadcast of Son of Heaven, Lu Xu’s interactions with Liu Chunfeng had been minimal, limited to occasional chats in group messages.
Liu Chunfeng had briefly reignited interest in historical dramas after Son of Heaven. Several projects approached him following its success, with investors specifically requesting him to replicate a role similar to Qin Zhao. Liu Chunfeng turned them all down.
After all, Son of Heaven was rooted in its historical context. The brilliance of the characters—such as the emperor, the prime minister, and Qin Zhao—wasn’t due to Liu Chunfeng’s creation but their inherent existence within history.
That said, sweeping the Stellar Awards with wins for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and a record three acting nominations was undeniably enticing.
Yet, as expected, interest in historical dramas waned after Son of Heaven. The projects enthusiastically launched by various studios failed to recoup their investments. Liu Chunfeng, unwilling to compromise, avoided stepping back into the genre without the proper care and attention it required—a genre that demanded equal dedication from actors, writers, and directors alike.
Liu Chunfeng’s call had only one purpose: he and Qin Yu had joined forces once again to create a new historical drama, and he wanted to know if Lu Xu was available to play the lead role.