Famous! Ch.151

Chapter 151: Fair and Just

Zhao Yifan himself, along with his agency, had already prepared for the possibility of his scenes being cut.

However, while reducing screen time was one thing, the real problem was that all the discussion about Reverse City revolved around Lu Xu. Almost no one even mentioned Zhao Yifan.

This was something Zhao Yifan refused to accept.

The trending topic was bought by his agency. While he hadn’t explicitly acknowledged it, he tacitly approved of their actions.

Only after making it to the trending list would the audience realize that Reverse City had more than just one lead actor—there was Zhao Yifan too.

Of course, he was also personally dissatisfied with the director and screenwriter’s favoritism toward Lu Xu.

After all, he was supposed to be the protagonist of this film!

When the hashtag #Zhao Yifan’s Scenes Cut# first appeared on the trending list, it ranked 22nd. But within an hour, it shot up to 2nd place, catching everyone off guard—including Zhao Yifan himself.

His manager, however, quickly provided an explanation: “Lu Xu has more than a few enemies.”

Zhao Yifan did a quick mental calculation—just nearby, there were Liu Rennong Studio and Zhang Zhizhen. As for farther connections, there were even more.

Since his scenes in Reverse City had been cut, it was only natural for the blame to be directed at Lu Xu. And this was something that needed to be pointed out.

Sure enough, under the #Zhao Yifan’s Scenes Cut# hashtag, fans were already complaining about Lu Xu stealing Zhao Yifan’s screen time.

[He’s just taking advantage of the fact that Zhao Yifan has fewer fans and isn’t popular enough. Would he dare pull this with Yue Hui?]

[This isn’t entirely Lu Xu’s fault, but director Mu Lang is definitely playing favorites.]

[Zhao Yifan is so unlucky. He’s the protagonist, yet his screen time and presence are lower than a supporting character’s.]

[@Reverse City production team, can you please give Zhao Yifan an explanation? He worked diligently on set, and just because he made one small mistake, does that mean the crew has the right to insult his dignity as an actor?]

[Trash production team! Give Zhao Yifan the treatment a leading actor deserves! He shouldn’t be ranked behind just any random nobody!]

Before long, the comment section of Reverse City’s official account was flooded with Zhao Yifan’s fans.

Of course, not all fans were this emotional—some tried to persuade others in the comments:

[Can we wait until the movie finishes screening before protesting? Complaining now will only hurt Reverse City’s box office.]

However, the more agitated fans had no patience to listen.

In fact, the reason why Enne Entertainment chose this moment to act was that Zhao Yifan’s collaboration with Mu Lang had already ended. Right now was a critical period for Reverse City’s box office growth. Given that all the praise was overwhelmingly favoring Lu Xu, it was clear that the benefits Zhao Yifan could gain from the movie were limited.

By striking first, Enne Entertainment could at least secure some sympathy points for Zhao Yifan.

Since the box office was the priority, the Reverse City production team was unlikely to issue a harsh response, considering the audience’s perception.

…

The Reverse City team did not respond immediately.

The hashtag #Zhao Yifan’s Scenes Cut# quickly climbed to the number one spot on the trending list, even surpassing discussions about Sanzu River.

Director Mu Lang’s Weibo was bombarded, as was screenwriter Luo Kun’s. The so-called “culprit,” Lu Xu, faced even harsher criticism, yet his Weibo remained untouched—because his fan base was over ten times larger than Zhao Yifan’s, and Lu Xu’s fans were known for their high engagement.

There was no way to overpower them. Not even close.

If Zhao Yifan’s fans dared to attack Lu Xu, Lu Xu’s fans would have no problem burying Zhao Yifan completely.

Thanks to Zhao Yifan’s trending status, Reverse City unexpectedly gained several more trending topics.

Of course—they were all negative.

For example, rumors surfaced about how director Mu Lang had constantly berated Zhao Yifan on set, how he had to reshoot the same scene twenty times yet still failed to satisfy Mu Lang, and how Lu Xu received treatment a hundred times better than Zhao Yifan.

Aside from privately gossiping about Lu Xu, Zhao Yifan actually had a decent reputation within the acting community. To the audience, he was seen as a serious and reserved actor—perhaps not particularly charismatic, but dedicated and hardworking.

A good actor suffering such unfair treatment naturally drew sympathy from the public.

The timing of Zhao Yifan’s trending topic was also quite coincidental. Just in the past few days, paparazzi had exposed another celebrity for diva behavior—using body doubles for hands, feet, and even chest shots, sleeping in until noon before arriving on set, only to spend the rest of the time glued to their phone.

And yet, these prima donna actors still managed to rake in high salaries—so much so that some joked they probably even had stand-ins for everything.

[No way they’d let someone stand in for that! Wouldn’t they at least stuff some padding in to make it look real?]

In contrast, a hardworking and dedicated actor like Zhao Yifan was being mistreated. This was something the audience simply couldn’t tolerate.

[And this is exactly why the quality of films we see keeps getting worse!]

[Shouldn’t Zhao Yifan be the one receiving high pay and fair treatment?]

The trending topic wasn’t just fueled by die-hard fans and gossip lovers—this time, even casual netizens who usually ignored celebrity scandals joined the discussion.

Zhao Yifan’s situation resonated with many: [There are way too many so-called ‘elite’ types in real life who enjoy high pay while constantly PUA-ing others. They love to preach about how they ‘got to where they are through hard work,’ but in reality, the harder you work, the more you’re exploited. The more you do, the more you get dumped on.]

[Some people are really like this… You’re already exhausted, you just want to live your life in peace, but as long as you can breathe and speak, there will always be someone who comes along just to push you down.]

[I wouldn’t go so far as to call Lu Xu an ‘elite,’ but I do feel that the way Zhao Yifan was treated was unfair.]

There was an unchanging truth in the entertainment industry (summarized by Lu Xu)—whenever something happened to his rivals, reporters would always rush to interview him first.

This time was no exception.

Lu Xu was still on the set of Fearless Life, juggling both promotions and filming. He was so exhausted that he felt drained, but fortunately, his character in Fearless Life was someone who relentlessly pursued his ideals at any cost. Right now, Lu Xu’s real-life exhaustion perfectly matched his character’s non-stop struggle.

After shooting several consecutive scenes, the director finally informed him that reporters had been waiting outside for him—for two whole days.

Lu Xu was already aware that Zhao Yifan’s scenes had been cut. After all, it had blown up on the trending list. Based on past experience, he knew the reporters would definitely come to ask for his opinion, so he simply agreed to the interview.

The reporter asked, “We heard that Zhao Yifan was frequently scolded on set. Is that true?”

“Occasionally,” Lu Xu replied. “I got scolded too, but later on, it happened less.”

“Then why was Zhao Yifan the only one who kept getting scolded?”

Lu Xu looked puzzled.

The reporter stared at him, equally puzzled by his puzzled expression.

Lu Xu looked even more confused, then put on a thoughtful expression as if carefully choosing his words. “Because… he wasn’t performing well enough?”

“Director Mu Lang is indeed very strict,” Lu Xu explained. “If you NG more than three times, it’s normal to get reprimanded. The director’s tone can get pretty harsh.”

“I used to NG more than twice at the beginning, but once I stopped making mistakes, the director stopped scolding me.”

The reporter jotted down Lu Xu’s answers while comparing them to Zhao Yifan’s claims about his treatment on set—according to Zhao Yifan’s side, he had to reshoot the same scene 20 times, yet the director was still unsatisfied.

In other words… he NG’d 20 times?

The logic checked out—clearly, the reason Lu Xu wasn’t scolded was because he didn’t NG.

Lu Xu was doing his job well—why would Mu Lang scold him for no reason?

…The fact that some of Zhao Yifan’s fans started attacking Lu Xu over this only made Lu Xu seem more like the one being wronged.

The reporter continued asking Lu Xu other questions, most of which he answered. The media had long been aware of the tension between Lu Xu and Zhao Yifan—Reverse City’s filming had been filled with rumors about their rivalry.

But no matter how one looked at it, it was Zhao Yifan who first started taking jabs at Lu Xu. Now, Zhao Yifan was the one calling out Reverse City’s production team for unfairness, all while allowing his fans to drag Lu Xu through the mud on trending topics.

At some point, even the reporter felt awkward pressing Lu Xu on this issue, so they simply shifted the topic to Lu Xu’s upcoming film.

That was when Lu Xu casually mentioned how he had been working non-stop.

This immediately sent the reporter’s thoughts in a new direction.

Why was Lu Xu so busy?

Oh—because he was juggling promotional tours while filming.

Did he have to be this busy? Not necessarily. But since Zhao Yifan had stopped attending Reverse City’s promotional events, wouldn’t that mean Lu Xu had to step in?

So, in the end…

The reporter wasn’t deliberately siding with Lu Xu, but based on experience, his explanation made sense.

If someone had to reshoot the same scene 20 times and still couldn’t get it right… that probably wasn’t the director’s fault, was it?

Would Mu Lang really go out of his way to make things difficult for Zhao Yifan?

Mu Lang had long been a renowned director in the industry, and most reporters were familiar with his style. Strict as he was, he wasn’t the kind of director who deliberately made things difficult for actors.

Silently, the reporter uploaded the interview online.

[Emmmm… Shot the same scene 20 times? Any workers still sympathizing with him? LMAO, the real workhorses here are the crew members.]

[Exactly. He’s just using the ‘20 takes’ thing to emphasize how hard he’s trying. But seriously, if some idiot revised the same spreadsheet 20 times and still couldn’t get it right, I’d curse his ancestors—I wouldn’t just yell!]

[This isn’t just about redoing a spreadsheet. Let me educate you: NGing 20 times means the other actors in the scene have to redo their parts 20 times too. The lighting crew, props team, cameramen, costume staff, makeup artists, and the director all have to reset and do it over 20 times.]

[Say no more. Just imagining it makes me want to go feral.]

[I wouldn’t just yell at him—I’d be tempted to slap him!]

As soon as #NG20Times started trending, Mu Lang finally stepped forward to address the controversy.

To Enne Entertainment’s surprise, Mu Lang took a firm stance:

[Actors exist to serve the script. I will not compromise the balance of the film’s narrative for the sake of any one actor. What you see on screen now is the best possible version of Reverse City.]

Mu Lang didn’t deny that Zhao Yifan’s scenes had been cut. In his view, reducing Zhao Yifan’s screen time had ultimately improved the film.

[If you demand fair treatment from the production team, then please also treat the production team fairly. As one of the lead actors, you should fulfill your responsibility to promote the film. You can’t demand fairness while harboring bias against Reverse City.

[I admit that I’m strict and that my criticism can be harsh. But if you can reduce the number of NGs, I will naturally reduce the number of critiques. In this regard, I treat all actors equally.]

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