Chapter 182: Encounter in the Company
After returning to C City, Lu Xu pulled out his dust-covered bicycle. Though the weather was cold, he warmed up quickly after riding for only a short while.
Although he lived in C City, he didn’t actually spend much time there throughout the year. When he took on a lot of roles, he was constantly traveling all over the country. His house was managed by Xu Wen, and every time Lu Xu came back, he always slept soundly.
He rode to Feiyang Entertainment.
The company’s signed artists came and went, and Lu Xu had transitioned from being a newcomer to a senior employee.
He parked his bicycle downstairs, intending to go up and find Xu Wen. Before he could even take off his helmet and glasses, a sharp voice rang out behind him.
“Who told you to park here?”
“Parking like this—how’s anyone else supposed to get their car through?”
Lu Xu glanced behind him at the vast, empty space and couldn’t help but look confused. Every time he rode his bike to Feiyang Entertainment, he always parked in this open area, and it had never blocked anyone before.
Since the person seemed to think he was in the way, Lu Xu thought for a moment and moved his bike slightly to the side.
The person who had scolded him had already gotten into the passenger seat of a car. With the window rolled down, he waved his hand impatiently at Lu Xu. “Move it further in. Do you have no sense?”
Lu Xu: “…This road is wide enough for two cars to pass through. Did your family build it?”
The man clearly heard Lu Xu’s muttering, and his voice rose again, about to say more. But before he could, a younger voice came from the back seat.
“Why bother arguing with someone like that? Let’s just go.”
Lu Xu: “…”
Someone like what?
The car was just about to restart when it suddenly stopped again. The man in the passenger seat got out and enthusiastically greeted a figure who had just appeared at the main entrance.
“Brother Xu!”
However, this time, his enthusiasm was not met with Xu Wen’s usual warmth. Xu Wen merely nodded slightly before heading toward the bicycle parking area.
“I figured you’d be arriving around now. Why haven’t you come up yet?”
“Got delayed parking.” Lu Xu finally took off his hat and glasses, handed Xu Wen some local specialties he had brought back, and went upstairs with him.
The moment Lu Xu removed his hat and glasses, both the people inside and outside the car took notice. The man who had just scolded Lu Xu stood frozen in place like a stunned goose, while the person inside the car looked even worse.
“You didn’t realize he was Lu Xu?”
“I… didn’t…”
Although it was the manager who had reprimanded Lu Xu, the command had come from him. He had assumed the cyclist was just an ordinary employee of Feiyang Entertainment. It never crossed his mind that Lu Xu would actually ride a bike to the company alone.
Given Lu Xu’s notorious grudge-holding personality, how smooth could his days at Feiyang Entertainment possibly be after this?
…
Upstairs, Lu Xu walked alongside Xu Wen and couldn’t help but ask, “Who was that just now?”
“Yan Haixuan, a newly signed artist. Have you seen him before? He’s been getting quite popular lately, and the higher-ups plan to promote him heavily. The one greeting me was his manager.”
Lu Xu usually didn’t pay much attention to these things. But recalling how long it had taken him to park just now, Xu Wen frowned. “Did they give you trouble?”
“Nothing major,” Lu Xu said indifferently. “Just asking.”
There was no shortage of people like that in the industry—artists with inflated egos and managers who threw their weight around in their artists’ names. Lu Xu had long outgrown the age of getting worked up over such things. If he let every incident like this get to him, he’d be exhausted.
Lu Xu didn’t take the matter to heart, but Xu Wen, on the other hand, made a mental note to keep an eye on things for him.
Lu Xu’s career had been on a steady rise, which meant that any minor incident involving him tended to attract more attention than usual. Even the smallest issue could be blown out of proportion.
From a manager’s perspective, young celebrities nowadays were indeed more arrogant than those he had dealt with when he first entered the industry. They had higher demands and more quirks. Lu Xu was a rare exception—everyone joked that signing Lu Xu was like winning the lottery for Xu Wen.
Xu Wen’s status at Feiyang Entertainment had risen along with Lu Xu’s success. He was already one of the company’s top-tier managers, and most of the artists he had worked with had made a name for themselves. Many had thought his career as a talent manager had peaked—until he signed Lu Xu.
It was well known that Lu Xu’s breakthrough came with Son of Heaven, which coincided with the time Xu Wen signed him.
Simply put, Xu Wen’s influence within Feiyang Entertainment was undeniable. Even the higher-ups listened to him—after all, more than half of the company’s impressive financial reports were thanks to Lu Xu.
Feiyang Entertainment had seen frequent personnel changes in recent years. Some well-known stars had left, while new talent had been signed. But through it all, Lu Xu’s position remained untouchable.
The reason Lu Xu had come to Feiyang Entertainment this time was that he hadn’t visited the company in a long while and wanted to check in with the executives. Today’s encounter proved that this was necessary—he didn’t even recognize the newly signed artists anymore.
Naturally, meeting with his manager meant discussing work.
“Do you need me to arrange a new script for you? Or a variety show?”
Xu Wen had accumulated a stack of variety show invitations—it was just a matter of which one Lu Xu was interested in.
“Once in a while, you really need to show your face. Otherwise, when we negotiate collaborations, the TV network executives won’t stop asking about you,” Xu Wen said. “Since you never show up, I just have to make things up as I go.”
Lu Xu sighed. “…Is there a variety show that’s low-effort and quick to get through?”
Xu Wen hesitated for a long time before finally uttering two words.
“Spring Festival Gala?”
Lu Xu: “…Alright.”
Xu Wen actually had several offers for Lu Xu to appear as a guest or mentor on talent shows. In previous years, these shows mainly featured trainees from various entertainment agencies, but recently, they had started shifting back toward casting ordinary people.
That trajectory—going from an unknown to a star—actually mirrored Lu Xu’s own career path.
However, talent shows often lasted for several months. Rather than committing to such a long-term engagement, Lu Xu would rather join a film crew or take a few months off to relax.
Not long after winning the Contention Award, Lu Xu attended a seminar related to Fearless Life. During the discussion, an expert pointed out that Lu Xu had portrayed two completely different characters in Fearless Life and Reverse City. The expert suggested that he write a paper reflecting on his acting experience.
The expert wasn’t expecting Lu Xu to produce a highly formal academic paper—even a simple essay would suffice. Since his portrayal of Bai Qianshan had resonated with audiences, Lu Xu, as the actor behind the character, must have deeper insights worth sharing.
Lu Xu didn’t write often, but after hearing the expert’s advice, he genuinely considered giving it a try.
He regularly watched films and read books, so his ability to articulate his thoughts was solid.
Not only did he want to write about Fearless Life and Reverse City, but he also intended to reflect on his most recent project, Observing the Stars at Night. He planned to document his experiences on set from an actor’s perspective and explore how the script incorporated elements of native mythology.
It was going to be a massive undertaking.
…
[You’re going to Spring Festival Gala to sing???]
Upon hearing the news, Zheng Xiao and Shao Yao bombarded the group chat with question marks.
Neither “Spring Festival Gala” nor “singing” seemed to match Lu Xu at all.
Lu Xu: […My manager arranged it.]
This Spring Festival Gala wasn’t exactly the same as the one from Lu Xu’s past life. Back then, it was a grand, state-sponsored event. In this world, while the scale was slightly smaller, it was still considered a huge honor for celebrities to be invited—only the most popular stars typically attended.
Lu Xu had received invitations several times before, but he was always either filming or busy promoting a project. Beyond that, he was also well aware of his own abilities—his singing wasn’t terrible, but he certainly wasn’t on par with professional vocalists.
Of course, the gala wasn’t strictly for powerhouse singers. It was a variety-style event meant to be lively and entertaining rather than a full-fledged concert.
[Do they need backup dancers? We can dance for you.] Zheng Xiao was brimming with enthusiasm. [The production team invited me this year too, but I have no idea what talent I’m supposed to showcase.]
[You could sing too,] Lu Xu suggested.
[With my voice? You think people would willingly listen to that?]
[Then let’s sing together. We’ll bring Shao Yao in too.]
Shao Yao: […]
He couldn’t help but remind Lu Xu that back when they filmed Voice of the Dead, they had both performed as dancers and rappers.
Lu Xu: […Then this time, we can try being singers.]
Lu Xu had encouraged Zheng Xiao and Shao Yao to join him on stage because he didn’t want to perform alone. He had made the suggestion casually, never expecting it to actually happen. Yet somehow… both Shao Yao and Zheng Xiao agreed.
#Consensus reached#
Both Shao Yao and Zheng Xiao had received invitations, and given their status, attending the gala was no problem at all. The three of them privately decided to team up, discussed it with the program organizers, and just like that, their collaboration was confirmed.
[Let’s hit up a karaoke place to practice first!] Zheng Xiao sent a message in their group chat, inviting Lu Xu and Shao Yao.
Lu Xu had free time anyway.
Fearless Life had been released at the beginning of the year, but the award results wouldn’t be announced until the following year. He had no new projects coming out this year, though one of Feiyang Entertainment’s rising stars had a movie premiering during the Spring Festival season. The company had asked Lu Xu to help with promotion, and he agreed to attend the premiere and even made a promotional post on Weibo for them.
Zheng Xiao picked a karaoke venue close to Feiyang Entertainment, knowing that Lu Xu would be biking there. Just as Lu Xu pulled his bike out, about to ride off, he ran into the same car from earlier.
When they met again, the manager who had been arrogant before was now noticeably more polite in both his words and demeanor.
But whether it was him or the hurriedly exiting Yan Haixuan, neither of them had any idea what Lu Xu was really thinking. They knew they had offended him and could only hope that he would be magnanimous enough to let it slide.
Yan Haixuan was well aware that while he had gained some popularity, he was nowhere near Lu Xu’s level. Lu Xu wasn’t just a top-tier celebrity—he was also Feiyang Entertainment’s most valuable artist, someone whose words carried real weight with the company’s executives. Competition in the industry was fierce, and even though Yan Haixuan had joined Feiyang with a decent amount of fame, that didn’t mean he was free from the pressures of internal rivalry.
That morning, Yan Haixuan’s manager had just reprimanded Lu Xu, yet now, when facing Lu Xu again, he couldn’t pretend not to see him. Yan Haixuan had no choice but to step out of the car and politely greet him.
“Hello, Teacher Lu.”
“Teacher Lu.”
Lu Xu gave a slight nod, adjusted his bike, and rode off toward his destination.
His expression was so neutral that Yan Haixuan couldn’t gauge what he was truly thinking. He assumed that, given Lu Xu’s status, it wasn’t worth his time to deliberately teach him a lesson over such a minor incident. Yet, at the same time, he couldn’t help but project his own thoughts onto the situation, wondering if Lu Xu might be the type to hold grudges.
Afterward, Yan Haixuan gradually realized that his standing within Feiyang Entertainment was not what it used to be. Initially, he suspected this was Lu Xu’s doing. But later, his manager—and even some higher-ups he had a good relationship with—let slip that Feiyang Entertainment was far from airtight. More than one person had witnessed what happened between him and Lu Xu at the company entrance.
Everyone knew that he had offended Lu Xu.
Even if Lu Xu himself hadn’t taken any action, there was no guarantee that others wouldn’t seize the opportunity to curry favor by acting on his behalf.
Besides, Xu Wen was not oblivious to the incident. He presented one face to Lu Xu, but to others, he was a different person entirely.
It was no secret within Feiyang Entertainment that Xu Wen was particularly protective of Lu Xu.
In other words, even if Xu Wen hadn’t personally done anything yet, that didn’t mean others wouldn’t take action for him. On top of that, the resources Feiyang Entertainment had been allocating to Yan Haixuan were highly coveted—there was no shortage of young male stars in the company eager for their chance to rise.
In the past, becoming famous required a mix of talent and luck. Nowadays? As long as an actor landed enough roles, fame would eventually follow.
Lu Xu sighed. “So… I’ve basically taken the blame for this?”
“Pretty much.” Xu Wen nodded. “But even if you weren’t responsible, Yan Haixuan wouldn’t dare confront you about it.”
