CH 101

When Shen Xingsui came out of the filming set, the weather had turned cold.

He was standing downstairs in a cotton-padded jacket, and the icy cold wind was blowing through the hall. The coolness brought by it made them shiver all over. He let out a long breath, and his breath condensed immediately, leaving behind a wisp of mist.

Cancan came from behind and said, “It will snow in a few days.”

“This year passes so fast,” Shen Xingsui smiled and said, “Last year’s Chinese New Year seemed to be just last month.” 

Cancan nodded in agreement. 

During last year’s Chinese New Year, Shen Xingsui was still filming “Bright Stars”. At that time, Anran and Jian Zhi hadn’t left the circle yet, and Shen Xingsui and Fu Jinxiao’s relationship was not that good. It’s just been a whole year, and yet, everything has changed. 

Cancan said softly, “The days will get better.” 

Shen Xingsui got into the car as he replied, “I hope so.”

“Ah, you still have to follow the movie’s publicity, we still can’t rest yet,” Cancan looked at their schedule, lamenting, “It’s hard work.”

Shen Xingsui also took the schedule to look at it, and replied, “It’s okay, We can be busy together. Isn’t Teacher Fu busy too?” 

Cancan nodded sympathetically and said, “Isn’t that right, Mr. Fu is really a busy person, be it since the past years and now. I don’t think he had much rest time this year either.” 

Even the rest some time ago was still forced by Shen Xingsui.

The publicity and distribution of the movie’s release was very fast and intensive, because Shen Xingsui and Fu Jinxiao invested, so the main publicity work was taken over by their own entertainment company. They have a very mature publicity and distribution, and the movie was very popular during the pre-screening period. However, because all of the actors beside Fu Jinxiao were all newcomers, the audience’s response was not enthusiastic: 

[Mr. Fu is bringing in newcomers?]

[I don’t think so, he wouldn’t do that.]

[Why is he participating with this kind of crew?]

[Agree, doesn’t Fu Jinxiao have a lot of resources to pick from?] 

Judging from the external market evaluation, the audience’s comprehensive evaluation of this movie was not very optimistic.

Especially when it was discovered that Shen Xingsui was the other main lead, and this was a same-sex romance movie. The public wasn’t enthusiastic for such a movie. 

As a result, Shen Xingsui was a little nervous.

He has never tried to make a movie before. It was the first time in both of his life. He was afraid that this film wouldn’t be accepted well by the public. It’s fine if it’s only his reputation on the line, but since this involved Fu Jinxiao, he felt like he had to take the blame. 

As he watched the public’s opinion brewing online, he received a call from Fu Jinxiao.

After answering the call request, Fu Jinxiao immediately asked, “Why didn’t you answer the call for so long?” 

“Huh?” Shen Xingsui quickly replied in a soft tone, “Sorry, sorry, I’m reading reviews about movies on the Internet.”

“Why are you doing that?” Fu Jinxiao was not under so much pressure. Judging by the languid tone of his voice and the white noise, he should have just taken a shower, and was currently drying his hair. “You know that you can’t ever satisfy all people, there will always be haters.” 

Shen Xingsui sounded meek and unsure. “Well…” 

Fu Jinxiao noticed this. He smiled and closed his eyes, “Is Teacher Shen so unconfident in himself?

“I-If the film’s reputation is not good, and it hurts you…”

Fu Jinxiao raised his eyebrows, he was a little surprised by this answer.

In fact, from the few months when the movie was about to be released, he had noticed that Shen Xingsui was depressed. He thought it was because of fear and timidity, but unexpectedly, it was because of this reason.

“It doesn’t matter if the reputation or the box office tanked,” Fu Jinxiao sighed. His voice was a little indifferent, but he chuckled, “It’s not like I haven’t faced such a situation before.” 

Shen Xingsui was very surprised. After all, he knew that all movies that Fu Jinxiao acted in had all been successful. 

Fu Jinxiao seemed to know what he was thinking, and said slowly, “Sometimes what you see is not necessarily true. Many of my movies can never be broadcast because they haven’t passed the review or because of my co-actors. Also, there’s also the possibility that the box office data might look good, but it’s just all smoke and mirrors, where the producer or director actually bought many tickets so it looked like the movie actually succeeded.” 

“Oh, and in the early years, because of my poor acting skills or various reasons, many directors and audiences criticize my acting,” Fu Jinxiao recounted the difficulty of these years in a very light tone, “Many things may look bright on the outside, but every year, no matter how beautiful the flowers are, their roots are still rooted in the mud.” 

Shen Xingsui felt like the burden in throat was suddenly gone. “So everyone will face the risk of failure?”

Fu Jinxiao listened to the voice of his lover on the phone and whispered, “Yes, that’s true.” 

Shen Xingsui’s brows and eyes were much gentler. “But……”

He heard Fu Jinxiao’s slow chuckle on the other end of the phone again. It sounded domineering, but he spoke some inexplicably calming words, “With me here, this risk can be reduced to a minimum.”

Shen Xingsui’s eyes widened a little, and the restlessness in his heart seemed to be washed away at this very moment.

Fu Jinxiao said softly, “Don’t you believe me?”

“I believe you,” Shen Xingsui answered affirmatively this time, with a gentle smile on his brows and eyes, “I believe in you more than I believe in myself.”

As the New Year dawned, so was the released date of “Lonely City.” 

At first, it wasn’t a movie that was favored by the masses, but it still broke through the siege. Many people originally weren’t confident about this movie due to many newcomers acting in it. But, after the first batch of audiences finished watching the movie, the word of mouth about the movie began to sweep the Internet:

[The plot is very thoughtful.]

[The funds were not spent on hiring actors, but on the production itself.]

[I cried to death when Fang Zhiwen died.]

[Warning: if you wanna watch this movie, don’t forget to bring a big box of tissues!]

[This is the best movie I’ve watched this year.]

The rave reviews swept all major platforms, and many people began to promote it on their own. On Douban, it held the high score of 9.7, and this score was reflected in other such websites. “Lonely City” has achieved all-round praise.

Of course, as the praises came one after another, there was also controversy on the Internet. After watching it, some viewers naturally want to sell CP. A large number of groups have started to produce their own food. The names of Fu Jinxiao and Shen Xingsui appeared together frequently, be it the name of their role or their own name: 

[Suisui’s acting skills are not bad.]

[I love the behind-the-scenes! His daily life with Mr. Fu and the crew are so sweet.]

[The teacher-student couple must be true.]

[Fang Zhiwen’s forbearing and deep love for Xu Yan… whenever I remember it makes me wanna bawl like a baby.] 

[These two people should be together soon!]

Because of the mass appearance of the CP fans, it also aroused dissatisfaction among many people, especially Fu Jinxiao’s hardcore fans, who were even more resentful. The hype felt astoundingly annoying to them. They even launched a counterattack against the CP fans:

[All you can do all day is hyping this fake couple. The real ones will kowtow to the acting skills instead!]

[I won’t watch this thanks to this.]

[Together? Is Shen Xingsui worthy of Mr. Fu?]

[I hope they understand to separate reality from the film. In reality, they are only colleagues!] 

Many fans, including Fu Jinxiao’s hardcore girlfriend and wife fans, protested the CP and hype. Some people even started to attack Shen Xingsui himself, stamping all kinds of nasty rumors on him, and the resistance reached its peak.

Even Fu Jinxiao’s official studio Weibo has received a large number of private messages and complaints, demanding to untie him from this CP, and to restore the artist’s clean image, especially since this was a same-sex pairing that shouldn’t be “normalized”. 

At the film promotional event, many leading actors and guests of “Lonely City” were all present. Today was a big press conference. Because the box office of “Lonely City” was very good, a lot of media were gathered. 

The dressing room backstage was also very lively.

The event organizer has been discussing the process with Shen Xingsui, as he would have to face many tough questions in the press conference later. He gave him a draft to teach him what to say.

On the other side–

On the way to the conference site, in a nanny car, the atmosphere was a bit dignified.

Wang Meican was also very helpless after watching the online discussion. “I didn’t expect that your… fans would be so against this CP. This time, we actually used this kind of CP hyping to test the waters, to see how the audience accepts the relationship between the two of you. I never expected that they would resist to such an extent…” 

In the car, some netizens’ comments froze Fu Jinxiao’s expression. 

The man sat in the car with his gaze downcast. It was obvious that he was in a bad mood. He sneered after hearing what his manager said, raised his eyelids and said, “What are we going to do?” 

“I talked to Suisui two days ago. That child is also very sad about this kind of thing, but he cares more about your image and influence, so he said that in the future, he will reduce the marketing and publicity in this area. He also wants to keep a low profile, trying to be careful not to be photographed by the media,” Wang Meican sighed, “Suisui is too sensible, he doesn’t make trouble when he is wronged, but when it comes about you, he goes to cover on all fronts.” 

Fu Jinxiao frowned slightly, “Did he say that…?” 

Wang Meican nodded. “This seems to be the best way now. Since Suisui is willing to deal with it in a low-key manner, at least calm down some fans first…”

Fu Jinxiao scoffed.

Looking at his cold gaze, Wang Meican suddenly had an ominous premonition in her heart.

“Do you think blindly deceiving and concealing is a satisfactory answer for fans?” Fu Jinxiao threw the tablet aside, and said slowly, “On the surface, it is not worthy of trust to advertise that you are single to attract fans. I will not let my lover be stomped down by those so-called fans to appease them. That is just failing one’s responsibility.” 

Fu Jinxiao had a light smile on his face, “Wang-jie, do you think this is right?”

Fu Jinxiao’s words struck a chord. She wanted to say that many artists do this, but when she looked at Fu Jinxiao’s bright eyes, she felt that she couldn’t say anything to refute. Some people hide it for the sake of popularity, while others choose to stand on the cusp of the storm, even if that means their reputation will bear a hit. 

Wang Meican chuckled and said, “There may be serious consequences in the future. Suisui is a newcomer, but his fanbase is stable, so there shouldn’t be a problem on his end. However, for you, I know that the backlash may cause you to step down from the altar. So this is not an impulsive decision to make. Even so, you’re not hesitating at all?” 

Fu Jinxiao curled his lips into a mysterious smile. “I will not hesitate.”

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