With Chatting About set to premiere, the official Weibo acocunt posted dozens of updates every day, actively interacting with the cast. Stills and teasers were released one after another.
Except for Si Cheng, who had some popularity as the nation’s little brother, other actors fell far behind. The official account’s interaction numbers were pitifully low, appearing quite bleak at first glance.
The only minor highlight was a previously released poster.
It was a poster with a rich color palette, resembling an oil painting.
Moonlight spilled its soft glow. On the roof, a black-clad figure, tightly wrapped, gracefully dodged a cold gleaming sword. The composition was exquisite, with a perfect balance of vibrant and ethereal colors, stillness and movement, softness and strength – like a harmonious and wonderful CG masterpiece.
Once this poster was released, it elicited waves of admiration, and likes, shares, and comments quickly reached a small peak.
「This flexibility is definitely not something Guan Han is lacking. Isn’t Guan Han originally from a dance background?」
「Ah, Hanhan in this shot is so beautiful!! The director is really amazing!!」
「Was Meng Xuan not dressed in elegant white throughout the novel? Were there scenes with this appearance?」
「Yeah, look at the waistline and legs. Guan Han’s waist may not be as superior, but those long legs are enviable…」
「The confusion in the comments above, hehe. What’s wrong with Hanhan’s waist?」
「Lurking fan of the book here passing by. On the rooftop chase under the moonlight, it seems to be a scene where Jin’er was caught stealing intelligence by Chunyu Yuan and Guan Nianyan. The black-clad person is Jin’er.」
「???」
A miscalculation, a miscalculation.
On the other side, Guan Han, unjustly mentioned, was frustrated. After netizens learned that the poster owner was Xu Qiao, the enthusiasm to generate hype for her faded.
The official account’s interaction numbers returned to the previously ordinary state.
With the premiere approaching and no hype, Jiang Wen was worrying. On the other hand, Hu Zhenghua gave him a surprise, officially announcing Xu Qiao’s role as the male lead in Water Ghost story.
Hundred Ghosts was a large-scale, 60-episode TV drama with a long filming period, numerous locations, and substantial investment. The costumes, props, and special effects were all exquisite.
Directed by the consistently acclaimed Hu Zhenghua, it added a bit more anticipation.
Five arcs, five stories, each protagonist had to undergo careful selection, only finalized after several rounds of auditions.
Water Ghost was the fourth story in the drama. Auditions for the past period gradually began, with most characters already officially announced. However, the protagonist, Liu Wen, and a few other roles were still vacant.
Hu Zhenghua wasn’t in a hurry to cast, only announcing the cast today.
When Xu Qiao’s name was seen, everyone’s expressions became somewhat strange.
Who didn’t know he had almost no acting experience? Currently, his only work was an unreleased web drama.
From the male supporting role in a web drama to the male lead in Hu Zhenghua’s series, even if it was just one of the stories in the series, it could be considered a significant leap.
Despite Xu Qiao gaining some popularity from his recent final exams, in the entertainment industry, singing, dancing, acting – he still hadn’t shaken off the label of being a mere vase.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Whether it was from his former manager Yang Hui or assistant Li Feifei, Xu Qiao had heard their praises for Hu Zhenghua more than once.
Being one of the directors in the billion-dollar box office club, he had directed both blockbuster commercial films and award-seeking art films. He was a director with both talent and reputation.
Being able to play the male lead under such a director, even if not on the big screen, was enough to make people envious.
Prepared for the inevitable skepticism, he couldn’t help but be astonished when seeing the reactions of netizens under the official announcement on Weibo.
He had a bad reputation, being overshadowed during the first two final exams, plus the incident involving rescuing Ying Yuan. However, he quickly bounced back in this instance with an even more vigorous attitude.
「So annoying… I can understand the whole favor thing, but giving him the lead role directly seems a bit too much, doesn’t it?」
「What’s Director Hu thinking, rushing to tarnish his own reputation?」
「Originally, Xu Qiao had some goodwill from this, but can’t he have a bit more self-awareness before taking on the lead role?」
「The person above, don’t be too quick to judge. If you haven’t seen his performance, how do you know he can’t handle it?」
「Why bother watching?」
「It’s a bit nauseating to repay favors like this. I feel sorry for Director Hu.」
Xu Qiao didn’t continue reading. The sentiments were understandable. After all, he currently had no work under his belt. In the entertainment industry, even the pinnacle of fame offered an unsteady footing.
Getting out of bed, he walked to the window. Sparse beams of light seeped through the gaps in the curtains, casting on the floor. Tiny particles of dust floated in the air, illuminated by the sunlight.
Xu Qiao pulled back the curtains and glanced up. Today’s sun resembled a silver button pressed against the dusty yellow sky — bright, cold, with no intention of warming up.
His gaze shifted down to the towering SSE office building. The massive screen on top no longer displayed advertisements featuring the agency’s artists but was looping Li Chengxuan’s birthday support.
It was his birthday today, Xu Qiao thought. He yawned, closed the curtains, and lazily flopped back onto the bed.
Li Chengxuan’s mood was naturally not good.
Initially, snatching the role of the young Daoist from Xu Qiao was a move to make himself feel better. It not only displeased Xu Qiao but also helped him build a relationship with Director Hu Zhenghua, a win-win situation.
However, who could have predicted that before the filming of Water Ghost even started, Xu Qiao would parachute in as the male lead, directly overshadowing him.
“Alright, tidy up. There’s a birthday meet-and-greet later.” Yang Hui, holding a cigarette between her fingertips, took a puff, her expression indifferent.
Li Chengxuan glanced at her and went straight to sit down. Sensing the sofa sinking a bit, Yang Hui shifted to the side.
“He’s really lucky. He doesn’t even have a manager, but by chance, he rescued someone and landed the male lead role.” Li Chengxuan’s hand stretched out, resting on the back of the sofa. His fingers lightly brushed against Yang Hui’s shoulder, a slightly gloomy expression on his face.
Yang Hui leaned forward, flicked the ash from her cigarette into the ashtray, and spoke with a hint of sarcasm, “Luck or not, you know best.”
Li Chengxuan’s expression stiffened for a moment.
Yes, no one knew better than him that Xu Qiao’s potential in acting wasn’t what the outside world thought.
He knew this from the moment they auditioned for the role of the young Daoist.
Li Chengxuan’s face wrinkled with a resentful smile, and the hand resting on the back of the sofa fell onto Yang Hui’s shoulder. “Big Sister Yang, do you regret it? Regret helping me drive him away?”
Watching Li Chengxuan, Yang Hui sighed silently in her heart.
Having been an agent for many years, she naturally had an eye for talent. Xu Qiao’s appearance was there. With proper packaging, he could have been promoted even as just a vase.
Moreover, since Xu Qiao joined the cast of Chatting About, she knew he wasn’t just a pretty face.
If she had genuinely nurtured him, Xu Qiao could have become a hot new star. But Li Chengxuan was wary of him. Ever since Chasing the Spotlight was formed and the boys debuted, he was wary.
And she naturally favored the one she liked.
Watching Li Chengxuan’s slightly aggrieved and handsome face, Yang Hui’s gaze softened. She patted his head and said, “Alright, no regrets. It’s your birthday today. Don’t be unhappy.”
Li Chengxuan nodded, lowered his eyelashes, and tightened his grip on his phone.
When Hu Zhenghua officially announced Xu Qiao, netizens were initially displeased, but after a round of complaints, it passed.
Little did anyone know, by the evening, this controversy flared up again.
Several entertainment blogs chimed in, accusing a certain artist of being unworthy, claiming they robbed other talented actors of their rightful opportunities.
This immediately hinted at an implicit criticism directed at Xu Qiao.
Fans who were already displeased with Xu Qiao for seemingly snatching opportunities from their idols, along with bystanders and Xu Qiao’s existing critics, started hurling insults once again.
Laden with tags like “vase actor, get out of the entertainment industry,” the comments were densely packed, making the onlookers gasp.
Those within the industry could easily spot the involvement of paid trolls, recognizing it as an attempt to smear Xu Qiao.
Initially, Hu Zhenghua thought some discussion would be good. Once the drama aired, Xu Qiao’s abilities would naturally be evident, and proving oneself through performance was the most convincing. However, he didn’t anticipate the situation evolving into this under the guidance of someone with ill intentions.
He quickly posted an explanation on Weibo, distinguishing between official and private matters. He chose Xu Qiao to play the male lead in the Water Ghost story not for any ulterior motives but because he found Xu Qiao suitable, based on his performance in Chatting About.
The critics among the netizens found it amusing. A renowned director like him, interested in a poorly made web drama like Chatting About? As for performance, what kind of performance could there be? The explanation seemed feeble.
Hu Zhenghua felt wronged. Truth be told, no one believed this explanation. Admittedly, initially, it was because Xu Qiao saved Ying Yuan, and he wanted to repay the favor by giving him a role. But even if he did, it wouldn’t have been the male lead. Repaying a favor wouldn’t tarnish his own reputation.
After watching Xu Qiao’s audition tape and snippets of Chatting About from Jiang Wen, he genuinely believed that Xu Qiao was suitable, which led him to cast him as the male lead.
On the other side, popular actress Guan Han attended an event, and a reporter happened to bring up this matter.
“Guan Han, you made a cameo as Meng Xuan in the Chatting About drama, and spent three days on set. Can you share your thoughts on Xu Qiao’s acting?”
Guan Han’s expression seemed a bit uncomfortable, her eyes timid, presenting an unusually innocent demeanor. “Well, it’s not easy to evaluate.”
“Why is it not easy to evaluate?” the reporter pressed for more information.
Guan Han frowned, appearing to ponder the question before saying, “Because during those few days as a guest, it seemed like I didn’t see much of Xu Qiao on set, so I couldn’t make an assessment of his acting.”
At first glance, the statement seemed fine, but upon closer examination, something seemed amiss.
Why didn’t she see much of Xu Qiao on set?
Logically, even if Xu Qiao didn’t have scenes, as a supporting actor, he should have stayed on set, waiting for his scenes. If he wasn’t there, where did he go? Or did he not want to wait for his scenes?
Soon, marketing accounts extracted this portion of Guan Han’s statement and posted it on Weibo.
Once again, this stirred up a wave of criticism for Xu Qiao, accusing him of being “unprofessional” and “arrogant.”
The staff and actors of the Chatting About production team were infuriated. What was she insinuating here? Why wasn’t Xu Qiao on set? Does she not have a clue as to why?
Wasn’t it because he was filling in for you, this big shot, and had to go to the hospital?
Who exactly is being unprofessional and arrogant?
But no one dared to offend Guan Han directly. They could only silently sympathize with Xu Qiao in their hearts.
Despite all the criticism, the popularity of Chatting About actually increased significantly.
Jiang Wen was shrewd. Seeing the situation, he took advantage of the controversy and intensified the promotional efforts. Using paid trolls to criticize Xu Qiao? Sure, let’s fan the flames even more with this controversy.
Among the cast and crew, Guan Han had the largest fanbase, so he decided to capitalize on her popularity.
As a result, fans who followed the official Chatting About account discovered that overnight it transformed into Guan Han’s rainbow-flavored official account.
@Chatting about the Passing of Time with a Zither: Meng Xuan, the noble lady living in seclusion away from the world, also has days of cooking and making soup~
【Han Bao’s Husband】Ah, ah, ah, Hanhan looks so beautiful!
【Is my Han business open today?】The Goose Lady is too beautiful! Can’t get enough~
@Chatting about the Passing of Time with a Zither: Meng Xuan, the fairy in white, unexpectedly displayed a heroic and refreshing posture in the fight scenes (heart)
【Trimming Hanhan’s Nails】Sister, you’re too cool!
【My Han Not Being Popular Is Against the Natural Order】The fight scenes are also too impressive!
@Chatting about the Passing of Time with a Zither: Meng Xuan…
@Chatting about the Passing of Time with a Zither: Guan Han…
As soon as people opened the official account, the first few dozen posts were all about Meng Xuan, Guan Han, Meng Xuan, Guan Han, practically shouting, “I want to ride on this popularity wave.”
Onlooking netizens were astonished by the shameless antics of the Chatting About production team.
Not that they couldn’t use the hype, after all, inviting someone for a cameo was obviously based on their existing popularity. But the blatant and shameless manner in which they were milking it seemed a bit too much.
Ty for the chapter!!!! <3
Thanks for the chapter! She put out the bait
Thank you for the chapter.
Thank you for the update ☺️
Omggg it’s about to get crazy😳
Of course they’re milking it. They got to get something out of it after all that money they spent to hire her.
I cracked up.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING AWESOME!!!
Milking it and thus bringing out a storm
Thanks for the chapter
Very very excited for the reversal
Thx for the chappy
Can’t wait for all of those evil people to get what they deserve.
Thank you for the chapter!
Thank you for the chapter 💝