Duan Xiubo was quite surprised, to say the least. The news had snowballed, growing bigger and bigger. Two of the three key figures involved were connected to Universal Entertainment, and given the company’s public relations prowess, such a situation was practically unthinkable.
He was beyond fed up with hearing Su Shengbai’s name by now! He had already more or less figured out where the scar on Luo Ding’s hand came from, and the past between Su Shengbai and Luo Ding was like a thorn in his heart, piercing him over and over.
And after hearing from Gu Yaxing about how Su Shengbai had set a trap for Luo Ding at the red carpet event, Duan Xiubo could hardly look at the photos of Su Shengbai being hounded by the media, his face showing helplessness, without feeling a deep sense of disgust.
Xu Zhen’s audition plans had to be put on hold, and Su Shengbai, too, had to avoid public appearances as much as possible. Wherever the two showed up, they were guaranteed to be swarmed by journalists. Reporters, with their sharp tongues, would ask anything and everything, laying traps left and right, making it easy to slip up. Xu Zhen’s mental state was becoming increasingly unstable, and even he couldn’t trust himself to stay composed.
Given the current state of both men, along with the slowly unraveling web of relationships between them and Cao Dingkun, even Duan Xiubo, who rarely paid attention to gossip, could see the thick air of guilt and secrecy surrounding the whole affair.
Su Shengbai and Xu Zhen had played their parts in this drama, allowing Luo Ding to escape unscathed shortly after it began.
With his commitments in China wrapped up, Luo Ding needed to return to the U.S. soon, as the pre-production phase for *Blade Warrior III* was nearing completion, and filming would begin soon. Clovis had already arranged for several European and American media engagements. Before filming started, Luo Ding had to join the rest of the cast for promotional events, and then filming would commence.
Despite the busy schedule ahead, Duan Xiubo was in great spirits.
He couldn’t even sit still in the car, opting instead to head straight into the airport to greet Luo Ding. Luo Ding’s flight information wasn’t always leaked, and his fan base in the West was small. With no organized fan clubs to welcome him at the airport, Duan Xiubo knew he would be safe.
Just as a tall, young man in a black casual jacket and white T-shirt emerged from around a corner, Duan Xiubo’s eyes immediately locked onto him.
“Xiao Ding!” He waved enthusiastically at Luo Ding, wearing a mask but clearly excited. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he confidently pulled down his mask and smiled broadly at Luo Ding, then strode over and gave him a big hug.
Luo Ding seemed stunned for a moment, but then quickly tried to push Duan Xiubo away, his hands fumbling as he grasped Duan’s waist. “Brother Duan! Let go! Let go!”
“I missed you so much.” Duan Xiubo ignored Luo Ding’s flustered protests, his yearning overwhelming. Even though they hadn’t been apart for long, the longing had nearly driven him crazy. He whispered repeatedly into Luo Ding’s ear, “I missed you so much.”
“Brother Duan! Let go! People are watching!” Luo Ding was panicking.
Duan Xiubo paused, confused. “There’s no one here. I checked earlier; no fans came to the airport.”
“Behind me! There are fans who followed the flight!” Luo Ding glared, his eyes wide with frustration, which made Duan Xiubo freeze for two seconds before he snapped out of it and glanced past Luo Ding toward the airport exit. Sure enough, he spotted a small group of girls with cameras, staring at them in astonishment. When their eyes met Duan’s, the girls stepped back in unison, their expressions shifting from shock to delight, and then to pure enthusiasm as they started snapping away with their cameras. After taking who-knows-how-many pictures, they began jumping up and down like excited rabbits, their faces filled with energy but no outlet for it.
“Ahhhh, they’re hugging!!”
“Ahhhh, they’re hugging!!!”
The shrill, restrained squeals combined with their clapping made it clear to Duan Xiubo that these fans were no ordinary fans.
He quickly regained his composure, smiled at them, and waved while casually draping an arm over Luo Ding’s shoulder, guiding him outside.
Although Luo Ding was somewhat annoyed by Duan Xiubo’s disregard for the setting, there was no way to push him off now. The hug had undoubtedly been captured by the cameras, so maintaining a bit of closeness and appearing nonchalant would be far better than acting awkward or defensive. After all, a little friendly contact between male friends was normal, and reacting too sensitively would only make things seem more suspicious.
As expected, these fans were not ordinary fans.
By the time they reached the filming set, Duan Xiubo had already found high-definition photos of their airport hug on the homepage of his alt account.
The homepage was filled with posts celebrating the “official” interaction, with fans screaming and shouting about how “the sugar was too sweet.” Duan Xiubo had to admit that the photographer’s skills were impressive. The lighting and focus were perfect, and the photo was so clear it looked staged. Luo Ding, facing away from the camera with slightly tousled hair, and Duan Xiubo, with his heartfelt expression of affection, made for a picture that could easily pass for a heartwarming reunion of old friends. But with a CP (couple pairing) label attached, the image took on a more ambiguous tone.
CP fans were easily satisfied and extremely tolerant. Just a tiny bit of interaction between their idols could keep them happy for a long time. And this time, the interaction between Duan Xiubo and Luo Ding was different from their usual fan-invented scenarios. Duan Xiubo’s obvious affection silenced any complaints from his fans, even those who had previously objected to the CP due to the difference in their careers.
Fans could be incredibly forgiving when they wanted to be. Whatever their idols liked, they liked. And since Duan Xiubo clearly treated Luo Ding well, they would treat him well too.
Duan Xiubo was quite pleased. It felt a bit like watching your mother and new daughter-in-law getting along—complicated, but satisfying.
Luo Ding, on the other hand, was struggling with the growing CP fandom. He had known about this group’s existence for a while, and he had even been the one to inform Duan Xiubo about it. However, at that time, he never imagined that the fan base would grow to this scale.
During his time in China, as fans followed him from event to event, Luo Ding noticed that whenever he mentioned Duan Xiubo, the cheers and screams from the crowd would grow noticeably louder. This made him increasingly cautious, especially when answering media questions about Duan Xiubo. He was always careful to think twice before speaking.
Having been cautious and reserved for decades about his sexuality, Luo Ding now found himself in an environment where everything was so open, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it.
Gu Yaxing had told him not to overthink it—things were the same as they’d always been. But that approach only worked when one’s reputation was spotless. He and Duan Xiubo weren’t exactly in that category anymore.
He also began paying more attention to the trends on Weibo, as it was a key indicator of what rumors were circulating about him. When he saw that the photo of him and Duan Xiubo hugging had made it to the headlines, with fans either squealing or raising doubts in the comments, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted.
After spending so much time in the online world, he was beginning to lose track of whether these were truly the voices of the general public or just a niche group indulging in their own fantasies.
In stark contrast to the excitement surrounding his CP fandom with Duan Xiubo, Luo Ding noticed that when it came to speculation about a possible romantic connection between Cao Dingkun, Xu Zhen, or Su Shengbai, the reaction was far more critical.
The love triangle theory was all over the internet, and while Luo Ding tried to avoid it, he had picked up bits and pieces. Most of the current public sentiment was condemning Xu Zhen and Su Shengbai for being ungrateful and cold-hearted. High-definition photos of Su Shengbai’s stiff smile and Xu Zhen’s increasingly haggard face were paired together and posted on major portals, receiving relentless circulation.
Cao Dingkun’s car accident, which had been pushed out of the spotlight, was once again being brought up repeatedly. While the public hadn’t yet started questioning whether the accident was truly an accident, the awkward and suspicious reactions of Xu Zhen and Su Shengbai after the incident had only fueled the fire. Aside from a few people speaking out against online harassment, the vast majority were united in their belief that, regardless of their professional achievements, these two were morally suspect. One person had barely acknowledged the death of a benefactor who had helped him so much, while the other hadn’t even arranged a proper funeral for someone who had given them so much. While neither of these actions was strictly required, surely anyone with a bit of decency wouldn’t behave so callously, right?
Eventually, some people began speculating that there had been romantic entanglements at play. If you thought about it, the theory made sense. Cao Dingkun had been so good to both Xu Zhen and Su Shengbai, and after his death, Xu Zhen and Su Shengbai seemed quite close. Clearly, it wasn’t a simple one-way relationship. The most likely scenario was that there had been romantic feelings between one pair, or perhaps all of them had been involved with each other.
Unsurprisingly, this theory wasn’t widely accepted. Why? Because Xu Zhen’s appearance was simply too off-putting. No matter how wild your taste might be, it was hard to fantasize about him in any romantic sense, especially with his deteriorating looks and questionable character. Some people suggested that Cao Dingkun and Su Shengbai might make a good match—one was calm and handsome, while the other was young and delicate—but this pairing was immediately shot down. Putting Cao Dingkun and Su Shengbai together? That’s an insult to the dead! Have some respect!
Thanks to this ongoing debate, Cao Dingkun, despite being at the center of the controversy, emerged relatively unscathed. In fact, his reputation had even improved due to public admiration for his selflessness toward his friends. Many people expressed their respect for his frugal lifestyle, which had gone unnoticed until now.
As Luo Ding read the long-overdue tributes to Cao Dingkun, he realized that these sentiments no longer stirred him as they once did. Perhaps the boundaries between his past and present life had become too defined. Having adapted to this body and its current existence, his previous life felt like little more than a distant, fleeting dream.
There were still people cheering for him, but compared to before, there was a distinct difference.
Backstage, the makeup artist lightly dusted some highlighter onto the bridge of his nose.
Film premieres in foreign countries were much more understated than those in China, perhaps because religion and daily life weren’t as closely intertwined abroad. The launch event for *Blade Warrior III* was nothing more than a simple press conference.
And it was outdoors.
Without indoor lighting, the actors’ appearances were more heavily scrutinized, and everyone’s outfits and makeup were meticulously prepared.
Since the main actor and supporting actor for this film were both of Asian descent, the event drew considerable attention from Asian media outlets. In addition to the major domestic online media outlets, even the Chinese state media giant, Xinhua News, had sent reporters to cover the event. Clearly, the country was fully backing its stars’ journey into Hollywood.
Duan Xiubo, now dressed, peeked through the door for a moment. When Luo Ding met his gaze in the mirror, his expression softened slightly.
“So soon?”
Duan Xiubo smiled as he entered, noticing the makeup artist had packed up. Casually leaning over Luo Ding’s shoulder, he pressed his cheek against Luo Ding’s and looked into the mirror with him. “Nervous?”
Luo Ding cleared his throat, shifting away from the contact. “Not really.”
Duan Xiubo studied him for a moment, then smiled and extended his hand. “Let’s go.”
***
The outdoor venue was packed with spectators.
Most of them were Westerners, with a few Asian faces scattered among them, standing out as they handled their cameras and microphones, preparing their equipment.
It was difficult for Asians, especially Chinese, to establish themselves in Hollywood. *Blade Warrior III* was one of the rare films that even Western audiences were eagerly anticipating. Clovis, bucking the trend in the film industry, had cast two Asian actors, causing quite a stir among Western moviegoers.
Duan Xiubo, however, had an easier time. Having made his debut in Hollywood, risen to fame, and continued to win awards without facing much resistance, he had long since established an unshakable position in the hearts of Western audiences. Handsome and charismatic, he rivaled local stars, and the backlash against his involvement in new films had diminished after his third feature. By now, no one raised objections to his participation in a new movie based solely on his ethnicity.
But Luo Ding was different. He was a fresh face, and according to Clovis, barely in his twenties! Although Clovis had reassured the public of his good looks and acting abilities, fans of the previous two *Blade Warrior* films were still unhappy. Even without the racial bias, they questioned how skilled a young actor from China, with no Western upbringing, could possibly be. To their ears, Chinese people speaking English sounded odd enough, let alone how they’d perform on-screen. A talent like Duan Xiubo was a rare anomaly in all of Hollywood—did they really expect Asia to churn out another prodigy? No way! They wanted to see a continuation of the classic, not some popcorn flick with a confusing plot.
*Blade Warrior III* held a special place in many hearts. The alternate world depicted in the series was so realistic that they wanted to believe it existed, and it definitely shouldn’t be ruined by a newcomer with no credibility!
The crowd buzzed with whispered conversations. Above them, the massive banner for the new film was strikingly displayed, with the names of the lead actors prominently featured below. Luo Ding’s name, written in pinyin, appeared right after Duan Xiubo’s.
Another Chinese actor with no English name.
It looked awkward in pinyin, but this move won some people over, appreciating his individuality.
As news of the cast’s entrance spread, the audience quickly grew restless. The spokesperson for the production team took to the stage first. After quieting the crowd, he made a few remarks about the significance of the event.
The journalists listened with half-hearted attention.
After a long-winded speech, the man finally got to the part everyone had been waiting for.
“Please welcome the director and the cast members!”
Everyone’s eyes widened as they fixed their gaze on the entrance, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the stars.
Carmen Clovis was the first to step onto the stage, followed closely by Duan Xiubo, who waved calmly and gracefully at the crowd.
He walked a few steps, then paused, turned around, said a few words to someone behind him, and extended his hand toward a corner of the stage.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
A young man, smiling brightly, stepped out from the shadows, casually brushing aside Duan Xiubo’s attempt to hold his hand. He then turned his attention toward the photographers below, his smile unwavering.
This had to be Luo Ding!
A few gasps could be heard from the crowd—he was much more handsome than they had expected!
Dressed in a simple black suit, the fabric hugged his slender, flexible waist, and his long legs were strikingly graceful. He was tall, yet his frame remained elegantly lean.
There was a refreshing, Eastern handsomeness about him that was distinct from Western men. His smile seemed to carry his movements, like a gentle breeze sweeping across the stage, leaving those in his presence feeling inexplicably softened by his charm.
Oh… This was completely unexpected…
Journalists found themselves instinctively lowering their voices, discussing him more gently as they snapped photos.
The conversation was gradually shifting from “Who is this Amazing Asian actor?” to “Wow, he looks great. What do you think?”
—
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