Luo Ding looked at the reports online about the fan reception event, and the homepage of the fan forum where his company had opened a small account for the latest updates. His fingertips trembled with agitation.
He was furious.
“Ahhh, was I really in a CP circle before? This circle is just unbearably sweet! It was all just friendship before! FRIENDSHIP!”
“23333, it’s definitely impossible to find a pairing sweeter than Duan and Luo now!”
“I was at the scene. You have no idea how commanding Duan Da was! He just stretched out his arm and *biu*, pulled his idol into his embrace. Full-on boyfriend power, MAX!”
“Haha, flaunting love is something, huh? I’ll flaunt mine too. Come out, buddy, let’s show some love!”
Then came the snarky replies from various IDs: “First”, “You need to have a”, “boyfriend”.
The original poster howled about how single people couldn’t survive. Luo Ding watched the fan forum’s heated discussion and, feeling the seriousness of it all, pressed a finger firmly to his brow.
Duan Xiubo… he must have done it on purpose.
“What are you looking at?” Suddenly, Pan Yiming’s voice came from beside him. Luo Ding’s brow twitched as he was about to respond, but Pan quickly snatched his phone.
After becoming familiar with her, Luo Ding realized that Pan Yiming, despite her usually good temper, could be quite overbearing at times.
For the “Tang Legend” event, the main and supporting actors were all dressed formally. Pan Yiming was in a satin, pale-yellow, mid-length dress, the skirt puffing elegantly. Her silky black hair was curled naturally and draped over her back, paired with a delicate makeup look, making her appear as beautiful as a painting.
“Big beauty,” Luo Ding spread his hands helplessly, “Give me back my phone.”
“Nope.” Pan Yiming turned her back and swiped the screen. A short scream escaped her, “Ah!”
She turned around, the skirt forming a beautiful arc as she excitedly bent halfway, showing Luo Ding the screen: “You even pay attention to your own gossip?!”
Luo Ding shook his head with a tolerant smile. What artist wouldn’t search for news about themselves? It wasn’t the first time he had caught Pan Yiming using her own name to search for live updates on Weibo. Caring about how one is perceived by the public is a natural human instinct.
Pan Yiming, of course, knew this, but she didn’t expect Luo Ding to actually be following CP news.
Covering her mouth with a grin that could only be described as mischievous, she asked, “You knew you were being shipped with Duan, right?”
Luo Ding glanced at her, retrieved his phone, and didn’t answer.
Pan Yiming leaned closer eagerly, “How do you feel about it?”
“No feelings,” Luo Ding responded, “Just a bunch of people messing around, randomly pairing people up. They’re immature, and I’m immature too?”
The noise from outside could be heard from the stage entrance. Pan Yiming, unsatisfied with his response, could no longer force more out of him, so she pouted and linked her arm with Luo Ding’s as they prepared to enter.
Up ahead, Wu Yuan had already finished his speech.
As of now, “Tang Legend” had released twelve previews, and with the prime-time exposure from the central channel, the show was already a hit before it even aired. Everyone eagerly awaited the premiere.
Of the twelve trailers, Luo Ding, as a stage character, had appeared in eight of them. At this fan meeting, the background panel even showed a huge, clear image of him standing at the city gate, hair blowing wildly in the wind, right next to the two lead actors. This was highly unusual, especially considering he overshadowed many important supporting characters with far more screen time than him.
The reporters were a bit surprised when they first saw the background poster, but upon reflection, they weren’t too shocked. The character of Fu Zhu was significant, and the segments featuring him had garnered the most attention. Furthermore, Luo Ding’s rise in the past year had been meteoric. He had both the weight and the ability to command this spotlight.
Many of the reporters present had been there when Luo Ding first got the role of Fu Zhu. In just a few months, he had gone from being a controversial choice to crossing national borders, completing several projects, and even winning his first major award. The transformation was almost nostalgic, witnessing someone climb from the bottom to the peak. There was now an unexpected sense of familiarity and closeness with Luo Ding.
As Luo Ding stepped on stage, he was greeted with thunderous applause.
The positions on stage had subtly shifted. Zheng Kezhen stood in the center, Wu Yuan to his right, Pan Yiming to his left, and Luo Ding was positioned next to Wu Yuan.
This position carried significant meaning. When the other actors who originally stood beside Wu Yuan stepped aside to make way for Luo Ding, their expressions were a bit stiff. Without holding the microphone, the seniors, who had been addressed as “brother” and “sister” by Luo Ding not long ago, now awkwardly smiled at him. Luo Ding quickly waved his hand, “Just call me Luo Ding.”
Everyone sighed in relief. Addressing someone younger with more fame and less experience respectfully was hard to get used to, especially for the older actors. In the entertainment industry, where hierarchy is clear, many still held onto a bit of stubborn pride.
Luo Ding’s humble gesture eased the tension, and the conversation naturally shifted back to him. Those around him began speaking even more eagerly.
Luo Ding smiled humbly, rarely speaking, but even as he stood quietly with the microphone, the surrounding people kept talking about him.
It wasn’t that they were trying to flatter him. Though Luo Ding had risen quickly, he hadn’t reached the level where even Zheng Kezhen would need to curry favor. But as the hottest topic in this group of artists, mentioning him in the news increased attention by 30% to 50%. So why not?
As a result, the questions from the reporters at the promotional event became quite broad, even allowing for topics unrelated to the TV show.
“Su Shengbai recently hinted that you might join the cast of *The Assassin* next year. It seems rumors of the group disbanding haven’t affected your relationship. What’s your view on the recent scandals surrounding him and Director Xu?”
As soon as the question was posed, it caught Luo Ding’s attention. He looked at the reporter, whose badge read “Weekly Entertainment”. This magazine was infamous for saying anything, unafraid of offending celebrities, and Luo Ding had heard before that they had some connection with Kaixuan Media.
The question? Luo Ding had no idea. What had Su Shengbai hinted at this time? And what did it have to do with Xu Zhen?
“Sorry, I’ve been busy filming overseas and haven’t kept up with the news back home,” Luo Ding politely declined to answer the latter part of the question. Skipping over the middle part, he vaguely addressed the first: “At the moment, neither my company nor I have received any offers related to *The Assassin*. If my schedule allows it, I’d be honored to collaborate.”
The reporter wanted to ask more, but other media outlets quickly shifted the topic.
Backstage, Luo Ding immediately began searching for news about Su Shengbai and Xu Zhen. What he saw left him stunned.
Xu Zhen’s casting process had been going downhill since the summer scandal broke and had been shelved. Because of the overwhelmingly negative news, no investors wanted to take the risk of funding him. The dream of finding investors had crumbled, and for months, Xu Zhen had stayed out of the public eye. Aside from one report of being hospitalized in mid-November, there had been no further updates. Despite this, many people still accused him of using his illness as a publicity stunt.
The headlines were sensational, all featuring Xu Zhen’s individual photos or photos of him and Su Shengbai stitched together. The recent images, taken under bad lighting and with sharp clarity, made Xu Zhen look especially haggard. His wrinkled face, early age spots, and twisted expression captured in the shots only worsened the public’s impression of him.
Luo Ding felt both sympathy and shock. How had things gotten so bad?
Pan Yiming, who had recently taken to sneaking peeks at people’s phones, popped up at just the right moment.
“Why are you glued to your phone all the time? We haven’t seen each other in a while, and you won’t even chat with us! We even had dating rumors, could you stop ignoring me?” Pan Yiming glanced at his phone, “Oh, you’re looking into Su Shengbai and Director Xu’s news? Why not just ask me? I’m the queen of gossip!”
She boldly lifted her skirt and sat cross-legged on the arm of the sofa, “This past half year, no one’s had it easy. The longer you stay in this industry, the more it feels like you’re standing on the edge of an abyss. It’s not just us small fish; even someone like Director Xu, who transitioned behind the scenes, can still trip up. Oh, by the way, is the rumor about you and Su Shengbai’s group breaking up true?”
“What did they say?”
“They said you and Su Shengbai were in a group for many years but never really hit it big. YaXing Studio invested heavily in your events, but right before they kicked off, Su Shengbai met Mr. Cao,” Pan Yiming looked at Luo Ding and, seeing his calm expression, continued, “And then he quickly kicked you aside right before the event, causing you and Mr. Gu’s company to struggle for a long time, almost collapsing.”
Luo Ding reviewed his memory and nodded with little emotion, “That’s mostly accurate.”
“Oh, so he’s a jerk.” Pan Yiming patted his shoulder to comfort him, “You two were close, right?”
Luo Ding nodded.
Instantly, Pan Yiming developed a strong dislike for Su Shengbai. The industry had its share of opportunists, and moving upwards was expected, but few were as eager to kick a good friend aside as Su Shengbai. Outsiders might just call him heartless, but for someone like Pan Yiming, who was close to Luo Ding, her feelings of dislike were much more pronounced.
“Is it true about him and Mr. Cao?” Pan Yiming suddenly asked, looking conspiratorial, “Are they…that kind of couple?”
“What kind of couple?” Luo Ding asked before quickly understanding, feeling a sudden wave of disgust, “No way!”
Realizing his reaction was too strong, he calmed down and deflected, “As far as I know, Su Shengbai is closer to Xu Zhen.”
Pan Yiming pulled a face, “Ugh, my eyes. I could at least picture a cute boy and a handsome uncle with Mr. Cao, but you had to tell me the harsh truth? We’re not friends anymore!”
She left, looking completely dejected, leaving Luo Ding in an awful mood.
He and Su Shengbai? Please. Whoever came up with that pairing needs to rethink everything—it’s enough to make him want to throw up.
Quickly, Luo Ding searched his name and Su Shengbai’s together online, and the results were better than expected. Some tabloids used sensational titles, but the articles mostly dug into his relationship with Xu Zhen. Only a few had vaguely hinted at any ambiguity with Su Shengbai, and the comments were all full of scorn. Given that Cao Dingkun had died at the height of his career, fans were starting to elevate his name to a legendary status. Many people, holding respect for the deceased, were disgusted by the cheap tabloid headlines exploiting his death.
Over two lifetimes, Luo Ding had always been upright and diligent, and people had noticed. The public wasn’t blind, and they could tell right from wrong.
As for the stories involving him and Xu Zhen, Luo Ding wasn’t too concerned. If it’s true, it can’t be faked, and if it’s false, the truth will come out. Over the decades he spent with Xu Zhen, he had never done anything to betray himself or Xu Zhen. With a clear conscience, he had nothing to fear.
His phone buzzed. Luo Ding opened it to find a WeChat message from Duan Xiubo with a link.
Luo Ding: “?”
Duan Xiubo immediately replied, “Take a look.”
Seeing he was connected to Wi-Fi, Luo Ding clicked on it.
It was a video website. Still confused, Luo Ding waited for the short loading time to pass. A message appeared on the screen: “No live-action!”
Pineapple : Sorry, my schedule got too busy, and it’s been really hard to keep up. I let you down, guys! I’ll do my best and start with the daily schedule on Monday.
Thank you for your support !
Discover more from Shy shy shy
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
