The shooting schedule was tight and exhausting, and after editing, the total footage of fight scenes might not even reach five minutes. Luo Ding worked diligently from dawn to dusk for nearly a week. During this week, he barely had time to rest, with his daily rest period not exceeding five hours. Often, he would barely close his eyes before being awakened by someone. To save time, he simply stayed in a nearby accommodation arranged by the crew in the film and television city.
When Huo Xie announced the completion of his martial arts scenes, Luo Ding felt a sudden rush of relief, as if he had escaped from a desperate situation. After being picked up by Wu Fangyuan and returning to the hotel, he took a comfortable hot bath. He didn't even have time to dry his hair before falling asleep. The bright sunlight streaming in through the wide curtains couldn't dispel his drowsiness. After sleeping in darkness for a while, he finally woke up with a dizzy head. He reached for his phone on the bedside table and saw that it was nearly noon the next day.
Feeling hungry, he realized he was alone in the suite. Fresh clothes neatly folded on the bedside table indicated Wu Fangyuan's touch. Wu Fangyuan was quite competent when it came to life's details. Luo Ding found his underwear in the blanket, but as he put on his jeans, he felt a sharp pain on the inside of his thigh. Lowering his head, he discovered that a piece of skin at the position where the harness had been tied around his leg had peeled off neatly. He must have been so tired the past few days that he hadn't even felt the pain. When he took a shower yesterday, he didn't protect it properly, and now the wound was turning white from being soaked, with fresh blood oozing out, looking appalling.
Now, he couldn't wear tight-fitting pants anymore, as it would cause inflammation. He had no choice but to take out the bathrobe from the suite's closet and casually wrap it around himself, then slip on slippers to boil water for instant noodles.
As the kettle bubbled with boiling water, the doorbell of the guest room rang.
Luo Ding squeezed the seasoning packet while asking, "Is it Fangyuan?"
But a familiar yet unexpected male voice came from outside, "It's me."
Luo Ding was slightly stunned, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Brother Duan?" He opened the door and looked at the visitor with some astonishment.
Duan Xiubo didn't expect to see this different side of Luo Ding, as Luo Ding had always been quite conscious of his personal image. His neatly ironed and coordinated white shirts or trousers were meticulously chosen, even during the busy days of filming when he didn't have time to eat. His appearance was flawless. But now, the young man's hair seemed disheveled and exhausted from just waking up. A few rebellious strands of hair stood stubbornly at the crown of his head, while the rest was soft and fine, not having had the chance to be styled yet, giving him an authentic and cute messy look.
Perhaps due to lack of sleep or disrupted sleep patterns, the young man looked somewhat dazed, and his eyes were not as lively as usual. It took him a while to open his round eyes in bewilderment after entering the room unceremoniously.
"Brother Duan, why are you here?"
Duan Xiubo smelled the scent of old pickle and beef noodles in the air, frowned slightly, and raised the plastic bags in his hand. "I called Wu Fangyuan, and he said you were resting alone in the hotel. I happened to pass by, so I brought you some food and supplies."
The plastic bags contained takeout from a restaurant: braised ribs, stir-fried Chinese broccoli, and a portion of chopped pepper fish tail. Luo Ding didn't hesitate to abandon the instant noodles. "Thank you."
"And..." After placing the food on the table, Duan Xiubo opened another bag labeled "pharmacy" and took out two tubes of ointment. "These past few days of filming aerial scenes must have been tough on you. You haven't used this before. Your delicate skin must be injured. Here, apply this."
They were two tubes of ointment that could be applied directly to wounds, which Luo Ding found familiar. He should have prepared them before joining the crew. In his previous life, as a newcomer in filming, he seemed to have gone through a similar experience. It was inevitable to get injured while filming aerial scenes, like breaking in new shoes, where the new skin rubbed off the old, and when calluses formed, it was time to become an experienced actor.
He smiled faintly, realizing that Duan Xiubo was indeed a seasoned veteran of many years. His methods in the industry were something Luo Ding could only admire. For instance, like now, remembering whether a little transparent figure with a different status within the crew would get injured. Luo Ding might offer a few comforting words verbally, but to be so considerate and patient to deliver food and medicine like this was something Luo Ding could never match. Even though Duan Xiubo sometimes seemed more caring, the extent was normal for the interaction between a senior and a junior.
However, being cared for in this way by someone, even a slightly normal person would feel warmth, and Luo Ding was no exception. He smiled, his eyes softened, feeling a slight tingling pain at the root of his thigh. He took the bags. "Thank you so much, Brother Duan. Please have a seat. I'll go apply the ointment."
Duan Xiubo's gaze followed him from the hallway to the bed, then widened suddenly.
Luo Ding actually sat with his back to him on the bed and opened the bathrobe, casually spreading his legs and bending down to apply the ointment.
Although he was facing away, Duan Xiubo could almost imagine the scenery wrapped under the thin fabric. Luo Ding's slender and white leg was propped up on the bed, the fabric barely covering it, and the firm muscles and the skin that appeared even whiter than usual due to lack of sunlight dazzled Duan Xiubo for a moment. He quickly controlled his expression, pretended not to care, and shifted his gaze casually, but his peripheral vision always seemed to fall on that side.
Luo Ding didn't have any defensive thoughts against Duan Xiubo, mainly because he didn't see any intentions from Duan Xiubo. Although the two of them had many opportunities to interact, Duan Xiubo didn't necessarily say much to him in front of others. Luo Ding also knew that this person didn't like being too passive, so he inadvertently forgot to communicate with him. As a result, among so many people in the crew, it seemed that the relationship between Duan Xiubo and Luo Ding was almost the same as with ordinary people. They would exchange pleasantries when they met, and although Duan Xiubo sometimes seemed more considerate to him, it was a normal interaction between a senior and a junior.
In fact, compared to the men, Luo Ding got along better with the women in the crew. At his age, he was like the younger brother of all the female staff, good-looking, sweet-tongued, and polite. His considerate gestures in the details were very convincing to the women. For example, Yuan Bing, the leading actress, went from nodding to later calling him to remind him to eat on time, even when she was not on set, and the change took only a few days.
After applying the ointment, he turned around, smiled, and thanked Duan Xiubo sincerely. "I feel much better after applying the ointment. I'll remember to prepare it next time."
Duan Xiubo was drawn back to look at him by his words, and his gaze shifted to Luo Ding's chest where his clothes were not properly arranged yet. These days of practicing martial arts during filming had also been a form of exercise. The muscles on Luo Ding's body had already begun to take shape due to some special movements. Because he was thin, the thin muscles made him look more charming, somewhere between mature and youthful. Combined with his genuine gratitude, he appeared particularly sincere, making Duan Xiubo twitch his mouth and unconsciously take a step back.
"Cough—" Feeling a bit awkward, he took a sip of water from the glass on the table, feeling a slight relief in his dry throat. "Um, I have some matters to attend to at the crew. I won't stay long. Wu Fangyuan said you have work tonight. After getting injured, take care of yourself and rest more. Director Huo said he'll free up some time the day after tomorrow to finish your remaining scenes. The specific time hasn't been set yet, so keep your phone on."
Luo Ding quickly noted down the scene, and as he looked up, he saw Duan Xiubo's somewhat hurried figure quickly leaving. He hesitated for a moment, subconsciously chased after him, and opened his mouth to say goodbye in the direction he was leaving, only to receive a silent farewell from Duan Xiubo, who waved his hand while walking away.
Luo Ding scratched his head. It was strange that this person was so busy that he didn't even have time to say goodbye properly. However, under such a tight schedule, remembering to care for him showed that this senior was indeed considerate enough. Thinking like this, he turned around to find the cup he had only half-finished drinking, but all he got was an empty cup.
This was the second time. Did Duan Xiubo really not mind sharing utensils with others? At least Luo Ding couldn't do it. Even without cleanliness obsession, his anxiety disorder wouldn't allow him to use a cup that might have been touched by someone else's lips just a second ago. It seemed that Duan Xiubo's easygoing nature... really went to the extreme. Of course, being unpretentious was also true.
Pan Yiming's album sales had exceeded one million within ten days, a feat that might not be considered groundbreaking for some internationally renowned Western pop stars, but in mainland China, where piracy was rampant and most people didn't grasp the concept of buying "legitimate albums," it was enough to shock the entertainment industry.
Of course, this number didn't only include domestic sales. In fact, Tian Media Entertainment had invested far more in promoting Pan Yiming's new album than Luo Ding had imagined. Besides China, several neighboring countries had also begun promoting this album concurrently. To Luo Ding's surprise, the response to the album "Secret" was particularly good in Japan. Perhaps the Japanese had a preference for more extreme beauty, and the dark atmosphere of the lead song "Detective" undoubtedly resonated with their tastes.
The MV of this song even made it to the news on mainstream television channels in Japan, and with several broadcasts on their biggest radio programs, this piece of music from the East thoroughly exploded in the island nation. Nearly one-third of the million sales came from Japan alone, and this sales frenzy seemed to have no intention of fading away, gradually increasing in purchase rate by small increments every day.
The chain reaction it brought about was the rise in popularity of the singer Pan Yiming and the MV's male lead, Luo Ding, in the local scene.
Pan Yiming had a very versatile appearance, capable of handling both fresh and commanding looks with different makeups. This didn't exactly fit the preferences of most Japanese people who favored a sweeter style, but was there really such a clear-cut boundary when it came to preferences? Sometimes, when the trigger point was reached, a person's limits could be exceeded in the blink of an eye.
However, the person who rose to fame the fastest wasn't her as the main character.
The effect caused by Luo Ding was astonishingly overwhelming. His style should have been more out of place in this country's culture compared to Pan Yiming's. Influenced by the anime industry, Japanese male celebrities sported long, slender eyebrows, colorful hair, and soft, delicate hairstyles with bangs and curls, exuding a creamy aroma when these attractive looks from the world of anime were transplanted onto real people. However, Luo Ding, though good-looking, was absolutely not soft and delicate in terms of temperament, behavior, and speech.
But what did that matter? Being good-looking was enough. For an audience who judged by appearances, looks were everything.
It seemed like overnight, his fan support group was established with lightning speed, and the fan activities were grand in scale, so well-managed and organized that it was hard to believe they were just fans of a relatively unknown mainland Chinese celebrity.
However, his rising popularity in Japan undoubtedly brought positive effects to Luo Ding's reputation back home.
The idea of conquering Japan had never stopped, no, it should be said that the pride of being a great nation that made all corners pay homage had never been laid down. To have a cultural presence appreciated and embraced abroad was enough to make many news media report with pride.
Luo Ding's workload had quickly increased afterward. Unlike some previous invitations, now the programs inviting him were considered relatively rare and had a positive promotional effect on major television stations.
The temperature difference between morning and evening was large, and Luo Ding walked out of the television station building under the starlight, feeling the cold wind on his face, causing him to shiver. Wu Fangyuan hurriedly caught up, shaking out his coat and draping it over Luo Ding's shoulders.
"Are you hungry? I didn't expect the recording to take so long. Usually, it only airs for an hour, but this time it went from six to eleven. I should have brought some food," Wu Fangyuan reproached himself, walking briskly toward the parking lot.
Luo Ding interrupted his self-reproach. He had already gotten used to doing things alone: "It's okay, there are restaurants open 24 hours around here. Let's just grab something to eat."
Seeing him smiling with his hands in his pockets and looking ahead, Wu Fangyuan couldn't discern what he was thinking. After comforting him with a couple of sentences, he immediately perked up and hurried to the parking lot. "Wait here, I'll go get the car."
The profit from Pan Yiming's MV was huge. Although the originally promised friendly appearance was not fulfilled, Luo Ding managed to attend several subsequent promotional events, and Tian Media Entertainment's top management insisted on giving Luo Ding a reward afterward. To Luo Ding, this amount of money wasn't much, but it was a figure that he might not have been able to accumulate even after several years of various minor endorsements. Since then, Gu Yaxing had become even more attentive to him, directly dispatching the highest-spec nanny car from the company as Luo Ding's exclusive vehicle. This treatment was even something that not even Huo Xie had enjoyed.
Although Wu Fangyuan still had to work part-time as a driver, he never complained at all. Watching Luo Ding step by step towards success, he felt genuinely happy for him from the bottom of his heart.
After he left, Luo Ding took out his phone and passed the time using the building's Wi-Fi. His current publicity channels were still not well-established, and these TV interview programs were just getting started. Most of the time, he managed his own Weibo account after obtaining the password from Wu Fangyuan.
Upon logging in, he was greeted with an absurdly high number of new followers. Some of the names in the list were even from Japanese users with pseudonyms, and browsing through the enthusiastic fan comments, some of the wording even made this rough man blush and feel a bit flustered. Of course, there were also some discordant voices, accusing him of hype or lack of talent, or even insisting that his rise to fame depended on under-the-table deals, but Luo Ding had long been accustomed to not taking these malicious attacks to heart. Being an artist required an extremely strong mentality to endure countless criticisms and continue pushing forward.
One message with a string of exclamation marks in a popular post caught his attention.
A user named "Snatching Meat from a Dog's Mouth" had posted a message with one exclamation mark after another, along with a text that made one's heart skip a beat: "I! Can't! Believe! I! Risked! My! Life! Under! The! Director's! Supervision! To! Take! This! Picture!!! Please! Keep! It! Low-key!"
The request for secrecy was anything but low-key, with even more than fifty thousand shares. Luo Ding clicked on the small image, only to be surprised to find that it was a photo taken during the filming of "Crouching Dragon," with him as the main character.
In the photo, he was wearing the slightly oversized costume, leaning against the concubine's couch, talking to Yuan Bing with a seductive look. Probably because the timing of the candid shot was perfect, his hand was raised in midair, fingertips touching Yuan Bing's hair. He carefully examined the image for a while, ultimately having to admit that the original owner had a really good-looking face. Even in such a malicious role, the feeling conveyed was full of charm.
As expected, most of the comments were screaming replies.
Several IDs that always used his scarce photos as avatars or photoshopped wet-shirt pictures were immediately recognized by Luo Ding. Among them, the reply from the "Hidden Supporters of Fuzhu" with nearly three hundred likes stood out: "Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!!! The screen is too small to lick enough!!! My god, I want to have your baby, idol!!!!!!"
"By the way, what kind of costume is this? Huo Laopang, can you hurry up and release the stills? Learn from Director Zheng's efficiency!"
"32 likes for the OP, please keep them coming! If Huo Laopang dares to resign, the baskets are going to the city government to protest by dancing the onion dance."
"Hahaha what the hell is this 'baskets' thing? So annoying!"
Luo Ding blinked, realizing that artists' fan groups basically had a unified title. So his fan group was called "baskets"1Means "luó kuāng" (箩筐)—"kuāng" (筐) refers to "basket" or "basketful." It is used metaphorically to represent a group of people, often fans or followers of a particular individual or group. (箩筐)? That didn't sound too good...
There were quite a few who went crazy over this title, and apart from some expressions of gratitude and adoration, most of them were arguing and fighting over the term "baskets."
Luo Ding suppressed his laughter, finding fan groups to be really interesting entities. As he scrolled through with his fingers non-stop, fully engrossed, he heard someone nearby calling his name.
He instantly restrained his expression, raising his head with a perfectly mild and impeccable demeanor.
There was a silver business car parked in front, with the window on the passenger side open. The one calling his name was Su Shengbai sitting inside.
When Su Shengbai saw him look up, he immediately showed a smile, then quickly opened the door and got out of the car. He was wearing a slightly formal light-colored suit, which accentuated his delicate face without any flaws, and his slender and straight figure seemed to carry a hint of youthful liveliness in his movements.
Luo Ding's heart was in turmoil, pretending to be surprised as he walked towards him.
But instead of approaching him, Su Shengbai went to the back seat and opened the door. The driver, faster than him, had already brought out a wheelchair from the trunk and swiftly pushed it to the opening.
Luo Ding paused for a moment, feeling a subtle premonition that the person he was about to meet might not be a pleasant presence.
A thin, withered hand reached out, firmly resting on the driver's sturdy arm, veins protruding from the back of the hand and arm, giving off a sharp and fierce strength like an eagle's claw.
Luo Ding frowned, waiting for the moment when that person emerged from the car, his breath stopping for a moment.
Xu Zhen looked much more haggard than the last time he saw him, much, much worse. Although he was close to fifty, he had never appeared old due to his careful maintenance and successful career. But a man of this age couldn't afford to look old. Once signs of fatigue appeared, the slack skin and sallow complexion would fully reveal his lack of vitality.
Luo Ding almost didn't recognize him at first glance. The man in his memory always kept his jet-black hair neat and tidy, but now his temples were streaked with gray, and he looked incredibly thin. A pair of eye bags hung heavily on his face, filled with red blood vessels, his gaze unfocused and lifeless, looking like someone who had just returned from a funeral, exuding an aura of deathly silence.
It seemed that Xu Zhen was afraid that the driver alone wouldn't be able to assist properly. Su Shengbai stood on the side, watching with concern, and subconsciously reached out his arm to try to support the other's hand firmly gripping the car door. But the moment he touched his skin, Xu Zhen's expression turned extremely ugly, quickly retracting the part that touched him.
Su Shengbai's eyes flashed with hurt, standing pitifully on the side, his face filled with grievances as if wronged.
Xu Zhen laboriously got out of the car and was placed in the wheelchair before he raised his head to survey the surroundings. His gaze quickly fell on Luo Ding standing not far away.
He furrowed his brows, his voice deep and steady: "Who are you, and what are you doing standing there?"
He had always known that Xu Zhen had great ambitions for his career, so great that he was probably willing to give everything he had to reach the pinnacle of his career. But Luo Ding never imagined that his decades of feelings and dedication to Xu Zhen would ultimately not match up to a film that could help him break through his career bottleneck.
The slightly hoarse voice from the other party slowly brought him back to his senses. Staring at the aging face before him, Luo Ding took a deep breath and loosened his clenched fist with almost a sense of relief.
So what if he couldn't compete with him now? Now he had regained his lost youth. Unless something unexpected happened, his journey in life was just beginning, with many years ahead waiting for him to reclaim those things he had carelessly lost. And as for the man in front of him, he was already old, so old that even his appearance couldn't conceal it anymore. Their relationship could not be simply summed up with the words "gratitude and resentment."
He smiled, with a hint of relaxation in his expression, as if he were just an ordinary artist showing respect to an elder when he nodded towards Xu Zhen. "You're Director Xu Zhen, right? I'm Luo Ding, a friend of Su Shengbai's. It's nice to meet you."
Xu Zhen was not a fool. He now detested Su Shengbai, but he wouldn't let anyone see the discord between them.
Standing with his back to the light, Luo Ding's facial features were distinct, his smile neither too enthusiastic nor too restrained, and his gentle demeanor subconsciously softened Xu Zhen's expression.
"Hello," he nodded.
Luo Ding lowered his eyes, took a step aside, shifted his gaze away from him, and fell on Su Shengbai, only to find Su Shengbai looking at him with a pensive expression.
He tilted his head slightly in response, showing a slightly puzzled expression.
Su Shengbai suddenly smiled, lowered his head, and said to Xu Zhen, "Brother Xu, he's the actor I mentioned to you before. He's now starring in Director Zheng Kezhen's 'Tang Chuan' and Director Huo Xie's 'Crouching Dragon.' The album he collaborated on with Pan Yiming last time topped the sales charts and even went viral in Japan, opening up the international market by half. He's quite talented." He said these words with a hint of jealousy in his heart. Luo Ding, starting from a much lower level of fame than him, had surpassed him with these resources, expanding his path wider and wider. Su Shengbai often felt a malicious thought that perhaps Luo Ding had stepped on a lucky piece of dog poop. Of course, he wouldn't show these negative emotions to anyone.
But Luo Ding's rise to fame didn't harm him at all. This fool was still infatuated with him, and in the entertainment industry, with its many connections and paths, as long as he could handle it properly, Luo Ding would definitely be willing to help him find suitable resources after becoming famous. Having spent so many years together with Luo Ding, he knew him well. No matter how much he changed, deep down, he was a stubborn and eccentric person. Once he took someone to heart, he would occupy a place in his life forever.
Seeing Xu Zhen's gaze change from mild to slightly surprised as he looked at him, Su Shengbai smiled slightly, blinked at Luo Ding, and showed a cute expression of inviting praise.
Xu Zhen's mood had been so bad recently, yet he could still show such an obvious smile towards Luo Ding. It seemed that his first impression of Luo Ding was quite good...
