The criteria for selecting the debut video are: clear picture, stable shooting, and clear singing voice. There are not many video clips filmed in crowded fan queues that can simultaneously meet these three points. There are many videos with clear angles and beautiful shots, but they are often blocked by someone's hand midway. There are also many videos with shaky and blurry shots, but because they are filmed at the edge away from the surrounding noise, the sound effects are particularly good. The debut video is just picking out the most suitable one among the three conditions. Actually, if compared individually, videos with outstanding single advantages often have better effects than this.
People are not fools. If these videos were edited, why not merge the best-shot footage with the best audio effects and put them together? Obviously, everyone did not have the intention to deceive bystanders with false performances, so they chose to upload the original footage straightforwardly.
The miserable situation Luo Ding faced a few days ago was obvious to anyone with eyes. Luo Ding's fans responded in a manner that was not overly excited or abusive, which won people's hearts. Many bystanders, although not participating in the war of words, couldn't help but feel a good impression towards Luo Ding, who had such rational fans. This time, the clear and logically coherent clarification Weibo was appropriate, with no excessive remarks, purely explaining the situation from an objective standpoint. The lengthy Weibo post, coupled with an apology to the uninformed bystanders for occupying the top trending spot, naturally evoked sympathy for Luo Ding.
Nowadays, with the development of the internet, people know much more than before, and everyone knows how chaotic the entertainment industry is. As the obvious victim in this battle of wits and bullying, Luo Ding, who had no negative news before and maintained a humble and shy public image, naturally stood on the side of the weaker. Human nature is inherently inclined to sympathize with the weak. Compared to the black-hearted haters who spew venom and attack indiscriminately, Luo Ding's side, whether the idol himself or the fan base, appears much more positive and inspiring.
Moreover, from the singing voice heard in those videos, Luo Ding's own strength is undeniable.
In addition to the right or wrong of this incident itself, what attracts the attention of onlookers the most is the real identities of the core fans of Luo Ding.
After negotiating, fans who uploaded their own videos decided to use their main accounts to support Luo Ding. This not only gains more trust from bystanders but also demonstrates the fan circle's upright position. The real-person accounts listed after their respective video links naturally exist.
It's these accounts... that sparked another round of heated discussion.
The location of the video shoot at Mountain and Sea Tower needs no further explanation. Fans who could rush to Mountain and Sea Tower upon hearing that Luo Ding appeared there are all either rich or influential. Such existence is not the majority in a fan circle, but this time they were organized unanimously, giving people the illusion that all of Luo Ding's fans are wealthy.
All these accounts are either certified with a blue V or a large yellow V—car enthusiast clubs, aviation clubs, equestrian clubs, diving clubs. These expensive hobbies are rarely seen in the eyes of the general public, but now they are listed together. Viewing the photos and text content posted by these big accounts, bystanders can only describe their current mood with one word—blinded.
What's even more unexpected is that some official accounts of large companies and leaders of enterprises also joined in.
Seeing the titles of general managers of XX companies, major shareholders of XX companies, and heads of XX institutions in the authentication column above, bystanders suddenly combined the serious and rigid corporate image they had in mind with the news that these people were fiercely supporting their idol, creating a somewhat surreal and cute cognitive dissonance.
The teasing voices under these official accounts and the first-time down-to-earth actions of some high-profile bloggers unexpectedly had an unexpected effect. The previously tense and dark atmosphere dissipated rapidly, and the haters seemed to be knocked unconscious, closing the comments on Weibo one after another and retracting their heads. Occasionally, a few persistent ones could be easily dealt with.
In this moment of instant turnaround, those who mindlessly forwarded were obviously seized upon as tools for pastime by the gossip-hungry bystanders.
One of the forums with the most influence and highest click-through rates in the entertainment industry, Hailan Forum, has always been home to many sharp-eyed individuals. They never miss any gossip, big or small, in the entertainment industry. With a large number of people, all the actions of both big and small stars cannot escape their attention. However, the netizens of Hailan Forum also have their preferences. The previous dispute involving Luo Ding's vocal correction was too harsh and one-sided, and the fans were too rational to the point of being almost submissive, which turned the argument into bullying. Bullying someone in gossip doesn't have much fun, and since Luo Ding is not a explosively popular superstar, many people saw this incident but couldn't be bothered to discuss it elsewhere.
But when Hu Xi joined the fray, it was different!
The backstage struggles between haters and stars are common, but it's not often that you encounter exchanges between celebrities. Especially for someone like Hu Xi, who is slightly more commercial-minded but still couldn't make a dent in the seemingly straightforward task of attacking a new talent head-on. It's truly bizarre to see this kind of thing happen in the entertainment industry. Most people didn't care whether Luo Ding was lip-syncing or not; they just wanted to know how intense the conflict between Luo Ding and Hu Xi was to make Hu Xi abandon all pretense and directly attack.
After Duan Xiubo and Yuan Bing supported Luo Ding's Weibo post, the gossip section of Hailan Forum erupted completely.
Who is Duan Xiubo? He is one of the most prestigious male actors in China. Although he is gentle and has an excellent reputation, he is also genuinely aloof. He never participates in any hype, apart from endorsing brands, he never accepts any live commercial performances, and fans have never managed to take a personal photo of him. Although all his social media accounts are open, they are almost just for show. He doesn't take selfies, doesn't do advertisements, doesn't preach about soul-healing, and doesn't repost jokes. All his Weibo posts are related to work. This extraordinary silence combined with his on-screen aura gives him an aura of a sincere and hardworking model worker, which is particularly high-end in the impetuous entertainment industry.
However, in the past month or so, there have been several Weibo posts related to Luo Ding on Duan Xiubo's Weibo.
When Duan Xiubo voiced his support for Luo Ding during the casting controversy of "Crouching Dragon," many people thought it was just a requirement of the crew. After all, Duan Xiubo had the highest prestige in the entire crew, and to make the audience trust the quality of the movie, it was undoubtedly the most appropriate move to have Duan Xiubo come out to affirm Luo Ding's talent.
But this time, it's not that simple.
Not only Duan Xiubo, but even Yuan Bing also stood up to cheer for Luo Ding, which made people inevitably question—what exactly is Luo Ding's background?
Thanks to the blessing of these two heavyweight figures, this war that originally didn't attract much attention from external sites unexpectedly had a second wind when it seemed about to settle down, becoming popular!
When the entire development of the situation was analyzed from beginning to end, onlookers realized that this was indeed an undisputed annual drama. Suddenly appearing without clear background, unexpectedly strong newcomer, just stepping onto the road to fame and success but being struck down by a sudden blow, people who seemingly followed each other but suddenly turned hostile in the face of imminent danger, and top-tier artists suddenly emerging to support each other... Oh my, the imagined plot behind this could easily be made into a TV series.
At this moment, Hu Xi did something even more enjoyable.
He deleted that Weibo post and quickly reposted a Weibo attacking Luo Ding's audio fakery, accompanied by the same "hehe."
This tactic of stealing the limelight and switching sides like a fox was so clumsy and insincere that it made onlookers laugh out loud. If he had remained stubborn and unrepentant, people might have praised him for his integrity. But as soon as the news of Duan Xiubo and Yuan Bing's support came out, he immediately wavered, and his attitude became so despicable to a certain extent. So, I don't know who first came up with the idea, but soon, Hu Xi gained an extremely powerful and domineering title—
—"Leader of the Fence."
The members of the Hailan Observation Group organized a collective visit to his Weibo page, leaving extremely enthusiastic comments under his post, worshiping the leader, and quickly dividing up the positions of left and right guardians among these high-level positions.
Taking advantage of this almost nationwide carnival atmosphere, Luo Ding, who was in the center of the storm all along but remained calm as if this war of words had nothing to do with him, finally spoke out.
"Thank you all for everything you have done for me. I was very surprised and scared by what happened before the filming of the new EP, but luckily everyone was willing to believe in me. In order not to let down your trust, I will persevere."
New! EP! Everyone who has ever heard Luo Ding sing subconsciously focused on these three words.
The list of participants in the new EP was quickly compiled and posted on the homepage amid discussions. Seeing the long list of names, people were momentarily speechless, then erupted in excitement.
Is this real? Is it a coincidence? Could it be those people they imagined? The names like He Guan and Ye Zhou are acceptable, and it's possible for common names to be accidentally matched by other professionals. But the names Mao Xiaorun and Gong Liangguang... With such legendary figures, what kind of power is needed to gather them together to work hard for an EP that can't even be called a regular album?
Who exactly is Luo Ding?
In Luo Ding's fan circle, many fans were so excited that tears fell as they watched their computer screens. They knew that this difficulty had passed. The idol's response was so heartwarming that it was beyond words, and the good news of the upcoming new EP proved that their idol was fighting side by side with them, constantly overcoming difficulties on the road to success, making everyone's hearts even closer together.
Yang Kang paced around like an ant on a hot pan.
He stared at his phone screen, and after seeing rows of neatly arranged comments below, trembling with anger, he turned around and smashed his phone onto the sofa.
The phone bounced high on the plush sofa, then leaped onto the legs of Hu Xi, who was sitting right beside.
Hu Xi dodged a bit but couldn't avoid it completely, frowning as he sat there, his face showing a bit of dissatisfaction. "Are you crazy? Are you rebelling?"
"Boss!! Boss! Could you have some sense?!" Yang Kang usually never dared to raise his voice and speak to the other party like this to please Hu Xi, but now he couldn't help but let out his anger, shouting in a roaring tone, "Can't you be a little more concerned?! Can't you worry or care at all? Can't you see what the situation has become under the Weibo post?! Why aren't you worried or anxious? Why didn't you consult with me when you posted those things?! You had nothing to do with this matter originally, why did you take the initiative to provoke it? Can't you stand as a bystander? Now what? Hailan Forum has joined in, do you know how powerful those online bào-min1Means "populace" or "common people." are? Do you still have any hope of taking off this title of 'Leader of Fence'?!"
Hu Xi hung his head and remained silent, with a stinky expression on his face. Did he not know? Could he not know? Actually, he regretted it a bit after posting the news. After all, it's not glorious to mock someone who debuted after you in a public place. After posting, he also thought about deleting it, but the rapidly rising likes and supportive comments on Weibo gave him a kind of illusion that he was being supported and admired by the public. Thinking about the overwhelmingly positive comments on Weibo, he was sure that Luo Ding couldn't turn the tide this time, so he didn't act.
After waking up from a nap, the world turned upside down. The content of Yang Kang's scolding made him feel uneasy. Within just thirty hours from posting to deletion, the people from Hailan Forum found out about it. Were they like dogs with sensitive noses? He mocked Luo Ding, what did that have to do with them. They seemed more carefree than the Pacific Police. Although being scolded was embarrassing, this time, he, who was in the wrong, didn't have the courage to retort. Silently picking up his phone, he glanced again at the page Yang Kang had just seen, tightly biting his teeth at the mocking faces that could be seen through the screen. Unable to hold back, he retreated from his own homepage and scrolled to the public hot page, wanting to see if this incident had spread widely beyond his circle.
Then he saw the newly released EP production lineup by Luo Ding, posted by Yaxing Studio. That string of names made him stunned and his sense of injustice intensified. They were all artists from Yaxing Studio. Why was Gu Yaxing promoting Luo Ding? Such a big cake, he didn't even get a slice. With so many albums released, when did he see anyone from the list come to support him? Yang Kang didn't notice his movement; he was busy restoring his calmness to call Luo Ding.
Answering the call was Wu Fangyuan. His voice, which had always been pleasing to him even after Luo Ding changed his agent, sounded indifferent for the first time. "What?"
This time, the one trying to please him was Yang Kang. "Um, Xiao Wu, that Weibo post by Hu Xiu was really posted by mistake. Although it's a coincidence, there really wasn't any intention to smear Luo Ding. I've already deleted that Weibo. Take a look. Otherwise, should we have Luo Ding's account post a clarification?"
"Heh," Wu Fangyuan, remembering Luo Ding's instructions, straightened his posture, imitating Yang Kang's previous sarcastic tone, "Sorry, Yang Ge, Luo Ding's account is now managed by Leader Gu. I don't have the authority to make decisions. How about you go and discuss it with him?"
Now that Yang Kang was in the wrong and even too scared to face Gu Yaxing, how could he really go to Gu Yaxing to make demands? His mouth twitched, his forehead veins pulsating with anger, but he still had to maintain a gentle tone. "Oh, I see. It's okay, you're busy, you're busy."
After hanging up the phone, he stood still for a moment, thinking about the complete reversal of his relationship with Wu Fangyuan before Luo Ding became popular, feeling bitter in his heart.
It's all because of this useless guy!
He glared at Hu Xiu, then habitually logged into the trending page to observe the latest trends, just like Hu Xiu did. Then he followed in Hu Xiu's footsteps, and after seeing the lineup for Luo Ding's EP production pinned at the top, he solidly froze in place.
Prince Guangling held a green leaf in his hand, his fingers supple and long, his snow-white skin translucent like jade under the light.
His bright red robe had already become tattered and worn during the fight, with a large tear on his shoulder, revealing the silk clothing underneath. Near his chest was a ferocious knife wound, and blood stains were gradually spreading.
His gaze followed Mu Gui closely, the eerie taste in his smile had faded, but he still carried that ridiculous self-confidence of being in control of everything, which, combined with his current situation, appeared even more desolate.
He reached out to cover the wound on his forehead, not even furrowing his brows, and sneered, "Do you really think you can kill me?"
Mu Gui gripped his sword closer, his expression serious. "Come over here."
Prince Guangling took a step back, stepping on a slippery stone, and stumbled.
"I won't kill you!" Mu Gui's brows furrowed even tighter, but he didn't dare to approach, only anxiously stood still and reached out to Prince Guangling, "All judgments must come from the Grand Court. If you don't believe me, I can throw away my sword, okay?"
Prince Guangling's fingertips moved, waving his hand to throw away the last weapon in his hand. The thin leaf fluttered in the air, but due to his injury, it lacked strength and only brushed past Mu Gui's cheek, leaving no marks.
"I don't need anyone to judge me! Grand Court? Judgments? Huh." He stared at his trembling fingers with a trance-like smile, then immediately focused his sharp gaze on Mu Gui, who had taken a step forward, his face full of mockery. "You think you can kill me, but you're not quite there yet."
Mu Gui saw him turn around and immediately widened his eyes in panic. "No!"
"Not dying by your hand, huh." Prince Guangling sneered coldly, as if he had finally found a suitable way to solve his current dilemma, leaping high without any hesitation, towards a sea of flowers below the cliff.
Mu Gui's eyes widened, and he hurried forward to stop him, but could only watch as the fluttering clothes of the figure floated away in an instant. He stood motionless against the cliff, staring at the figure that had vanished in an instant, trembling for a moment, and then shouted in inexplicable grief and anger, "No!!!!"
"Cut."
Huo Xie raised his hand to let the script supervisor clap the board, while he himself frowned and stared at the monitor, reviewing it repeatedly one, two, three times before finally nodding. "Okay, this one passed."
All the surrounding crew members breathed a sigh of relief, cheering joyfully.
Duan Xiubo pushed himself up from the props, leaning over to Luo Ding, who was tidying his clothes on one side. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." The details that needed to be filmed had already been completed, and Luo Ding had finished all his scenes in "Crouching Dragon." There was only a two-day difference between now and the maximum limit of vacation time approved by Zheng Kezhen for him to stay in the "Crouching Dragon" crew.
"Well done!" Huo Xie clapped his thigh, standing up after careful consideration and approval, giving Luo Ding a thumbs-up. "You did great. Honestly, when Zheng Kezhen said he'd give you seventeen days to stay and shoot, I thought we'd have to cut a lot of Guangling's scenes to make it work. But I didn't expect you to actually pull it off. And when working with Yuan Bing and Duan Xiubo, you didn't feel suppressed at all. The results were all very good. If there's a chance, I hope to have you lead in one of my movies for real."
Luo Ding smiled, with a hint of shyness that rarely appeared on him, typical of young people. "Thank you for the praise, Director Huo."
Huo Xie looked at him appreciatively. He cherished Luo Ding's calm and stable demeanor. When praised, he wouldn't be conceited, and when trampled, he wouldn't seem too disappointed. He filmed steadily, no matter how tired or difficult the work was. When standing in front of the camera, he could always instantly evoke emotions.
He's only in his twenties! How remarkable to have such stability at such a young age? Given time, how outstanding could he become?
"You've been working hard during this time. You've had less than five hours of rest every day during the filming period." After thinking about it, Huo Xie realized that with Luo Ding's rapid filming progress, he had saved him at least half a month of time. So he generously turned around and applauded for everyone, "Hey, pay attention. Luo Ding's scenes are finished today. I'll give everyone a day off tomorrow, and tonight we'll have a farewell party for him!"
Life on the set was pale and hard, and those who had been spoiled by the colorful entertainment industry were almost fed up. Upon hearing this news, after the surprise of "Wow, the Lord Yan also has such kindness," everyone cheered excitedly.
"Long live Luo Ding!!!!!"
Huo Xie rolled his eyes, "I'll treat you all to food and drinks, what does it have to do with him? He's just 'long live,' nothing else."
"Shh—" As everyone was high-fiving each other, they collectively shushed at him. Just based on Huo Xie's cursing demeanor during filming, this guy's popularity was definitely not as good as Luo Ding's.
There weren't many places for entertainment in the film and television city. During the day, it was crowded with tourists, and it was undoubtedly a trap for artists to go out. After the visiting hours were over, it was the turn of the crew to come out.
Yuan Bing and Duan Xiubo, the two actors with the highest achievements in the crew, were usually humble, but the difference in their status doomed them to not be able to mingle with the rest. They walked alongside Huo Xie, watching the crowd competing to get close to Luo Ding ahead, and Yuan Bing found it quite amusing, "Luo Ding's popularity is so good, huh?" Normally low-key, only knowing that many crew members were quite considerate of him. Now, looking at it privately, it was obvious that he had penetrated the crowd!
Huo Xie clicked his tongue, "This kid even won you two over, and he can't handle this group?"
There were many opportunistic people in the crew who knew how to sail with the wind. Luo Ding was naturally good at dealing with people, and with the recent hype on the internet, anyone with a little sense knew he was going to be famous. Not pleasing him would be suspicious. Moreover, Luo Ding didn't set himself too high, always smiling and speaking kindly, making it easy for people to let down their guard. Even if there were one or two who didn't like how quickly he was getting famous, the resentment had mostly been eliminated after several times, and he didn't see him rallying a group to defend himself in the last online battle, showing a self-awareness and understanding that was even rarer than his popularity.
Duan Xiubo smiled without showing any emotions and stared straight ahead at Mr. Yan, who was finally pushed out of the crowd, still trying to catch up to Luo Ding. "That person's name is Yan Haoxiang, right?"
Yuan Bing narrowed his eyes and watched for a while, then frowned, "I forgot, he seems to be playing a eunuch."
"It's Yan Haoxiang." As a director, recognizing actors is definitely a basic skill. Huo Xie immediately gave Duan Xiubo an accurate answer, and then, with a puzzled expression, asked, "Why do you ask about him?"
"Hit it off." Duan Xiubo quietly rubbed his fingers, and tucked his fist into his pocket, still wearing his usual gentle smile.
The fisherman's wharf was built along the riverbank inside the film and television city. It was a small building with only two floors, built with a typical chinese architecture. The taste of the food might not match up to the restaurants outside the film and television city, but it wasn't much worse. The key was that it was open twenty-four hours a day, serving tourists during the day and the crew at night, which made the bland and tasteless filming life more memorable.
The aroma of barbecue at the entrance made everyone excited. A group of people in front cheered and pushed forward, while Luo Ding, quietly sandwiched in the middle, occasionally looked back at the three-person small group walking at the back, feeling somewhat helpless.
This was the tenth time he had stealthily avoided Yan Haoxiang's arm. He shook his head in his heart at the other party's tenacity. But there was no way. With so many people around, he couldn't just directly ask the other party to stay away from him, right? It would make everyone awkward, and it would also have a negative impact on him. It seemed that Yan Haoxiang had also seized this point to be so unscrupulous. His goal was probably not just to get along with Luo Ding, but to increase his own weight by using Luo Ding's name.
Strong affinity was not always a good thing; many times, it would encounter people like the other party. Luo Ding's current position in the industry was not high enough to make these impure-minded people disperse from his side. Playing cool was not always applicable; encountering persistent people like this was really difficult.
"Come, let me order for you guys." Disliking physical contact with strangers, Luo Ding seized an opportunity to break free from the crowd while avoiding Yan Haoxiang, waving to everyone with no hint of awkwardness on his face, "How many of us are there in total?"
Sweeping his gaze through the crowd, Luo Ding saw Yan Haoxiang, who was struggling to push through the crowd and catch up to him, and couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart.
He was thinking whether he should find a separate opportunity to leave a deeper impression on the other party. Just then, an arm suddenly pressed down on his shoulder, and Luo Ding subconsciously tried to dodge.
There were a few low laughs from above, and Duan Xiubo's slightly hoarse voice slowly flowed into his ears, "Asking for trouble."
"...Brother Duan." Luo Ding knew what he meant. He sighed and reached out to twist the other's arm, "Have you gained weight? Let go, you're quite heavy."
Yan Haoxiang met his gaze, paused for a moment, subconsciously dared not to move forward again, stood still for a while, then suddenly turned in another direction and started chatting with several nearby artists, hooking arms with them.
"..." Luo Ding felt the strength of Duan Xiubo's arm, which was holding him, lighten a bit.
He hesitated for a moment, made a decision between the stranger and Duan Xiubo's arm, and found that although neither option was ideal, compared to the two, Duan Xiubo, whom he was more familiar with, still had a slight advantage.
There was a hint of triumph in Duan Xiubo's smile: Yes!
Duan Xiubo didn't move, his gaze moved away from Luo Ding and smiled at Mr. Yan, who had finally been pushed out of the crowd and was still trying to catch up to Luo Ding.
