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Translations of Chinese Boy’s Love webnovels. Only the English translation belongs to me everything else belongs to the original author.

Top Dupe CH 011 The So-Called Dupe

But this Weibo post immediately caused a stir in He Mu’s fan base. Many people discussed it in He Mu’s forum, and then came to the conclusion that Luo Yu shamelessly stole the role from their gege, and then swarmed to the official Weibo account to question. 

[Isn’t Bai Ying the role of my He Mu gege? How did it become Luo Yu’s? The official account, come out and explain this!]

[He Mu practiced his lines for this role until his voice became hoarse, but why did the role become that low-level Luo Yu’s?]

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

[The crew of Counterattack, come out and explain yourself! We won’t watch this crappy drama without He Mu!]

[Right! We won’t watch this crappy drama without He Mu!]

This clamor not only made passers-by unhappy, but also aroused the ire of the male lead Gu Xiaowei’s fans.

Gu Xiaowei’s fans were not like He Mu’s fans who go to various places to boost traffic and rankings for him every day, but they all sincerely acknowledged Gu Xiaowei’s acting skills and character.

In addition, Lin Yue was one of the few directors with a good image and temperament, and he also had many fans.

Thus the three parties started a melee.

[If you don’t want to watch Director Lin’s work, other people will. We believe in Director Lin’s vision.]

[Haha, is He Mu the RMB? Everyone must love him?]

[Gu Xiaowei is enough, who needs He Mu!]

[Gu Xiaowei is an actor! Director Lin also wants actors! Why did He Mu lose the audition? It’s because he’s not up to the standard of an actor!]

After returning from the audition, He Mu was in a very low mood and stayed motionless in his room, which made everyone watching feel extremely distressed.

Even Director Ou of Dijun Media personally called to comfort him and promised to give him a TV drama with a male leading role, but it still couldn’t make him happy.

In line with the principle of deal or no deal the friendship still remains, Dijun Media could not suppress Lin Yue like they suppressed Luo Yu. In addition, “Counterattack” was a customized drama for C Channel. If there was any unpleasantness, it might offend C Channel, so this time Dijun’s public relations department also took no action.

However, He Mu’s fan base had developed the habit of quarreling and quibbling. When the fans first questioned the crew of “Counterattack”, the agent gloated about their misfortune. He came to He Mu’s room with an iPad and read out the words one by one to He Mu. 

Basically, they were accusing Luo Yu of snatching the role, a cuckoo occupying the magpie’s nest, as expected of He Mu’s dupe, he was indeed high quality and low priced.

But gradually the trend changed, and these fans began to attack Lin Yue’s casting, saying that he was blind, that he must have received the benefits of Luo Yu, and that he was biased against top stars. They also accused Gu Xiaowei, saying that He Mu had praised Gu Xiaowei’s acting skills in public so many times, and said that it was because of He Mu that they paid attention to Gu Xiaowei, but this time Gu Xiaowei did not speak for He Mu which was simply ungratefulness and the like.

Seeing this, He Mu sat up suddenly and scrolled through one by one in surprise.

“They… do they want me dead? They actually attacked the director! They even accused Brother Gu! Are they saying that Brother Gu got famous from rubbing off my traffic?”

He Mu never expected that his fans, who had always been strong on the frontlines, would now become a knife stabbing his lungs.

And in less than an hour, Gu Xiaowei’s fans were completely angered. Not only that, even passers-by couldn’t resist speaking up to defend Lin Yue and Gu Xiaowei.

Many netizens who have been silent and dislike He Mu because of his crazy fan base were filled with indignation.

[Gu Xiaowei is a professional actor! He’s different from someone holding the title of “national school idol” and pinching this and tearing that up all day long! Gu Xiaowei only focuses on his own scripts!]

[What the hell? I’ve seen this He Mu seven or eight times in a month’s hot search headlines. I was already physiologically sick, but now he’s taking advantage of Gu Xiaowei? Is this a capital distortion or too much self-confidence?]

[Lin Yue’s movies and TV dramas have exported many outstanding actors to the film and television industry, and some have been nominated for Oscars! What is He Mu? After starring in an idol drama, he actually began to question Director Lin’s choice?]

[I thought it was because He Mu was trying to rub off on Gu Xiaowei’s professional actor buff, but I didn’t expect that it was He Mu’s fans who were saying that Gu Xiaowei was rubbing off on his traffic? This is really hilarious!]

……

These comments made He Mu scared. He quickly pulled his agent over and said, “Go! Go tell those head fans and the group leaders of the fan group! Tell them to stop attacking Brother Gu and Director Lin immediately!”

The agent also saw that things were moving in a wrong direction and contacted them one by one, but it was still a step too late. #Counterattackcomeout andexplainyourself# had already been trending on Weibo, closely followed by a certain male star’s hidden marriage, and a certain female star and her male friend on vacation together. It was completely irrepressible.

The agent contacted the platform urgently and asked to take down the hot search immediately.

At this time, Luo Yu, in order to celebrate taking a new step after his rebirth, went out to buy a bowl of beef noodle and a bottle of iced Coke. He sat in front of the sofa, eating meat and drinking Coke while watching He Mu’s fans commit suicide.

“After raising gu for so long, the poison will eventually start to be released.” Luo Yu smiled. (TN: venomous insect)

Before, Luo Yu had to bear the pressure of being attacked by He Mu’s fans alone, but this time it was different.

“Director Lin, please excuse me this time.”

At this time, Lin Yue was discussing the script with Hua Xingyun, when suddenly Li Qian, the public relations director of the crew, rushed over.

“Look, look… He Mu’s wave will not stop until it destroys your dragon king temple!” Li Qian threw the phone in front of Lin Yue and Hua Xingyun, indicating to them to take a look at the top hot search headline.

“Wow, the attention of our crew is so high. He Mu’s traffic is really high!” Lin Yue raised his glasses and sighed.

“Aren’t you… angry?” Li Qian asked weirdly.

“I feel that Mr. Li is very calm, so why should I be angry?” Lin Yue said lightly.

Li Qian pulled up a chair and sat down, “I have just edited the video of He Mu and Luo Yu’s audition. Even the editor said that you were right to choose Luo Yu. Even a blind person can see that his acting skills are better than those of He Mu quite a bit. And this Luo Yu is not bad looking either, right up there with Gu Xiaowei… I have seen so much dirty water about him before, saying that he copied He Mu’s school idol image and snatched He Mu’s roles, being called ‘He Mu’s dupe’, I now wonder if this is because He Mu is using his fans’ momentum to eliminate opponents.”

“You are in public relations, don’t you understand the trick here?” Hua Xingyun smiled pointedly.

Li Qian smiled, “The way I see it, Luo Yu and He Mu have the same market designation. For the brokerage companies, they are both competing products. When competing products of the same type compete, the wealthy Dijun Media will of course win in a crushing manner.”

“Why don’t Mr. Li go find out if there are any other ‘dupes’ of He Mu?” Lin Yue said thoughtfully.

“Huh? Only Luo Yu has been labeled as ‘He Mu’s dupe, right.”

“That’s a pity. If all of He Mu’s dupes are as good-looking as Luo Yu, with good acting skills and low pay, then we will be able to make a fortune.” Lin Yue said seriously.

After two seconds of silence, both Li Qian and Hua Xingyun burst into laughter.

Just as the platform had just posted the trending search of #Counterattackcomeoutandexplainyourself#, another trending search was upvoted #boycottCounterattack#.

He Mu was about to have a heart attack after seeing it, they even dared to boycott “Counterattack”? That would be the highlight drama of C-Channel in the second half of the year! Just because of him, a traffic idol, it was boycotted, were these fans not afraid of him being banned from the industry directly?

Director Ou called him with a serious tone, “He Mu, did I tell you not to target “Counterattack” and Director Lin? Why didn’t you listen and still buy so many hot searches?”

“Chairman Ou! I really didn’t buy the hot search, it was the fans who did it on their own initiative! Please believe me!”

“I hope what you said is true. I don’t like disobedient people.”

After saying that, the call was hung up.

This time, the public relations department of Dijun Media personally took action and took down the trending search term #boycottCounterattack#. However, when they were working on an announcement to apologize to the crew of “Counterattack” and Director Lin, “Counterattack”‘s official Weibo uploaded a new post with the sentence “for the judgment of the general audience”, followed by two videos, which were audition clips of He Mu and Luo Yu.

Allowing the disclosure of audition videos was a consent form signed by everyone who came to audition. This was also the preparation made in advance by Li Qian, the public relations director of the production team, who was worried about such casting turmoil. He originally thought that no one would question Lin Yue’s choice, but he never expected that there would be such a brave warrior as He Mu.

“Maybe it’s because the ignorant are fearless.” Li Qian shook his head.

He Mu’s fans rushed to He Mu’s video instantly, leaving comments like “My gege is indeed the most handsome, the crew is stupid”, “He Mu has the strongest aura, he is just like Bai Ying”, “Every strand of hair from my gege is acting skills.” Then they flooded under Luo Yu’s video to ridicule him, telling him to get out of the crew, get out of the entertainment industry, and so on.

Not long after, Gu Xiaowei forwarded the official page of the TV drama with a sentence: Senior Brother, long time no see.

Fans of Gu Xiaowei were curious about who the senior brother Gu Xiaowei was talking about when they saw it, and they found out after clicking on the video.

[Brother Gu’s senior brother refers to Luo Yu, right? He is so attractive!]

[Luo Yu’s acting skills are obviously not on the same level as He Mu’s, right? Why is he always said to be copying He Mu’s image? His style is completely different from He Mu!]

[Brother Gu’s senior brother is so hot! It took just thirty seconds for my soul to be sucked away!]

[Oh my God, I don’t want to close Luo Yu’s video once I open it! Don’t you think that he is gentle, fierce and sexy at the same time?]

[Clearly he is a villain, but I can’t help but love him!]

Although Gu Xiaowei’s fans were not good at fighting in fanwars, they also went to the official page to speak justice for Luo Yu.

Soon, ordinary netizens also finished watching the two auditions, and they felt tired of seeing He Mu fans talking nonsense.

[Let me just say that Director Lin’s vision is not a problem! Luo Yu’s acting skills clearly surpassed He Mu’s! Fans bragging about their idol is so embarrassing!]

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

[Every strand of He Mu’s hair is acting skills? Do you think I’m blind? Clearly the acting skills of Luo Yu’s strand of hair in the last scene is better!]

[I can feel the suppressed emotions and madness deep in Bai Ying’s heart from Luo Yu’s eyes! Thumbs up!]

[Luo Yu is He Mu’s dupe? That’s actually quite accurate. After all, he looks better than He Mu, has better acting skills than He Mu, and has a lower salary than He Mu. Isn’t that exactly like a dupe?]

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Top Dupe CH 010 Aesthetic Standards

“Um… can you help me return the rubber band to your assistant? Thank her for me, and thank you too.”

Just as Luo Yu was about to take off the rubber band, Gu Xiaowei said mildly: “No need, the little bun on her head is quite stable.”

Luo Yu smiled sheepishly.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The elevator on the other side opened. Gu Xiaowei blocked the elevator door with his hand and said, “Senior.”

Meaning: you are the senior, you go in first.

When dealing with Gu Xiaowei in his previous life, he knew that this man was extremely well-mannered. This was just his politeness, but it didn’t mean that he wanted to develop their alumni relationship.

There were so many film school graduates that Gu Xiaowei would never be able to finish socializing for days and nights if he really wanted to talk about alumni relationships.

However, the familiar sound of “senior” still made Luo Yu have mixed feelings. That was what Gu Xiaowei called him when they rehearsed a play together for the first time in their previous life.

Luo Yu walked in, pressed the first floor, and then looked at Gu Xiaowei, “What about you? Are you going to the underground parking lot?”

“En.” Gu Xiaowei responded softly, and Luo Yu pressed the button on the negative floor for him.

Luo Yu originally thought that the two of them would be awkwardly silent until they reached the first floor. Unexpectedly, Gu Xiaowei spoke first and said, “Where does senior live?”

“Ah? That nearby inn.” Luo Yu said.

“Which one?” Gu Xiaowei asked again.

“Jing Mei… Inn.” (TN: jing mei=hot girl)

This name was really a bit embarrassing to say, it sounded too much like an inappropriate place.

But the problem was that the cheapest decent hotel costs 120 yuan a night, but this Jing Mei Inn only costs 60 yuan.

However, Gu Xiaowei’s self-cultivation was not just very good. He neither asked Luo Yu to repeat the name of the inn again, nor asked why he chose such a place.

But when they were about to reach the first floor, he said, “It’s better to find a place closer. Director Lin has the habit of chatting with people about the script until early in the morning.”

Luo Yu smiled, “It’s an honor for me to audition in front of Director Lin.”

He meant that whether he could be selected depended on destiny.

“Thank you, see you again if we have the affinity.” Luo Yu said to Gu Xiaowei when he walked out of the elevator.

Two minutes later, Gu Xiaowei’s elevator rose from the negative floor to the first floor. As soon as the door opened, his assistant Xiao Qin walked in carrying a bag of snacks.

“Eh? Brother Gu, weren’t you reading the script in your room?”

“Came out for a walk.” Gu Xiaowei said.

“A walk?” Xiao Qin looked at him suspiciously.

Could it be that Brother Gu’s walk was a one-minute tour of the hotel underground parking lot?

Luo Yu left the hotel and followed his cell phone’s map direction for almost twenty minutes before he found a small street. There were quite a few food stalls on the street. Luo Yu found one at random and ordered a bowl of wontons.

The phone vibrated and displayed an unfamiliar message. It was the director’s assistant: Director Lin asked me to tell you not to cut your hair for the time being.

Luo Yu lowered his eyes and smiled. It seemed that he had won the role of Bai Ying.

At this time, He Mu was on the phone with Gao He, asking the other man to help him take the role of Bai Ying no matter what.

It was just before ten o’clock in the morning. Gao He had been to a party last night and now he had no intention of discussing things with He Mu. He said perfunctorily: “I just saw a message from the producer of that drama, saying that you performed very well. Since she said so, what are you worried about?”

He Mu opened his mouth and almost blurted out, “That’s because you didn’t see Luo Yu’s performance.”

No matter how stupid he was, he still knew that without Luo Yu, Director Lin and Screenwriter Hua might be able to reluctantly accept him, moreover his performance was a paper tiger, completely imitating the performance of the line teacher. After watching Luo Yu’s performance, the only thought that came to his mind was “the fireflies trying to compete with the bright moon.”

He didn’t want to give Luo Yu any chance to be seen by the public!

Luo You was the firefly. In front of a big company like Dijun Media, he could only be extinguished!

Gao He sighed, “Ren Ting promised that she will try her best to fight for you. Neither Lin Yue nor Hua Xingyun is easy to persuade. If you really can’t manage to get the role, just wait for the next opportunity.”

After saying that, Gao He quickly turned off the phone. He had a splitting headache after being hungover and needed sleep urgently.

Luo Yu was also catching up on his sleep. He entered the small inn room, fell down on the small bed, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

At the end of the day’s audition, Lin Yue, Hua Xingyun and Ren Ting sat at the small conference table discussing today’s auditions.

They had no objections to other roles, but they had different opinions on Bai Ying, a cannon fodder supporting character who only appeared in three episodes.

“Actually, I think He Mu’s performance is very powerful and can attract young audiences to watch our “Counterattack.” I believe he has been preparing for a long time and has a very good attitude.” Ren Ting said.

Hua Xingyun immediately shook his head, “No, no, He Mu is not bad, and his aura is also very good at bluffing people. But Bai Ying’s success in this role depends not on aura, but on being able to be flexible, which is a kind of suppression of the opponent on the psychological level. He Mu’s weight is still a little light. On the contrary, I am more optimistic about Luo Yu. From his delivery of the lines to his expressions, he is very layered and can stir up the audience’s emotions.”

Ren Ting actually agreed in her heart, but she did not forget Gao He’s instructions, “But the character Bai Ying is originally young. The psychological suppression you are talking about is too illusory, and the audience’s understanding cannot reach that level. I think He Mu’s performance is more easily understood and accepted by the audience.”

Hua Xingyun said: “He Mu’s performance has indeed reached the passing mark, but it is still what we imagined. Luo Yu is different! His performance gave me a lot of inspiration for the character Bai Ying! It turns out that this character can still be written with more depth!”

Ren Ting looked at the silent Lin Yue, “Director Lin, what do you think?”

“En.. Producer Ren, the audience’s taste depends on what we show them. What we show them only reaches this level,” Lin Yue gestured with his palm to his chest, “Then they can only appreciate it at this level. But if we give it to them at a higher level, the audience will straighten their backs and raise their heads. When the audience’s taste improves, then the standards of the industry will also improve.”

Ren Ting smiled and said: “We are talking about the role of Bai Ying, and you talk to me about industry standards. I don’t even understand what Director Lin means.”

“What I mean is that choosing He Mu is just to meet the expectations of some viewers. If Producer Ren pursues ratings and traffic, isn’t it enough for us to have Gu Xiaowei? Now it’s the quality of the drama. I have to use the best for every role. And Luo Yu is even better than I imagined. I have no reason to lower my standards to use He Mu.”

Lin Yue’s words were quite straightforward.

At this time, the door of the small conference room was knocked, and Gu Xiaowei’s voice sounded: “Director Lin, it’s time for dinner. Mind if I bring it in for you?”

As soon as Ren Ting heard Gu Xiaowei’s voice, she remembered that Gao He had said that he had taken He Mu to have dinner with Gu Xiaowei some time ago. Maybe Gu Xiaowei could say a few good words for He Mu. She smiled and said, “Xiao Gu, please come in.”

Gu Xiaowei opened the door, and Ren Ting invited him to sit down at the conference table and told him about the discussion about casting.

“Xiao Gu, who do you think is more suitable for the role of Bai Ying, He Mu or Luo Yu?”

Ren Ting thought to herself that Gu Xiaowei was not a director after all, and his future development still needed the support of these big companies. Compared with Lin Yue and Hua Xingyun, who were stubborn mules, Gu Xiaowei should be able to speak for He Mu.

“I watched the recording of their two audition performances. One is a school bully who acts like a child imitating an adult, and the other is a cold blade tempered by worldly fame and fortune.” Gu Xiaowei said calmly.

Ren Ting choked. It was obvious that “the school bully who imitates adults and acts cruelly” could not be referring to Luo Yu.

Screenwriter Hua showed a proud smile: “Look! Look! It was two against one before, and now it is three against one! Producer Ren, you advised us not to give up traffic for a small role, and I also advise you not to give up quality for a small role!”

Ren Ting took a deep breath, raised her hands in surrender and said, “Okay! Okay! Luo Yu it is!”

Clearly she was at a disadvantage in this discussion, but Ren Ting felt relieved.

Probably because she was also attracted by Luo Yu’s performance deep in her heart.

Now that the entire cast was confirmed, they walked out of the conference room and had a cozy dinner.

Luo Yu, who slept until dinner, received a call from Sister Cui: “Luo Yu! Luo Yu! Bai Ying is yours! The crew just called to say that filming will start in a week, and they want you to report on time!”

Luo Yu hummed, turned over, threw the phone aside and went back to sleep.

“You… why do you react like this? I said the role of Bai Ying is yours! This is a star-studded drama directed by Lin Yue!”

“En, I know, I’m very happy.” Luo Yu scratched his head and sat up slowly.

“Okay, come back tomorrow and pack your luggage! Your long hair looks pretty good, but Director Lin may think it’s not serious. Do you want to cut it?”

“Director Lin specifically told me not to cut my hair.” Luo Yu took a deep breath and said.

In his previous life, he had been a supporting actor in two of Lin Yue’s plays, and he had long conversations with Lin Yue all night long for several days. He knew very well the effect that Director Lin wanted.

The soft temperament long hair brings could best set off the steely aura that Bai Ying’s character occasionally revealed.

“He also told you? When?” Sister Cui asked.

“Just after the audition.”

“Then they’ve decided on you a long time ago! And you still kept it a secret and didn’t tell me, making me so worried about you!”

Luo Yu lowered his head and smiled: “My good Sister Cui, I have told you before, Director Lin and Screenwriter Hua are not the kind of people who will be coerced by capital. If I still want to work in this industry, we may really have to rely on them.”

“En! En!” Sister Cui’s voice was a bit tearful.

This also moved Luo Yu’s heart. Sister Cui had suffered too much hardship and cold looks for his sake.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

“We will get better and better.” Luo Yu said.

“Definitely!”

“You will become a top tier agent.”

“Hahaha! One still has to have dreams!”

Two days later, the official cast list of “Counterattack” was released on its official blog.

“Luo Yu as Bai Ying” was listed near the tenth spot, higher on the line-up than he imagined.

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Top Dupe CH 009 Luo Yu VS He Mu

Luo Yu came to the door of the audition conference room. The staff at the door looked at Luo Yu’s information, opened the door and motioned for him to sit inside.

Because there were still several roles to be finalized through final auditions, more than 20 seats were arranged.

There were a few actors whom Luo Yu could name who were still reviewing their scripts, and then there was He Mu, who had a strong lineup. His team occupied about five or six seats.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

There was no communication between the actors, and the tense atmosphere reminded Luo Yu of the long ago art exam. Luo Yu found a corner and sat down without taking off the mask on his face. Probably because he had long hair now, He Mu and his team across from him didn’t recognize him.

At this time, Director Lin walked in holding the same thermos cup that was still the same ten years later, followed by Hua Xingyun. At this time, Screenwriter Hua’s eye circles were not as dark as they would be ten years later. Most importantly, the hair on his head was still there and even considered thick, how gratifying indeed.

In addition to the two of them, there was also Ren Ting, the producer of the show. She smiled slightly in the direction of He Mu to show encouragement.

Gao He from Dijun Media had already made greetings to her and asked her to try her best to convince Director Lin. Ren Ting also knows that Lin Yue was a very principled person, but Bai Ying was just a small role, and anyone could play it, so Ren Ting felt that this favor should be very easy.

After the three of them sat down, the staff on site began to announce the rules of the audition.

The first role to be auditioned was Bai Ying. The audition order was based on the first letter of the actor’s last name, so He Mu auditioned before Luo Yu.

This scene was Bai Ying meeting his rival Brother Long at a KTV. Just the night before, Brother Long sent someone to top off the police, causing Bai Ying to suffer heavy losses. This was Brother Long’s warning to Bai Ying, with the purpose of taking some of Bai Ying’s business.

Bai Ying, this person, would not allow anyone to suck his blood. Since it was to discuss business, Bai Ying must make Brother Long “observe the rules.”

Producer Ren Ting looked at the staff member on the side: “This scene is more about confrontation. There are no sparks when gesticulating to the air. So why don’t you go and play Brother Long.”

The staff member looked at Lin Yue, who knew in his heart that Ren Ting was trying to help Dijun Media.

He Mu had only been in the film school for a little over a year, and his foundation was not solid. This audition would be recorded. If there was a dispute over the casting in the future, it would be replayed on video.

Ren Ting arranged for He Mu to have a dialogue partner, so that he could have a central point in his performance and the recorded performance could withstand review.

Lin Yue didn’t care about this and nodded towards the staff member: “Just to be fair, help all the actors who are auditioning to match their lines.”

He Mu’s performance officially began.

He walked towards the staff member with a half-smile, hooked the chair in front of him with a foot, and sat down.

“Brother Long, you look good.”

The staff member lowered his head to look at the script, raised his left hand, holding the “teacup” weakly, and recited like a primary school student: “No, no, I just slept better last night.”

The next second, He Mu’s smile faded. He held a prop folding knife in his hand and stabbed the back of “Brother Long”‘s hand. His voice squeezed out from between his teeth: “Ah, but I didn’t sleep well.”

His eyes were cold and the staff member was even a little startled by him.

The other actors watched this scene quietly, all showed expressions of surprise.

Because in their hearts, He Mu, although he was a popular star and perpetual hot search resident, was somewhat of a flower vase. He could sing, dance, and act in idol dramas, but he could not play such a role that had a lot of depth.

But they didn’t expect that… it was actually quite intimidating?

He Mu’s performance was over, and he turned back and bowed to the three judges.

Ren Ting smiled. She felt that He Mu was already a shoot-in. This boy still had some acting skills. Director Lin being unwilling to give him a supporting role before must’ve been out of prejudice against him.

He Mu’s heart was pounding. He practiced these two lines with the line teacher so many times that his voice became hoarse. For this reason, he even quarreled with his script teacher, feeling that the other person was only trying to show his dedication to tutoring and was making things difficult for no reason.

The line teacher directly said that his skills were poor. Fortunately, the audition only consisted of two lines. Only by imitating the tone, intonation and pronunciation of the teacher could he pass the test. The next few lines in the script were of greater depth than these two lines, and these were the two lines that were the easiest to muddle through.

The opportunity was fleeting, and he didn’t know if he had seized it.

He Mu raised his eyes and felt relieved when he saw Ren Ting’s smile of praise.

But Lin Yue and Hua Xingyun were very silent, and there was no eye contact or discussion between them.

Hua Xingyun said in a formulaic manner: “Okay, the results will be out tonight. The next one is Zhuque Media, Luo Yu.”

In the corner of the conference room, a slender figure stood up, took off the mask on his face, and folded it into his pocket.

“Hello, everyone, I am Luo Yu.”

A clear voice sounded, making the entire conference room sit up.

Ren Ting looked at the young man in front of her and was stunned. She knew that Luo Yu and He Mu looked similar, but when Luo Yu took off his mask, Ren Ting’s gaze condensed.

Luo Yu was clearly bare-faced without any make-up, and the outline of his facial features had a natural beauty like the clear rain falling in the south of the Yangtze River. Every inch of his eyes seemed to be reflected with the light of warm fireflies, but under such warmth, one could still pick up on a sharpness and strength belonging only to male appeal.

“Then I’ll start now.” Luo Yu said.

“En.”

“Go ahead.”

Lin Yue and Hua Xingyun had no unnecessary expressions.

Luo Yu walked towards the chair that He Mu hooked with his foot and sat down casually, which was in sharp contrast to He Mu’s full-on aggressive aura.

“Brother Long.”

With a slight smile on his face, he politely called the other person’s name, his words were clear and there was no anger about to break out, but there was a sense of solemnity, which made people look forward to what he was going to say next.

And that pair of eyes seemed to be washed in a thin layer of wine, cool and unpredictable.

The staff member subconsciously read the script and found that he couldn’t bear Luo Yu’s gaze. He felt as if he would suffocate if he looked at him for two more seconds.

“You look good.” Luo Yu said.

This sentence sounded a little respectful at first, but it was three points heavier than the words “Brother Long” just now. The oppressive feeling of impending storm surged into everyone’s heart.

It was clear that Luo Yu’s lines were spoken more lightly than He Mu’s, but the staff member who was matching the dialogue was greatly affected by the aura he exuded. After several seconds, he picked up the script and read stutteringly: ” No…no, I just slept…slept better last night.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Yu suddenly took the staff member’s script and pressed it against his left hand. Before everyone in the room could see clearly how he did it, the back of the staff member’s hand was pressed against his lap by the rolled-up script. Immediately afterwards, Luo Yu held the script and raised it high, the smile on his lips still not diminishing, his shadow suddenly shrouded the other, and the sinister look in his eyes made the staff member fall off the chair.

Even though he fell to the ground, the other man was still looking at Luo Yu in horror.

Luo Yu knelt on one knee in front of him, pressing the back of the other person’s hand to the ground with one end of the script, “Ah, but I didn’t sleep well.”

He still enunciated his words clearly, but his speaking speed was neither fast nor slow, just like a clear boundary.

If you are obedient, we will treat each other with respect.

If you cross the line, I will make you and your people perish together.

The emotions of the onlookers at the scene were lifted high.

At this time, a strand of hair slipped out from Luo Yu’s ear, bringing a hint of softness to the rigidity of his side face, and everyone’s tense heartstrings seemed to be allowed to relax with the sight of this strand of hair.

He Mu was stunned. This was the image of Bai Ying in his mind when he first read the script, but it was seven times more profound than that image of Bai Ying.

Luo Yu’s performance was not only captivating, but also more powerful than the script.

Was this still Luo Yu?

Was that the Luo Yu who was suppressed by the water army and Dijun Media until he lost his spirit and had his spine bent?

Was that the Luo Yu who lowered his head every time he came across him for fear of meeting his eyes?

He Mu looked in the direction of the judges, and as expected, Ren Ting, who was facing him, had not yet recovered from Luo Yu’s performance and was looking at the other in a daze.

Director Lin and Screenwriter Hua still made no comments or expressions of emotion.

Luo Yu helped the staff member up from the ground and said softly: “I’m sorry, I scared you.”

“No… it’s fine.” The staff member quickly stood up and subconsciously touched the back of his hand. He thought his hand would really be nailed to the ground.

Luo Yu looked at the judges and bowed, “My performance is over. Thank you to all the judges and staff.”

Director Lin said calmly: “Okay, you can go back and wait for the news.”

“Okay.” Luo Yu turned around and walked out.

In order to ensure that he was in good condition for the audition, he didn’t even eat breakfast. Now that the audition was over, he could go out and get something to eat.

When He Mu saw Luo Yu leaving, he gritted his teeth, got up and left the conference room.

He looked at Luo Yu’s back in front of him, feeling an indescribable uneasiness in his heart, as if the thing he was holding in his hands and worrying about gains and losses was about to fall down like quicksand.

He walked quickly past Luo Yu and arrived at the elevator entrance first, like the emperor out on a walk, followed by his posse.

The elevator door opened and they walked in. When Luo Yu came to the door, He Mu’s assistant said, “Please take the next one.”

At this moment, He Mu’s expression suddenly changed, because he saw Gu Xiaowei walking over and standing next to Luo Yu!

“Senior… Brother Gu, do you want to go up or down?” He Mu said quickly.

Gu Xiaowei said calmly: “No, I’ll take the next one.”

Recalling what the assistant said just now to stop Luo Yu from entering the elevator, He Mu wondered if Gu Xiaowei had heard it, and felt that he was very domineering.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

He was about to explain, but the elevator door was already closed, and he could only glare at the assistant.

Luo Yu looked at Gu Xiaowei next to him, his expression was as usual.

The key was that now he and Gu Xiaowei were waiting side by side for the elevator. And the quieter it was, the more awkward it became.

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The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 009 Wang Zifeng

“After entering the room and looking up, raise the wine cup and drink to the chrysanthemums outside the window. Did I invite you to come and admire the chrysanthemums?”

Tang Shen asked back: “Didn’t you, sir?”

Liang Song looked at Tang Shen steadily, and after a moment, he smiled and said: “Yes. Yu Zhi, Bring over ‘East Window Chrysanthemum’.”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

In the distance, the young man in green robes who had gone to Zhao Family Village with Liang daru nodded respectfully and went to the study to get the scroll. He stood in front of the withered lotus pond, and slowly opened the scroll.

On a brocade-white rice paper about five feet long, a cluster of ink-colored pale chrysanthemums bloomed quietly. The ink was elegant and smooth, and very light ink traces could be seen on each chrysanthemum, as light as flowing water blowing willow buds, the color like bluestone with fine moss. A large area of the scroll was left blank, except for a bunch of chrysanthemums under the window, and only a short poem in the upper left corner.

The chrysanthemum never bloom with the flower crowd, 

It stands alone by the scattered fence enjoying itself.

It would rather die on its stem holding its own fragrance,

But it would never fall and succumb to the northern wind.

The font was in calligraphy, and the writing was very thin and light, but Tang Shen unconsciously became fascinated by it. This handwriting style had a graceful character, and even though it was written in elegant calligraphy, the writing could not conceal the extraordinary strength of the person who wrote it.

Tang Shen looked at the signature of the painting.

There were two inscriptions with a cinnabar red seal on the painting. The first read “Master of Insignificant Talent”, and the second one read “Wang Zifeng”.

Tang Shen took a few more glances at the name “Wang ZiFeng”.

Tang Sheng had just lived in the ancient times for half a year. He spent most of his time in Zhao Family Village and had no chance to come into contact with calligraphy and painting, let alone calligraphy and painting by famous masters. But when he was studying for a Ph.D. in his previous life, his Ph.D. supervisor was a fan of calligraphy and painting. He himself was a professor of science and engineering, but he liked to collect literati calligraphy and paintings, which led Tang Shen to have some dabbling in this area.

Normally, the seals of literati were engraved with their own art name. For example, Li Bai was “Resident of Azure Lotus” and Su Shi was “Resident of East Slope”. Those who only have their own names attached to them were either young or a junior generation and have not received an at name. Or it could be that they had an outstanding literary reputation and are known to the world.

Could it be that he, a layman, made a mistake?

Tang Shen thought about it for a while, but did not express his doubts. He said: “Sir, I am stupid, I just made a boast earlier. I don’t know how to appreciate paintings.”

Liang Song smiled and said, “You are honest.”

Tang Shen was born into a poor family and was very young. It would be too false if he said he knew how to appreciate paintings.

Tang Shen changed the topic: “But I think this painting is very beautiful, this poem is also well written, and the calligraphy is also well written.”

Liang Song: “The painting is beautiful, and the calligraphy is also beautiful? You praise it simply. Tell me, which one is better, the painting or the calligraphy?”

Tang Shen was stunned. It turned out that this painting and this calligraphy were not created by the same person?

Tang Shen remained calm on the surface, but he was pondering about it in his heart. It was not like he really didn’t know how to appreciate paintings. He had fooled his supervisor several times in his previous life after all. But Tang Shen from Zhao Family Village shouldn’t understand this, but this painting was obviously made by a friend of Liang daru.

After a while, Tang Shen said in a sincere tone: “They are all very good. They are all things that I can’t draw or write.”

He’ll just belittle himself, alright?

Liang Song laughed and said: “This poem was written by Zi Feng. He was smart and talented since he was a child. Everyone knows that he is good at calligraphy and painting. It is indeed difficult for you to catch up with him. But this painting is different. It was painted by that old man Yu. His painting skills are very bad and he has not improved at all in the past years. Now there is still a chance for you to catch up to him.”

Tang Shen nodded and then shook his head again and again: “Sir, you are making fun of me.”

After this little interlude, the atmosphere in the pavilion became more pleasant.

The two had some food and wine. Tang Shen behaved generously, neither humble nor overbearing, neither flattering nor timid, which made Liang daru look with praise. When another pot of tea was served, Liang Song placed the tea cup on the table and made a clinking sound. He smiled and said, “Three months ago, you once asked me why scholars study.”

When Tang Shen heard this, he knew they had come to the point of this visit, and he immediately put down his chopsticks.

“Yes, I’m not talented, and I once dared to ask.”

Liang Song said: “You said back then that scholars read to be educated and reasonable. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“What you said is quite right. Reading is a moral thing, in order to understand things and argue right from wrong. I didn’t give you an answer that day. Today after meeting with you again, Tang Shen, let me ask you, is your answer still the same?”

Tang Shen hesitated for a moment. He was a little unclear about what Liang daru wanted to say. He said, “Yes.”

Liang Song smiled slightly and sighed: “Be concerned, worried for the country and forget one’s own family.” (TN: from Zuo Zhuan, an ancient Chinese narrative history that is traditionally regarded as a commentary on the ancient Chinese chronicle Spring and Autumn Annals)

Tang Shen raised his head and said subconsciously: “Huh?”

Liang daru looked at the handsome boy in front of him. There was praise in his deep eyes, but there was also a trace of regret that was hard to find.

“This is the answer I give you.”

Until leaving Liang Manor, Tang Shen still didn’t understand the meaning of Liang daru‘s words, and he didn’t even know what it meant.

Tang Shen originally wanted to return the invitation to the steward of the Liang Manor. After visiting as a guest, the invitation must be returned to the owner. However, the steward said: “Tang Gongzi, please keep this invitation.”

Tang Shen was surprised and said: “Why?”

“This is daren‘s order.”

…Liang daru’s order?

Tang Shen felt confused for the first time, and he went home filled with doubts.

Back home, the four members of the Tang family began to admire chrysanthemums and have a banquet. Their family was small, only four people, but they have done all the customs of the Double Ninth Festival. There were no mountains in Gusu City, but there was a small hillside outside the city, and further away was the Tianping Mountain, Xishan Mountain and Dongshan Mountain.

Tang Shen simplified the customs of the Double Ninth Festival and only went to the small hillside to insert a branch of dogwood.

At night, Tang Huang happily moved a pot of chrysanthemums to the yard, and the four of them admired the chrysanthemums and ate.

Tang Shen said with a smile: “You little girl, you are young but you are very formalistic.”

Tang Huang: “What is formalistic?”

Tang Shen: “You won’t understand even if I tell you.”

Tang Huang: “What don’t I understand? I understand, but it’s not a good word anyway.”

Tang Shen laughed.

Soon, four or five days passed, and Tang Shen would take out the invitation given by Liang daru from time to time to study it.

He understood on the Double Ninth Festival that the reason why Liang daru left this invitation to him must be because there was something else in the invitation.

Tang Shen initially guessed that Liang daru had invited him to a meal on the Double Ninth Festival, because the invitation stated that Liang daru had invited him to admire the chrysanthemums. The reason why he guessed it was noon and not evening was because Liang daru, as the governor of Gusu Prefecture, had to attend the Double Ninth Festival Banquet of Gusu Prefecture in the evening to entertain several aristocratic families and wealthy scholars and officials in Gusu Prefecture, so he did not have time.

It turned out that he was right, but…

“What else is there that I haven’t discovered?”

In addition, Tang Shen also read through all the Four Books and Five Classics. It was a pity that the words of Liang daru that said to him at the end “be concerned, worried for the country and forget one’s own family” could not be found at all in the Four Books and Five Classics. Tang Shen had no choice but to give up and look at other books when he had the chance.

The business of the pancake stall was getting better and better, so Tang Huang secretly hid the money in her own little treasury. The weather was getting colder and autumn had arrived. It was very comfortable to eat a hot multigrain pancake in the morning, and more and more people were buying the flat pancakes.

Tang Shen originally wanted to make only two hundred per day, but Yao San and Aunt Yao refused no matter what.

Yao San: “Little boss, please rest. You go and study. I’ll get up early and make as many pancakes as I can every day.”

At this point, it didn’t make much sense to insist on hunger marketing. Tang Shen’s multigrain pancakes were already famous in Suijin Street, and many people come here every day. Yao San saw that Tang Shen often read the Four Books and Five Classics, and thought that he wanted to start studying again, so he took over the task of making pancakes.

Tang Shen didn’t stop him. He hadn’t gone to study yet, but he did have other things to do.

“Brother Yao, go buy some quicklime and dough starter.”

Dough starter was a commonly used food leavening agent and had similar ingredients to baking soda in later generations. They didn’t need a dough starter to make multigrain pancakes, but they often needed to make steamed buns. Yao San thought Tang Shen wanted to sell steamed buns: “Little boss, are we going to sell steamed buns too?”

Tang Shen knew as soon as he said this that Yao San had misunderstood, but he couldn’t explain it, so he just said: “You go and buy it first.”

Soon, Yao San came back with two bags of things.

The Tang family had two large iron pots. The large iron pots in ancient times were the same as those used in rural areas in later generations. Unless they were in restaurants, most of the iron pots were integrated with the stove and could not be moved. The Tang family only had two iron pots, both of which Aunt Yao used for cooking.

Tang Shen looked at the two iron pots and said, “Brother Yao, go buy another iron pot.”

When Yao San came back from buying a new iron pot, Tang Shen poured quicklime into the pot and added some water.

As soon as the water hit the quicklime, it made a sizzling sound and boiled instantly.

Tang Huang and Aunt Yao were attracted over by the sound. Tang Huang was surprised and said, “Brother, what are you doing?”

Tang Shen didn’t even raise his head: “Making something good.”

The reaction between quicklime and water was rapid and violent, and soon a turbid, milky white solution appeared in the pot. Tang Shen immediately put the dough starter in. While stirring with an iron rod, he quietly observed the reaction in the pot.

Yao San and others didn’t understand why, but Tang Shen’s behavior would be understood in later generations. Even a high school student would know what he was doing.

Yes, he was making sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda.

After the hot quicklime reacted with the dough starter, a layer of white solid gradually settled to the bottom of the iron pot, and a layer of colorless liquid emerged on the surface. Tang Shen waited patiently. After the reaction in the pot almost stopped, he carefully grabbed the sides of the iron pot and poured the liquid into a porcelain jar.

Due to limited conditions, Tang Shen could not obtain higher purity sodium hydroxide, so he had to make do.

Then he took a pot of rapeseed oil from the kitchen. He poured the rapeseed oil into the cleaned pot, making sure it covered the entire bottom of the pot, about one finger high, and then placed the iron pot on the charcoal stove where it was ignited and began heating. The oil heated up quickly. Before the oil heated up, Tang Shen picked up the porcelain jar again and carefully poured the contents of the porcelain jar into the center of the pot of oil.

Yao San: “What is the little boss doing?”

How could Aunt Yao know, and Tang Huang didn’t understand at all either. The three of them felt that Tang Shen was possessed by an evil spirit. They didn’t know what was put into the pot or jar, and soon a strange liquid was poured out. But because they had great trust in Tang Shen, the three of them did not disturb him, but watched carefully from the sidelines.

Tang Shen poured half of it, put the porcelain jar on the ground, and said, “Don’t touch this jar.”

Yao San nodded: “We definitely won’t touch it.”

Then, Tang Shen began to slowly stir the rapeseed oil and sodium hydroxide in the pot. He heated the iron pot and kept stirring. After about a quarter of an hour, he stopped moving and waited quietly.

While waiting, Tang Shen said to Yao San: “Brother Yao, if I want to make a tin can, do you think anyone in Gusu Manor could make it?”

Yao San said: “What kind of tin can does the little boss want to make? Please give me the drawing and I’ll ask Blacksmith Wang on the street.”

“Wait a bit.”

Tang Shen went back to the room to get a pen and paper. While thinking about it, he drew a picture.

Yao San took the drawing and took a look.

This thing was really weird. It looked like a jar, but the jar was hollow and had some strange lines on it. Yao San looked at it for a long time and said: “Little boss, what kind of object is this? I can’t understand it.”

Tang Shen: “Ah, yes, you can’t understand this kind of perspective drawing, and maybe Blacksmith Wang can’t understand it either. Forget it, I’ll go see him with you after we finish the work.”

“Okay.”

Tang Huang didn’t understand at all what delicious food her brother was making. She said: “Tang Shen, what are you making? Is it delicious? You put a dough starter and oil in it, but I can’t smell any scent. Is it better than multigrain pancakes?”

When Tang Shen heard this, he said, “Delicious? It’s not edible.”

“What, you can’t eat it? How can you put something that is inedible into a pot and cook it?”

“It’s not edible, but it allows you to buy lots and lots of multigrain pancakes!”

At this time, the contents in the pot gradually solidified. The dark yellow rapeseed oil turned into a layer of solid. Tang Shen’s eyes lit up and he shoveled out the top layer of solid.

Tang Shen packed these yellow solids in a jar. He called Yao San: “Brother Yao, put your hand in rapeseed oil and try it.”

Yao San: “Huh?”

“Just give it a try.”

Yao San put his hand in and took it out inexplicably, and his hands were covered with oil.

Tang Shen fished out a yellow solid from the jar: “Use this to wash your hands.”

Yao San doubtfully washed his hands with the yellow solid. He thought since it was made from rapeseed oil, it would definitely become oilier the more he washed it. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be clean after just a few washes, and there was no oil on his hands at all.

Yao San: “Ai, what is this? It’s better than that soap!” (TN: the kind used by ancients which are made of pig pancreas and plant ash)

Tang Shen smiled and said: “What is this? Good stuff, soap!”

Tang Huang and the mother and son of the Yao family curiously put their hands in rapeseed oil and washed their hands with soap. Only Tang Shen walked out of the kitchen and sighed as he looked at the sky.

“I didn’t expect that I, Tang Shen, would also be unable to escape the tropes of time travelers in the end!”

Tang Shen made the soap that all time travelers had in their arsenal today.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

But he smiled again. He also wanted to make things that were not common among time travelers as well!

“Okay, Brother Yao, stop washing. Let’s go out first and lock up the kitchen. We’ve agreed that no one is allowed to enter the kitchen before I come back, nor allowed to touch anything in the kitchen, especially the porcelain jar.” Tang Shen said, “Brother Yao, you and I will go to Blacksmith Wang’s place now.”

“Okay!”

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Top Dupe CH 008 How Are You, Old Rival

Such a golden team instantly became a hot search topic.

[Originally, I wasn’t interested in this kind of TV drama where villains are brainlessly defeated! But the director is Lin Yue! ! !]

[Director Lin is the integrity of the entertainment industry, with no bad movies to his name so far!]

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

[Gu Xiaowei! Gu Xiaowei guarantees high ratings! Is he going to play an undercover role? I’m really looking forward to this kind of anti hero role!]

[I thought gege would have to take another half-year break before joining a new crew! I didn’t expect a seamless connection!]

[Screenwriter Hua is the god of screenwriting! The plot direction will always keep you guessing! Every episode has a hook that makes you never want to look away!]

[Screenwriter Hua can make flowers grow out of dead wood! Even a small character role can have a highlight moment!]

[Xie Shang is going to act in a mainstream drama! I really want to see jiejie in uniform! Let’s go Rainbow Feathers!] (TN: fan club name)

Cui Zhuxin, who had not heard back from several roles, was leaning on the side of the road and sighing. She didn’t know how to tell Luo Yu when she went back. It was like the other film and television companies had deliberately joined forces. They didn’t want to give Luo Yu even a small role.

When her phone rang, she picked it up and found out that it was the new news about “Counterattack”. Looking at the cast lineup, Cui Zhuxin’s eyes almost popped out.

She suddenly remembered what Luo Yu had told her before, that soon He Mu would regret giving up the role of Bai Ying. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be true——Lin Yue was directing it and Gu Xiaowei was the leading actor. This was a blockbuster booking without question.

She immediately called the crew to ask if the role of Bai Ying would be retained if “Counterattack” was restarted, and whether the director would change actors.

The other party’s answer was: “Director Lin is a very contractual person, but he also has very high requirements for actors. The role of Bai Ying mainly appears in the early stages. The first version of the script for the first three episodes will be sent to you in two weeks. Director Lin and Screenwriter Hua will conduct an audition for this role. If he passes the audition, the role will belong to Luo Yu. But if he fails, the remuneration will be paid according to the contract, but the role will be given to someone else.”

Sister Cui was stunned. She remembered that Luo Yu had said a few days ago that this role was likely to be auditioned, but she didn’t expect that he actually hit it right on the nail.

It was just that… There were no signs in the circle, so how did Luo Yu get the news in advance?

What was even more unexpected was that a friend who had once received help from Sister Cui quietly told her that He Mu contacted the crew as soon as he learned the news and wanted to play a supporting role for zero pay, but was rejected by director Lin Yue, saying that time was tight and the task of rewriting the script was heavy, and there was no time to write a supporting role for He Mu.

However, He Mu did not give up and asked for the role of Bai Ying to be taken back. Director Lin declined again, meaning that an actor had already been contracted for this role. Unless He Mu could outperform him in the audition, the crew would not accept changing the actor.

After hearing this, He Mu immediately found an acting teacher to work overtime to practice. It could be said that he was determined to win this role.

Hearing this, Sister Cui was anxious and quickly told Luo Yu the news.

“What should we do, Luo Yu? I feel that Director Lin will not challenge Dijun Media for such a small role. The so-called audition is just a pretense of fairness——if your skills are not as good as others and you are replaced, it has nothing to do with the crew. This way it won’t affect his reputation.”

Sister Cui had seen too many twists and turns from film crews, and she was really worried that Luo Yu’s last chance would also be taken away.

Luo Yu comforted Cui Zhuxin: “Don’t worry, no matter how turbid the entertainment world is, there will always be people with clean morals. I believe in Director Lin and Screenwriter Hua.”

That’s right, the last drama Luo Yu acted in in his previous life was directed by Lin Yue and written by Hua Xingyun. At that time, there were also people with strong backgrounds who wanted to secretly snatch the role from Luo Yu. It was Lin Yue and Hua Xingyun who withstood all the pressure. He believed that Luo Yu was the most suitable actor for this role, which resulted in Luo Yu winning best supporting actor.

So in this life, if Luo Yu had not missed the role of Bai Ying, he would have met his benefactor ten years earlier.

Luo Yu knew very well that he could not compete with capital. If he wants to show his potential, he must be recognized by people like Lin Yue and Hua Xingyun who have speaking power and stick to their principles.

“Then what if you are cut out?” Cui Zhuxin was afraid that Luo Yu would be like before, a role that he had prepared for a long time would be snatched away again, and he would completely spiral into depression.

“If something like that happens, Sister Cui, you can change your job and go to Honghe Film and Television. I will go to my university teacher and ask him to introduce me to stage acting. I can make a living and hone my acting skills. When Sister Cui becomes successful, don’t forget to take care of me and give me some supporting roles.”

Cui Zhuxin was stunned. She originally thought that this was a last-ditch battle with no retreat, but Luo Yu didn’t have the tragic and anxious feeling of possible failure.

On the contrary, his calmness made Cui Zhuxin feel that… this role was definitely still his.

Not long after, Luo Yu received the script. Although there were only three episodes and also happened to cover Bai Ying’s death, the entire plot rhythm was picked up. Even Bai Ying, a cannon fodder who died in three episodes, had depth.

Cui Zhuxin originally wanted to remind Luo Yu to cut his hair, but Luo Yu said with a smile: “I think… Director Lin and Screenwriter Hua will prefer me to keep my hair long.”

The auditions were held in a hotel. In addition to the role of Bai Ying, there were several other important supporting roles being auditioned.

But there were only two competitors for Bai Ying——Luo Yu and He Mu.

Luo Yu was wore a simple white T-shirt and casual pants that day. Before entering the elevator, he happened to meet He Mu, who was surrounded by assistants, makeup artists, managers, and script teachers.

He Mu’s hair was specially combed up to the back of his head, exposing his forehead to make himself look mature and intimidating. He wore a casual suit, and the collar of his shirt was deliberately opened wide, giving him the air of a sinister gang boss.

As soon as He Mu and his team entered the elevator, the assistant immediately made a no-entry gesture to others, “Please wait for the next elevator, thank you!”

It seemed polite, but in reality it was an order, not to mention that there was clearly plenty of room in the elevator.

The other guests in the hotel didn’t know what was going on.

“Who was that just now? So ostentatious?”

“A celebrity, right? Afraid of being photographed or being asked for an autograph?”

“Ai, I don’t even know him. Do they think we will pounce on him and bite him?”

“That’s right, we don’t know him either?”

Luo Yu wore a mask and stood behind these guests. They were all over forty years old and did not pay much attention to the entertainment industry. After a long time, still no one uttered He Mu’s name. Making He Mu’s wary attitude of guarding against fire, theft and hotel guests just now seemed a little self-conscious and hilarious.

The elevator came up from the underground garage and opened with a ding. Standing inside was a man wearing a light brown sweater and casual pants. The moment Luo Yu raised his eyes and looked at him, he was stunned.

Because that man was Gu Xiaowei.

The leading actor in Luo Yu’s last TV drama.

The refreshing feeling of pitting acting skills together came to his heart instantly, but at the moment he took the step, Luo Yu realized that this was Gu Xiaowei from ten years ago. He had never acted opposite him and almost never said anything to each other.

Luo Yu followed the other guests into the elevator, and his originally calm heart was now beating like a drum.

Because this man was not a fame chasing celebrity with the false title of movie king or TV king, but Gu Xiaowei.

A person who had lived his life as he envied from the beginning——an actor who did not surrender to fame and wealth, dared to challenge the world, stood independently, and was still invincible ten years later.

But the current Luo Yu did not yet have the capital to chat familiarly with the other.

There were a lot of guests coming in, and everyone looked at Gu Xiaowei in unison. Even if he was low-key and silent, he was a presence that could not be ignored.

There were more and more guests, and Luo Yu had to squeeze back. He was careful not to bump into Gu Xiaowei.

But at this moment, the rubber band tying Luo Yu’s hair back suddenly broke.

With a “pop”, his tied hair fell down in loose waves. 

Luo Yu took a deep breath. He was too careless. Why didn’t he prepare an extra rubber band when he went out?

When his hair was tied up, it could give the feeling of soft toughness, but when it was let down, it just became messy. If one didn’t know, they might think he was cosplaying Mei Chaofeng. (TN: a character in the wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong)

Luo Yu took a deep breath and thought about borrowing one from someone on the floor.

The guests left the elevator one after another, and gradually only Luo Yu, Gu Xiaowei and his assistant were left in the elevator.

“Xiao Qin, do you have an extra rubber band?” Gu Xiaowei suddenly said.

Luo Yu took a deep breath, which was stuck in his throat. Why did Gu Xiaowei suddenly ask his assistant for a rubber band?

“Oh, my hair bun used two rubber bands, one can be removed.” Assistant Xiao Qin said.

“Okay, thank you.”

Xiao Qin took one off and handed it to Gu Xiaowei.

At this time, the elevator door opened. Luo Yu didn’t know why, but he wanted to leave here quickly, feeling embarrassed for some reason.

But Gu Xiaowei stretched out his hand and patted Luo Yu on the shoulder.

“Senior, please use this to tie your hair.”

His voice was like cold wine falling into the cup from a height, and his heartstrings burned instantly.

“Thanks.”

Luo Yu was completely stunned.

What did Gu Xiaowei call him?

Senior?

He was wearing a mask, could Gu Xiaowei recognize him?

Moreover… Gu Xiaowei was now at the height of his career, and he still recognized him, a flopped senior?

Luo Yu, who was very composed about the audition, became nervous. When he pulled his hair back, some strands were left swinging by his ear. Gu Xiaowei directly pulled the rubber band away from his fingers and said softly: “I’ll do it.”

“Oh…” Luo Yu froze there motionless.

All he knew was that Gu Xiaowei’s fingers were like a comb, sifting into his hair, gently pulling it back, and then tying it up.

“Done.”

Just one word, spoken just in Luo Yu’s ears.

At that moment, everything became dim, and Luo Yu only felt the presence of Gu Xiaowei.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Gu Xiaowei stepped forward with his long legs and passed by Luo Yu. Only then did Luo Yu realize that it was assistant Xiao Qin who had been putting her hand between the elevator doors to keep them on this floor.

Looking at Gu Xiaowei’s leaving figure, Luo Yu curled up his lips and smiled.

How are you, old rival.

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The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 008 Admiring Chrysanthemums

As the Double Ninth Festival approached, the weather suddenly got hot again.

The maid held a yellow paper umbrella painted with lotus leaves and supported Madam Tang out of the carriage, and the two of them entered a jewelry shop together. This jewelry shop was the ancestral property of the Tang family and was located at the east entrance of Suijin Street. After crossing the Cufang Bridge and walking more than ten meters to the west, there was a Shenyuan Lane, the name of which was taken from the poem “Deep, deep the courtyard where he is, so deep/It’s veiled by smoke like willows heap on heap/By curtain on curtain and screen on screen.” Just after entering the lane, there was this jewelry shop. (TN: Ouyang Xiu poem “Butterflies in Love with Flowers” about a wife who waits in vain for her philandering husband’s return while trapped within her home)

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

There were seven or eight jewelry shops in Shenyuan Lane, and women and girls dressed in silk could be seen walking through the lane.

Madam Tang was not here to buy jewelry. As the Double Ninth Festival approached, she came to the shop to check the account books. After reading for two hours the summer accounts and finishing calculations with several managers. It was still early noon.

The two of them went out together, the maid holding an umbrella: “Madam, let’s go back.”

Madam Tang nodded, and when she left the door, she looked at the crowded Suijin Street. The Double Ninth Festival was approaching, and many young girls on the street have chrysanthemums in their hair. Madam Tang suddenly wanted to go shopping and said, “I haven’t been to Suijin Street for a long time. Let’s take a look around.”

The maid nodded in agreement.

The folk customs of the Song Dynasty were open-minded, and women’s clothes were not as colorful and fancy as those of the previous dynasty, but they were still elegant and attractive. There were many girls walking in a hurry on Suijin Street. Madam Tang looked around for a while near the east entrance of Cufang Bridge, and saw a place in the distance where it was so crowded that she couldn’t see clearly.

“What’s that.”

The maid looked and said: “It seems to be a stall selling breakfast. It’s almost noon now, so they should be closing the stall.”

Madam Tang said: “There are quite a lot of people in that place. I have never seen so many people over there before.”

The maid stepped forward and took a closer look. When she saw clearly, she was stunned and came back to report: “Madam, I saw the young master.”

Madam Tang was surprised and said: “Young Master? Which Young Master?”

Maid: “It’s Young Master Tang Shen from Zhao Family Village, and the young lady is also over there.”

“They are having breakfast there?”

The maid hesitated for a moment: “They… they seem to have opened a breakfast shop!”

“Here comes the next one!” A loud and powerful shout rang out from the crowd, followed by a strong aroma of sweet sauce.

Behind the wooden cart, a tall, thin and handsome boy waved a large spoon, scooped out a spoonful of thick batter, spread it evenly on the flat iron pot, and scooped the excess batter back into the bucket with a flick of his wrist. A large iron spoon spread the multigrain batter into a huge round and flat shape, while the charcoal fire was baking it below. Soon, small round bubbles appeared. When touched by the large iron spoon, they cracked open, and the scent of fresh grain flowed out.

After spreading a spoonful of sweet bean sauce and sprinkling it with a layer of pickled vegetables, salted shepherd’s purse, coriander, and chives. Tang Shen opened a small clay pot and scooped out a small spoonful of meat sauce. Aunt Yao cooked this the night before, adding soy sauce, chili oil and sesame oil. The pancakes made a sizzling grilling sound, and then the meat sauce was poured on top, and the aroma of meat and sauce immediately intertwined.

Tang Shen was quick with his hands and feet. He used a small spatula to cut all sides and rolled it into a long strip in a few strokes to make a flat pancake.

Yao San said loudly: “Here comes the next one!”

Tang Shen handed the pancake over and said with a smile: “Be careful, it’s hot.”

“Thank you, little boss Tang.”

Tang Shen only utilized queue marketing for two days. After the multigrain pancakes became famous at the breakfast stall on Suijin Street, he stopped hiring people to queue up. But he persisted in the matter of hunger marketing. It was just that from selling only one hundred a day it became two hundred a day.

Every morning, Yao San and Aunt Yao come to sell flat pancakes in a cart. Yao San had learned the art of making flat pancakes from Tang Shen, and he made the first hundred pancakes every morning. After Tang Shen and Tang Huang woke up, he would then come to Sujin Street to do the next hundred.

Two hundred was the limit of what they could do at present, and they couldn’t make more.

After two hundred pancakes were sold, Tang Shen rubbed his wrists, and Yao San and Aunt Yao began to close the stall. A figure stood in front of him. Tang Shen didn’t even look up. He put away his things and said, “The stall has been closed. Please come early tomorrow.”

There were so many people who came to eat multigrain pancakes every day, and two hundred pancakes were far from enough. Tang Shen thought these were diners who didn’t manage to queue up.

After a while, the other said: “Excuse me… is this Tang Shen from Zhao Family Village?”

Tang Shen immediately raised his head. He saw a woman in a brocade embroidered skirt looking at him carefully. She wore a green jade bracelet on her wrist, and her earrings were also fine imperial green, practically dressed in wealth. Tang Shen didn’t realize who this was at first. Only when he saw the maid next to the woman, did he pause: “Madam Tang?”

Madam Tang smiled and said, “I am your eldest aunt, just call me aunt.”

Tang Shen said: “Aunt, did you come to Suijin Street for business today?”

Since delivering two boxes of things that time, the two families have never interacted with each other again. Tang Shen did not guess the purpose of Madam Tang’s gift, so he did not act rashly and did not go to the Tang Manor to discuss the separation of the families. Madam Tang never appeared again either.

Tang Shen didn’t think she was specifically looking for him when she appeared here today. If she really wanted to find them, she could’ve just gone directly to their home, there was no need to meet on this street.

Madam Tang looked at Tang Shen’s thin body and frowned slightly.

Tang Shen was thirteen this year and still a child. Madam Tang had never seen Tang Shen before, but Tang Shen was too thin compared to Tang juren’s son from a concubine of the same age, and seemed like he could fall over from the wind.

If Tang Shen knew what she was thinking, he would probably have to defend himself: after he came here, he improved the situation for himself and his sister, and the family had extra money now, so he never treated himself badly since. Especially when they arrived in Gusu City, the brother and sister enjoyed their fill of quite a lot of tasty food. After Tang Shen transmigrated to the ancient times and even in the remote place of Zhao Family Village, his taste buds were practically bland all the time. When he finally came to Gusu City, of course he would treat himself better.

Who would have thought that others would gain weight by eating too much, but he was the opposite, growing vertically, getting taller and taller, and suddenly jumping into a growth spurt.

Aunt Yao also said: “Little boss is really tall, your growth spurt has arrived so early.”

For ancient people who were generally malnourished, development at the age of seventeen or eighteen was normal, and it might even be too early. Tang Shen started growing at the age of thirteen so naturally wasn’t it too early?

As he got taller, the flesh on his body couldn’t keep up with his growth, so of course he looked thinner.

Madam Tang: “Do you come to Suijin Street to run a breakfast stall every day?”

It was the first time that Tang Huang saw such an elder. She hid behind Tang Shen curiously and looked at Madam Tang quietly. Madam Tang was not a beauty, but she had a decent appearance and gentle and generous manners. It was obvious that she was a lady from a literati family. Tang Huang said: “Yes, we make pancakes every day. Brother Yao and Aunt Yao come first. My brother and I will come over to help when we wake up.”

Madam Tang saw the scene of people queuing up just now: “Business is pretty good.” She didn’t say anything more, turned to look at Tang Shen, and said with a smile: “I remember the last time I saw you was nine years ago, when you were just this tall.” Madam Tang gestured with her hand to show the height, “Now you are a young man. Have you studied?”

Tang Shen’s voice was calm: “When my dad was still alive, I studied in a private school in the village.”

“The Tang family has its own private school. Your two brothers study there, as well as some of your cousins and children nearby. If you are willing, you can study with your two brothers. They are used to being bored there. They heard two days ago that a younger brother has moved to Gusu City from Zhao Family Village, and since then they’ve been clamoring to study with you. If you come to study, the three of you can get to know each other.”

The maid lowered her eyes and thought to herself: The two young masters don’t even know who Tang Shen was.

Tang Shen smiled and said: “Thank you for your kindness, Aunt. I will go to the Tang Manor to find you when the time comes.”

Madam Tang smiled and nodded: “Okay, I’ll wait for you at home.”

Madam Tang and the maid left, and Tang Shen looked at them thoughtfully.

Tang Huang breathed a sigh of relief: “The eldest aunt is so kind and soft-spoken. I thought she looked down on us and didn’t want to pay attention to us, just like Tang juren. Brother, the eldest aunt said she wanted you to go to the private family school. Will you go?” The little girl opened her eyes wide and looked at Tang Shen expectantly. “If you go, you can get to know Tang juren‘s two sons. They also want you to go.”

“Want me to go?” Tang Shen almost laughed out loud.

Tang Huang: “?”

“That’s just what your eldest aunt said to save us face. Alright, I have my own thoughts about studying. Let’s go home.” 

As soon as the four of them returned home, they saw a man waiting at the door.

Tang Shen saw the other and hurried over.

The steward of Liang Manor bowed and saluted, and handed over an invitation: “Tang Gongzi, daren has returned from Jinling. This is the invitation. He invites you to visit when the time comes.” After that, he left very soon.

Tang Shen opened the card and took a look.

Another piece of gilded brocade paper, with four lines of poem written in calligraphy on it. Tang Shen read it out loud: “The sky is clear, the sun and the moon are fixed, and the fragrance of fruit is blowing from the wind. After entering the room and looking up, raise the wine cup and drink to the chrysanthemums outside the window.” It was actually a poem riddle?

Tang Shen frowned and thought carefully.

Lost in thought, it was already noon.

Aunt Yao brought the food out of the kitchen, and the four of them sat in the courtyard to eat. Tang Shen held the invitation in his left hand and chopsticks in his right hand. He was about to pick up something when he looked at the words on the invitation and silently put down his chopsticks. He repeated this two or three times, and then Tang Huang said, “Brother, what are you looking at? Eat first.”

Tang Shen looked up at her, and his eyes landed on a small yellow flower in Tang Huang’s hair.

After looking at it for a long time, the little girl’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment and she picked off the chrysanthemum beside her ears: “Don’t stare. I saw everyone wearing flowers in their hair, so I picked one as well. Ah, you’re still staring, brother is a meanie!” Everyone had a love for beauty. Tang Huang thought that Tang Shen was making fun of her for being so narcissistic, and she became angry from embarrassment.

Tang Shen suddenly said: “Chrysanthemum? Brother Yao, is it almost the Double Ninth Festival?”

Yao San: “Yes, the Double Ninth Festival will be in three days. Don’t you know, little boss?”

Tang Shen had never made sense of the ancient calendar. After coming to Gusu City, he was busy making money and didn’t notice the date.

He smiled and said: “Looking forward to the Double Ninth festival/To gather again and admire the chrysanthemums.” (TN: Meng Haoran’s poem “Passing Through a Friend’s Farmhouse”)

Three days later, the Double Ninth Festival, noon.

The steward of the Liang Manor opened the door and welcomed Tang Shen into the Liang Manor. He smiled and said, “Tang Gongzi, daren was just wondering when you were coming. Unexpectedly you came now.”

After walking through two corner dates and passing through a ventilation corridor, in the corner pavilion next to the lotus pond, Liang daru sat with his back to Tang Shen, pouring himself a pot of tea, and looking at the graceful and moving scenery of the entire lotus pond. Tang Shen walked over and took a look, and saw that the lotus flowers in the pond had long since withered away, leaving only some dead branches and leaves, but Liang daru still looked at them, sipping tea and admiring the flowers.

Tang Shen bowed and said, “Sir, I’m here to see you.”

He said “sir” instead of “daren“. He treated this visit directly as a visit from a junior to an elder, a scholar to a great scholar in the world, rather than a commoner visiting an official.

Liang daru smiled slightly, raised his head and looked at Tang Shen. The deep and gentle eyes stayed on Tang Shen for a moment, and finally landed on the top of his head.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Liang Song said: “I haven’t seen you for a few months, but you have grown a lot taller. Have a seat.”

Tang Shen sat down respectfully.

Tang Shen said: “Sir, are you admiring the flowers?”

Liang Song: “Oh? But, there’s no flower in this yard.”

“Sir said, after entering the room and looking up, raise the wine cup and drink to the chrysanthemums outside the window. Isn’t it the Double Ninth Festival, where you invite me to come and admire the chrysanthemums?”

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