Chapter 158: Ugh, Damn Lovebirds
Duan Ci’s pettiness seemed smaller than the eye of a needle. After being pushed into the swimming pool by An Qingyan that night, he held a grudge and once again paid for a swarm of trolls to attack An Qingyan online. This time, he included Lu Yuqi in the smear campaign.
It was nothing new, just harping on the fact that they both got their roles through connections.
Now, if you searched for An Qingyan’s name on Weibo, the top results were filled with all sorts of passive-aggressive, negative posts.
γAn Qingyan and Lu Yuqi are a match made in heaven, aren’t they? It’s amazing what money can do, even getting roles through the back door together. I wonder if the role of Lin Xiao was snatched from someone else too.γ
γDoes anyone still not know that the investor for Chronicles of the Nine Provinces is the Gu Corporation? Lu Yuqi is the CEO’s cousin. Tsk tsk tsk, that connection…γ
γI’ll just stick to the original novel. Who knows what kind of garbage this drama will turn out to be.γ
…
As for all this, An Qingyan had become immune. He was busy filming these days and didn’t have much time to pay attention to such news. He’d rather do a few more math problems or memorize some political history.
Young Master Lu cared even less. He would occasionally scroll through Weibo when he was bored, and if he saw something funny, he’d share it with An Qingyan.
“Hey, even the trolls know we’re a match made in heaven now.”
The makeup artist couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle. An Qingyan helplessly rested his forehead in his hand. “Don’t listen to their nonsense.”
“Yanyan, don’t move. I’m doing your eyebrows.”
An Qingyan closed his eyes and began to rest. Waking up so early every day for makeup was indeed making him sleepy.
About half an hour later, the set manager came and knocked on the dressing room door, saying with a smile, “Yanyan, Yuqi, are you done with your styling? The director asked me to call you over.”
“Okay, we’ll be right there.”
This morning, they were filming a scene with the two of them.
After his family was massacred, the mastermind behind it didn’t let Shen Tinghan, the sole surviving heir of the Shen family, escape. Shen Tinghan was ambushed by a group of assassins. He managed to fight his way out but was seriously injured.
He fainted in a bamboo forest and was rescued by Lin Xiao, the young master of the wolf clan, who happened to be passing by. Lin Xiao was skilled in medicine and even healed his wounds.
“Chronicles of the Nine Provinces, scene thirty-seven, take one, action!”
In the lush green bamboo forest that stretched as far as the eye could see, fallen leaves swirled with the breeze, finally landing on the youth’s slender shoulder.
Shen Tinghan lay unconscious on the ground, his clean white robes stained red with blood. His delicate face was pale, devoid of color. The white gauze covering his eyes was also dotted with a few drops of blood, like roses blooming in the snow, revealing a beautiful fragility.
His well-defined right hand, also stained with blood, still gripped a long, blood-soaked sword.
Not far behind him lay more than a dozen masked assassins in black, all of them lifeless.
Abrupt footsteps echoed in the quiet bamboo forest. A youth in black, close-fitting attire stopped unhurriedly beside Shen Tinghan, his handsome, wild face expressionless.
He looked at the pile of corpses not far away, then his gaze returned to the unconscious youth on the ground. He knelt, casually sizing up the pale, handsome youth. “This blind man… is actually quite good-looking.”
He took the long sword from the blind man’s hand. “The Shen family’s ancestral sword from Yuncheng, ‘Po Xiao’.”
Interesting.
After a moment of thought, he bent down, lifted the blind man into his arms, and turned to walk back.
“Cut!”
“An Qingyan, you should lose some weight. My arms are sore.”
“No way, you’re just weak. Hurry up and put me down.” When Gu Fei carries me, it’s effortless. He can even do it with one hand, An Qingyan grumbled inwardly.
Young Master Lu felt he was being looked down upon. He scoffed and didn’t put him down, childishly threatening, “Do you believe I’ll throw you into the sky?”
“I don’t.”
“Alright, you two, stop playing around. Come over here.”
“That last take was pretty good. Let’s get two more for safety.”
…
They filmed two more scenes, not wrapping up until noon. The official character posters were scheduled to be released on Weibo at twelve o’clock. Many fans, netizens, and fans of the original novel were already waiting.
γAhhhhh, I’m so excited for my baby Yanyan’s costume look!!γ
γI hope they don’t disappoint this original novel fan.γ
γLooking forward to my Xiao Ci. His costume looks never disappoint!γ
γQi Qi’s mom is here!!γ
γI really don’t get what’s so exciting. What kind of acting can a bunch of pretty faces who got in through connections do?γ
As soon as it turned twelve, the official Weibo account for Chronicles of the Nine Provinces updated its content. The first picture was of An Qingyan as Shen Tinghan.
The youth was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, a jade crown on his head, and a jade pendant at his waist. The hem of his robe and his long black hair fluttered in the wind. His eyes were covered with white gauze, his features handsome and refined, exuding a cold, distant aura.
The white gauze covering his beautiful peach-blossom eyes actually enhanced his look, giving him a fragile, delicate feel.
The second picture was of Lu Yuqi as Lin Xiao. His look was equally outstanding. He wore a black, waist-cinching outfit, clean and sharp. His features were deep-set, his gaze sharp, as untamed as a young wolf cub.
As for the other casting choices, they also fit their characters well. The costumes and props were high-quality. The cold, exotic feel of the foreign girl Nan Li, the cute and quirky Liu Xiaoxiao, and the naive and cheerful noble young master Xie Xinghe.
Even Duan Ci’s portrayal of the villain fit the character.
The caption also teased a mysterious guest star who would be playing the final boss, without revealing a name.
γOMG OMG OMG!! This is amazing, amazing, amazing! What kind of divine casting is this!!γ
γIt’s like I’m seeing Shen Tinghan come to life. Isn’t this the Hanhan I imagined? This is exactly what he looks like, ahhh!!γ
γYanyan’s costume is so beautiful too, wuwuwu… Isn’t this the perfect cold, sickly beauty?!γ
γAmazing, amazing, Yanyan is amazing! Qi Qi is amazing too! Everyone is amazing! Based on these looks alone, I’m definitely watching. Air it soon!!γ
γAs a fan of the original novel, I’m very satisfied. The actors’ looks, costumes, and styling are all very faithful to the original.γ
γThe production team really put in the effort.γ
Less than ten minutes after the character posters were released, they caused a huge stir. The comments section was filled with screams, quickly drowning out the trolls’ remarks.
Besides the fans, most netizens and fans of the original novel were very objective and weren’t influenced by the negative rumors.
Who said An Qingyan didn’t fit the character?
Who said they would only read the original novel and would rather die than watch the drama?
Who said Duan Ci was more suitable for the role of Shen Tinghan than An Qingyan?
γDamn, I’m dead. Film it quickly, film it quickly! I want to watch, I want to watch! I’ll watch it just for these looks!!!γ
γI’m eating my words. I was originally determined not to watch, but this original novel fan is actually starting to look forward to it.γ
Of course, there were some discordant voices.
γEmmm… am I the only one who thinks An isn’t good-looking? Personal opinion, no hate.γ
γSo what if the character fits? The film and television industry has no shortage of pretty faces. If the acting is bad, it doesn’t matter how good-looking they are.γ
γAs a fan of the original novel, I still can’t accept it. Fictional characters are irreplaceable!!γ
Then, these negative comments were fiercely rebutted by the fans.
γYes, yes, you’re the only one who thinks so. Why do you care so much? Does the garbage truck passing your house make you want to grab a spoon and taste it?γ
γYo, does this sister have psychic powers? The drama hasn’t even finished filming, and you’re already saying his acting is bad. Have you even seen his acting? You’re quite something, aren’t you?γ
γIf you like the original novel so much, then go read the original novel. Stop making a fuss in the drama’s section, okay? This isn’t a straw boat, don’t shoot your arrows here, okay?γ
…
An Qingyan hadn’t had a chance to see the online reaction yet. He was currently sitting on a small stool in the dressing room, eating his lunch box, when a video call from Gu Fei came in.
Lu Yuqi, who was next to him, glanced over and, seeing the contact name, raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Gu? That’s a pretty unique name you’ve got for him.”
“Just eat your food.” There was no one else in the dressing room besides Lu Yuqi, so An Qingyan answered the video call and placed his phone on a stand. Gu Fei on the other end was also having lunch.
An Qingyan smiled at the man on the screen and called out, “Fei ge.” Young Master Lu next to him deliberately leaned over and called out, “Cousin.” In response, his cousin shot him a disdainful look.
Ugh, damn lovebirds.
Lu Yuqi pouted and, very tactfully, picked up his lunch box, grabbed his small stool, and silently moved to a corner to sit down. What could he do? He was a single dog with no one to love him.
“What are you eating today?”
“Bitter melon, greens, kung pao chicken, and fish. The soup is carrot and corn soup.” An Qingyan obediently listed today’s dishes one by one. He took a bite of the greens and frowned in annoyance. “There’s fish today, which I don’t like.”
“You can’t be a picky eater. You have to eat some even if you don’t like it. Fish is very nutritious.” The man on the other side sounded like a parent scolding a child, speaking very seriously. “Picky eaters don’t grow tall.”
An Qingyan’s mouth twitched. Gu Fei was a picky eater too, so how did he get so tall? 188 cm. He was only 178 cm. His older and second brothers were both over 180 cm. Why was he so much shorter?
The main reason was his lack of nutrition as a child. Even things like eggs and milk, which ordinary families could have every day, were not something he could eat often back then.
“It’s a bit fishy, I still don’t want to eat it.” An Qingyan eventually pushed the fish to the side in disgust. The crew’s lunch box was ordinary. Compared to the five-star hotel food in front of Master Gu, it was on a completely different level.
He looked at the colorful and fragrant dishes in front of Gu Fei. “Yours looks really good.”
Gu Fei looked at his eager expression, a smile appearing in his eyes. “Should I have someone deliver food to you every day?”
An Qingyan quickly said no. Everyone else was eating lunch boxes. He wasn’t that delicate, and he didn’t want to be special.
“I almost forgot, don’t you dislike fish? I’ll trade you for my chicken.” Young Master Lu, who liked fish, suddenly walked over from the corner.
An Qingyan nodded. “Mm, sure.”
Gu Fei: “…”
No, I need to find a partner for Lu Yuqi as soon as possible.
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