It was still a typical game variety show—playing games, creating laughter, helping promote The Lost City.

Rong Xu had been on such shows many times, and this wasn’t his first time on this one either. But unlike before, now he had won three major TV drama awards, and his popularity was soaring. The show valued him more, making him the camera’s focus during game segments, while the audience wildly shouted “Rong Xu!”

In the following half month, Rong Xu traveled across the country with the The Lost City team.

Sometimes they shot variety shows, sometimes they did roadshows.

Rong Xu, Bai Xiwen, and Director Yuan almost always attended these events. Ren Shuzhi, Ma Qi, and others didn’t always come.

The trailer for The Lost City had long been posted online. The refined and handsome psychology professor and the strong, handsome young special policeman pairing was widely loved by audiences. At several variety show venues, Rong Xu even saw fans holding LED signs saying “Tan Xue” (a portmanteau of the characters’ names).

Clearly, some fans had already shipped this detective duo just from the trailer.

The movie was a hit before its release, stirring hot discussion online. Offline, cinemas nationwide cooperated with various promotions.

At many theaters’ entrances, life-size promotional boards of Rong Xu and Bai Xiwen stood. When fans saw these, they blushed with excitement and rushed forward for “photos” with Rong Xu.

In early September, the hashtag #RongXuPhotoOp# even trended on social media.

Looking through the posts, many fans shared their “photos” with Rong Xu on Weibo—even if it was just with a cardboard cutout, they were overjoyed and wished they could bring it home to see every day.

Actually, something like this did happen. At a cinema in C City, when staff went to collect the cardboard cutouts late at night, they were shocked to find the The Lost City cutout missing!

The incident quickly reached the The Lost City promotion team, who contacted many media outlets and issued a statement immediately. This was much more exciting than the “photo incident,” and many netizens joked, while some haters took the opportunity to criticize Rong Xu.

After things escalated, the female fan who had taken the cutout felt very sorry and returned it to the cinema, apologizing as well. The cinema official used the incident to gain more attention, posting on their official account that they did not blame the fan and generously gave the cutout to her.

Though the cutout featured both Rong Xu and Bai Xiwen, it was clear who this fan was really there for.

Director Yuan had no scruples; when he heard about the incident, he told Rong Xu: “Your fans are great. If things like this happen more often, that’s all good buzz! When our movie premieres, this buzz can turn into box office revenue. That’s great.”

Rong Xu could only smile wryly and shake his head.

Of course, Rong Xu didn’t have to deal with this directly. Luo Xi and several fan leaders discussed and posted a statement in his private fan forum. The moderators seriously asked fans not to do illegal or disruptive things. If you really love him, at least… at least ask the cinema first if you can buy it directly.

This gave fans an idea, and within days, some actually asked the cinema and excitedly posted—

[The cinema really sold it to me! Really sold it to me! I’m taking Rong Rong home, sob sob sob!]

Seeing this, other fans immediately went crazy, saying they’d ask the cinema too. Not long after, #RongXuCutout# trended on social media again.

At that time, Rong Xu, Bai Xiwen, and Ren Shuzhi were on a reality show. During dinner, Director Yuan called Rong Xu and said, “When are you three coming back to S City? Let’s have a meal together—I’m treating!”

Bai Xiwen, who was strong and tall, didn’t understand the implication, but Ren Shuzhi did and didn’t speak to Rong Xu.

A regular guest on the reality show smiled and said, “Then let me congratulate your movie’s big success in advance.”

This long movie promotion journey eventually returned to S City.

As Director Yuan said on the phone, he treated them to a big dinner. Afterward, he drunkenly rambled about how tiring filming was and gave some acting notes to Ren Shuzhi.

Bai Xiwen volunteered to escort Director Yuan back to his room, while Rong Xu and Ren Shuzhi parted ways at the elevator on the same floor.

Ren Shuzhi turned and left without looking back or showing any intention to pursue Rong Xu again.

Watching the back of this glamorous, sexy actress for a long time, Rong Xu smiled faintly and turned away.

Actually, Rong Xu had somewhat figured out the reason behind Ren Shuzhi’s deliberate distancing. After the Lu Xiangbo incident, Huaxia Entertainment’s regard for him was clearly shown. Not to mention his rising popularity, Ren Shuzhi simply dared not underestimate him. Also, she feared the huge power of Huaxia Entertainment.

Rong Xu didn’t like her and had no interest in her, so she’d better stop trying to get close. They would keep to themselves. If she really caused trouble, she might become the next Lu Xiangbo.

To become a top female singer, Ren Shuzhi naturally was smart and cautious. Otherwise, her “butterfly in the flower” reputation in the industry would have long been exposed beyond the circle.

In short, under these circumstances, The Lost City finally had its premiere day.

On the night of September 21st, the entire cast and crew of The Lost City gathered at the Grand Theater in S City. They invited over a hundred media reporters, dozens of professional film critics, and more than three hundred audience members to attend the premiere.

During the premiere, reporters initially bombarded the main creators with questions about the film itself. The key personnel answered one by one, casually teasing each other and sharing some behind-the-scenes anecdotes from filming. The atmosphere was very harmonious, filled with laughter.

In the latter half of the premiere, the questions shifted toward the stars and the director.

Some reporters asked Ren Shuzhi about her recent rumors involving a young British actor. Others inquired about Bai Xiwen’s new projects.

But when it came to questions for Rong Xu, the reporters unanimously steered the topic toward Silent and Lu Xiangbo. Lu Xiangbo’s case was about to go to trial in a few days and had become a hot topic recently. If Rong Xu could reveal some scoop, it would definitely become headline news!

However, under the bright, dazzling lights, this clear and delicate young man simply smiled with lowered eyes and calmly and gently deflected all the reporters’ questions.

“I believe the law will give us an answer.”

“I also feel very sorry for what Liu Hui went through.”

“I didn’t have many scenes with him, and in the crew, we didn’t have much contact.”

His simple answers left the reporters with no follow-up, and in the end, Rong Xu even managed to steer the conversation entirely back to The Lost City.

Finally, the premiere came to an end, and the cast and crew took their seats to watch the film.

At the same time, when midnight struck on September 22nd, many young people nationwide rushed to theaters at the first opportunity, found their seats, held their soda and popcorn, and eagerly awaited the movie to start.

Since it was a midnight screening, attendance was under 50% at every theater, with some in remote areas only around 20%. But this was the middle of the night! And The Lost City had just premiered with 67% of nationwide screening slots! The more screenings there are, the more the audience is spread out.

By rough calculation, the premiere alone could easily bring in tens of millions in box office revenue!

Near the Grand Theater in S City was the Guangming Cinema, where two young, fashionable white-collar workers were sharing a large bucket of popcorn and sighing.

“Ah, I just couldn’t get a ticket. Otherwise, I’d be at the Grand Theater watching our Rong Rong right now.”

“Xiaoying, do you think those tickets are that easy to get? Don’t be jealous. We’re only one kilometer away from Rong Rong—just one kilometer! Let’s pretend he’s here in this cinema with us and enjoy the movie. Hey, it’s starting!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of heavy rain filled the theater.

The rain was pouring down heavily; under the dark night, only the faint, flickering street lamps along the roadside cast weak shadows. On the wide screen, the dim lighting made it impossible for the audience to see every detail clearly—only a vague impression of a back alley.

Large raindrops patted against the ground, splashing into many small puddles. From one end of the screen, suddenly a figure appeared!

This person was tall and thin, wearing a black trench coat and black gloves, holding a black umbrella. His head was slightly lowered, and his face was hidden in the night’s shadows, making his features completely unrecognizable. But as he slowly walked closer from afar, the sound of the rain suddenly lowered, replaced by the piercing noise of rolling suitcase wheels from the theater’s speakers.

He walked slowly, almost leisurely, calmly and steadily.

Though his face was unseen, many fans in the cinema held their breath. A sharp, dangerous aura radiated through the screen, penetrating directly into their hearts…

“Tap tap—tap tap—”

Monotonous footsteps approached from afar, then receded.

As the increasingly urgent sound of rain hitting the ground grew louder, the screen suddenly cut to black.

One second later, the audience saw a brutal, cold-blooded murder scene.

In the busiest city square, there was a dead man. He was completely naked, placed right in the middle of a fountain. The police quickly arrived, and the preliminary autopsy report came soon after.

Like in every typical crime movie, the main character appeared last, with a strong personality.

Bai Xiwen’s character, Special Police Officer Tan Yangxuan, arrived late and got scolded by his superior. When the audience saw Bai Xiwen’s face, many couldn’t help but smile, and numerous Rong Xu fans became even more excited to see him.

Sure enough, five minutes later, the plot showed Tan Yangxuan receiving a “military order,” helplessly heading to a university.

The Lost City’s pacing was quite fast, a solid commercial film. Every scene was made realistically, even the earlier corpse was lifelike. Now with Tan Yangxuan’s appearance, the audience knew Rong Xu’s character, Xue Jiaze, was about to show up.

From trailers released before the film, the audience already knew Xue Jiaze was a university psychology professor.

In Guangming Cinema, many Rong Xu fans nervously held their friends’ hands, eagerly waiting for his appearance. But the screen showed a chaotic, noisy classroom, where students were playing on their phones and chatting loudly, making the audience’s mood increasingly impatient.

Half a minute passed.

“When will my Rong Rong appear…”

“Yeah, I want to see Rong Rong. The movie’s been on for ten minutes, where is he?”

Several Rong fans quietly complained to each other in frustration. Then, suddenly, they heard soft footsteps come from the speakers. The sound was light but perfectly rhythmic; once it got loud enough to catch the entire audience’s attention, the fans excitedly looked toward the screen.

Suddenly!

A pale, slender hand gently pushed open the classroom door.

When this person finally appeared, the fans didn’t scream wildly or lose control as they imagined—they all just stared with mouths agape at this elegant young professor, who slowly stepped up to the podium.

Xue Jiaze’s look had appeared in trailers and promotional photos.

But when his image was blown up on the big screen, as he walked through the classroom door, that cold and handsome aura still left people breathless.

It was a kind of cold and aloof beauty, the icy gold-rimmed glasses hiding his clear, narrow eyes, thin lips, skin so pale it seemed almost sickly. Rong Xu resembled the earlier Huo Xi, almost like a cold-blooded animal, heartless—but in fact, he was somewhat different.

Huo Xi was arrogantly beautiful and fierce, outwardly ruthless. But Xue Jiaze’s beauty was reserved and calm, cold deep inside.

Not only the Rong fans, but many casual viewers couldn’t help but blush and admit this young man was truly handsome.

“Rong Xu’s face really suits the big screen, he’s really quite good-looking…”

Meanwhile, the movie continued.

A sarcastic and cunning psychology professor who didn’t need you to speak—just a slight raise of those cold lips could reveal the color of the lunch you had yesterday.

The interactions between Xue Jiaze and Tan Yangxuan made the audience’s blood pump fast: these two were simply a perfect match!

Every time Tan Yangxuan acted dumb, Xue Jiaze would sarcastically jab at him. Yet Tan Yangxuan always seemed clueless, continuing to joke and teasingly try to touch Xue Jiaze, who would coldly dodge him.

However, in terms of physical ability, the psychology professor was no match for the police captain.

Tan Yangxuan would deliberately touch Xue Jiaze’s face, making the professor lose his composure, then both would laugh heartily: “Serves you right, you’re so OCD.”

Those unaware only thought their interactions were funny, imagining the two had a good relationship. But those who knew well were already crying with excitement, their minds flashing with countless cute fanfics and comics, eager to rush home and write a fanfic right away!

“OMG, soooooo cute, I can’t handle it!!! QAQ!!!”

Of course, the movie kept going. While captivated by the CP (couple) vibe, the audience also started pondering the real culprit.

At first, many thought it would be the fifth male lead—an innocent-looking honest man. But he was ruled out by Xue Jiaze.

When the criminal was finally caught, many audience members were confused. But some especially “smart” viewers analyzed quietly:

“Did you all forget? This culprit actually appeared at least three times before. The first time was when Tan Yangxuan went to the university to find Xue Jiaze, and this person brushed past Tan Yangxuan; the second time was when Xue Jiaze answered Tan Yangxuan’s call and gave a quick side glance at this person; and the third was when Tan Yangxuan opened the door to find this person.”

This viewer was quietly explaining to a friend, but Liu Ying and her friends, sitting right in front of them, overheard.

The person continued analyzing: “And actually, Xue Jiaze mentioned this patient several times in the movie. He said this patient had a broken family in childhood, had psychological problems, and had been to prison…”

Hearing this, everyone found it very reasonable.

Liu Ying and her friends nodded in agreement, having realized how many clues Director Yuan had planted in the movie.

Suddenly! A loud knocking sound came from the theater’s speakers.

Liu Ying quickly looked back, eyes shining with excitement: No way! They’re going to drink together at midnight!

Clutching her excitement, everyone continued watching the movie’s ending. Watching Tan Yangxuan get drunk, listening to Xue Jiaze sarcastically call him stupid, then watching Xue Jiaze “pamper” him by carrying him to a room, even thoughtfully preparing to change his pajamas.

Liu Ying’s voice trembled: “QAQ they’re not together yet, this is just not right…”

Before she finished, suddenly! Liu Ying’s eyes widened in disbelief as she noticed something in the dark corner of the screen.

In the dim closet corner, there was a faint green bottle. A horrifyingly realistic severed hand floated in formalin, making the entire cinema’s temperature drop sharply into silence.

However, Xue Jiaze didn’t seem to notice the severed hand. He carefully searched and finally found a set of pajamas next to it. Expressionless, he took the pajamas and was just about to turn when he suddenly remembered he hadn’t closed the door.

So he turned his head and raised his hand to close the door.

Those cold, emotionless eyes, behind the chilly glass, quietly gazed at everyone beyond the screen. He just silently looked, for a long time, then those thin lips slowly curled up, revealing a cold smile that was almost tender.

Click.

The closet door shut, and the screen went completely dark.

The cinema was silent for a long moment, with no one speaking. Then, after a minute… it completely erupted!