After running into each other in the hallway, Rong Xu and Lin Xuan walked to their rooms together.

Director Xu and Xiao Zitong’s room was one floor down, while Rong Xu and Lin Xuan’s rooms happened to be on the same floor. As they walked, Lin Xuan kept his head down, checking the latest news. When he saw that the person involved in the kissing incident had suddenly changed from Rong Xu to Ma Qi, and that Ren Shuzhi and Liu Wenqing had already started a bitter war of words, he froze completely, unable to react.

“…When I boarded the plane this afternoon, it wasn’t like this at all!”

Hearing this, Rong Xu smiled lightly and raised an eyebrow: “So, Reporter Lin, your news is too outdated.”

Today was the first day of promotion for the crew of Silent, and Lin Xuan had attended an event in Singapore last night. He couldn’t make it to the interview show recording today, so he only arrived in S City last night.

As the male second lead, Lin Xuan missing a few promotional events wasn’t a big deal since his screen time was quite limited, even less than the female second lead Liu Huizhen. But he was also the singer of the theme song for Silent, and his popularity was very high, so Director Xu wouldn’t miss this live promotional asset.

Watching the online chaos with Ren Shuzhi and Liu Wenqing fiercely arguing and tearing each other apart, Lin Xuan found it utterly uninteresting and said with a hint of helplessness: “Honestly, I really thought you were in a relationship. Although I’d heard before that Ren Shuzhi didn’t have a great reputation in the industry, since she was your girlfriend, I didn’t want to say anything. Now that she’s not your girlfriend, that’s fine — saves me from pretending I don’t dislike her.”

Being fellow singers, Lin Xuan naturally had more contact with Ren Shuzhi.

Rong Xu wasn’t interested in probing into Ren Shuzhi’s rumors. After chatting a little more, both lowered their heads to scroll through their phones.

Rong Xu kept his head down, replying to a certain man’s messages. The man on the other side of the ocean seemed to have some free time now, and they exchanged messages back and forth.

Since that man still wouldn’t admit to being involved in Ren Shuzhi’s matter, Rong Xu stopped pressing and instead kept teasing him with messages: [Don’t like durian? Then do you like keyboards? Washboards? Remote controls? Oh, I get it, you must like instant noodles.]

The next moment, the man replied: [Instant noodles are okay too?]

A faint smile curved on the young man’s lips as he quickly typed back: [Of course. Looks like you do like instant noodles.]

Qin Cheng: “…”

Even without replying, just imagining the other’s long silence, Rong Xu pictured him at a glamorous banquet, with his handsome, cold face frozen, staring at the phone screen.

To outsiders, Qin Cheng might seem to be pondering some serious issue, but who would have guessed he was actually thinking… instant noodles could also be knelt on?!

Just as Rong Xu was holding back his laughter, his phone suddenly rang.

Lin Xuan instinctively glanced his way, but Rong Xu quickly turned his phone screen away and pressed decline, avoiding Lin Xuan’s line of sight.

Slightly surprised, Lin Xuan didn’t think much and turned back.

Rong Xu immediately sent a message: [With Director Xu and the others, inconvenient.]

Qin Cheng naturally didn’t think much either and replied: [Hmm, get some rest. Let me know after you get back to the hotel.]

Thus, as a member of Qin Fengfeng group, Lin Xuan missed his first chance to catch the organization’s spy.

They soon parted ways at the door. Just as Lin Xuan was about to leave, he suddenly said, “Rong Xu,” and Rong Xu turned to look at him.

The doll-faced little star furrowed his brows in hesitation, thinking for a while before saying, “Forget it, I’ll confirm first and talk to you tomorrow. It’s not a big deal.”

Hearing this, Rong Xu raised an eyebrow: “What is it? Can’t you say it now?”

Lin Xuan didn’t hesitate: “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now. Director Xu told me before I boarded the plane this afternoon that he wants me to invite you to be a guest at my global tour concert starting at the end of this month.”

Rong Xu’s clear eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the little star, who continued: “The first show of my tour will be in S City, just two days before the premiere of Silent. Director Xu wants to use it to promote the film.”

A strange expression flickered across Rong Xu’s face, and he half-smiled, half-laughed: “Why hasn’t Director Xu told me this before?”

Lin Xuan thought for a moment: “Probably because it’s not confirmed on my end yet? Even if it’s confirmed, I don’t know if you’ll have time. It’s better to tell you when everything’s finalized; it’s safer that way.”

Rong Xu nodded knowingly.

Director Xu’s considerations weren’t unreasonable — the concert wasn’t just about the singer, but also involved investors, sponsors, the singer’s agents, and the management company behind the singer.

Lin Xuan was a singer signed under Huaxia Entertainment, so his agency side wasn’t an issue. Huaxia Entertainment would definitely support Rong Xu, and Lin Xuan’s agent wouldn’t be a problem either. But there were sponsors to consider and the concert program had to be redesigned. If something changed, inviting Rong Xu as a guest would be uncertain.

It was best to wait until everything was confirmed before informing Rong Xu and letting his team decide — the safest approach.

Director Xu never expected a big mouth like Lin Xuan to spill the beans to Rong Xu ahead of time. That very night, before going to bed, Director Xu received a message from Rong Xu.

Looking at the text, Director Xu twitched the corner of his mouth and immediately called Lin Xuan: “It’s not confirmed on your side yet, why did you tell Rong Xu now? Even if Rong Xu might not have time, why reveal our plan so early?”

Lin Xuan was brushing his teeth, answering while rinsing: “What’s wrong with that?”

Director Xu took a moment to understand: “What’s wrong? I had everything ready to play the martyr and persuade Rong Xu to definitely come to your concert. Now you’ve spoiled the plan. What if Rong Xu refuses?!”

Lin Xuan was a hugely popular young star; few in the industry would yell at him like this, but Director Xu was one of the few. Half a minute later, Lin Xuan finished brushing, hurriedly made a cute face to smooth things over.

Meanwhile, Director Xu sent Rong Xu a martyr message: [Our Silent really has a tough fate. That Lu Xiangbo scandal ruined our reputation, and now you’re tangled up in Ren Shuzhi’s mess. Rong Xu, tell me, at my age, making a movie and going through all this, am I not suffering? Isn’t it heartbreaking?]

Originally, Rong Xu just wanted to joke with Director Xu, but he realized this was the martyr plan to persuade him to cooperate with Lin Xuan’s promotion to boost Silent’s exposure.

Rong Xu didn’t mind being a guest at the concert — he and Lin Xuan got along well, and he didn’t dislike Lin Xuan.

Going to the concert would promote Silent and expand his own influence. Why not?

Director Xu knew this too — it was all gain and no loss for Rong Xu. But since the suggestion came from Director Xu, if Rong Xu refused outright, Director Xu would be helpless and had to use the martyr plan.

With a plan in mind, Rong Xu sent Qin Cheng a quick reply and also messaged Director Xu: [About the concert… Director Xu, I don’t think it’s quite appropriate. After all, I’m an actor, I don’t really know Lin Xuan’s songs. Suddenly showing up at his concert, well… ^_^]

Seeing the young man’s final “^_^” emoji, Director Xu twitched his face and had already scolded Lin Xuan a hundred times in his heart.

After sending two more martyr messages, Director Xu realized Rong Xu was teasing him and angrily said: [Alright, do you think I’m in a good mood lately? Not filming means no temper? Rong Xu, just say it — are you going or not?]

Seeing Director Xu truly angry, the handsome, refined young man could only helplessly smile and send back: [For our Silent, I’ll go.]

Seeing this message, Director Xu finally muttered with satisfaction, “Now this is more like it.”

But after a while, just as Xu had put down his phone, he started scolding again: “Really, Rong Xu is such a bad kid. This matter is clearly beneficial to him too, yet he acts like I’m begging him.” Though his words were harsh, a kind smile appeared on Xu’s face.

The next noon, Lin Xuan’s agent had already confirmed the invitation for Rong Xu to be a guest at the concert.

To participate in the concert, Rong Xu had to specifically clear a day for rehearsals.

After everything was confirmed, Rong Xu immediately informed Luo Zhentao. The latter was naturally overjoyed and agreed without hesitation, then began arranging Rong Xu’s schedule to free up time for rehearsals.

“Xiao Xu, Lin Xuan’s popularity has been extremely high these past few years. His global tour concerts have at least 10,000 attendees per show. Moreover, the concert in S City is the first stop, with 30,000 fans attending. As far as I know, the tickets have long been sold out. This is also good for us, but you’ll have to work harder and attend rehearsals.”

Listening to Luo Zhentao’s eager voice on the phone, Rong Xu lifted his eyes, glanced at Director Xu who was nearby scolding Lin Xuan, then looked at Xiao Zitong watching the scene.

A brighter smile appeared on his lips, and the young man slightly nodded: “No problem, this is a good opportunity. Luo Ge, please help me arrange the schedule—don’t delay the promotion of ‘Silent,’ and also the auditions for the new drama.”

Luo Zhentao immediately agreed: “Got it!”

In early November, with Director Xu, Rong Xu, Xiao Zitong, and Lin Xuan gathered together, the promotion of Silent officially began.

Perhaps due to different preferences among directors, besides participating in some well-known variety shows in Huaxia, the Silent crew did not take part in any reality show. Starting mid-November, Director Xu took Rong Xu and Xiao Zitong to fly to the UK, France, and the US, doing some promotion in those three places.

Lost City was only released in Huaxia, but Silent would begin its global release from December onward.

When the Silent crew left Huaxia, Lin Xuan still remained in the country, rehearsing for the concert.

On the very same day the Silent crew left Huaxia, the online feud that had lasted twelve days finally came to an end. No one expected that the fierce battle between Ren Shuzhi and Liu Wenqing would escalate so dramatically, not only affecting Huaxia but also making headlines worldwide.

At first, after Ren Shuzhi posted the challenge on Weibo, Liu Wenqing did not respond. But soon after, Ren Shuzhi’s PR team even sued the “Neighboring Pup” paparazzi, claiming they had slandered Ren Shuzhi and damaged her reputation.

The “Neighboring Pup” paparazzi naturally refused to accept this and directly questioned remotely: [Heh, isn’t the person in that photo you?]

Ren Shuzhi’s agent grabbed the key point: [Is that person in the photo Rong Xu?!]

“Neighboring Pup”: “…”

Netizens watching the drama: “…”

Rong Xu hadn’t even spoken up yet, so why are you worrying for him?

After handling the “Neighboring Pup” matter, Ren Shuzhi continued attacking Liu Wenqing. As a singer—and a single female singer—Ren Shuzhi knew that after her frequent hookups in the industry were exposed, no matter how she explained, people wouldn’t see her as innocent.

So she didn’t bother explaining! She just went straight to curse the mastermind behind it!

Thus, at 11 p.m.—

[Ren Shuzhi: You don’t even have the face to show yourself? Back when we were filming, you deliberately slapped me thirty-six times and pushed me into ice water below zero degrees. Now karma has come—heaven is watching!]

Ten minutes later—

[Ren Shuzhi: Some people used to be arrogant and act like divas in the industry. Now that you stand before me, do you dare slap me again?]

Twenty minutes later, thirty minutes later, Ren Shuzhi kept posting on Weibo continuously.

Netizens were completely stunned—after the kissing and hookup scandals, there was still this huge drama. That entire night, Ren Shuzhi’s popularity soared; the whole internet was focused on her public quarrel, until Liu Wenqing finally responded.

[Liu Wenqing: Stealing someone else’s man, you really have no shame! Bet you’d rather someone slap you @Ren Shuzhi]

Netizens got even more excited.

Stealing men? Ren Shuzhi?!

Ren Shuzhi naturally wouldn’t back down and fiercely defended herself.

That night, Ren Shuzhi and Liu Wenqing fought back and forth on Weibo. Over the next three days, they occasionally exchanged barbs, thrilling netizens. After all, Ren Shuzhi’s popularity was much higher than Liu Wenqing’s. When many fans realized their idol had actually been framed by Liu Wenqing, they immediately took their side and supported Ren Shuzhi.

Liu Wenqing had long faded from fame, and her fans were nowhere near Ren Shuzhi’s. However, Liu Wenqing had been in the industry for years and had many more friends. On the fourth day, a middle-aged male actor in his forties came out to support Liu Wenqing.

Their quarrel had escalated to a huge scale. Even though Rong Xu was busy with Silent’s promotion, he had heard about it occasionally. Many hosts also asked him about his views on Ren Shuzhi’s incident on their shows.

Although Rong Xu was completely uninvolved and merely caught in the crossfire, he was still somewhat a half-party to the matter.

Regarding this, Rong Xu could only smile helplessly and blink innocently: “I haven’t really had time to go online. Let me check the latest news first, and I’ll answer this question later?”

Checking the latest news? It was basically checking who had taken sides today and how the two sides were quarrelling again.

Time passed day by day. On the same day the Silent crew left Huaxia, the Ren Shuzhi and Liu Wenqing feud just ended, and Lu Xiangbo’s second trial verdict was announced.

Lu Xiangbo was sentenced to two months’ detention and fined 560,000 yuan!

Only then did the online spectators end one drama and start another. They hurried to watch Lu Xiangbo’s tearful complaints and his third appeal.

In front of reporters’ cameras, Lu Xiangbo tearfully claimed he was wronged.

But in the hearts of netizens, they only focused on one thing: [Hahaha, after the second trial, Lu Xiangbo paid Liu Huizhen another 100,000 yuan! So, for the last third trial, will he have to pay even more? Poor guy, hahaha, support Lu Xiangbo’s third appeal! Too bad there are only three appeals, otherwise, keep appealing, hahaha~]

There was one thing that Director Xu was actually wrong about. Although Lu Xiangbo’s case was notorious and the situation severe, the Silent crew actually gained more exposure from it. After all, the male second lead role had been replaced by Lin Xuan; Lu Xiangbo was not comparable to him at all. With Lin Xuan around, no one cared about who played the second male lead before.

But for any director, they indeed want their crew to get more exposure—but they don’t want to gain it through a bad reputation.

The incident involving Ren Shuzhi caused a much bigger stir than Rong Xu’s previous endorsement of Ying Youhe Te, because of her, the box office of Lost City skyrocketed. Many media groups saw the potential in Lost City’s box office and didn’t hesitate to postpone the movie’s release date, pushing it all the way to December.

However, this time Director Yuan no longer enthusiastically called Rong Xu to share the good news.

When Rong Xu called him to congratulate Lost City for surpassing 6 billion yuan at the box office, Director Yuan’s tone on the other end sounded somewhat downhearted: “What use is this kind of exposure to me? Even if I’m profit-driven, I don’t want the movie to be associated with this kind of scandal. Whatever, why on earth did I cast Ren Shuzhi in this film? Rong Xu, you better not contact her anymore, she’s been driving me crazy these past few days. With her around, the major award committees definitely won’t look favorably on our film. My reputation as Director Yuan will be ruined by her!”

Not expecting to hear such words, Rong Xu was slightly surprised, but after a moment, he felt somewhat warmed inside. He comforted him, saying, “Director Yuan, our film is good, you don’t need to worry. Ren Shuzhi’s issues can’t overshadow how outstanding Lost City is. I believe in myself, and I believe in you.”

Director Yuan didn’t reply to this.

After a long pause, he sighed heavily, laughing tiredly: “I heard your next film might be with Clemens? Congratulations, I hope you get the role. Clemens’ movies have always done well at the box office and won awards — don’t miss this opportunity.”

Rong Xu didn’t question how he knew about his new film and smiled: “Thank you, I appreciate your kind wishes.”