Midnight struck, and both Qin Cheng’s fans and Rong Xu’s fans suddenly noticed this Weibo post.

Rong Xu’s fans hadn’t yet recovered from the birthday frenzy of their idol when they were suddenly hit with such a huge surprise, and Qin Cheng’s fans also excitedly rushed to leave comments.

[Collaboration? Are God Qin and Rong Xu collaborating again?!]

[The last time they collaborated was on “Zhuang Hua Luo,” that was over two years ago! And the time before that was “Black Clouds.” Ahhh, they’re collaborating again?! What kind of movie is it this time? Who’s the female lead? Ahhh, so excited so excited so excited!!!]

The timing was perfect, as Rong Xu’s birthday had just passed. Announcing the film collaboration at this moment wouldn’t overshadow Rong Xu’s birthday and would perfectly leverage the immense popularity generated by the birthday to promote the new film.

Because of his birthday, Rong Xu’s name had been trending on major platforms and Weibo hot searches all day. Throughout the day, countless fans and casual observers sent blessings to the young Best Actor, and many celebrities and prominent figures in the entertainment industry also posted wishes for Rong Xu.

With this already strong popularity, the sudden announcement of a collaboration instantly drew the attention of all netizens.

[“Black Clouds” grossed over 12 billion yuan, and “Zhuang Hua Luo” also surpassed 10 billion. Now they’re collaborating again. This time, I wonder who’s the male lead and who’s the male supporting actor, what kind of movie is it! Please make an official announcement!]

[Although I’m not a fan of either, I’m so excited! I particularly loved “Zhuang Hua Luo”; when Rong Xu and Qin Cheng acted opposite each other, they truly had explosive power. They’re both so good-looking, so handsome, and then they showcase their acting skills… it’s just unbearable!]

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Most of Rong Xu and Qin Cheng’s solo fans simply supported their idols, continuously reposting and promoting. Meanwhile, CP (couple) fans, upon learning this news, were so excited they couldn’t even speak. They could only scream and reach out to their best friends, then the news spread like wildfire. Within an hour, Qin Cheng’s reposted Weibo was retweeted over 600,000 times.

[Why do Chengrong give out candy every day! Why does my Chengrong give out candy every day! My teeth are all rotten, completely rotten!]

[This afternoon I was still telling my friend that God Qin didn’t post birthday wishes for Rong Rong yesterday. I didn’t expect to be proven wrong just a few hours later. Chengrong really reigns supreme; I’ve never seen a CP that dishes out dog food like this! Never! They’re actually collaborating on a movie again. No matter who the female lead is, even if it’s a pure romance, I’ll gobble up this dog food. Let’s go, go, go, regardless of genre or type, ten re-watches of this movie!!!]

[I’ll watch it three times! No matter what my Chengrong are collaborating on, definitely three re-watches or more!]

[I’m inviting my roommates to watch, inviting my classmates to watch! My Chengrong’s new movie, must support!!!]

Since the release of Rong Xu’s The Grand Heist, his popularity has remained consistently high.

This commercial blockbuster might not have ultimately grossed over 10 billion yuan, placing it in the lower tier of Rong Xu’s film achievements, but Rong Xu’s box office performance has always been dubbed “cheat-like” by many film enthusiasts. For any other actor, The Grand Heist‘s box office would certainly not be low; in fact, it was the number one film on Huaxia’s box office charts during its release.

During the film’s theatrical run, Rong Xu naturally had high trending topics. After the film was taken down, haters continuously attacked Rong Xu, intending to use The Grand Heist for their own promotion and increase their exposure. However, this also inadvertently helped Rong Xu maintain his exposure.

And now, Rong Xu and Qin Cheng’s new movie is riding on this momentum, moving smoothly and soaring high.

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For an entire week after Rong Xu’s birthday, fans of both sides furiously discussed the new film. They didn’t know the movie’s name, type, or genre, and even didn’t know whether Qin Cheng or Rong Xu was the main character—after all, in Black Clouds, Qin Cheng was a supporting actor to Rong Xu, while in Zhuang Hua Luo, Rong Xu supported Qin Cheng.

After winning the Golden Bear Best Actor award, Rong Xu, having debuted later, might not yet be on par with Qin Cheng in terms of industry status. However, he wouldn’t casually take on supporting roles for others. Therefore, when these two actually collaborate, no film enthusiast dares to guarantee who the male lead will be.

The parties involved only gave a general signal and then stopped discussing the matter. Both fans and media were highly interested in this collaboration between Rong Xu and Qin Cheng. However, they kept it well hidden, and despite interviews and events, not a single piece of information was revealed.

It wasn’t until late December that Lance Holt finally updated new content on both his Twitter and Weibo—

[Lance Holt: Happy collaboration in 2047! @RongXu @QinCheng]

Although Lance Holt is a top Hollywood director, comparable in global status to Elder Liu, he is still a director and, unlike his son Clemens, does not possess a handsome appearance. Therefore, after Elder Mr. Holt’s message was posted, it didn’t create the instant sensation that Qin Cheng and Rong Xu’s previous interactions had.

But Elder Holt is, after all, a renowned director. Ten minutes later, a piece of news spread worldwide—

[Lance Holt, Rong Xu, and Qin Cheng are collaborating!!!]

Lance Holt, now over sixty, shot to fame with his first short film at age twenty, making him a rare genius director in Hollywood. He has won numerous “Three Golds” Best Director awards, with countless nominations. A commercial film he directed nineteen years ago remains the top-grossing film globally, with a total box office of 24.3 billion yuan.

Elder Holt is renowned worldwide for his extraordinary visual effects and technical prowess. His grasp of filmmaking can be called a masterpiece of God. He is not as skilled at storytelling as Elder Liu, but he is exceptionally good at character portrayal. Under his lens, numerous classic film characters have emerged, and many actors who played these roles have spent their lives associated with those character names.

When the news of Lance Holt collaborating with Rong Xu and Qin Cheng was confirmed, the entire global film industry was abuzz. Elder Holt hadn’t directed a film for several years, though his son was very diligent, producing at least one work annually.

And now, Elder Holt’s return brings together the globally most popular top Best Actor, Qin Cheng, and the strongest dark horse of recent years, Rong Xu. Such a combination is bound to excite anyone and can impress any film enthusiast.

[Ahhhhhhhhhhh, it’s a collaboration with Lance Holt! It’s actually God Lance!!!]

[What do I do, now I want to see this movie even more! Movie please! Movie please! I want to see it now!]

[Ten re-watches aren’t enough, I want fifteen, twenty re-watches! Every role Rong Rong has played so far has been outstanding, but none have been particularly, exceptionally prominent. Please, God Lance, create the most special Rong Rong!!!]

All sorts of comments appeared online. Chinese fans were already in a frenzy, and European and American film enthusiasts were also excited. Amidst this almost carnival-like atmosphere, some also noticed: 

[Huh, Lance Holt only tagged Rong Xu and Qin Cheng. Why didn’t he tag the female lead? Could it be that the female lead hasn’t been cast yet?]

Such comments didn’t draw public attention; they were more concerned with the film’s genre and content.

After years of preparation and nearly a hundred script revisions, when it was finally time to start filming, Elder Mr. Holt didn’t keep things under wraps like Elder Liu.

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On January 12, 2047, Rong Xu and Qin Cheng flew to the United States to finalize their styling and familiarize themselves with the special effects filming tools. The next day, this highly anticipated film was finally fully revealed—

[The Zeroth Law Film Crew: The Three Laws of Robotics: One, a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; Two, a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; Three, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. My love for you is written deep within my chip; it is my Zeroth Law. @LanceHolt @RongXu @QinCheng]

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Author’s note: 

Qin Chengcheng: [Didn’t get a kiss from Rong Rong, don’t want to talk] 

Rong Rong: [Didn’t appear, don’t want to talk] 

Fuwa: [It’s already morning, don’t want to talk]