Soon after, Rong Xu reposted In-Your-Heart’s Weibo update. This time, it was Luo Zhentao who helped share the post, his tone perfectly formal and professional.

Once the repost went live, countless fans showered the comments with flowers and praise.

When Rong Xu arrived in S City and opened his phone, he received dozens of notifications for comments and reposts.

As a celebrity, Rong Xu’s daily comments, reposts, and likes easily exceeded 100,000, so of course he didn’t have notifications turned on. Unless the activity came from someone he followed back, he wouldn’t receive any alerts.

So Rong Xu opened Weibo and, sure enough, many of his friends had commented on the endorsement news.

[Lin Xuan commented @RongXu: The fourth picture looks pretty cool. Still not as cool as me though~]

[Ye Qiao commented @RongXu: Haha, awesome job, Rongrong.]

[Tang Menglan: Rongrong looks all grown up. That first picture—so handsome 😍//@RongXu: Thank you In-Your-Heart for the invitation. Choose Seven with me, choose my L’amour. 💖//@In-Your-HeartHuaxiaOfficial: The love of L’amour…]

Reading their comments, Rong Xu couldn’t help but smile and shake his head.

The friends he knew had absolutely no airs about them. Logically, getting such a prestigious endorsement should’ve stirred some jealousy among his peers. But instead, they teased him like always—no trace of disdain or envy.

And that made sense. If someone had reacted with jealousy or contempt, he wouldn’t have considered them a friend in the first place.

Just like with the cast of Chasing the Deer, Rong Xu had always had a lukewarm relationship with Song Mingfei, who played the third male lead. They had barely spoken a few words and didn’t even follow each other on Weibo. His relationship with the male lead Dong Zheng was alright, but perhaps because of personality differences or competitive tension, they weren’t the type to share everything like close friends.

But his friendships with Ye Qiao and Tang Menglan had always been solid. Even though Rong Xu had officially transitioned into film and stopped doing television, the three of them still regularly chatted online, and had even met up once during a break.

True friends wouldn’t change with popularity or status. Even if Rong Xu someday won Best Actor, he’d still be friends with Ye Qiao and Tang Menglan.

In-Your-Heart’s endorsement gave Rong Xu another burst of fame and also boosted the box office for Lost City.

Only two days remained in the film’s theatrical run, and even Director Yuan hadn’t expected Rong Xu to suddenly land an In-Your-Heart endorsement at this time. Many moviegoers who saw the news decided to return to the cinema to rewatch Lost City, giving the nearly stagnant box office a massive new boost.

That night, Director Yuan excitedly called Rong Xu and said directly:
“My next film is a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) movie, and I’ve been preparing it for a long time. There’s a lead male role that really suits you. Rong Xu, what do you say? Want to collaborate? You can read the script first before deciding.”

Director Yuan was fast-talking and didn’t give Rong Xu a chance to interrupt.

Hearing him out, Rong Xu smiled helplessly and asked,
“Director Yuan, is the role really that suitable for me?”

There was a pause on the other end before Director Yuan laughed loudly:
“Well… maybe not that suitable, but you’d definitely pull it off. So, want to take a look at the script?”

Though Director Yuan wasn’t as famous as veterans like Director Liu or Director Xu, he was a top-tier commercial director. The number of actors who wanted to be in his movies was endless.

But this time, Rong Xu gently shook his head and replied,
“Director Yuan, I already have a script I feel pretty good about, so I probably won’t be able to join this time. Thank you for the offer—maybe we’ll work together next time.”

Director Yuan valued Rong Xu’s box office draw and ability to generate buzz. With his strong acting skills, working with him was always a safe bet. That’s why the director wanted to continue their collaboration. Still, it wasn’t a deal-breaker.

He sighed with a bit of regret, exchanged a few more words with Rong Xu, and ended the call.

By then, it was 8 PM in S City. After checking into the hotel, Rong Xu met with Director Xu, Xiao Zitong, and the others.

Several people hadn’t seen each other for three months, and it just so happened that today, Rong Xu announced the endorsement deal with In-Your-Heart. Director Xu waved his arm decisively and said, “He’s treating, no arguments. Anyone who gets a In-Your-Heart endorsement has to treat us to a meal.”

Xiao Zitong smiled sweetly and leaned in, looking adorably well-behaved. “Then can I tag along for a free meal too?”

Director Xu burst out laughing. “Too bad that brat Lin Xuan won’t arrive in S City until tomorrow. Otherwise, you’d be treating on his behalf too. Come on, come on, I know a great seafood restaurant near the hotel. Rong Xu, we won’t go overboard—we won’t demand molecular cuisine or Michelin stars. That place will do, haha.”

Rong Xu smiled helplessly. “…Can I not treat?”

Director Xu immediately widened his eyes. “Hmm?”

The handsome young man raised his hands innocently and nodded rapidly. “I’ll treat!”

That evening, a few members of the Silent crew had a hearty meal at a seafood restaurant near the hotel. The movie was set to officially premiere in a month. It was early November, and with the release slated for the end of the month, the promotional schedule was set for the entire month.

Participating in the film’s promotion were male lead Rong Xu, female lead Xiao Zitong, director Xu Sheng, and second male lead slash theme song singer Lin Xuan. Liu Huizhen had originally wanted to join the promotion too, but she was tied up with an ongoing lawsuit.

Lu Xiangbo’s case had already gone through its first trial at the end of last month. The court sentenced Lu Xiangbo to six months of detention and ordered him to pay over 400,000 yuan in total for Liu Huizhen’s emotional distress, lost youth, and medical expenses.

Naturally, Lu Xiangbo refused to accept the ruling. Admitting guilt would mean the complete ruin of his career. So, he filed an appeal for a second trial. Rumors in the industry claimed that he had even secretly approached Liu Huizhen and somehow obtained compromising photos of her allegedly engaging in a casting couch situation with an investor, demanding that she withdraw the lawsuit.

Now, things between Lu Xiangbo and Liu Huizhen had escalated to an all-out war.

As for Director Xu, he remained calm. “Let Liu Huizhen deal with him in court first. Once she’s done, our crew will take care of our business with him.” With a cold snort, Director Xu sneered, “I don’t want to get tangled up with either of them—too messy.”

Though the person in question was a woman, Director Xu didn’t show a shred of gentlemanly courtesy. He made it very clear—he didn’t like Lu Xiangbo, but he didn’t care for Liu Huizhen either. In his eyes, neither was any good. One was a bit more disgusting, while the other barely managed to avoid a complete fallout.

Rong Xu and Xiao Zitong, accustomed to Director Xu’s blunt personality, simply kept their heads down and focused on their crabs, refraining from commenting. There was no need to kick Lu Xiangbo while he was down—his outcome was predictably miserable. Like Director Xu, they didn’t want to get dragged into the mess either.

Since only a few people came to S City for the promotional event, Rong Xu only had to treat Director Xu, Xiao Zitong, and their two assistants.

Originally, both assistants tried to politely decline the treat, feeling awkward about having Rong Xu pay, but Director Xu just pulled his assistant into a seat and said with a chuckle, “He landed the In-Your-Heart endorsement—bet that’s at least eight figures. What’s there to be polite about?”

Hearing that, Rong Xu could only shrug innocently.

In truth, the endorsement fee from In-Your-Heart wasn’t as high as Director Xu claimed. After all, Rong Xu had only debuted a year and a half ago, hadn’t won any film awards, and hadn’t even received a nomination. But there was no point in arguing—what mattered wasn’t the money from the deal, but the visibility it brought.

This endorsement would launch Rong Xu beyond Huaxia, opening the path to the international stage.

And this was only the first step. To truly establish himself worldwide, he needed more work—more impactful projects.

After dinner, the group strolled back to the hotel.

The restaurant was close by. Thanks to the dim evening light and the crowds on the sidewalk, no one recognized the masked celebrities.

Near the hotel, however, a few people did notice them. Three young girls, Rong Xu’s fans, gasped in excitement but kept their voices low, avoiding a scene. Rong Xu, Xiao Zitong, and Director Xu signed autographs for them, and the girls left joyfully.

While they were in the elevator, Director Xu suddenly spoke. “Lost City is getting an extended theatrical run?”

Rong Xu blinked. “Extended?” Director Yuan hadn’t mentioned anything when they spoke last night, so he was confused.

Director Xu nodded lightly. “Mm, I heard it from a friend. Several media groups are thinking of extending it. You’ve just picked up the In-Your-Heart deal, and Lost City’s box office has had a bit of a rebound. And we’re promoting Silent now, so those old guys are cashing in on our movie’s publicity to milk Lost City a little longer.”

Muttering a few more words, Director Xu didn’t continue.

In fact, Lost City was benefiting nicely from Silent’s promotion, but the same was true in reverse. Silent was also riding on the coattails of Lost City and Zhuang Hua Luo.

Over the past six months, ever since Black Clouds premiered, Rong Xu had buried himself in filming and hadn’t released anything new. A celebrity without new projects risks losing fans and fading from the public eye. But Rong Xu’s fanbase stuck with him throughout.

So, half a year later, three of his films were set to release one after another.

Lost City at the end of September, Silent at the end of November, and Zhuang Hua Luo in December.

The result of half a year of silence was one massive, explosive comeback.

Of the three films, Zhuang Hua Luo had Qin Cheng as the male lead, giving him the spotlight and exposure. But the other two leaned heavily on Rong Xu’s box office appeal. The three movies complemented each other. As long as one performed well, it would lift the others along with it.

The next morning, Rong Xu also saw the news online about Lost City’s delayed takedown from theaters.

He sent Director Yuan a congratulatory message. He could easily imagine the ultra-realist director grinning from ear to ear. After that, Rong Xu joined Xiao Zitong and Director Xu for a talk show appearance.

It was a talk show program. Lin Xuan wouldn’t arrive in S City until the evening, so only the three of them were present to promote the film. The host was quick-witted and kept tossing clever questions at Rong Xu, frequently bringing up his recent big headlines. Rong Xu deflected each one with skill.

Finally, the host brought up the incident that had occurred on Silent’s set.

Since Lu Xiangbo had long been booted from the cast, Director Xu had no qualms about using his infamy to drum up some extra publicity for their film.

After hearing the host’s question, Director Xu’s lips curled into a faint, knowing smile as he began recounting events that had once taken place within the Silent crew.

“Lu Xiangbo, huh? Not much of an actor. Honestly, I used to scold him a lot. I’ve got a bad temper, and he’s got bad acting—put us together, and it’s like throwing a firecracker into a bonfire. One spark and boom, right?” The host immediately burst into laughter and played along. Director Xu continued, “But I really didn’t expect he’d be so shameless, doing something like that.”

For the next ten minutes, Director Xu mercilessly ridiculed Lu Xiangbo. He didn’t outright curse him out, of course, but he did reveal plenty of things the public hadn’t known.

These revelations were about seventy percent true and thirty percent fabricated. For example, Director Xu said Lu Xiangbo once reduced a crew member to tears—this wasn’t true at all. Lu Xiangbo was always good at keeping up appearances. There’s no way he’d openly berate someone on set like that.

But at this moment, no one cared how patient Lu Xiangbo was or how well he maintained his image. What people cared about were his scandals.

A man who drugged the second female lead, almost ruined the female lead’s face, and even tried to steal the male lead’s role—who wants to hear about his good side? Everyone just wants to know how vile and despicable he can get.

During the talk show recording, the smile never left the host’s face. He hadn’t expected this crew to bring so much juicy gossip. Never mind Lu Xiangbo being a textbook villain in the entertainment industry—just yesterday, Rong Xu landed a huge endorsement deal with In-Your-Heart, which alone would’ve given their program plenty of buzz.

As time passed, the talk show neared its end.

This was a pre-recorded program. Half of the studio audience was made up of hired extras to cheer and react, while the other half were genuine spectators.

After Director Xu finished speaking, the host got up to do the usual audience interaction segment before wrapping up. But just then—! One of the assistant directors raised a sign and urgently gestured at the host.

The host paused in confusion. The director called for a full stop, and the host quickly left the stage.

From afar, Rong Xu watched the host talking to the director. He noticed the host’s expression grow increasingly strange—he kept turning to look toward them, his eyes widening in shock.

Xiao Zitong chuckled quietly beside him. “Something sudden happening now… Hmm, if I remember right, Lu Xiangbo and Liu Huizhen’s court hearing is around this time, isn’t it? Maybe the verdict’s out. Or maybe Lu Xiangbo actually released those photos of Liu Huizhen?”

Rong Xu smiled and nodded lightly. “Perhaps it’s the verdict.”

Three minutes later, the host returned to the stage, looking very strange indeed. After sitting back in his seat, he exchanged a glance with the director, who gave him a firm nod and flashed an “OK” sign.

The host took a deep breath—and slowly exhaled.

The camera rolled again. The host turned back to face the three members of the Silent team. His gaze swept past Director Xu and Xiao Zitong, then slowly settled on Rong Xu.

The handsome, delicate young man looked back at him calmly, his expression serene, without the slightest hint of panic. But in the next second, the host scooted a little closer to Rong Xu, smiling slyly. “So, Rong Xu, ten minutes ago, a paparazzo released a set of photos…” He paused, then chuckled. “It’s about a scandal. Yours.”

The young man’s smile deepened. He replied softly, “A scandal? I wonder what kind. It’s my first time being in a scandal.”

Fake CP pairings aside, this was truly Rong Xu’s first real scandal.

Seeing the boy’s composed smile, the host suddenly found himself unsure. Why was Rong Xu so calm? Could the scandal be fake after all?

After a moment’s hesitation, the host continued, “Yes, a scandal. Just a bit ago, someone released a set of photos taken while you were filming The Lost City—at a hotel. Apparently, you forgot to close your room door, and they captured some… uh, rather revealing images.” There was a teasing lilt to his voice.

The audience erupted. Many of Rong Xu’s fans widened their eyes in horror, grabbing their phones to search the news in a panic.

Meanwhile, Rong Xu maintained his calm smile as if completely unaffected. But out of sight, his fingers clenched tightly, his heart pounding, and sweat dampening his palms.

Lost City. Hotel. Door left open…

Qin Cheng?!

His lips parted slightly. After a long pause, Rong Xu smiled and asked, “I forgot to close the door? What kind of photos are they? I’m curious too.”

The host laughed. “Look how scared you are! So what if you’re dating the female lead? Why not say so earlier? Hahaha, someone released a photo of you kissing Ren Shuzhi. Are you two planning to go public with your relationship?”

Rong Xu: “…”

---

Author’s Note:

Rong Rong: Scared me to death (:з」∠)

Qin Chengcheng: QAQ You kissed her?! You actually kissed her?! Baby doesn’t want to live anymore!!! sobs

Rong Rong: …Are you for real right now?