On the first day after the opening ceremony of the London Film Festival, the Roca Theatre, where 3200 Miles was showing, was bustling with people.

In May, Clemens had already released the film’s costume photos and some stills. Three days ago, he finally released the first trailer for the movie. It immediately garnered over five million views on YouTube, and on Chinese video websites, the views exceeded 100 million within an hour!

The trailer was only thirty seconds long, but it featured explosive scenes, fast-paced and thrilling car chases, and a cat-and-mouse game between police and kidnappers. When the young, handsome boy coldly stabbed the hotel owner in the heart, the scene abruptly shifted to reveal a bewildered and serene child standing under a sky full of stars.

This trailer made film enthusiasts worldwide anticipate the release of this big-budget film.

Clemens Holt, that name alone was a guarantee of film quality. Although this director was young, every one of his films was a classic in commercial cinema.

Jennifer Strong, Hollywood’s top female action star, whose action blockbusters never grossed less than five billion yuan, boasted countless male fans.

And then there was Rong Xu.

This young Chinese star debuted with Black Cloud, a debut film that grossed tens of billions! Immediately following, his second film, Lost City, grossed over 10 billion! Afterwards, Silent earned him Best Actor nominations at multiple film awards, and he was the only actor in history to receive a dual Best Actor nomination at the Golden Phoenix Awards!

Abroad, perhaps Rong Xu’s name didn’t have the same box office appeal as Clemens Holt and Jennifer Strong, but in Huaxia, many film enthusiasts traveled to London for him, using their top-tier ticket-grabbing skills reminiscent of Spring Festival travel, to secure free tickets for 3200 Miles.

Then, they watched the movie. When the first batch of viewers left the theater, some were still immersed in the fierce and shocking car chase sequences, while others had tears in their eyes, beginning to reflect on the touching aspects the film brought them.

Without exception, they all gave it extremely high praise on the official website of the London Film Festival.

[Five-star review! Clemens’s movie is as cool as ever! The bank robbery scene had me holding my breath. The explosions and car chases throughout the film are classic Clemens style, so cool!]

[I originally went for Jennifer’s action scenes, but unexpectedly, Jennifer didn’t showcase her powerful skills until the very end. But Rong’s action scenes are also so powerful; is that Chinese kung fu? This Chinese star is truly handsome, I really want to watch it a second time.]

[Five stars, five stars, five stars! Rongrong is the best! The rhythm is so strong, it’s so exhilarating, I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s good, Rongrong mwah mwah =3=!!!]

If on the first day, all moviegoers rushed for tickets solely because of the director’s and actors’ names, then starting from the second day, 3200 Miles gained a strong reputation through word-of-mouth among moviegoers.

“Yes, you heard too? I watched 3200 Miles yesterday, it was really good, so many explosion scenes! I want to queue up again, but I don’t know if I can get tickets for this afternoon’s screening. Tickets for this movie are so hard to get.”

If only one person said this, moviegoers might not pay much attention. But when more and more viewers wanted to watch 3200 Miles a second time after seeing it, it started to draw the attention of passersby who hadn’t seen the movie.

Could this movie really be that good?

Word spread from one to ten, then from ten to a hundred, and the reputation of 3200 Miles grew exponentially.

Undoubtedly, 3200 Miles was the most popular film at this London Film Festival. For a full seven days, the entrance of the Roca Theatre was constantly bustling with people, but the movie only had seven screenings in total, which meant that not everyone could see it.

“It’s going to be released soon, right? I want to see it, I want to see how cool Clemens’s new movie really is!”

This was also the promotional effect the crew desired.

Using preview screenings for word-of-mouth promotion, Clemens had always been confident in his films, as he put it: “Isn’t our film simply superb?” Therefore, he had already arranged for publicists to fan the flames after audiences watched the film, allowing this word-of-mouth marketing to ferment further.

Male viewers paid more attention to the film’s action and explosion scenes, while female viewers focused more on the dramatic elements.

Collaboration between Chinese actors and Hollywood directors was already common. However, in this film, Rong Xu’s character, Roy, initially appeared as a meek, timid, and weak child from the slums. But as the movie’s plot developed, he grew stronger and more cold-blooded.

His handsome and striking appearance alone was enough to draw attention, and when this character possessed a nearly indifferent, bloodthirsty charm, many foreign film enthusiasts unfamiliar with Rong Xu were also captivated.

“This Chinese actor is so handsome, so good-looking, what’s his name?”

“I remember he seemed to be called Rong… Xi? That name is so hard to pronounce.”

Coincidentally, a Rong Xu fan was sitting next to these two foreign moviegoers. She quickly whispered in English, “It’s Rong Xu. Do you also like Rong? I’m his fan…”

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The London Film Festival continued, but the 3200 Miles crew obviously couldn’t stay in London indefinitely, waiting for the awards ceremony seven days later. After the opening ceremony, the crew set off for Paris to participate in the recording of a reality show.

Following that, they went to Berlin, Sydney, and Tokyo. When the second Sunday of July arrived, the crew concluded their trip to Japan and flew to Huaxia.

It was now July 10th.

Rong Xu had left Huaxia at the end of June to fly to the United States to reunite with the crew. Half a month had passed since then. During this half-month, Luo Xi had flown all over the world with him, participating in the film’s promotional activities, while Luo Zhentao remained in Huaxia, planning the promotion activities for Rong Yan with the public relations team.

As the plane landed at the capital airport, the crew exited through the VIP channel, where they saw Luo Zhentao approaching from not far away. Upon seeing him, Rong Xu turned to Clemens and said something. The latter nodded gently, allowing Rong Xu to leave.

To accommodate Rong Xu, 3200 Miles had chosen Huaxia as the second-to-last stop for this global promotional tour. In two days, the crew would hold a fan meeting in Huaxia. During this time, Rong Xu would participate in some programs to promote his album, not appearing with the crew.

After half a month apart, Luo Zhentao briefly asked about Rong Xu’s recent situation, then began to discuss the next two days’ itinerary: “There’s a live music show tonight, Xiao Xu. We discussed it before, you just need to participate briefly. Then tomorrow, I’ve arranged an interview with a magazine, which will also be livestreamed online. Tomorrow afternoon, Old Yang will meet with us, I’ve arranged everything…”

Luo Zhentao spoke methodically. By the time he finished, the three had reached the parking lot. He looked up and suddenly saw his artist smiling at him, his gaze gentle.

Luo Zhentao was surprised: “Xiao Xu?”

Rong Xu smiled faintly, “Brother Luo, how long has it been since you had a good rest?”

Luo Zhentao was slightly surprised by the question. He thought for a moment: “It’s fine. It’s just been too busy this past month; I’ve been at the company constantly and haven’t really been home.”

Listening to his agent, Rong Xu sighed softly and said seriously, “Get some good rest. Your health is more important.”

Luo Zhentao paused for a moment, then smiled, “Okay!”

Despite his words, once they got into the car, Luo Zhentao immediately resumed asking Luo Xi about the details of the global promotional tour. Rong Xu, finding it both amusing and exasperating, turned his gaze away, opened his phone, and said nothing further.

When Rong Xu saw Luo Zhentao today, the first thing he noticed wasn’t his attire, but the thick dark circles under his eyes. Luo Zhentao’s complexion wasn’t good; he clearly looked exhausted. Compared to him, Rong Xu and Luo Xi, who had been flying all over the world, actually seemed more energetic. But then, Rong Xu understood.

Luo Zhentao didn’t only manage Rong Xu. To put it bluntly, when one person achieves success, those close to them also benefit. The more popular Rong Xu became, the higher Luo Zhentao’s position in the company rose, and he gained more resources in the industry, which could better help Rong Xu and his other artists.

This was a mutually beneficial situation, which was, of course, a good thing. But Luo Zhentao could also use the resources at hand to promote other artists. Recently, Rong Xu’s new film was about to be released, and his album was also coming out. Luo Zhentao was already almost entirely tied up, but he still had to manage other artists’ affairs, so he was naturally swamped.

Rong Xu didn’t intend to interfere with the other party’s choices, but his gaze gradually fell on Luo Xi, who was talking to Luo Zhentao. A moment later, Rong Xu lowered his head and sent a message: [I remember Xu Jin only has one artist under him, you. And he was already a famous agent in the industry, right? How did you manage to make him only manage you?]

After a short while, a brief message replied: [By relying on personal charm.]

Rong Xu: “…”

Far away in Canada, accompanying a certain man on set, Xu Jin sneezed. “Ach, who’s thinking of me now?”

Rong Xu ignored this narcissist to the core. He briefly mentioned his thoughts on Luo Zhentao. After a moment, Qin Cheng replied: [You’ll have more and more to do in the future. You can talk to him first. If that doesn’t work, then consider other methods.]

[That’s what I was thinking too. After all, I’ve gotten along well with Brother Luo these past few years, and we’ve always collaborated well. I don’t plan on changing agents.]

Rong Xu only briefly mentioned the agent matter. The two quickly moved on to discussing the music show Rong Xu was attending tonight.

The Chinese name of this show was “Sound of Music,” and its English name was simply “Music.” The show had been established for many years, and at the beginning of this century, it was Huaxia’s top music program, inviting singers to perform on the show every episode.

These singers included those who had been famous for many years, newcomers who had just released albums, and also those like Rong Xu who wanted to promote their albums on the show.

Rong Xu had learned about the show beforehand. After a brief chat with a certain man, he arrived at the Huaxia Entertainment building. There, Luo Zhentao prepared the event schedule for “Sound of Music” for Rong Xu. In the evening, they took a car to the TV station building.

That night, many Rong Xu fans were already sitting in front of their TVs and computers, waiting to watch the live broadcast of “Sound of Music.” Unlike many live TV shows, “Sound of Music” was broadcast not only on TV but also across the entire network.

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At this moment, on the other side of the globe, in Canada.

Rolling snow-capped mountains stretched across the vast land. The weather was clear, but strong winds blew constantly. Under the azure sky, no one knew that a crew of nearly a thousand people had been stationed on the side of a snowy mountain for two days.

Qin Cheng’s new film was an inspirational movie about extreme sports. The protagonist he played was originally a world-class mountaineer. Later, due to an accidental avalanche, he suffered injuries and could no longer climb mountains. Finally, with perseverance, he achieved success in other extreme sports.

In the movie, Qin Cheng would undertake various extreme sports challenges, showcasing a magnificent and magical world of sports to the audience.

Dangerous climbing scenes like these would usually use green screens, with post-production to create the mountain climbing visuals. However, the director decided to shoot some live-action scenes this time. Coincidentally, it was July, one of the most suitable months for climbing, so the crew set up camp here for filming.

At 8:00 PM Huaxia time, “Sound of Music” began its nationwide live broadcast.

On the snowy mountains of Canada, the lighting crew was testing the lighting for the next scene.

In the biting wind, Xu Jin hurried to his artist’s side with two cups of hot tea. He placed one cup on the small table, tightly hugged his own teacup, took a large gulp of water, and sighed, “Thankfully we left this afternoon. Even though it’s July, the temperature here is already minus seven or eight degrees Celsius. It’s freezing.”

His only answer was the howling cold wind between the snow-capped mountains.

Xu Jin: “…”

A moment later, he couldn’t help but ask, “What are you looking at, Qin Cheng?”

“Just watching some show,” a deep, magnetic voice sounded, somewhat ethereal amidst the wind and snow. After a moment, the man suddenly asked, “By the way, why did you decide to become my agent back then?”

Xu Jin was startled by the question. His eyes darted about: “Why are you suddenly asking this? Because you had good momentum back then, I was very optimistic about you.” He paused, as if to convince himself, then slowly added, “And… you seem like a pretty decent person?”

Qin Cheng raised an eyebrow: “I’m a decent person?”

Xu Jin: “…Alright, I guess?”

Qin Cheng nodded calmly, a look of “I knew it” on his face.

Xu Jin: “…”

“I was just being polite, why are you taking it seriously?! Who told you to offer such a high salary back then? Anyone would want to be your agent, okay?! Who would turn down money!!!”

That’s what he thought, but Xu Jin certainly couldn’t say directly, “You and money are incomparable.” So he could only hug his teacup and sit silently by the side. And he certainly didn’t notice that the man beside him was currently wearing headphones, staring intently at his phone screen.

At exactly 8 PM Huaxia time, “Sound of Music” began promptly. However, just as the program’s opening music played halfway, a certain man’s phone suddenly froze! A small circle spun continuously in the middle of the screen, and at the same time, a line of text appeared—

‘Please connect to the network’

Qin Cheng: “…”

The next moment, everyone on the crew saw a certain handsome, indifferent man with a cold face begin to move around. He held a phone in his left hand, raised high above his head, walking now to the camera crew, now to the props team.

At first, Qin Cheng was relatively calm, just walking slowly. But as time passed minute by minute, his brow furrowed, and his steps quickened. He didn’t stop until he reached a large rock. Then, he began to shake his phone up and down, left and right.

Finally, when the phone was fifty centimeters off the ground, Qin Cheng stopped.

The crew members were busy working, while ten meters away outside the set, a certain man was holding his phone with both hands, his expression calm… squatting beside a large rock, calmly watching the phone screen.

Not far away, Xu Jin: “…Qin Cheng, what are you doing?”

The man looked up and shook his head slightly: “Nothing.”

Xu Jin: “…”

Nothing?! Don’t you think your current posture is a bit problematic!!!

Xu Jin had an exasperated thought in his mind, wondering whether to voice it. After thinking for a long time, he took a large gulp of water and angrily said, “Anyway, it’s your image that’s ruined, not mine. I don’t care about you, do whatever you want.”

At the same time, Sound of Music had already introduced the last guest. After the host’s quick introduction, a tall, slender, and elegant figure appeared at the back of the stage. A burst of cheers immediately erupted from the audience, and on the live streaming website, a flood of bullet comments instantly filled the screen.

[Ahhhhhh Rongrongrongrongrongrong! My husband’s face, not showing it to you, not showing it to you, not showing it to you!]

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Author’s note:

Qin Cheng: It really is because of my personal charm.

Rong Rong: …

Xu Jin: …Shameless!!!