I became famous in the entertainment industry by burning incense

With Jinli and Gu Cheng joining the fray, the news about "Qi Guan Mingzhu's romance" quickly faded away, and netizens stopped discussing it.

But at the same time, a topic started by netizens—

The discussion about "hoping that Gu Cheng and Jin Li will have a love-hate relationship and kill each other in the drama" is getting more and more heated.

It started as a joke among fans, but it later attracted more and more attention and approval from netizens.

Later on, it became a trending topic.

This trending topic didn't just stay on the trending list for a day or two, it stayed on it for three days!
The sheer scale of the controversy and the public outcry were beyond anything that Chenxi Entertainment and director Chu Chenliang had anticipated.

Director Chu seriously considered the feasibility of this matter.

Ultimately, the films he makes are meant to be seen by people.

If netizens really buy into this, then why wouldn't he do it?

If, as Chenxi Entertainment speculates, Gu Cheng is to play Ruan Ruanruan's first love in the movie, creating a stand-in plot, then he won't make any changes to the script.

It was just a joke.

If we really want to make changes, we'll have to alter too much of the plot, and we might lose the essence of the current script.

However, netizens had a unique perspective and did not follow Chenxi Entertainment's guess. Instead, they hoped that Jinli and Gu Cheng would fight each other.

This is very interesting.

He can't arrange his lovers, but he can arrange his enemies!
The character played by Jinli, being a clone, often dreams, wanting to explore the real world, find her true memories, and discover the person who gave birth to her.

So I've been secretly investigating in the lab.

As the investigation deepened, she encountered numerous obstacles, and her former colleagues, who had been very friendly to her, became her enemies, preventing her from continuing her search.

Although the cast and crew have been assembled, filming has not yet begun.

It would be perfectly normal to just replace it with any other person.

Seeing the netizens discussing it so enthusiastically, Director Chu actually started to consider replacing the actor.

He has never created any on-screen couples in any of the dramas he has acted in before.

But now, perhaps he could try to capitalize on the popularity of a romantic pairing?
Once the thought arose, it was imprinted in his mind and he could not forget it for a long time.

After thinking for a long time, Chu Chenliang contacted Chenxi Entertainment and decided to ask Sui Lingfang.

If he really wanted to invite Gu Cheng to film, he would definitely have a love-hate relationship with Ruan Ruanruan, played by Jin Li.

This involves hype among the actors.

Gu Cheng and Jin Li might not be happy about it.

However, Director Chu had a very accurate eye. He felt that the difficulty in this matter was not in persuading Gu Cheng and Jin Li, but only in persuading Jin Li.

As long as Jinli agrees, there won't be any problems with Gu Cheng.

"This……"

Sui Lingfang was a little surprised to receive a call from Director Chu.

"Director Chu, I think netizens are just joking and making a meme. They might not actually like watching this kind of plot, so maybe we should just forget about it."

Director Chu said somewhat anxiously, "No, I specifically asked the team to analyze it and even sent private messages to netizens to conduct a survey. They are really interested in this kind of plot. Why should we ignore public opinion?"

I think we should listen more to netizens, find out what they want to see, and then film what we want to film.

He paused, then continued, "If it's about bringing Gu Cheng in to play the role of the white moonlight, first love, or substitute, then I definitely won't be happy, as it would cause significant changes to my storyline."

"But it's simple to just have him play the villain, to oppose Jinli. The story already has several villains; I just need to replace one of them."

The more Director Chu thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, so he did his best to persuade Sui Lingfang.

"The paparazzi report on Jinli and Gu Cheng's ambiguous relationship every day. Everyone has already assumed that the two are a couple, but they haven't made it public because of work reasons."

The production team of "Desperate Counterattack" deliberately paired Jin Li and Gu Cheng together to generate buzz, which was quite successful. Why can't "Dawn 2" do the same?

Besides, compared to a pure, unattainable first love, a love-hate relationship is so much more exciting—a powerful combination!

At this point, Director Chu became somewhat angry.

"Are you more optimistic about 'Comeback', which is why you rejected my suggestion?"

Sui Lingfang was startled and quickly said, "No, you're overthinking it. I'm just thinking about whether this is feasible or not. I still need to ask Jinli for her opinion."

The reason she hesitated was that when celebrities create on-screen couples, they usually play lovers in dramas, rarely enemies.

Will netizens really ship these rivals in the top lane?
She originally wanted to take it slow, let her team investigate first, and then discuss it with Jinli once she was sure it was feasible.

But seeing Director Chu's resolute attitude, Sui Lingfang no longer hesitated and said:

"It's very late now, Jinli is resting. I'll contact Jinli tomorrow and give you an answer, okay?"

Director Chu readily agreed: "Okay."

Before hanging up the phone, he emphasized, "You should talk to Jinli properly. I really think the market for love-hate relationships is viable."

Netizens have gotten used to the ambiguous rumors about her and Gu Cheng, so it would be really interesting if the two of them played enemies at this point.

Who says couples have to be all love and romance? They can also take the confrontational route! Walk someone else's path, leaving them with nowhere to walk. To love someone is to kill them!

Sui Lingfang: "...Okay."

To be honest, she was starting to have some doubts about Director Chu's mental state.

The next day, she called Jinli and told her about Director Chu's idea.

Finally, she also expressed Director Chu's attitude, saying in a serious tone:
"I think he's serious this time. He really wants to invite you to play opposite Gu Cheng. Either you kill him, or he kills you."

I don't know how your storyline is planned; maybe you'll even kill each other several times. After all, in the world of clones, anything is possible.

Jinli was taken aback at first, but then she laughed.

"Sister Fang, from your tone, it seems you don't think I'm a good match for Gu Cheng as an opponent."

Sui Lingfang: "Hold on, it's not that I don't think it's a good idea, it's just that no one in the industry has ever done this before."

Celebrities with ambiguous relationships either avoid each other professionally, keeping them completely separate, or they subtly take on roles in films featuring couples, rarely playing characters in a love-hate relationship.

Jinli thought for a moment and then said thoughtfully, "Then try to think about it from a different perspective, putting aside the fact that you are a couple."

In the story, there's a pair of characters with great chemistry, but they're not actually a couple. However, they constantly stab each other in the back. Do you find that exciting?

Sui Lingfang hesitated for a moment.

She's an insider and keeps up with the latest developments in the industry.

The rise of the "love-hate relationship" meme is no secret. Many film and television bloggers use titles like "frenzied fighting" or "overwhelmed by victory" when editing movies and TV shows.

This shows that as long as the emotions are expressed well and the plot is engaging, even a confrontation can be performed brilliantly.

It's like highly intelligent people playing chess against each other; although there's no bloodshed, it's still incredibly exciting to watch.

Sui Lingfang nodded and said, "Putting aside your relationship with Gu Cheng, if the plot is well-arranged, it would be quite interesting if the villain and the character you play had a romantic connection and were fighting against each other."

Jinli's eyes curved slightly: "Then that settles it. You've already confirmed Director Chu's idea."

Sui Lingfang was still somewhat hesitant: "But you and Gu Cheng are a couple. Although you haven't made it public, netizens all assume you're a couple."

Jinli said with a grin, "That's perfect! As a couple, we can be sweet in real life and sabotage each other in the script. Just talking about it is quite interesting."

Isn't this what they call contrast, the charm of contrast? And most importantly...

She paused deliberately to give Fangjie time to think.

"Director Chu signed a 20 billion yuan betting agreement to attract investment for this film. He hopes the film will be a success more than anyone else."

Therefore, any change he makes, even the slightest one, must have been carefully considered and thoroughly investigated by his team to ensure there are no problems before he does it.

If you don't trust netizens, then try trusting Director Chu; he will give us an explanation.

The pressure he's under is only greater than ours.

Jinli's words completely convinced Sui Lingfang.

Since Jinli had made her decision, she readily agreed, "Okay, I'll tell Director Chu that you agree. Now it's up to Gu Cheng to decide."

After hanging up the phone, Jinli thought to herself: There shouldn't be any problems with Gu Cheng.

Putting aside the fact that Gu Cheng has always been happy to act opposite her and wants to be with her, both professionally and personally.

On the other hand, Zhang Guang, as his agent, also had to consider something.

If Gu Cheng doesn't want to develop in the direction of an idol, then what direction can he develop in?
Although Gu Cheng studied directing in college, as a celebrity, it would indeed be a waste of his accumulated advantages if he were to switch to directing.

Therefore, Gu Cheng's future development will definitely be towards film and television dramas.

Gu Cheng's ability to land the lead role in "Desperate Counterattack" must have involved a lot of exchanges of interests.

Their company, Guangyue Media, might not actually profit from Gu Cheng's role; they might even lose money to secure it.

However, if Gu Cheng can receive an invitation to "Dawn II", it will be a pure profit for both Gu Cheng and Guangyue Media!
Without any exchange of benefits, Director Chu extended an olive branch to Gu Cheng purely out of his high regard for the actor and his desire to gain access to a larger market.

For both public and private reasons, Zhang Guang would not give up the opportunity to help Gu Cheng make further progress.

Although Gu Cheng played a supporting role in "Dawn II", from the company's perspective, in terms of benefits, it was no less valuable than the male lead in "Desperate Reversal".

Sure enough, at lunchtime...

She received a call from Gu Cheng.

His tone was a mix of excitement and doubt, his voice was a little hoarse, and he sounded somewhat tired.

"Did you recommend me to Director Chu?"

Jinli smiled and teased, "If I had that much ability, I could persuade Director Chu to bring you in. I'm sorry, it wasn't my recommendation."

Gu Cheng asked in confusion, "Who recommended me? Or is your crew short-staffed, and someone had to leave halfway through the production? Director Chu thought my image was suitable, so he wanted to bring me in?"

Jinli sighed: "Judging from your appearance, you probably haven't been online for a long time, right?"

"Mr. Orange, your village should have internet access by now, and the trending topics on the internet should still be at the bottom of the list."

It's because netizens' opinions are too strong; they want to see us fall in love and fight each other in the drama.

"This topic has been discussed by netizens for three days, consistently trending at the top of the search rankings. Director Chu saw it and decided to bring you in to fulfill the netizens' wishes."

Gu Cheng breathed a slight sigh of relief. "So it wasn't you who recommended it. Then I'm not so nervous anymore."

If he really got a role in "Dawn 2" because of Jinli, wouldn't it be Jinli who loses face if he doesn't perform well on set?

But now, although he got the role because of Jinli, it was Director Chu who requested it.

Director Chu wanted him to play the role.

If he doesn't perform well on set, then it's Director Chu who will lose face, since he's the one who has high hopes for him.

After clarifying the cause-and-effect relationship, Gu Cheng relaxed a lot.

"Brother Guang has already called to ask if I want to take it on, and his suggestion is to take it on."

After all, Director Chu's "Dawn II" is a big-budget production, and with the popularity of the first film, the box office shouldn't be too bad.

I just landed the lead role in "Desperate Counterattack" and have just begun to make a name for myself in the film industry. If I could participate in Director Chu's film, even if it's just as a supporting actor, it would add a lot of luster to my resume.

After I finish filming these two movies, I should be noticed by film industry investors and be able to independently land leading roles in movies, instead of having to rely on 'resource exchanges' and 'online popularity'.

Jinli smiled and asked, "So you've accepted?"

Gu Cheng paused, then said helplessly on the phone, "You're asking a question you already know the answer to. You know I can't refuse you."

Gu Cheng accepted Director Chu's invitation.

Director Chu acted swiftly, dismissing one of the actors the very next day.

The actor played a villain, but not the main villain, but the second villain.

He has a romantic entanglement with the female lead, Ruan Ruan Ruan. He likes Ruan Ruan Ruan and pursued her, but was later rejected.

Because the female protagonist felt that this person didn't love her that much.

In fact, this character prefers power to emotions; for him, feelings are merely a pastime.

He knew early on that he was a clone and that the world he lived in was fake, but he willingly indulged in it.

Because he learned through other channels that the real world is very cruel.

In that case, why not let yourself live in a beautiful world forever?
Even if this world is fake.
-
Although Gu Cheng got the role, he had to focus on filming "Desperate Counterattack" first and couldn't participate in the reading session. He would only have time after filming was finished.

So apart from Jinli, none of the other actors knew which actress had been cast in the role.

However, the replacement of the actor served as a wake-up call for other actors.

Director Chu's previous remarks were not meant to scare them; he really meant it and would replace the actor if he said he would.

Even if the show had just started filming, let alone now that filming hasn't started, they can still change the actors if they want.

He won't show you any mercy unless you take it seriously. (End of Chapter)