Huayu 16: I Became the Dream-Fulfilling Master for Young Actresses

Chapter 117 What a scumbag!

Ignore the noise online, focus on honing your acting skills, and wait patiently for the premiere!

But this encouraging voice was quickly drowned out by an overwhelming barrage of doubts and malice.

A large number of CP fans and casual haters flocked to the scene, their words filled with sharp sarcasm.

[She just cleared her name and then suddenly got the lead role; her resources are unbelievable! Who would believe it's not because of their childhood sweetheart relationship?]

[With no representative works and the recent online backlash just subsiding, why is she giving up a leading lady role while overshadowing a group of newcomers?]

To put it bluntly, it was all about connections and backdoors; they won by virtue of Chen Xingzhou's favoritism!

As the argument escalated, public opinion spiraled out of control.

Many radical netizens have moved beyond simply criticizing the casting and have begun to launch baseless personal attacks, even involving Tian Xiwei's family.

Vicious comments kept emerging, and the screen was filled with extremely offensive and glaring negativity, turning the official announcement of a newcomer's filming into a massive online controversy.

Meanwhile, Bai Mengyan, the other person at the center of the controversy, also found her Weibo comment section completely overwhelmed, putting her in an extremely awkward situation.

Even before the official announcement of the start of filming, Chen Xingzhou had already communicated with Bai Mengyan about the casting.

Bai Mengyan certainly had no reservations; she immediately and proactively retweeted the production team's Weibo post announcing the start of filming, adding the following caption:

[Wishing "So Cute Us" a successful start to filming! Looking forward to Xiaotian's Huang Chengzi, a young man in summer, gentle and healing!]

However, the crazy CP fans didn't buy it at all, completely ignoring the attitude of the main characters, and instead projecting their own emotions onto Bai Mengyan, feeling indignant on her behalf.

Her comment section was filled with messages of sympathy:

[My baby is so wronged! They just finished promoting a couple on social media and then switched to someone else. Anyone would be upset in that situation!]

Don't be so magnanimous! We all feel sorry for you! Wouldn't it be better to capitalize on the popularity of your on-screen couple?

[It's okay, baby. We'll shine on our own, and we'll still be top stars in our next drama!]

Throughout the entire media storm, the section of Chen Xingzhou's Weibo account was hit the hardest.

Countless fans of the couple rushed to the front lines with intense emotions, flooding the screens with a barrage of accusations.

The anonymous hashtag #ChenXingzhouScumbag# even quietly climbed onto the trending topics list.

This is absolutely outrageous! One minute they were promoting their on-screen couple on iQiyi, handing out wedding favors and creating hype, with the whole internet shipping them, and the next minute they're casting a completely different girl as their on-screen partner!

[Isn't this just pure frivolity? She's been with you since you were nobody, and you just dump her like that! You scumbag!]

[Were all the previous sweet moments fake? They were just deceiving fans and viewers! So insincere!]

However, these CP fans' resistance was quickly overwhelmed by Chen Xingzhou's solo fan group, "Ship and Paddle Group".

The oarsmen's group has been established for over a year and has a particularly strong sense of cohesion. They also played a significant role in helping Chen Xingzhou when he was falsely accused.

The moment the CP fans flooded the comment section, the "Boat Team" quickly assembled and systematically began controlling the comments, clarifying, countering negative comments, and exposing those who had been targeted.

[The house-visiting is just an official announcement from the drama's production team; it's work, not a romantic relationship. Don't overthink it!]

Even Bai Lu herself doesn't mind, so you fans shouldn't be so sentimental and try to incite conflict on her behalf!

[Please keep your shipping (or pairing) to yourselves and don't involve the celebrities or interfere with their work. That's too abnormal!]

In Zhouzhou's dramas, the characters always take precedence over the actors; every casting choice serves the script. For example, in "A Love So Beautiful"...

The entire cast of "Dearest" is a perfect fit, so why question his professionalism?

On one side are the CP fans who are emotionally charged, chaotic, and only know how to vent their anger; on the other side are the disciplined, logical, and steady solo fans.

The standoff lasted only a dozen minutes before the massive wave of insults from the CP fans was completely crushed and suppressed by the "Paddle Group".

The cast and crew of "Lovely".

Tian Xiwei was the first to notice this. She was initially furious and about to start yelling, but then she realized she couldn't be so willful now, so she went to Chen Xingzhou's side.

"Brother Xingzhou, look!"

Seeing her angry expression, Chen Xingzhou had a premonition of what she was about to say.

He had guessed this might happen when the reporter interviewed him today, but he didn't seem to care.

All I can say is that the show is good enough to be criticized.

As long as Tian Xiwei's performance is good and the audience can accept it, then it's not a problem.

"Look at the trending topics on Weibo! They're insulting you again!" Tian Xiwei handed him her phone, her teeth grinding.

Chen Xingzhou glanced at her twice, then turned to look at her. "Compared to the previous rumors, this is nothing. Do I need to teach you how to do it?"

"Okay," Tian Xiwei pouted. "I won't swear."

As she spoke, she puffed out her chest and patted it, "Isn't it just because you're afraid I won't act well?! I've prepared for so long, let them see my abilities!"

"Okay, I'll wait."

"So—Tian Xiwei, this is all the strength you have?"

Chen Xingzhou watched the playback on the monitor and then glanced at Tian Xiwei, who was sitting there pouting.

Tian Xiwei then looked up at him, her lower lip pouting: "What do you mean by 'unrequited love'?! How can I act like that? You know how I feel about you right now."

Chen Xingzhou put down the script in his hand, walked up to her, and looked down at her.

Tien Hsi-wei tilted her chin up, with an expression that said, "I just can't act it out, what can you do about it?"

Chen Xingzhou rubbed his forehead, knowing what she meant, but still said, "Tian Xiwei, you are an actress. The first lesson for an actor is to learn to lend your emotions to the character, not to let the character express your emotions for you."

"Hmph, then tell me how to act it out? If you hadn't taken my virginity before, I wouldn't be unable to act out this feeling now."

Tian Xiwei pouted and shifted all the blame onto Chen Xingzhou.

Chen Xingzhou was speechless. He glanced around and thankfully there wasn't much of a person, just a cat-shaped tree. Otherwise, his reputation would have been ruined.

He looked at Tian Xiwei again, reached out and flicked her forehead, "Can you keep it away from people? You tell everyone everything."

"There's no one here," Tian Xiwei retorted, covering her forehead.

Cat's Tree: "?"

Chen Xingzhou sat back down and said, "Alright, let's get serious. Filming is filming, and life is life. You have to keep them separate. For you, Huang Chengzi shouldn't be about playing a love story, but about reminiscing about your youth."

Tian Xiwei wrinkled her delicate nose and snorted loudly, but listened attentively.

Chen Xingzhou softened his tone and gently guided her, "Think back to when we were little, we saw each other every day, you were always following me around, we played together, and occasionally bickered."

"One day I suddenly realized that when I look at the other person, my heart beats faster for no reason, and I subconsciously avoid eye contact when I speak."

"This feeling isn't a passionate, intense love; it's the most innocent and naive crush of adolescence."

"Brother Xingzhou, have you ever made this discovery?" Tian Xiwei interrupted him, looking at him earnestly with her bright eyes.

Chen Xingzhou paused, looked at her expectant eyes, nodded slightly, and when he saw her excitedly preparing to continue interrupting, he raised his hand to stop her.

"We'll talk about this when we get back tonight. Don't change the subject now. Keep talking about this. Huang Chengzi doesn't like a stranger; she likes her neighbor whom she lives with every day."

"Aren't you supposed to know this feeling best? How come you can't act it out?"

At this point, Chen Xingzhou looked at her with a somewhat complicated expression.

Actually, Tian Xiwei's acting was good enough, but it wasn't the kind of unrequited love feeling he wanted.

Tian Xiwei's portrayal, on the contrary, felt like a young girl in the throes of new love looking at her boyfriend.

This feeling might not seem different to most people, but someone like him can tell at a glance.

Tian Xiwei immediately pursed her lips, seemingly provoked, but didn't react. She lowered her head and whispered, "Brother Xingzhou, I know where I went wrong."

She had to admit that Chen Xingzhou was right. She had been nitpicking, wondering if liking something required categorization.

Now she carefully recalls the way she looks at Chen Xingzhou now, and also thinks back to the past.

The two feelings are indeed different. The look she used to have was somewhat secretive, or to put it bluntly, it felt like she was spying on other people's lives.

But ever since the two severed their supposed half-sibling relationship, her eyes have completely changed since their last kiss.

Now, as long as she draws the curtains, she can freely throw herself into Chen Xingzhou's arms and act coquettishly, she can be jealous and teasing without restraint, and she can look up for kisses without hiding her love in the slightest.

But Huang Chengzi is different; this innocent crush is a little secret wrapped in the shell of friendship.

Moreover, although the online criticism did not discourage her, it made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Moreover, if she really messes up her performance because of this little emotion, it will not only confirm the rumors that she "relies on connections and has no ability," but it will also lower Chen Xingzhou's reputation in the eyes of the world.

Thinking of this, Tian Xiwei took a deep breath, nodded vigorously, met Chen Xingzhou's eyes, and her gaze became firm: "I understand. I shouldn't have brought my personal emotions into the filming. Brother Xingzhou, we can start over."

"That's right." A smile appeared at the corner of Chen Xingzhou's eyes. "Relax, remember the character's state of mind, recall that feeling you had before, and let's do it again."

As he spoke, he got up and called to the cat tree a few meters away, allowing the crew to resume work.

After the script supervisor took his position with the clapperboard, and Chen Xingzhou and Tian Xiwei stood in the center of the camera, Mao Deshu's voice came from the walkie-talkie.

"So Cute Us," Scene 1, Shot 4, Action!

19

This time, Tian Xiwei completely calmed down, temporarily sealing away her current passionate love and fully immersing herself in the perspective of when she had a crush on Chen Xingzhou.

She and Chen Xingzhou were walking home, and she swayed casually, her hands behind her back, her eyes sweeping across the streets until they inadvertently fell on Chen Xingzhou.

At that moment, Chen Xingzhou also turned his head, and the two looked at each other.

Tian Xiwei quickly lowered her eyes, her ears instantly turning red, her fingers intertwined behind her back, and her toes unconsciously kicked at the small pebbles on the ground.