Top Dupe CH 041 Huo Haoyan Wraps Up Filming Part 1

“I… I have...” He Mu hesitated. “Why do you ask?”

“Do you think your acting is better or his?”

He Mu choked for a moment. Previously, whenever Luo Yu received a casting invitation, He Mu would "hire" some haters to bash Luo Yu, knowing his psychological resilience was weak, causing him to retreat. If it was a good role and Luo Yu insisted on auditioning for it, they would pressure Bo Wenyuan to stop him. Until the time Luo Yu auditioned for Bai Ying, when Luo Yu’s acting was clearly far superior to He Mu’s.

But that was because Luo Yu graduated from the Film Academy, receiving complete acting training, while He Mu had only studied for just over a year, so it was normal to not be as good. But wasn’t Li Shengyu also inferior?

On the other end of the line, Li Shengyu spoke up again, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

He Mu hurriedly stammered, “Acting is... you know, everyone's pretty much on par. What matters is the strength of the management company! Isn't it strange to ask this?”

A surge of anger rushed to Li Shengyu’s head. He gritted his teeth, repeating He Mu’s words, “It all depends on the strength of the management company?”

He Mu instantly realized he misspoke, which was tantamount to indirectly admitting he had previously won roles over Luo Yu because of Dijun Media.

“You... you kept provoking me, and I just got caught up in the moment...”

Previously, Li Shengyu had been like his follower, but today he was noticeably more assertive, making He Mu flustered.

Li Shengyu sneered, “So when you and Luo Yu were competing for roles, it was his fault for overestimating himself, and he deserved to be suppressed by you. He shouldn’t take on roles you don’t want, and if he does, it’s like eating leftovers? What about Bai Ying? You didn't get that role because Dijun Media couldn't beat Zhuque Media that time?”

“Li Shengyu! How dare you talk to me like that? I didn't want the role of Bai Ying! It’s a villain and could affect my public image!”

“Then why did you audition? Why not just decline? I asked you who you thought was the better actor, and you responded that it depends on the company’s strength? You were there for Luo Yu’s audition. Do you think he got the role by sucking up to the director or by his acting skills? You know better than I do, don't you?”

“You... Li Shengyu... do you think that I won't...”

“Won't what? Are you planning to have Dijun Media get my management company to freeze me like they did to Luo Yu?” Li Shengyu’s voice rose by an octave.

He lost to Luo Yu in the acting showdown, losing not just face but the pride of being an actor. He had no complaints if the director asked him to leave the crew.

He initially believed his "friendship" with He Mu was genuine. Now it seemed to be more due to the collaboration between Dijun Media and Yuanjing Films.

If he were face-to-face with He Mu now, he would dump a trash can over his head.

“You used your top star popularity to brainwash me, making me go in circles within your rules. Competing for roles? There are countless roles in the industry. You want something, and others can't compete with you? Copying your career path and stealing your ‘national school hunk’ image... Oh my god, why do you even think the title of ‘national school hunk’ belongs to you? Just because it says ‘national’? Did you get everyone’s approval? Is the school hunk image only yours? What’s so great about this persona that Luo Yu would fight for it? And the leftover roles? If others accept roles you don't want, it’s fine, but if Luo Yu does, it’s eating leftovers? Why don't you accuse Gu Xiaowei of eating your leftovers?”

“You... you... did you eat dynamite today? Are you insane?”

“Did you know because of what you said, I truly believed Luo Yu was a talentless flower vase who got roles by sucking up? Do you know what it feels like to be a clown in front of everyone? You always think Luo Yu is bad and low because you know that without Dijun Media’s protection, you are nothing compared to him!” Li Shengyu retorted.

“Li Shengyu... you... you better remember this...” He Mu stammered in anger.

“Remember what? If I lose this role, I’ll just be a sidelined actor in my own company, with no future. But I will always remember you, hypocritical and selfish. I was foolish enough to see your popularity as a halo of personality. I was blind.”

Li Shengyu didn’t give He Mu a chance to respond and hung up directly.

He Mu was left bewildered, breathing heavily, almost ready to explode on the spot.

“Ahhhh!”

In the middle of the night, He Mu yelled and threw his phone to the ground in frustration.

Unfortunately, the floor was carpeted, so it didn't even make a dull sound.

He Mu wanted to call his agent to suppress Luo Yu’s trending topic, but the agent just sighed on the other end.

“Little ancestor, the trending topic will naturally go down by morning. Let’s not make a fuss, okay?”

“No way!” The more he thought about Li Shengyu’s words, the more enraged he became.

“It’s not negotiable.” The agent said coldly.

Although He Mu didn’t know it, the agent had received a call from Chairman Ou’s secretary, instructing him to keep an eye on He Mu and ensure he no longer targeted Luo Yu, including instigating fans or hiring trolls.

The agent also understood that since Luo Yu joined the “Counterattack” crew, his online reputation had been steadily improving. Although the change wasn’t drastic, given time, Luo Yu would surely rise up in status. When that day came, people would revisit the past controversies and realize He Mu had been targeting him. If He Mu didn’t restrain himself now, he would suffer even more when that time came.

The next morning, Luo Yu woke up as usual, scratched his head, and sat up.

He glanced at his phone, expecting to see a message from Sister Cui, but instead saw a WeChat message from Fang Qin.

Fang Qin: [Bro, did you see? You’re trending again! Brother Gu is amazing, anything he shares goes viral!]

Luo Yu was momentarily stunned. His first reaction was not to check his trending position, nor the content, but instead opened Gu Xiaowei’s Weibo.

Gu Xiaowei was the true trending master. In just one night, the comments under that post approached thirty thousand, and shares also surpassed one hundred thousand.

Partly because of Gu Xiaowei's “senior brother,” typed by hand, making hearts flutter.

And many fans genuinely appreciated Luo Yu’s acting, becoming his fans after watching the video.

In one night, Luo Yu gained fifty to sixty thousand new followers, many sending him private messages like “Senior Brother’s acting is top-notch, when will the project be released?”, “Can’t wait for Senior Brother and Brother Gu’s scenes together,” and “Looking forward to Bai Ying.”

There was a long period when his private messages were flooded with endless insults.

But since joining the “Counterattack” crew, he had gained more recognition, receiving more fan encouragement in his private messages.

He didn't have time to reply individually, so he stood by the window with a mug, took a photo, and captioned it: Not letting down expectations, not letting down the morning light.

By the time he finished breakfast and put on his coat, the comments had already surpassed three thousand.

[Gege exudes hormones early in the morning~]

[Is this the French nonchalant elegance I hear about?]

[I want to crash into gege’s arms, preferably spilling coffee on his shirt~]

[Can’t wait to see Bai Ying! Can’t wait to see Bai Ying! Can’t wait to see Bai Ying!]

[When will Senior Brother act with Brother Gu? The clash of different alpha auras will explode with pheromones!]

Luo Yu looked at these comments, a bit puzzled.

He couldn't help but text Sister Cui: [Wearing a plain shirt and holding a mug, where do the hormones come from?]

Sister Cui: [Your collarbone and Adam's apple. Pheromones don’t always need muscles; strong auras also exude hormones. Look at Gu Xiaowei.]

Well, Luo Yu scratched the back of his head.

Upon arriving at the set, he sat in his usual spot, but while waiting for the makeup artist, unexpectedly he encountered the two actors who previously gossiped about him.

“Teacher Luo... hello!”

“Teacher Luo, you're here early.”

“Hello.” Luo Yu smiled back and lowered his head to continue reading his script.

The two exchanged glances and finally spoke up.

“We had some... misunderstandings and biases about you before, said some inappropriate things, and we apologize.”

“Yes. After watching your acting yesterday... we feel very ashamed.”

Luo Yu didn’t say he forgave them because he wasn’t in a position to forgive on behalf of Lin Yue.

Moreover, forgiving too easily makes the forgiven feel that the cost of their mistake is low.

“We’re actors, and actors are also communicators. Misunderstanding is the fate of communicators. Misunderstanding me is nothing, but you surely understand Lin Yue’s character. He is fair and just, giving many non-major company actors a chance to shine. I believe you also look forward to such opportunities; they are the motivation for many buried talents to keep striving. So, please don’t belittle it.”

At this moment, the two finally seemed to understand why Luo Yu took the initiative to challenge Li Shengyu yesterday, and their sense of guilt deepened.

Li Shengyu stood outside the dressing room, knowing that Luo Yu was inside and feeling too embarrassed to enter. Hearing Luo Yu mention Lin Yue, he realized that Luo Yu had never been trying to prove himself by participating in the acting PK; it was all for Lin Yue’s reputation.

He had listened to He Mu largely because he was already jealous of Luo Yu, and He Mu had given him a reason to release his malice. Not only had he belittled Luo Yu, but he had also hurt a director dedicated to supporting talented actors without backgrounds.

In this way, how was he any different from those paid trolls who attacked others regardless of right or wrong? Jealousy had turned him into the kind of person he despised the most.

Li Shengyu pushed open the door. As Luo Yu turned his head, he saw Li Shengyu bow deeply and say loudly, “I’m sorry.”

Luo Yu was taken aback, “Uh… ah? I… it’s okay…”

“I will also apologize to Director Lin Yue!” Li Shengyu said.

“Oh.”

That day, Li Shengyu posted an apology on Weibo, apologizing to Lin Yue and Luo Yu for his inappropriate remarks in the crew due to jealousy, and he tagged them both. Some netizens praised him for knowing his mistake and correcting it, while others mocked him for apologizing because he was afraid he couldn’t stay in the crew after losing to Luo Yu in the PK.

However, Li Shengyu felt that even if he was mocked and cursed, at least the stone pressing on his heart had been lifted.

He originally thought Luo Yu’s forgiveness was out of courtesy, but Luo Yu replied to his Weibo post saying: [Our competition was to resolve misunderstandings and improve together, fighting, Xia Yunzhi!]

Li Shengyu read “Fighting, Xia Yunzhi” many times. Did it mean the crew had no intention of replacing him?

Then Xu Han liked his Weibo post.

Lin Yue also commented below: [Young people challenging authority is courage. Publicly apologizing for their actions shows responsibility.]

Li Shengyu didn’t expect to receive such a comment from Lin Yue and suddenly felt very fortunate.

Just as he put his phone back in his pocket, he saw Luo Yu walking over after finishing a scene.