Top Dupe CH 041 Huo Haoyan Wraps Up Filming Part 2

“Tea… Teacher Luo.”

Seeing Li Shengyu’s reddened eyes, Luo Yu thought he was upset about being scolded by netizens and patted his shoulder to comfort him, “I think you’ll become a very famous actor in the future. When that time comes, those who criticize and attack you now will forgive your mistakes because of your professionalism and character. Of course, some will still use it as a black mark to continue labeling you at your peak.”

“What should I do then?” Li Shengyu asked.

“Then you should calmly view these labels and tell them, ‘Thank you for the reminder, I won’t make such mistakes again.’”

Li Shengyu suddenly realized that Luo Yu had gone through the same thing. Although Luo Yu’s fame hadn’t yet reached the level of Cheng Fei, who was recognized for his acting skills by the public, Li Shengyu felt as if he could already see Luo Yu shining brightly.

Li Shengyu took a deep breath and suddenly hugged Luo Yu, muttering, “Thank you.”

Then he straightened his back and walked towards his next scene.

Meanwhile, in the office of Dijun Media, Ou Juntao squinted at the newly released video on the official Weibo of the "Storm" crew.

Li Qian had smartly not portrayed the acting PK as internal crew conflict to attract attention but used a relatively mild description—"team building."

The purpose of team building was to resolve conflicts and make the team more cohesive, pulling in the same direction.

Team Building Highlights Episode One—Group Extra Challenges Crew’s Big Boss Cheng Fei.

This video immediately caught the attention of passersby, with netizens praising Chen Dong’s courage and being impressed by Cheng Fei’s acting. Especially at the end of the video, when Director Xu Han promised to let Chen Dong play an economic investigator following Cheng Fei in the subsequent filming, goodwill towards the crew soared.

Many people, exhausted in real life and used to their efforts going unnoticed, saw Chen Dong as a representative of ordinary people, undaunted by ridicule and failure, challenging Cheng Fei and receiving the director’s recognition, which felt like a form of spiritual comfort.

Combining this with the morning’s trending topic, everyone was more eagerly anticipating the official video clip of Luo Yu challenging Li Shengyu.

After all, the trending video was shot on a phone with unclear angles and poor quality compared to the official behind the scenes highlights, leading to a surge in the official Weibo followers, all urging for the release of the Luo Yu vs. Li Shengyu highlight.

Ou Juntao’s secretary knocked on the door and entered, “Chairman Ou, I have something to ask you. Should we proceed with the plan to hype the scandal between Lin Yue and Luo Yu?”

Ou Juntao sneered, “What do you think?”

The secretary calmly analyzed, “I think it’s unnecessary now, and it might backfire. Firstly, Luo Yu has just won against Li Shengyu in the crew’s team building, and the public has a good impression of his acting skills. If we hype him getting roles through improper dealings with Lin Yue, it might provoke a backlash, creating a sense of subtlety and targeting. Secondly, Li Shengyu just apologized on Weibo, directly tagging Luo Yu and Lin Yue. If we release black material now, it will coincide with Li Shengyu’s apology, greatly reducing its effect.”

“Li Qian has already blocked this move. If we release this black material now, it will probably provoke resentment from netizens. Cancel it,” Ou Juntao said.

The secretary nodded and left.

Another week later, the character Huo Haoyan reached his final scene.

This scene featured only Luo Yu, with Mr. Yang Chen playing the big boss, only appearing in a phone conversation with him.

But for some reason, many people came to watch, crowding the set.

There were group extras, other small supporting roles, Li Shengyu, Cheng Fei, and the leading actress of this drama, Jiao Ning.

The assistant director approached Xu Han and whispered, “There are so many people here. Should we ask them not to gather here?”

“This is Huo Haoyan’s final scene, and everyone wants to see if Luo Yu can deliver a more profound performance than the acting PK. The wrap celebration should be lively. As long as it doesn’t affect filming, why be the villain?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Go to my car trunk and get the cake.”

“Cake? What cake?”

“To celebrate Huo Haoyan’s wrap up,” Xu Han said.

The assistant director was shocked, "Director Xu, you actually bought a cake yourself?"

"Why? Can't I thank him? His scenes are in the first five episodes. I originally thought it would take more than a week to finish, but haven't you noticed he never flubs his lines or breaks character? He saved me at least three days of shooting time. Shouldn't I encourage such a good actor?"

"Oh! I'll go get the cake right away!"

Today's weather was great. The sunlight was warm outside the floor-to-ceiling window of Huo Haoyan's office. Standing by the window, Huo Haoyan did not look down at the cars and pedestrians below like a god controlling everything. Instead, he raised his hand to block the sunlight, looking towards the horizon.

"Hao Yan, I know you're tired." The boss's voice sounded from the phone.

It sounded like an elder caring for the younger generation, but if you tasted it carefully, it was the dictator of fate announcing the final chapter.

"Boss, do you have any plans?"

Compared to the open rooftop where the acting PK took place, the semi-enclosed office made Huo Haoyan's lines sound even more textured, cold and mechanical, as if he was tired of the warmth of life, a hint of irony suffusing every syllable.

And this irony was a sign of powerlessness, a final bit of resistance against the devil who controlled and ruined his life.

"Take a good rest. Your sister will give birth in a few days. I've chosen a good nanny for her. From kindergarten to university, I've planned everything for the child."

Mr. Yang Chen successfully delivered lines that showcased a seemingly caring but actually cold and ruthless superior, who used Huo Haoyan's most valued familial ties to deliver the final blow.

"Thank you, boss."

At that moment, Huo Haoyan's figure from behind looked like a withered tumbleweed, always calculating and fighting in a destiny controlled by others. But now, he borrowed the sunlight to burn for himself.

He sat back in his seat, swallowed the drugs he had prepared for many years, and closed his eyes facing the sunlight.

Wishing himself freedom from the life and death dictated by others, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

The anti-economic crime team leader, Ling Jin, rushed into Huo Haoyan's office with his team. Ling Jin took a deep breath; the scene was too real and emotionally stirring. He quickly stepped forward, pressed his fingers against Huo Haoyan's neck, and said regretfully, "We are too late."

There were follow-up scenes where the forensic doctors came to collect evidence. Luo Yu didn't need to do anything, just lie there with his eyes closed.

After some reshoots, the assistant director saw that Luo Yu hadn't moved and suddenly felt worried.

"Is Luo Yu okay?"

Cheng Fei whispered to the assistant director, "Why don't you check if he's still breathing? I just noticed that his chest wasn't moving at all. Could it be..."

The assistant director panicked and quickly approached Luo Yu. Just as he was about to check Luo Yu's breath, Luo Yu suddenly opened his eyes.

"Is this scene finished?"

The assistant director nearly jumped up, and laughter broke out among the onlookers, especially Cheng Fei, who laughed the most mischievously.

"You... you... won't have any cake later!"

"Cake? What cake?" Luo Yu curiously stood up. "Is it someone's birthday on set?"

"Director Xu ordered a wrap-up cake for you."

Luo Yu was stunned. In his past life, he only received such treatment when he returned to screen acting from theater.

"Alright! Enough talking! Huo Haoyan, congratulations on wrapping up your scenes," Xu Han stood up. "Luo Yu has maintained a record of one-take scenes, saving us time for cake! Let's applaud!"

Applause erupted on the set.

Luo Yu couldn't help but feel excited. The applause, the cake, and the colleagues waiting for him to wrap up were all recognition of his work.

He took a deep breath and walked up to the three-tier cake.

Cheng Fei shouted, "Wait! Our crew is united and loving! How can we not take promotional photos?"

"Absolutely! Where's the behind-the-scenes photographer? Hurry up!" The assistant director also joined in.

Xu Han knew what Cheng Fei was thinking; he wanted the wrap-up photos to show the netizens who had previously criticized Luo Yu that he was appreciated by many people for his character and his acting skills.

He also didn't hesitate to express his admiration for a certain actor and stood over next to Luo Yu.

On Luo Yu's left was Xu Han, on his right was the old Mr. Yang Chen, and next to him was Cheng Fei.

Luo Yu spotted Li Shengyu in the crowd and waved him over, "Hey, the anti-economic crime officer, come here!"

Li Shengyu was stunned. He immediately understood that Luo Yu was inviting him for a group photo to show that the crew had forgiven his previous inappropriate remarks and to ease the negative comments against him.

Luo Yu cut the cake and distributed it to the director and crew.

While eating the cake, Xu Han chatted with him.

"So, what's next?" Xu Han asked casually.

"Well, I'll see what roles my agent gets for me. If there's an interesting role, I'll go shoot it. If not..." Luo Yu touched his nose.

"And if not?" Xu Han looked up with interest.

"I'll go to a theater group to train a bit," Luo Yu said with a smile.

Because Mr. Yang Chen had always invited him to guest star in a role that wasn't heavy but significant in a stage play, which made him itch to try.

"You won't have trouble finding good roles. 'Counterattack' will wrap up soon, with post-production taking about three months. It will be broadcast by the end of the year. And our 'Storm' will likely air during the winter break. After this period, you won't be short of roles." Xu Han said.

"Do you have any suggestions, Director Xu?" Luo Yu asked with a smile.

"Your performance is very compelling. Besides TV dramas, I think you're also suited for the big screen. I know a movie that's about to start production. I can't reveal much yet, but I've read the script, and there's a supporting male role that fits you well."

Luo Yu almost choked on his cake, "A movie? A supporting male role? That probably won't come to me. I might not even get a chance to audition."

"So, it depends on how you think." Xu Han said.

"Do you mean I should sign with Xinghan Films?"

Xu Han shook his head, "Signing with Xinghan Films wouldn't be a good deal for you now. After the dual drama releases, people will be lining up to sign you."

Luo Yu couldn't help but laugh, "Director Xu's advice is the same as a friend's of mine."

That friend was Gu Xiaowei.

"We would never suggest where you should sign. We just hope you can attend the audition for that movie."

Luo Yu understood that this was Xu Han's favor, hinting at him to hone his acting skills during this period and stay in good shape so as not to miss out on that supporting role.

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you, Director Xu."

At this moment, Cheng Fei came over, threw an arm around Luo Yu, and half-jokingly said to Director Xu, "Director, can't you add a scene for Huo Haoyan like Director Lin and Screenwriter Hua did? Let him stick around a bit longer? I haven't had enough scenes with Luo Yu!"

Xu Han replied good-naturedly, "Haven't you heard of 'less is more'?"

Cheng Fei laughed, patting Luo Yu's shoulder, "Bro, let's act together in the next drama. Come out often to hang out."

"Of course, it’s Brother Cheng's treat."

"Treat! Treat! Treat! You cheapskate!"