Top Dupe CH 046 Playing With Fire Part 2

"Xiao Qin really knows our tastes. Every time, she orders exactly the dishes I want to eat," Luo Yu said, breaking his chopsticks and taking a bite of the chili pepper chicken.

Gu Xiaowei, however, rested his chopsticks and looked over. "Senior Brother, shouldn't you tell me about Jiang Yunxie?"

"Jiang... Jiang Yunxie... he’s been taken in, hasn’t he? Haha..."

For some reason, under Gu Xiaowei’s gaze, Luo Yu felt guilty.

Even though this guy was eight or nine months younger than him.

"Was his liquor any good?" Gu Xiaowei asked again.

"Of course his liquor wasn’t good..." Luo Yu said slowly, feeling like he was being caught in a lie.

How did Gu Xiaowei know about this? When he came to pick him up, they didn’t talk about it on the way, which meant he had just found out.

"I saw you drinking quite happily," Gu Xiaowei’s gaze sharpened, making Luo Yu even more uneasy.

Who had told Gu Xiaowei? The news was well managed by Jiang Yinchuan, keeping it unrelated to him in the public eye.

Could it be Xie Chang? No, no, Xie Shang wouldn’t discuss this with anyone else.

"How did you know?" Luo Yu asked quietly.

"First, tell me, do you know what kind of person Jiang Yunxie is?" Gu Xiaowei asked.

"Uh... he shouldn’t be interested in someone like me," Luo Yu thought back to Wen Zhilan, who had been by Jiang Yunxie’s side that day.

"Jiang Yunxie isn’t blind," Gu Xiaowei said coldly.

Luo Yu suddenly didn’t know whether to be grateful for Gu Xiaowei’s recognition or not.

"Don’t worry, I didn’t suffer any losses that day. He didn’t even touch a single strand of my hair."

"Alright, Senior Brother, tell me the truth so I can judge if you really didn’t suffer any losses."

"I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you—just stop looking at me like that, like you’re interrogating a criminal!"

Luo Yu didn’t explicitly explain how he knew Jiang Yunxie was plotting against him and Jiang Yinchuan, just mentioned that someone had tipped him off, then described the situation at the scene, including how Jiang Yunxie was at a loss when he pretended to be sick, painting a vivid picture.

But Gu Xiaowei didn’t seem to relax. Instead, his frown deepened, and by the time Luo Yu finished, a bone-chilling coldness had filled his eyes.

"Hu Wei actually dared to set you up like that?"

"Well, he’s locked up now," Luo Yu said, picking up some minced pork eggplant.

"Since Jiang Yinchuan didn’t drink the spiked tea, why did Jiang Yunxie still insist on drinking with you? He still wanted to get you drunk. Did you ever think about why?" Gu Xiaowei asked.

"Take down one first, then find a way to take down Jiang Yinchuan. If a cup of tea didn’t work, he’d serve Jiang Yinchuan a bowl of soup," Luo Yu said, picking up some garlic-stir-fried water spinach.

Dude, can we stop talking about Jiang Yunxie? There’s so much good food here, discussing this scumbag is just asking for indigestion.

"Jiang Yunxie wasn’t planning on giving you to Jiang Yinchuan for free. If he got you drunk, he’d take you home himself."

As Gu Xiaowei said this, Luo Yu nearly became the first actor to choke to death on garlic-stir-fried water spinach.

"Me? He’s interested in me? Impossible!" Luo Yu stood up, spun in a circle in front of Gu Xiaowei. "Aren’t I manly? My fists are tough enough—I could knock him out with one punch! Besides, he likes those bright and stunning types... Am I bright and stunning?"

Gu Xiaowei coldly replied, "You're more than bright and stunning—you're absolutely breathtaking."

Luo Yu couldn’t take it anymore and shoved him a big piece of rib. "Enough. I’ll call you ‘big brother,’ just stop, okay? Anyway, whether Jiang Yunxie likes bright and stunning types or absolutely breathtaking ones, now he’s got nothing but tears behind bars. Hu Wei is done for as well."

"Thanks to Hu Wei, Zhuque Media is also facing widespread criticism," Gu Xiaowei said.

"Yeah, it’ll be tough for them to operate for a long time," Luo Yu smiled. "I wonder who Bo Wenyuan is begging for help now? Hey, wait, you still haven’t told me how you knew I went to Jiang Yunxie’s dinner."

Gu Xiaowei closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "I read Xie Chang’s lips when she was talking to you, and combined with the recent headlines, I figured it out."

Luo Yu immediately showed an expression of admiration, "So you can read lips too? That's really amazing."

"Eat," Gu Xiaowei said softly. "After you finish eating, take a good look at the movie script Director Lin gave you."

Luo Yu paused, "What did you just say? A movie script?"

His two TV dramas hadn't even aired yet, and now Lin Yue was giving him a movie script?

This was something countless actors dreamed of—getting a chance to appear on the big screen.

"The movie is called ‘Beast and Rose’. Director Lin recommended me to play the male lead, a modern painter named Lu Pingfeng."

Luo Yu froze, "What did you say? ‘Beast and Rose’?"

"It sounds like a romance, but it's actually a suspense film."

"I... I know it's a suspense film. I want to ask you, have you read the script? Do you... do you want to play Lu Pingfeng?" Luo Yu asked cautiously.

Gu Xiaowei looked over seriously, "I really like this character. But I would prefer if you could play the role of the forensic assistant, Wen Yuchi."

Luo Yu was stunned.

In his previous life, Gu Xiaowei played the male lead in this movie, while the role of forensic assistant Wen Yuchi was directly given to He Mu without an audition, as Dijun Media was one of the investors.

The entire story revolves around a modern painter named Lu Pingfeng.

His style is filled with decay, struggle, and cold death, making his works highly appealing to collectors due to their strong visual impact and emotional resonance.

However, some psychologists speculated that Lu Pingfeng had antisocial personality traits and a strong criminal inclination, which added a layer of mystery to his paintings, causing their value to skyrocket and making them highly sought after.

After Lu Pingfeng's latest painting was auctioned for an eight-figure sum, a series of murders occurred, with the victims' final forms resembling Lu Pingfeng's previous paintings, making him the prime suspect.

Forensic assistant Wen Yuchi, through his analysis of the victims' bodies, worked with Lu Pingfeng to unravel the truth.

In his past life, Luo Yu had a deep impression of Gu Xiaowei's performance in this film. He vividly portrayed Lu Pingfeng's gloominess and self-doubt, restraint and indulgence, and the fine line between reality and madness.

When Luo Yu first saw Lu Pingfeng on screen, his immediate reaction was that this man was a wandering soul who appreciated death, seemingly in control of everything, but actually waiting for a ray of light to shine through.

On the other hand, He Mu's portrayal of Wen Yuchi was much like his previous performances in school dramas—always smiling brightly, steadfast in his belief that Lu Pingfeng was not the killer, and constantly using his expertise to prove Lu Pingfeng's innocence. He tried his best to present a clean and determined image.

But unfortunately, in Luo Yu's view, He Mu's performance was too superficial, reminiscent of the old trope of a kind and strong female lead saving the male lead, lacking depth and failing to match Gu Xiaowei's acting.

Simply put, Gu Xiaowei had already sunk to the depths of the ocean, while He Mu was still floating on the surface.

Because his co-star wasn't on the same level, Gu Xiaowei had to carry the performance himself.

After the film was completed, Gu Xiaowei took over two years off, reportedly due to difficulty in coming out of character, requiring extensive psychological counseling and therapy.

It was during Gu Xiaowei's recovery that Luo Yu restarted his career in stage plays.

Both of them had gone through very challenging times.

"Alright, I will study this script carefully," Luo Yu said.

"You can take a look at it first. The screenwriter is Xia Tan. Her movie scripts are always very dynamic in terms of character interactions. But she mentioned to me that she's not satisfied with this version of the story. So, for now, just use the structure as a reference. When it comes time for the actual audition, you should receive the latest version of the script."

Luo Yu frowned, "Are you sure there will still be an audition? Dijun Media will probably invest, and at that point, they'll just cast... cast whoever they want to promote from their company."

Gu Xiaowei looked at Luo Yu, his brow slightly furrowed, "Where did you hear that? I only heard that Honghe Film and Television is still looking for partners. The company I'm with, Xinghan Films, will be investing in this movie. Dijun Media is still in negotiations, but Honghe Film and Television may not agree to their terms. After all, Honghe Film and Television took a huge hit when Jiang Yunxie’s scandal caused their stock to plummet. They may not be able to accept Dijun Media's revenue-sharing demands."

Luo Yu was taken aback. He had only changed Jiang Yunxie's fate, yet so many things seemed to be shifting, including the possibility that the crucial supporting role of Wen Yuchi might no longer belong to He Mu.

If a more talented actor took on the role, it might actually be a good thing for Gu Xiaowei.

After they finished lunch, Gu Xiaowei took Luo Yu to chat with Director Lin and Screenwriter Hua.

Perhaps because Luo Yu had a history of skipping auditions, Lin Yue repeatedly urged him to make sure he attended the audition if he received an invitation.

"Even though Director Sheng Yunlan is very well-known, and the first thought is that he'll cast famous actors for important roles in his films, that's not always the case. Any good director cares more about whether an actor fits the role, especially on the big screen. Having box office appeal is one thing, but any strengths or flaws in an actor's performance are magnified on the big screen. So, screen presence is crucial," Lin Yue said seriously.

"Director Lin, trust me. I'll give this opportunity my all."

"Good." Lin Yue finally relaxed and patted Luo Yu on the shoulder. He really treated Luo Yu like both a mentor and a friend.

They talked about many scripts and characters, from historical dramas to modern detective stories, from powerful officials to ordinary people. Luo Yu had many ideas and concepts that aligned with Lin Yue's. Lin Yue kept unscrewing and screwing back his thermos, talking the whole time without even remembering to take a sip of tea.

When they returned to the room, Gu Xiaowei began packing his luggage.

He had been living there for almost three months, spanning two seasons. He had three large pieces of luggage, which was considered minimal for an actor entering a film set.

As Gu Xiaowei started taking clothes out of the wardrobe, Luo Yu curiously walked over and began taking them one by one.

"All your clothes have a great texture but are very understated," Luo Yu thought to himself, admiring Gu Xiaowei's sense of style.

Most of these were casual clothes, not ones styled by a designer.

"Do you like them?" Gu Xiaowei's voice suddenly sounded close to his ear.

He moved closer, and although there was still some distance between them, it felt as if he was about to brush against Luo Yu's cheek. Through the air, Luo Yu caught the scent of his aftershave, crisp and cool like frost in the snow.

His other hand reached around Luo Yu's shoulder, as if to pull him into an embrace.

Before Luo Yu could react, Gu Xiaowei's hand grabbed the tie hanging on the rack and began adjusting it.

"I really like your style," Luo Yu said.

"Do you want to try it on?" Gu Xiaowei asked again.

"Haven't you already cleaned this?"

"It doesn't matter. I really want to see you in this sweater." Gu Xiaowei picked one up and lightly pressed it against Luo Yu.

"This one?" Luo Yu looked down at it. It was one of the warmer-toned pieces in Gu Xiaowei's wardrobe, which piqued Luo Yu's interest. "Since you want to see it, I'll try it on for you."

With that, Luo Yu turned around and took off his pajamas. Just as he was about to find the undershirt Xiao Qin had brought back, freshly dried, Gu Xiaowei said, "The neckline on this one is pretty wide, so the undershirt might show."