Top Dupe CH 064 Gu Xiaowei’s Squats vs. Luo Yu’s Rainbow Fart Part 2

The changing light and shadow made Gu Xiaowei’s mood seem as elusive as his expression.

"Of course, who doesn’t like that? Didn’t you see how excited everyone was today?" Luo Yu said with as much normalcy as he could manage.

"Alright, I’ll discuss it with Xia Tan."

"Discuss with Xia Tan?" Luo Yu suddenly felt something was off, "What are you discussing with her? Isn’t she still revising the script for 'Beast and Rose'?"

"Have her add a scene where Lu Pingfeng has a princess carry with Wen Yuchi to fulfill your wish," Gu Xiaowei said.

"Hey, suit yourself. Anyway, Wen Yuchi might not even be played by me," Luo Yu shrugged.

At this point, Sister Cui became nervous. "Yes, the casting results for that movie will be out in the next couple of days, right? The competition for Wen Yuchi’s role is quite intense… I’m just afraid that the greater the hope, the bigger the disappointment."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yu tugged at Gu Xiaowei’s sleeve, lifting and dropping it, "Hey, if there’s any inside information, just share it. It would save me from sleepless nights."

Gu Xiaowei looked down at his sleeve, which had been pulled, and said leisurely, "Well, you’re never the one who can’t sleep."

Luo Yu tilted his head back and closed his eyes, "True. Besides me, there are also He Mu and Liang Shengqiu as strong contenders. But it’s worse now that Sister Cui mentioned it; I’m feeling a kind of exam-result anxiety."

"I say it's you, but you don’t believe me," Gu Xiaowei said, looking at him. His neck stretched, Adam’s apple moving, and occasionally light swept across, outlining a contour that evoked one's sense of conquest.

At that moment, Xu Mu was in the car, resting with his eyes closed, when Gao He’s call came in.

Seeing the name flashing on the screen, Xu Mu felt a headache coming on but took a deep breath, composed himself, and answered the call.

"Ah, Mr. Gao! Long time no see. What made you think of calling me?"

As expected, Gao He was calling to ensure He Mu’s on-screen time and exposure.

Actually, Xu Mu’s superior had been quite dissatisfied with the declining ratings. With He Mu’s high appearance fee, they were considering either reducing his fee or replacing him with another popular star. The higher-ups were already assessing the show’s effectiveness.

But Xu Mu wouldn’t share this with Gao He. Dijun Media wouldn’t consider the needs of the production team; He Mu’s value was always their top priority, and making a fuss over the phone wouldn’t help.

"For tomorrow’s shoot, we’ll make sure to take good care of He Mu. We’ve spent so much money bringing him onto the show; not giving him screen time would be a waste of his appearance fee."

Xu Mu neither made any firm promises nor did he fully pacify Gao He’s emotions.

After hanging up, the head of the photography team sighed, "Actually, it’s not that we didn’t give He Mu a chance. We designed so many segments for him today, but he still didn’t seize them."

"To be honest, apart from his fans, other viewers have been complaining on the official Weibo, saying that He Mu appeared too often in the earlier episodes and they’re experiencing aesthetic fatigue. They even asked if this show is He Mu’s personal showcase," another assistant director in the car added.

"I actually like Luo Yu," the cameraman suddenly said. "Some people are just born for the camera. The moment he appears, I have this strong desire to capture all his expressions and movements. And he’s really handsome."

"Do you remember that before Luo Yu signed with Yinchuan Culture, he was said to be a dupe for He Mu?" Xu Mu asked with a smile.

"Ha, I used to think that entertainment industry rumors couldn’t be all groundless. But this was the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard," the cameraman snorted.

Xu Mu’s phone rang again; it was a call from Director Liu.

“Ai, Xiao Xu! I watched the clips with Luo Yu that you sent. They’re really interesting and engaging! The consensus among me and the others at the station is that we should keep all of his good shots and not deliberately add extra footage. Just make sure that whenever it appears, it shines.”

Xu Mu smiled, “Got it. Effective shots are more important than screen time. We want the audience eagerly waiting for him to appear!”

“Right, we’ll see the audience’s approval based on the results.”

“Understood. Don’t worry, leader.”

After hanging up the phone, Xu Mu estimated that the station really liked Luo Yu. They planned to use this episode of the variety show to boost his popularity and prepare for his role in the upcoming drama.

When the production team gradually returned to the hotel, He Mu’s assistant rushed over to him with excitement.

“Do you know what happened during dinner?”

“What?” He Mu, applying a facial mask, lifted his eyelids. The filming had been physically exhausting today, and he almost fell asleep.

“Look! This is a video I begged a staff member to send me! Gu Xiaowei did ten squats holding Luo Yu!”

He Mu’s eyes widened immediately as he snatched the phone.

The video’s angle was such that it showed only Gu Xiaowei’s profile, but the figure and casual shirt clearly identified him as the person from today. 

“Amazing, right? He’s so steady! Luo Yu must be around 185 cm, but look at how effortlessly Gu Xiaowei holds him! He’s even talking to Luo Yu while doing squats!”

Another makeup artist couldn’t help but come over, “Oh my God! If only all male celebrities followed this standard!”

“This is definitely going viral! Gu Xiaowei has never held a female actress in a scene before; he gave his first princess carry to Luo Yu!”

As soon as this was said, the assistant nudged the makeup artist, signaling him not to mention Luo Yu anymore.

The room instantly fell into an awkward silence.

He Mu felt even more distressed. He knew that whether or not the director requested it, someone would eventually leak the video to marketing accounts, and Gu Xiaowei would drag Luo Yu into another trending topic.

He called Gao He and sent the video.

After watching, Gao He sighed, “He Mu, no matter how much you dislike someone, there are times when you’re powerless. The entertainment industry’s fortune changes with the wind, and fame and risk often coexist. Gu Xiaowei has haters, and many people in the industry envy his position. We don’t need to intervene; others will naturally try to suppress them. But it can’t be us.”

He Mu’s stomach hurt even more.

“Besides, with ‘Burn, Little Cosmos’ ratings declining and your appearance fees being a significant part of the cost, it’s likely we won’t renew the contract for the next season. If other variety shows hear that you can’t boost ratings, your fees will be reduced.”

“What? They can do that? I worked so hard recording the show…”

“Hard work? Gu Xiaowei spends three months on set, and his appearance fees still might not be half of yours for a quarter of variety shows. And if this video of Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu boosts the ratings, you’ll benefit too.”

He Mu gritted his teeth, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach. He hadn’t expected that one day he would need to benefit from Luo Yu’s success.

Yet, he couldn’t refute a single word Gao He said.

Sure enough, around ten o’clock that night, #Gu Xiaowei Squats# trended.

At first, netizens were surprised that Gu Xiaowei’s workout made it to trending, but upon clicking—people went wild.

The marketing account posted a video showing Gu Xiaowei’s side profile holding Luo Yu. The video, surrounded by many onlookers, clearly took place at a gathering.

Not only did Gu Xiaowei squat effortlessly, but he also occasionally talked to Luo Yu.

Luo Yu’s face was flushed red, and he tried several times to cover his face, but every time he tried, Gu Xiaowei would bounce him up.

[Oh my God, is that human strength?]

[Brother Gu and his senior brother finally in the same frame outside the drama! Want to ask Luo Yu if he ever expected to be carried like that!]

[Wow! Does anyone remember the person Gu Xiaowei carried after ‘Counterattack’? Could it be Luo Yu?]

[Brother Gu’s waist isn’t just a waist, it’s the summit of Everest, resisting wind and snow!]

Initially, fans and netizens were amazed by Gu Xiaowei’s impressive core strength and stable arms, but soon, haters began to emerge.

[Haha, Gu Xiaowei is crazy about pampering this wash-out star! Too bad, no matter how much traffic he gets, he’ll never be popular!]

[Yinchuan Culture is the investor for Gu Xiaowei’s movie, right? So, Gu Xiaowei is using his popularity to pave the way for Luo Yu! Truly fallen!]

[Brother Gu is beautiful solo, don’t stir up CP drama!]

[Brother Gu, don’t tie yourself with him! It’s so lame!]

Most fans felt that Gu Xiaowei was usually too aloof and lacked a sense of everyday life. It was rare for him to have a friend, and Luo Yu was handsome and charismatic, which they welcomed. However, a few haters and toxic fans exaggerated negative emotions. Although they were few, their words were sharp and distressing, making neutral bystanders feel very uncomfortable.

Before bed, He Mu saw Gu Xiaowei being attacked by haters for being close to Luo Yu and felt a pang of satisfaction.

In his view, this was all Gu Xiaowei’s own doing.

He held Luo Yu in such high regard—what could Luo Yu offer him, other than trouble?

At this point, after communicating with the director, the show’s official Weibo posted: [Everything for male dignity.]

The Weibo post included a video of Luo Yu saying, “A person here on site can still do it.”

Amidst numerous cries of “Who?” and “You’re teasing us by talking halfway, missing a segment,” Luo Yu smiled without answering.

A staff member from the production team responded in the comments: [Teacher Gu came to watch the filming, and Luo Yu didn’t reveal Teacher Gu’s name at that time to protect his privacy. But Teacher Gu still wanted to prove his strength, so he carried Luo Yu and did ten squats at the dinner!]

After the explanation, everyone understood what was going on.

Gu Xiaowei’s fans quickly shared and promoted the post.

Luo Yu’s fans also gained confidence and went to explain under the harshest criticisms.

During the process of reasoning with haters and discussing the situation, Gu Xiaowei’s fans found they shared the same perspective as Luo Yu’s fans, questioning why the two actors couldn’t be friends and why a friendly game like squats was considered hype. Many fans from both sides successfully allied.

Soon, #Burn, Little Cosmos# and #Male Dignity# also trended, pushing down the previous topic.

Even those who didn’t watch variety shows became interested in “Burn, Little Cosmos,” and fans’ continuous explanations about “Male Dignity” led to “hahaha” flooding the comments.

[Hahaha, Brother Gu isn’t as aloof as imagined! That damned competitive spirit!]

[Hahaha, Teacher Gu has raised the bar for male actors!]

[Hahaha, the humble senior brother says I’m the one participating in the variety show!]

[Hahaha, Luo Yu says he wanted to find a crack in the ground to hide but the junior brother wouldn’t let him!]

Before long, #hahaha# also trended, becoming increasingly popular and attracting viewers.

Most importantly, Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu’s fans had a great time together, and even bewildered passersby wondered why the fan circle was so joyous overnight.

Both Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu were not very immersed in Weibo, but even so, after returning to their rooms, they still made an effort to explain due to the trending topic.

For example, Gu Xiaowei’s agent called.

“Oh my God, how many trending topics are you planning to create tonight? If you want to participate in variety shows, just say so! We should at least get appearance fees, right?”

“I didn’t participate in the recording,” Gu Xiaowei replied.

“But you did free marketing for the show,” the agent said, feeling a headache, “Even though not everything is about money, doing this will make many variety shows want to work with you! I just received more than ten calls! Now everyone thinks you’re considering participating in variety shows!”

“Sorry for causing you trouble,” Gu Xiaowei said.

“…Is this really about not being able to rest properly? There are some good variety shows with quality and style. Would you like to consider them?”

“Not for now.”

“Then are you going to continue watching Luo Yu in the variety show?”

“En, tomorrow’s the last segment, where he’ll ride a horse,” Gu Xiaowei answered.

“Do you want to see him riding a horse or see him in a riding outfit?”