Top Dupe CH 070 The Rhythm Of Fame Part 2

...

Cheng Fei took a deep breath and said seriously, “The first time I worked with Luo Yu was in ‘Storm’. The first time I saw him, I didn’t have a good impression—because from what I remembered, this guy had passed up at least three really great roles. If he had taken just one of those roles, he wouldn’t have been stuck in obscurity for so long. And this guy is sneaky. My assistant mentioned him, I grumbled about him, and he pretended not to be Luo Yu, sitting there with his back to me pretending to read the script, eavesdropping! He even spread the rumor that I love singing ‘Nunchucks’! Do I look like the type to sing ‘Nunchucks’? The only song I don’t mess up is ‘Unity is Strength’!”

Cheng Fei’s fans, knowing his personality all too well, chimed in:

[Right, the only song you don’t mess up is indeed ‘Unity is Strength’!]

[As expected, Brother Cheng’s close friends are either cowards or cunning foxes!]

[Brother Cheng, have you ever badmouthed your buddies without them overhearing?] 

...  

“In my life, I've always fought villains with a strong sense of righteousness, but this is the first time I've encountered a villain like Luo Yu—soft on the outside but sharp on the inside, effortless in his execution, with every line and glance perfectly on point. Before acting with him, I arrogantly claimed I could get it done in one take, but this guy's lines and expressions were so flawless that when he glanced at me, I forgot my lines! The slap to the face came too fast—it still feels thrilling when I think about it! Everyone! Please support his brilliant performance in... in ‘Burn, Little Cosmos’! And don’t forget to support our drama ‘Storm’!”

[Brother Cheng loves getting slapped in the face and that won’t change for a hundred years!]  

[Back in the day, you made fun of Teacher Gu for relying on his looks, and then got slapped in the face big time!]  

[History really repeats itself—your face is always just as red!]  

...  

A bunch of Cheng Fei’s fans rushed to Luo Yu’s page, and you could easily spot them from the tone of their comments. They all asked Luo Yu the same question, “Do you admit Brother Cheng is your buddy or not?”

Sister Cui, who manages Luo Yu’s Weibo, was overwhelmed by the fans' enthusiasm for the first time, and she quickly set the response to: [Buddy 666].

If those two VCRs had already attracted some viewers, what really skyrocketed the show’s ratings was the appearance of Gu Xiaowei in the VCR!  

The difficulty of getting Gu Xiaowei to accept a variety show invitation? It’s harder than reaching the heavens—practically zero chance!  

When Gu Xiaowei appeared, sitting on a sofa with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees, the audience collectively wondered if the program had accidentally edited the wrong footage.

But when Gu Xiaowei raised his eyes to the camera, it was like a magnetic force pulling everyone’s gaze to the screen. Especially when his lips curled into a smile, and it seemed like warm starlight shimmered in his eyes, the words "senior brother" softly leaving his lips made everyone’s hearts melt.

Xu Mu kept the back and forth between Luo Yu and Gu Xiaowei, showcasing a side of Gu Xiaowei that people had never seen before.

“Hello everyone, I’m Gu Xiaowei. Today I was invited by my senior brother, Luo Yu, to record a VCR for his variety show debut, ‘Burn, Little Cosmos’. But now, he’s hiding behind the camera, peeking at me. I don’t even know what to say—should I start by revealing some of his embarrassing moments from filming ‘Counterattack’?”

Many people had seen Gu Xiaowei’s interviews before, and he always presented a gentle yet highly distant persona—professional, reserved, maintaining an invisible boundary that even interviewers struggled to cross.

But in this self-introduction, Gu Xiaowei let down all his guards, and the boundary between actor and audience vanished. It was as if he descended from the clouds, stepping into the everyday world.

Their bantering was playful, with Gu Xiaowei exposing Luo Yu’s terrible sense of direction on set.

Fans were going wild over Gu Xiaowei’s smile.

[Who is this smiling? Is this really Gu Xiaowei!] 

[Gu Xiaowei, who doesn’t even get cold jokes, is joking around with Luo Yu? Is he teasing Luo Yu?]  

[Doesn’t anyone feel like Gu Xiaowei’s smile and voice are filled with affection? Is this a VCR or sweet romance literature?]  

...  

“The first question—what was the first work of mine you watched?”  

In the VCR, Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu talked about the role of the campus heartthrob in ‘Plum Blossom Rain’, and Gu Xiaowei answered, “Oh… I wanted to be gentle, tolerant, and humorous, all while keeping my composure, but now it seems like being a little dangerous is better.”

When he said, “Being a little dangerous is better,” fans’ excitement levels skyrocketed.

[Gu Xiaowei, what kind of danger do you plan to show Luo Yu!] 

[Let go of the senior brother and take me instead!]  

[Is Gu Xiaowei being both gentle and dangerous to promote the movie? Isn’t Luo Yu starring with him in it?]  

[Really? My anticipation is off the charts! When is it coming out!]  

[It hasn’t even started filming yet! They just announced the leads!]  

The audience’s comments were growing more excited and off-track.  

“Please give me feedback on my performance in ‘Plum Blossom Rain’?”  

“You embodied the heartthrob I imagined, gathering all the beauty of youth in one person. But unlike some idol dramas where characters are overly crafted to please the audience, your portrayal was so real it felt like you were right in front of us. Luo Yu, never lose that talent that moves people's hearts. Always be my rival, and no matter what happens, never back down.”  

Gu Xiaowei was clearly looking at Luo Yu behind the camera, but everyone watching felt as if they were being treated with the utmost tenderness.

In the end, Gu Xiaowei explained the origin of calling Luo Yu “senior brother,” touching the audience deeply. It turns out that Gu Xiaowei’s “favoritism” and every time he called Luo Yu “senior brother” had a special meaning.

“That day, there was a heavy downpour, and the entrance to the film academy was flooded. My parents, teachers, and friends almost all opposed me taking the film academy exam. They thought with my grades, I should seriously pursue academia, become a professor, scholar, or top executive—an actor was never among the options. When I saw a father carrying his daughter across the water, I felt an unprecedented sense of loneliness. I wasn’t as determined as people thought—at least not at that moment, as I watched the pouring rain, I felt like it was the universe telling me… to give up.”

The calmer Gu Xiaowei’s voice and expression became, the more heartbroken the audience felt.

This was a side of Gu Xiaowei they had never known—the lonely, uncertain Gu Xiaowei, who needed validation.

“Suddenly, someone asked me, ‘Hey, are you heading to the arts exam? I’ll carry you across.’ That person wasn’t putting on airs, but really stepped into the water... That was the only time I felt supported in what I wanted to do. I decided to be a little selfish, and climbed on his back… He said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll carry you across.’ When he put me down, I asked him, ‘What’s your name?’”

Luo Yu’s trembling voice sounded, “My name is Luo Yu. You must get in, and when you see me next time, remember to call me ‘senior brother.’”

That response was like a full-circle moment in life.

Many viewers broke into tears at that moment.

[So this is why Gu Xiaowei always respectfully calls Luo Yu “senior brother”!]  

[“Senior brother” was a promise between them!]  

[From now on, I’ll guard our senior brother the way I guard Gu Xiaowei!]  

[I get it now. Gu Xiaowei can have many schoolmates, but Luo Yu is the only one who can be his “senior brother”!]  

...  

The program didn’t need to buy any trending topics—#SeniorBrother# soared to the top spot.

At this moment, He Mu was watching the show on his phone. He wanted to confirm whether Xu Mu had kept his promise of not cutting his scenes. If not, he’d definitely have his agent give some clapback.

After seeing those three VCRs at the beginning, He Mu felt an overwhelming sense of losing before the race even started—having friends like Xie Chang, Cheng Fei, and Gu Xiaowei in his personal VCRs was too powerful a lineup, hyping the audience’s anticipation for Luo Yu to the max.

Luo Yu had realized Xie Chang’s initial dream, and carried Gu Xiaowei into the film academy. This held special meaning—any attempt to defame Luo Yu would now be met with strong resistance from Xie Chang and Gu Xiaowei’s loyal fans, unless there was solid proof.

As for Cheng Fei, both the industry and the audience knew him as straightforward. His compliments were never empty flattery; only those he genuinely admired would earn his praise.

Meanwhile, He Mu thought back to his first time as a guest on the variety show. To avoid being overshadowed, he had invited idols less famous than himself, who were grateful for the chance to appear on a popular show.

“Forget it, I’m much more famous than Luo Yu. VCRs won’t do me any good in terms of publicity! Could Luo Yu find someone less famous than him anyway?” He Mu reassured himself.

But these three VCRs had rekindled the interest of viewers who had long lost excitement for the show. Now, after the theme song, they eagerly awaited the full episode, curious about how Luo Yu would perform in this outdoor variety show.

Luo Yu’s fanbase was skyrocketing, while he himself was focused on practicing suturing, the forceps and thread weaving through the tissue as he tied knots in an orderly fashion.

Sister Cui excitedly called him several times, but he didn’t hear it because his phone was on silent.

For him, nothing was more important than playing the role of Wen Yuchi; his top priority now was to become a forensic doctor.

Although Luo Yu appeared much less on screen than He Mu in the same time period, after the show aired, some viewers edited it and found that in an hour-and-a-half-long program, excluding the VCRs, Luo Yu only had a total of twelve minutes of screen time, but not a single second was wasted.

The clip of Luo Yu soaring over the pool in the first game made many fans rewatch it repeatedly.

That moment was so fast, in the blink of an eye, he flew past the audience, causing their hearts to skip a beat. They leaned closer to the screen to get a better look, but Luo Yu had already reached the other side.

Fortunately, Xu Mu added a slow-motion replay and conveniently threw in an ad for a certain phone's 4K HD capability. As the slow-motion played, Luo Yu's fluid movements, his broad shoulders, and narrow waist were on full display.

That physique, that sense of power—the bullet screen was filled with fans gasping in awe.

Some witty netizens even turned this moment into a meme, with humorous captions like, "[Gege flying ahead, love always follows]" and "[Requesting all boyfriends should step up to this standard]."

Luo Yu's ability to distinguish between real and fake rocks also intrigued the audience, as it was the first time someone had exposed a trap set by the show's production team.

As a result, when physical “black hole” Jiang Muxing safely completed the game, his fans were particularly grateful to Luo Yu.

"[This is the first time our Xingxing has completed a game task! Thank you, Brother Luo! Thank you, Sheng Yu!]"

"[Xingxing was so happy this episode! His smile was so much brighter!]"

"[It feels like after Luo Yu came, both Jiang Muxing and Li Shengyu started to shine! Before, I just thought of them as background characters!]"

"[The team atmosphere in Luo Yu’s group is just so good!]"

When Luo Yu passed the rock-climbing section, that final moment where he pushed himself up on top of the rock wall was full of explosive power. Even though his figure appeared tall, elegant, and without exaggerated muscles, that moment overflowed with testosterone, nearly making the audience scream in excitement.

By the time of the checker board competition, viewers were even more interested in Luo Yu. Every time a black card task was drawn, they were eager to see how Luo Yu would handle it.

For instance, the task where he had to do ten squats while holding Ding Dang. When He Mu finished, his fans went wild, praising things like, "As expected of the dance lead, strong core strength," "Boyfriend material overflowing," and "I wish I were the female host lying in his arms..."

But in the next round, Luo Yu effortlessly lifted Ding Dang up from offstage. The sense of power was simply on a different level from He Mu.

The key was that Luo Yu's physique wasn’t overly muscular but lean and attractive. Yet, when he did squats with Ding Dang, he did it with ease, exuding a sense of security.

The comments section exploded with messages like, "If He Mu is boyfriend material, Luo Yu is god-level material!" and "In Luo Yu's arms, Ding Dang is the true princess!"

He Mu couldn’t help but use a side account to comment: "Did the production team speed up Luo Yu’s part?"

Immediately, someone responded, "Look at your idol's face turning red! Luo Yu, on the other hand, looked relaxed the whole time," "Is it so hard to admit someone else is outstanding?" "Luo Yu didn’t just provide security, he gave Ding Dang respect!"

After the first black card task ended, the production team inserted short interviews with each participant.

Jiang Muxing was no longer the shy, reserved image from earlier episodes; he was now cheerful and talkative, repeatedly thanking Luo Yu and Li Shengyu. "This was the happiest I've ever been! I didn’t hold anyone back, and I completed my part. Every time I turned around, I could see Brother Luo and Sheng Yu, and I felt so motivated to do anything!"

In her interview, Ding Dang also covered her face, her ears slightly red as she mentioned Luo Yu. "I really thought I was heavy, especially after bulking up for strength training for a dance routine recently. When I was sitting on the other guests' shoulders to pick apples, I was so, so embarrassed. But when Luo Yu lifted me onto the checker board, I felt like I was flying! I really felt like a feather in his arms! I was worried he'd hurt his back when he was squatting with me, but he was so steady that I couldn’t even feel any shaking or trembling in his arms... And then he told me I wasn't heavy at all, that a normal guy who exercises regularly could handle it, and he encouraged me to maintain my healthy state."

Seeing this, fans were heartbroken for Ding Dang. "Girl, don’t let your weight define you!" "Luo Yu said a normal fit guy could lift you, so believe him!" "We trust Luo Yu! He could do fifty more squats with you, no problem!"

This black card task won Luo Yu the full affection of the female audience.

[Luo Yu is the real gentleman, showing his chivalry with strength!]

[Don’t let a girl’s weight define her beauty. I love Luo Yu for this!]

[Luo Yu is so kind. Not every guy who exercises can be like him!]

[Fans of a certain top idol should stop with the 'boyfriend material' comments. It’s getting awkward to watch!]

This segment even reminded fans of an earlier moment when Gu Xiaowei held Luo Yu while doing squats, nearly driving fans crazy with excitement.

He Mu suddenly had a bad feeling—the more screen time he got, the more he would end up as a negative comparison to Luo Yu.