Top Dupe CH 071 White Rose Part 1

This feeling was confirmed when Luo Yu completed the black card task while doing a one-handed handstand.

As Luo Yu did the one-handed handstand, one side of his T-shirt slid down, revealing his waistline and abs. He looked strong, but not so exaggerated as to be off-putting. After landing, he even cued Mick, giving him some screen time too.

Previously, fans had hyped up He Mu's one-handed handstand as unmatched. But in this episode, not only did Luo Yu succeed, Mick did it too, causing He Mu to lose a key marketing point.

He Mu was even more displeased to realize that his presence on the checker board was less noticeable than Jiang Muxing, who was just rolling dice.

Before, when Jiang Muxing was teamed with him, He Mu's fans had criticized him as "useless" and "weak." But in this episode, he became a "lucky charm," and people even made memes of his rolling the dice with the caption, "Xingxing blesses you with this roll." These memes quickly spread online.

When the show aired the part where He Mu drank the "hell drink," he thought he'd win sympathy from fans by enduring pain for the show, maybe even boosting his dedicated image by wrecking his stomach for the sake of entertainment.

But to his dismay, all the audience comments were things like: "Finally, no more He Mu's invincible halo," "If He Mu keeps winning, I'm quitting this show," "This is the biggest highlight of the episode, other than Luo Yu," and "Whenever He Mu appears, I want to skip ahead, but this part? I'm savoring every second!"

What? What do these viewers mean?

Isn't he the one who's been carrying half the show's ratings?

He Mu was gnashing his teeth in anger, while the show's directors felt like they had found the secret to boosting viewership.

They were watching the online discussions and drinking beer while munching on duck necks.

Xu Mu sighed, "I realize the audience has become resistant to He Mu being unbeatable in the games. How about we bring in new guests next time, to keep beating He Mu and continue this face-slapping trend!"

The assistant director shook his head. "Where are you going to find a guest more handsome than Luo Yu? That vault jump, that princess carry, that one-handed handstand—it's too cool. No one else could pull that off."

The head of the photography team suggested, "Why not tell the higher-ups to sign Luo Yu as a regular guest for the next quarter? Every time he appears, it's a trending topic. Just wait for the horseback riding segment later; people are already dying to see him in riding gear!"

"Why?"

"Because they want to strip…"

"Stop, stop, we're a serious show!"

Xu Mu sighed again. "The higher-ups wanted to sign him too after seeing the footage, but his agent politely declined. According to Cui Zhuxin, Luo Yu prefers acting, and acting requires focus. Once he's on set, there's no way he can step out to film variety shows. If he can't give something his all, he'd rather not do it at all."

"What a shame. He probably only came this time to promote ‘Counterattack’. Hopefully, when ‘Storm’ airs, we can invite him back."

"Don’t be so pessimistic. I heard the network is considering casting Luo Yu and Gu Xiaowei in the fencing champion unit. If that deal goes through, we might be able to get both of them on the show together!"

At this point, the show reached its final segment, the horseback riding competition.

Luo Yu rode around the track, once again becoming the focus, especially when he reined in the horse, the hooves kicking up dirt. The scene was shot in full view, and the replay zoomed in, making it even more imposing.

In an instant, He Mu’s “graceful” horseback scene didn’t seem so special anymore.

During the flag-snatching competition, Luo Yu grabbed everyone’s flags and sped to the finish line, leaving the audience in a frenzy.

[This is absolute domination!]

[Those flags he grabbed? He was grabbing our hearts!]

[Li Shengyu and Jiang Muxing completely trusted Luo Yu! I’m so moved!]

[Hahaha, Mick and Old Liu teaming up to surround Xingxing is hilarious! Xingxing didn’t have a flag at all!]

Sitting on the couch, holding her phone while watching the show, Xiao Qin stomped her feet in excitement. "So cool! So cool! Brother Luo is the best!"

Unable to contain her excitement, she ran over to Gu Xiaowei. "Brother Gu! Brother Gu, did you see Brother Luo riding the horse? Brother Gu…"

At that moment, Gu Xiaowei was sitting on the sofa, holding a sketchbook in his hands. As soon as Xiao Qin approached, he closed it.

“What’s up?” Gu Xiaowei’s hand rested on the sketchbook as he looked at Xiao Qin.

Xiao Qin handed her phone over. "Brother Luo looked so cool riding that horse! Look at how he snatched He Mu’s flag!"

"I know. I was there." Gu Xiaowei said.

"Come on, look again… The editing made him look even cooler! Now I just want to wait for Brother Luo’s solo cut!"

Gu Xiaowei gave a faint smile. "I can’t look at him right now."

"Why?"

Gu Xiaowei didn’t answer. Xiao Qin, disappointed, turned and left.

After a long pause, Gu Xiaowei exhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

Because seeing Luo Yu stirred his heart, how could he immerse himself fully into the character of Lu Pingfeng?

The attention brought to Luo Yu by this show lasted well into the night.

Suddenly, many cut videos of Luo Yu appeared on video platforms, not just from “Burn, Little Cosmos”, but from “Plum Blossom Rain” as well. Although the old footage had a nostalgic vibe compared to today’s high-quality visuals, some people edited Luo Yu’s cuts with stylish filters, instantly creating the right atmosphere.

In just one night, Luo Yu’s cut videos dominated the homepage of a certain website.

At first, He Mu’s fans flocked to these videos to defend his title as “national school heartthrob,” but they were quickly overwhelmed by a wave of newly converted fans.

[I’m part of the nation too, so why don’t I think He Mu is the heartthrob?]

[Luo Yu was the school heartthrob years before He Mu!]

[Fine, fine, He Mu is the heartthrob, and Luo Yu is the male god. Let’s just agree not to cross paths, okay?]

...

Not only that, but the same ink art sneakers Luo Yu wore on the show sold out overnight on Pinnacle Sports’ website. Although the number sold didn’t compare to top influencers’ live-stream sales, Luo Yu never once mentioned the brand of his shoes. Fans dug it up themselves.

Luo Yu’s one-handed handstand and princess carry while wearing those sneakers left a lasting impression. Some people even analyzed his whole outfit, concluding that all the brands Luo Yu wore were pretty down-to-earth. Yet, with his good looks and great physique, everything looked amazing on him. He was a natural clothes hanger.

It wasn’t until right before bed that Luo Yu noticed two missed calls from Sister Cui. Thinking it must be work-related, he quickly called her back.

"Sister Cui, I saw you called twice. My phone was on silent, so I missed them."

"You’ve gone viral on ‘Burn, Little Cosmos’! Your Weibo followers have passed four million!"

"Huh? Really? But ‘Burn, Little Cosmos’ is just an outdoor variety show, and most people are watching it for He Mu, right?"

"He Mu’s influence on the ratings has been declining for a while. You should thank those three who recorded the VCRs for you. Especially Gu Xiaowei—even though recording a VCR doesn’t count as participating in the variety show, just the fact that he agreed to record it made a lot of people curious about what he’d say. Now fans are saying you’re a saint in the entertainment industry. You’ve helped fulfill Xie Chang’s dream, carried Gu Xiaowei into film school, and made Cheng Fei admit he was wrong. You’re basically a living Buddha!"

Hearing that, Luo Yu covered his eyes. "I’m more like a clay Buddha. I could barely help myself, let alone cross a river. But now, it's everyone who is willing to build a bridge for me to cross the road."

"I’ve got more good news. Do you know Han Yang? After watching this episode, he was blown away by your vaulting and flag-snatching skills on horseback. He said he’s got a double-lead series and wants you to play one of the leads!"

"Han Yang? I remember he was at the filming that day. Isn’t that double-lead drama..." Luo Yu recalled that the network had intended to push two newcomers in that drama, but one of them got involved in a messy fan scandal, and the show was never aired.

As for the script itself, Luo Yu had no idea.

"Han Yang said he wasn’t satisfied with the script and is still refining it. He told you to focus on filming ‘Beast and Rose’ for now, and he’ll show you the script once it’s ready."

"Alright."

"Also, there's Producer Liang from M Channel. He said if you've confirmed your schedule to play Xiang Chao, the two weeks of special training will be taught by Xiang Chao himself!"

Luo Yu froze for a full three seconds, doubting his ears, "Who did you say? Who will teach me?"

"Xiang Chao! Olympic champion Xiang Chao!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll do it!"

Sister Cui laughed heartily. If Xiang Chao were to teach Luo Yu fencing, Luo Yu probably wouldn't even ask for payment.

"Xiang Chao approved of you after watching the trailers for ‘Burn, Little Cosmos’ and ‘Counterattack’!"

"Hopefully, after ‘Counterattack’ airs, he'll appreciate me even more."

"The day after tomorrow, you're joining the crew. Tomorrow, you better pack everything up. Luckily, Xiao Yezi is joining the crew with you, and your scene partner is still Teacher Gu. He can take care of you a bit."

Luo Yu found that a bit odd. "Gu Xiaowei is younger than me. How are you sure he'll be taking care of me and not the other way around?"

"He just seems more mature than you."

"Then you don't know about his competitiveness." Luo Yu smiled.

Thankfully, there were no romantic scenes in this movie. If Gu Xiaowei challenged him in acting depth, Luo Yu wouldn’t be able to handle it.

The filming duration was quite long, so Luo Yu prepared three suitcases, packing his clothes and daily necessities.

Ye Shengyi was also in the studio, packing clothes that suited the movie's plot. When he arrived at Luo Yu's apartment to meet him, the moment the door opened, Luo Yu noticed his purple hair.

"You... dyed it back?"

"Yes, I did." Ye Shengyi nodded. "It's your first movie, Brother Luo, so my hairstyle has to be auspicious to match."

"There's really no need... for it to be this purple..."

This was so purple it was almost red, brother!

"There are a lot of people on set, so with this color, you'll spot me in one glance—high recognition, convenient."

"Well, that does seem like a valid reason." Luo Yu laughed.

Once all the luggage was loaded into the van, Ye Shengyi exhaled with his hands on his hips. "Brother Luo, good thing you bought this van, or with your little Polo, we'd have to stuff the luggage under the seats, and the two of us would be squeezed into the trunk."

Luo Yu rubbed his nose. "That’s true..."

Suddenly, Ye Shengyi’s phone flashed with a call from an unknown number. "Hello! No, I’m not buying a house! No loans! No—what? Oh, oh, okay, I'll be right there!"

"What’s up?"

"Brother Luo, just wait for me here, I'll be right back!"

Ye Shengyi’s expression hinted at something mysterious, and then he ran off.

"What is that kid up to?"

Luo Yu sat in the van, playing on his phone while waiting for him. The driver was Master Jiang, the same person who had driven Luo Yu back from the film base before, so they were somewhat acquainted, and chatting with him didn’t feel awkward at all.

A few minutes later, Ye Shengyi came running back with a large bouquet of flowers, excitedly throwing it into Luo Yu’s arms as soon as he opened the door.

"For you!"

"For me? You ordered flowers for me? This many?" Luo Yu looked down and noticed that each rose in the huge bouquet was individually wrapped, with one white rose standing out among the many red ones.

"There are too many people outside waiting for you." Ye Shengyi grinned.

"Ah? Waiting for me? Who?"

"You can ask Brother Gu. He ordered these for you but had them delivered under my name so you wouldn’t have trouble accepting them."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yu immediately called Gu Xiaowei.

"Hey, why did you suddenly send me so many flowers?"

As Master Jiang drove out of the neighborhood, they saw two or three dozen girls standing on the side, some holding posters of Bai Ying, some holding signs with his character from “Plum Blossom Rain”, and some waving envelopes and bouquets.

"Do you see them?" Gu Xiaowei’s voice came from the other end of the line, snapping Luo Yu back to reality.

"Yes... I see them. How did you know?"

"When I passed by your neighborhood on my way to the set, I saw them. So I quickly ordered flowers for these girls, but the white one is for you—congratulating us on being in the same crew again."

Gu Xiaowei’s voice had a unique magnetism, as if it traveled along Luo Yu’s auditory nerves deep into his subconscious, making it hard to grasp and even harder to hold onto.

"Thanks. See you later."

"En, see you later."

After hanging up, Luo Yu asked Master Jiang to stop the van on the side of the road. He opened the door and stepped out.

"Hello, everyone." Luo Yu, holding the large bouquet, approached the girls.

They instantly became excited.

"Luo Yu! It's Luo Yu!" one girl exclaimed, shoving a large bundle of teddy bear dolls into Luo Yu’s arms.

Luo Yu accepted the teddy bears with a smile, "Thank you." Then he handed her a rose, saying, "Wishing you all the best and more beauty."

"I watched your ‘Plum Blossom Rain’, and you were just so handsome in ‘Burn, Little Cosmos’!"

"Aside from being handsome, don’t I have any other virtues?" Luo Yu joked lightly.

"You’re especially gentlemanly, very gentle, a total heartthrob!"

Luo Yu laughed and distributed the roses to everyone.

"Valuable gifts I can’t accept, but letters are fine!"

One of the girls suddenly pulled out a box of letters. "These are from the girls in my chat group! We loved you in ‘Plum Blossom Rain’, and now that you’re getting even more recognition, we’re all so happy!"

Luo Yu accepted the letters. He had been in a career slump for so long that receiving so many letters before even airing his new roles made him realize he wasn’t as alone as he thought. No matter how cold his heart felt, there was still a flame burning.

"I have to join the crew soon, so I can't take photos with everyone individually. How about we take a group photo?" Luo Yu asked with a smile.

"Yes!" the girls answered in unison.

Ye Shengyi got out of the car to help. He was about to take the gifts from Luo Yu, but Luo Yu insisted on holding them for the group photo.

"Don’t worry, everyone is in the frame! One, two, three—" Ye Shengyi made an OK gesture.

Luo Yu expected them to say "cheese," but instead, they shouted, "Luo Yu—good luck—!"