Top Dupe CH 076 Watching Me Or Watching the Show? Part 2

If... Lu Pingfeng were not played by Gu Xiaowei, perhaps he wouldn’t need to hold back, but he also wouldn’t have the restless anticipation.

At this moment, Gu Xiaowei had walked over to him, bent down, and leaned toward his ear, their faces almost touching. Gu Xiaowei's eyes were focused on the monitor, but the breath that brushed against Luo Yu’s ear made his already heated ears feel even hotter.

“How was that last scene?” Gu Xiaowei asked.

“Very good. The characters interacted well.”

For the first time, Luo Yu felt a bit cautious. He stiffened his neck and shoulders, afraid that being too close to Gu Xiaowei would result in their faces touching, yet he wanted to lean in closer to feel the warmth radiating from him.

A staff member’s stomach growled, and everyone finally realized it was already two o'clock in the afternoon; they hadn’t eaten lunch yet.

It seemed that Gu Xiaowei’s earlier worry was correct. Thankfully, Luo Yu had eaten the dumplings; otherwise, they would be in a tough spot by now.

“The morning shoot stops here. Let’s break for lunch,” Director Sheng’s words immediately enlivened the atmosphere on set.

After lunch, with about half an hour of rest before the next scene, the two planned to head back to the van.

Just as Luo Yu was about to pull the door shut, someone grabbed his hand. Even without seeing the other person's face, just from the fingers, Luo Yu recognized it was Gu Xiaowei.

“Hey! Be careful! What if the door closed on your hand?” Luo Yu’s heart raced.

Without a second thought, Gu Xiaowei stepped inside and shut the van door with a whoosh.

“That won’t happen.” He cheerfully sat down next to Luo Yu.

“Aren’t you going back to your own van to nap?” Luo Yu asked.

“Xiao Qin needs to rest too.”

Luo Yu immediately understood that Xiao Qin was a girl, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for Gu Xiaowei to nap in the relatively enclosed space of the van with her.

“So, your van is essentially bought for Xiao Qin?”

In the next moment, Gu Xiaowei's hand reached over and grabbed Luo Yu's head, pulling him down into his chest. “Why don’t you say it’s for you?”

“Why would it be for me?!”

Here we go again; why does he like to press my head so much!

The scent of Gu Xiaowei enveloped him; even though he was already very familiar with it, the moment he recognized it still sent a jolt through his heart.

“Are you going to nap or not?”

“I will! I’m napping right now!” Luo Yu patted Gu Xiaowei’s hand, and only then did the latter release him.

Gu Xiaowei knew exactly what was in Luo Yu’s van. He reached back and pulled out a pillow. Unfolding the pillow revealed a thin blanket, which he draped over himself and Luo Yu.

“Nap.” In the next moment, Gu Xiaowei slumped down, crossing his arms and entering sleep mode.

The break time was precious; they would have to get up once the other staff members set up the next scene.

As his stomach began to digest, Luo Yu's head grew heavier. He leaned a bit to the side, subconsciously trying not to press against the person next to him. He wanted to sit up straight, but his head bobbed like a fishing rod, dipping down and then back up again.

The person next to him reached out and directly pulled Luo Yu onto his shoulder. The instant Luo Yu's cheek brushed against Gu Xiaowei's shoulder, he completely relaxed, his hand becoming lax in sleep.

When he fell asleep, Gu Xiaowei, who had kept his eyes closed, turned his face and opened his eyes to look at Luo Yu.

Luo Yu’s delicate features were mere inches away. The closer he got, the more Gu Xiaowei felt that Luo Yu's eyes resembled the misty rain of Jiangnan, like ink wash painting. He gently touched Luo Yu's ear.

Just a moment ago, when he had intentionally leaned in closer while in front of the director’s monitor, he had noticed Luo Yu’s ears turn red, yet he hadn’t shied away.

It felt like a silent permission.

Gu Xiaowei's hand lightly grazed Luo Yu's cheek.

Half an hour later, Ah Yan knocked on the van door. “Brother Gu—Brother Luo—get ready for the next scene!”

“Mm…”

Luo Yu rubbed his eyes, only then realizing he had tilted back against Gu Xiaowei’s shoulder. Feeling embarrassed, he quickly glanced to see if he had drooled on Gu Xiaowei’s shoulder.

Gu Xiaowei's eyelids fluttered, seemingly waking up.

“Coming right away!” Luo Yu hurriedly responded to Ah Yan, trying to use a loud voice to mask the rapid beating of his heart at that moment.

“Let’s go. Time to head out.” Gu Xiaowei fully opened his eyes, looking quite refreshed.

The afternoon scenes proceeded more smoothly, and by around seven in the evening, the day's shooting wrapped up, allowing everyone to go back and rest. 

The dinner prepared by the resort was still lavish, and the first thing Luo Yu and the others did when they rushed back was to turn on the TV to watch the broadcast of "Counterattack." 

It was said that the trailer's view count had surpassed three hundred million, with Gu Xiaowei's fans eagerly anticipating more, and Xie Chang's fans clinging to the trailer for survival during the wait. 

Later, the official channel also edited different character perspective trailers, with seven or eight versions in total. Initially, the version with Yan Ye had the highest views, followed by the perspective of the female lead, Lu Qin. However, three days before the official broadcast, Bai Ying's version quickly approached Yan Ye's view count. 

Just a few snippets from the trailer were incredibly engaging. Bai Ying's heart-stopping expressions, the contrast between gloom and intensity, and the action scenes that expertly matched the heartbeat rhythm made Luo Yu gain fans rapidly in a short time. 

Some viewers even remarked that Luo Yu was simply the embodiment of a manga book character, with every angle of his fight scenes rivaling that of a manga, his legs long and straight. Many animation enthusiasts praised Luo Yu as having a true modeling face, not just because of his striking features, but also because of his expressions. Other actors might present a greasy, overexaggerated demeanor, but as long as it was Luo Yu, it appeared elegant and alluring instead. 

Moreover, several female stars in the industry were secretly fans of Bai Ying. This did not even include Xie Chang, who had already become a huge fan of Luo Yu, and Ai Cheng, the overly excited fan constantly controlled by her agent and assistant. Even a certain award-winning actress watched Bai Ying's trailer hundreds of times with her teenage daughter. 

As for He Mu, he was kept awake at night by Bai Ying's trailer. 

He discovered that both his makeup artist and assistant were secretly watching videos, hiding in the restroom for fear of being caught. Unfortunately, He Mu, also in the restroom, guessed from the background music that the trailer was Bai Ying's version. Don’t ask why he knew; he had also watched it several times. 

When he opened his fan group chat, they had been discussing how captivating Gu Xiaowei's Yan Ye was, but suddenly someone brought up Bai Ying, and several fans chimed in, saying Bai Ying was very handsome! They even said that He Mu resembled Bai Ying from certain angles, making He Mu seem like a substitute for Luo Yu. He Mu had already typed out a lengthy greeting to them but thankfully the group admin stopped them from discussing Bai Ying further; otherwise, He Mu really would have wanted to blow up the chat. 

During the time Luo Yu was filming, He Mu's resources were continuously tightening. Some variety show offers that originally belonged to him were reportedly begging for Luo Yu, and even roles that had been tailored for him were reconsidered due to his high salary and risk of return, contemplating swapping him out for Luo Yu. He Mu wanted to hold on to his offer fees and salaries, but the other party showed no interest in continuing negotiations. 

On the other hand, Luo Yu's salary was steadily increasing. His agent, Cui Zhuxin, did not easily agree to any projects, only saying she would look at the script first. This led to Cui Zhuxin receiving dozens of scripts. At first, He Mu thought they were all low-budget web dramas, but he heard from Mick that there were several projects rated S among the scripts, along with many high-quality productions in preparation. Some investors, although not very strong, sent over scripts that were interesting enough for Jiang Yinchuan to consider additional investments. 

Cui Zhuxin decisively spent a large sum to establish a script evaluation team specifically to analyze scripts based on Luo Yu's future development and personal characteristics. 

Even He Mu did not receive such treatment at Dijun Media; he always prioritized salary and project ratings when accepting television dramas. 

Additionally, what troubled Cui Zhuxin was the constant flow of gifts being sent to the studio. Dolls, handicrafts, candies, and chocolates were manageable, but among them were many luxury items that astonished Cui Zhuxin, prompting her to quickly record a video for evidence and send all these gifts back, stating on Weibo that they would not accept any gifts besides letters. 

While chatting with her team, she wondered, “Does Bai Ying really have that much charm? Can just the trailer make fans so fond of him? They even sent limited edition luxury bags!” 

Team members nodded in agreement. “Sister Cui, Bai Ying is genuinely charming. Haven’t you seen the online surveys? More than fifty percent of the viewers of ‘Counterattack’ are looking forward to the chemistry between Yan Ye and Bai Ying!” 

Sister Cui sighed and added on Weibo: [Study hard and watch dramas rationally.] 

When she looked again, the Weibo post she had made five minutes earlier already had nearly three thousand comments. 

On the sofa in the resort villa, Ah Yan, Ye Shengyi, Xiao Qin, and the two drivers sat in a row, their eyes full of anticipation, but it seemed there was no longer room for Gu Xiaowei and Luo Yu to sit. 

Gu Xiaowei raised his head, signaling to go to the upstairs bedroom. 

In Gu Xiaowei's master bedroom, there was a projection TV facing the bed. 

The show was acted by the two of them, and with no one else around, they could even discuss it with each other. 

Luo Yu followed Gu Xiaowei upstairs. Gu Xiaowei pressed a button, and the projection lit up. Luo Yu then realized it was actually quite large, giving off a home theater vibe. 

But that meant he couldn't sit on the nearby sofa to watch; he would have to twist his neck to see. 

Luo Yu thought to himself, should he take a shower and change into clean pajamas, making it easier to sit on the bed? Gu Xiaowei was a bit of a clean freak... 

Who knew, Gu Xiaowei had only taken off his outer jacket and shoes, directly leaning back against the headboard. He patted the space beside him and said, “Aren't you coming?” 

“Of course!” Luo Yu quickly climbed up and leaned beside him, but couldn’t help but ask, “Aren't you quite particular about cleanliness? Are you really just sitting here like this?” 

“If we get any more particular, the most classic parts of these two episodes will pass us by.” Gu Xiaowei chuckled lightly. 

Just as they switched to Channel C, the words “Episode One” appeared. 

“Made it just in time, but... which do you think are the most classic parts?” Luo Yu asked curiously. 

“You’ll know when the classic parts come out.” 

The light from the screen occasionally swept over Gu Xiaowei’s eyebrows and eyes, like moonlight and drifting clouds passing over mountains and rivers. 

He hadn’t removed the makeup belonging to Lu Pingfeng, still holding a gloomy elegance mixed with Gu Xiaowei’s own aura, and this exquisite sense of mystery made it hard for Luo Yu to look away. 

“Are you watching me, or watching the show?” Gu Xiaowei turned his head, smiling lightly, as if teasing but also with an almost affectionate tenderness. 

“Watching the show,” Luo Yu quickly turned his head back.