Chapter 121: The Resource-Backed Crowd, All Gathered Together

There are three significant female roles in the drama *The Wicked Child*: Li Dong’s wife, Ding Heping’s ex-wife, and Ding Heping’s current wife.

During the Spring Festival, Lin Xing knew that the preparations for *The Wicked Child* were nearing completion. Aside from recommending Kong Wen for an audition, Lin Xing had not intervened much in the casting process. After all, it was not his job; casting was the domain of the director, screenwriter, and producers. Lin Xing only hoped that *The Wicked Child* would select suitable actors, and nothing more. On this point, Lin Xing was well aware of his boundaries.

He had stated in interviews that a production succeeds only when the screenwriters, directors, producers, actors, lighting technicians, and cinematographers each perform their duties and cooperate sincerely. One cannot make a good project relying solely on the actors. Even if an actor’s performance is explosive, it is useless if the production is poor—one only needs to look at the many so-called "blockbuster" actors starring in terrible films to understand this.

When filming *Portrait of a Crime*, Lin Xing maintained this mindset: focus on his own job. Now, for *The Wicked Child*, he followed the same principle: do his job well, keep his opinions to himself, and certainly do not give unsolicited directions. While this sounds easy, it is difficult for many to achieve after gaining success—and this is true far beyond the entertainment industry. Many people mistakenly attribute their success solely to their own abilities, and when combined with the flattery of those around them, they often become increasingly arrogant.

"Mr. Deng..."

Lin Xing did not take the two resumes offered to him. Instead, he smiled and said, "I’ve said before that I trust your professionalism in casting more than my own. As long as the actor fits the role, that’s enough. I don’t have many requirements."

"Teacher Lin, please take a look anyway." Deng Ying said, sounding slightly troubled. "These two actors are a bit special, so we really want to hear your opinion."

"Oh?" Lin Xing was a bit surprised. He took the resumes from Deng Ying. They were less like standard actor resumes and more like brief professional profiles. One was named Tong Jing, the other Dong Xia. They were similar in age, twenty-five and twenty-six respectively. Tong Jing was a graduate of the Imperial Film Academy, while Dong Xia was a graduate of the Imperial Dance Academy. Apart from this, the profiles listed their previous works, which consisted mostly of arthouse films. Lin Xing was not familiar with either of them, so he truly didn't know how to choose.

"Mr. Deng, Ting Hai, Director Lan, who do you think is better suited for these roles?" Lin Xing asked, looking up. "And Mr. Deng, what did you mean by saying they are special?"

"It’s just that everything happened at once." Deng Ying explained the situation without holding back. In the entertainment industry, this was common. One of them was the girlfriend of Hao Tao, and the other was backed by a major investor.

"Teacher Lin, don't worry, their acting skills are fine. The situation is that they both want to hone their craft in this script, though the role of Qiao Li isn't quite right for them..." Deng Ying said to Lin Xing, "That’s why we wanted to ask for your opinion."

Well, that was that. Lin Xing hadn't encountered "connected" actors in *Only to Wait for You*, *Sweeping the Black Clouds*, or *Portrait of a Crime* without seeing similar situations—wasn't Li Jingjing backed by a major investor? Even in a serious drama like *Sweeping the Black Clouds*, didn't Feng Wei’s son, Feng Qing, get cast through connections? Lin Xing had no issue with this. There was no absolute fairness in the industry. Some actresses might struggle for a decade without landing a lead role, while others might land a lead in their debut year. Everyone was working hard, just in different directions—some honing their craft, others honing their connections. However, Lin Xing hadn't expected to encounter two of them in *The Wicked Child*.

"I’m just curious, why are they both willing to act in such a web drama?" Lin Xing didn't bring up the issue of the roles. Since Deng Ying said their acting was fine, he had nothing to worry about. He was just puzzled. *The Wicked Child* wasn't a major hot-button script, so why the sudden influx of connected actors? Furthermore, the role of Gu Ning was one that even actresses in their thirties or forties wouldn't want to touch, let alone these two. Gu Ning was the mother of a child. To many actresses in the industry, they refused to play mothers; some would play teenagers even into their forties. Unless they had no other work, they would never accept a "mother" role. Besides, one was a director's girlfriend and the other was backed by capital—shouldn't they be filming grander television dramas?

"The assistant director for this production is a student of Hao Tao's. I invited him to join the crew to assist Lan Lei..." Deng Ying explained. Tong Jing and Dong Xia were indeed there as "friendship appearances." For the *The Wicked Child* crew, these actors had decent acting skills, some name recognition, and brought their own "capital" into the production. It was actually quite suitable.

"The roles of Gu Ning and Qin Ru have different proportions in the plot, and the room for performance in Gu Ning’s role is far less than that of Qin Ru." Lin Xing shook his head slightly. "So, you all choose. As long as it is based on suitability, I’ll stick to what I said: I have no objections."

"Well… alright then." Deng Ying didn't say anything more. As long as Lin Xing had no objections, that was enough. He had mainly wanted to sound Lin Xing out.

"Teacher Lin, the preparation work for the crew is basically finished. We are planning to head to Hong Kong tomorrow to start setting up the scenes..." Lan Lei, who was standing nearby, added. "We should be able to start filming around the middle of this month."

"I see, so that means joining the crew around the 15th, right?" Lin Xing asked. This was the reason he had come today. Since *The Wicked Child* was about to start filming, he needed to discuss his schedule, as he would be dedicating his time almost entirely to this project.

Lan Lei nodded gently. "Yes, no later than the 20th, as we need to set up several locations first..."

The rest of the meeting was spent discussing specific filming details. Most of *The Wicked Child* would be filmed in Hong Kong, but the mountain climbing scenes would not. The crew felt that Liufeng Mountain in Guangxi was perfect.

Half an hour later, Lin Xing left Panda Video.

"Alright, since Lin Xing has no objections, Lan Lei, you tell me—who should play Gu Ning, and who should play Qin Ru?" Deng Ying asked Lan Lei.

Lan Lei thought for a moment and said, "I suggest Tong Jing for Gu Ning and Dong Xia for Qin Ru. Although Dong Xia isn't a film school graduate, she’s been acting in films since she was sixteen; her acting is still a bit stronger than Tong Jing's..."

Deng Ying replied, "Then let's arrange it that way."

***

As for Lin Xing, he headed to Jinfeng Film and Television after leaving Panda Video. Compared to the polite formalities with Deng Ying, Ting Hai, and Lan Lei, his arrival at Jinfeng felt much more natural.

"Ah Xing, I wanted to get together after the New Year, but we’ve been tied up with the post-production of *Portrait of a Crime*..." Ma Wen said with a laugh as he saw Lin Xing. "Look at us, don't we look absolutely worn out?"

That was the truth. Ma Wen, Liu Zhou, and Wang Yi looked more haggard than the next. They had been working frantically on post-production, pulling all-nighters. It was an intense grind.

"Once the post-production of *Portrait of a Crime* is finished, we must take a good two-day break. Even a donkey on a production team wouldn't work this hard." Liu Zhou smiled bitterly. "I’ve practically been living at the office lately. Wei Fei almost thought I was having an affair."

"Hahaha, Old Liu, that's an exaggeration." Ma Wen laughed. "But we really should thank Fei Fei for finding ways to bring us food and improve our quality of life."

"Ah Xing, take a look at our rough cut of the first two episodes. What do you think?" Liu Zhou turned to a staff member and said, "Get it ready to play."

In the conference room, Lin Xing watched the rough cut of *Portrait of a Crime*. As is standard, the first version is a rough cut, which is then refined. Each episode was fifty-five minutes long, which was basically in line with the script.

"How was it?" After the two episodes finished, Liu Zhou asked Lin Xing with a smile. "Any suggestions?"

"Director Liu, I think the editing is already very good, the pacing is quite fast, and the feeling we were aiming for during filming has all come through." Lin Xing thought for a moment and said, "But I personally feel the pacing could be even tighter. The first two episodes deal with two cases, and I don't think there are any issues at all."

"Right, I have similar thoughts. Fifty-five minutes, excluding the opening and closing credits, is a bit long. I’ll trim some of the details..." Liu Zhou nodded gently. "We should be able to make the end-of-the-month premiere."

"A premiere at the end of the month?" Lin Xing was surprised. "So soon?"

"Yes. Initially, Tencent Video gave this drama an 'A' rating, which neither they nor the market fully believed in. It was only because we invited you that the rating was raised to 'A+'." Ma Wen explained helplessly. "But honestly, there's no choice regarding promotional resources. Even if we waited a few months to release it, there wouldn't be many resources allocated to us. It’s better to release it early."

After all, *Portrait of a Crime* was not an 'S'-grade drama like *Sweeping the Black Clouds*, which had comprehensive promotional campaigns before it even aired. As mentioned, the biggest star currently associated with *Portrait of a Crime* was Lin Xing, and he was their biggest reliance for promotion. Ma Wen had been telling Lin Xing this from the beginning.

"I’ll try to get more resources from Tencent Video over the next few days. Regardless of the circumstances, they need to give us some promotion when *Portrait of a Crime* premieres." Ma Wen continued, "We can't just air without any lead-up; if we do that, we’ll definitely flop."

In the current landscape, even high-quality works fear being buried. Relying solely on word-of-mouth to change one's fate is not impossible, but it is extremely difficult. It requires a solid script, great acting, and a hook for promotion. *Portrait of a Crime* had these, but having them didn't guarantee success. As of now, the public's interest in the show was not as high as their interest in Lin Xing himself. If Lin Xing reposted a message from the official *Portrait of a Crime* Weibo account, it could easily get tens of thousands of reposts, but if he didn't, getting even three thousand was as hard as reaching the sky. Without traffic, without comment control, and without the fan-driven drama, *Portrait of a Crime* seemed quite "clean"—perhaps too clean. Without buzz, let alone ordinary viewers, even industry insiders were not willing to discuss it. If you removed Lin Xing from the equation, the visibility of this web drama was effectively zero.

"When is the release date trailer coming out?" Lin Xing asked, frowning.

"March 15th," Liu Zhou said. "The trailer is the one you just saw, concerning the situation after falling victim to telecommunications fraud."

Lin Xing nodded slightly. "That works."

Lin Xing understood the anxiety of the creators of *Portrait of a Crime*, but he concluded by saying, "No matter how fast we need to move, do not sacrifice quality. Since we are aiming to make a refined drama, we must be worthy of our audience."

"That is certain. I, Ma Wen, and Wang Yi are monitoring the editing process throughout." Liu Zhou nodded. "Even Wei Fei, after bringing us food, discusses the editing with us. Everyone’s opinion is that no matter what obstacles we face, we must make this drama well."

"Yes, Ah Xing, don't worry. We won't waste our hard work." Ma Wen nodded. "I want to use *Portrait of a Crime* to tell everyone that the quality of a web drama is by no means inferior to a television drama."

The creators—Liu Zhou, Ma Wen, and Wang Yi—were as energized as if they had been injected with adrenaline. No one was more eager than them to see the drama meet its audience. From preparation, casting, location scouting, and set design to the various conflicts within the crew and unexpected incidents with actors, Ma Wen had essentially played the role of both father and mother to the production. So what if it was only an 'A+'? Although the rating was low, Ma Wen believed in the quality of the drama and was certain that *Portrait of a Crime* would gain audience recognition. Viewers aren't stupid; they can tell whether you’ve put effort into filming.

"If there are no accidents, our web drama will premiere on Saturday, March 30th. I’ve coordinated this date with Tencent Video. Also, Ah Xing, I'm afraid I’ll have to trouble you to record a program in the middle of the month..." Ma Wen said to Lin Xing.

"Oh?" Lin Xing responded, looking at Ma Wen. "What program?"

"It’s an episode of the variety show *Tonight, the Drama*, featuring you, Zhou Wei, and Ning Rong together..." Ma Wen explained. "When this episode airs on March 30th, it will line up perfectly with the premiere of *Portrait of a Crime*."

"Fine, let me know the time in advance, as I’ll be joining a new crew soon." Lin Xing nodded. "I need to adjust my schedule."

"The same one?" Ma Wen asked, slightly uncertain. "Something about a 'Child'?"

Lin Xing replied, "*The Wicked Child*."

"Right, right, *The Wicked Child*. I’ve been so focused on the post-production of *Portrait of a Crime* that I haven't paid much attention to that..." Ma Wen slapped his forehead. "Ah Xing, the scripts you choose are always so unexpected."

"I believe in Ah Xing's vision." Liu Zhou had some confidence in Lin Xing. "Although I haven't seen the script for *The Wicked Child*, I think it should be a realistic subject, and especially in recent years, people have been discussing issues involving children more."

"Old Liu is right. Realistic themes have had a good market in the last two years, but they are hard to write and even harder to film. If you film them too lightly, people think it's fake; if you film them too deeply, people think it's too intense..." Ma Wen said. "There’s a balance, but it's often hard to grasp. Also, Ah Xing, I think with your looks, it's a bit of a waste to focus so deeply on realistic themes."

Just like when Lin Xing chose to film *Sweeping the Black Clouds* instead of a "domineering CEO" drama, Ren Yi had been cynical: "Isn't it easier to just lie down and make money? Why bother filming serious dramas and suffer?" In Ma Wen's view, he genuinely felt Lin Xing could have filmed a few idol dramas to cash in.

"I didn't take *Portrait of a Crime* to change my career path; it was because the story deeply moved me. And more importantly, all the scripts my agent was receiving were for 'domineering CEOs'."

"Then, for the past two months, since *Sweeping the Black Clouds* aired, all the scripts my agent has received are for villains, and some just carelessly slap a 'Zhou Bo' character design on it..."

"As an actor, there are some 'dividends' you can reap, but there are some you cannot."

"My current popularity isn't stable. It really relies on the contrast with my peers and the buzz from *Only to Wait for You* and *Sweeping the Black Clouds*. But the public goodwill that I’ve worked so hard to accumulate could be destroyed by just one bad film."

Lin Xing spoke nonchalantly to Ma Wen, Liu Zhou, Wang Yi, and Wei Fei, who had arrived to deliver food.

"Ah Xing, if someone else said those words, I’d think they were pretentious and hypocritical. In the entertainment industry, you can't be worried about your reputation; if you worry too much about your image, you'll never be famous." Wei Fei laughed as she put the food on the table. "But since it’s you, Ah Xing, I believe you."

Just as Wei Fei had said at the wrap party for *Portrait of a Crime*, she believed Lin Xing would continue to be successful. Not for anything else, but because of his clarity and his ability to make choices. Being an actor isn't hard, and being a good actor isn't necessarily hard either, but being a good actor who can resist temptation and control his own desires is exceptionally difficult. The water in this industry is very deep; even some seasoned veterans might not be able to hold their ground.

"Thank you, Sister Fei." Lin Xing smiled.

"Don't thank me, I’m just speaking my mind. And I think we should be the ones thanking you." Wei Fei waved her hand. "These days, we have to ride your coattails to promote *Portrait of a Crime*."

"Don't talk about 'riding coattails.' As far as I'm concerned, *Portrait of a Crime* is the first project where I’ve taken the lead in years, so of course, I want it to be as good as possible." Lin Xing shook his head and smiled. "I’m the lead actor; it’s my duty to promote this show!"

This was work. Just as Lin Xing worked diligently to promote *Sweeping the Black Clouds* around its premiere, if you commit to something, you have an obligation to do it well. Unlike *Sweeping the Black Clouds*, which had three leading men, Lin Xing was the primary lead in *Portrait of a Crime*. He didn't need to carry *Sweeping the Black Clouds* because he was a supporting character; he just needed to do his job well and bring some buzz, secondary creations, and discussion to the drama, and his task would be fulfilled. But *Portrait of a Crime* was different. This was a dual-lead model, and regardless of the official promotion or other materials, everyone considered Lin Xing the primary male lead, followed by Zhou Wei.

Why did people think Lin Xing shouldn't act in this web drama? It was precisely because, as the male lead, he needed to be responsible for the show and carry it. But no one believed the current Lin Xing could carry it.

***

This web drama was completely different from Lin Xing's previous works.

Lin Xing spent the entire afternoon at Jinfeng Film and Television. Aside from discussing the editing of *Portrait of a Crime*, they also discussed the upcoming promotional plans, such as the release date trailer. As the first official trailer, it couldn't be taken lightly. Consequently, in the conference room, Lin Xing, Liu Zhou, Wang Yi, Ma Wen, and Wei Fei had a heated discussion throughout the afternoon. Finally, they settled on a five-minute trailer.

That evening, they all had dinner together. It had been since the wrap party that they had last gathered.

"Wishing our next drama a great result."

"Not asking for a massive hit, just hoping it breaks out of its niche."

"I hope the audience likes it."

...

Their thoughts were no different from the wrap party. If a drama isn't aired, nobody can say for sure what will happen. Sometimes, dramas you think are guaranteed hits flop so hard that even a dog wouldn't watch them, while others you think are guaranteed to flop become massive successes. That is the magic of the entertainment industry. There are always miracles.

Ma Wen, Liu Zhou, Wang Yi, and Wei Fei had indeed been busy non-stop, sometimes pulling all-nighters to finish the production. Their thoughts were essentially the same: if this web drama airs, they have already won half the battle. If it breaks out, they would be satisfied. They didn't have high demands. As for *Portrait of a Crime* reaching the level of buzz that *Sweeping the Black Clouds* did, that was unthinkable. Because it was impossible. Even if the entertainment industry is a place of miracles, one must adhere to the principles of those miracles.

On the way back, Lin Xing talked to Dao Jie.

"A release date trailer on March 15th?" Dao Jie nodded gently. "Not surprising. Most choose March 15th. Although the attention will be somewhat diluted, if you manage to ride the wave of the date effectively, it's quite good."

"Right, and *The Wicked Child* should start filming around the middle of March. The crew didn't say it too clearly today..." Lin Xing said. "They just gave a rough idea, and then there's the matter of the actors..."

"Those two actors do have connections, but taking a step back, in the entertainment industry, who doesn't have connections?" Dao Jie shook her head. "But they say Dong Xia’s personality isn't great. She’s caused trouble on sets before, so if you’re filming opposite her, you really need to be careful."

"Dong Xia?" Lin Xing smiled. "As long as her acting is fine, the rest doesn't matter; that's not something we should worry about. Besides, if she really causes trouble, then Deng Ying will be the one with a headache, since she was the one who chose her."

"That's true, but we should still be cautious when *The Wicked Child* starts filming..." Dao Jie suddenly felt that the crew of *The Wicked Child* might be even more dangerous than those of *Sweeping the Black Clouds* or *Portrait of a Crime*. Especially for a high-value male actor like Lin Xing. In *Portrait of a Crime*, Lin Xing was already the absolute male lead, and in *The Wicked Child*, it went without saying—whether in terms of popularity or status, Lin Xing was far, far ahead!

Over the next few days, Lin Xing took time to visit Kong Tian’s studio. On one hand, he needed to prepare for the *The Wicked Child* crew, and on the other, he sought Kong Tian’s advice on the script. Lin Xing wasn't idle during this time, and neither was "Old Wang."

How should one put it? Initially, Old Wang had planned to make a comeback on April 1st, intending to do everything possible to give Lin Xing a "little shock." But later, with the buzz on Weibo and discovering that Lin Xing’s data was lagging overall, Old Wang decided to return early. The March 15th node was the most suitable for him. He could ride the wave of the date while reminding everyone that he was still the "anti-fraud traffic" Old Wang.

After *Sweeping the Black Clouds* aired, Old Wang had been soundly beaten by Old Zhong, and he had spent his time trying to defend himself. But at that time, *Sweeping the Black Clouds* was too powerful, and Old Wang was essentially chased down. Afterwards, Old Wang made a strategic retreat, stopping for a while and building up his other small accounts on Bilibili and Weishi. Now that *Sweeping the Black Clouds* had been off the air for two months, the buzz remained, but it was nowhere near as exaggerated as before. Old Wang felt he could return.

Lin Xing's data had shrunk, but so had Old Wang's own. As mentioned, Old Wang had to eat too. He hadn't updated for two months, and the loss of income was significant. However, he knew he had to prepare a perfect strategy—even if he was going to bash Lin Xing, he had to do it so convincingly that everyone would believe him. On this point, Old Wang was still a professional.

Over the past two months, he had carefully prepared all kinds of data on Lin Xing, including personal details. So, on March 15th, the official account "Old Wang Reviews Movies" posted a video after more than two months. In this video, Old Wang gave a detailed explanation of some phenomena in current television dramas. For example, the "universal mistress" who appears in every urban drama to push the plot forward. Or the "scumbag" second male lead who is designed to make the audience hate them. Or the "patriarchal parents" who are stereotypically portrayed as bloodsuckers—you don't care if it's reasonable, just buy a trending search topic like "controlling parents," and you’ll instantly resonate with everyone.

In the twenty-minute video, "Old Wang Reviews Movies" had clearly done his homework. Finally, he shifted the topic to focus on Lin Xing. For instance, claiming Lin Xing’s acting was not nearly as good as people thought, and that it was merely bolstered by the roles he played. Or that the so-called internet water armies were blowing Lin Xing's performance out of proportion—when you’re among a group of seasoned veterans and you dare to claim your acting is explosive, it usually means you really have no self-awareness.

Old Wang had become smarter upon his return. This time, he was "falsely praising" Lin Xing. He stated that Lin Xing’s acting was okay, and that he had been biased before—but.

Yes.

In every situation, there is a "but."

Old Wang dropped a "but" in the video, essentially inviting hatred. In short, to truly bash someone, you shouldn't just grab them and curse them; instead, you have to praise them first, make everyone think this person has some ability, and then inadvertently magnify their flaws indefinitely.

As a supporting actor in *Sweeping the Black Clouds*, Lin Xing’s portrayal of Zhou Bo made many people grit their teeth in hatred—a fact many casual viewers admitted. Furthermore, since the finale of *Sweeping the Black Clouds*, many content creators had produced "secondary creations" of Zhou Bo, which were also well-received. Old Wang had learned his lesson; he didn't endlessly bash Lin Xing but instead chose to "praise first, stomp later."

"Hahahaha, Old Wang is finally back! Damn, days without you were so painful."

"Not bad, not bad, still the same Old Wang I know. A storm follows his return."

"Old Wang's video is well-made, and he really analyzed urban dramas thoroughly."

"Hahahaha, okay, okay, Old Wang is back. I just want to know one thing: will you dare to bash Lin Xing in the future???"

Almost immediately after the video from "Old Wang Reviews Movies" was released, his fans began reposting it. These people had a deep "filter" for Old Wang. As mentioned, Old Wang made his name bashing "traffic-driven fan circles," but his own comment and repost sections had fallen into the same fan-circle-style information silo.

And just as "Old Wang Reviews Movies" released this roast video, *Portrait of a Crime* also released its "anti-fraud premiere trailer."