Chapter 80: The Male Coquette, an Acquaintance

“I believe in Lin Xing’s acting. Damn it, don’t compare that singer Feng Li, who acts like a lunatic, with us.”

“You guys are pretty funny, huh? Lin Xing hasn’t even started acting and you’re saying he can’t do it?”

“Exactly, it’s not like Lin Xing can’t act.”

“There are so many haters, it’s honestly hilarious.”

...

“Hilarious? Haters, my ass. I just think Lin Xing doesn’t fit comedy, same as he’s not qualified to do serious drama.”

“Yeah, I’ve honestly never seen someone as clueless as Lin Xing. With a face like his, wouldn’t he be better off doing idol dramas?”

“True, I just think Lin Xing is really clueless.”

...

“Hold on, do you people have something against handsome guys? Let’s be real, Wang Ruo’an was even better-looking than Lin Xing in his youth, but he did great in comedies.”

“Exactly, and during Wang Ruo’an’s era, didn’t Xie Ming, Fang Lei, and Guo Dong do a ton of comedies?”

“As Lin Xing’s fan, I’m begging you guys, please keep criticizing him. What did he do to deserve being ranked alongside those ancient legends??”

...

In Lin Xing’s comment section, since there was no moderation, every kind of discussion was happening.

Haters, bystanders, fans—all crowded together.

But honestly, unless you looked closely, you really couldn’t tell who was a hater.

Aside from Lin Xing’s comment section, he was also trending on the hot searches again.

The trending keywords were basically things like “Lin Xing is clueless.”

At the same time, some marketing accounts argued that inviting crossover guests to the recent episodes of “Comedy Is for Laughs” was entirely inappropriate, since not everyone can perform comedy.

Then, they focused on the narrative that Lin Xing was clueless.

Doing comedy on variety shows, starring in “Anti-Crime Fury”—either of these would be considered clueless choices for a popular celebrity.

So, on Weibo, the topic had originally been about Feng Li’s scandals, but with the marketing accounts shifting the focus, the criticism suddenly turned to Lin Xing.

The way public opinion shifted so smoothly—who would believe there was no manipulation?

“Don’t worry about it for now.”

After listening to Sister Dao, Lin Xing shook his head and said, “I’m already used to the hate; I’m numb to it. Let’s not talk about ‘Anti-Crime Fury’ for now. ‘Comedy Is for Laughs’ is airing this Friday, and I actually have a lot of confidence in it.”

“Alright.” Sister Dao nodded gently. “Let’s wait until the show airs on Friday. Besides, this isn’t the first time Feng Li has pulled something like this. Just be careful if you run into him in the future—he’s a total male green tea…”

“Male green tea?” Lin Xing found the term amusing.

“Don’t laugh, I mean it.”

---

Sister Dao said to Lin Xing, “It’s a good thing you didn’t run into him while filming ‘Comedy Is for Laughs,’ otherwise who knows what kind of trouble he would have stirred up.”

There are plenty of female “green teas” in the entertainment industry, but plenty of male ones too—guys who stab friends in the back, sleep with their friends’ girlfriends, steal endorsements or roles from their buddies. It’s all pretty common.

Feng Li is the type who acts like your brother to your face and sells you out behind your back.

He came from a talent show background, but now most of the other singers from those competitions have cut ties with him—there’s not even interaction on Weibo.

Yet, despite this, he’s the most successful of the bunch.

After all, he’s built himself a good persona, so even though his singing is average, he’s hyped up as a young king of pop.

The key is Feng Li’s PR is strong. Anyone else with a secret love child would have been exposed and ruined, but thanks to brilliant PR moves, only the public curses him while his fans believe he’s responsible and manly.

And his other antics are even more shameless.

Anyone who gets close to him ends up disgusted.

This time, it was Lin Xing’s turn.

That’s the entertainment industry for you: even when there’s no personal grudge, people will sacrifice you for their own benefit.

Think of Chen Zhou, who was the hottest TV star eight years ago—he went out drinking with friends and ended up being framed, accused of solicitation, and completely destroyed.

Compared to what happened to Chen Zhou, what Li Xingchi, Qi Bing, and now Feng Li have done is really nothing.

Feng Li thinks Lin Xing is just another cowardly, packaged idol like himself, which is why he dared to stir up negative trending topics about Lin Xing.

Right now, he’s making things tough for Lin Xing, but once “Comedy Is for Laughs” airs, things might change.

...

The next day, 9:10 a.m.

“Mr. Lin, we meet again.”

“Director Qiu, are you directing this short film?”

“Yes, I’m in charge this time.”

“Well, that’s quite the coincidence.”

“It’s not a coincidence. All of us were invited by ‘Diying Watches.’”

Lin Xing was genuinely surprised to see Qiu Ke in front of him.

He had a good impression of Qiu Ke—after all, when filming “Waiting for You Alone,” Qiu Ke directed most of Lin Xing’s scenes.

“Hello, Mr. Lin.” At that moment, Fan Fei greeted him with pleasant surprise. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“Hello, Xiao Fan. I didn’t expect it either.” Lin Xing replied with a cheerful smile.

It had been three months since Lin Xing wrapped up filming “Waiting for You Alone.” Not too long, but not short either.

“At the time, I was wondering when I’d get to work with you again, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon.”

Qiu Ke was even more respectful toward Lin Xing: “Mr. Lin, honestly, we all owe you our thanks.”

“Hm?” Lin Xing was puzzled.

Fan Fei explained, “Diying chose Director Qiu because he directed your scenes. Their requirement is to capture your domineering CEO image—make you look sharp and elite…”

Qiu Ke laughed too. “I never dreamed I’d get to direct a commercial short film on my own, let alone more than one…”

No wonder Qiu Ke was delighted. For people like them, shooting anything is about making a living, and luxury brands are famously generous.

Otherwise, why would so many famous directors shoot commercials?

Add money, and even famous directors will shoot anything.

For Qiu Ke, who was just a division director, getting the chance to independently direct was extremely rare—it all depended on luck and opportunity.

Now, with this opportunity to shoot a short film for a luxury brand, he’d finally have a representative work of his own.

How could he not be grateful to Lin Xing?

After a brief exchange, they got down to business.

“Let’s get Mr. Lin in makeup first,” Qiu Ke told the makeup artist.

Since everyone was familiar, and had just worked together recently, the shoot went extremely smoothly.

Three days of filming passed almost without a hitch.

There was barely any need for coordination; everyone just got to work, and everything ran seamlessly.

On the fourth day, with Lin Xing finishing the final shot, the filming officially wrapped.

Afterward, Lin Xing treated Qiu Ke, Fan Fei, and the others to a meal.

“Mr. Lin, you’re going to be a huge star.”

That was the phrase everyone repeated most during the meal.

While Lin Xing was eating, the latest episode of “Comedy Is for Laughs” was officially released online.

...

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PS: If all goes as planned, the book will be available on the 8th. I hope you’ll support it then—please help give it a good start.