Chapter 104: Lin Xing: I'm Laying My Cards on the Table (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Votes, Please Vote)

Many celebrities have visited the Weibo offices for promotional tours. These include true A-listers, as well as various Best Actors and Best Actresses. However, most of them simply go through the motions and leave. After all, these promotional tours can be incredibly uncomfortable for artists with social anxiety. Therefore, it rarely occurs to anyone to order takeout for the Weibo staff. More importantly, Lin Xing had just bluntly complained that the Weibo cafeteria food was terrible. To be fair, this is a well-known inside joke. It is rumored that the poor quality of the Weibo cafeteria is legendary throughout the internet industry; even the CEO has complained about it, insisting that the cafeteria must be upgraded.

"Good."

So, after Lin Xing complained about the food, everyone started applauding. This left Xiao Liu even more bewildered. This was completely off-script. However, he was secretly pleased, because regardless of anything else, he had met his KPI for the day. After all, the staff has specific tasks every time a celebrity visits, such as livestream engagement, viewer count, and trending topics on Weibo. Originally, everyone was excited about Lin Xing’s visit—who isn't aware of his current popularity? But who could have predicted that the State Taxation Administration would choose this exact moment to release the list of celebrities involved in tax evasion? It was awkward. Yet, after ten minutes of streaming, the viewership numbers were skyrocketing, and the comment section was refreshing at a frantic pace. This is what you call popularity.

"Teacher Lin, these are our teammates from the Weibo TV drama department. Every time 'The Storm' airs, they are the ones working on the data to promote it..." Xiao Liu introduced them to Lin Xing.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. I hope for your continued support during the airing of 'The Storm'." Lin Xing said with a playful tone, "Give us more resources; I didn't eat this takeout for nothing."

"No problem."

"Absolutely."

...others chimed in with smiles.

"Teacher Lin, please sit here." A female editor stood up and said, "Next, you need to log into our account and post a Weibo in your own voice, and then post another one in the persona of Zhou Bo, the character you play in 'The Storm'."

"Oh."

Lin Xing sat down and clicked on Weibo with the mouse as he spoke.

"Teacher Lin, are you following our 'Weibo TV' account?" the editor asked from the side.

Lin Xing laughed: "Actually, I'm not. I'll follow it as soon as the livestream ends. By the way, do I need to add any hashtags when I post?"

"Just promote the drama, so one hashtag is enough," the editor said.

"Got it."

Lin Xing began to type: "#TheDarkStorm# Hello everyone, I am Lin Xing. I hope you can support the drama 'The Dark Storm' that I am starring in. It is a must-watch, not to be missed..."

Originally, Lin Xing intended to post after just a few lines, but he thought for a moment and added a few more.

"#StudentDadStudentMom# Tonight, another drama starring my good brother Guan Peng, 'Student Dad, Student Mom', is about to premiere. It is said to be a story about parenting and reconciling with anxiety. I hope you all can support it too."

...Watching Lin Xing not only promote "The Dark Storm" but also "Student Dad, Student Mom" left everyone stunned. Lin Xing was actually promoting for Guan Peng. In particular, besides tagging all the cast members of "The Dark Storm," Lin Xing also tagged the leads of "Student Dad, Student Mom." Finally, Lin Xing wrote: "Everyone remember to follow this account. I am currently the editor for 'Weibo TV', and I need to meet my performance goals."

It was truly flawless. After posting, Lin Xing turned to Xiao Liu and asked: "How was that? Is it okay?"

"That one is good, Teacher Lin. Now you need to post another Weibo in the voice of Zhou Bo," Xiao Liu said.

In the voice of Zhou Bo. Lin Xing thought for a moment and wrote: "The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish. I think both 'The Storm' and 'Student Dad, Student Mom' are great. Everyone go watch them. I've said my piece. Who agrees? Who opposes?"

These two consecutive posts were essentially promoting both dramas. In the Weibo livestream room, many were already amused. Lin Xing was truly loyal. Everyone knew that Lin Xing and Guan Peng’s friendship began on "Let's Farm." Most importantly, both Lin Xing and Guan Peng were in a slump during their time recording "Let's Farm." No, that's not quite right. Lin Xing was doing slightly better than Guan Peng, as Lin Xing had already begun his comeback thanks to the scandal surrounding Wu Yao during the recording of "Let's Farm." But Guan Peng was not; he remained in a slump. When Guan Peng first joined "Student Dad, Student Mom," it was just a special appearance, but eventually, he ended up becoming the lead. The netizens didn't know these details, but they felt Lin Xing was truly a stand-up guy. Even while visiting the office, he didn't forget to help promote Guan Peng.

"I am not married and don't have kids, so I don't understand that kind of anxiety, but I can empathize. Everyone talks about 'lying flat' nowadays, but who really wants their child to actually lie flat?"

"Yes, Teacher Lin, you are right. My child is in third grade, but they are already suffering from school burnout because third grade is quite exhausting. Most importantly, elementary students aren't allowed to do extracurricular activities..."

"When I went to Dafeng Mountain for charity before, the kids there were still allowed to go out and play after class, but elementary students in the city aren't allowed to move at all."

...Well, well. Lin Xing started chatting with people after finishing his Weibo post. And while chatting, he began signing autographs for them.

"Teacher Lin, we still have the next segment..." Xiao Liu had to urge him. So many celebrities had visited the office, but this was the first time Xiao Liu had seen someone as down-to-earth and devoid of any pretension as Lin Xing. He couldn't even be described as a social butterfly; he was just the type to chat with everyone wherever he went.

"Alright, no rush. Let me finish signing these photos for everyone first." Lin Xing signed away without lifting his head. "Leave these here for now; I'll sign the rest when I come back," Lin Xing said to the group.

"Thank you, Teacher Lin, thank you..." One girl was already crying while clutching her signed photo. She was a long-time fan of Lin Xing. She had always wanted his autograph—or, to be precise, she hoped he would write a few words to her.

"You're welcome. I said before that my autograph isn't worth much. I'll sign for everyone when I get back. It's fine; if I can't finish, I'll sign them while I'm eating..." Lin Xing stood up as he said this.

After finishing with the "Weibo TV" department, Lin Xing moved on to the "Weibo Variety" section. This time, Lin Xing was ready to jump in. "Do I need to continue posting two more Weibo posts?" Lin Xing asked the staff there.

The staff laughed: "Yes, Teacher Lin. You can promote your own variety show."

At 12:00 PM today, the latest episode of "Comedy Must Laugh" was set to update; this was also the second-to-last episode. In this episode, Lin Xing was a guest performer in "The Protagonist and the Supporting Actor." Lin Xing felt this piece was quite good. So, after sitting down, he wrote: "Hello everyone, I am Lin Xing. I've changed jobs again; I am now a member of 'Weibo Variety', so I hope everyone can support 'Comedy Must Laugh'. In an hour and a half, the new episode will be updated. The piece I guest-starred in, 'The Protagonist and the Supporting Actor', is very strong. I hope you all support it..." After finishing, Lin Xing tagged the official Weibo account for "Comedy Must Laugh," as well as the main creators like Xie Ming and Ding Bai, and the "Heng Ha Er Jiang" duo. In short, Lin Xing did a very thorough job.

Of course, after finishing the promotion for "Comedy Must Laugh," Lin Xing posted two more. One was to promote "Following Stars to Alleviate Poverty," as Lin Xing hoped everyone would pay attention to such a charity-focused variety show. The other was to promote the already-concluded "Let's Farm," with Lin Xing expressing his hope that everyone would cherish food.

At this moment, because Lin Xing was still livestreaming, he didn't know that the comment section was refreshing frantically, nor did he know that Weibo had essentially exploded. The number one trending topic was the State Taxation Administration handling multiple tax evasion cases. The second and third were Liang Min and Pang Wei, respectively. The fourth was "Master of Balancing Water: Lin Xing." In that topic, everyone was making jokes.

"Lin Xing didn't go to Weibo to promote 'The Storm'; I feel like he went to promote everyone."

"Laughing, Lin Xing promoted Guan Peng's 'Student Dad, Student Mom' at Weibo, promoted Duan Hai's new variety show 'Running Forward', gave 'Comedy Must Laugh' a wave, and then ran over to the film group to insist on promoting Hong Fei's 'Fishing Operation'. He really is a master of balancing."

"Who says it isn't? Hahaha, truly a master of balancing."

"I see other celebrities go to Weibo to promote their characters and talk about how great they are, but Lin Xing? He starts by ordering takeout for everyone, then chats about daily life, and finally talks about parenting. I really can't connect him to Zhou Bo in the drama."

"That is true acting. You have to know that a character is a character, and an actor is an actor. Lin Xing has a 'fun-loving' side on 'Let's Farm', but look at him playing the overbearing CEO Du Fei in 'Only Waiting For You'—do you see any of that fun-loving side? And then look at him in 'The Storm'..."

...Generally, some actors livestream to win favor with passersby. Take Lin Xing, for example; having lived two lives, he has seen a lot, his mood is more steady, and he has always treated being a celebrity simply as a job. That is why, even though he is truly famous now, Lin Xing remains the same person. Because of this, he is approachable to everyone, and Lin Xing never thinks he is anything special; he just has good luck, a good face, and the fortune of being a decent person in two lives. Sometimes, actors can fool the audience while acting, but they inadvertently reveal many things during livestreams or variety shows. Just like some veteran actors in variety shows, their hidden temperaments or personalities instantly shattered their halos.

That is precisely why many actors are afraid to go on variety shows easily. But for someone like Lin Xing, who has maintained a sterling reputation across three variety shows—"Let's Farm," "Following Stars to Alleviate Poverty," and "Comedy Must Laugh"—it is rare. And today, he came to the Weibo headquarters to burnish his reputation even further.

"This Lin Xing is really pretentious. Damn, he's always pretending to do charity, and now he's pretending to be authentic?"

"Yeah, I really feel like it's a bit much. His livestream is too fake."

...For those saying Lin Xing is being fake, the fans don't even need to refute it; a passerby said: "So what if Lin Xing is being fake? How many celebrities in the entertainment industry don't even bother to pretend?"

To repeat the old saying: It’s all about the comparison with your peers.

Immediately after, Weibo became even livelier. The official Weibo for "The Storm" certainly reposted the "Weibo TV" post—after all, this was their drama getting promoted. The most surprised were the producers of "Student Dad, Student Mom." Their drama was set to premiere that night, and they were holding a press conference at 2:00 PM, but the excitement on Weibo had nothing to do with them. Then, suddenly, the "Student Dad, Student Mom" official account was bewildered because they were being tagged by countless people. Guan Peng, who was in Beijing, was also a bit stunned.

"Teacher Lin is someone you can rely on; when there are benefits, he really thinks of you," Guan Peng said with admiration after checking the situation. In the entertainment industry, most people are two-faced. Even during the years when Guan Peng was struggling, many of his classmates and former friends had basically cut ties with him. But as he began his comeback, everyone suddenly reached out again. Everything was implied without words. But Lin Xing was truly different. When he participated in "Let's Farm," he was already famous, yet he had no airs and didn't put on an act. More importantly, Lin Xing treated them the same then as he did now. Although Lin Xing grew more and more famous, his attitude during every recording of "Let's Farm" remained consistent. Today, he had even promoted "Student Dad, Student Mom" for him.

Guan Peng hurriedly reposted the Weibo and said: "Thanks to my brother for the promotion. Everyone remember to watch 'Student Dad, Student Mom' tonight, and don't forget to watch 'The Storm' too." The production team for "Student Dad, Student Mom" couldn't pass up this hype; they immediately started promoting it, and in the end, they simply linked up with "The Storm" for a dream collaboration.

However, Lin Xing didn't know all this. For the first time, his expression control slipped ever so slightly.

"An Overbearing CEO 'Cheesy Pick-up Line' Challenge???" Lin Xing took the paper, somewhat stunned: "What is all this???"

"Teacher Lin, these are some cheesy lines we copied from the internet; we just hope you can say them..." Xiao Liu said with a smile.

"Teacher Lin, these are the ones I picked out," a girl said, raising her hand.

"We hope you can say them in the style of the overbearing CEO Du Fei and the villain Zhou Bo..." Xiao Liu continued. Lin Xing felt that what everyone liked these days was a bit weird. These cheesy lines really felt awkward no matter how you looked at them.

"I want to buy some land from you."

"What land?"

"Your undivided devotion, a love that shakes the earth, a place to rest my soul. I also want to give you some land."

"What land?"

"A land where I stay grounded, give my all, and live happily with you. We are together and it moves the heavens and the earth."

...Lin Xing used two styles: one was Du Fei's style, the other was Zhou Bo's. With the former, Lin Xing tried his best not to sound too greasy or ridiculous; with the latter, he leaned into the cheesiness. Next, Lin Xing had to recite some cheesy overbearing CEO lines.

"If you're doing this just to get my attention, then let me tell you, you've succeeded."

"If you can't save her, I'll make all of you pay with your lives."

"Damn it, I actually fell for this woman."

... "I can't take it anymore." Lin Xing laughed bitterly: "I think I'm dying of embarrassment from these lines. Let's skip this and move on to the next segment."

"No way, Teacher Lin, I think you really hit the mark for me."

"Yeah, Teacher Lin, if someone else said these lines, we'd find them awkward, but when you say them, I think it's actually quite good."

"Exactly, I think it's great."

...The many girls gathered around, afraid Lin Xing wouldn't believe them, and urged him to look at the comments in the livestream. Sure enough, a bunch of people were saying it was great. Understood. It’s all about the looks, right?

At this point, Lin Xing had been livestreaming for nearly an hour. The standard promotional tour process was mostly complete. Next was the interview. In the conference room, the background had already been set up with individual posters for "The Storm," as well as Weibo, Weibo Entertainment, and the entertainment weekly under Weibo. The microphones were also prepared. This time, it wasn't just a mobile phone livestream; professional cameramen were ready to take photos.

"Teacher Lin, let's begin." Once Lin Xing sat down, the reporters present also began to ask questions.

"Alright." Lin Xing nodded gently, but he asked: "Can I have a drink of water first?" The staff quickly handed Lin Xing a bottle of water. For an hour, Lin Xing had been livestreaming and hadn't stopped talking; his throat was truly starting to feel the strain.

"Thank you." Lin Xing took a sip of water and said: "Okay, that's it, let's start."

First, a reporter from "Sina Entertainment" asked: "Teacher Lin, may I ask why you decided to take on the role of Zhou Bo in the first place?"

"Actually, it's not a matter of why I took it," Lin Xing said with a smile: "I didn't have many resources last year. Besides, 'The Storm' is a serious drama produced by Director Zu Ming and writer Liao Qingshan. An artist like me wasn't even in their consideration at the beginning."

This was something everyone didn't actually know. After all, the stories about how Lin Xing got the role in "The Storm" were all over the place.

The reporter then asked: "And then?"

"Then I went for an audition, because by that time, the other roles had already been cast. When I auditioned, I thought I had no chance, but later..." Lin Xing recounted the story.

Then, a reporter from the Entertainment Weekly asked: "Teacher Lin, did you consider the public opinion when you took on such a villainous role?"

"I did." Lin Xing smiled and said: "But what I didn't expect was that before 'The Storm' aired, many people were scolding me, and after 'The Storm' aired, there were still many people scolding me..."

The Entertainment Weekly reporter said: "Before, everyone thought you couldn't act well, but after it aired, you acted too well, so many people weren't scolding you, they were scolding your character. Actually, including myself, many people are puzzled as to why this character is so different from the original novel? Did Director Zu change it on set?"

"No." Lin Xing shook his head: "I changed this character."

"What??? This character was changed by Lin Xing???"

"Whoa, how is that possible? Lin Xing knows how to change a script?"

"No, did Lin Xing actually take the initiative to make his character that evil???"

...Not to mention those on-site, many in the livestream were also in shock. Especially Lin Xing's fans. For the five days since "The Storm" had aired, the most painful thing for many fans was the character Zhou Bo played by Lin Xing. If it had been played according to the original novel, the character Zhou Bo would have had some redeemable qualities; after all, in the original, Zhou Bo was a pitiful person. But now, the Zhou Bo in the drama had become quite evil, and he had almost no redeeming qualities. A beast who committed all sorts of crimes. Some extreme fans had been cursing Director Zu Ming and Liao Qingshan, believing that they had adapted Lin Xing's character into a villain just to attract traffic for Lin Xing. But now, this caught them completely off guard. It turned out the extreme fans had been cursing the wrong people the whole time.

"You changed it??" the reporter on-site asked in disbelief.

Lin Xing nodded gently: "I read the original novel of 'The Storm' before the audition, and I felt that Zhou Bo couldn't be described as a 'simple, honest person.' A simple person might kill if pushed to the edge, but they would never slaughter the innocent. This Zhou Bo eventually became Shen Ming's foster son; he went from a victim to a perpetrator..."

Lin Xing was laying his cards on the table today. He felt it was necessary to stand up and explain the ins and outs of the character Zhou Bo.

"I believe an actor serves the character; I just made the character more logical. That is my job." Lin Xing finally said: "If everyone thinks I acted well and scolds the character, that is my honor. If everyone thinks I acted poorly and scolds me, then I will work harder in the future. However, I hope everyone watches the drama rationally. I don't want anyone to cyberbully others in the name of looking out for me..."

This last sentence was what Lin Xing wanted to express. Although he didn't mention his fans by name, every word was aimed at them. Watch the drama rationally, discuss it rationally. The following interview continued to revolve around this theme: don't go around cyberbullying others.

At 11:30 AM, the livestream ended. This livestream set a record. Lin Xing ate his takeout in the conference room at noon.

"Xiao Liu, could you do me a favor and bring over everyone who wanted an autograph?" Lin Xing said after the livestream ended: "I still have time."

...

...

PS: 1. From the day this book was published until now, the author believes the style has never changed. During the public phase, I explained that I would never intentionally pad the story. So if you are dissatisfied with this plot, please type '1', and I will change it in the future. Thank you again for the support of all readers.

2. I am doing my best to write over 10,000 words a day. I am asking for a monthly ticket to get into the top ten for new book monthly tickets.