Chapter 136: None Excluded, Gratitude, Entirely Different

"Because of the airport incident?"

Lin Xing looked at Xiaonan and asked, "Are people cursing out there?"

Xiaonan replied, "Yes, it's indeed because of the airport incident. A lot of people think that you've started letting your newfound fame go to your head."

"Always the same old rhetoric."

Lin Xing chuckled. "Can't they come up with something new?"

Xiaonan said, "Brother Xing, although this rhetoric isn't very creative, it works."

"That's true. Acting like a diva is often one of the most effective ways to destroy an artist's reputation."

Lin Xing said indifferently, "Has Sister Dao set things in motion?"

"Yeah. The moment you finished your interview, Sister Dao had already communicated with most of the fans, and we've also released some of the airport videos through alternative channels..."

Xiaonan quickly detailed Sister Dao's arrangements.

"Since everything is already arranged, what is there to be nervous about?"

Lin Xing smiled amusedly. "Be a bit more composed."

"Brother Xing, it's just that there are too many people cursing you online right now, and how can they talk such nonsense? You stood outside the airport signing autographs for the fans for almost a whole hour, they—"

Xiaonan said with some indignation, "How can these people be like this?"

"What stage is this even at?"

Lin Xing smiled cheerfully and said, "Alright, stop getting angry. If I'm not angry, why are you? I'll give you a day off. Go back and get a good rest today, and I'll go to the Sina office tour by myself tomorrow."

"That won't do."

Xiaonan shook her head and said, "Sister Dao said I must tag along for tonight's dinner party. With your fame taking another step forward thanks to *Portrait Criminals*, we need to be even more careful right now. Remember how Chen Zhou was framed for soliciting prostitution after drinking with acquaintances back then?"

Ever since Lin Xing made a comeback by riding the wave of Wu Yao's downfall, Sister Dao had provided him with ten thousand percent protection.

How should I put it?

Sister Dao's ability as a manager might be slightly lacking, but in other aspects, she truly helped Lin Xing clear away many worries for the future.

Having spent a long time in the entertainment industry, what kind of filthy business hasn't she seen?

There were even those who sacrificed their wives and offered up their sisters just to climb higher.

So, what are friends, really?

Look at Feng Gang. When he was with the Tan Province TV Station, his friends were all over the world, but after he was swept out the door by Tan Province TV Station, what happened?

Let alone friends made from shooting dramas.

How many of them are driven by genuine affection?

Everyone is an adult; it's much better to talk about interests directly.

Very often, don't be used—what you should fear is having no use value at all.

Just like during Lin Xing's period of obscurity, who was willing to use him?

Not to mention Lin Xing, weren't Guan Peng, Hong Fei, and the others the exact same way?

If not for relying on *Farming* to return to the public eye, how could they have ever gotten the chance to act again?

How many actors are simply praying to be of some use?

Whether it's interests or utility, things are usually viewed from two perspectives.

Currently, the drama *Portrait Criminals* is in its soaring phase. Today, Weibo, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Microvision, and various other platforms are all discussing this drama.

And the biggest winner of this drama is undoubtedly Lin Xing, without exception.

Back when *Portrait Criminals* was flopping, everyone was mocking Lin Xing because they felt that since Lin Xing was the absolute top-billed lead, if it flopped, who else would they mock if not him?

Now, *Portrait Criminals* has exploded, so they naturally have to praise Lin Xing.

According to the data Xiaonan just tallied, on Douban, the discussion volume for *Portrait Criminals* ranked in the top three. The other two were *Anti-Mafia Wild Waves* and *The Correct Way to Open Independence*.

It had been nearly three months since the finale of *Anti-Mafia Wild Waves*, yet the discussion heat for the drama on Douban remained undiminished.

This is the charm of a good drama.

And that is also why Zhao Yining wasn't fooled by Ding Chunling this time.

Zhao Yining might not have much brains, but she wasn't a complete idiot.

*Anti-Mafia Wild Waves* had been maintaining its heat for nearly three months, damn it. Even if *Portrait Criminals* couldn't match *Anti-Mafia Wild Waves*, maintaining its heat for a month after the finale should at least be achievable, right?

At the very least, it could maintain it for half a month, couldn't it?

By that time, *The Correct Way to Open Independence* would have already aired its finale ages ago.

What dividends would Zhao Yining reap then?

She'd get squat.

Damn it.

This just goes to show that human joys and sorrows are not connected.

The crew of *Portrait Criminals* had already prepared a small gathering for tonight to celebrate briefly, and then tomorrow, Lin Xing, Zhou Wei, and the others would head out for the office tours.

Meanwhile, the cast of *The Correct Way to Open Independence* had already started figuring out how to shift the blame.

Everyone had their own excuses anyway.

However, since it had only been airing for five days, everything was still centered around publicity for now. Even shifting the blame had to wait a few more days.

At 6:00 PM, Lin Xing arrived at a small bistro.

Xiaonan and the driver were waiting outside for Lin Xing.

Today was a small gathering for the *Portrait Criminals* crew.

Producer Ma Wen, screenwriter Wang Yi, director Liu Zhou, actors Zhou Wei, Lu Quan, Ning Rong, Li Chuang, and Wei Fei, who was in charge of the atmosphere, were all present.

"A-Xing, we've just been waiting for you."

As soon as Wei Fei saw Lin Xing enter, she pulled him into a hug. "Come on, let sister catch some of your stardom."

"Sister Fei, don't scare A-Xing."

Zhou Wei looked at Wei Fei's antics with some amusement. "Director Liu is still watching."

"What does it matter if he's watching?"

Wei Fei said unconcernedly, "I just want A-Xing to give me a little bit of stardom, that's all."

Liu Zhou smiled and said, "Don't just talk about Feifei, even I want to give A-Xing a hug."

"Sister Fei, Director Liu, please spare me."

Lin Xing was somewhat speechless. "What are you guys even up to?"

"Hahaha, A-Xing, sit down and talk."

Ma Wen laughed heartily and said, "You have to understand Feifei and Lao Liu. You don't know this, but we were still feeling a bit like we were dreaming just now."

It truly felt like a dream.

Ma Wen and the others had actually already conceded defeat.

Most of the time, everyone likes to think of themselves as the one who will pull off a counter-attack, but in reality, reality teaches them a harsh lesson.

How could a counter-attack be that easy?

Big data might make mistakes sometimes, but big data is usually extremely precise.

Just like how Penguin Video refused to give resources to *Portrait Criminals*—because for an A+ drama, giving resources was just a waste.

But who could have imagined it?

*Portrait Criminals* not only staged a counter-attack, but it also exploded, damn it.

Going from a premiere flop to an absolute explosion within just five days—this roller coaster ride left not only Ma Wen, but Wei Fei's head spinning completely.

How could our little crappy drama possibly become this popular, dammit?

As the director, Liu Zhou still had confidence in *Portrait Criminals*, but whether it could truly succeed still depended on market feedback and audience reviews.

Furthermore, apart from Lin Xing, did this drama's cast feature a single big name?

No one else could carry this drama on their shoulders.

Why did Penguin Video rate *Portrait Criminals* as A+?

Why didn't the industry look favorably upon *Portrait Criminals*?

Why didn't the audience approve of *Portrait Criminals*?

Liu Zhou was well aware of all this, and Ma Wen knew it just as well.

So what could you do?

Let alone inviting heavyweights like Ren Yi, Wang Fei, and Song Wen for a web drama, even if you invited veteran actors like Shang Xia, Mo Hu, Song Shuyuan, and Feng Wei, they wouldn't necessarily come.

With a low production budget, unable to invite top-tier traffic stars, top-tier dramatic actors, or even a multitude of veteran actors to anchor the cast, the most senior actor in *Portrait Criminals* was Wei Fei. But Wei Fei only made a cameo appearance as a favor because her husband was the director.

Apart from that, the other familiar faces possessed virtually zero drama-carrying capacity.

Otherwise, why did Wei Fei think that simply airing *Portrait Criminals* would be a victory?

It was truly because aside from Lin Xing, no one else would cut it.

Even Ma Wen, Liu Zhou, and the others actually had very low expectations; they just hoped that after *Portrait Criminals* premiered, it could achieve a tiny, tiny bit of success.

For Zhou Wei, Ning Rong, and Lu Quan, they only hoped that *Portrait Criminals* would earn recognition from the industry and the audience, allowing them to reap some dividends.

Especially Zhou Wei, since he was the other male lead of *Portrait Criminals*. If this drama could really manage a minor explosion, the dividends he would reap wouldn't be small either.

Originally, everyone had given up hope, but suddenly, *Portrait Criminals* exploded.

"Let's toast to A-Xing together."

Ma Wen smiled cheerfully as he raised his glass and said, "If not for A-Xing, this drama wouldn't have today."

"A-Xing, I know what you want to say, but I think President Ma is right."

Wang Yi also chimed in, "All of us are basking in your reflected glory. If you hadn't played the role of Guan Feng, *Portrait Criminals* could never have generated this much traffic and discussion, let alone the organic word-of-mouth that followed."

"That's right, A-Xing, you don't need to be modest about this first glass."

Liu Zhou smiled and said, "Let's all toast you together."

Clearly, the creators of *Portrait Criminals* were genuinely and deeply grateful to Lin Xing.

Without Lin Xing, *Portrait Criminals* would definitely not have blown up today.

On this point, everyone had zero disagreement.

"I've said before that the success of *Portrait Criminals* couldn't have happened without everyone pulling together..."

Lin Xing smiled as he raised his glass and said, "For this first glass, I think we should celebrate *Portrait Criminals* achieving such great results instead."

Hearing Lin Xing say this, everyone wasn't surprised at all.

This was Lin Xing. Forget about taking credit; he didn't even want to claim the credit that rightfully belonged to him.

"Alright, this first glass will celebrate *Portrait Criminals* successfully breaking out."

Ma Wen didn't say any more, raising his voice to say, "Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone echoed with exceptional excitement and enthusiasm.

After finishing that first glass, everyone sat back down.

"A-Xing, tomorrow's Sina office tour is going to be run like a press conference..."

Ma Wen then explained to Lin Xing, "You all will attend together, and at the same time, there will be many Sina journalists on-site to ask questions, and it will be broadcasted live the entire time..."

Lin Xing nodded gently. "Alright, I have no problem with that. I'll cooperate however it's needed."

Back then, Lin Xing had cooperated wholeheartedly with the promotional efforts for *Anti-Mafia Wild Waves*, and let's not forget that Lin Xing was only a supporting character in *Anti-Mafia Wild Waves*.

In *Portrait Criminals*, however, Lin Xing was the lead, the top-billed star, and the absolute male protagonist of the show. Doing whatever promotion was required for this drama was only right and proper.

When an opportunity comes, you have to seize it.

From the startup, filming, wrapping up, to the premiere of *Portrait Criminals*, the outside world had basically spent this entire period mocking Lin Xing. Quite a few people even felt that Lin Xing making this move was a terrible blunder.

It was just like around the time *Anti-Mafia Wild Waves* premiered: they cursed it before it aired, and they cursed it after it aired.

Lin Xing even thought with a hint of self-deprecation: is this some kind of 100% hatred-attracting setting?

As long as he makes a drama, everyone spontaneously starts questioning it?

Even though Lin Xing had maintained a nonchalant demeanor throughout *Bad Kids*, it didn't mean he would remain nonchalant now that *Portrait Criminals* had won high praise.

What Lin Xing needed to do right now was to promote *Portrait Criminals* with every ounce of effort possible.

He had always believed that professional matters should be left to professionals.

Therefore, while on the set of *Portrait Criminals*, Lin Xing focused solely on doing his job as an actor.

Now that *Portrait Criminals* had entered the publicity and distribution phase, how to promote it was Ma Wen and the others' job.

All Lin Xing had to do was cooperate.

This was both Lin Xing's job and Lin Xing's opportunity.

"Hahaha, good! A-Xing, with those words from you, I can rest easy."

Ma Wen laughed out loud.

"Lao Ma, didn't I tell you A-Xing isn't one of those pretentious celebrities with a million diva demands?"

Wei Fei said unhappily, "And yet you refused to believe me."

Hearing Wei Fei say this, Ma Wen quickly explained, "Feifei, you can't just talk nonsense like that. How did I not believe you? I trust Lin Xing immensely."

Wei Fei shot back a single word: "Heh!"

Liu Zhou chimed in, "Today, A-Xing, Zhou Wei, Lu Quan, and Ning Rong, you guys should drink a little less. Especially Feifei, you're going to the Sina office tour tomorrow too, you can't drink..."

It was well known that Wei Fei was a heavy drinker, and the most crucial thing was that Wei Fei liked to throw drunken tantrums when she drank too much. Her personality was already straightforward, and after drinking, she became even more formidable.

The key was that Wei Fei was prone to blackouts.

Whatever she did while drunk, Wei Fei wouldn't remember a single bit of it the next day.

Precisely because of this, Liu Zhou specifically urged Wei Fei today not to drink too much.

"Don't worry, I know my own alcohol tolerance."

Wei Fei said unconcernedly, then picked up her glass and turned to Lin Xing. "A-Xing, come on, let's senior sister and junior brother have a round by ourselves. I hope we'll have the chance to collaborate again in the future."

"Yeah, I believe there will definitely be a chance."

Lin Xing smiled, raised his glass, and clinked it with Wei Fei's.

Wei Fei was among the 40-year-old female actors with relatively strong acting skills, and unlike other female actors in their 40s who constantly marketed their beautiful legs one day and their beauty the next, Wei Fei rarely marketed her appearance.

Since ancient times, the Central Academy of Drama has produced beauties.

However, after turning 35, Wei Fei's opportunities had dwindled somewhat. She wasn't afraid of playing mothers, defining herself as an actor rather than a star.

She lived life with absolute clarity.

This was also one of the reasons why Wei Fei was well-liked within the industry. Even though she had been backstabbed before and had her boyfriend stolen by a best friend, Wei Fei had always been one of those who lived the most genuinely in the entertainment circle.

In *Portrait Criminals*, Wei Fei only made a cameo; her scenes weren't many, and there wasn't much room for her to flex her acting muscles.

The few scenes Lin Xing shared with Wei Fei had been quite harmonious.

Thus, Wei Fei hadn't had her fill.

She actually wanted to play a slightly more challenging role, but as the saying goes, the competition among female artists in the film and television industry is equally brutal. Otherwise, why would other female artists in their 40s still be out there marketing themselves as "beauties"?

Isn't it simply because they are afraid of aging?

On one side, after Lin Xing clinked glasses with Wei Fei, on the other side, Zhou Wei likewise clinked glasses with Lin Xing.

"A-Xing, thank you."

Zhou Wei said to Lin Xing, "These past two days, I've also gotten a taste of what it feels like to be popular."

"Brother Zhou, there's no need for such polite formalities between us."

Lin Xing waved his hand slightly. "What? Did fans greet you at the airport?"

"Hahaha, of course not. I wish I had fans greeting me at the airport, but I don't have traffic pulling power like you."

Zhou Wei laughed heartily.

Ning Rong, sitting nearby, seized the opportunity to voice her own confusion: "Brother Xing, aren't you afraid of losing fans by refusing to let them pick you up at the airport?"

"Ning Rong, you don't understand A-Xing."

Wei Fei spoke up to explain for Lin Xing. "A-Xing never intended to go the route of a traffic celebrity; he wants to walk the path of a serious acting powerhouse. What he needs isn't fans—what he needs is the general public."

"Feifei is right. Just think about A-Xing's public affinity?"

Ma Wen smiled and said, "Why did we decide to invite A-Xing to star in *Portrait Criminals* in the first place? Wasn't it because of his sales record on *Fashion Men*, and most of that came from public affinity?"

Liu Zhou also nodded gently. "A-Xing really looks far ahead. He hasn't been seduced by the immediate allure of fandom, and he even disbanded his official fan club beforehand. Just that alone beats out the majority of traffic celebrities."

"More than just traffic celebrities?"

Wei Fei sneered, "Look at Yu Fen and the others—they're already in their 40s, yet they're still out there buying data and traffic. Aren't they ashamed? They're old enough to be grandmothers..."

"Feifei."

Liu Zhou said with a headache, "Let's not say things like that."

"What's wrong with saying it? Besides, there are no outsiders here today."

Wei Fei said unblinkingly, "Even if Yu Fen were standing right in front of me, I'd dare say it to her face."

That was Wei Fei for you, characterized primarily by pure fearlessness.

She didn't bow to anyone.

Yet she was exceptionally serious when it came to acting.

This was likewise the reason why Lin Xing appreciated Wei Fei.

Getting along with someone like that is effortless.