Chapter 76: The Greatest Winner, Passing in One Go

“Your idol doesn’t have as many sales as Lin Xing.”
With a single sentence, the fan wars between the supporters of Xu Han and Hao Zhi were decisively ended.
Since the fan circles determined victory by sales, whoever had the highest sales was the winner.
Before the October issue of "Fashion Men’s Style" went on sale, the fans of Xu Han and Hao Zhi were both convinced their side would win.
They even mocked fans of other top idols with a sarcastic tone.
After all, many popular celebrities never had the chance to appear in the magazine’s internal issue.
Previously, Xu Han and Hao Zhi’s fans had been relentless in stirring up animosity.
Because they were so aggressive, some fans of other celebrities switched to supporting Lin Xing.
Supporting the rival of one’s rival was a common tactic during fan wars.
So, the more jubilant Xu Han and Hao Zhi’s fans had been before, the harder they were mocked now.
The biggest winner at the moment was only one: "Fashion Men’s Style."
On one hand, fans of Hao Zhi and Xu Han were desperately trying to boost sales to save face, some even shouting, “As long as I’m alive, I’ll get justice for my idol!”
On the other, the posts from the editor-in-chief and director of "Fashion Men’s Style" made fans of Du Fei very satisfied.
Both sides—actually, all three sides—were crazily buying up copies to outdo one another.
The higher the sales, the happier "Fashion Men’s Style" became.
Of course, another winner was Lin Xing.
Until today, online public opinion had been against Lin Xing, especially after the official announcement of "Sweeping Black Waves." Many believed Lin Xing was just another idol promoted by capital.
Why did Xu Han and Hao Zhi’s fans confidently think Lin Xing was no match for them?
Wasn’t it precisely because the internet was full of criticism against Lin Xing?
But they all forgot that the silent majority is actually the largest group.
So over the past half month, Xu Han and Hao Zhi’s fans seemed like clowns.
And, truthfully, Xu Han and Hao Zhi themselves became clowns, too.
When fans misbehave, idols pay the price.
Moreover, no one was foolish; without the tacit approval of Xu Han and Hao Zhi’s agencies, how could their fans have acted so aggressively?
The outcome?
Lin Xing never responded, and the two of them fell.
Not to mention, the director and editor-in-chief of "Fashion Men’s Style" personally acknowledged Lin Xing’s abilities.
This only heightened the comedic effect.
When Lin Xing arrived at the "Sweeping Black Waves" set, the makeup team congratulated him.
Working with him, they found the rumors about Lin Xing’s easy-going nature to be true—even more grounded than the internet claimed.

Everyone genuinely felt happy for Lin Xing, some even saying they bought several extra digital issues to support him.
Lin Xing thanked them, but still hoped everyone would consume rationally; there was no need to buy dozens of copies just for his sake.
This only made the makeup team feel even more strongly that Lin Xing deserved his victory.
Such idols who don’t exploit their fans are rare in the entertainment industry.
Indeed, even though many in the makeup team had developed a good impression of Lin Xing during this period, they still compared him with other top idols in their minds.
As always, changing this perception wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight.

Half an hour later, at the filming site.
“In this scene, Ren Yi, you need to convey anger—you suspect your apprentice was killed by President Shen in front of you...”
Zhu Ming was explaining the scene: “You need to clench your fists tightly, and also tremble a little...”
Ren Yi nodded lightly as he held the script.
“Wang Fei, you need to be steady, and show the ruthlessness of someone who regards human life as insignificant...”
Zhu Ming demonstrated to Wang Fei: “It’s just a life, that’s the attitude—‘it’s just one life’...”
Both Ren Yi and Wang Fei were masters at understanding their characters, so with Zhu Ming’s brief explanation and demonstration, they immediately grasped their roles.
Lastly, it was Lin Xing’s turn.
As previously mentioned, this scene involved Lin Xing, Wang Fei, and Ren Yi, but Lin Xing had no lines; the focus was on Wang Fei and Ren Yi.
Five minutes later, filming officially began.
“In Jinghai, whoever I want dead dies, whoever I want to succeed, succeeds.”
After the shoot began, Wang Fei’s face displayed a calm smile: “Look at Zhou Bo, fourteen years ago he was just a fish seller at the mercy of others, but now he’s a big shot in Jinghai. Without me, he’d be nothing...”
...
The main purpose of this scene was to showcase Shen Ming’s strength—he considered himself the underground emperor of Jinghai, able to make anyone’s business thrive or fail, and support whoever he pleased.
“You tell me, you’re just a small cop, coming here to fight me? Isn’t that laughable? Why don’t you ask your chief if he dares to talk to me like this?”
Wang Fei spoke with a detached tone: “I gave you a way out, but you don’t want it; are you looking for death?”
...
Lin Xing truly experienced what it meant to go head-to-head in acting during this scene.
Ren Yi took on all the pressure from Wang Fei’s performance.
Especially when Wang Fei said, “I gave you a way out, but you don’t want it; are you looking for death?” Ren Yi suddenly laughed.
“These fourteen years, I’ve gradually been forced into becoming a walking corpse by people like you.”
Ren Yi looked at Wang Fei: “The path is for the living. I’m already dead, and some things can’t be settled just by throwing money at them.”
...

The two actors were acting intensely against each other, but Lin Xing didn’t forget his own performance.
As Zhou Bo in the script, Lin Xing felt nothing for Wang Fei from beginning to end.
So, when Wang Fei said Zhou Bo was nothing, a flash of murderous intent appeared in Lin Xing’s eyes.
That murderous look was a foreshadowing.
Lin Xing felt he should express it this way.
Because in the final script, Lin Xing and Wang Fei have a dramatic confrontation.
That scene would be the highlight of the entire series.
So Lin Xing wanted to convey that feeling in advance.
“Great, it’s done.”
When Zhu Ming called “cut,” applause erupted on set.
What is a veteran actor?
This is a veteran actor.
Fifteen minutes of uninterrupted filming, passed in one take, without a single NG.
It really was done in one go.
Incredible.
Lin Xing reflected that, faced with Wang Fei’s intense performance, he probably couldn’t avoid NGs himself.
Precisely because of this, Lin Xing felt a bit anxious about the upcoming crucial scenes.
“Lin, just act as you did before.”
Before leaving, Ren Yi told Lin Xing, “Just keep the same rhythm as before.”
“Thank you, Brother Yi.”
Lin Xing said gratefully.
Clearly, Ren Yi was a good senior. He was heading to Group B to shoot other scenes, but still took time to give Lin Xing some advice.
Keep the rhythm unchanged.
In the following scenes with Wang Fei, Lin Xing held to those four words.
Until the final scene.
...
...
PS: Asking for a monthly vote.