Chapter 189: The Final Episode
The facts prove that humans are visual creatures.
While watching "Wisp of Smoke," many fans of the show felt that Rong Yu was no good in various ways, finding him disagreeable at every turn. However, when they came across Rong Yu's Weibo and saw his physique, they instantly...
Smoke Flying High: Brother Rong, is the look of admiration in my eyes up to standard now?
Dust and Embers: To err is human, everyone makes mistakes. Brother Rong, I have bowls at home, you can crush them for fun. I just want to squeeze your biceps.
Smoke Fire: I'm really envious of these muscle lines, no wonder he could carry a huge bundle of firewood down the mountain on the show without even breathing hard.
Yan Yan V: Speaking of which, I saw him playing a blindfolded game on "Extreme Joy" before, where he even piggybacked a man taller and more muscular than himself and ran with incredible ease. Other things can be faked, but a person can't, right? This guy genuinely has great strength!
Mass of Smoke: Great strength shouldn't be used recklessly either. It's also a fact that he broke a lot of things, right? Don't tell me he didn't mean to. Even a three-year-old knows to handle porcelain and glass with care.
Yan Yan V: With all due respect, a normal three-year-old child probably doesn't have the strength to crush porcelain and glass either, does he? And Brother Rong was indeed quite careful when holding them, afraid they might drop and break. It was precisely because he was being too careful, gripping too tightly, that he crushed the plate.
Mass of Smoke: What? A few photos of abs that might be photoshopped, and you all lose your minds?
Yan Yan V: It's not about the abs or not. It's really about that kind of... First, he's also good-looking. In the picture at the gym, wiping sweat, he looks at the camera with that devilishly charming gaze, that playful expression, that casual yet sexy pose. Oh! I am absolutely here for it.
Mass of Smoke: ...
Of course, not everyone was buying into this. Many people became even more convinced that Rong Yu was crafting a persona and consequently went to the official website of "Wisp of Smoke" to protest!
The "Wisp of Smoke" production team was originally pleased with the soaring ratings for this episode, but suddenly found themselves besieged by tens of thousands of comments demanding to know why most of this episode's screen time was given to Rong Yu? Was there some underhanded deal with Huansheng Entertainment?
The "Wisp of Smoke" production team was utterly confused. But when they looked back at the video, they realized they had indeed edited in a lot of footage of Rong Yu!
Clearly, in this episode, there were plenty of celebrities with higher status than Rong Yu. Those resident guests, every single one of them had many works to their name or had hosted multiple variety shows. Their experience and seniority were undeniable.
"Wisp of Smoke" bypassing these people to give Rong Yu so much screen time was obviously somewhat inappropriate.
So the production team hurriedly posted on Weibo, trying to distance themselves, and once again emphasized that the show focused on authenticity. The post-production only aimed to present interesting interactions between the artists to the audience, with absolutely no intention of promoting one at the expense of another! Rong Yu having more screen time was purely accidental!
In an effort to redirect the criticism, the "Wisp of Smoke" production team subtly suggested: The main issue was that Rong Yu consistently appeared in frame during various shots, leaving them with little choice but to include him. What else could they possibly do!
In short, they insinuated in every way that this was because Rong Yu himself was hogging the camera, unrelated to the show's post-production editing.
Fans of the show and fans of other artists, understanding the implication of the official blog's message, became even angrier, turning their guns once again towards Rong Yu.
Seeing this shift in online sentiment, Sally was practically furious. Fortunately, Yin Chengjue sent a timely message telling her to keep calm, as the development of events was still within expectations.
After hearing Yin Chengjue's response plan, Sally quickly calmed down, while simultaneously feeling a sense of... defeat?
"Just who is Xiao Yu's agent, me or you? You've arranged everything, it makes me feel utterly unaccomplished!" Sally couldn't help but complain.
Yin Chengjue was nonchalant: "Can you eat that sense of accomplishment?"
Sally: "No, but it can be my spiritual motivation!"
Yin Chengjue raised an eyebrow: "Isn't your spiritual motivation money? When you have no money but must do something, that's when you use other methods to ignite spiritual motivation, right?"
Sally: "..." That's so logical, it's irrefutable!
Thus, not long after the "Wisp of Smoke" production team issued their statement, Sally's side also released a statement. The content was plain but had the advantage of being simple and easy to understand.
Oh Sally V: Seeing many people say our Xiao Yu is hogging the camera, I'm curious. Who would specifically hog camera time to highlight their own shortcomings? Does he think he has too many fans and wants to use the camera to lose some?
The top comments were collective sighs from Yuxiang Rousi fans.
Clearly, the one who got criticized badly because of these scenes was Xiao Yu. Now that they realize they gave Xiao Yu too much screen time, they say it's Xiao Yu hogging the camera. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, huh?
The variety show's views skyrocketed because of these discussions, but Xiao Yu's follower count plummeted as a result. In the end, he's accused of deliberately hogging the camera. This blame-shifting by the production team is really slick. Bet they've done this sort of thing plenty of times before, right?
Bystanders took a look and realized that was indeed the case, so their gossip-hungry attention turned back towards "Wisp of Smoke."
Only then did the "Wisp of Smoke" production team realize that Rong Yu's public relations team was not easy to deal with. They quickly sent someone to communicate with Sally.
So Sally proposed a win-win solution for both sides: release the unused footage as a special bonus episode for everyone to see.
This way, footage cut from the other artists, along with Rong Yu's own unused scenes, would all be made available.
Ultimately, the issue wasn't a major scandal. With good-faith negotiation from both sides, it could be resolved. Handled correctly, it could even create a situation where all parties achieved their goals and came out ahead.
The "Wisp of Smoke" production team promptly accepted Sally's proposal and started work on preparing the unused material for release.
With the variety show controversy temporarily put to rest, the acting classes Sally had enrolled Rong Yu in also came to an end.
Which meant, it was time to put his acting skills into practice again.
Sally had previously sent Rong Yu several scripts, telling him to study them well, choose a role carefully, practice it multiple times, and then go for the audition.
Because time was tight, Rong Yu had to seize every minute. Even on the way to record "Don't Look Back in the Dark" on Wednesday, he was still reciting lines to himself.
Since the script this time was for a martial arts drama, these past few days Yin Chengjue kept hearing Rong Yu there, articulating words meticulously by himself.
Even at night when Yin Chengjue was almost asleep, he could still hear Rong Yu mumbling lines in his sleep:
"What business brings you here so late at night, young hero?"
"Young hero, your martial arts are peerless, I am in awe!"
"Meeting is fate. Tonight, I shall not part with you, young hero, until we are thoroughly drunk!"
Rong Yu was practicing diligently even in his dreams, so Yin Chengjue didn't want to disturb him and could only listen quietly as Rong Yu recited lines all night long.
This time, Qin Linlin rented the third basement level of a building as the shooting location.
This building was once located on a bustling commercial street, teeming with people every day. But later, as the city expanded, new commercial streets sprang up with wider roads and more convenient transportation. Gradually, the buildings here fell into disuse, and the surrounding storefronts closed one after another. Therefore, the rent Qin Linlin paid to lease this place wasn't high.
When Yin Chengjue and Rong Yu arrived, Qin Ke, Xiao Xiao, and Lei Miao were already there. Liu Qingling and Yang Ji followed closely behind, while Hua Yun and Wei Shu were delayed on the road and were the last to arrive.
Staff members led everyone into a temporary dressing room and began applying their makeup. While the makeup artists applied their makeup, Qin Linlin provided additional explanations alongside them.
Qin Linlin: "Everyone remembers their respective character backgrounds, right? Then, same old rule: you can only reveal your story background after others find relevant information about you. You can choose to conceal your entire background, but you cannot lie. Only the undercover agent and the murderer can lie."
Qin Linlin: "Because the game rules this time are relatively complex, we have placed some 'Lucky Cards' in certain locations. Players who find a Lucky Card can obtain the skill written on the card by completing the task specified on it."
Hearing this, the nine of them exchanged looks.
"Skills? You mean like what I'm imagining?" Wei Shu asked curiously, "For instance, is there a skill that can knock other players out of the game?"
Qin Linlin blinked mysteriously: "You'll know what the skills are when someone finds one. It's a secret for now~"
"Making it so mysterious! There must be a catch, right?" Yang Ji wore an expression of 'I've seen through your program team's tricks.' "You young people are always trying every which way to torment these old bones of mine!"
Qin Linlin's gaze swept over Yang Ji and Liu Qingling, and a rare look of guilt appeared on her face: "This episode... will truly require hardship from you two."
Wait! What do you mean by that? Are you really going to target us two old timers?
Is it too late to back out now?
Qin Linlin: "Then~ let me wish you all in advance, have fun~"
After their styling was done, the nine were blindfolded and led by two staff members each into the basement levels.
As the door behind them closed with a "boom," Qin Linlin's voice sounded from the speakers installed in various rooms of the basement level: "Now, everyone please remove your blindfolds!"
Hearing this, Yin Chengjue removed his blindfold, looked around, and frowned.
They were currently in a narrow, small space, the entire room visible at a glance.
And in this room now, there were only six people. That meant three others had been taken to different rooms.
Among these three was Rong Yu.
Qin Linlin's voice sounded again: "This is an abandoned laboratory, unused for over ten years. On this day, several individuals with unclear intentions opened the laboratory door, accidentally activating the lab's security system. They were then knocked unconscious by a diffused mist spray. When they awoke, they found themselves locked in this room."
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