Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 50

Chapter 50

When the time was right, Director Gong sent someone to call the four of them to get ready for the red carpet. They stood up and headed in that direction. Ou Sheng pulled Zuo Qiu to walk in the middle, with Cheng Ye and Xiao Bojun flanking them on the left and right.

Zuo Qiu secretly glanced at Xiao Bojun, who was sulking alone. He wanted to comfort him but felt the setting was inappropriate, so he restrained himself, planning to find an opportunity to coax the Second Young Master later.

By the red carpet, Director Gong smiled as he watched the four handsome men approach. He had a good relationship with Ou Sheng and was close with Zhao Zhixian. Therefore, even though he knew Ou Sheng might be showing “favoritism” by boosting the two newcomers at his film’s premiere, he was not displeased. Ou Sheng’s star power was immense, and after running promotional events for half a month, the online pre-sales were quite considerable. The film’s box office was essentially secured.

“You walk with me,” Director Gong said to the film’s leading actress beside him. Strictly speaking, she wasn’t entirely the “female lead.” Fledgling was a male-lead film with almost no romantic or even ambiguous emotional scenes. Her role was simply the relatively most important female character.

The actress also saw the four men approaching, especially Cheng Ye next to Ou Sheng, and dropped the idea of entering the venue with the male lead. She linked arms with Director Gong and walked forward.

The red carpet was about ten meters long. The film’s creative team entered in batches. The director and the female lead led the way, followed by Ou Sheng’s group of four, and then the other main actors and the stars the director had invited to warm up the event. Throughout the red carpet walk, Ou Sheng, Cheng Ye, Zuo Qiu, and Xiao Bojun were the most popular.

The four men represented different types of handsomeness: Ou Sheng was steady, Cheng Ye was roguish, Zuo Qiu was warm, and Xiao Bojun was cool. As the four walked together, female fans outside were stirred, desperately screaming and cheering.

Hearing the fans’ cheers, Cheng Ye held Ou Sheng’s hand with one hand and waved back to the crowd with the other. This action intensified the screams outside the venue.

Ou Sheng was a bit helpless. He smiled and softly said, “That’s enough, don’t steal the limelight from everyone behind us.” The red carpet was only so long; they had to give others some exposure.

Cheng Ye turned to look at Ou Sheng, saw his resolute attitude, and then glanced at the furiously jealous Xiao Bojun. Still unsatisfied, he lowered his arm and, holding Ou Sheng’s hand, walked toward the cinema.

Looking at their tightly clasped hands, and then at Zuo Qiu, who was trying hard to appear composed, Xiao Bojun said to him, “Before, I only knew I wanted to go public, but I didn’t know to what extent. It wasn’t until I saw Cheng Ye and Ou Sheng that I saw the direction I need to strive for. I think in the future, you’ll have to ask Ou Sheng for advice on how to handle my constant desire to show off our affection.”

Zuo Qiu, who was a little nervous about his first red carpet walk, instantly burst out laughing upon hearing Xiao Bojun’s words, and his nervousness completely dissipated. Alright, he thought, if I have to face countless moments of Xiao Bojun attracting hatred in public in the future, then walking the red carpet is child’s play. Being nervous is too pretentious.

Ou Sheng turned to look at Zuo Qiu, whose mindset had completely flipped, and then at Xiao Bojun, who was expressionless but whose peripheral vision was fixed on Zuo Qiu. Watching the two of them, Ou Sheng felt as if he was watching himself and Cheng Ye from a few years ago.

Upon entering the venue, all the main creative personnel stood in their designated spots, waiting for the upcoming interview segment. Ou Sheng and the director stood at the center of the stage, Cheng Ye sat below the stage, and Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun were assigned to the very edge.

The host first asked the director about his thoughts on filming the movie, and then questioned the actors in turn. Naturally, the focus of the interview was on Director Gong and the male lead, Ou Sheng.

Host: “Director Gong, whose role do you think was the most outstanding in this film?”

Director Gong smiled. For such a trap question, he certainly couldn’t name a single person. “Everyone’s performance was excellent. It is because of everyone’s combined effort that we can sit here today to watch the results of their hard work.”

The host asked Ou Sheng the same question.

Ou Sheng looked troubled and contemplated for a moment before saying, “I think all the characters in Director Gong’s film were interpreted to be vivid, fleshed-out, and soulful. I wouldn’t dare say who was the most outstanding, but the performance that left the deepest impression on me was Zuo Qiu’s. He truly amazed me.”

The camera scanned to Director Gong, who was standing at the side and nodding in agreement.

The host, having finally elicited a scoop, quickly signaled a staff member to hand a microphone to Zuo Qiu.

Host: “Zuo Qiu, your performance has been affirmed by Film Emperor Ou. What would you like to say about that?”

Suddenly being called out, Zuo Qiu paused for a second before taking the microphone and offering some formal remarks: “It’s my honor to be recognized by Brother Sheng. Fledgling is the first film Z.X participated in, and also our first work after our debut. On set, Xiao Bojun and I received care from the director, Brother Sheng, and all our colleagues. We learned a lot in the crew and hope to have more opportunities to collaborate in the future.”

Zuo Qiu’s words were moderate; he didn’t overly praise himself and complimented everyone in the crew. However, his words made the host think of something, and she started asking Ou Sheng again: “Film Emperor Ou, there are rumors online that you are preparing a film starring the Z.X duo. Is that true?”

Ou Sheng smiled. Although he intended to use Fledgling to promote his own film, he wouldn’t go to the extent of being criticized for it. So, he joked, “Today is the premiere of Fledgling. The host shouldn’t divert everyone’s attention elsewhere!”

The crowd laughed at this statement. The host knew when to stop and began asking other questions, but Ou Sheng’s answer still gave those present a vague idea—it was likely that Ou Sheng’s film would indeed feature Z.X.

After a half-hour interview session, the film officially began to screen.

Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun sat in their reserved seats. Half an hour into the film, Xiao Bojun looked around. Seeing that everyone was engrossed in the movie, the hand closest to Zuo Qiu started getting restless. His jacket was draped over the armrest between them, and under the cover of the jacket, his hand began stroking Zuo Qiu’s thigh.

In the darkness, Zuo Qiu’s face flushed like a tomato. He grabbed the audacious hand and softly said, “There are so many people here. Behave.”

Xiao Bojun’s eyes were fixed on the big screen, and his voice slowly came out: “Don’t you think doing something intimate couples do in a crowded place is thrilling?”

His hand slowly slid along Zuo Qiu’s thigh. Zuo Qiu turned to look at Xiao Bojun’s face, confirmed that he was angry, and gently explained, “When our star power is the same as Brother Sheng’s, we can be like them.”

Like them, meaning they could show affection whenever they wanted.

Xiao Bojun turned to look at Zuo Qiu, whose gaze was fixed on him: “But right now, we still need to work hard.”

Xiao Bojun understood Zuo Qiu’s words completely. He sighed heavily in his heart. Although he knew Zuo Qiu’s approach was correct, he couldn’t help but feel upset with him. Under his clothes, his hand fumbled for and tightly grasped Zuo Qiu’s hand.

After soothing his boyfriend, Zuo Qiu finally put his mind on the movie. He and Xiao Bojun were purely in supporting roles in this film, so they didn’t appear until half an hour before the end of the movie.

Even so, looking at himself on the big screen, Zuo Qiu still felt immense gratitude toward Director Gong. Not only did Director Gong film them handsomely, but their roles, despite limited screen time, were very likable. After they appeared, Zuo Qiu heard whispers in the audience behind them saying their acting was good. Having people affirm and like them boosted Zuo Qiu’s confidence in his acting.

After the film ended, Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun walked out with the crowd. Just as they exited the door, some people stopped them, asking for autographs and photos.

The two didn’t think much of it and, after complying with the audience’s requests, found Ou Sheng to meet up.

“Do you know who the people who just asked for photos with you are?” Ou Sheng asked.

“Weren’t they just regular audience members?” Zuo Qiu was confused.

Ou Sheng smiled and pointed to the few people who had just left, introducing them to the duo: “A premiere is not something just anyone can attend. See that lady in the green dress, around forty? She is a famous film critic blogger. And this one, with the baby face, looking like a young man in his twenties, is a specially appointed film critic for Y Network. And that little girl, don’t let her age fool you, she has tens of millions of followers on Weibo, and her influence is no less than a celebrity’s. And that one… and this one…”

Zuo Qiu was completely bewildered. When the few people asked for their autographs and photos, they hadn’t stated their identities, and their demeanor was reserved. Zuo Qiu thought they were just typical fans and hadn’t thought deeply about it. He never expected them all to be so influential… Zuo Qiu regretted not having said a few more polite words.

Ou Sheng watched his regretful expression with amusement. “These people are all shrewd; they’ve seen every kind of shady character in the industry. If you stay true to yourselves and don’t do anything extra, they might even think highly of you.”

Those famous film critics have strong box office appeal, and they are mostly invited whenever a movie is released. Words spoken through a third party are often more convincing, so film directors and actors often try to implicitly or explicitly court them, hoping they will speak highly of the work when introducing it to their fans.

Now that the film critics had actively approached Z.X for photos and autographs, it suggested that the two had left a good impression on the critics.

Zuo Qiu had blind faith in his idol. If Ou Sheng said it was fine, it must be fine. Zuo Qiu silently noted down the names of the film critics, planning to search for their Weibo accounts and see how they introduced the film.

In fact, today was also the first time Ou Sheng had seen the finished film. He hadn’t thought much of it during the filming, but after watching the whole movie, Ou Sheng felt that Zuo Qiu had a strong presence in the film. Although his screen time was limited, it couldn’t be denied that Zuo Qiu’s performance was captivating. Performing for the first time, he had no particular technique, yet his performance was natural and smooth from start to finish. This was probably because the character’s personality was similar to his own—also a brilliant academic, also meticulous and emotionally sensitive, which made his portrayal authentic.

At this moment, Ou Sheng felt his judgment was spot-on, and he gained even more confidence in Wilderness King.

Thinking of Wilderness King, Ou Sheng naturally thought of the film’s public release permit. So, he said to Xiao Bojun, “The film’s establishment has been approved. For the subsequent public release permit after filming, we will have to trouble your brother again.”

This was partly an expression of thanks and partly a subtle form of urging. The film could be completed in two or three months, leaving them not much time.

“My brother said he has a 70% certainty.”

The number of domestic films about same-sex relationships that can be publicly screened is very small. According to what Xiao Bolin knew, only two had been screened so far. Just applying for the permit was a tremendous effort, and they were forced offline less than a week after their release. The Xiao family has run an entertainment company for nearly half a century and has many connections in all aspects. They could help with this matter, but they couldn’t guarantee a 100% result.

Ou Sheng could guess this outcome and was aware of the various current situations in the country. After a moment of thought, he said, “Please thank your brother. My requirement is not high; being screened for one week will be enough.”

After getting together with Cheng Ye, they had jointly opened cinemas nationwide. If they couldn’t reach agreements with other cinemas, they could screen the film in their own, simply by scheduling more showtimes.

Xiao Bojun nodded. “My brother also said that Bolin’s cinemas welcome same-sex films.”

Bolin’s cinemas have been operating for many years and cannot be compared to Ou Sheng’s newly opened cinemas in terms of quantity, market share, or background. Gaining Bolin’s support would undoubtedly be the best outcome.

Ou Sheng smiled upon hearing this. He felt as if he had met a lucky star.

Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun left the cinema and saw Zhao Zhixian waiting for them outside the car. The three didn’t exchange many pleasantries. They got into the car, and Guo Chen drove them away.

As soon as Zhao Zhixian got into the car, he asked the two, “How do you feel?”

Zhao Zhixian had watched the red carpet portion on the live broadcast. Being led by Ou Sheng, the two had gained a lot of attention. Zhao Zhixian saw many people in the comments asking who the people next to Ou Sheng and Cheng Ye were. In just one afternoon, the two’s Weibo followers increased by 100,000.

Xiao Bojun was silent, so Zhao Zhixian’s gaze turned to Zuo Qiu.

Zuo Qiu: “It’s alright. We’ll see what the film critics say specifically.”

Zhao Zhixian heard a few underlying meanings in his words. First, there were likely no major errors during the interview segment. Second, they had an interaction with the film critics?

“Did Director Gong or Film Emperor Ou introduce you to the film critics?” Zhao Zhixian guessed.

Zuo Qiu paused. “They approached us on their own.”

Zhao Zhixian’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, he had interacted with those people often and naturally knew that the vast majority of them were arrogant. The fact that they would take the initiative to approach the two was incredible.

“It seems your performance in the film was very impressive. There will probably be many Weibo posts about you tonight and tomorrow. I’ll keep an eye on them for you.”

Zuo Qiu gratefully said yes. Where there are people who like him, there will naturally be people who don’t. Zuo Qiu was mentally prepared, but what those people would say was the real question. Now, with Zhao Zhixian helping to monitor, Zuo Qiu felt a bit more at ease.

Guo Chen’s driving skills were good. After losing the tailing cars, she safely dropped the two off at their new apartment.

Zhao Zhixian watched the two walking into the darkness and muttered to himself, “I have a feeling they are about to soar to great heights. Is this just a delusion?”

Guo Chen glanced at the two as well. Starting the car, she, who rarely spoke, added, “I’ve always had this feeling.”

She had been an assistant to celebrities for five or six years and knew a lot about the industry. Artists in the industry generally fell into three categories: one, those with connections, having relatives, friends, godfathers, godmothers, or older siblings in the industry who could help. These people were usually haughty, constantly mentioning “so-and-so is my godfather,” afraid others wouldn’t know they were being supported.

The second type were those who desperately tried to enter the entertainment circle for fame, fortune, or to marry into wealth. They flattered producers, directors, and influential celebrities and constantly tried to capitalize on attention.

The third type were those who silently honed their acting skills and truly loved the profession. This group was smaller and, over time, would gradually become disillusioned with the industry’s rules, eventually shedding their celebrity halo and returning to an ordinary life.

But in all these years, she had never encountered anyone like Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun. They had background but were never arrogant or carried away. They loved the profession and were therefore willing to spend more time learning acting. They were kind and cautious in their words and actions, like a clear stream in the entertainment industry.

Guo Chen couldn’t imagine who else would become famous if people like them didn’t.

After Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun returned home, Zuo Qiu immediately checked Weibo on his phone. It was still early, so only videos of the red carpet walk were circulating online. The film critics hadn’t had time to post their reviews yet.

“Ahem, ahem.” Someone, upon seeing Zuo Qiu scrolling on his phone right after getting home, desperately sought attention.

Zuo Qiu snapped out of his daze, dropped his phone, and headed to the kitchen.

Xiao Bojun watched Zuo Qiu’s retreating figure, feeling disappointed and a little worried: Is Zuo Qiu angry because of my childish jealousy?

Less than two minutes later, Zuo Qiu came out of the kitchen with two cups of water. As soon as he emerged, he saw Xiao Bojun’s slightly hurt eyes.

“Here you go.”

Xiao Bojun took the black cup and then looked at the white cup in Zuo Qiu’s hand. His mood improved slightly.

“Drink up. You didn’t drink much water today, that’s why you’re coughing a little.”

Xiao Bojun lowered his head and took a sip of water. It was warm honey water, very soothing for the throat.

“Is that all the compensation I get?” Seeing that Zuo Qiu wasn’t angry, Xiao Bojun started asking for more.

Zuo Qiu recalled Xiao Bojun’s eager gaze before the red carpet and his own act of evasion, feeling a bit weak.

“How do you want to be compensated? Let me state in advance, we have to go see the advisor at school tomorrow, so it can’t be too many times.”

They were going to see their thesis advisor at school tomorrow to submit their thesis framework, and they couldn’t be embarrassed in front of their teacher and classmates.

Not too many times, meaning a few times was acceptable? Because of tomorrow’s event, Xiao Bojun hadn’t actually planned on doing anything to Zuo Qiu before this, but since Zuo Qiu had made such a “request,” he certainly wouldn’t mind, and he intended to satisfy him properly. Ahem.

“Then…” Xiao Bojun paused for a second. “Eat some candy?”

Zuo Qiu immediately understood and felt a little weary. When did the way they solved problems start ending with exercise in bed? Was there no other method?

Of course, if Zuo Qiu asked Xiao Bojun this question directly, Xiao Bojun would ask back, Don’t you like this way of solving problems?

“Fine… make sure you clean up well.” Zuo Qiu conceded.

In the end, both of them “ate candy” once and then slept sweetly in each other’s arms.