The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 33

The moment Zhao Jinyu posted her comment, it caused a massive uproar on Weibo.

Needless to say, Lin Zhiyu’s anti-fans were like a drop of water in a hot deep-fryer, exploding with a series of cynical and mocking remarks that scrambled to the top of the “Hot Comments” section. Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyu’s newly recruited fans charged into the comments like hungry wolves. Some took screenshots while others “licked the screen,” becoming overwhelmed with excitement as they clutched the high-quality edits processed by the master fans.

“Nine photos of Lin Zhiyu! Do you know how I’ve survived this past week since joining the fandom? I’ve polished my red carpet screenshots until the edges are frayed. Finally, there are new pictures to drool over!”

“Unreal! I feel like this role was tailor-made for him!”

“Remember to give my baby a raise! Ah!”

On the other side, neutral onlookers began to switch sides quietly.

“To be honest, seeing the stills reveals the truth. The costumes and props are really high-quality. This outfit for Lin Zhiyu is definitely the peak of the production team’s aesthetic.”

“I’m not a fan, but based on this still alone, I’m definitely going to check out the show when it airs!”

“Zhao Jinyu really knows how to cast. Lin Zhiyu’s ‘demonic charm’ is just the right amount of beautiful. I wonder how Xie Yunce will turn out.”

The topic quickly climbed the trending list, and the read count for #LinZhiyuNightmareDemonStills# skyrocketed. In the discussion groups, the anti-fan threads fell silent for a moment. Some people quietly swapped their “skins,” slipping out of the threads and into the comment sections to pretend they were just curious bystanders from the start. Others stubbornly remained, clashing with Zhao Jinyu and others under the two Weibo posts, bluntly stating: “What’s the point of just having a face? Filming isn’t a photo shoot. An actor without acting skills is just a pile of dog manure.”

Speaking of filming, Zhao Jinyu was now in her element.

Ever since she cast Lin Zhiyu, she had been criticized behind her back more times than she could count. This ranged from the initial massive wave of complaints to scattered doubts, then to Wen Lu stirring up trouble, and finally leading up to today.

Countless times she had wanted to respond. However, for one, Lin Zhiyu’s side had remained silent, making her unsure of his team’s stance. Secondly, the production’s public relations team believed this bit of public sentiment was good for maintaining the show’s popularity during filming. Thus, Zhao Jinyu had suppressed her urge to speak.

But she was hardly a good-tempered or patient person. Being called “blind” to her face repeatedly and having her professional abilities questioned was essentially dancing wildly on her minefield.

Unable to endure it any longer, Director Zhao worked overtime through the night to frantically edit a video, dumping it directly onto Weibo at five o’clock the next morning.

@ZhaoJinyuV: It’s true that when a person is speechless, they can edit anything. I have nothing much to say. The keyboards are ready. Those who want to bad-mouth the show, direct message me, and I’ll ship them to you for free after the premiere. By the way, remember to record a video of yourself eating it. I would love to see that.

Even though the timing of her post was unconventional, the number of comments surged at a breakneck speed within minutes.

The video consisted of only four segments. The first was Lin Zhiyu’s initial audition, performing alone in an empty conference room. Then, Xie Jingyao unexpectedly joined in. After a momentary daze, Lin Zhiyu quickly adjusted his state. The two went back and forth with sparks flying, only for the scene to end abruptly when Lin Zhiyu suddenly broke character, leaving the audience wanting more.

The second segment was Xie Yunce’s look-test video. A long sword was unsheathed, its cold light reflecting on a face as gentle as jade. Behind him, a high ponytail fluttered in the wind as the young swordsman looked at the camera with high spirits. Then, the scene flashed back: Lin Zhiyu was leaning against a rock while Xie Yunce’s close friends lay scattered around him. He stroked a wood carving in his hand, his eyes filled with a gentle starlight.

“A-Yu, I truly hope to see the day you reach the top of the Lingyun Rankings soon.”

The third segment was the “Nightmare Demon” scene filmed just last night. Lin Zhiyu tilted his head, maneuvering around Jiang Yubai, who played Xie Zhuoyu, in the temple. Under the dim lights, the corners of his eyes tilted upward, his gaze full of smiles. The same name, “A-Yu,” was called out with a thousand lingering sentiments, like the seductive whisper of a glamorous ghost, yet also like a bone-deep curse.

This Weibo post was like water dropped into a pan of hot oil, instantly crackling and setting Lin Zhiyu’s related topics ablaze once more.

“Holy crap! So you guys were holding back this ultimate move for so long? That audition part gave me goosebumps. It was so good!”

“I seriously watched this eight times to confirm this is the Lin Zhiyu I know. Back when I followed his campus drama, I couldn’t understand his original lines even with subtitles. Now, I know exactly what he’s saying and doing even with my eyes closed. Did he go off to some masterclass?”

“Thank you for letting me be fooled by the ‘resource-stuffed puppet’ brainwashing for so long. Can Lin Zhiyu please go sue that idiot Wen Lu for defamation?”

“Lin Zhiyu’s anti-fans are probably holding a small meeting right now to think of a counter-strategy. Their faces must be swollen from being slapped by these videos, right?”

“I admit my voice was a bit too loud before. This Xie Yunce really hits me in the heart. I’m watching with tears in my eyes. It is like the person from the book looks exactly like this.”

“Despite everything, after seeing that Nightmare Demon teasing Xie Zhuoyu, I can’t go back to the previous plot. Now I just want to scream: WIFE! Wife, you are so beautiful! Zhao Jinyu, give him more scenes! Don’t let him rest! I want to see this look in every episode of the Suyu City arc. He doesn’t even have to speak; he can just be a background prop as long as I can see him!”

“That is hilarious. Lin Zhiyu might want to die after hearing that. I feel like in yesterday’s video, he really wanted to clock out of work.”

However, amidst the carnival atmosphere, a few stubborn anti-fans continued to fight to the end.

“Heh, what can one video prove? Acting skills need the test of time. Only idiots are fooled by looks and a couple of clips.”

“The acting in the video is barely passing. I don’t see much depth at all.”

But soon, these doubts were drowned out by even more enthusiastic praise.

By the time Lin Zhiyu woke up after sleeping in, the trends on the Weibo hot search list had undergone a massive shift. The original #LinZhiyuNightmareDemonStills# had been pushed to third place, #LinZhiyuActing# had shot to the top, and #ZhaoJinyuSpeaksOut# followed closely behind as the biggest driver of this public opinion storm.

The focus of the heated discussion also shifted from “Whether Lin Zhiyu is a resource-stuffed actor and if he deserves the role” to “Whether Lin Zhiyu can carry the highlight moments of both characters.” Even many book fans who had previously been refusing the adaptation began to change their minds and look forward to the premiere.

Of course, some people questioned if the Nightmare Demon’s persona differed too much from the original work. After all, in the original book The Blue Bird, there were very few descriptions of the Nightmare Demon. It only said she was Shen Xiuming’s capable subordinate and had created an illusion for Xie Yunce when they first entered Suyu City, making him relive the truth of the Xie Manor’s destruction countless times.

Ye Nanyi, who had been lurking for a long time, finally came out to reply to this fan:

“Taking into account the visual tension of the scenes, we decided after discussion to have Teacher Lin play the Nightmare Demon, using Xie Yunce’s image to lure Xie Zhuoyu deep into the dream. But no matter how it’s changed, the core and filming focus of The Blue Bird will not change. Please rest assured.”

Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyu, who was at the center of the controversy, had successfully requested a whole day off from the production team. He was currently sitting in a café below Infinite Entertainment, staring boredly at the people passing by.

He was here to find Xu Dongdong.

The Blue Bird production team wanted to increase his workload, so the newly drafted contract had to be brought back to the company to discuss with his manager. But such a small matter didn’t actually require him to come in person; it could have been handled with a phone call.

However, he suddenly remembered the issue of the commission from his previous live stream. It was a rare opportunity to drop by, and he couldn’t let it go to waste.

Unfortunately, his timing was not great. Xu Dongdong happened to be accompanying his new artist to another gig and probably wouldn’t be back for a while.

Lin Zhiyu didn’t want to be stared at like a monkey inside the company, so he went down to the café. He found a secluded corner by the window, put on his sunglasses, and stared out the window in boredom.

This area was the Central Business District of City A. Besides several well-known entertainment companies, there were many companies involved in finance, technology software, advertising, and cultural creativity. Since it was currently lunchtime, countless people of all descriptions were walking to and fro outside.

Lin Zhiyu leaned against the window, the straw in his mouth bitten flat. The remaining ice cubes in the plastic cup clinked crisply. He scanned the bustling street aimlessly. The quiet atmosphere inside the café stood in sharp contrast to the clamor of the people outside.

Opposite him, Chen Chen checked the time for the fifth time with impatience and complained, “Why isn’t Xu Dongdong back yet?”

Lin Zhiyu glanced at him and teased, “Why aren’t you calling him ‘Brother Xu’ anymore?”

Chen Chen huffed twice and said proudly, “Because I’ve grown up. I have witnessed the sinister nature of society.”

Lin Zhiyu chuckled, swirled the ice in his cup, moved to the side, and leaned against the cleared table, continuing to watch the pedestrians through the window.

“Brother Lin, what are you looking at?” Chen Chen asked.

“People,” Lin Zhiyu replied.

It dawned on Chen Chen: “Oh, I know! It’s that trick Lin Zhaoyan revealed when he won his award: ‘Observe more people, observe different types of people, observe everyone’s dress and demeanor, and guess their profession and movements,’ right?”

Lin Zhiyu tilted his head lazily and said helplessly, “While I really want to tell you that I’m just bored, or to be more pretentious, that I’m ‘observing humanity,’ the fact is indeed that I’m studying them. It’s just that when you put it like that, it’s a bit embarrassing. It feels less classy.”

His college roommate used to love taking them out to watch people, calling it “searching for acting material.” However, once they sat down in a café, the others would play games or scroll through their phones, leaving that roommate to fight the battle alone.

But occasionally, Lin Zhiyu would accompany him, because when it came time to “check the answers,” there would always be bizarrely hilarious results.

Chen Chen didn’t take his complaints or dry humor seriously. He leaned down with him, looking out following Lin Zhiyu’s gaze, and asked on his own, “So Brother Lin, who are you observing right now?”

Lin Zhiyu pointed randomly.

Across the glass window, under a tree on the opposite side, a girl was talking on the phone with great animation. She seemed to be speaking incessantly to the person on the other end, frowning one moment and breaking into a wide smile the next.

Chen Chen said with full confidence, “That’s just an ordinary office worker, right? Looking at her outfit, she probably works at an advertising agency. Usually, only art students dress that well. She’s probably on the phone with her family during her lunch break.”

Lin Zhiyu gave him a look that said he was an absolute “steel-straight” man.

“Ah, did I guess wrong?”

Lin Zhiyu sighed and said, “Who talks on the phone like that? She’s maintained that pose for five minutes. Isn’t she tired?”

“She’s taking a picture of me.”