It's Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead-Chapter 9 part8
Translated by Eve
Edited by Juurensha
Since Eason, Sui Yuan, and Huo Ke were not only extremely talented in acting, but were also well-versed in the arts, the short MV shoot wasn't difficult for them. All the shots were practically all done in one take, astonishing the high-salaried director.
A brilliant director met brilliant actors—typically, this kind of collision would result in sparks of inspiration. Facing these three geniuses, the director had a burst of inspiration. He took the initiative to edit several scenes, making the entire MV even more refined, gorgeous, fluid, and 100% charming.
After the shoot ended, the director didn't quite yet have his fill so he went so far as to ask for the three people's contact information. He expressed that if they didn't want to sing anymore, they could absolutely become actors. They would definitely excel amongst the crowd.
With regards to the director's ‘encouragement’, the three people sincerely thanked him, despite finding it both funny and embarrassing. In this way, the new EP finally entered the last stage.
When it came time for Sui Yuan and Huo Ke to wrap up their remaining scenes for the movie, the new EP's release date was formally announced, attracting the attention of the fans who began to anxiously wait.
"When it's released, I'll go buy a copy to listen to," An actor who had gotten along with Sui Yuan during the shooting laughed, "Actually, I quite like Eason's voice. I originally thought that his personality was bad, but after interacting with him a bit, I actually feel that the rumours aren't necessarily trustworthy—you get along with him, right?"
"En, really well," Sui Yuan did not conceal that fact at all and nodded naturally. His sweet, dependent-on-the-other kind of appearance made people feel a bit envious, but it didn't arouse any suspicions, "Many thanks for supporting our EP. When there's time, I'll treat you to a meal!"
The other smiled and agreed before turning around to continue doing their own work.
Those in showbiz were, for the most part, crafty fellows. They were extremely familiar with the ways of the world and were very unlikely to ever shed all pretenses of cordiality and offend a person. In addition, Sui Yuan and Huo Ke were both very resourceful in social interactions, so they naturally could maintain an intimate and friendly relationship with the large majority of the production team on the surface. At times, they could even act as if they were close, intimate friends with them.
It wasn't as if no one was envious of them. In secret, there were some people who had complaints against them and played dirty tricks on them. After all, Sui Yuan and Huo Ke were both young, good-looking, had particularly outstanding acting abilities, and had the potential to really make it big. No one wanted these young competitors to outstrip themselves—the older generation. Showbiz was a place where demand for work outstripped supply.
Unfortunately, Sui Yuan and Huo Ke themselves were especially on guard against these kind of things. In addition, Le Sen and Director Zheng Bin adored them. One in the light and one in the dark discretely protected them. They did not allow them to receive any sort of slander or get set up. Thus, they peacefully finished their parts in the movie.
Towards this kindness, Sui Yuan and Huo Ke naturally felt extremely grateful, but for now, they were unable to return the favour.
After all, Sui Yuan and Huo Ke's roles were just small supporting leads. In addition, they were extremely busy as the EP's release date was quickly approaching. The production team was also picking up speed, so they hadn't been able to hold a wrap party for them. The two people could only quietly leave after saying goodbye.
Before leaving, Zheng Bin felt a bit regretful. He brazenly egged them on to 'abandon music and take up acting'.
"The music industry is in a slump right now, ah, I heard that your….Fashion Mix group isn't doing so well? I think that you guys will do well if you join the acting industry! Wait for my next project, I'll give you guys a call to do an audition! You guys have both talent and looks, I absolutely will make you guys popular!"
Huo Ke, who had never seen Director Zheng Bin act like this, was simply stupefied. He straightforwardly went from being a strict to the point of being a bit unreasonable director to a blabbing, bad influence. Is there really no problem with this?!
In his last life, after the band broke up, Huo Ke wandered around, homeless and miserable. Only after muddling along in showbiz for a long time, was he barely able to reveal his outstanding talent with Le Sen's help after much difficulty. However, 30 years old was already considered old in showbiz. Even though he also participated in a shoot under Zheng Bin, he did not gain the other's appreciation as he had now. Their relationship was naturally nothing special, and they remained just slightly familiar acquaintances.
This was of course, only to be expected. A young, new actor, would naturally be more stunning than an older person who had tempered himself through many years in showbiz.
Huo Ke did not know how to respond to the other's ‘enthusiasm’ and favour for a moment. On the contrary, it was Sui Yuan who didn't care for this at all. His expression was very frank; he even joked with a grin, "Director Zheng, you said these precious words yourself! If our new EP flops, then I will follow after you to give me enough to eat!"
Zheng Bin admired Huo Ke's calm and also liked Sui Yuan's unpredictability. The former made him think that he was a mutually respected peer, and the latter was like a junior who made others worry about him.
Zheng Bin pat Sui Yuan on the head and laughed, "I hope that your new EP sells well! I'm truly afraid you'll eat my wallet dry!"
Le Sen who was off to the side glanced at the happily laughing Sui Yuan and Zheng Bin. The smile on his face became somewhat more sincere. He didn't want to interrupt them, so he straightforwardly turned his head to look at Huo Ke. He felt that the slip in emotion in the perpetually steady Huo Ke was rather interesting, "Congratulations for finishing your part. Your acting is not bad. Good luck with your new EP, I'll support you guys."
Although he didn't hold particularly good feelings towards Huo Ke in the beginning, feeling that he was reserved, self-reliant, and liked to remain calm and collected to privately come up with a plan—after this period of contact, Le Sen discovered that the other man did not hold any bad intentions and was rather upright. He gradually revised his view of him, and his attitude towards him became much better,
Only, perhaps he was just too sensitive, but Le Sen always felt that the interest in the other's expression when he looked at Le Sen wasn't quite right. It made him a bit nervous, not daring to look at him directly and subconsciously maintaining a distance.
Hearing Le Sen speak to him, the astonishment in Huo Ke's heart instantly turned into pleasant surprise. He couldn't help but automatically smile, "Many thanks. I heard that you recently received an invitation to audition for Director Wilson. Do you plan to go to Hollywood? You'll definitely be able to get the role, so I will congratulate you in advance!"
"You're well-informed and have great confidence in me, ah?" Le Sen broke out in laughter. He was also confident about getting this role, and thus allowed his company to leak this information. Now, he was focused on expanding his work overseas and raising his international popularity. If it wasn't for his good relationship with Zheng Bin, and the fact that he owed the other a favour, he definitely wouldn't have taken part in this television production.
When he saw that Le Sen and Huo Ke were chatting happily, Sui Yuan naturally did not plan to disturb them. He also pulled Zheng Bin with him and joked around for a long time. Then, he left with Huo Ke when he had finished his conversation. From start to end, Le Sen could only find a chance to tell Sui Yuan once that he hoped his 'new EP would sell well'.
After he watched the two people leave together and saw that Eason, who had been waiting for them outside since earlier, opened the door to the van for them, Le Sen retracted his gaze. He didn't know why he felt a bit frustrated and sincerely wanted to have the chance to work with them again in the future.
After all, there were very few people who were not inferior in any respect when oppressed by his imposing acting ability. He had towered over the domestic film industry for too long without any rivals. Le Sen, who was lonely to the point of being a bit miserable, truly was extremely happy that two extremely capable juniors have appeared to challenge him. It made him feel much less lonely.
"Since we're in the same circles, then we'll always have the opportunity to meet again…" Le Sen said quietly. He sincerely hoped that they would not put all of their energy into making music.
"…What did you just say?" His assistant who had just gone to grab him some water heard Le Sen's mumble with his sharp ears and widened his eyes in horror.
"What do you mean, what did I say?" Le Sen, baffled, turned his head, puzzled, to look at his assistant who looked as if he had just seen a ghost.
"Who were you thinking of just now?" The assistant tried his best to look natural, as if he had just been speaking without thinking.
"Li Kun and…" and Huo Ke—These last three words, Le Sen didn't have time to utter because he hear Zheng Bin loudly shout his own name.
Le Sen swept a glance at his assistant who was smiling rigidly, took the water and stood up before heading towards Zheng Bin.
Seeing that Le Sen had left, the assistant finally could not hold up his smile. His expression was nearly falling apart. The next second, he safely hid in a corner and rapidly took out his cell phone and called Le Sen's manager, "He Ge! It's terrible! It seems that the boss' heart has been moved!"
As an all-around capable manager, not only was he in charge of managing Le Sen's work, but he also had to take care of other aspects of him as well. He Lin was so incredibly busy. His right hand gripped a pen, while he was quickly reading the file in hand. He had just picked up his phone with his left hand. He fell in a bit of a daze, "What did you say?"
The assistant naturally accurately reported everything that had happened. Of course, as someone who was usually quite subjective, he embellished things a bit.
"…You say that Le Sen personally asked you 'what does it mean if you were really felt strangely dazed by someone you were meeting for the first time?'" Originally, He Lin thought that this was just hearsay, but the more he listened, the more he felt that something was fishy, "He often took care of him during the shoots…when the other finished his scenes and left the cast, he was particularly disappointed and hoped that he could see him again?!
"That's right!" The assistant, who finally found someone to back him up, repeatedly nodded his head.
He Lin put down his pen and rubbed the skin between his eyebrows with a bitter expression.
As a good friend, he naturally wished that Le Sen, who has been single for so long and has never shown any indication of wanting to look for a better half, could have a successful relationship. However, as his agent, the things he had to worry about were many. For example, how to manage Le Sen's popularity and reputation while getting Le Sen's fans to accept this new relationship, instead of turning them into anti-fans and making the situation irredeemable.
He Lin's head began to work quickly. He had come up with a few plans for the future, but was then frightened to death by the assistant's next remark.
"The key point is that…the target in question is another man…Although he looks really cute, his temperament is good, and he has the potential to make it big…he is indeed a man!"
He Lin："………………"
Regardless of how Le Sen, the assistant, or He Lin fell into chaos due to this ‘misunderstanding’, the main culprit, Sui Yuan, was completely unaware of this. During this time, he had just did promotional work here and there with his bandmates for the sake of their new EP. At the same time, he nervously waited for the reaction of the fans and market.
——Of course, to be precise, the only nervous person was Huo Ke.
Eason always had an inflated self-confidence. Although he wasn't the male lead, he was even more skilled than a typical male lead. He was capable and lucky. As for Sui Yuan, he basically didn't care about the life or death of Fashion Mix. If the new EP sold well, then that would mean that their recent hustling did not go to waste and it was a good thing. If the new EP did not sell well, and the band disbanded, then that would conform to the original plot and wouldn't really be a bad thing either.
Therefore, Huo Ke, who was stuck between these two relaxed people, felt especially at a loss. He even wondered whether or not his mental power was really too terrible? In his last life, he lived until he was 30 years old. Right now, he unexpectedly was less calm than these youths who were barely twenty. It was simply such a joke!
So that he would stop doubting himself, when the promotional events ended and they returned to the apartment, Huo Ke straightforwardly went back to his room. Out of sight, out of mind.
As for Eason, obviously he unrestrainedly dragged Sui Yuan into his own room.
Sui Yuan, who was pressed down on the bed and kissed until he was breathless, tried his best to struggle by pushing Eason away. However, because they had been so busy, and because this body was quite weak, he looked like he was only pretending to struggle but actually welcomed it.
Fortunately, Eason could see that he was truly tired, to the point where he didn't even have the strength to struggle. Therefore, he merely tasted a bit before benevolently stopping.
He kissed Sui Yuan's forehead, indicating that he could catch up on sleep here. Sui Yuan naturally would not be polite and took off his outer clothes before rolling onto the soft bed. Once he closed his eyes, he completely blacked out.
At the same time, Eason, who was much more awake than Sui Yuan, turned on the computer.
In the pitch black room, the light from the screen illuminated his face, casting a bit of cold light. All ten of Eason's fine, slender fingers danced upon the keyboard, pounding against the keys. The corner of his lips were slightly raised into a vile smile .
The new EP's sales on the release date weren't bad. It was clearly much better than their previous album. Only, it wasn't very stunning and did not reach the company's hopes that it would make them extremely popular overnight.
In terms of quantity, most of the purchasing power came from the support of the remaining diehard fans, while the percentage of passersby who had come to buy the album because of the hype was not very high.
Fashion Mix's fans probably knew that this EP was especially important. It was essential to the continued existence or disbandment of Fashion Mic. In addition, the price of this new EP wasn't high, so they could afford to support the group.
Some fans bought 3, 4, even 18 copies of the EP and gave them out to their own good friends, thereby boosting the sales volume. However, it was just not enough.
The biggest problem in the music industry was piracy. When the album is first released, many people wait and see. When they're certain that the album's quality isn't bad, it's only then that they'll consider spending money on it. Furthermore, even more people wait for other people to upload the songs and MV onto the net. They're part of the club that is used to not paying for such things.
This phenomenon gives everyone a headache. However, there's no good way to restrict and prevent this from happening. They can only helplessly watch as it grows.
Artists who are popular are better off. The fan organizations that support them are well-organized and disciplined. For the most part, they will defend the rights of their idols. They will demand that the uploader deletes the files. However, Fashion Mix does not have this kind of mature supporting-force.
The new EP had not been released for long when all five of their songs were uploaded onto the internet.
There is always a strange phenomenon with Chinese people. What they like, they like to share with other people. No matter if it was the new EP's songs or the MV, the quality was first class. Everyone who got hold of the EP could not help but love it. They impatiently expressed their love online. Furthermore, to prove that they're right and that the hype is all real, they rise to the occasion to put pictures, videos, and even the MV on the net.
Eason, who was watching all the noise on the internet from the computer screen, raised his brow and chuckled softly. He finally pressed down on the enter key.
On the second day, the netizens all discovered an odd phenomenon.
Fashion Mix's new EP was still being heavily discussed. Even though there were some discordant voices, it was completely overwhelmed by the praise. However, the pictures, audio, and videos all showed up as errors and could not be watched or transmitted. The very few fish that slipped through the net were absolutely not enough to satisfy the people's interest. Aside from raising people's desire 'to see it' only to then throw them aside, there was no use to them. What was even more demented was that after downloading the files, the netizens discovered that not only did they get a formatting error, there was even a virus on them!
It was at the point that quite a few people jokingly guessed whether Fashion Mix had hired a hacking god, or a few hacking gods, becoming the 'YOU-KNOW-WHO' of the net. Only, everyone was only speaking without thinking. After all, this kind of thing was too inconceivable. Hacking gods probably didn't have enough energy to handle these sort of matters.
Because of the increasingly fervent discussion of the new EP, the number of 'victims' infected grew higher and higher—their desire was left unsatisfied. Thus, they wanted, more than ever, to learn more about the people behind this EP. Therefore, the discussion became even more fiery, thereby feeding into an endless, but good cycle.
The bigger the discussion got, the greater the netizens' thirst. After the first day's sales, which were rather high and not bad, the new EP's sales did not go downhill from there at all. On the contrary, after falling for a short period of time, it directly climbed up to a higher peak. The sales volume even seemed to be endlessly climbing higher and higher.
Originally, on the day of release, the new EP only occupied a lower middle position on the Top Album Sales Chart. However, not even a few days after the release, it steadily climbed up, directly surpassing the original album at second place. It even covetously eyed the position of first place. At the same time, aside from a very small minority, most people believed that it would seize the champion's throne in the end and become the biggest winners in the music industry during this period of time.
Even Fashion Mix's affiliated company didn't expect such an unexpected twist. They worked overtime to produce more copies but still continued to receive news that places were running out of stock. It seemed that although the new EP started the race off mediocrely, in the end, it sprinted forward with great energy. In an instant, all the talks of wanting the group to disband vanished in a puff of smoke. The company's upper management were beaming with happiness, congratulating themselves on gaining a pure 32K gold tree.
"…Did you do this?" Leaning on Eason's shoulders, Sui Yuan swept a glance at the words on the screen that were like an obscure code to him. Although he had asked a question, his tone sounded like he already knew the answer.
"Yes, it was me," Eason smiled slightly, "I needed free publicity, but didn't need the side effects of publicity."
"How did you do that? A hacking software?" Sui Yuan didn't know a single thing in this field. His understanding of hacking was very superficial.
"Not just that," Eason cupped Sui Yuan's cheek with a smile, kissing him on the lips. His appearance was full of self-confidence and pride, "It's a skill that doesn't belong to this world. I learnt it in other worlds that have much more advanced technology. Since there was a need for it, I naturally put it to use."
Sui Yuan glanced at Eason with a rather complicated look, "You didn't break the law, did you?"
"As long as no one notices it, I won't be exposed," the corner of Eason's mouth rose arrogantly.
"Then…the songs inside the EP, did you actually write them?" Sui Yuan was always a bit skeptical, as he felt that Eason's–rather, Zhao Xihe's– personality absolutely did not match with the exquisiteness of the songs. Only, their relationship at the start was at a ‘deadlock’. He didn't dare mention it. Afterwards, when they got along again, they were too occupied with being all lovey dovey, and he had forgotten to ask about it until now.
"No," Eason replied very bluntly, "Those were all classics that I've come across in previous worlds that I recalled from memory. Since I couldn't remember the details that clearly, I had to try and fill in the gaps and refine them. So they're a bit inconsistent. Anyway, the results seem not bad? This must be due to Eason's talent."
Sui Yuan looked at Eason, speechless. He simply did not know what he ought to say to this plagiarizing fellow who still felt justified and confident. So, he just stayed silent.
While the two people looked at one another in silence, and just as Eason got a bit restless and wanted to do something to Sui Yuan, a knock on the door sounded.
Eason's tone after being interrupted was naturally not good, but the person on the other side of the door was used to this kind of treatment. After he pushed the door open and saw the two lovey dovey people together, he ignored them, face unchanging, "Our manager gave us a call. Said that your phone was turned off, so he came to find me. Told me to tell you to give him a call."
Eason glanced at his cell phone, just now realizing that it had turned off on its own after having run out of battery, He nodded to Huo Ke and plugged the charger into his phone, then called their manager.
What was unexpected was that, after notifying him, Huo Ke did not leave like he usually did. Instead, he hesitated at the door, seeming unable to make up his mind.
Sui Yuan looked at him, feeling that something beyond the plot was about to occur—rather, Fashion Mix hadn't disbanded, so the plot was already in such a mess that it couldn't get any messier.
Eason didn't say much on the phone, he only made several sounds in reply before ending it with a 'I know. I'll talk it over with them'. After that, he hung up the phone and turned around to look at Huo Ke.
"Right now, our work for the new EP has come to an end. Fashion Mix's disbandment crisis has also been resolved. I think that we should discuss things now—concerning each of our paths from here on out."
"Ok," Huo Ke inhaled a deep breath and slowly nodded, seeming to have made up his mind.
This made Sui Yuan, who was always spectating from the outside, couldn't help but get serious and sit up straight.
The author has something to say:
Although there was no update yesterday, this chapter is longer than normal so it counts as two wwwww
Juurensha: Well, still hoping that LS and HK work out
