CH 64

The quality of the video was pretty good, but the camera was a little wobbly. It was obvious that the person behind the camera was not a professional.

The clip opened with a view of the sky. Then, the image shifted. A group of pigeons was startled, and they took off one after another. The sound editing was done really well. The flapping of wings sounded very close to the camera, as if they were flying right past it. 

It was clear that the person behind the camera was at a public square, a plaza of sorts. The ground was cobbled with beautiful bricks and stones. The spire of a church could be seen off in the distance. Peddlers pushed their carts around in twos and threes. The surrounding area was as pretty as a picture.

Then, there was a burst of laughter from a group of young people. The image finally turned to the side, and the camera zoomed in.

It was a group of young adults. Some of them were white, and some of them were black. They were all in their early twenties and full of spunk.

The comment barrage was still fairly calm. 

[The girl with the blond hair is kind of pretty!]

[This picture’s pretty nice. Is that netizen mixed? Which one is her grandfather?]

[It hurts my heart to think about how these people are all old now.]

Then, the person behind the camera seemed to have readjusted the lens. Once the camera refocused, Gu Qingchi came into center frame. He was surrounded by four or five other guys.

When the camera landed on him, his friends seemed to have said something to make him laugh. The smile on his face was bright and open.

The comments suddenly started flooding in.

[Ahhhhh!]

[I’m dying! Pick me!] 

[Grandfather??? Why is he already a grandfather??? Why wasn’t I born sooner???]

[I’ve always felt that Asians weren’t as photogenic as Europeans, but I was wrong! Ahhhh! I was totally wrong!]

Once the camera landed on Gu Qingchi, it never left him. It followed him wherever he went.

Then, Gu Qingchi stopped. A Latino guy said something to him. His eyes were bright. He nodded from time to time as he listened. Then, he took a cigarette from the other guy’s hand. 

The Latino guy eagerly pulled out his lighter and lit his cigarette for him.

As he lit the cigarette, smoke started wafting from his lips. Whenever he took a drag from his cigarette, he looked extremely chic and sexy.

Ktfc, tf rffwfv ab tjnf cbalmfv rbwfatlcu. Lf rajgafv ab ibbx abkjgvr atf mjwfgj. Llr ujhf kjr ilxf j rtjgq yijvf, qlfgmlcu lcab qfbqif’r tfjgar.

Ktf nlvfb revvfcis mjwf ab jc fcv. 

Ktf mbwwfca rfmalbc kjr oeii bo jmalnlas. Ciwbra jii bo atf mbwwfcar kfgf vlrmerrlcu atf ijra milq.

[He was just about to look at me! Why is he gone!?]

[How can someone as beautiful as him be forgotten like this? It’s too cruel!]

[Please tell me which netizen it is. I’m not going to do anything. I just want to ask about their grandfather.] 

[Someone who looks like this ought to enter the entertainment circle! He needs to film movies for me! This clip isn’t enough for me at all.]

Ktf mbwwfcafgr wjcjufv ab olcv atf erfg’r Qflyb. Ktfs mbwwfcafv bc atf wbra gfmfca qbra jrxlcu jybea atf milq. Rb bcf firf batfg atjc atfw kjr jmaejiis qjslcu jaafcalbc ab atlr nlvfb.

That was until someone managed to recognize who it was.

[Isn’t that Gu Qingchi?] 

[I also wanted to ask about this. What’s going on? Or is this his grandfather or something?]

[Publicity stunt? Marketing tactic? Either way, it’s a little low for him to release a video of himself smoking.]

In the end, two hashtags were added to the bottom of the trending list.

#FairyGrandfather 

#GuQingchiSmoking

By now, the video had completely gone viral. The original video wasn’t really affected. It was just a small misunderstanding. The original poster eventually cleared things up. The comments were still relatively peaceful.

The edit, on the other hand, was rather controversial. In this world, there was no shortage of fence-sitters and keyboard warriors.

[I won’t talk about the other stuff, but isn’t this a little irresponsible of him? As a public figure, shouldn’t you pay attention to your words and actions?] 

[Hmm. I guess it’s kind of a bad influence, but it’s not that serious.]

[I was originally a casual fan, but I’m probably going to become an anti now. I really hate people who smoke.]

[I don’t understand what you’re worked up about. It’s not like smoking is illegal.]

[If you want my honest opinion, it’s not a big deal. It’s obvious that this was filmed secretly without his knowledge. Smoking isn’t a crime, and it’s his own personal choice. He didn’t smoke in public deliberately nor did he advocate for others to smoke as well. Would you really prefer celebrities to have no freedom at all, even in private? Aren’t you being a little too harsh on celebrities?] 

[It’s fine as long as he’s pretty. I don’t care about anything else.]

These two sides were arguing nonstop. The topic wasn’t cooling down at all. In fact, it was moving up the trending list.

By the time they rushed over to Gu Qingchi’s Weibo, they discovered that Gu Qingchi had already forwarded a statement released by Ye Li.

It had been posted even before the video went viral. Ye Li’s team was very capable in this regard. They’d probably started coming up with a plan at the first sign of trouble. 

It wasn’t very formal, but it was clear and concise.

[Originally, Gu Qingchi did not know how to smoke. However, due to the needs of his current role, he learned how to smoke at the request of the director. There is no other reason for it. The video happened to be filmed by a tourist. It was unintentional. We apologize for disturbing everyone. In addition, the movie, Nirvana, is expected to be released at the end of next year. Please look forward to it.]

At this moment, Kellerman, who was touring in China, went and set up an account on Weibo. Before his fans even had the chance to push this piece of news onto the trending list, Kellerman had already made his first post. It wasn’t a greeting or a video or a photo. Rather, it was a repost—a repost of the clip of Gu Qingchi.

The post was written in English. 

[Sexy! I hope you don’t mind me calling you that. Seriously, I could watch you smoke all day long. Also, I hope I can make it into your contacts.]

Almost at the exact same time, Xie Luyu reposted Kellerman’s Weibo. His tone was very cold and formal.

[Smoking is bad for your health. I hope you know that. Don’t even think about his phone number. As his senior, I’ll refuse on his behalf.]

Kellerman probably didn’t understand Chinese. He responded very enthusiastically. 

[Hey, Xie Luyu. I’m in China. Are you up for dinner at your company?]

Xie Luyu could instantly tell what his intentions were. Kellerman probably already knew that Gu Qingchi was at the same company as he was.

[You’re busy. Don’t come here. I’ll send you two of the company’s bento boxes. No need to thank me.]

Thus, Pan Xiaocheng found Xie Luyu on the trending list once again. 

[Health And Fitness Patrol Xie Luyu.]

Then, what followed was a flood of posts from gossip accounts.

[Xie Luyu And Kellerman Rumored To Not Get Along?]

[Love-Hate Relationship Between International Superstar Kellerman and Chinese C-Lister.] 

Meanwhile, Gu Qingchi was focused on filming.

The crew was rushing to get all the shots before the seasons changed.

One of the first scenes up was a scene from the finale.

In the timeline of this movie, this scene would be placed at the end. The male and female lead were glorified, and within this happy atmosphere was a small scene of Gu Qingchi’s character, Silva. 

It was already the end of autumn. The sun is bright. The ground was covered with golden sycamore leaves.

Silva walked out of a bakery with the cheapest stuff they had.

He walked down the street alone. The sun shone on his face. It seemed as though his entire person was glittering.

The girl at the flower shop gave him a white rose. 

He took it and threw it in the trash as he turned the corner.

Soon, Silva arrived at an old and dilapidated house.

The sound of something falling to the group rang out from inside, as well as the sound of yelling between a man and a woman.

There was a child sitting by the door, crying. 

Silva looked unsurprised. He shifted the bread into one hand and picked the child up from the ground.

He paused in front of the door for a bit.

Then, he finally went into the house. It was very dark inside. Silva walked forward and disappeared into the shadows.

Slater stared intently at the screen. 

“Cut. Not bad.”