Audience feedback after Chapter 130's appearance
That day, Xiao He's Weibo was unusually lively.
【Brother Xiao, you...sigh, you're really infuriating. I'm unfollowing you for a while; I need to take some time to recover.】
【I followed Mu Ze, unfollowed Zhu Laosan, then Shen Jue's handsomeness made me a fan again, and as for now... I'm speechless. See you next time, Brother Xiao.】
【My thought process while watching the show—when Meng Zetian first appeared: Wow, so handsome! When Meng Zetian ordered Mr. Shen to be burned alive: Damn it, go to hell!】
【Wow, it's been a long time since I've hated a character this much; the last one was Zhu Laosan.】
【That said, it was another day I was blown away by Xiao Ge's acting. The moment Meng Zetian appeared, his imposing presence completely overwhelmed his subordinates. I knew then that he was going to be a ruthless character.】
【Indeed, and I don't know if it's just my perception, but his makeup seemed more natural. When the camera moved from Li Shuo to him, I didn't feel out of place at all.】
【Haha, I get what the person upstairs means.】
【What does that mean? I don't understand.】
【So you're saying Su Shengxi's acting was terrible? What else don't you understand? Can't you see where your eyes are? He was the most distracting character in the whole scene! Especially the part where Old Master Shen calmly faces death, that veteran actor's performance was superb, his lines and emotions were spot on, and I even had tears in my eyes by the end. But then the camera panned to Su Shengxi, and all he could do was stare blankly, like a clueless student who couldn't understand what the teacher was saying. It made me so angry.】
【To be honest, Su Shengxi is really on a different level from the others. Everyone else is very immersed in their roles and fits the characters perfectly, but Su Shengxi remains fair-skinned and innocent, just being himself throughout.】
【Yesterday someone said this was Su Shengxi's transformation, and I really laughed. What's there to transform him from? From a pretty face in the music industry to a pretty face in the acting industry? That would be impressive, though. Staying true to himself and true to his original aspirations.】
【Haha, this is hilarious! I have to offer my critique based on these scathing comments from netizens.】
【You absolutely must see this! I highly recommend "Shining Stars"! Except for one person, everyone's acting is superb! Especially Xiao He! He really amazed me. The scene where he takes the letter and acts opposite Zhang Mo completely put me in Li Shuo's shoes. I couldn't help but feel a jolt of tension, like my identity had been exposed. Xiao He's acting is truly amazing; he held his own against Zhang Mo!】
【Please update! Update quickly! This is the most captivating spy drama I've ever watched. What are you guys doing, production team? Hurry up and upload all the remaining episodes!】
Clearly, Xiao He's portrayal of Meng Zetian won everyone's approval as soon as he appeared on screen.
Of course, this "approval" was tinged with some resentment.
Even Xiao He's mother called him that very night, hesitant to speak, and finally only asked one question: "Did the bastard you played die in the end?"
Xiao He: "...Then they'll definitely die."
"Good riddance! It was a very good death!"
Xiao's mother instantly became happy.
Xiao He: "...Or, I'll spoil the rest of the plot for you—"
"don't want!"
Xiao's mother immediately interrupted Xiao He, and after a moment of silence, asked, "Later on, you were all—cough cough, were the characters you played all beasts?"
Xiao Hehan: "More or less."
"Then let's forget about it..." Xiao's mother muttered, "I'll tell your dad not to watch it either, he's too immersed in it, otherwise we'd both want to fly over and beat you up."
Xiao He: ...Mom, where is your maternal love?
Xiao He rubbed his temples helplessly: "Then you'd better not watch it. If relatives and friends ask about it during this period, just pretend you don't know anything, just pretend it wasn't me acting."
However, Xiao's mother chuckled and said proudly, "I won't pretend I don't know. My son's acting is just good. If they dislike you because of the character, it only proves that my son is too outstanding. They can't distinguish between reality and fiction. It's better for us to avoid contact with such fools."
Xiao He paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Alright, whatever you want. But if it affects your daily lives, you must tell me. And about the moving thing we talked about before..."
"Oh dear, let's not move," Xiao's mother decisively refused. "We're perfectly fine here, we don't want to move."
Since both of Xiao He's parents had very stable jobs, the Xiao family basically didn't move after the house was allocated. They continued to live in that neighborhood. Apart from the house and neighborhood being a bit old, life and work were very convenient. Xiao's mother was also nostalgic and didn't really want to move.
"But--"
"And most importantly, your dad heard that our area is very likely to be redeveloped in the next few years, and there might be some compensation money when we get it," Xiao's mother said very seriously. "Anyway, your dad and I aren't leaving. You can go wherever you want, just don't bother us."
Xiao He: "...Alright then."
Xiao He then stopped trying to persuade him.
After chatting with Xiao's mother for a while, Xiao He hung up the phone.
Although it was already late, Xiao He and his group were still waiting to board their plane in the airport waiting area.
Xiao Chen handed me a cup of hot coffee.
"Thanks."
Xiao He picked it up, took a sip, and then looked at Liu Rulan: "Sister Liu, how's the situation online?"
Liu Rulan was looking at her tablet when she heard Xiao He's words. She smiled and showed Xiao He the video playing in her hand: "Haha, Su Shengxi's terrible acting skills have received unanimous praise."
Xiao He: ...
Sure enough, whenever Su Shengxi is involved, Sister Liu's fighting spirit skyrockets.
You can tell how much resentment there was over the years.
Filled with curiosity, Xiao He also took a look.
This is a video from a Bilibili content creator in the吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese video sharing platform) section. His video is mainly a recommendation, strongly suggesting that everyone watch "Shining Stars," but he also spends a lot of time complaining about the show's only "flaw."
"I now seriously suspect that Su Shengxi was set up by capital. I'm serious, there's no lie in it. Otherwise, why didn't anyone tell him that his acting in 'Shining Star' was obviously terrible?"
"The Shining Star is a masterpiece showcasing Wen Hongyuan's skills. He successfully used Su Shengxi to show us that even if a series has a weakness, he can still make a good show. Of course, my suggestion is that Director Wen should not insert 'advertisements' promoting his abilities into the plot next time. Otherwise, every time I see Su Shengxi, this living 'advertisement,' I have to manually skip the 'advertisement,' which is really annoying."
"And some fans, please don't make me critique Xiao He's acting anymore. I think everyone can see it with their eyes. If you insist on saying something unpleasant, then I'll grant your wish—Meng Zetian, you son of a bitch (birdsong and fragrant flowers)..."
"Alright? I think my evaluation was quite fair. If you found my video helpful, please like, comment, and subscribe!"
Xiao He: "..."
Okay, okay, here's a like, comment, and share for you.
