Golden Agent of the Adonis (143)
On the other hand, Xia Ze’s fans had little to say. Besides forcefully defending him, what else could they do? When casual viewers criticized Xia Ze’s acting, his fans immediately fought back. However, these confrontations only worsened the impression of Xia Ze among neutral viewers, creating a vicious cycle with no signs of improvement.
Industry insiders also recognized that Xia Ze was indeed a weak link in Reunion. Initially, Hong Yao invested in the drama, and the production team believed in his popularity. However, it turned out that his popularity didn’t help at all, and he was completely overshadowed by Fang Zhenxuan, who debuted around the same time. The production team deeply regretted their decision, but now it was too late. Reunion still couldn’t match the success of Plot Twist. In this winter, regardless of whether people watched the drama or not, they had heard the film, Plot Twist. Its popularity was already foreseeable, and it would be considered a classic series for years to come.
Reunion had a stroke of bad luck. Most of the attention was snatched away by Plot Twist, making it appear less outstanding and failing to meet the investors’ expectations.
Hong Yao was also somewhat dissatisfied with Xia Ze. Hong Yao always prioritized profits, and since they didn’t receive a substantial return on their investment in Xia Ze, why should they continue investing in him? The company’s top resources were no longer tilted towards him. The era where popularity ruled had passed, and he was no longer treated specially within the company. Instead, he was advised to work diligently to improve his skills.
The long-awaited transformation project for Xia Ze ended in failure. His judgment was usually accurate, as the drama did gain some popularity, but he became the only one who was disparaged. This time, he was labeled as a “flower vase,” but unfortunately, he had no ability that could make people consider him a valuable one.
For the first time, Xia Ze was so angry that he smashed a cup at home. Without Fang Zhenxuan, he wouldn’t have been able to endure all this!
It was common knowledge that his acting skills were not good right from the beginning, and people often mocked him, which was normal. As a top star, he had numerous fans and critics alike. His good looks allowed him to gain popularity in singing and dancing as well.
As long as he appeared in a good drama and showed improvement in his acting skills compared to before, people wouldn’t be able to mock him anymore. He would be able to issue press releases to promote his diligent efforts and create a new image for himself, gradually enhancing his acting skills and transforming into a versatile actor.
If he hadn’t been confident in this plan, why would he have set his sights on Plot Twist and Reunion in the first place? His strategy had no problems; it was a normal operation for a young idol. However, in this past year, he encountered his nemesis, Fang Zhenxuan.
Fang Zhenxuan not only came on strong but also directly confronted him, with any slight movement drawing comparisons between them. He was overshadowed by his radiance, and the contrast highlighted his shortcomings. Especially considering Fang Zhenxuan’s evident improvement in acting skills from his first role in The Legend of Noble Consort Jing; it made Xia Ze’s minimal progress seem unworthy of mention, to the extent that he couldn’t even issue press releases.
The presence of Fang Zhenxuan firmly affixed the labels, “poor acting” and “faded popularity”, onto him, and they couldn’t be torn off. After several failures, his fans suffered heavy blows. His relationship with his agent deteriorated, and the company no longer had high hopes for him. His development next year would be even more challenging than this year. Fang Zhenxuan has set him on a rapid downward slope!
Xia Ze once again asked someone to contact Chu Xiang. This time, he was afraid of being caught doing something, so he directly called Chu Xiang, saying, “Miss Chu, I heard that you’re preparing your own talent agency. With your personal company, the few artists you currently have might not be enough. Is there a possibility for us to work together? I’ve always admired you, Miss Chu.”
Chu Xiang responded coldly, “Thank you for your admiration, but I’m sorry, you’re not the type I admire. I’m afraid we don’t have a chance to work together.”
Xia Ze felt embarrassed by her blunt rejection. He had been a top star for years. When had anyone ever given him such a dismissive attitude? Moreover, there were rumors in the industry that Chu Xiang had a discerning eye and only saw potential and talent in the people she chose. If she said she didn’t admire him, wasn’t she essentially saying she looked down on him?
Xia Ze didn’t have the habit of groveling, so from that moment on, he stopped pursuing Chu Xiang and began leveraging various relationships, hoping for a quick turnaround in his career or reputation. However, given his situation, it was extremely difficult to find a top-notch agent to take over. His path had become narrow, yet he still couldn’t bring himself to wholeheartedly focus on honing his acting skills because once he faded a bit in the entertainment industry, regaining his popularity would prove a challenge. He didn’t dare take that risk.
In the past year, Xia Ze wasn’t invited to any New Year’s Eve galas on television, while all the TV stations invited Fang Zhenxuan. Fang Zhenxuan could be said to be the most attention-grabbing celebrity of the year, already a new leading figure in the industry. It was widely known how strong his fan base was. If he attended any New Year’s Eve gala, one could imagine how much viewership and ratings his popularity alone would bring to that station.
In addition to the invitation to the New Year’s Eve gala, Fang Zhenxuan also received an invitation to the Spring Festival Gala. It was a must to be on the Spring Festival Gala. The program assigned to him was a skit, which he would perform with two comedy actors. Chu Xiang has read the script, and it was hilarious, leaving people in stitches while also triggering some reflections. It was a fantastic skit. Inviting Fang Zhenxuan to participate was not only because he received a lot of attention but also because his acting skills were capable of projecting the role.
Want to read more chapters and support us? Please consider becoming a patron to read up to 24 chapters in advance!
