Chapter 17: Movie Emperor Guan’s First Non-Promotional Selfie

As soon as Tang Qu’s trending topic appeared, the crew members cast somewhat pitiful glances at him.

Having been in the entertainment industry for a long time, it was clear to everyone that Tang Qu had been framed.

Even before Tang Qu officially entered the entertainment industry, there were people who tried to tarnish his reputation. Now, before the filming of this drama had even started, someone was already targeting him again. It was hard to believe that Tang Qu hadn’t offended anyone; the only question was who he had offended.

While the rest of the crew adopted a wait-and-see attitude, Director Chen secretly glanced at Tang Qu, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Remaining calm in the face of adversity—this was the Qing Xuan he had envisioned.

The trending topic quickly gained traction.

Many netizens were left bewildered:

【Who is this Tang Qu? Why is he trending every other day?】

【What kind of person? Just a trashy wannabe.】

【Still trying to ride on that person’s popularity, without even looking at his own worth.】

【People nowadays will do anything to become famous.】

【No way, no way, surely no one actually thinks that by imitating the Movie Emperor, they can become one themselves?】

【Someone who relies on imitating others to gain attention actually gets roles? Does that mean even my pig could act?】

The internet was filled with all sorts of harsh comments.

In a VIP lounge, someone holding a tablet and scrolling through Weibo frowned upon seeing these comments, silently reported them, and then logged out of their account. They nudged their agent beside them.

“Dear ancestor, are you thirsty or hungry?” Jiang Ge quickly turned to his artist, who was indeed his “ancestor.”

While other artists were obedient and wouldn’t dare to argue with their agents, his artist was exceptionally domineering. But what could he do? He had to indulge him—after all, he was the Movie Emperor.

“Brother Jiang, are you sure it’s not for the latest laptop?”

Guan Yan extended his hand: “Give me the phone.”

Jiang Ge was puzzled. As he handed over the phone, he asked, “What do you need the phone for?”

Guan Yan had two phones—one personal and one kept with Jiang Ge for work purposes. The work phone was usually used to post work-related Weibo updates, and Guan Yan rarely used it more than twice a year.

Guan Yan didn’t respond. He just took the phone, fiddled with it for a moment, and then handed it back to Jiang Ge.

Just as Jiang Ge was about to see what his “ancestor” had done, the assistant arrived: “Brother Guan, Brother Jiang, it’s time for us to board.”

Hearing the assistant’s words, Jiang Ge put the phone away, thinking Guan Yan wouldn’t do anything significant.

However, Jiang Ge’s understanding of his artist was far from sufficient.

By the time they got off the plane, Jiang Ge’s leg was numb from the constant vibrations of his phone.

When he opened it, he was greeted with a notification: #Movie Emperor Guan’s First Non-Promotional Selfie#. Jiang Ge’s hand trembled as he hurriedly clicked on it. The topic was marked with a bright red “explosive” label.

Upon opening it, he saw Guan Yan’s Weibo post. The caption was simple and straightforward: “Selfie.” The accompanying photo was a large image taken in the lounge, clearly a casual shot with no deliberate composition or editing. Yet, Jiang Ge had to admit that Guan Yan still looked handsome. However, he exclaimed, “Brother Guan! Couldn’t you have discussed such a big move with me first?!”

Previously, their team had discussed with Guan Yan about whether to post some selfies as fan service. What did this man say at the time? Why would something so uninteresting be considered fan service? And thus, Guan Yan became the only male movie emperor with over a hundred million fans but not a single selfie.

Now, this man had done something so significant without any preparation!

“Everyone is discussing my selfie?” Guan Yan stopped in his tracks and turned back to ask Jiang Ge.

Jiang Ge rolled his eyes dramatically: “Yes, Movie Emperor Guan, could you at least have some awareness of being a top-tier celebrity? Posting a selfie so suddenly?”

Having gotten his answer, Guan Yan didn’t bother listening to Jiang Ge’s nagging anymore: “Everyone is talking about me, isn’t that enough? Isn’t this a good thing?”

Jiang Ge paused. While that was true, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. It was as if something he had long coveted had suddenly been granted, leaving him with a sense of unreality.

Naturally, Guan Yan’s selfie caused a massive stir online. The topics of discussion had been varied, but once Guan Yan’s selfie was posted, all conversations turned to him, and other topics essentially came to a standstill.

Countless fans flocked to Guan Yan’s Weibo to repeatedly confirm whether the man who posted the selfie was really Guan Yan?!

【Mom! I’ve made it, I actually managed to catch Guan Yan’s selfie!】

【Wow, Movie Emperor Guan, were you hacked?!】

【My lord! A living lord!】

【I’ve checked countless times! No commercial ads, just a pure selfie!】

【Saved, this will be my wallpaper till I die, unless… unless my lord posts another one!】

【Since there’s the first one, can the future ones be far behind?】

【My lord, please show some mercy to your poor maidens with fan service!】

【The photography skills need improvement, but I won’t tell you that I’ve already licked my screen until it’s waterlogged!】

【Are you trying to make me laugh to death and inherit my credit card?!】

The fans were having a blast building up the thread.

Tang Qu was also scrolling through Weibo when it suddenly lagged. After refreshing, he was startled by the bright red “explosive” character, only to realize that Guan Yan had posted a selfie.

As if possessed, he clicked on it.

Tang Qu looked at the photo. The man hadn’t deliberately sought out an angle, but his lazy posture was even more captivating. Once again, he marveled at how this man truly fit the archetype of a novel’s male lead—those exquisite features, that arrogant gaze, making one want to kneel and worship even through the screen.

His fingers twitched, and Tang Qu eventually saved the photo, comforting himself that it’s only natural to appreciate beauty.

Just as he saved the photo, Zhang Yong came over, startling Tang Qu into fumbling to turn off his phone. But a few seconds later, he realized, why did he feel so guilty, like a thief caught in the act?

Confusion.jpg

“Brother Yong, what’s up?”

“You’re in luck today. Guan Yan, for some reason, suddenly posted a selfie, diverting most of the traffic. Your trending topic naturally dropped, and everyone who bought a hot search today is probably fuming.” Zhang Yong laughed heartily beside him. He didn’t know what was up with Movie Emperor Guan, but he was more than happy to see this situation.

Tang Qu reopened Weibo, and sure enough, the hot searches were almost all related to Guan Yan, with barely any trace of others.

Zhang Yong praised from the side, “As expected of the chosen one predestined by the hot searches.”

Tang Qu was puzzled.

“Oh, you might not be paying much attention, but whenever Guan Yan attends an event, he basically dominates the top spots on the hot search list. Even some old topics get dug up. So far, no one has been able to take a share of the spotlight from Guan Yan’s hot searches.”

On the other side, Jiang Ge took a sip of coffee. Since Guan Yan had posted a selfie, it was only natural for him, as the agent, to maximize the impact. Sorry, babies, today’s hot searches are all about our Movie Emperor Guan.