Chapter 52

It was three days later when netizens discovered that Hermann had been giving Su Xingyao a shoutout from afar.

At first, some people came out with sarcastic remarks about Su Xingyao.

【I don’t understand what’s so great about this rising star. When it comes to visual effects films, you have to look at the new genius director from abroad, whose name starts with H.】

【+1, one video and they’re hyping him up. Some people should get out more and see the world.】

【I still don’t understand how Su Xingyao got hyped up so much.】

【Although… one is a non-professional who edited a video in a few days, and the other is a professional director who made a movie with a much higher budget, more time, and better technology. Is it fair to compare them like this?】

【Haha, they’re trying to compare him to a genius director. Fine, I’ll take it as a compliment for Su Xingyao.】

Just as everyone thought this comparison was getting too absurd, suddenly, a netizen asked those sarcastic commenters.

【I don’t understand, but are you referring to the new rising genius director from abroad, whose name starts with H, as Hermann?】

Seeing that the question was so easy to decode, the person who asked thought they’d found a like-minded fan and immediately responded excitedly: Yes! Are you a fan of his too?

The netizen replied: Oh, I’m not. But I saw him giving Su Xingyao a shoutout.

【…What?】

The netizen posted a screenshot.

While the so-called fans were busy criticizing Su Xingyao, Hermann himself was on his personal page on an international website, wildly praising Su Xingyao.

Hermann: Yao, you’re a genius!!!!!!!!!

Under this post, the comments were almost all asking who this “Yao” was.

So Hermann proudly posted a screenshot of a video edited by Su Xingyao.

As netizens read through everything, their eyes eventually landed on Hermann’s nine exclamation marks, and they started laughing hysterically.

【Hahaha, but the genius director you’re hyping up is also calling Su Xingyao a genius.】

【On one side, “fans” are slamming Su Xingyao, but on the other side, the director himself is praising him.】

【Hahaha, this tone really sounds like me when I’m fangirling, but the director’s praise is even more skilled and exaggerated than mine.】

【I’m dying laughing at this screenshot.】

After being slapped in the face, the critics fell silent. But others were now even more curious.

【But… I’m really curious about how this foreign director saw Su Xingyao’s video?】

【I don’t know how he saw it, but this “Yao” sounds so familiar, like they know each other.】

【Wait?? Su Xingyao and Hermann know each other???? Are they that amazing?!!!】

【???? Su Xingyao is so cool.】

Seeing so many surprised reactions, a passerby who knew nothing about Hermann was confused.

【I’m late to this… I have a question from the back: Who is Hermann? Is he really that impressive? Why is everyone so shocked?】

【I don’t know if he’s impressive or not, but his movie this year swept the box office, and he’s likely to win Best Director at the end of the year.】

The netizens who were just enlightened: …

【6】

【6】

【6】

While the netizens were furiously discussing the relationship between Su Xingyao and Hermann, Su Xingyao had already gone to a private airport to pick him up.

Hermann had come to the country to attend the upcoming International Film Festival.

As soon as Hermann saw Su Xingyao, his previously indifferent, world-weary expression instantly changed. He stretched out his long arm and pulled Su Xingyao into a tight hug.

Young master Hermann, who looked intimidating, was actually cold and distant even when speaking to his family.

On set, his temper was even worse, and he had a sharp tongue. No one dared to provoke him within a few miles.

But now, this person, upon seeing Su Xingyao, smiled like a clingy big cat.

The assistant who was with him stood frozen, staring at the scene in surprise.

Actually, of all Su Xingyao’s roommates, Hermann had the worst temper and was the hardest to get along with.

When they first met, Hermann, who was always arrogant, often gave Su Xingyao cold stares.

However, after just one semester, Hermann’s attitude toward Su Xingyao took a complete 180-degree turn, and he even took the initiative to ask if they could be roommates.

Geniuses are always lonely.

When Hermann was in school, his relationship with his family was extremely tense, and he was also facing a creative block.

At the time, he couldn’t communicate normally with anyone and had an equal disdain for everyone. His emotions were teetering on the edge of danger.

But Su Xingyao’s presence was like a gentle spring, endlessly tolerating his bad temper and negative emotions.

Through countless nights spent with Su Xingyao, going out to shoot material and find inspiration, staying up late editing videos, Hermann slowly learned how to manage his emotions and distance himself from the dangerous edge.

So, when Hermann saw Su Xingyao again, he instinctively hugged him, just like before.

However, this time, instead of complaining about his stupid experiences like he used to, Hermann looked at Su Xingyao with a puzzled expression and gently touched his arm.

“Yao, have you lost weight?”

Su Xingyao looked at his body and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“You have,” Hermann insisted firmly.

Su Xingyao had never mentioned his family situation to his roommates, but Hermann, who also came from a complicated family background, was sensitive to these things.

Although he hadn’t asked anything directly, he could sense that Su Xingyao’s family was very cold toward him.

Seeing that Su Xingyao had lost quite a bit of weight, Hermann’s first reaction was that Su Xingyao’s family must have caused him some distress. A hint of concern immediately flashed across his expression.

“Maybe I haven’t been eating or sleeping well while editing videos recently. You’ve seen the video, right? I spent six days editing it.”

After explaining the reason to Hermann, Su Xingyao mentioned something to reassure him.

“I recently met a very good friend, and he’s been taking really good care of me.”

When he mentioned Lu Jiuxu, Su Xingyao’s eyes curved into a crescent moon.

“We live together. His personality is really good, and I’ll introduce you to him when you have time.”

Hermann noticed the expression on Su Xingyao’s face and immediately became more alert.

“Living together? Is he your new roommate?”

Hermann’s question left Su Xingyao speechless.

What kind of relationship did he have with Lu Jiuxu?

As Su Xingyao was still pondering, Hermann quickly took out his phone and started messaging in their roommate group.

Hermann: Yao has a new roommate!

Hermann: Injured puppy.jpg

The group, which had been quiet with no one speaking, was instantly flooded with reaction images.

Lance: Injured puppy.jpg

Leon: Injured puppy.jpg

Louis: Injured puppy.jpg

Lance: 【Aggrieved】 【Aggrieved】 【Aggrieved】

Lance: Which lucky guy is so happy?

Leon: Which lucky guy is so happy?

Louis: Which lucky guy is so happy?

By the time Su Xingyao realized what was happening, the group had been spammed with dozens of “injured puppy” reaction images.

His gaze then landed on the last message from his roommates.

Seeing that they had misunderstood Lu Jiuxu, Su Xingyao couldn’t help but defend him.

Su Xingyao: He’s not…

Hermann, who was quietly lurking and secretly reading the messages without responding, was already panicking.

“Oh no, oh no!”

After eating together, Su Xingyao went with Hermann to the film festival venue.

The film festival lasted a week, with many movie theaters open to the public for ticket purchases.

However, the more professional inner sections were not open to the public, one could only enter with an invitation.

Su Xingyao had never been involved in the film industry in the domestic entertainment world, and he had only recently become popular, so he had not received an invitation from the event organizers.

However, he was with Hermann, and when they entered the inner section, no one dared to stop them.

Although foreigners were attending this international film festival, there were far more domestic directors and artists present.

In order to avoid trouble, Su Xingyao wore a hat, mask, and sunglasses, covering himself up thoroughly.

At first, he was worried that he might be overdoing it.

But he soon realized that there were even more eccentric outfits in the crowd, and compared to them, his appearance seemed rather ordinary.

In addition, everyone’s attention was focused on the renowned directors and film stars, so no one really noticed him.

In contrast to Su Xingyao’s “ordinary” look, the professionals in the inner section were clearly very interested in Hermann.

As soon as he arrived, he almost immediately attracted everyone’s attention, with people wanting to talk and interact with him one after another.

Anticipating this, Su Xingyao wisely separated from him once they entered the venue.

As a result, Hermann was very frustrated about being the center of attention and unable to spend time with Su Xingyao.

But he knew Su Xingyao didn’t like trouble and preferred to keep a low profile, so he had to endure and sulk while dealing with it alone.

The main competition section of the festival, where the grand awards would be decided, was extremely crowded.

Su Xingyao didn’t bother joining the crowd, instead, he went to the “New Forces” section.

This venue showcased and played works and introductions from emerging filmmakers, both domestic and international.

Since all the directors were newcomers, this section attracted much less attention compared to the other venues.

Su Xingyao wasn’t very interested in the ongoing film introductions, so he wandered around the display stands, looking at the introductions of the new directors.

There were many new directors participating in the festival, but after looking through them, Su Xingyao was only impressed by three.

One was an international documentary director.

The other two were domestic newcomers making short drama films.

One was called Xin Yan, and the other was Xu Huan.

The former made heartwarming yet slightly melancholic healing short films. The film showcased at this festival was about two marginalized children who supported each other and grew together, with a very warm style.

However, it was the latter who made Su Xingyao feel more confident.

Xu Huan’s style was completely different.

The short film he brought to the festival was called “The Ghost Marriage Customer.”

It was about a group of people engaged in the ghost marriage business.

The entire film was only seven minutes long, with an open-ended conclusion, but the dark scenes paired with absurd and eerie style left an impression.

Although the film didn’t overly try to explore human nature, Su Xingyao couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine while watching it.

After noting down the names of these directors, Su Xingyao realized that the sky outside had already darkened.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Hermann.

However, the other person was serving as a judge, and there were still many tasks left to handle.

After bidding him farewell, Su Xingyao walked toward the exit.

Just as he stepped out of the exhibition hall, he collided with someone.

Su Xingyao was looking at his phone, and the other person was rushing forward in a hurry, so they collided out of nowhere.

The person was holding a stack of printed materials in their hands.

The collision caused the materials to scatter everywhere, falling all over the floor.

“Sorry, sorry.”

Seeing that he had knocked the person’s materials flying, Su Xingyao apologized and squatted down to help pick them up.

While he was speaking, the young man also squatted next to him and politely apologized.

“Sorry, I was running too fast and didn’t see the way. Are you okay?”

Su Xingyao smiled at him. “I’m fine.”

Looking up, Su Xingyao finally got a clear look at the young man’s appearance.

The young man was quite good-looking, though his outfit was a bit rough. He had some stubble on his chin, as if he hadn’t shaved in a while.

After nodding at Su Xingyao, the young man focused on gathering his materials and didn’t say anything else.

Su Xingyao felt that the young man looked somewhat familiar but couldn’t place where he had seen him.

After handing the materials back to the young man and watching him quickly run off again, Su Xingyao finally remembered who he was.

Xu Huan.

One of the new directors he had noticed in the exhibition hall earlier!

However, the photo displayed at the exhibition was a bit different from how the young man looked in person.

It was only after the young man had left that Su Xingyao remembered his name.

Su Xingyao recalled that in the introduction he had read earlier, Xu Huan mentioned that he was preparing to shoot a film soon.

Intrigued by this, Su Xingyao took a few steps forward.

“Wait…”

But he didn’t get a response.

Xu Huan, who was eager to promote his new film and seek investment during the film festival, had already disappeared into the crowd.