Chapter 34

After *Laughing in the Wind* began airing.

With its grand fight scenes and breathtaking location shots, it attracted countless viewers; after all, this was a blockbuster that claimed an investment of 40 million, and everyone was curious to see how it would perform.

Following closely behind was a rapid collapse in its reputation.

With the gem that was the Lü Songxian version already out there, this version was inevitably brought out for all sorts of comparisons.

Li Erpeng bore the brunt of it.

He was met with criticism that bordered on mockery.

The Qingcheng Sect, led by Yu Canghai, was also attacked, though not due to regional prejudice.

It was simply that they seemed too abrupt.

Why didn't the people of the Huashan Sect speak Shaanxi dialect? By what right were the people of the Songshan Sect not allowed to speak Henan dialect? And where on earth did they forget the Fujian dialect of the Fuwei Escort Agency?

The flashy face-changing and the cringe-inducing hula dance.

Were also crazily roasted.

For a time, opinions were divided, and even Xu Qing's age was brought up for a wave of ridicule.

Bad publicity is still publicity.

The viewership ratings for *Laughing in the Wind* were actually not bad, climbing all the way up.

Amidst a chorus of curses.

Li Luo's portrayal of Lin Pingzhi stood out as a lone success, one of the few highlights worthy of praise, receiving much acclaim for his crisp, elegant martial arts movements and the transformation of his temperament when subjected to various humiliations.

"I like this version of Lin Pingzhi; it fits the character very well."

"As a fan of the original work, this actor has brought Lin Pingzhi to life. From the wealthy young master at the beginning to the fallen soul in the dust, he performed it all excellently. I look forward to his performance after he castrates himself."

"Going to eat, bye-bye."

"I feel like the text in the book was written exactly according to this actor."

"Does any brother know the name of this actor? By the way, I'm a sister."

"His name is Li Luo."

Watching the messages one by one in the Xinlang chat room, Li Luo chuckled as he typed out a reply before finally shutting down the computer.

Don't look at the fact that it's the early days of the internet.

The number of netizens is not small.

At this time, the most popular thing is to chat and talk in the portal website chat rooms.

After finishing the news on the portal website, Li Luo couldn't help but jump in to stir things up, and while he was at it, help boost his own popularity. He couldn't show off in front of people for the time being, but seeing a bunch of people praising him in the chat room, that feeling was also quite good.

【Mood is beautiful, another happy day】

【Indulgence successful】

【Reward, acting experience +10】

The system prompt that flashed before his eyes made him unable to help but laugh out loud.

Hearing footsteps approaching outside.

He hurriedly put away his smile.

"Xiao Luo." The door opened, and Xu Qing smiled reluctantly: "I've packed up everything you brought home."

Not only was she scolded by the newspapers for pretending to be young, but now even her little lover was leaving the capital.

Her mood was truly poor.

"Hey."

Li Luo hurriedly stepped forward, pulled her into his arms, and comforted her: "Don't listen to the nonsense in the newspapers. You aren't old at all. In my eyes, you're just right. How well you played Ren Yingying."

"Are you really not old?"

Xu Qing raised her head, her eyes looking pitiful.

After all, the other person was so much younger than her, and this was what she cared about most in her heart.

"Mm."

Li Luo nodded heavily, then hurriedly shook his head: "No, you are really very big, I especially like it."

As he spoke, he took advantage of the situation to reach out.

"You're hateful."

Xu Qing giggled, acting spoiled as she twisted her waist.

Having been conquered day after day during this period, the Beijing girl felt she couldn't take it anymore. Seeing Li Luo's eyes turn hot again, she hurriedly distracted him: "The plane is almost at the time, let's hurry and set off!"

Dragging the suitcase filled with special gifts.

The two drove to the airport together.

Just as they were about to get out of the car, Li Luo was pulled back by Xu Qing for a passionate kiss, followed by her handing him a mask she had prepared in advance.

"I don't need this, do I?"

Scratching his head, Li Luo felt the other party was being overly cautious.

It's just a TV series.

Wearing this makes him look too smug; those who don't know might think he's really famous.

"Believe me." Xu Qing picked up the mask and carefully helped him put it on: "Many people are discussing *Laughing in the Wind* now, and it's being broadcast nationwide. Are you sure no one will recognize you?"

"Alright."

Li Luo shrugged.

Under Xu Qing's reluctant gaze, he walked straight into the airport.

After waiting a while for check-in, he soon passed through the VIP channel straight to first class, sat comfortably in the spacious seat, took off his mask, and then took out his Nokia 3310 to send a text message to Xu Qing.

This outfit and the plane ticket were all handled by her.

After coming to the capital.

He had hardly spent any money.

Although he had expressed his gratitude through actions, he couldn't skimp on verbal expressions either.

"The plane is about to take off."

A soft voice rang out, and a flight attendant walked up slowly from behind: "Please fasten your seatbelts, sir, please turn off your mobile phone, thank you!"

"Sorry."

Li Luo pressed the power-off button.

"Lin Pingzhi?"

The beautiful flight attendant covered her mouth, her eyes full of surprise.

Seeing this, he nodded in a daze.

After the flight became stable, one flight attendant after another came to his side and squatted down.

Smiling like flowers, they handed over pens for autographs.

Performing his first autograph in his life on a plane, and the ones asking for it were young and beautiful flight attendants—that sense of satisfaction was simply overflowing.

In April, the results of the Beijing Film Academy school exams were officially released.

Although vocal music held him back, he still managed to secure a good result of third place.

The gates of the Beijing Film Academy had been pushed open more than halfway.

Next up was the college entrance exam.

When the third round of exams ended, Huo Xuan specifically talked to Li Luo, telling him not to drop the ball on his cultural studies; it was rare to encounter such a good seedling, and he didn't want to miss out because of that.

After Li Luo returned home, he focused his mind and buried himself in his studies.

Although the admission score for the Beijing Film Academy's acting department was very low, he still wanted to try his best to get more points.

It would be more respectable when talking about it later.

Time flew by, and it was July.

The cicadas buzzed, the scorching sun roasted the earth, and the 2001 college entrance exam officially kicked off. Thousands of troops and horses rushed toward the single-plank bridge together, trying to fight their way to a path that would change their own destiny.

Among these struggling figures, Li Luo was also included.

Although he was full of confidence.

He didn't slack off in the slightest.

Even with the system, Li Luo still felt that no matter what he did, he had to go all out. When you fool around with life, sooner or later, life will fool you back.

Inside the exam hall, students wrote furiously.

Outside the exam hall, people from all walks of life provided escort.

Whenever anyone walked past the school, they would unconsciously lighten their footsteps, fearing that they might affect the performance of those inside.

Three days passed quickly.

When Li Luo walked out of the exam hall, the first thing he saw were his parents waiting expectantly.

Carrying full confidence.

He smiled and pulled them both into his arms.

After the admission score for the Beijing Film Academy's acting department was officially released, Xu Qing immediately called Li Luo to inform him. The admission line of 208 points made him unable to help but laugh; even if he deducted half, he would still be safe.

A score of 605 was barely enough for a second-tier university.

But it was far beyond the admission line of the Beijing Film Academy.

Getting a score starting with a six, whether for his family or himself, was a satisfactory answer.

Arriving in September.

Li Luo, who had stayed at home for a few months, packed his luggage and rushed back to the capital.

Only this time.

It was with a completely different identity.