Chapter 53: Opening Ceremony

It was only the end of March, but the sun was already beginning to show its power.

The opening ceremony site.

Besides the sea of seated spectators below, numerous news media outlets had arrived, lured by generous transportation fees.

They set up cameras on the sidelines.

Or raised their cameras to capture the grand opening spectacle.

In front of the crowd, Li Luo let sweat slowly trickle down his cheeks, his back straight as a board, his face still wearing a proper smile—his personal image had to be maintained at all times.

The host concluded the opening remarks and introduced the main cast of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.

“Next.”

The suited man gripped the microphone and swept his hand forcefully toward the center of the front row: “Li Luo, portraying Zhang Cuishan and Zhang Wuji.”

Amid enthusiastic applause.

Li Luo stood up with a smile and bowed several times to the surrounding audience.

“Click~”

A flurry of shutter sounds erupted, flashes blazing wildly in his pupils.

He maintained his standard smile, fixing his gaze on each camera, striving hard not to blink.

No wonder actors and stars love wearing sunglasses.

Without specialized training, an ordinary person simply couldn’t handle this level of brightness.

“The actress portraying Zhao Min.”

As he sat back down, the host’s voice rang out again: “Jia Jingwen.”

The girl beside him quickly rose, waving her hands with a bright smile toward the surrounding lenses.

“The actress portraying Zhou Zhiruo.”

The introductions continued, calling out: “Gao Yuanyuan.”

Li Luo never stopped clapping; he smiled over at her, having not seen her earlier in the hall—now he finally had a chance to observe up close this Beijing girl who rose to fame through commercials.

He felt a surge of admiration—she was truly beautiful!!!

Her face seemed to glow with radiance.

It looked so elastic, he wanted to pinch it hard.

Gao Yuanyuan looked slightly nervous, fumbling as she greeted everyone; her figure was perfectly proportioned, and in the pink long dress from the drama, she appeared ethereal and otherworldly.

His gaze continued onward.

Another stunningly lovely face met his eyes.

Li Luo exhaled softly—no wonder this was the most visually appealing version of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.

After the Fairy of Jinghong.

Now he saw the Fairy of Peony from The Journey to the East.

At the time, he had agreed without hesitation to play Zhang Cuishan—not only because his fee had increased by 100,000, but also because he would share extensive scenes with Guo Feili.

Who could refuse a love story of life and death with the Fairy of Peony on screen?

The main cast was quickly introduced.

The producer, pushed forward by Wu Dun, took the stage to speak, followed by Lai Shuiqing, and finally actor representative Zhang Guoli.

It felt like a grand meeting.

Once the speeches were timed to perfection, all the actors collectively performed a ritual offering.

Li Luo held up three incense sticks and bowed earnestly, hoping the filming would proceed smoothly.

He prayed to all the gods and immortals to lend their divine power.

To ensure the ratings soared.

He stood after Jia Jingwen, thrusting the tall incense stick firmly into the now-empty incense burner, then clasped his hands together and bowed again.

A long line of people waited behind him for their turn to offer incense.

Chen Zihan, portraying Yin Li, was among them; holding her three sticks of incense, she gazed enviously at Li Luo’s back.

Earlier in the hall, she had overheard conversations.

She learned this new male lead wasn’t just her junior, but also a first-year university student.

She felt a pang of bitterness.

She had graduated from school four years ago, once among her class’s “Three Golden Flowers,” yet now the other two had risen to fame, while she remained stuck playing supporting roles for newcomers in TV dramas.

This path was truly hard.

She sighed inwardly, yet kept smiling on her face.

Even graduates from the top three drama schools often faded into obscurity after years of stumbling along this road.

They merely had slightly more opportunities than ordinary people.

Whether they became famous still depended on fate!

“Thank you, producer.”

After offering incense, Li Luo took the red envelope from the producer’s hand and grinned broadly.

The money wasn’t much.

It was mainly for good luck.

The group lined up to collect red envelopes, just like during the New Year.

It looked especially festive.

Next came photo sessions—endless group photos made Li Luo’s cheeks ache from smiling.

After completing this routine, the media interview session began.

Fortunately, he wouldn’t endure the awkward silence he’d faced during the opening of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer; even if his fame was still low, the reporters who’d received transportation fees wouldn’t ignore the lead actor.

“You stand beside me.”

Seeing Li Luo tense up, Jia Jingwen quietly tugged his sleeve: “If any tricky questions come up, I’ll find a way to signal you.”

As she spoke, she quickly blinked her big eyes.

In this moment.

Li Luo felt dazed.

It was as if Zhao Min had stepped out of the television and stood before him.

“Thank you.”

He shook off the daze and nodded in gratitude.

Though confident he wouldn’t say anything foolish, he had no reason to refuse her kindness.

As they spoke, several reporters surged forward, photographers with cameras trailing behind; recognizing the familiar network logos, Li Luo straightened up, smiling as he accepted the microphones they offered.

“Jia Jingwen, hello. Can you share your experience portraying Zhao Min?”

“Congratulations on the new drama’s opening.”

“Do you have any message for your fans?”

“The Great Han Emperor is about to air, and your co-star Huang Xiaoming is now playing Xiao Jian in the newly started Legend of the Condor Heroes 3. Do you have any words for him?”

The reporters hurled question after question—all directed at Jia Jingwen.

She responded with practiced ease.

At such moments, no one would ask hostile questions.

After all, these people had been paid—they wouldn’t do anything so shameless.

Li Luo smiled as he passed several microphones toward Jia Jingwen’s mouth, adopting a posture of attentive listening; he felt no resentment—after all, his popularity didn’t match hers, so the reporters’ focus naturally leaned toward her.

“About Huang Xiaoming, there’s something.”

Jia Jingwen shifted tone mid-sentence, nudging the microphone toward Li Luo: “Li Luo is his junior. Why not let him share his thoughts?”

“Alright.”

Facing the reporters’ sudden, unified gaze, Li Luo took a deep breath: “I’m sure the drama Jia Jingwen and Xiao Ming co-starred in will be outstanding—they’re both highly skilled actors.”

“I also wish Legend of the Condor Heroes 3 a smooth production.”

After speaking, he gave Jia Jingwen a grateful glance.

She was actively helping him gain attention.

“Li Luo, hello. I really enjoyed your performance in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.”

Finally, a reporter remembered Li Luo; after a polite remark, he continued: “The filming of The Legend of the Condor Heroes is also underway in full swing—has Zhang Zhongzhi contacted you to reprise your role?”

“Public reaction to Li Erpeng playing Guo Jing has been largely negative.”

“What’s your opinion on this?”

Nothing problematic before, but when they mentioned Li Erpeng, Jia Jingwen subtly slipped him a trap.

Li Luo understood instantly.

She was setting him up!

“Hmm.”

After a brief pause, he spoke calmly: “Last year I was busy with the college entrance exam, so I didn’t focus on acting. Here, I wish Professor Zhang Zhongzhi’s new drama soaring ratings.”

“During the filming of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Brother Erpeng gave me a lot of guidance.”

“He’s a very talented actor.”

Here, Li Luo seized the microphone and deftly turned the tide: “But now I’m Zhang Wuji—I need to worry more about the Princess Shao Min beside me, making sure she doesn’t sneak up and slap me.”

“Heh~”

Jia Jing reacted swiftly and feigned a palm strike at him.

The reporters burst into laughter and knowingly shifted the topic to The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.