74: Did you listen to that?

"sea god descends" is currently the most popular live variety show. Compared to other variety shows that create buzz through making things difficult for guests, exclusion, and drama, "sea god descends" is much more gentle.

The theme is simply "stroll and eat," with the occasional sit-down for a heart-to-heart chat. The rewards for each level are also relatively simple.

The reason for its high popularity, besides the likable atmosphere and interesting segment settings, is that most of the guests are big-name stars. With handsome men and beautiful women whose looks are top-tier, capital can't even force in lesser-known ones. On two occasions, they invited high-looking commoners, and the response was also quite good.

The director behind the scenes knows very well how to capture the audience's psychology. Rather than deliberate script arrangements, they prefer the big gossip that these stars inadvertently reveal during casual chats.

"sea god descends" has trended several times because a few stars got excited while chatting and said shocking things, making the fans as exhausted as badgers in a melon field, stating they couldn't finish it all, simply couldn't finish it all.

The entertainment industry changes overnight. Previously, Shen Lian was being attacked by everyone, but his status wasn't high enough, so once the storm stopped, there was no more movement. Now, not many people are paying attention.

Hu Kailan was so nervous he didn't sleep well for two days. Finally, he went to see Dai Tong to ask if the character posters for "silent no more" could be released early.

Not being noticed isn't a bad thing. After wiping the slate clean, what's needed is positive publicity.

Dai Tong happened to have the same idea, so he did Hu Kailan a favor.

Shen Lian heard from Li Yi that Hu Kailan was already worshiping gods and Buddhas in the office.

After doing everything humanly possible, it was time for some metaphysics.

Once the character posters for "silent no more" were released, they quickly trended. Huang Jiacan's fans were very supportive and active in creating a buzz, and they also got along well with the fans of the various beautiful supporting actresses.

However, things were a bit turbulent on the male actors' side.

Wei Fanchen was blacklisted recently. Dai Tong had no choice but to call in a friend to save the day while cursing. Fortunately, there weren't many scenes, so it wasn't too much trouble to make them up.

It was only because Dai Tong had a good reputation and strong connections in the industry; otherwise, this drama might have truly died halfway through.

Even so, the best way was to broadcast it as soon as possible.

As the male lead, Zheng Ge's fans naturally held their heads high. However, Zheng Ge's fans truly didn't know how to restrain themselves. After just a few words from some big fans, they started clashing with Huang Jiacan's fans. It was the same old drama over billing order, and passersby usually just watched for fun.

But this time, passersby accurately spotted Shen Lian in the nine-grid poster.

That was a snapshot of Li Kuan holding a blade over his shoulder with a cold expression. A sense of murderous intent rushed at the viewer, set against a plain black background.

Hu Kailan cursed in his heart when he first saw it. Wasn't this intentional? Oh, everyone else had either rustling green bamboo or a phoenix dancing in the nine heavens in their backgrounds—as flashy as possible—but when it came to his Shen Lian, it was just a black backdrop?

But the response was unexpectedly good.

[Damn, was Shen Lian's gaze Photoshopped? Is his eye acting really this good?]

[No kidding, Shen Lian's shot is indeed handsome. It's perfect for a wallpaper.]

[Good thing Wei Fanchen was replaced. That on-set photo leaked by fans before was simply unbearable to look at.]

[Sister upstairs, you mean the noodle bangs, right? I had the misfortune of seeing it; it truly stung the eyes.]

Shen Lian's fans said nothing, then secretly added a Black Dragon to the black background and posted it to the public square, instantly raising its prestige by several levels.

After Zheng Ge's fans finished arguing, they turned around and found that Shen Lian had stolen all the limelight among the male actors.

This couldn't be blamed on Shen Lian at all; the man was currently lying in bed catching up on sleep. Last night was another all-nighter... The consequence of Chu Yilan having a taste of meat was that he no longer wanted to be a vegetarian.

Zheng Ge's fans couldn't win the fight against Huang Jiacan's fans, so they retorted, "Oh my, are you going to call that CEO-whatever again to stand up for your idol? It's common for fans to take pride in their idol's excellence, but it's rare to see fans like you whose idol married well and whose fans are rushing to act like servants. Are you going to ask that CEO-whatever to blacklist us? We're so scared~~~"

The drawbacks of Zheng Ge's premature announcement of his relationship were gradually becoming apparent.

Ultimately, his merit didn't match his status. His poster was still heavily edited, but he didn't show much of the protagonist's elegant and carefree persona. Instead, he still had that fake smile welded to his face, giving people aesthetic fatigue.

Zheng Ge's fans were jumping mad, but no matter how much they argued, Shen Lian's fans specialized in being 'unable to hear.'

Mainly because Shen Lian couldn't hear.

This person had been very quiet lately, looking like he had transcended the mortal world. He didn't have many achievements to show, but his fans were unexpectedly united and knew how to play deaf and dumb.

Zheng Ge's fans cursed until their throats were dry, but with no one paying them any mind, they grew even more furious. So they raided the official Social Media Platform of "silent no more," asking why they made Shen Lian's poster look so good while being perfunctory with their Zheng Ge's.

The staff who retouched the posters almost coughed up blood. They had spent several nights on Zheng Ge and Huang Jiacan's posters, while for Shen Lian's, they really had just added a black background.

Now it was great; they would have been better off not doing anything at all.

"Heh." Hu Kailan sneered on his stool while holding his phone. "It backfired, didn't it? What era is it? Still thinking of using Shen Lian as a stepping stone?"

Shen Lian rolled over in bed, kicked off the quilt, and continued to sleep.

Chu Yilan was working on the sofa. Hearing the movement, he looked up with a doting and helpless gaze, then got up to cover Shen Lian's stomach.

The young man's pair of slender calves were exposed, with clear pinch marks on them.

Chu Yilan: "..."

Shen Lian was fair and had tender skin; even a little force would leave marks. Chu Yilan was sure he wasn't fierce at the time, but how... Chu Yilan felt pained and reached out to rub the bruised area.

As a result, the sleeping Shen Lian seemed to have a switch flipped. He suddenly woke up, looked up at Chu Yilan with a horrified expression and messy hair, and even gave Chu Yilan a start.

The two faced off for a moment before Shen Lian said hoarsely, "Be a human."

Chu Yilan: "..."

Confirming that Chu Yilan wasn't moving, Shen Lian powered down again in a second and fell back asleep.

By the time Shen Lian struggled to get up in the evening, the argument on the Social Media Platform was already over.

Let's put it this way: the more silent Shen Lian was, the better the public's perception of him became, and the more Zheng Ge's fans appeared to be in a state of impotent rage.

A poster is a very intuitive thing; it's either good-looking or it's not. As for the aura, it's even more mysterious. Anyway, the current Shen Lian was very pleasing to the eye.

"Why didn't you wait for me to curse a bit before leaving?" Shen Lian muttered.

Aunt Fen made hot noodle soup with refreshing side dishes. Shen Lian finished eating listlessly and carried Chu Zhumi to the sofa.

This won't do. I have to start abstinence tomorrow. Otherwise, if I go to participate in "sea god descends" looking all withered, Brother Hu will beat me to death.

Shen Lian told Chu Yilan this idea and seriously demanded its implementation. CEO Chu was not convinced. "When have I ever forced you to do something you didn't want to do?"

Shen Lian's eyes almost turned red, thinking, 'I shouted "I was wrong" and "Enough, enough" so many times. Did you listen?'

From the end of filming "blazing fire" until now, he had a total of five days of rest, and there hadn't been a moment when he could properly catch his breath.

"So, do you want it next time or not?" Chu Yilan crossed his arms and asked with an arched eyebrow.

Shen Lian thought of this man's athletic waist, pursed his lips, and said, not afraid of death, "Yes."

Chu Yilan threw back his head and laughed.