That day, Xiao He's Weibo was particularly lively.
[Brother Xiao, you... sigh, you're just too infuriating. I'm unfollowing for a while, I need to recover.]
[Followed during Mu Ze, unfollowed during Zhu Third Brother, then Shen Jue was so handsome I jumped right back in, but now... no words needed, Brother Xiao, we'll meet again next time.]
[My psychological journey watching the drama - When Meng Zetian appeared: Wow, so handsome! When Meng Zetian ordered Old Mr. Shen burned to death: Damn, go die!]
[Wow, it's been a long time since I hated a character this much, last time was Zhu Third Brother.]
[All that said, it's really another day being amazed by Brother Xiao's acting skills. The moment Meng Zetian appeared, his presence completely overwhelmed his subordinates around him, and I immediately knew he'd be a ruthless character.]
[Indeed, and I don't know if it's just me, but his makeup seems more fitting. When the camera shifted from Li Shuo to him, I didn't feel disconnected from the story at all.]
[Haha, I understand what the person above means.]
[? What do you mean? I don't get it.]
[They're saying Su Shengxi acts terribly, what's not to understand? Don't you have two eyes to see? In this entire storyline, he's the only one who breaks immersion! Especially during the part where Old Mr. Shen calmly faced death - that veteran actor performed superbly, with perfect delivery and emotions, I was tearing up by the end. But then the camera cut to Su Shengxi, and he just stared blankly with that dumb student look of not understanding what the teacher is saying, it made me so angry.]
[To be honest, Su Shengxi really isn't on the same level as everyone else. Everyone else immerses into their roles perfectly, fitting right in, only Su Shengxi remains fair and delicate throughout, just being himself.]
[Yesterday someone said this was Su Shengxi's transformation work, I nearly died laughing. What transformation does he have? From being a pretty face in the music industry to being a pretty face in the acting industry? That's indeed impressive - maintaining his original intention, never forgetting himself.]
[Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter. Just for these spicy comments from netizens, I have to go criticize a bit.]
[You must go watch it! Highly recommend 'Starry Radiance'! Except for one person, everyone's acting is on point! Especially Xiao He! He really surprised me. During that scene where he took the letter and acted opposite Zhang Mo, I completely immersed myself in Li Shuo's perspective. I couldn't help but feel my heart skip a beat, experiencing that tension of having your identity exposed. Xiao He's acting skills are truly amazing, holding his own perfectly even when acting opposite Zhang Mo!]
[Please update faster, hurry up with the updates! This is the first time I've been so hooked on a spy drama. What are you doing, production team? Quickly release all the remaining episodes!]
Clearly, the character Meng Zetian played by Xiao He gained everyone's recognition the moment he appeared.
Though this "recognition" came with quite a bit of hatred.
Even Xiao He's mother called him late at night, hesitating to speak, then speaking hesitantly, finally asking just one question: "Does that bastard you're playing die in the end?"
Xiao He: "...Of course he dies."
"Good! That's wonderful!"
Mother Xiao instantly became happy.
Xiao He: ".... I could spoil the later plot for you—"
"No!"
Mother Xiao immediately cut Xiao He off, fell silent for a moment, then asked: "Are you very—ahem, is the character you play very beastly later on?"
Xiao He sweated: "Pretty much."
"Then forget it..." Mother Xiao muttered, "I'll tell your dad not to watch either. The immersion is too strong, otherwise both of us might want to fly over and beat you up immediately."
Xiao He: ...Mom, where's your maternal love?
Xiao He helplessly rubbed his forehead: "Then you'd better not watch. When relatives and friends ask about it recently, just pretend you don't know, act like I'm not the one who acted in it."
However, Mother Xiao chuckled on the other end, her tone proud: "I would never pretend not to know. My son acted too well! If they hate you because of the character image, that just shows how outstanding my son is. They can't distinguish between reality and fiction themselves - it's good to have less contact with such foolish people."
Xiao He was stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly: "Alright, suit yourselves. But if it affects your daily life, you must tell me. And about the moving we discussed before..."
"Ah, forget about moving." Mother Xiao decisively refused. "We're quite comfortable living here, don't want to move."
Since both of Xiao He's parents had very stable jobs, after being assigned housing, the Xiao family had basically never moved, always living in that residential area. Besides the houses and neighborhood being somewhat old, life and work were very convenient. Mother Xiao was also sentimental and didn't really want to change locations.
"But—"
"And most importantly, your dad heard that our area is very likely to undergo urban renewal in the coming years. We might get demolition compensation then." Mother Xiao said very seriously. "Anyway, your dad and I aren't going anywhere. You can go wherever you want to be, just don't disturb our lives."
Xiao He: "...Alright then."
Xiao He stopped trying to persuade her.
After chatting with Mother Xiao a while longer, Xiao He hung up the phone.
Although it was already very late, Xiao He and his team were still waiting in the airport departure lounge for their flight.
Xiao Chen handed over a cup of hot coffee.
"Thanks."
Xiao He took it and sipped, then looked at Liu Rulan: "Sister Liu, how are things looking online?"
Liu Rulan was browsing on her tablet. Hearing Xiao He's question, she smiled and showed him the video playing on her device: "Haha, Su Shengxi's crappy acting skills have received unanimous praise from everyone."
Xiao He: ...
As expected, whenever it came to Su Shengxi matters, Sister Liu's combat power would skyrocket.
You could really see how much resentment had built up over those years.
Curious, Xiao He took it to watch.
This was a video from a Bilibili content creator in the commentary section. This creator's video was actually mainly promotional, strongly recommending everyone to watch 'Starry Radiance,' but he spent a significant portion criticizing the show's only "flaw."
"Right now, I seriously suspect Su Shengxi has been set up by capital. I'm being genuine here, not mixing in any falsehood. Otherwise, how come no one told him that his acting in 'Starry Radiance' is obviously terrible."
"'Starry Radiance' is completely Director Wen Hongyuan's showcase of skills work. He successfully used one Su Shengxi to show us that even with one weak link in the entire series, he can still produce an excellent work. Of course, my suggestion is that Director Wen shouldn't insert this 'advertisement' showcasing his own abilities into the plot next time. Otherwise, every time I see this living 'advertisement' Su Shengxi appear, I have to manually skip the 'advertisement,' which is really annoying."
"And to some fans, please stop asking me to sharply critique Xiao He's acting skills. I think with eyes there, everyone can see. If you absolutely want me to say something unpleasant, then I'll satisfy you—Meng Zetian, you damn (bird language and flower fragrance)..."
"Alright? I think my evaluation is still quite fair. If you feel my video was helpful, welcome to like, favorite, and share~"
Xiao He: "..."
Alright, alright, I'll give you that like.