Chapter 58: Doesn’t This Mean We’ll Just Go Full Widescreen?

After New Year’s Day, Su Mu officially wrapped up his scenes in Nirvana in Fire. In fact, the wrap came much earlier than expected. Zhang Huaimou knew that Su Mu would have to work nonstop with two or three production groups in succession, so he deliberately scheduled Su Mu’s scenes ahead of time to give him a buffer. The two of them, having once conspired together, were now bound by loyalty and sentiment. For Su Mu, Zhang Huaimou relaxed his usual strict rules.

As soon as filming ended, Su Mu didn’t even need to change locations; he simply crossed the street and entered the production group of The Son-in-Law. Yu Hong’s team moved swiftly—after all, Penguin Video was a powerful platform, with money and connections. The director and other staff were quickly assembled, and a few days prior, they had already set up camp in Hengdian, waiting only for Su Mu to join so filming could begin.

Yu Hong understood well: based on the script’s properties, The Son-in-Law and Canglan’s Oath were certainly no match for Nirvana in Fire in terms of strength. Therefore, casting could focus on looks and popularity rather than acting prowess. The quality assurance lay in Nirvana in Fire and Joy of Life, which were more than sufficient. And those two dramas could be entirely carried by Su Mu alone.

Fortunately, the four dramas differed in theme and style: political intrigue, time travel, comedy, and tragic romance—enough to satisfy all tastes.

Another section of Hengdian’s studio was surrounded by crowds. Offerings were placed, incense was lit, and the red cloth was lifted.

“The Son-in-Law! Officially filming!”

…

Galaxy City, Giant Elephant Media.

A surprised voice came from the office—Li Hui exclaimed, “What? Su Mu has taken on three more historical romance dramas?”

Zhou Wanming looked at the wide-eyed Li Hui and Li Xinjie and smiled helplessly. “Would I lie to you? And it’s all Penguin Productions.”

Li Hui said, “But didn’t they say at first he only had Director Zhang’s drama?”

Zhou Wanming shook his head. “At first, yes. But then three more were booked. When Qian Jida returned recently to stamp the contract, I was surprised too. The company allocated his resources, and the result turned out even better.”

Li Hui: “…”

Li Xinjie: “…”

Hearing Zhou Wanming’s words, both Li Hui and Li Xinjie fell silent.

They had just wrapped up filming and were in good spirits. The past months had gone smoothly, and during shooting, many seasoned industry media outlets had been promoting their drama’s behind-the-scenes moments. The response had been quite positive. Fans online were vocal, expressing anticipation for the drama’s release.

Meanwhile, Su Mu’s side was much quieter—no publicity, no behind-the-scenes features, hardly any media coverage. What did that indicate?

It meant the mainstream media didn’t think highly of it.

This only boosted Li Hui and Li Xinjie’s confidence. They believed that once their new drama aired, they would surely surpass Su Mu and become the hottest male lead in historical romance next year!

But their joy didn’t last a day. Even before their drama’s publicity began, cold water was poured on their hopes. Su Mu wasn’t avoiding the spotlight; he had too many projects to spare any time for it. Four dramas in a single year—was he playing games with them? If all aired together, wouldn’t he dominate the screen entirely? Even if he played a minor role, people would remember him. Moreover, all four dramas featured him as the male lead—what resources were those?

In contrast, Li Hui and Li Xinjie had nothing lined up after finishing one drama. Before coming, they had talked about watching the Spring Festival Gala when they returned home for New Year. What’s the point now?

Li Hui was thoroughly unsettled, feeling as though he was about to lose again…

And recalling how, months ago, Su Mu had brazenly challenged Li Xinjie on Weibo, declaring he’d see him at the pinnacle awards with no mercy, Li Hui ground his teeth.

He had always believed Qian Jida was inferior to him and hated to admit that the artists he nurtured were outshone by Qian’s.

Li Hui looked to Zhou Wanming. “Director Zhou, are there any new dramas in preparation this year?”

Zhou Wanming replied, “There are, but all the roles are already cast. Only eunuchs left.”

Li Hui: “…”

Li Xinjie: “…”

…

January flew by, and soon it was February.

After Nirvana in Fire wrapped, Zhang Huaimou began preparing for promotion. Other teams did the same, all rushing to warm up the audience before the New Year, with official broadcasts scheduled for after the holiday. That would mark the real competition for the historical romance market.

During this period, Su Mu kept to his triangle routine: acting, practicing, and supporting publicity. He cut himself off from almost everything outside the set. If Qian Jida hadn’t called to remind him that the New Year was approaching and he should give his assistant and driver time off, he might have forgotten about it entirely.

Outside the production apartment, Su Mu pulled two red envelopes from his costume and handed them to Orange and the driver. “Come on, let me send you off.”

Orange: “…!”

Driver: “…!”

Seeing their expressions, Su Mu felt quite gratified. They were probably moved by the generous red envelopes.

He had planned to say a few words for this brief parting, but with only two people, he couldn’t practice his skills—so he didn’t bother.

“All right, drive safely back, have fun with your families over the holiday, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine here by myself.”

Orange, clutching the thick envelope, was moved. “Su Mu, why don’t you come back to Galaxy City with us? Rest for a couple of days before returning, it’s not far from Hengdian.”

Driver: “That’s right.”

Su Mu shook his head. “No, filming for The Son-in-Law is tight, and next month I’ll have to join the Canglan’s Oath crew. This year will be busy, but as long as we get through it, we’ll reach a new stage.”

Orange nodded. “Okay, call me if you need anything. We’ll be back right after New Year’s Day.”

Driver: “Absolutely.”

Su Mu: “Got it, don’t worry.”

A simple farewell.

He watched as the Mercedes van slowly departed, then wrapped himself in his down jacket. Even in the south, winter was still quite cold.

…

No scenes in the afternoon, so Su Mu returned directly to the apartment. Sitting on the sofa, he opened the Male Artist Panel.

Strength: 16.1

Speed: 6.1

Vocal Range: 5.1

Cardio: 5.1

Endurance: 26.1

Brain Power: 16.1

Skill Points: 5.4

He had significantly increased his proficiency lately. In the acting-related categories, he was less than halfway from reaching LV3/5000 for full proficiency. Recently, he had also added several points to his basic attributes—specifically, ten points each to strength and endurance, and five points to vocal range.

After boosting these stats, Su Mu could clearly feel the changes in his body. He tried some physical training and was much stronger than before. At first, he thought the basic attribute limit was ten, but now it seemed only a starting point.

Talent Blind Box*3

He still had three unopened talent blind boxes from the last task.

Su Mu: “Open blind box.”

[Prompt: Opening blind box… Street Dance category…]

[Popping Proficiency LV0: 0/10]

[Hip-hop Proficiency LV0: 0/10]

[Breaking Proficiency LV0: 0/10]

Su Mu: “Street dance?”