After Being Blackened All Over the Internet, I Ruled the Military Variety
Chapter 175: Doubt and Expectation

Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Doubt and Expectation

Wei Xiao believes he is quite low-key in both his personal life and work, but the audience certainly doesn’t think so.

He’s one of the top directors in the country, and his works cover all genres beloved by people of all ages, winning nearly every director-related award domestically and internationally.

To put it simply, Wei Xiao is the director everyone envies.

"Empress Yuan Zhao" is another epic historical drama that took him three years to craft, and the main character is the only empress in history renowned for her great achievements and popularity.

So, even though he was simply following his habit of casually posting a poster of the female lead, and even though it was on a weekday, it still stirred up a lot of anticipation and silent attention.

As a result, this single post, driven by netizens, saw a visible surge in popularity.

However, when viewers saw that this major production’s leading actress was someone not even considered second-tier and was previously mired in scandals, Jiang Lingxi, the general reaction was one of confusion and rejection.

[Shocked my entire family. Who is Jiang Lingxi? Is Director Wei mad this time? Even if it’s not Xu Qingmei, She Man, or Lin Qingxuan, anyone else would do. Why pick such a minor actress?]

[Jiang Lingxi carrying the presence of the only empress in history, don’t be ridiculous. I suspect the PR team tagged the wrong person in the post, better correct it quickly.]

[I won’t accept Jiang Lingxi playing the Empress. Give me back my imposing and majestic Empress, Your Majesty!]

...

After a while, a different kind of comment subtly appeared.

[Hey, does anyone want to first click on the official promotional picture and take a look, especially at the eyes in the photo?]

This comment was not very noticeable among a plethora of criticisms and doubts, but because so many were discussing it, quite a number of people spotted it, and out of curiosity, clicked on the image with some skepticism.

The image enlarged instantly, covering the entire phone screen.

Those who clicked on the image thought of the previous comment, and after scanning the grand background of the picture and the intense red dragon robe, their gaze landed on the face in the photo, half-covered by the ceremonial headgear. When they met the eyes looking through the slit of the headgear, they instinctively held their breath.

After a long moment, they exhaled deeply.

Looking down, they saw the hair on their arm still standing on end.

The moment they met those eyes, they truly felt as if they were being quietly scrutinized by the eyes of a superior. These eyes were calm but stirred a storm within their heart the instant they met.

Even now, they still felt a tingling sensation on their scalp.

It was important to remember that this was just a photo.

After rubbing their arms and instinctively saving the photo, they returned to the comments section to find suddenly many more different comments.

[After criticizing, I went back and clicked on the photo. Hmm, I apologize for my earlier attitude; the gaze in the photo truly scared me.]

[As a professional makeup artist, the actor’s lip color in the photo is light. I always thought a bold red lip had the strongest presence, so I edited it myself and compared two images, yet the promotional picture carried a stronger aura. This overturned my understanding a bit.]

Beneath this comment were numerous other messages, one of which had the highest number of likes.

[This shows that presence isn’t influenced by the intensity of lip color; it should be the person’s own aura that covers it. Even light-colored lips don’t affect the actor’s presence.]

[Just searched for early photos of Jiang Lingxi, attached. Just ask everyone, is this truly the same person as in the promotional picture?]

Out of curiosity, many clicked on the image and saw a heavily made-up face with bright red lips. Though beautiful, it was extravagant and lacked any depth.

Compared to the eyes in the promotional picture that people were inexplicably unable to stare directly after just one glance, the form was similar, but the spirit was worlds apart.

[Wow, what a huge change in temperament!]

[If the effect in the actual filming could match that of the photo, there’s still something to look forward to!]

[I used to be an anti-fan of Jiang Lingxi, but after "Survival," I’m a neutral fan. Having seen the trailer, I’ve decided to trust Director Wei. Given Director Wei’s character, he wouldn’t randomly choose an actor. Since Jiang Lingxi was picked, there must be something extraordinary about her.]

The stark contrast sparked another wave of intense comments.

Although there was still some skepticism about the actor’s skills, there were definitely fewer opposing voices than at the beginning.

And all this, sparked by just a promotional photo.

More than an hour unknowingly passed before someone belatedly reacted.

[Why only a promotional photo of the female lead?]

[Yeah, what about the male lead, the second female lead, the second male lead, and the third leads?]

[Another question: Empress Yuan Zhao never had an Imperial Consort in her lifetime, so who would the male lead be?]

[With my experience reading many fanfictions about the Empress, my blind guess is that the male lead is Prime Minister Shen.]

[Haha, the person above is thinking exactly what I am; Shen Qing of Your Majesty certainly deserves the role. I won’t accept any other character!]

[According to Director Wei’s usual practice, it looks like one promotional photo per day. Today is the female lead’s, tomorrow should be the male lead’s photo. ]

[Still have to wait another day, better set it to special follow-up.]

[No one’s making wild guesses about who’s playing the male lead?]

[I have guessed, but I don’t think anyone can portray Shen Moqing; I await a surprise from Director Wei.]

[Looking forward to it +1!]

...

*

The incense in the incense burner had silently burned out.

The launch ceremony for "Empress Yuan Zhao" maintained Wei Xiao’s consistent low-key style, without inviting any media for interviews and publicity. It went smoothly and quickly transitioned to preparing for the first scene’s filming.

Jiang Lingxi looked towards the horse being led by the crew.

This first scene was a big spectacle, the Royal Martial Arts Competition.

Originally, it was just a competition for the princes to vie for rankings to win favor with their father, but Emperor Yuan Zhao, then still the Princess, secretly signed up. On the day of the competition, she appeared at the Martial Arts Competition Field in a fiery red riding outfit on her Red Blood Horse, utterly defeating her brothers without leaving any face.

This both troubled and left helpless the founding emperor of Dayin sitting on the Dragon Throne, who ended up giving her the first-place prize.

With such a big scene, many actors were needed.

In addition to the actors playing the Emperor and the Princes, there was a whole array of extras dressed as palace maids and guards.

Other actors who attended the launch ceremony but had no roles in the first scene stayed behind, sitting in small groups on the periphery of the filming location.

As Jiang Lingxi walked towards the horse she would soon be riding, she could feel several gazes fixed on her back.

The first scene emphasized a smooth beginning; one take indicating smooth filming ahead.

Generally, directors choose a simple scene, but their director, Wei Xiao, insisted on doing the opposite.

Thus, the pressure fell on the lead actress with the most screen time.

It was her.

With so many people watching with assessing eyes, the pressure increased all of a sudden.

Even Wei Xiao was giving orders with a furrowed brow, the tension causing the crew members not to dare slack off, bustling about everywhere.

Amidst this tense preparation and quiet scrutiny, Jiang Lingxi strapped on the prop bow and arrow she would be using shortly, reached out to take the reins offered, and amidst a few small gasps, deftly mounted the horse.

With a gentle kick to the horse’s flank, the Red Blood Horse reared up and shot forward.

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