Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 687: Teacher Xiao, You're Trending Again!

"So this time, not only did you give a group of fans a lesson in performance, you also won Qu Chengcheng's recognition, and received an invitation for a script that's preparing to enter an international competition?"

Liu Rulan was just as amazed by Xiao He's uncanny ability to create opportunities for himself.

Xiao He shrugged, looked back at Liu Rulan, and said helplessly, "If we must trace it back, it really started with you asking me to perform Twelve Mirrors at my birthday event, right?"

Liu Rulan: "Uh, it does seem that way..."

"So the top-notch agent is still making moves a year later?" Xiao He teased.

Liu Rulan had no intention of stealing credit. Who would have guessed that the birthday performance would influence things a year on? She couldn't have planned that.

—However, judging by the current situation, her gamble had paid off, and Xiao He’s ability was clearly solid.

Liu Rulan chuckled softly, signaled the driver Lao Qi in front to start driving, then turned to him and said, "Instead of worrying about that, you’d better put more thought into reporting to the set tomorrow. As for the two invitations after that, I’ll handle the initial contacts for you. I’ll check the scripts first, and if one looks good, I’ll pass it to you."

That script check was naturally more than a simple read-through; it included a series of evaluations, like risk assessment and value appraisal.

Xiao He only needed to think about whether to accept or decline; they had many more considerations to make. So this workflow was the implicit agreement between both sides.

"Mm, got it."

Xiao He didn’t press the matter further.

...

Although it was a private visit, there was no doubt Xiao He’s presence today had been a bit over the top. The students they met at the National Theater were outstanding prospects from the Beijing Drama Academy; many of them aimed to enter the entertainment industry. So leveraging Xiao He’s fame to make a splash inside the circle was a worthwhile move, and a significant portion of those students were already Xiao He’s fans.

They would naturally share the thrill of meeting their idol online. Almost the moment Xiao He sat in the practice room to prepare his lecture, news of his theater visit had spread across the internet. If the atmosphere on site hadn’t been so formal, and if no teachers were watching, some of the bolder students would have happily live-streamed during the class. Unfortunately, the live-stream idea never came to fruition. By the time class ended, what circulated online were mostly clips of the lesson, not a full live feed.

But for fans who hadn't seen it in person and were hearing about Xiao He teaching publicly for the first time, those clips were already electrifying. In the videos, the young man dressed casually but wore a serious expression; with his outfit underneath, he genuinely had a bit of the vibe of a young university lecturer. Most of the spread content concentrated on his recreation of the Twelve Mirrors performance.

In reality, multiple-personality switches don’t occur that fast, but art amplifies elements to reveal strange allure. So when people once again watched Xiao He seamlessly switch personas up close, it still gave a chilling, possession-like thrill. This was one of the main reasons Twelve Mirrors had exploded on foreign websites. The struggle between personalities, the contortions of the inner world, made the audience feel like they were witnessing multiple souls fighting for the same face.

No wonder some foreign netizens insisted Xiao He was a mysterious exorcist performing terrifying sacrifices to invite possession. More frighteningly, when viewers watched the practice-room footage a year later, observant parties noticed Xiao He's acting had improved another level. Previously, those persona switches needed stage lighting and sound effects to make them feel smooth and mysterious. Now Xiao He no longer needed those aids. He merely sat down, and a performance equivalent to stage enhancement unfolded. The same smoothness, the same mystery, the same heart-stopping impact—only a year had passed, yet he had completed a transformation of another kind: more mature, more restrained, and more intimidating.

Their discovery had come too late; this visible growth not only shocked people inside the industry but left countless casual viewers and fans stunned.

"I thought it was a fan filter at first, but turns out he really improved."

"I'm a total outsider. I used to think Xiao He was too young to teach these students. I pictured him awkwardly reading from slides, but after seeing this performance I realized I was naive."

"Bro Xiao really takes another step when you think he's already done well. He's so hardworking, I'm crying."

"So Hajibox, you're still improving your acting after last year? Winning two Best Actor awards in one year wasn't enough? If you go for the sweep next, what will we do?"

"I thought last year's stage performance was shocking enough, but seeing the return-to-simplicity in the practice room now, I realize Xiao He was already amazing a year ago, and now he's amazing to the max."

"What the—what has Brother Xiao been eating this year? Why did his acting improve so terrifyingly fast?"

"The domestic entertainment industry is waking up. Can you still sleep? If not, sign up for a class. I think Brother Xiao's performance lesson is great—he teaches so well! Although when I practiced his facial distortions in front of my mirror my mom thought I had a neurological problem, isn't this still success?"

"??? Hahaha, I can’t hold it in. Brother Xiao teaches you how to quickly become a lunatic..."

Xiao He himself was a bit surprised by the discussion about his acting improvement.

"Huh? Really?" he scratched his head and thought back over his recent schedule. It didn't seem like he'd deliberately taken extra time to study acting. But perhaps because he had taken on more varied roles and seen more of the world, acting had become more natural for him; he no longer needed external gimmicks. Relying on himself, maybe it wasn't so hard anymore...

Compared to the debate over Xiao He's acting, the ever-eager netizens soon focused on another detail—

"So can these people now openly call themselves Xiao He's students? Damn it, is it too late for me to try to get into Beijing Drama Academy?"

"I'm also curious, who's that handsome guy standing next to Brother Xiao at the podium?"

"I think his name is Yang Heng. He's the Chief Performer of the National Theater’s youth troupe, a super impressive guy. If memory serves, he played the highly regarded young General Chen, Emperor Chen's youth portrayal."

"Wow, so this is a historic frame? Young General Chen and the mature Emperor Chen together?"

"Speaking of which, Brother Xiao is reporting to set tomorrow. See you in a few days, sigh."

"Ha—" Outside the comment section, Xiao He started to sigh too. "Reporting to set tomorrow... these guys really know my schedule."

But it couldn't be helped. At least it didn't affect their work. "So, finally going to be the emperor?"