Read Novel Full Chapter 758: Pu Rong: “Crap, it’s aimed at me!”
Chapter 758: Pu Rong: “Crap, it’s aimed at me!”
The roadshow went very smoothly.
Leave aside how Hemiao’s father got pulled into interviews by nearby bloggers afterward, Xiao He and the rest of the Thief Catcher 2 crew stepped offstage together to wait for the second session of the roadshow.
Lin Yipeng’s phone hardly stopped ringing.
Xiao He overheard bits and pieces and guessed it was the various major investors. As parties who had been tracking box office developments for the May Day season, they were the first to notice Thief Catcher 2’s potential. Just one Xiao He alone was enough to boost the film’s ticket sales. What they were waiting to see now was the real release result.
So it wasn’t surprising that almost as soon as the first batch of screenings went live, investors with connections were already calling in a hurry, scrambling to fund Lin Yipeng. Their only requirement was that Xiao He must star in Thief Catcher 3! Even more extreme, some didn’t even bother with courtesy toward the production and demanded Xiao He be cast as the lead.
Pu Rong, standing to the side and having heard these requests from the big-money investors, fell silent for a moment before forcing out a helpless smile. “Crap, now I really feel my position is unstable!”
In Thief Catcher 1, Xiao He’s status didn’t even qualify him as the second male lead; he was just a supporting role. By Thief Catcher 2, Xiao He had effectively become one of the main cast, though he was still ranked behind Pu Rong—what many fans were calling the second-billed male lead. For the third installment, Pu Rong genuinely had no idea what would happen.
Although Xiao He’s meteoric rise made Pu Rong happy for him, the prospect of being bumped down the billing left Pu Rong feeling defeated and anxious. After Thief Catcher exploded on the online theater circuit, Pu Rong did gain considerable attention and later participated intermittently in other productions, sometimes as lead, sometimes as support. But the entertainment industry was brutally competitive; despite several years of hard work, aside from being mentioned when people compiled lists of “action stars,” it was hard for him to break through further.
After all, in the current environment, traffic rules everything.
If he couldn’t convert traffic into income, he couldn’t prove his value. Without that proof, the resources that had once flowed to him because of his action star breakout would evaporate. Pu Rong feared repeating the old Thief Catcher 1 route: when Thief Catcher 2 rose, he might miss the opportunity again.Xiao He understood Pu Rong’s simple anxiety. He reached out, patted Pu Rong’s shoulder, and said, “Director Lin already has his scale in mind. Jiang Rushu is the absolute protagonist of the Thief Catcher series; no one can change that, otherwise Thief Catcher won’t be Thief Catcher anymore. You are still the most handsome Jiang Rushu in my heart! Didn’t you see how many people praised you at the event?”
“When Thief Catcher 1 came out, even limited by platform constraints, your Jiang Rushu started a trend for martial arts male leads. Now that we’ve successfully brought Thief Catcher 2 to the theaters, are you still worried you’ll lose ground?”
Shen Jue was good—when seen from Xiao He’s perspective he naturally favored Shen Jue—but Jiang Rushu’s charismatic integrity was also undeniable. Pu Rong’s fight scenes were real, and his acting wasn’t bad. Across both films, Jiang Rushu consistently followed his path: chivalrous, righteous, compassionate. This traditional wuxia-style male lead would be beloved across eras.
Thief Catcher 2’s successful platform upgrade let more people learn Jiang Rushu’s character and understand his kindness, loyalty, and compassion. Compared with Shen Jue’s bloody Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique, Jiang Rushu’s swordplay looked cooler and steadier.
Xiao He believed that during this May Day season, Pu Rong would definitely capture a wave of traffic and leap further. Thief Catcher 2 deserved it, and so did Pu Rong. Xiao He never minded others’ success; otherwise, after winning double Best Actor awards he wouldn’t still willingly take supporting roles. For Xiao He, he no longer needed to prove himself, but for others this was an excellent opportunity.
“Phew—”
Pu Rong exhaled deeply, tightened his fist, and his eyes flashed with determined light. “Mm!”
He would definitely make it this time! If not... he could always go back to his own martial arts school and wait for another chance.
...
As expected.
On the premiere day for major May Day releases, Thief Catcher 2 exploded. Thief Catcher 1’s popularity rose along with this surge, sending it to the top of the online movie charts and drawing a flood of both new and returning viewers to pay for screenings. Pu Rong’s and Xiao He’s names climbed the Hot Search list together.
Meanwhile, the blogger who had interviewed Hemiao’s father at the premiere quickly produced a video of the Thief Catcher 2 viewing experience and posted it across major platforms, instantly racking up huge engagement. As the primary promotional battleground, Douyin short videos gained massive plays and likes. Even the clip of Hemiao’s father calling out “Brother Xiao” to Xiao He at the event spread widely.
When netizens sentimentally said “Your Brother Xiao will always be your Brother Xiao,” more people began reading feedback about Thief Catcher 2’s plot and started buying movie tickets to support it.
“It’s still authentic wuxia fight choreography, Jiang Rushu saved the day so handsomely! Everyone go watch it!”
“Finally not those wire-suspended ethereal immortals! Do you get that grounded kung fu fighting? Real, solid martial arts contests! I’m stunned every time I watch!”
“Why couldn’t Thief Catcher 1 get into theaters back then? I regret that so much. This time I’ll watch Thief Catcher 2 twice to make up for the first film.”
“Friends, watching it twice isn’t a waste! Some of the fight scenes are so fast—zap zap zap—I missed some moves the first watch. Back when I saw the first film I didn’t speed it up; watching twice in a theater gives a different experience!”
“Everyone’s talking about the fights, but do I love the plot? I really love both Thief Catcher films! The protagonists are ordinary people who still see their country’s fate through their eyes. In chaotic times it’s both the powers above fighting for control and the small characters fighting to survive. It leaves you heavy-hearted.”
“I love the Thief Catcher series! Rivers and mountains collapsing, the martial world at its end—ordinary people are as insignificant as grass, yet they don’t lose their chivalrous spirit and patriotic honesty. I really like Jiang Rushu. Pu Rong performs him wonderfully!”
“Also, the backgrounds chosen for both films are brilliant. The first focused on the suffering of the common people; the second shows unrest on the frontier. It’s truly domestic turmoil and external crisis, fully displaying the end of that great era—a small person’s life is so fragile.”
“People are already saying both Thief Catcher openings are great. In the first, it’s a lone boat on the river—people drifting like weeds, powerless to resist oppression. In the second, it’s solitary smoke over vast desert—people die like dust, leaving no trace, forced into humility. Both are thematic and ironic; Director Lin really has vision.”
As viewing reviews for Thief Catcher 2 rolled in, Xiao He’s fanbase steadily grew. That was routine for him. But Pu Rong shot into stardom, gaining a million followers over the May Day period and successfully leveling up thanks to Jiang Rushu. Thief Catcher 2 was destined to become a major turning point in his career.