Chapter 60: Who could possibly understand this? I actually saw allure in a man?

Naturally, no one else was allowed to take pictures, with the official reason being the prevention of leaks.

However, this rule could only constrain them from taking photos; it couldn't stop people from talking about it outside. Everyone was well aware of this. It was just like filming on the streets previously—it was impossible to completely prevent random passersby from leaking spoilers. At most, they could only give a verbal reminder and ask people not to post the videos and photos they captured online. Unless they were enclosed within Hengdian or some scenic spot where they could shut the doors and film in private, it was a different story. Under normal circumstances, even blocking off a street to film would result in a barrage of complaint calls from numerous people.

Soon, Wen Muye went up to dance.

This drew roaring laughter from the crowd. After all, having graduated in choreography and later pursuing further studies in directing, his dance was a clumsy, unclassifiable mess. Yet the more awkward it was, the more entertaining it became.

Next in line, according to their billing order, was Xu Zheng. Xu Zheng naturally loved to eat, drink, and have fun. Coupled with the fact that he was playing an unkempt middle-aged man, him thrusting his belly out while dancing the pole dance had everyone laughing themselves into hysterics.

Zhou Yiwei hadn't come today; after all, he didn't have many scenes left. This particular sequence didn't require him at all, so Zhou Yiwei had temporarily left the production to attend to other engagements.

Thus, the next turn fell to Zhou Le.

He let out a sigh. Never had he imagined that the pole dancing he had just learned would come in handy so soon. Zhou Le was still wearing his costume and makeup from the set. Although he was inherently very handsome, the specialized makeup made him fit the script's narrative perfectly.

The music started.

Zhou Le began to dance along. Initially, he wanted to present a clumsy performance so everyone could have a good laugh and move on. However, the knowledge deeply ingrained in his brain instantly triggered his body's muscle memory. Even while improvising, his movements remained utterly standard.

And fiercely alluring.

"Stop right now, you damned hands! How can I be this proficient?!" Zhou Le wailed inwardly in his mind.

He could either stop dancing entirely, but the moment he moved, he danced like a professional dancer!

Xu Zheng and the others stared in absolute bewilderment.

Xu Zheng rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Am I that drunk? Is Zhou Le's pole dancing really this professional? Did I drink to the point of losing consciousness earlier, and you guys carried me off to a male hostess club?"

"No way, that really is Zhou Le up there!" Tan Zhuo was equally shocked. She never expected that after practicing bitterly for over a month, she still couldn't dance as well as Zhou Le at the end of the day? Although Zhou Le wore makeup to look sickly, that alluring charm of his was far superior to anyone else's!

"Damn it, I swear... I actually caught a glimpse of mature feminine grace in Zhou Le? What the hell is this!" Xu Zheng blurted out, finding the whole thing absurd.

If the main cast reacted this way, needless to say, the background extras were even more blown away.

"Coming to this gig today was so worth it! Not only did we get free drinks and fruit platters, but we actually got to witness a spectacle like this!"

"Forget about getting paid, I'd gladly pay out of my own pocket to watch this!"

"Teacher Zhou is awesome!"

The female extras shrieked, while the male extras were even shouting for him to strip.

Zhou Le listened with dark lines crisscrossing his forehead.

"I'm an actor, not a stripper. The girls shouting is one thing, but even the guys are egging me on and telling me to strip. Director, you tell me, is this reasonable?"

After coming down from the stage, Zhou Le complained to Wen Muye.

The atmosphere had been thoroughly heated up by Zhou Le's performance. However, because the people who danced after him couldn't match his skill, the audience's enthusiasm tapered off significantly.

Wen Muye clinked his glass against Zhou Le's. "Reasonable, perfectly reasonable. Let me tell you, for some women, seeing someone dance the pole well might make them curl their lips in disdain. But for men, as long as you aren't gay, dancing well simply means you're a badass!"

With that, he turned to Fu Guanming, the actor playing the manager. "Little Fu, what do you think of Zhou Le's dancing? I remember you graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy."

Fu Guanming looked at Zhou Le and said, "I have to hand it to you."

*I have to hand it to you*, *slightly superior*, *I can only manage to be a shade inferior*—this was already the highest praise one man could bestow upon another.

He didn't say this because Zhou Le's star power surpassed his; rather, he genuinely felt from the bottom of his heart that Zhou Le danced exceptionally well.

Afterward, Wen Muye asked again, "Le'er, what do you think?"

Zhou Le rubbed his hands together and sighed. "Right now, my inner thighs are hurting terribly. I feel like doing too much of this stuff might affect my 'good brother' down there, and it also makes me realize how exhausting it is for people who dance this for a living."

He truly knew how to dance. Yet whether one was a professional dancer or a guitar player, overusing the corresponding parts of the body would inevitably lead to calluses. Zhou Le only looked haggard, but after coming out of the construction site earlier, his skin had already recovered its tender state. Grinding against a pole up there for ages, he was naturally in a world of pain.

"Haha." Wen Muye burst into hearty laughter, then leaned in close to Zhou Le. "If you find it exhausting, how about I call a couple of girls over tonight to help you out and improve your quality of life?"

Zhou Le: "???"

"Director, you are so slick."

Only after saying that did Zhou Le turn serious. "Forget it. I'm the one who needs someone else to improve *my* quality of life. I originally earned a little money, but now I'm completely broke again and still owe a fair bit."

"It's fine, money is meant to be spent. If you're really suffering, I can introduce you to a few wealthy older women. I'll try to find young ones for you."

"Well..."

Zhou Le considered it for a moment.

"I think I'll pass."

Since he was a man blessed with a system, he still had to maintain some shred of ambition.

A wealthy older woman was essentially like a system—completing tasks could yield rewards, but in the long run, his own system was obviously much more reliable than any sugar mommy.

The following period of time returned to a normal routine: filming and losing weight.

Because they all got along well, by June, Zhou Le had finished filming the vast majority of his on-screen scenes. He then made a trip to Shanghai to complete the dubbing for *Wished*.

In July, Zhou Le directly requested a half-month leave to cooperate with the promotional work for *缝纫机乐队* (*City of Rock*).

The first stop of the roadshow was in Haikou.

When everyone saw Zhou Le, they were given a fright at first glance. They had to remember that the last time they met, Zhou Le had been full of vigor and glowing with health. Yet now, although he was still dressed sharply, he still looked sickly and frail.

"Le'er, what happened to you? Did you fall into a depression?"

Zhou Le sighed. "Ah, don't ask. It's from filming. Didn't I mention before that I was playing a patient? It's all for the job."

Na Zha, standing nearby, felt her heart ache fiercely at the sight.

"How much do you weigh now?"

Zhou Le thought about it. "I just weighed myself last night after skipping rope. One hundred and twenty pounds."

"You're one meter eighty-five and you weigh one hundred and twenty pounds? Why push yourself so hard? Just putting on a show of effort should be enough! If you keep going like this, you're going to ruin your health."

Na Zha grabbed Zhou Le's stick-thin arm, continuously murmuring that once filming wrapped up, she would definitely drag him out to eat plenty of good food.

"It's a deal!" Zhou Le instantly perked up.

Only Zhao Yingjun looked at Zhou Le, let out a final sigh, and patted Zhou Le's shoulder. "Brother, as someone who's been through this, I still advise you to take care of your health. No matter how many movies you shoot, nothing is more important than your physical well-being, seriously."

However, Zhou Le didn't think much of it, assuming the other man had also suffered from some illness in his childhood.

At the roadshow event, the audience was full of enthusiasm, the vast majority of them being Na Zha's fans. During one of the mini-games, Da Peng even had Zhou Le and Na Zha interact with each other, drawing wave after wave of piercing screams.

Afterward, Zhou Le went along with the schedule and posted on Weibo.

At least half of the comments below were from his old, abstract internet buddies. However, there was also a portion of Na Zha's fans who came to hurl abuse, and a small fraction even suspected that Zhou Le might be using drugs.

As a result, people who had actually attended the event immediately stepped forward to clarify that Zhou Le was simply losing weight for his next acting role.

Some people believed the online chatter, while others naturally didn't. As for the gossip media accounts, they naturally posted whatever topic generated the most explosive traffic.