This Asian actor's looks… and his acting too, there's really something there.
On the big screen, Chu Zhi appeared as the wandering painter Li. He had a cigarette between his lips, messy hair, plain clothes, but none of that could hide his striking looks.
His features were sharp and defined, every detail like a piece of art in a glass case, sculpted with care.
That razor-sharp jawline and nose bridge might've looked a little too delicate on someone else, but God paired them with firm, stable muscle lines. His skin was smooth and tight, the soft tissue plump enough to lift the arcs of his face. It was raw masculine beauty, and when he smiled, it lit up every curve of his face, radiating charm.
Once aboard, the wandering Asian painter stood at the ship's bow, gripping the ropes and gazing at the horizon. The sea breeze swept his hair across his forehead, and it slipped right into Laura's heart. For the first time, she realized just how beautiful dark eyes could be.
"The most exquisite face in Asia?" she thought. Silently, she agreed.
It wasn't a problem. Laura knew she wasn't just some shallow fangirl obsessed with looks.
Unsinkable could be summed up in one line: it had the vibe of a cliché drama, a rich girl cheating on her fiancé with a penniless painter.
But Cameron's cinematic language held the audience tight. Even if they completely disagreed with the characters' values, they couldn't dismiss this as trash.
The film first raised the issue of class, with the stark contrast between first-class cabins and the third-class steerage.
Then came the theme of female oppression. The heroine's mother didn't care about her daughter's feelings at all. Their once-prestigious family was fading, and to cling to their noble facade, the daughter had to be used as a tool for marriage. Countless European and American women in the audience resonated with that.
"A poor boy and a rich girl's story?" Crawford thought. America's most famous tales—Cinderella, princess and pauper, rich girl with a poor boy—had been adapted more times than she could count.
The way Rose and Li met, grew closer, and fell for each other flowed naturally. Saving her life, spitting over the rail for fun, dancing wildly with the common folk in third class. Even when mocked at a fancy dinner, Li's calm yet confident reply caught Rose's attention.
And when My Heart Will Go On swelled, the iconic moment of Rose and Li stretching their arms at the bow played out. Crawford's head practically filled with pink bubbles. Who could resist that?! Using a face like his to test audiences… way too unfair.
"Even though I'm already Chu Zhi's fan, he really should act in more films."
Crawford's road to becoming one of Little Fruits was short, so let's take the long way to explain.
Her grandmother was a devout Christian. A month ago, Chu Zhi uploaded full versions of Jesus Loves Me and Amazing Grace to Western platforms. Ever since, those two songs had been looping nonstop at home.
No matter how good a song is, being forced to hear it hundreds of times will make you hate it. Crawford resented the Chinese star at first. But one day, she stumbled across a TikTok clip of Azazel's unmasking.
That was it. She turned into a loyal fan. She even bought physical albums of All Nations, Vol. 1 and The One Gazed Upon by Gods.
On TikTok (the overseas version of Douyin), countless edits of Chu Zhi's looks circulated. And nothing was reused more than his reveal on The Masked Singer US. Out of the corner of her eye, Crawford tried sneaking a glance at Laura. But the theater was too dark, she couldn't see her friend's expression. So she pulled her gaze back and focused on the movie.
Titanic ran for more than three hours, yet not a single person left for the bathroom.
Then the story nosedived.
When the ship hit the iceberg, Cameron filmed the disaster like it was the end of the world. Facing death, some marched bravely forward, some schemed desperately to live, some kept playing music as the ship sank. In front of catastrophe, the so-called gem of early twentieth-century industry was as fragile as paper. The hull split, water poured in.
"I figure life's a gift, I don't intend on wasting it. You never know what's coming next, so you've got to learn to accept it."
"You'll get out alive. You've got to live, raise lots of kids, watch them grow. You'll pass away warm in your bed, not here tonight, not like this."
"Winning that ticket was the best thing that ever happened to me. Rose, I'm content."
The painter Li's role grew heavier in the second half.
But most of the ship was filled with ordinary people, just struggling to survive.
Sniffling began to spread through the theater, and Crawford's own chest clenched tight.
The man's looks and the story had completely pulled her in.
Idolia, the actress playing Rose, was famous in Hollywood for her beauty. Crawford liked her too. But put Idolia and Chu Zhi side by side—her in a velvet gown, lace corset, and wide black belt, him in nothing more than a plain checkered jacket and black linen shirt—and somehow, he still stole the spotlight.
He barely had any makeup, just soft lips, rosy cheeks, smooth skin. How could a wandering painter have skin that good? That had to be against the rules. Then she corrected herself: wandering painter didn't mean filthy vagabond. He didn't have to look shabby.
When Chu Zhi's character risked himself to save others, when he floated in the freezing water, Crawford broke. Tears streamed down her face, and she found herself whispering along with his last Chinese line, "I'm content."
"Laura…" she started to speak, but when she turned, her friend was clutching her chest, face scrunched, crying just as hard.
Clearly, she'd been moved by the love story.
The film ended without a post-credits scene.
Regular theaters don't do standing ovations, so people just filed out quietly.
Even though the heroine's old age was peaceful, a so-called happy ending, most of the audience walked out heavy-hearted, weighed down by the gloom.
Laura was among them, but her mind kept circling back to certain images. How could a man's lips be that tempting? Especially wet with seawater, shining with that pronounced cupid's bow. It was like the forbidden fruit Satan tempted Adam and Eve with, irresistible.
A cupid's bow doesn't always look good, but on Chu Zhi's face, it was perfect.
And then that final look he gave Rose as he sank, weak but filled with boundless love at the corner of his eyes. It stirred her heart to its core. She almost wanted to shove the heroine aside and take her place. Maybe the title Unsinkable didn't just mean the ship, but Rose's eternal love for Li.
"No wonder some people call him a fallen angel." For a second, Laura thought Chu Zhi's Li might actually be more handsome than Douglas.
Douglas had the blazing beauty of a sun god, but this Chinese man… he had the face of an angel.
And the acting wasn't bad either. Laura convinced herself completely.
Crawford and Laura were just a small example. Truthfully, Crawford's taste was the taste of the masses. Which meant, with Unsinkable releasing worldwide, Asia, Europe, North America, Australia… the whole planet was about to be swept up in the storm of his godlike face!