Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

Wei Zheng seized the opportunity to encourage everyone.

"The crisis is over, but this only proves that some people don't want to see us succeed! We need to prove ourselves and make this film look amazing!"

"Slap them in the face with your work!"

However, Xinghui Capital and Mr. Zhao are clearly not going to give up so easily.

After the venue threat failed, the media offensive escalated dramatically.

Several influential marketing accounts launched their attacks almost simultaneously, resulting in a deluge of smear articles.

This time, the attack is no longer directed at Wei Zheng personally, but rather at the "iPartment" project itself.

"Is vulgarity considered funny? Uncovering the hidden jokes in Jiang Nian's support for the new sitcom 'iPartment'!"

"Chaotic relationships among the actors? There are suspected cliques and constant turmoil within the production crew!"

"Investors withdrawing their funding: Has Love Apartment become an unfinished project?"

"Script suspected of plagiarism? Netizens uncover suspected borrowing from multiple classic foreign comedy scenes!"

These articles appear to be well-reasoned and supported by evidence, but in reality they are based on hearsay and taken out of context.

Internet trolls sprang into action, flooding related topics with comments and inciting uninformed netizens to follow suit and question the claims.

Although many of Jiang Nian and Tang Youyou's fans tried their best to defend them, negative voices suddenly arose.

"This script is a bit awkward; it's funny for the sake of being funny."

"No wonder they're all hiring newcomers. Who with any real fame would want to take on this kind of role?"

"Did Jiang Nian misjudge the situation this time? Won't this kind of drama ruin his image?"

"I heard things aren't very peaceful inside the production crew. There's an actress named Hu Yifei who's particularly domineering..."

These comments were like poisonous thorns, piercing the hearts of everyone in the crew.

Young actors, in particular, have never experienced this level of cyberbullying.

"Aren't they going too far? Our entire drama hasn't even finished filming yet. What they've released so far are just some behind-the-scenes clips they secretly filmed. And they're judging us based on these clips? We haven't even sued them for secretly filming us!" Tang Youyou clenched her fist and slammed it angrily on the table.

He was somewhat well-known among this group, so he had the greatest influence.

Many people say that he is too complicated, or even not good enough.

Even though I know they're talking nonsense, it still makes me feel a little uncomfortable after they say those things.

After all, no one wants to see their hard-earned work criticized.

Not only him, but the other main actors were also extremely dissatisfied at this moment.

Hu Yifei and Zeng Xiaoxian are both newcomers. Although they graduated from a drama school, they don't actually have many good acting works.

But now that she's only just started acting, she's already being ridiculed by netizens, which is even harder for her to bear.

Then there's no need to talk about Guan Gu and his friends.

The atmosphere on set became tense again.

During rehearsals, everyone's smiles were somewhat forced, and they recited their lines cautiously, afraid that they would be taken out and misinterpreted.

Wei Zheng was extremely anxious and organized several clarifications and issued an official statement.

But in the face of the public opinion wave manipulated by those with ulterior motives, the effect was like a stone sinking into the sea!

"Director Wei, this can't go on."

Tang Youyou was filled with worry.

“Everyone’s emotions are affected, and the filming is almost impossible. Moreover, once this negative impression is formed, even if the drama is filmed, the audience may watch it with prejudice.”

Wei Zheng frowned, once again feeling the cruelty and powerlessness of the power of capital.

He was full of confidence when faced with real filming.

But he was somewhat helpless in the face of this kind of subtle, insidious attack from public opinion.

Jiang Nian, however, quietly arrived at the film set.

He didn't disturb many people; he just stood quietly in the corner, watching the rehearsal area.

The actors are filming a scene depicting everyday life in an apartment living room.

What should have been a lighthearted and funny scene turned into a stiff and contrived performance due to everyone's distracted state, completely disrupting the comedic rhythm.

"Card!"

Wei Zheng sighed and waved his hand.

"Let's all take a break and get back into shape."

The actors, as if granted a pardon, scattered, their faces filled with dejection.

Jiang Nian then slowly walked over.

"Teacher Jiang!"

When everyone saw Jiang Nian, it was as if they had found their pillar of support. They immediately surrounded him, chattering about their recent grievances and pressures.

Jiang Nian listened quietly, without any sign of impatience on her face.

When everyone had finished speaking, he smiled slightly and glanced at each young and anxious face.

"It seems everyone is having trouble sleeping because of the noise outside?"

His tone was relaxed, carrying a strange, comforting power.

"Teacher Jiang, they've gone too far!"

"That's utter nonsense!" Hu Yifei said angrily.

"Yes, Teacher Jiang, how should we refute this?"

"We can't just let them smear us, can we?" Zeng Xiaoxian chimed in.

Jiang Nian did not answer directly, but walked to the center of the venue, picked up the script excerpt that had been criticized as "vulgar," and casually flipped through it.

"They said this joke is vulgar?" Jiang Nian pointed to one of Zeng Xiaoxian's self-deprecating lines.

"You mean your relationship is messy?" He glanced at the scene where Hu Yifei and Lu Ziqiao were arguing.

"You say the script is plagiarized?" He closed the script, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Director Wei, I remember you said before that the core of comedy is the clash between real-life logic and character traits, right?"

Wei Zheng nodded quickly.

"Yes, Teacher Jiang. I firmly believe that our script is original and has vitality."

"That's right."

Jiang Nian looked around at everyone.

"Since we have a clear conscience, why should we let others' stigmatization lead us by the nose?"

"The more they try to smear us, the more we will live cleanly and laugh loudly."

He paused for a moment, then threw out an idea that stunned everyone.

"Since they enjoy discussing us so much, why don't we invite everyone to participate in and oversee our creative process?"

"Invite...everyone?"

Wei Zheng didn't react for a moment.

"Yes."

"I suggest that 'iPartment' could consider adopting a filming-as-you-go model."

"Filming and broadcasting simultaneously?"

This concept was still very novel in the mainland film and television industry at the time.

Everyone was startled.

“Yes,” Jiang Nian explained.

"We don't aim to film everything at once and then release it all at once."

“We can turn it into a weekly drama series, with one or two episodes released every week.”

"At the same time, we should make full use of online platforms, not just for broadcasting, but more importantly for interaction."

"interactive?"

Tang Youyou seemed to have caught a glimpse of inspiration.

“Yes.” Jiang Nian continued to explain his idea.

“We can proactively upload short videos of the crew’s daily life, or even some harmless ‘embarrassing moments,’ to the internet.”

"It's not about making excuses, it's about showcasing." "Show your hard work, show your professionalism, and show your authenticity as a group of young people."

“We can use memes, and even make fun of ourselves.”

Jiang Nian's smile had a hint of slyness.

"What we want the audience to see is not a perfectly packaged production team, but a group of young people with dreams and worries, working together to create an interesting work."

"This sense of realism and participation is something that no amount of online trolls can erase."

Jiang Nian's words enlightened everyone.

"I understand!"

Wei Zheng was the first to react, and excitedly slapped his thigh.

"Teacher Jiang, are you saying that we should turn this crisis into an excellent marketing opportunity?"

"Use sincerity and transparency to combat slander and manipulation?"

"It's not just marketing."

Jiang Nian corrected.

"It's also a shift in creative attitude."

"To allow the audience to immerse themselves in the world of Love Apartment in advance and grow together with the characters."

"Their feedback and discussions can even serve as a reference for your creative process, making the plot more realistic and down-to-earth."

"This is a win-win situation."

"awesome!"

Hu Yifei's eyes lit up.

"Instead of letting them speculate and make baseless accusations, let's show our true selves!"

"Let's see who dares to talk nonsense now!"

I'm good at making fun of myself!

Zeng Xiaoxian immediately perked up.

"We guarantee our bashing will be high-quality, stylish, and leave the bashers with nowhere to run!"

Seeing the renewed fighting spirit of the crowd, Jiang Nian nodded in satisfaction.

He believes that the sincerity, talent, and humor of these young people are their most powerful weapons.

"You can brainstorm ideas for the specific procedures."

Jiang Nian said to Wei Zheng.

"From a technical standpoint, if we need support from online platforms, I can ask Yang Mi to help with the connection. She's very experienced in new media operations now."

"Thank you, Teacher Jiang! I know what to do now!"

Wei Zheng's confidence soared, and he felt that the road ahead had never been so clear.

Jiang Nian's arrival and his guidance completely changed the crew's mindset.

People are no longer afraid of negative public opinion.

Instead, they see it as both a challenge and an opportunity.

Just do it.

Wei Zheng immediately convened a meeting of core members to develop a detailed plan for filming and broadcasting simultaneously, as well as new media interaction.

They applied for an official social media account and named it "Love Apartment Diary".

The very first video released featured Wei Zheng himself, against a backdrop of a slightly cluttered but vibrant film set.

He did not shy away from the recent controversy, but instead spoke in a lighthearted and joking tone:
"I heard recently that our production team is quite popular; we're trending on social media every day even before filming has started."

"Thank you to all the enthusiastic netizens for your supervision!"

"In order not to disappoint everyone's support, we've decided to go all out."

"This Love Apartment Diary account will be updated daily with our survival stories, absolutely real and fresh! All neighbors are welcome to visit often and rant together!"

The video immediately attracted a lot of attention upon its release.

Netizens were stunned!
What kind of film crew does this?

Not only do they not shy away from negative news, but they also actively "expose" it themselves?
"Aren't Wei Zheng and Jiang Nian crazy? There's already so much dirt on them online, and they're adding more dirt on themselves. What kind of operation is this? They're actively creating dirt on themselves and even welcoming everyone to come and supervise them."

Not only that, but look at the videos they post on the internet, they're all full of all sorts of rubbish, and all sorts of outrageous stuff.

You can even see quite a few videos of grass.

Many viewers online quickly noticed this matter.

Moreover, the problem was only discovered after I paid attention to it.

That means Wei Zheng is truly an honest person.

What he released were actually behind-the-scenes clips and some funny and outrageous moments, not fake Easter eggs.

It's important to know that many TV dramas and their Easter eggs are fake; they are filmed by the actors specifically for the audience to see.

But Wei Zheng is different; every video he shoots is very real, including the scenes of arguing.

After witnessing this scene, the online sentiment naturally began to shift.

While the future development of Love Apartment cannot be guaranteed, the fact that such an interesting combination and storyline has made many viewers look forward to the full series is undeniable.

This unconventional approach instantly piqued the curiosity of countless people.

These vivid, authentic, and down-to-earth moments quickly bridged the gap between the production team and the audience.

Netizens commented:
"Hahaha, this is hilarious! Is this a comedy crew having a team-building event?"

"Hu Yifei is so cute! She's clearly all bark and no bite!"

"Zeng Xiaoxian is so cheeky, but I love him!"

"Was Guan Gu Shenqi raised on cute food?"

"I didn't know filming was so much fun! I love it!"

"This is what young people should be like! They're so much more real than those aloof celebrities!"

Of course, some online trolls are still putting up a stubborn resistance, posting comments accusing the trolls of whitewashing and putting on a show.

But at this point, the production team no longer needs to personally refute it.

A large number of real netizens spontaneously stood up to defend it:
"Can a show be made this convincingly? You try it and show me!"

"Ten thousand times better than those film crews that post heavily edited photos every day!"

"I like watching it, so what? You can't argue with that!"

Under Jiang Nian's skillful guidance, public opinion began to undergo a subtle but firm reversal.

"iPartment" became a hit even before its release, accumulating a large number of fans and generating anticipation in an unexpected way.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Jiang Nian's instructions to Bai Yongxu had already quietly taken effect.

Zhao, the CEO of Xinghui Capital, and Li Tianlan soon discovered that not only had they failed to bring down the "iPartment" production team as planned, but they themselves were also starting to encounter numerous troubles.

The tax authorities suddenly came to conduct a "routine inspection," and several important cooperative projects encountered a series of strange accidents, even some old accounts were dug up...

Li Tianlan sat in his luxurious office, listening to his subordinates' reports, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

For the first time, she realized that the actor named Jiang Nian was far more than just a simple celebrity.

He is like a silent iceberg, with only a small part visible above the water, but beneath it lies a terrifyingly powerful energy.

“Jiang Nian…we’ll see.”

Li Tianlan gritted her teeth, but a sense of apprehension unconsciously arose in her heart.

Meanwhile, inside the "iPartment" film crew's studio, the lights were on.

Having weathered the storms, the team's cohesion is stronger than ever before.

Wei Zheng sat behind the monitor.

The first official long take ended perfectly with Zeng Xiaoxian's funny line and Hu Yifei's disgusted eye roll.

"Pass!"

Wei Zheng's voice was loud and powerful.

A burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted on set. (End of Chapter)