Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 407 The Identity of Xiao Liu, the Leader of the Anti-fan Group, is Exposed
Due to the proximity of the Berlin Film Festival and the Oscars on the timeline, Harvey, who was in North America at the time, began organizing the release of "Sky of History" on 2500 screens in North America as early as the day after the opening ceremony premiere on February 7.

The crew was all in Berlin for the festival, but they had just finished preview screenings and promotions in January. Coupled with the bombardment of internet media under the influence of Ask North America, as well as the support and encouragement of 600 million Chinese Americans in North America, the scene wasn't too bad.

Harvey has influenced so many Hollywood stars that you can't count them on one hand. Lu Kuan has also worked with top stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Cruise. It's always good to have someone support him.

North America uses a segmented system, with art-house cinemas primarily screening independent films, foreign language films, and award-winning films from film festivals. Their audience tends to consist of film buffs, award judges, and highly educated individuals.

From a market perspective, for general historical biopics, in order to maximize profits and adapt to the market, they will choose to have limited screenings in art-house cinemas with prices not exceeding 500 yuan.

If the Oscars, a bellwether for the pre-Oscars, perform well and the Oscar winners are positive, more screenings can be added based on market feedback, allowing for wider distribution.

For example, "Letters from Iwo Jima" in 2006, "Atonement" in 2007, and "Zero Dark Thirty" in 2012.

The most standard example is the 2008 November edition of "Slumdog Millionaire".

11月12号在艺术院线点映，随后借着金球奖的热度开画600块屏幕，1月斩获奥斯卡后火力全开到4000块。

Serious historical films, especially those set in non-English-speaking regions, tend to perform inconsistently in commercial cinemas, and large-scale releases can easily lead to low box office revenue per screen.

Therefore, art films typically have to pay a deposit of around $10 per screen to be shown in commercial theaters, in order to prevent theaters from losing all their money.

However, the situation with "The Sky of History" is somewhat special.

It's not exactly an art film, but it's certainly not a purely commercial film either.

In addition, given the film's original purpose—to clarify history, enhance its influence, and break the narrative monopoly of Western social classes on World War II—it was decided to take a risky approach by opting for wide distribution from the outset.

The film's investment, including pre-release marketing costs, amounted to a staggering $6000 million. If online promotional activities on Mytube and Twitter hadn't replaced some of the offline promotions, the costs would have skyrocketed.

For Mr. Lu, having accumulated wealth to this point, it is certainly necessary to be prudent and guard against potential systemic risks to his business empire.

But for a film like this, it might be a once-in-a-lifetime event, like the Olympics.

Under the premise of adhering to basic business rules, the natural approach is to operate at full capacity, with value return being the primary consideration and economic return being secondary.

So the film crew in Berlin, while attending events and giving interviews every day, also kept a close eye on the box office figures and ratings from websites such as IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.

On its North American premiere day, February 8, 2008, it grossed around $5.5 million, a respectable figure.

The film was co-released by Disney and Miramax, covering mainstream art-house cinemas and some commercial theaters, but the serious historical subject matter limited the number of viewers.

The first batch of Rotten Tomatoes scores 83% fresh, with the top-rated short review describing it as "a breathtaking historical epic."
With an IMDB rating of 8.2, viewers generally approve of the film's quality, but many feel that the subject matter is too heavy.

The MTC received a media score of 80, which is a relatively optimistic figure.

IMDb is purely user-rating, while MTC is professional media rating, supplemented by user ratings. Both are dynamic and will improve as a film becomes popular or wins awards.

Among these, IMDB is similar to Douban in China, representing the word-of-mouth reputation of ordinary users;

MTC collects and weights opinions from over 500 authoritative media outlets worldwide, with mainstream media receiving higher weight and smaller media receiving lower weight.

In terms of ratings for classic films, "The Shawshank Redemption" scored 92 points, "The Godfather" scored 97 points, and Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" scored 96 points.

Previously, Lu Kuan's highest-scoring film was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" with 89 points, only 1 point higher than his friend Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction".

In similar genres, 1993's "Schindler's List" ultimately received a Metacritic score of 94, entering the category of "film classics."

In more recent years, the 2004 film "Hotel Rwanda," which depicts the genocide in Africa, only received a score of 79 on Metacritic.

The 2006 World War II film "Letters from Iwo Jima" directed by Clint Eastwood, told from the perspective of the Japanese army, has a Metacritic score of 89.

Overall, compared to similar films, "Sky" received relatively optimistic ratings after its premiere.

After grossing 550 million on its opening day, the box office for the first three days (August 8th, 9th, and 10th) reached 1400 million, showing a relatively stable trend with neither signs of a major surge nor a decline.

However, this figure is not very optimistic considering the marketing expenses of up to $6000 million.

Fortunately, this was all within Lu Kuan and the crew's expectations. Everyone was waiting for the Berlin and Oscars to be successful. Whichever one was a success, it would be a very effective boost to the box office.

The premiere of "The Sky of History" in China was at the end of February, after the cast and crew returned to China from the Oscars.

Copyright negotiations are underway in Europe and other regions, and the final decision will be made after the awards ceremony. This is the usual practice; the rights and rights are always up for grabs.

On February 16, 2008, after a week in theaters in North America, "Sky of History" had only grossed $22 million, with its subject matter significantly impacting its box office performance.

Despite the best efforts made in the early publicity and promotion, the endorsement of key figures such as Lu Kuan, Tom Hanks, and Moore, and the strong support from the Chinese community, the objective situation was such that it was beyond human control to change.

Inside their room at the Kempinski Hotel, Liu Xiaoli, her daughter, and Iris Chang were sitting in front of a computer, browsing film reviews and online news reposted in China.

The expressions on the faces of the three people were not optimistic, and it was clear that most of the domestic media were also pessimistic.

"Nanfang" acted as a vanguard against the trend, reposting some negative reviews from abroad as early as the second day after its premiere, and even fabricating its own negative reviews to attack "Sky".

What about the chief director of the Olympics? What about the richest man?
Fans and readers familiar with the past practices of the "Nanfang" series know how daring the "Nanfang" series is.

At certain historical periods, members of the Nanfang Group were complacent, believing that as long as they were "a little less influential than the heavens," nothing was off-limits for criticism.

They're too lazy to criticize or piggyback on the success of these small-time figures.

For celebrities like Lu Kuan—wealthy people who are famous both inside and out—they are perfect targets for opportunistic attacks. As long as they criticize the movie itself, no one can find fault with it.

Even if they point out mistakes and are forced to remove their comments or posts, it is still a matter of not fearing power, speaking out for justice, and sacrificing themselves for righteousness.

Doesn't this reveal the professional ethics of contemporary journalists?

Worried that the junior reporters wouldn't be able to handle the pressure, Li, the editor-in-chief of the news department of "Nanfang," personally stepped in to meet with Boss Lu, the big boss.

He wrote a lengthy front-page article titled "The Patriotic Business of China's Richest Man":
When national trauma becomes a commercial gimmick, can we still expect genuine artistic expression?

Before discussing "The Sky of History," I'd like to share some news I recently learned from friends in the film industry.

For example, after director Lu hesitated to compete in the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival film seasons for two consecutive years, he surprisingly re-released his previous film, "Aftershock," before the Lunar New Year.

They even called it a 4K high-definition re-release, claiming it was for public service announcements about earthquake escape.

Is this appropriate?

Perhaps, this ugly capitalist behavior also reveals, to some extent, the director's own insecurity about "The Sky of History".

You've made two movies in a row that profit from tragedy; you're really something.

After Lu Kuan's "The Sky of History" was released in North America, the domestic public opinion field quickly split.

On one hand, there is the high-profile praise from official media, and on the other hand, there is the calm scrutiny from ordinary viewers.

This film, based on Iris Chang and the Nanjing Massacre, appears to be an "epic of justice," but in reality, it exposes Lu Kuan's consistent opportunistic logic: using national suffering to boost box office revenue and using political correctness to cover up artistic poverty.

Even if you are the chief director of the Olympics, even if you are the richest man in mainland China, even if you have three thousand retainers in North America.

But truth cannot be clarified without debate, and I will say what needs to be said.

The Sky of History has three sins!
The first crime is commercial scheming disguised as justice.

This is not the first time Lu Kuan has used grand narratives to gain attention. From the ice sculpture marketing at the box office of "A Home Too Far" to the overexposed camera gimmick of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", he is well aware of how to use technical means to package an empty core.

This time, "The Sky of History" is more direct, but true art should not be reduced to a tool for moral blackmail.

The second sin is the self-Orientalization of a Western perspective.

The film was released simultaneously on 2500 screens in North America. On the surface, it was about "breaking the Western monopoly on discourse," but in reality, it was Lu Kuan's compromise with Hollywood rules.

The film employs Hollywood-style sentimental techniques, portraying Iris Chang as a "lone hero" and simplifying the Nanjing Massacre into a "good versus evil" conflict.

While this narrative may resonate with some Western audiences, it falls into the trap of Orientalism, portraying the Chinese as perpetual victims and the Westerners (Rabe, Minnie Vautrin) as saviors.

This kind of self-deprecating expression is far removed from genuine historical reflection.

The third offense is the "not allowing criticism" of domestic public opinion.

Before the film was even released in China, the media controlled by a certain person had already elevated it to a pedestal, and any questioning of the film's artistic merit was labeled as "anti-China".

In this atmosphere, the audience is forced to accept a single interpretation: "being moved" is an obligation, and "criticism" is a betrayal.

But the vitality of film art lies in free discussion, not in forced indoctrination.

Xie Jin's film "Hibiscus Town" also sparked controversy back then, but at least it allowed the audience to think.
Lu Kuan's "The Sky of History," however, attempts to silence everyone with nationalistic sentiments.

We respect history, and we respect art even more.

"The Sky of History" could have been a profound reflection, but under Lu Kuan's lens, it is reduced to a meticulously designed emotional performance.

True patriotism is not about exploiting suffering, but about confronting complexity head-on;

It's not about celebrating victory, but about seeking the truth.

Unfortunately, Lu Kuan chose the easier path.

— February issue of Nanfang
If Mr. Lu, the former PR firm owner, had seen this passage, he would have been able to clearly recognize the common rhetoric used by "Nanfang".

Such statements include: "Be wary of the erosion of the individual by grand narratives" and "Oppose replacing artistic standards with political correctness."

In 2008, in China, public intellectuals like Li Jianmang, who are often considered "insane" or "pedantic," had already begun to speak out quietly.

They crawled out of the dark sewers and began tentatively harassing Boss Lu, their biggest target.

It can be said that one call brings a hundred responses.

At the same time, Weibo and Blogcn quickly launched a crackdown, but there are far more microblogging software programs on the market than just Wenjie.

Even if they are blocked or restricted, bedbugs can always find new cesspools.

These new cesspools, having discovered the success of their attacks on the richest man, are naturally willing to accept them and grant them a high degree of freedom of speech.

As long as the focus remains on the film and art itself, and the person is not criticized excessively to the point of affecting the Olympic cause and being banned, it will be fine.

Alispace, a combination of Ali, Huayi, and Wendy Deng, Taotao (backed by Tencent), and the microblogging websites of major portals all carry a certain amount of traffic.

In particular, Alispace, the platform behind "Under One Person," has made ample preparations, attempting to completely overtake Wenjie's mouthpiece through a series of combined moves, including Taobao Mall in 2008, "If You Are the One," and Huayi's IPO.

The turmoil in the public opinion arena stems from the covetousness of cinema chains (Wanda), internet companies (Ali, Tencent), and the entertainment industry (Huayi, Chengtian) for the behemoth that is Wenjie Holdings.

If Liu Yifei's downfall was a case of "one whale falls, all things spring up," then any industrial line that Wenjie Holdings casually reveals is enough for other companies to feast on.

The struggle in the business world runs through every stage of a company's development. There is no such thing as a one-time victory; it all depends on how well one navigates the business landscape and how one responds to challenges.

With the help of numerous commercial forces, unscrupulous individuals have been making their voices heard in quick succession. Ordinary people have no way to distinguish between right and wrong, and the resulting negative comments have become rampant.

[Classic Hong Kong Film Lovers]: The North American box office figures prove that Lu Kuan's attempt to sell patriotism was a terrible move. Do you think that marketing a few trendsetters in Hollywood can wash away the label of bad movies?
With at least 6500 million in marketing and promotion, and only 2200 million in the North American market in its first week, do you really think domestic audiences will buy into your strategy? Dream on!

I suggest releasing a DVD version domestically, but even if you release a DVD version, I won't buy the original, haha!
【Sakura's Love】: I agree with the comment above. He talks about peace, but in the movie he belittles our neighbors. This shameless traitor is utterly incompetent. Ignoring our harmonious and prosperous relationship with our allies, he wants to profit from the bloodshed of 1937. Who else would he go after?

【Love My China】: The two people upstairs are complete idiots, and the one who liked this is also a complete idiot. That's all, I don't want to say anything else.

"Are these people paid or do they really think this way? It's terrifying! Is patriotism a crime?" Liu Xiaoli had never been in contact with any anti-China elements; in fact, these maggots only have a place to live on the internet.

Over the years, Liu Yifei has seen through the true colors of these journalists, and has become a keyboard warrior, replying without even looking up:

"They are like mangy dogs, and Lu Kuan is like Tang Sanzang's flesh. As long as they can get a bite, they will immediately become immortal and their value will increase many times over."

"If you don't believe me, just look. Whenever Lu Kuan gets into an argument with a junior reporter, the latter immediately receives an invitation from a major newspaper."

The girlfriend gritted her teeth as she looked at the screen full of fallacies: "Even if their saliva gets on him, he'll have the right to fawn over his master. It's utterly despicable!"

Liu Xiaoli was initially quite indignant, but she was somewhat bewildered by her eldest daughter's sharp and incisive words.

As soon as anything is related to Lu Kuan, she seems to immediately become incredibly energetic, as if she wants to grab a knife and cut through the computer to chop up all that scum.

The elderly mother and Iris Chang exchanged a glance, then, behind the keyboard warrior's backs, they grinned and secretly remarked on how amusing their young children were.

Iris Chang wasn't too worried about these minor incidents; compared to the hardships she had endured in the past, they were nothing.

She had too much confidence in Lu Kuan, knowing that with his extensive experience in struggle, he must have already prepared a contingency plan.

"Sisi, don't worry, there's no need to get angry with them."

She walked over and patted Liu Yifei on the shoulder: "Criticizing a movie as bad won't bring you any legal consequences. These people know how to keep their tempers in check. Getting angry won't change anything."

Liu Xiaoli asked doubtfully, "Aren't these people afraid of being humiliated? Haven't those people in Hong Kong been beaten up enough before?"

Xiao Liu turned around and said helplessly, "Are shameless people afraid of being slapped in the face? If 'The Sky of History' recovers at the box office or wins a major award, they will at most be ridiculed a few times. They can just close the computer and it won't have any impact."

"But now, negative comments and pessimistic remarks can really affect some viewers, after all, not all ordinary netizens are rational people."

Iris Chang pointed to the name on the screen: "It seems that Zhu Dake and Xiao Lu don't get along. I remember when I watched 'Tangshan' in North America last time, there were reviews of him on domestic websites."

Xiao Liu's pretty face turned slightly cold, her expression aloof: "Old thief, I will kill him sooner or later."

Liu Xiaolv turned to look at the screen and said, "Let me see what this guy is spouting this time."

"Hahaha!" Liu Xiaoli was amused by her daughter's cute yet fierce appearance: "Take away that Mulan vibe of yours, no wonder Wang Jingsong gave you that nickname."

Iris Chang and Liu Yifei skimmed through Zhu Dake's film review.

Damn it, he probably hasn't even seen the movie yet, because some negative reviews and box office data from overseas websites have already started popping up.

"Lu Kuan's Illusory Dream of 'Film Industrialization' and the Speculative Nature of the Pan-Asian Film Academy"

Lu Kuan's "The Sky of History" may seem to be upholding the banner of historical justice, but in reality, it exposes his complete betrayal of the art of film.

The film uses Iris Chang and the Nanjing Massacre as gimmicks, but crudely exploits national suffering with Hollywood-style sentimentality, reducing serious history to cheap emotional stimulation.

Editor-in-Chief Li of "Nanfang" raised three sins from the perspective of social value. As a film critic, I will only talk about film-related knowledge today.

In recent years, Lu Kuan has been advocating for the "industrialization of Chinese cinema" and has founded the so-called "Pan-Asian Film Academy," attempting to portray himself as the savior of the Chinese film industry.

However, upon closer examination of its theory and practice, it is not difficult to find that this is nothing more than a carefully designed commercial performance, the core of which is still capital operation and personal brand marketing, rather than genuine artistic exploration or industrial innovation.

Lu Kuan repeatedly emphasized the importance of "industrialization," believing that Chinese films must learn from the Hollywood model, pursuing big productions, high special effects, and global distribution. However, his film "The Sky of History" precisely exposed the fatal flaw in this way of thinking.

His so-called "Pan-Asian Film Academy" is nothing more than a business strategy for an elite club.

On the surface, it claims to cultivate a new generation of film talent, but in reality, it is an elite club with resource monopoly as its core.

The college has vague admission standards, an extravagant curriculum, and its core faculty consists almost entirely of Lu Kuan's business partners.

This model is less about education and more about bundling personal connections and capital together for sale.

From the hype surrounding the box office record of "A Home Away" to the "patriotic narrative" of "The Sky of History," and then to the establishment of the Pan-Asian Film Academy, Lu Kuan's ambitions are becoming increasingly clear:

By controlling both capital and public opinion, they monopolize the discourse power in Chinese cinema. What will this monopoly ultimately lead to? Just look at Hollywood—

While the industrialized systems of the six major film studios are powerful, they have also stifled the survival space of independent films, turning them into mass-produced commodities.

If Lu Kuan truly takes Hollywood as his role model, then the future of Chinese cinema is likely not one of rise, but rather one of abyss-like homogenization.

Compared to Li Jianmang in "Nanfang", Zhu Dake's evaluation is clearly more impactful.

Because ordinary netizens know very little about the intricacies behind a film, and Zhu Dake has always narrated and commented from the perspective of Chinese cinema, they are easily misled by his titles as professor and doctoral supervisor at various universities.

"Xixi?" Liu Xiaoli called softly as she watched her daughter remain motionless for a while.

Liu Yifei turned around with a normal expression: "Yes, I'm fine. I'll go back to my room first. Someone will come to do my makeup at three o'clock this afternoon."

The closing ceremony red carpet was in the evening. Although there were half as many celebrities as at the opening ceremony and the event was not as grand, preparations still had to be made.

After saying goodbye to Zhang Chunru and the others, Xiao Liu returned to his room, turned on his computer, and logged into the [Washing Machine Haters V Group] (Chapter 386).

She is the group admin.

Liu Xiaolv's experience of becoming the leader of a washing machine hater group is also quite legendary.

In 2003, Zhuo Wei revealed that Boss Lu's washing machine image nickname was widely known online, and his ambiguous past relationships with various female stars were all over the internet.

Liu Yifei left a comment on a blogger's post on Blogcn using the pseudonym "Yalu Ji". This entertainment blogger has a series called "Washing Machine Flower Exploration Series", which lists various female stars who have had rumors and ambiguous relationships with him.

Xiao Liu left a comment under one of the detective posts about Fan Bingbing, correcting the location of a certain contact between the washing machine and Fan Bingbing.

Then I joined the group.

After providing her extensive list of replies and likes to posts that mocked and criticized washing machines, even the haters in the group were impressed.

As expected, haters are more loyal than fans. How can anyone hate a washing machine so much?

What she hated was the washing machine's flirtatious nature.

So, the funny Liu Yifei became a regular in this group, occasionally providing some little tidbits, gossip, or even some harmless photos from the entertainment industry.

It's no big deal for her, but for the netizens in the anti-fan group, it has truly provided a window into the entertainment industry.

He thus rose to power.

【All the Way to the End】: What has the group admin been up to lately? She hasn't been active in ages!

【Road-Road Girl】: Of course she's busy cursing the washing machine, doesn't she have a new movie coming out recently?
[Unplugging the washing machine hose]: Me too!
[All the Way Black]: Me too!
[The road-killing dog steals Xixi]: Me too!
Xiao Liu thought for a moment and tentatively asked: Has anyone contacted you recently? Didn't I hear that there are occasionally orders where you can get paid?
【All the Way to the Black】: Group owner MM, do you want to take orders? You have over 200,000 followers on your blog, so your order rate should be much higher than ours!
【Road-Road Girl】: I've had this idea, but I'm a bit short on cash lately. How do I do it?

【Go All the Way to Black】: Depending on the number of your followers, the rate per post varies. You'd better cultivate a few groups and attract some of Lu Kuan's haters from your Weibo to these groups. I currently have seven or eight large groups, with a rate of 1 to 3 cents per post, settled daily, and you take a cut.

[Unplugging the washing machine hose]: I have over twenty large groups on my account. I'll build up momentum these next few days, waiting for their premiere back in China. But Weibo and blogs have been slamming them these past few days; they're really good dogs of the washing machine.

In 2008, the largest number of members in a QQ group was 500, which had become the smallest organizational unit of an online troll army. With several large groups under their control, they could earn enough to make some pocket money.

The road maintenance worker in front of the computer sneered repeatedly and continued to try to extract information.

Since it really happened, bringing it up would at least be evidence and could relieve some of the pressure on her boyfriend.

This anti-fan V group was established too early, and members came and went, so Xiao Liu inexplicably became the group owner.

Most of those who remain are there for the sake of chatting and nostalgia; many of them have become part-time online troll commanders.

In the chat box, Boss Lu's haters were providing their idol, the group leader, with all sorts of industry insider information.

For example, the lowest-income groups, such as students and laid-off workers, have the lowest unit price, less than 3 cents.

However, those who possess certain writing skills, can post without adhering to templates, and whose writing has a certain persuasive power will be paid 0.5 to 2 yuan per post.
The highest level is customized service, which is for major negative news involving enterprises and the government. For small bloggers like [Yaluji] with more than 200,000 followers, it is a case-by-case approach.

There are also various methods for buying botnets, the earliest versions of automatic post-boosting bots, and comment generators...

The bizarre and outlandish actions left Liu Yifei speechless.

While trying to elicit information, she took screenshots and sent them to Yang Siwei, who is now the main communication bridge between Wenjie, Blog.cn, and Weibo.

[All the way to the bottom] Suddenly typed: I just got a big order. The awards ceremony in Berlin is in a few hours. A big spender has customized a product for 8 cents a piece.

The group chat immediately erupted in excitement, with everyone asking what was going on.

[Continue to criticize relentlessly]: If he doesn't win an award, we'll stick to the previous template and accuse him of selling patriotism and profiting from tragedy.

If he wins an award, say he bribed film festival judges, made money off mainlanders and then passed it on to foreigners, or that Lu Kuan and his girlfriend have already immigrated to the United States and are about to run away after profiting from the national crisis. There's a template for how the sponsors should act.

DM me if you're interested, but I'll take a cut.

The anti-fans' group stirred up a commotion, driven by self-interest, and for the time being, no one paid any attention to Liu Yifei, the group's female administrator.

Xiao Liu's temples throbbed with embarrassment. He took screenshots of each word and sent them to Yang Siwei. He also privately messaged people like "All the Way Black" to join their anti-fan group, ostensibly to learn from their experience.

Next, I took screenshots of everyone's QQ numbers in the group and saved them. These are all clues to find out what happened later, and maybe there will be tainted witnesses later.

She focused intently on collecting all the information before quietly sending a message in the group chat.

【Road-Road Princess】: Actually, I am Liu Yifei.

The group was initially silent, then filled with various laughing and funny emojis, like "A silver bottle suddenly breaks and water gushes out."

This is similar to Lu Kuan telling her, "I am Qin Shi Huang."

[Unplugging the washing machine hose]: Actually, I am the washing machine.

[All the Way Black]: Me too!
[The road-killing dog steals Xixi]: Me too!
Look at the faces of these haters; they hate washing machines, but they hate even more that they aren't washing machines themselves.

The richest man in mainland China has a stunningly beautiful girlfriend, which makes people insanely jealous.

The 2008 version of QQ Groups already had a video function, but it wasn't a group video. However, if an individual turned on their video, other group members could see it.

Seeing that everyone was still making jokes with their expressions flying, Liu Yifei turned on her video and held an online meet-up with her haters.

Damn it, even close fans don't get this kind of treatment.

Hi everyone.

"You can joke around, but don't spend money on this kind of thing. Everyone, go home."

He spoke two sentences in a calm tone, which took only a few seconds, before hanging up and closing his laptop.

These haters were initially just doing it for fun, but as their blog's follower count grew, they gradually attracted the attention of clients with specific needs.

Looking at the time, Liu Yifei thought Lu Kuan should be back soon after negotiating with European film distributors to sell the film. She excitedly washed her face, preparing to cooperate with the makeup and styling team later.

However, with each opening and closing of her computer screen, the five hundred people in the anti-fan V group remained silent in front of their five hundred monitors.

What did I see?
What just happened?
Is this really Liu Yifei herself?! The top young actress in China! And she just appeared on our screen looking so radiant?
They even greeted us.

Although, but...

She's so beautiful!

Who said that washing machines are magnanimous and never make things difficult for haters?

Just to catch a few of us lowly thugs, they sent their girlfriends to infiltrate this crappy group for three or four years.

Nervous!
[Unplug the washing machine hose] and leave the [Washing Machine Haters V Group].

[Go all the way to hate] has left the [Washing Machine Hater V Group].

[The road-killing dog who stole Xixi] has left the [Washing Machine Hater V Group].

. . .

Like a young customer going up to the third floor, the haters in this group instantly emptied their magazines, leaving only the group owner (female).

Xiao Liu's warning was effective. These people realized they had been locked down and rejected all their orders, planning to lie low for a while.
-
Just as I reached the bottom of the hotel, I received a call from Zhuang Xu.

"You've moved fast! We were just about to send in our main force, and you've already had your base taken down?"

"What?"

Mr. Lu was a little confused. "Are you talking about some classic battles from World War II?"
Zhuang Xu also realized what was going on: "Didn't you arrange for someone called 'Road-Road Girl' to infiltrate the online troll group that Huayi and the others found? There was a large group of 500 people, all of whom were top-level online trolls."

"Some individuals had seven or eight groups, while others had dozens. All of them were thoroughly exposed, shocking the industry!"

When Yang Siwei communicated with him, she didn't mention much. She just rushed to provide evidence and prepared to launch a counter-offensive against online trolls to suppress the public opinion storm stirred up by Nanfang, Zhu Dake, and others.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later. I'll arrange for someone to post this first, and I'll contact you later."

Lu Kuan belatedly realized something and wondered why the ID Zhuang Xu had mentioned, "Ya Lu Ji," sounded so familiar.
It wasn't until he opened the door and saw the delighted Xiao Liu that he suddenly realized he had seen her computer's auto-login account once, and it seemed to have this name.

"【Road-Road Princess】is that you?"

"You know everything?"

Xiao Liu was happily munching on a red apple, which was her dinner in advance for preparing her red carpet dress.

The afternoon sun shone through the gauze curtains into the room, casting a light golden halo on the ends of her hair. Liu Yifei, like a little squirrel, finished eating the fruit one bite at a time and tossed the pit into the trash can in a parabolic motion.

She then nestled into his arms like a light lark, the hem of her silk nightgown billowing in a gentle arc: "Aren't you going to praise me?"

"Praise you?" Boss Lu's thinking was incredibly meticulous. He looked at her suspiciously: "How did you end up in the headquarters of online trolls? Or a group of anti-fans?"

“You’re lying low,” Liu Yifei said righteously. “I warned you years ago not to mess around with women and ruin your reputation.”

"You won't listen again. I have no choice but to venture deep into enemy territory alone, just so that one day I can thwart their conspiracy!"

The washing machine didn't bother to investigate further, figuring it was just some little trick the girl had played when she was young: "Alright, I'll give you credit, Comrade Cuiping!"

He gripped her hand tightly, as if they were underground operatives making a rendezvous: "Tonight, I'll do anything for you, even if it means breaking the bed! I'll repay this great kindness!"

The girlfriend's beaming smile vanished slightly as she reluctantly withdrew her hand, saying, "Well... that's not necessary. I'm not the kind of person who takes advantage of kindness."

Boss Lu glared at her and said, "That won't do!" He then tried to take liberties with the cute and innocent girl.

Fearing he might go too far again, Liu Yifei quickly and rudely refused, saying, "Behave yourself!"

"With so many people predicting our downfall, aren't you worried at all?"

"A mediocre person is not envied." Lu Kuan sat casually on the sofa: "These people just try anything, even if they don't have the chance. They want to smear me, but they don't dare to go all out, so they can only do some minor, borderline tricks."

Xiao Liu said arrogantly, "When you win the Golden Bear tonight, you'll give these jealous people a good dressing down on stage."

"That won't do, that would be such a disappointment. How could they possibly deserve to be here at a time like this?"

Xiao Liu, who had just firmly refused, finally couldn't escape the clutches of the washing machine and was hugged and pampered: "I hope to see you on stage tonight. I think Aunt Liu will cry on the spot."

Xiao Liu smiled slightly: "Hehe, I haven't thought that far ahead yet, I'll leave it to fate~~~"

The makeup artist who knocked on the door interrupted the couple's conversation, while Lu Kuan went off to watch the media storm sweeping across the mainland.

He had heard about the big fuss that Nanfang, Zhu Dake, and their mainland business rivals had made, but he hadn't paid much attention to it.

First, these people have a very good grasp of boundaries. They will not break any rules because of their status as the chief director of the Olympics. They have also made full use of their position as a toad on the foot, so we cannot find their weaknesses for the time being.

Secondly, the Berlin Film Festival and the Oscars are still undecided. Given that several indicators and important nominations have already been obtained, how bad can the final result be?

It's not a big deal to be swayed by these people; at least it shows that I don't have absolute power in China, and when the blogosphere returns, I'll have less to worry about from certain places.

With the addition of the two years of preparation for Cyber ​​Daji's big release in Berlin, "The Wandering Earth" has finally returned to its rightful owner.

The industrialization of the domestic film industry is inevitable. He will be the one to build this skyscraper brick by brick. No matter how much Zhu Dake barks, these old fogies will eventually be eliminated by the times.
Doing good deeds without asking for reward.

However, Liu Yifei's performance in "Eighteen Years in the Enemy Camp" was truly hilarious and a bit of a letdown, which was a small but significant help.

At least it can curb the enemy's arrogance.

On the screen, the core forces of Blogcn.com have already mobilized across the entire internet. They are official online trolls and are not easily deployed.

As a platform, it should never have any obvious bias.

So even though Blogcn and Wenjie have been like brothers over the years, users haven't questioned the website's stance too much because Blogcn has never lacked either a good reputation or scandals involving washing machines.

Otherwise, videos of the washing machine's romantic escapades and Liu Yifei's "August 825th Yifei Incident" wouldn't have spread so widely.

The chat logs obtained by Xiao Liu's undercover work, including price lists for online trolls, script templates, and leads on client transactions, were compiled into a book. Announcements were then published on Weibo and blogs, openly beginning to ban online troll comments and posts.

Many of these were discovered by the top computer team at Blogcn, who dug them out from behind hundreds of Tencent accounts provided by Liu Yifei.

At this time, the domestic online trolling industry was still in its infancy. The online trolling behavior, which would later be clearly defined as "illegal business operations," was at this time operating on the edge of the law. So, it was not too far-fetched for the online trolls to infiltrate behind these accounts and obtain some real and favorable evidence.

Zhuo Wei's recent post, which closely followed current events, immediately attracted the attention of netizens—

"Exposing the Capital Game of the Anti-Road Alliance"

The article vaguely reveals how the film, which was considered a Waterloo in this round of productions, was targeted by its rivals for commercial gain.

This includes, but is not limited to, the recent growing close relationship between Enlight Media and Bernard, which has attracted a whole host of Hong Kong directors to move north.

Huayi, Chengtian, and others are suspected of funding online trolls through platforms such as Alispace in an attempt to suppress Wenjie's cultural industry layout.

And the internet companies lurking in the shadows, eyeing the scene with predatory intent.

Behind the article, Zhuo Wei raised a question that everyone shared:
This premeditated pessimism across the internet seems to be just the appetizer.

Amidst turbulent times, true heroes emerge. In the face of an escalating financial crisis and the tense situation of imitation and encroachment from mainland business rivals, can Wenjie Holdings continue to stand firm?
let us wait and see.

Looking at the bizarre and fantastical internet, Boss Lu felt a sense of wonder, then glanced back at Liu Yifei, who was putting on makeup.
The makeup artist was focused on applying eyeliner to Liu Yifei, whose fine eyelashes trembled slightly in the light and shadow, as light as butterfly wings.

The couple's eyes met in the makeup mirror. Xiao Liu's bright eyes became even more lively under the makeup brush, with the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, carrying a touch of coquettishness and hiding a hint of cunning.

The two smiled knowingly. Boss Lu stepped onto the balcony. The February wind carried a chill, but it could not dispel the city's rich history and vitality.

The Brandenburg Gate stands majestically in the sunlight, where the vicissitudes of history and the prosperity of modern times intertwine.

Like a silent flag, it has witnessed countless rises and falls, glory and disgrace, yet it still stands proudly.

In the distance, the giant poster for the Berlin Film Festival fluttered in the wind, and the faces of the main actors in "The Sky of History" appeared and disappeared in the light and shadow, as if announcing that this battle had only just begun.

Xiongguan Mandao is really like iron, and now it has started from scratch.

Thinking of the upcoming May and August, and the struggles against people and nature that he was about to face, Lu Kuan felt a surge of heroic spirit!
(End of this chapter)