After offending capital, my songs became more and more popular.

Chapter 297 Exploiting Patriotism for Profit? How about a Free, Unlimited Authorization?
Sometimes, people have to do things that many people may not understand, but that you find very meaningful.

Just like Shen Ming'en unconditionally handed over the copyright of "Bright Sword" to the state without asking for a single penny...

The original intention of making this drama was because after returning from Xiao Rizi, Shen Ming'en was attacked and slandered by netizens from Xiao Rizi's side because of the matter of cleaning the toilet. He was so angry that he wanted to fight back, but he felt that words were too pale and powerless. So he decided to make a drama to scold back.

He wasn't after much money; he just wanted to "break even." If most of the money hadn't come from Yao Shuli, he wouldn't have cared if he hadn't broken even. He just wanted to "never forget national humiliation" while promoting "national pride."
This kind of show should be shown to everyone, including those Chinese people who don't usually subscribe to streaming services.

Some people may ask, does Shen Ming'en's behavior count as "betraying" the platform?
The platform requires a paid membership to continue watching, and they even plan to add "advanced on-demand" viewing later. But you're telling me that CCTV is offering it for free?
Wouldn't those people who spent the money be unjustly wronged?
Shen Ming'en was prepared for this. His contract with the platform clearly stipulated that only the most recently updated episodes would be VIP paid, while the earlier episodes would be free after the latest update.

As long as the TV station's broadcast schedule is always one step behind the platform's and always follows the platform's "free" schedule, then neither side's interests will be infringed.

To put it simply, those who pay get the latest episodes, while those who don't pay can wait and finish watching them—it's all up to you.

Normally, the platform would have some objections, since Shen Ming'en hadn't discussed this with them beforehand. Besides, since it's the same copyright, they have to share the profits with Shen Ming'en, so why should the CCTV drama channel get it for free?!
This is fucking unfair!

Shen Ming'en also said that...

If you also have a "national-level" television station as your background, then the copyright of "Bright Sword" will be granted to you for free.

Platform representative: "You byd you *%￥#@"

The person in charge on the platform was so angry he was practically dead, but there was nothing he could say to him.

There was nothing they could do; after all, Shen Ming'en had granted free authorization to a "national-level" television channel!
Considering that it didn't affect the platform too much, they didn't say anything. They even planned to use this opportunity to promote and market "Bright Sword" and Shen Ming'en, and to further boost the popularity of "Bright Sword".

But who knew, their marketing copy hadn't even been sent out yet...

Suddenly, a large number of negative comments about "Bright Sword" began to appear online!
"#Did Shen Ming'en profit immensely from the hit TV series 'Bright Sword'?#"

"#Bright Sword brought Shen Ming'en at least a few small fortunes in income!"

"#So this income will also be used for charity?"

I don't know which marketing account started this trend, but suddenly people are starting to research Shen Ming'en's income from "Bright Sword"...

It's worth noting that as a blockbuster series that can be considered a "classic" work, even a decade-long hit, "Bright Sword" generated enormous revenue from online video platform memberships alone, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. Therefore, the income of Shen Ming'en, the main investor and producer, was undoubtedly staggering...

Where there are people making money, there are bound to be others who are envious.

Then a lot of haters started popping up, criticizing Shen Ming'en in all sorts of ways, saying things like:
[This time it's still about exploiting patriotism, so what will they do with the income?]

[Shen Ming'en: Of course, it's for charity!]

[Ha~ Do you believe that? He said he was doing charity, but even I wouldn't believe it!]

Isn't that how the entertainment industry is? What kind of charity is this... it's just another way to evade taxes.

[It's rumored that Shen Ming'en has transferred all his assets overseas...]

[He made money by exploiting patriotism, under the guise of charity, basking in the limelight and reaping all the glory, and in the end, he made all the money. It's truly shameful that some people still praise him, calling him a spokesperson for revolutionary songs... Hetui!]

……

These guys are clearly skilled...

They started by looking at Shen Ming'en's "income" from "Bright Sword." It goes without saying how popular this show is now; the phrase "everyone is watching it" is no joke!
Under such circumstances, Shen Ming'en, as the main investor and producer, must have received the lion's share of the profits and made a fortune.

This sparked public opinion and aroused resentment towards the wealthy among many people...

Next, we will discuss the "use" of this income.

To know!
Prior to this, Shen Ming'en had stated that he would "unconditionally hand over" every patriotic song he composed. He also stated that he would use half of the proceeds from his current hit variety show, "Spark of Music," to donate to charity and the other half to national defense.

His unprecedentedly good image and reputation also stemmed from this.

In this situation, if Shen Ming'en embezzled the revenue from "Bright Sword," a work that those people call "exploiting patriotism," how could they not cause him some trouble?

It's not really anyone's fault for causing trouble...

Why did Shen Mingen insist on creating this kind of persona?

To know!
His persona is so "glorious and righteous" that if anything he does fails to withstand public scrutiny, it is likely to be blown out of proportion.

Take "Bright Sword" for example. Many people are already dissatisfied with the fact that this show is "paid". How can you charge money when you are exploiting patriotism?
Does not having money for a membership mean I'm not worthy of being patriotic?
When "Bright Sword" was released, Shen Ming'en said that it focused on patriotism, but since they charged for memberships, isn't it still commercialization?
It's all about making money, yet you try to portray yourself as so noble and righteous. You want the money, and you want the reputation too. Is this reasonable?

The public outcry grew, directly shifting the topic in another direction: whether Shen Ming'en's earnings from "Bright Sword" should be used for charity or donated to national defense, just like those from "Sparkling Melody".

It seems that this is the only solution to "break the deadlock" now; otherwise, it will still be the same old story, with Shen Ming'en still using "patriotism" to profit.

Although Shen Ming'en currently enjoys high popularity and a nearly unshakeable good reputation, if he truly doesn't respond to this matter, he'll inevitably have to keep a low profile for a while afterward...

The "cold shoulder" approach is a common tactic in the entertainment industry, but ultimately it can't escape reality. The truth will eventually come out; it's just self-deception. After all, the internet remembers.

These trending topics, comments, and online discussions are all obviously orchestrated by someone to create hype...

As for who it is...

Although it's hard to say exactly what it is, anyone with a brain knows it's those itchy-nosed entertainment capital groups in China.

Perhaps because of past grievances, and because Shen Ming'en's "Spark Chapter" and "Bright Sword" were somewhat "monopolizing" his own projects, the old and new grudges combined, whether out of envy or something else, meant that those capitalists were bound to cause trouble for Shen Ming'en, and they couldn't stand to see him doing too well.

Therefore, as soon as one person starts his rhetoric, others will respond in droves, forwarding it and forming a network of condemnation.

If you ask Shen Ming'en, these people are really damn forgetful and never learn their lesson!

On the topic of "profiting from revolutionary songs," Shen Ming'en has slapped them in the face countless times. So what makes them think they can drag Shen Ming'en down with them this time?

When Shen Ming'en saw the related trending topic, he was amused, the platform where his drama "Bright Sword" was released was amused, and the staff at CCTV's drama channel who were in charge of the liaison were also amused...

It felt like these people were shooting in the wrong direction, not even with their guns pointed at them!

They do have some brains, but there aren't many of them!
Although they knew that Shen Ming'en's "Bright Sword" had made a lot of money on the online platform and there was no news of it being used for donations, it was very likely that he had pocketed the money, they did not know that Shen Ming'en had given the TV broadcast rights of "Bright Sword," which were worth more than one small goal, to CCTV's drama channel for free indefinitely!
So, do you think they're smart? Yes, they are...

But not many!

Shen Ming'en ignored the public outcry all day long until that evening when "Bright Sword" suddenly appeared on CCTV's drama channel!
then!

The platform Shen Ming'en works for has started to exert its influence!
"#The CCTV drama channel has been granted free, indefinite broadcast rights to 'Bright Sword,' this is the true value of a patriotic song spokesperson!"

"#The TV station that approached Shen Ming'en to buy the broadcasting rights to 'Bright Sword' has already offered more than a small fortune!"

"#The copyright of 'Bright Sword' has been handed over to the state!"

"#Shen Ming'en: If it weren't for paying back the money I borrowed, I probably would have shown it to everyone for free!"

It's burning up!

It caught fire right away!
That very night, the night "Bright Sword" premiered on CCTV's drama channel, these trending topics appeared to have been planned and simultaneously climbed to the top of the trending lists on major social media platforms!
Many netizens were thrilled to see "Bright Sword" suddenly appear on CCTV's drama channel, only to hear shortly after that Shen Ming'en didn't ask for a single penny of the copyright for "Bright Sword" and handed it all over to the state!
【I go……】

The comments section exploded!

I knew it!

[Some people really have no patience at all. Can't they just wait for Shen Mingen to make an official announcement?]

[Hahaha... those people are really unlucky. Shen Ming'en probably just finished discussing things with CCTV, and they started stirring up trouble right afterward. They're practically walking into the line of fire. What a joke!]

[Shen Ming'en: This time, no charity, this time it's free for everyone to see!]

Even if he really did pocket all the money, I'd still find it entertaining to watch.

[He deserves to earn that money; no one else can. That drama was really well-made, and he was still a newcomer; he perfectly captured the essence of the role!]

[The real environment of the film crew, with its filthy and chaotic conditions, and sub-zero temperatures and constant fighting, would have driven any young, handsome actor away long ago...]

I didn't want to be a fan of him, but he let me watch "Bright Sword" for free!

[Damn it, let's see who can smear Shen Ming'en now, even CCTV is personally endorsing him!]

[They wouldn't even sell it for a small sum of money, they just gave it to the central bank for free!]

[This is ridiculous! You can even criticize this?!]

This man is so famous that only the sun can scorn him!

……

It's red!

It's all red!

The comment section about Shen Ming'en is always filled with this kind of righteous and noble tone.

To be honest, those haters are really funny. One of the things they're spreading is that Shen Ming'en used the proceeds from his "Spark of Joy" charity work to evade taxes or transfer assets overseas...

Yes!
Sparrows are eating it!
There are indeed people doing this in the Chinese entertainment industry, and more than one. There have been predecessors, and there will certainly be others who are just as reckless and fearless as before…

But it's obvious that Shen Ming'en is definitely not that kind of person!

It's difficult to fully explain to everyone how he uses the revenue once it's in his hands. But he refused the exorbitant copyright fees offered by other platforms, even though they were offering him a small fortune, and directly granted the rights to CCTV's drama channel for "free." What can they say about that?!

To put it bluntly, they have no income whatsoever, they're just doing "charity," how can you even criticize them?!

All day long, Shen Mingen was relentlessly attacked by those people who "made a fuss over nothing." Now, his fans have finally found a way to fight back. They directly showed those haters the power of "ien." Anyone in the comments section who has stirred up trouble for Shen Mingen and dares to send him private messages without being stopped will be getting 99+ comments tomorrow morning!
Many marketing accounts' comment sections were flooded with messages, and some were even reported and banned for "spreading false information"!
Exaggeration?
No...

Please!

Where did Shen Ming'en authorize the copyright?
It's CCTV's drama channel!

A "national-level" television station!
Just considering this level of respect, how could those social media platforms possibly allow these accounts that "spread rumors" to exist?

Therefore, the companies behind these accounts have suffered heavy losses!

They, however, were not to be outdone and also tried to "struggle"...

For example, they countered by saying that even if Shen Ming'en granted CCTV the right to broadcast the videos for free and indefinitely, it was a form of "handing over to the state," but he had given the online video broadcasting rights to the platform!
That platform isn't doing charity like him; it's in it to make money, as evidenced by the fact that all the latest episodes of Shen Ming'en's "Bright Sword" are paid VIP episodes.

So how will Shen Ming'en explain this portion of the money?

Shen Ming'en's answer was simple: he directly revealed the funds he used for the production of "Bright Sword" and the source of the revenue...

That card belongs to Yao Shuli; that's easy to find out.

This card was also used by Shen Ming'en as an account for all income related to "Bright Sword".

After posting the photos, Shen Mingen immediately posted an update saying:

“I used my money for charity. The money for filming ‘Bright Sword’ was given to me by others. It was someone else’s investment, and I couldn’t let them lose everything.”

A single post openly displayed the source and destination of income, while also showering the public with displays of affection, and subtly...

Playing the victim!

This made netizens laugh until they were numb!
Seriously, Hajime, do you have to be so honest and funny?!

……

(End of this chapter)