2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 98 Public Opinion Farce
Currently, the outside world's understanding of "You Are My Glory" is limited to: it is directed by Lu Mingze, with Chu An playing the male lead, and it is a "mainstream" drama series that CCTV purchased the first broadcast rights in advance.

Including the CCTV interview with Lu Mingze some time ago, Lu only revealed that this is a unique patriotic drama series and announced that the start of filming should be around the end of September or the beginning of October.

As October approached, a large number of reporters began to closely monitor the Glory production team. Everyone wanted to dig out some information from them, at least to find out what kind of mainstream ideology made Lu Mingze so arrogant on the CCTV stage.

then
However, they didn't uncover the main theme, but they did discover even bigger bombshells.

First, the start date for the filming of the drama "Glory" has been postponed.

The filming start date, originally scheduled for early October at the latest, has been postponed indefinitely, according to an "insider."

The specific reason is unknown, and even insiders are unaware of it.

Secondly, there's an even bigger melon.

So, can anyone tell us who the female lead in "Honor of Kings" is?
It suddenly dawned on me that apart from a little news that came out last year when "You Are My Glory" was first announced, saying that it was Chu An and Xu Shu's second collaboration, there has been no information about the female lead since then.

Everyone thought that Xu Shu was the female lead in Glory!

The problem is, the entire crew has already assembled, but Xu Shu...
Anyone with even a slight understanding of the entertainment industry knows that Xu, the big star, just enrolled at the Central Academy of Drama; he's still a student!

This made some sharp-nosed paparazzi notice something unusual.

Some even changed their plans at the last minute, abandoning their stakeout in Shanghai and heading back to Shengjing (Shenyang). After waiting for several days at the Central Academy of Drama, they finally caught Xu Shu red-handed at the cafeteria entrance.

Without thinking twice, she turned on the recorder and rushed over, "Xu Shu, have you been replaced by the 'Glory' production team?"

This paparazzi clearly had ill intentions; they essentially dug a pit for Xu Shu.

If Xu Shu's answer is even slightly off, they will inevitably embellish it. It's foreseeable that tomorrow's entertainment headlines will be: [Xu Shu Replaced, Mysterious Actress Outshines Superstar]

Logically speaking, even if Xu Shu is completely clueless about worldly affairs, she should still have the ability to deal with paparazzi.

In fact, even the paparazzi themselves didn't have much hope; they were just taking a shot, no matter what.

But I never expected this!
Holding a book, the scholarly-looking celebrity frowned upon hearing the question and replied unhappily, "Perhaps... she really is more suitable than me!"

After saying that, he looked very annoyed and hurriedly left.

The paparazzi were stunned for a long time before they snapped out of it, slapped their thighs, and exclaimed, "We've got it! Big news!"

The next day, a certain entertainment newspaper ran a front-page headline: "[Xu Shu's feud with 'Glory' and her last-minute replacement: What conspiracy lies behind it?]"

"Tsk tsk tsk~~!" Old Lu held the newspaper and savored it carefully. "It's actually pretty damn well-written!"

Ma Lan added water to Lao Lu's thermos, saying, "It still has to be Chu Shi Kuai. We didn't spend a penny, and look, this is how we got the publicity."

Moreover, the effect is even better than spending money on advertising.

It is foreseeable that, for at least a while, news about the casting change in the "Glory" production team will definitely dominate entertainment headlines.

Lu Mingze leisurely took the thermos and comfortably took a sip.

I thought to myself, "How come I'm so lucky? To have such a lucky star like Teacher Chu."

His collaboration with Chu An stemmed from their shared hardships during the filming of "With You." That bond had already formed between them, at least until the "Glory" project concluded.

But now, Lao Lu is genuinely willing to cooperate with Chu An, and is willing to continue cooperating indefinitely.

It's not just because he has a script, nor is it because this guy can make money.

It's comfortable!
Damn, Lao Lu has never been this comfortable in all his years of acting.

He only needs to focus on filming; he doesn't need to worry about anything else. Chu An has arranged everything perfectly for him.

Take the publicity for example. The original female lead was Su Manqing. If it were before, the moment they signed the contract with Su Manqing, Lao Lu would have been calling his media friends to show off the news.

Moreover, in Lao Lu's view, this is publicity.

Besides, the script can be kept secret, so why should the female lead be kept secret? The outside world should have known long ago that Su Manqing was in the role.

But Chu An wouldn't let him do that, and the news was kept under wraps.

Moreover, when Lao Lu was interviewed on CCTV, he still claimed that filming would start in October, even though he knew that filming would not start in October. This was also Chu An's intention.

Now, with both factors combined, the question of who the female lead is has been brought to the forefront.

Coupled with Xu Shu's ambiguity, this became big news.

And
This is not over yet!
Just as the news of Xu Shu being replaced was starting to die down in mid-October, Xiang Lintao, the head of Green Field Network Interactive Entertainment Co., Ltd., which was once famous for its exorbitant sponsorship fees, suddenly posted an article online.

They publicly denounced Lu Mingze, the director of "You Are My Glory," and Chu An, the screenwriter, threatening to sue them for commercial fraud.

The article explicitly states that it was precisely because Lu Mingze and Chu An promised that the female lead would be a big-name star of Xu Shu's caliber that Green Field Company paid such a high sponsorship fee.

Currently, the production team of "Glory" has not only failed to start filming as scheduled, but has also broken its promise by replacing Xu Shu and refusing to disclose the female lead to sponsors and investors. Green Field Company considers this a serious breach of contract and will protect its rights through legal means.

In particular, Xiang Lintao portrays Chu An and Lu Mingze as a pair of greedy and wicked people in the article.

Green Field Company not only paid a sponsorship fee of ten million, but also included a considerable portion of the company's equity.

One stone stirs up a thousand waves!

The general public, upholding a sense of responsibility that justice will never be too late, joined the condemnation.

Discussions are taking place on various forums and news websites.

Netizen 1: "Although I'm a big fan of Teacher Chu, isn't this a bit too much?"

Netizen 2: "I've said it before, that guy surnamed Chu is no good person. He's too ruthless. He took the money and then wanted shares, and in the end, he didn't keep his promises. What kind of person is that?"

Netizen 3: "Now it seems that 'Honor of Kings' is a complete Ponzi scheme. What kind of different mainstream ideology is this? It cheated CCTV, Green Field Company, and investors."

The overwhelming criticism and condemnation online and in the media have only increased the level of attention, keeping it at a fever pitch.

During this period, Chu An and Lu Mingze avoided the media and refused to respond.

This has made netizens even more convinced that: this guy has done something wrong and doesn't dare to face the righteous masses!
The topic continued until around October 20th.

Finally, when everyone was tired of arguing and cursing...
Xu Shu gave an interview to a media outlet, saying, "I think everyone may have misunderstood. I withdrew from the role in 'Glory' because of my studies, so there was no issue of me being replaced."

This answer clearly did not satisfy the reporter, who pressed further: "So, when you said before that someone else might actually be more suitable for that role than you, and that you conveyed obvious emotions, was that also false?"

Xu Shu: "Of course it's fake! I despise the fabrications of those unscrupulous reporters. My original intention was not to express dissatisfaction, but to show respect for the senior actress who replaced me in the role of Qiao Jingjing. She was indeed more suitable for the role than I was."

Reporter: "So, you know who the female lead in 'Honor of Kings' is?"

Xu Shu: "I know, but I can't say."

Next, no matter how the reporter tried to get information out of her, Xu Shu refused to reveal the name of her successor.

After the news reports, Chu An and Lu Mingze's bad reputation didn't reverse, as Xiang Lintao's accusations remained. However, public opinion began to subtly shift; people were tired of condemning *Honor of Kings*, and now they were more curious about:

Who exactly is the female lead? It's all so mysterious.

As a result, the trend on the internet changed.

"Xiao Shu, if you're being held hostage, blink, and we'll call the police for you!!"

This is the reaction of Xu Shu's fans; they still don't believe that any female celebrity can command such respect from their idol, Xiao Shu.

It's either mutual flattery or he received a hush money payment from Chu.

"I've discovered that this production team is really good at causing trouble!! First, it was this 'different kind of mainstream theme,' and now they're being so secretive about getting a female lead."

These are just casual observers; their focus is entirely on "who is the female lead."

Of course, there are also some righteous people who are still speaking out for Green Field Company.

"Mr. Xiang is in a terrible situation. He invested so much money and was cheated out of his shares, which caused his new game to be shelved and cannot be released to this day."

"Yeah! Didn't they say that the interstellar-like game developed by Green Field was already in closed beta last year? It was completely delayed by 'Honor'!"

At this moment, Chu An and Lu Mingze were driving a Mercedes-Benz van, parked outside the international arrivals exit of Hongqiao Airport.

Old Lu sat in the driver's seat humming a tune, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

Chu An couldn't stand it anymore. "Old Lu, I've noticed you're getting more and more shameless."

Lu Mingze pouted, "Didn't I learn it from you?"

"Besides, I've also figured it out: when it comes to doing news, you can't be too honest."

Okay, to put it nicely, Chu An's series of actions can be called using public opinion resources to continuously gain attention.

To put it bluntly, this is just treating the people like monkeys!

They create buzz for themselves without any moral compass.

But the problem is
Is it really all Chu An's fault for using unscrupulous means?

Throughout the whole affair, the paparazzi, in their pursuit of sensationalism, knowingly distorted the facts and misled readers, even though they knew Xu Shu wasn't expressing that intended meaning.

Driven by the desire for traffic and sales, various media outlets followed suit, reporting on the story even though they knew the facts might not be as they seemed, thus pushing the situation forward.

Are those netizens and self-proclaimed righteous citizens who are vehemently criticizing Xiang Lintao truly righteous? Are they genuinely speaking out for him?

It's just using the topic and online channels to vent one's dissatisfaction.

As for the truth, no one has ever cared.

Because the truth is never something I believe just because others say it. Perhaps everyone has forgotten that the truth needs to be investigated and verified.

This so-called propaganda is nothing more than a farce orchestrated by a few people, either for their own benefit or to vent their frustrations.

It was through this incident that Lu Mingze began to understand why Chu An didn't pursue a deeper career in the entertainment industry, but instead insisted on creating something called Weibo with Lin Wanchen.

With the development of the times and the widespread use of the Internet, most people think they have broadened their horizons and gained a window to understand the world, but in reality, they are increasingly losing their ability to make subjective judgments.

"Old Lu, I suddenly want to make a film about the internet and public opinion guidance. Chu Shikuai, can you write the script?"

Chu An thought for a moment, "It's no use! No one will believe it even if I film it!"

As he spoke, Chu An suddenly opened the car door. There, at the exit, Su Manqing was surrounded by a group of reporters, walking towards them.

Although Su Manqing has completely shifted her focus to Hollywood, she is now in a dormant state in China, no longer taking on any acting roles except for a few major endorsements.

However, the entertainment news has been non-stop recently, making it the second most active topic after the gossip surrounding the "Glory" drama crew.

the reason is simple.
He co-starred with Nicolas Cage in the blockbuster film "Firelight," starring Sofia Coppola, a descendant of the Coppola family.

It's even aiming for the Cannes Best Actress award!

How could they possibly be forgotten by the public?
Well, at the turn of the century, the self-confidence of the Chinese people was actually quite complex.

On the one hand, we have already seen the dawn of the great rejuvenation of the nation, moving from the poverty and backwardness of the 1980s and 1990s to the vision of a well-off society for all.

On the other hand, China has long lagged behind the West, and the mindset of poverty and backwardness held by the previous generation remains deeply ingrained.

Those self-proclaimed wise and worldly-wise "great scoundrels" who think they have seen the world and understand the worst aspects of the national character run rampant, wantonly venting their longing for the Western world and their shame and contempt for their motherland.

In such an environment, ordinary people desperately need some stimulation and proof to demonstrate that they are no less capable than the West and that Chinese people can also shine on the world stage.

It's easy to see from this that the Rockets are the greatest team in the NBA.
Even the most obscure role player can be part of the championship puzzle.

Why did Sofia Coppola, a fledgling director, become a Hollywood star?

With an investment of several million, "Heart Fire" must be a super-large-scale production.
It is not hard to see how high Su Manqing's status must have been in the hearts of the Chinese people at this time.

Now that Goddess Su has finished filming "Heart Fire" and returned to China with "glory," the media naturally flocked to her, crowding the airport.

In the past, Su Manqing would have kept a low profile and tried her best to avoid such awkward situations.

But today
There was no other way; the plane was on a mission when it landed.

Faced with a barrage of media questions, Su Manqing, unusually, stopped to give an interview.

She briefly recounted her journey filming "Heartfire" and the interesting stories of working with Cage.

When asked by reporters about his plans after returning to China, and whether he would take on a film role with a famous director, he replied...

Su Manqing replied, "Only the filming of 'Heart Fire' has been completed. Post-production and distribution have not yet been completed, so the work in the United States has not been finished."

"As for taking on any film projects during my time back in China, I have no plans to do so."

Seeing that Chu An had already opened the car door, Su Manqing smiled slightly, "However, I came back this time for work, and I will be in China for the next few months."

He waved to Chu An, indicating that she was there. This drew the attention of the reporters, who all turned to look in that direction.

As a result, his jaw dropped to the floor.

Chu An!? Why is he here to pick me up at the airport?

Su Manqing's explanation came at the right time, "Let me formally introduce my co-star in my next film, Chu An!"

"Please also pay close attention to our new work, a unique patriotic drama series called 'You Are My Glory'!"

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(End of this chapter)