Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 301 The Tang People's Counterattack

"What should I do! What should I do!" Liu Shishi paced anxiously in her bedroom, muttering to herself.

Seeing his wife's flustered appearance, Song Ci shook his head helplessly.

Since her debut, Xiao Qingmei has had a smooth career in the entertainment industry. In addition, she has been carefully protected by herself and Cai Yinong, so she is still relatively innocent.

A short while later, Cai Yinong called again from overseas.

"Sister K, Xu Jinglei is too cunning, what should I do?"

Hearing that the top female host was flustered and completely lost her composure, Cai Yi-nong could only gently comfort her: "Don't panic, there's always a way to solve things."

The two were dawdling on and on, and Song Ci couldn't stand it any longer: "Turn on speakerphone and let me talk to Cai Yinong."

Ms. Liu swiped her finger across the screen and turned on the hands-free function as instructed.

Song Ci reached out and took the phone: "President Cai!"

The richest man's tone was extremely calm, making it impossible to guess his thoughts. Cai Yinong cautiously asked, "Chairman Song, what are your instructions?"

Song Ci, too lazy to waste words, said succinctly: "I've heard about the matter from Shishi. You should handle it as soon as possible."

On the other end of the phone, Cai Yinong frowned, looking very troubled: "But without complete video evidence, public opinion is very unfavorable to Shishi."

"This is not something I should be considering. You are Shishi's agent, and you have an obligation to protect her rights and reputation when something like this happens."

If you don't have evidence, create it. If you don't have physical evidence, find witnesses. I'll have Shishi send you her Weibo account in a bit; think carefully about what to say.

The richest man's words, which left no room for negotiation, put immense pressure on the female CEO of Tangren Media, who could only respond meekly, "I understand, Chairman Song. I will handle it as soon as possible."

Song Ci nodded slightly: "Shishi and I rarely come to South Africa, and we're going to explore Johannesburg this afternoon. Please don't bother us if you don't need to."

After saying that, he hung up the phone without waiting for the other party's reaction, leaving Cai Yi-nong with a headache.

Liu Shishi listened in the whole time. Seeing her husband's domineering manner and how he threw all the questions at Sister K in just a few words, she was stunned for a long time before she finally spoke: "Husband, is it okay to force Sister K like this?"

Song Ci retorted, "If a company can't handle things when a celebrity gets into trouble, what's the point of having such a management company? If Tangren can't even handle this small matter, you should terminate your contract."

"This..." Miss Liu hesitated, holding back her words several times. She knew her husband meant well, but she was worried that Cai Yinong would be put in a difficult position.

Song Ci embraced his wife's slender waist and gently kissed her smooth forehead: "Wife, when you're out having fun, don't think about these annoying things."

I already reminded Cai Yinong, and she'll handle it. Let's rest for a while, and then this afternoon we'll explore Johannesburg, this golden city.

Seeing that Miss Liu was still frowning, he reached out and gently stroked her delicate willow-leaf eyebrows, coaxing her softly, "Alright, if you keep doing this, I'll get upset."

This is such a trivial matter that you're worried about it. Don't tell me it was just acting and they didn't really fight; even if they had, so what?

Her husband's composure temporarily eased Liu Shishi's worries. She muttered to herself, "It's his first time encountering something like this; he has no experience!"

Seeing Ms. Liu's slightly aggrieved expression, Mr. Song, a model husband, assured her, "If Cai Yinong can't resolve this matter before we return to China, I'll handle it, okay?"

Reassured by her husband's words, Liu Shishi smiled again. Meanwhile, Cai Yinong of Donghai sat in his office, racking his brains, trying to figure out how to resolve the crisis that threatened his "number one female star" image.

"Sister K, what did Shishi say?"

"What do you expect her to say!" Cai Yinong rolled his eyes at Hu Ge sitting opposite him, looking annoyed. "You're all troublemakers, neither of you can give me any peace of mind."

Boss Song dumped the whole thing on me and warned me not to disturb him and Shishi's trip.

"Uh!" Hu Ge was somewhat taken aback by the richest man's domineering and forceful attitude.

Cai Yi-nong leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples with both hands, pondering how to break the deadlock.

"Sister K, this matter isn't a big deal. It's just that Xu Jinglei played a little trick, trying to ruin Shishi's image by using an incomplete video."

Listening to the top brother's eloquent analysis, Cai Yi Nong thought to himself, "Isn't what you're saying just nonsense? The problem is that the initiative is in Xu Cai Ren's hands. She's even pretending to help clarify things and trying to gain favor with netizens who don't know the truth."

Hu Ge also sensed the thorniness of the problem and sighed: "Right now, let's not think about causing trouble for Xu Jinglei. The most urgent thing is to find a few people to speak up for Shishi on Weibo and stabilize Shishi's image and reputation."

"Find people! Physical evidence, witnesses?" Song Ci's words from not long ago flashed through Cai Yinong's mind. In an instant, it was as if he had grasped a lifeline. "So Chairman Song had already reminded me that if there is no physical evidence, we can find witnesses!"

A thought instantly came to Cai Yinong, and he immediately came up with a solution: "I'll find a few more influential bloggers to confuse the public." With that, he picked up his phone, dialed a number, and quickly got to work.

There is a 6-hour time difference between Johannesburg, South Africa and Beijing, and it was already close to 8 p.m. in the capital.

After a day of film promotion activities, leading actress Xu Jinglei was enjoying dinner with friends at a high-end Western restaurant.

Inside the private room, several candles were lit on the long table, their flickering light creating a romantic atmosphere.

Xu Jinglei raised her wine glass and toasted the person across the long table. The red wine swirled gently in the glass, reflecting a soft glow that accentuated her confident and charming face.

"You've already started transitioning into directing, so why are you suddenly doing this?" Famous screenwriter Wang Shuo raised his wine glass, looking puzzled.

Xu Jinglei, with an elegant posture, took a sip of the fragrant red wine in her glass and said with a charming smile, "It was just something I did on the spur of the moment."

My little sister's life is too smooth. Not only is her career booming, but she also made a fortune from a casual movie investment. "A person without foresight will have immediate troubles." I'm going to teach her a lesson, and I won't charge her tuition.

Although women's hearts are said to be unfathomable, Wang Shuo still guessed the reason for Xu Jinglei's actions. One reason was to slightly suppress the rising starlet, and the other was probably due to a woman's jealousy.

"It's pointless, it's just needlessly offending the Tang people. This won't damage Liu Shishi's foundation. It's just a hot topic on the internet for three days, and it'll all be over in a few days."

Xu Jinglei chuckled and replied meaningfully, "I never intended to do anything to that top female star of Tangren Media, I just wanted to dampen her arrogance."

"Once netizens form a preconceived notion in a few days, shattering her image of being aloof and gentle, I'll release the full video. Maybe then she'll even remember me kindly."

Seeing that Xu Jinglei had a complete plan and seemed to have the situation firmly under control, Wang Shuo said no more. He figured that even if Tangren retaliated, he could easily handle it with his connections and status in the entertainment industry. Tonight, the entertainment circle was rife with undercurrents. Unlike the simple-minded, gossipy netizens, those in the industry could tell that things were not simple; it was probably Xu Jinglei's little test of the young actress.

The leading actresses have already made their moves, stirring up a storm in the public sphere, but Liu Shishi, the protagonist, has yet to respond.

Some people who knew about Liu Shishi's relationship with the richest man originally wanted to curry favor and speak up for the top star, but since the main figure has not responded yet, they dare not make any rash moves.

So after Xu Jinglei made her "clarification," the whole thing fell into an eerie calm.

Time passed quietly, and by nine o'clock in the evening, things began to change. Tangren Media started to exert its strength, and a counterattack in public opinion quietly began.

A highly influential figure in the film and television criticism community expressed a completely different opinion.

This influential blogger asserted with absolute certainty that the slapping incident was a farce orchestrated by the "Go Lala Go!" production team, deliberately staged to promote the film.

"Why did the video have to be leaked so soon? What a coincidence! It was leaked right after the movie was released!"

"You naive netizens, can't you use your brains a little more when you look at things? Don't forget, Xu Jinglei is not only the female lead but also the director. Is Liu Shishi stupid? How could she possibly hit the director on someone else's set?"

"Yes, yes, Xu Jinglei is beautiful, kind-hearted, and innocent. She would just swallow her anger when she was hit by a junior and even posted on Weibo to help clarify things, repaying evil with kindness."

This influential blogger was sharp-tongued and refuted netizens' questions one by one.

The analysis of the incident was well-reasoned and supported by evidence, ranging from movie promotion strategies to hype tactics in the entertainment industry, leaving many netizens stunned.

The previously one-sided public opinion has begun to show some changes.

Around 10 p.m., the first heavyweight finally spoke up.

Tong Dawei v: I personally invited Shishi to the crew for a cameo role. I am deeply angry that some netizens have maliciously slandered Shishi based solely on a deliberately edited video.

Please view this matter rationally. The scene where Shishi "slaps" someone was requested by Director Xu himself, and it was just acting. It looked fierce, but he was actually holding back.

Otherwise, if it had really happened, Director Xu's face would have been swollen long ago. @刘师师v Sorry for causing you trouble.

The moment Tong Dawei posted his blog entry, the tide began to turn. Just minutes later, another celebrity followed suit.

Song Ning v: As a member of the crew of "Du Lala's Promotion", I witnessed the "slapping" scene with my own eyes. I am very angry about some people with ulterior motives who take things out of context and spread rumors to slander Teacher Liu Shishi.

Ms. Liu Shishi has a very gentle personality, and when filming that scene, she never dared to hit Director Xu too hard.

In the end, Director Xu had no choice but to delete the scene because the fight scenes looked too fake. That's why the audience didn't see that scene in the final cut.

Tong Dawei was the middleman who invited Liu Shishi to make a cameo appearance, and Song Ning was an actor within the production crew. After seeing their statements, netizens began to discuss the matter.

"So that's how it is. I knew it. Liu Shishi's face was so gentle and gentle, she didn't seem like a vicious woman."

"It feels like Liu Shishi was set up. After the video was exposed, she gained a bad reputation, but the movie gained a lot of exposure. Is it really as that blogger said, that the production team designed a publicity stunt?"

"Right! My sister is beautiful and kind-hearted. She had never met Xu Jinglei before, how could she possibly 'hit someone'!"

"So it was all an act. But then again, a female celebrity's face is her most valuable asset. Xu Jinglei isn't stupid; why would she let someone slap her pretty face like that?"

In the brightly lit office of Tangren Media's president, Cai Yinong, who had been closely monitoring online developments, breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the public opinion shift little by little. The weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.

I opened the Weibo login page, logged into the account of the top female blogger, and racked my brains for a reasonable way to express my opinion.

I typed and deleted a piece of text, deleting and typing again, carefully considering every word and sentence, before finally deciding what to post.

After checking it several times to make sure the wording was correct, I clicked send.

After sending the message, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and slumped into my chair. Crisis management is truly exhausting.

Liu Shishi v: Today's commotion was just a misunderstanding, a mirage. The characters in the play were drenched in the downpour, but those outside the play were left with their own emotional burdens.

Having acted for years, I knew that swordplay and intrigue weren't limited to martial arts novels. But I never imagined that I would be the protagonist of this story.

While a prop sword can be sheathed, the sharp blade forged by words and tongue is always difficult to put away.

Both on and off screen, it's a journey of self-cultivation. Thank you all for always walking alongside me. @Tong Dawei @Song Ning, thank you both for speaking up for me!

After Liu Shishi, the main character, updated her Weibo, some celebrities who were closely following the matter quickly took action.

Numerous artists, including Xu Zheng, Yuan Hong, Hu Ge, Qiao Zhengyu, and Yan Ni, have spoken out in support of Tangren Media's top female star, completely reversing public opinion.

Late at night, Xu Jinglei, who had just returned home after dinner, had just finished washing up and hadn't even dried her wet hair when she received a call from her assistant, urging her to check Weibo online, saying that something big had happened.

After briefly browsing Weibo's trending topics and seeing the statements from Tong Dawei and Song Ning, the once confident leading lady suddenly felt uneasy, realizing that things were gradually slipping out of her control.

After sorting through the cause and effect of the matter, I found that the source was Tong Dawei. So, with some confusion and anger, I dialed his number.

"Dawei, this matter has nothing to do with you, why did you get involved?"

Faced with Xu Jinglei's unreasonable questioning, Tong Dawei laughed angrily: "Teacher Xu, you came to me through Director Zhao Baogang, asking me to invite Liu Shishi to make a cameo appearance in the film crew. Now you've pulled this stunt out of nowhere. Where does that leave Director Zhao? And where does it leave me?"

Xu Jinglei was speechless for a moment. This matter was originally caused by her jealousy and she did it on a whim. At the time, she did not think much about it. Now it seems that she did not think things through and did it a little carelessly.

However, since things had come to this point, he had to keep this drama going and at least figure out some things. So, suppressing his anger, he continued to call Song Ning.

Song Ning's reply was even more direct: "Director Xu, I'm short of money, and I can't refuse the price offered by President Cai. Also, please don't contact me again, I'm afraid President Cai will misunderstand."

"You money-grubbing traitor!" Xu Jinglei was furious at the betrayal of her own crew members and threw her phone away violently.

The phone crashed to the ground with a loud bang, its screen shattering instantly, as if foreshadowing the impending collapse of everything she had planned.

(End of this chapter)