Huayu: Starting from retirement, sweeping across the domestic entertainment industry

A long post published by one of Li Ran's veteran fans, who has hundreds of thousands of followers.

The message, "Please, certain groups, stop your baseless fantasies and exploitation, and focus on Li Ran's personal works," was like a depth charge dropped into the chaotic public opinion arena.

The article was logically clear and sharply worded, and was quickly forwarded and commented on by countless die-hard fans, completely shifting the focus and direction of public opinion.

The article's core argument is clear: it opposes all forms of bottomless pairing and fantasizing about real people, emphasizing that Li Ran is an actress, and her works are the foundation; excessive exploitation of her private life is a disrespect for her professionalism.

They condemned the CP fans for distorting facts, spreading false information, and inciting conflict, believing that this seriously damaged the internal harmony of Li Ran's fan group and brought negative publicity to their idol.

He called on all fans of Li Ran to focus on the work itself and look forward to "Ignite Me, Warm You," emphasizing that Li Ran's future is bright and should not be defined by any rumors or romantic pairings.

The solo fans quickly coordinated their rhetoric and began to systematically flood the relevant trending topics with slogans such as "Looking forward to actor Li Ran's new drama 'Ignite Me, Warm You'" and "Focus on the work, stay away from private life," in an attempt to overwhelm the arguments of the CP fans and steer the topic toward positive publicity.

However, during the "purge," the battle inevitably spread from the CP fans to the actresses who had been rumored to be dating Li Ran.

The intensity of the attack clearly reflects the "threat level" ranking in the minds of the solo fans.

Zhang Jingyi was the first to be targeted, with her solo fans focusing their attacks on her for "impure motives" and "leeching off others."

"Wake up, fans of the 'Xin Yi Wei Ran' CP! A certain female star has been subtly marketing herself as Li Ran's 'high school classmate' since her debut. How many times has she released press releases about this connection? Those who know, know—isn't she just trying to ride on his coattails to climb the ladder?"

"They got stuck together after just one film collaboration, and the photos of them traveling together on their birthdays just happened to leak out at this exact moment. The timing is brilliant; who would believe it wasn't planned?"

"We understand the 'couple' hype is intense now that the drama is about to air, but please do it in moderation. Don't embarrass the actual actors, and certainly don't fantasize about a real-life romance that's tied together forever!"

Despite the valiant rebuttals from the "Xin Yi Wei Ran" CP fans, who claimed that the two were "true love," these accusations had limited impact on the seasoned solo fans. Instead, they served as a warning and a reminder to keep the CP fans within their own circle and not go too far.

The attacks on Zhou Ye, however, were relatively restrained and even somewhat mild and complex.

After all, this is Li Ran's only semi-publicly acknowledged relationship, and it might really be his ex-sister-in-law...

The attitude of the solo fans is more about "drawing a line" and "avoiding mentioning": "Let bygones be bygones. Li Ran has already moved on. Please, some people, stop living in the past."

"Respect the past, but look forward to the future. Li Ran's focus now is on her career, please don't disturb her with old matters."

"Wildfire CP fans can reminisce about your tragic ending aesthetics, but please do not use this as an excuse to attack Li Ran's current collaborators and fan base."

His words lacked the sharp edge he had shown towards Zhang Jingyi in his defense against exploitation, and instead conveyed a sense of resigned acknowledgment and deliberate downplaying of the established history.

After all, attacking the "real ex-sister-in-law" is easy to give people ammunition and make the fans seem narrow-minded.

However, the attacks on Liu Haocun suddenly escalated, with a dramatic shift in tone, evolving from fan wars to severe criticism of her personally, and even digging up her family's past.

Initially, the solo fans' accusations focused on the ambiguous relationship and the frequent paparazzi photos.

"Fans of 'Intentionally Ignite' should stop deceiving themselves. After being photographed so many times, has Li Ran ever admitted to anything?"

"Some female celebrities have a lot of scandals themselves, can't they stay away from Li Ran who is serious about her career? Do they have to drag others down with them?"

But soon, the attack turned in a more deadly direction.

Some "fans" dug up detailed reports, blurred court judgments, and descriptions of the victim's family situation from years ago regarding the old case involving Liu Haocun's parents' dance school.

Although this information had been circulating online for some time, the organized and rhythmic dissemination and highly guided interpretation by Li Ran's die-hard fans have created a new, more concentrated and intense wave of public opinion.

"How can someone who has done such despicable things have the nerve to buy press releases and market themselves as 'innocent' and 'clean'?"

"The sins committed by the parents have brought their daughter the benefits, and she is even thriving in the entertainment industry. Indeed, the end of the universe is capital."

"Li Ran is really unlucky to have a scandal with someone like that. How disgusting is that?"

"Please, let the family member of that 'legal figure' walk independently and not try to associate themselves with us, the upright and meritorious actors who let our work speak for itself!"

"Getting involved with her is a devastating blow to Li Ran's image! Don't the CP fans feel any guilt shipping this kind of thing?"

These comments are no longer simple fan group attacks, but have risen to the level of moral and legal criticism. Every word is veiled and is very likely to arouse the disgust and resonance of the general public.

Immediately, the "Intentionally Ignite" CP fans were thrown into chaos. They tried to argue that "parents are parents, and children are children" and "the matter has been resolved," but they appeared weak and powerless in the face of the overwhelming accusations that occupied the moral high ground.

The original conflict with the fans of "Xinyiweiran" and "Yehuo" suddenly became irrelevant. They found themselves becoming the target of public criticism, not only having to endure attacks from the opposing CP fans, but also facing enormous moral pressure from Li Ran's solo fans and a large number of casual observers.

No one expected that this battle between CP fans, sparked by "the back view of Hongluo Temple" and "leaked photos from magazines," would take such a dramatic turn.

What's even more disheartening is that what ultimately brought Liu Haocun's family history back to the forefront of public opinion in the most intense and damaging way, with such widespread attention, was not gossip paparazzi, nor rival anti-fans, but Li Ran's own die-hard fans who intended to "protect their idol."

……

At 4:30 a.m., my phone rang and vibrated wildly on the bedside table, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet hotel room.

Li Ran frowned, fumbled under his pillow for a while, and finally found the source of his disturbing sleep. The caller ID showed it was his cousin, Long Ying.

A call at this time is definitely not a trivial matter.

Li Ran answered the phone, her voice still hoarse from just waking up: "Hello, sis? What's wrong? What time is it...?"

The voice that came through the receiver wasn't Long Ying's usual capable and efficient tone, but rather urgent and serious: "You still have the nerve to sleep? Wake up! Something's happened! Your fans... they've ruined your girlfriend! It's trending all over the internet!"

"Girlfriend?" Li Ran was taken aback.

Which one? And who got scolded because of him? Was it Zhou Ye? Or Zhang Jingyi...?

Long Ying used the most concise language to recount the media storm that erupted on Weibo last night and into the early hours of the morning, which started with a chaotic battle among CP fans, eventually escalated into a large-scale attack by Li Ran's solo fans, and focused on pushing Liu Haocun's family history to the forefront.

"The situation is getting a bit out of control. Liu Haocun is being heavily criticized. The key issue is that the ones stirring up trouble the most are some of our own influential fans."

"Your public image isn't affected much, but Liu Haocun's situation is starting to turn into a trend of being universally disliked online."

Liu Haocun, old stories, his own fans...

Holding his phone, Li Ran listened to Long Ying's words, his expression gradually darkening. His initial confusion was replaced by seriousness, and his brows furrowed into a knot.

He never expected that a storm caused by him and Zhang Jingyi would eventually drag Liu Haocun into it in such a sharp way, and he never expected that it would be his own fans who would be the first to tear open those old wounds so bloodily.

The love and protection of fans can sometimes turn into the sharpest blade, unintentionally slicing through the person they most want to protect.

A mix of feelings of helplessness, irritability, guilt, and a chill welled up inside me.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his turbulent emotions.

"I understand, sis." His voice was completely sober, even excessively calm. "Let me check the situation first."

After hanging up Long Ying's call, he leaned against the headboard, opened Weibo, and without even searching, the top trending topics were immediately apparent: #Li Ran#, #Liu Haocun's Blood-Soaked Buns#, #Hongluo Temple#, and other related topics were marked with "Explosive" and "Boiling" tags.

He quickly browsed the content under the trending topics, and with each glance, his heart grew heavier.

He logged out of Weibo, rubbed his temples, and tried to relax his mind.

After a few seconds of silence, he opened WeChat and found the chat window with his assistant, Xiao Chen.

After dialing the voice call, Li Ran spoke succinctly: "Xiao Chen, change my flight immediately. It has to be the earliest flight to Beijing, the sooner the better."

Xiao Chen was clearly on edge too, replying quickly: "Received, Ran-ge. Checking, the earliest flight takes off at 6:55, is that enough time?"

"This is the bus. Get it done for me and tell the driver to arrive at the hotel early." Li Ran said and hung up the phone.

Originally, he and Zhang Jingyi had planned to stay in this seaside city for a couple more days after the filming ended, as a short break.

But now, it's clear that this plan can no longer continue.

Then, he opened Zhang Jingyi's WeChat and sent her a message: "Jingyi, there's an urgent matter in Beijing, I need to go back first. I've changed my flight, I'll be leaving soon. You rest well here and have fun."

In less than twenty minutes, everything was ready.

Xiao Chen sent a message saying that the car was waiting in the underground parking lot.

Li Ran put on a hat and mask and left the room quietly without disturbing anyone, including Zhang Jingyi, who was probably still fast asleep next door.

On the way to the airport, the sky was still a deep, dark blue, with only a hint of bluish-gray on the horizon.

Just before he was about to pass through security, he called Long Ying again, "Sis, I'm on my way to the airport, taking the earliest flight back to Beijing."

His voice was calm and clear: "Before I go back, have the company's public relations team communicate with the core members of the fan club to try to calm the fans' emotions, especially those big fans who are leading the charge. Communicate with them privately, using a tactful tone but making their attitude clear, so that the situation will not be escalated further, and that no one will make any extreme remarks against them."

"The focus now is on cooling things down, not adding fuel to the fire. We'll discuss everything when I get back."

……

At 9:30 a.m., at the headquarters of Wajijiwa Entertainment.

The corridor was quiet, with only the echo of Li Ran's slightly hurried footsteps. He was dressed in all black, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, looking travel-worn, with dark circles under his eyes from his overnight journey, but his gaze was sharp and clear, showing no signs of fatigue.

He walked straight to the door of the public relations conference room, and without pausing, pushed the door open and entered.

The atmosphere inside the meeting room was heavy.

On one side of the long table, Long Ying and the company's core public relations and marketing team members were already in place, their laptop screens lit up, with various data charts and public opinion monitoring pages constantly refreshing.

Upon seeing Li Ran enter, everyone instinctively sat up straighter.

"Brother Ran".

"Xiao Ran".

A few brief greetings.

Li Ran took off his hat and mask, casually placed them on the back of an empty chair, and sat down at the head of the long table.

He first nodded slightly to Long Ying, then his gaze swept across the entire room, and his voice carried an unquestionable tone: "Everyone's here? Wait a moment, there are others coming. Let's hurry up and give me a brief summary of the current situation."

The head of the public relations department was a sophisticated and capable woman in her thirties. She pushed up her glasses, looked at the screen in front of her, and spoke at a steady pace.

"Although the initial trigger was a battle between the fans of several CPs, namely 'Xin Yi Wei Ran', 'Ye Huo', and 'Cun Xin Ran Dong', after a night of fermentation, especially after some of our big fans stepped in to guide the public opinion, the focus of public opinion has completely shifted."

"The main contradiction now has evolved into a concentrated criticism and moral judgment of Liu Haocun and her family. Her parents' old case has been dug up, widely disseminated, and emotionally interpreted."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "We have already had an emergency private conversation with several influential fan club leaders and big fans, and have temporarily stabilized the 'solo fans' from launching further large-scale attacks. We have asked them to remove their extreme remarks and adopt a unified message of 'Focus on the work, do not disturb their private lives.'"

"However, the infighting among CP fans, especially the attacks on Liu Haocun, continues, and..."

She glanced at Li Ran and said in a more serious tone, "The most troublesome thing is that after half a day of this, a large number of bystanders have already joined in."

"Many people are not fans of any particular individual; they are simply emotionally charged by topics such as 'victim families,' 'capital privilege,' and 'celebrity original sin.' The current public opinion is beyond our ability to easily control or guide on our own."

"The level of attention is too high and the scope is too wide, which has exceeded the scope of ordinary fan circle disputes."

Li Ran frowned slightly, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the smooth conference table. He didn't speak, but his eyes grew even more somber.

Long Ying, standing nearby, asked at the opportune moment, "How much impact will public opinion have on Li Ran's fan base and commercial value, based on current assessments?"

The PR manager switched screens, looked at the data, and replied, "The fan base seems to be quite stable at the moment. The loyalty of the core fans has not been fundamentally shaken, and some even believe that this is 'protecting' Li Ran from 'negative associations'."

"However, the impact on her public image should not be underestimated. There are already many voices criticizing Li Ran for 'fans' actions causing her to pay the price,' 'condoning cyberbullying,' and 'choosing friends poorly,' in addition..."

She paused, her tone serious, "The rival team and anti-fans definitely won't let this opportunity pass. Since midnight, we've detected organized trolls and marketing accounts stirring up trouble, releasing smear articles targeting Li Ran personally, trying to shift the blame onto her..."

Before he could finish speaking, there was a polite knock on the conference room door twice, and then it was pushed open.

Guo Tingting, a half-boss of Liu Haocun's agency, and Liu Haocun's executive agent walked in with solemn expressions.

"Li Ran, everyone, I'm sorry we're late," Guo Tingting said, her voice a little hoarse.

Li Ran nodded to them, gesturing for them to sit down in the empty seats.

His gaze returned to the public relations manager, and without any pleasantries, he cut straight to the point: "Put my business aside for now, let's focus on Liu Haocun's situation. I need to know the worst-case scenario, and what we can do about it."

The PR manager glanced at the two newcomers, then looked at Li Ran, knowing exactly what was going on.

As Li Ran's core team, they knew that Li Ran and Liu Haocun were not just ordinary friends, and that's why they needed to be extremely careful in handling this crisis.

She nodded, organizing her thoughts: "The nature of the problem Ms. Liu is facing now has changed. It's no longer a simple romantic rumor or a controversy over CP hype, but has escalated into public questioning and judgment of her family background, personal morality, and even the legitimacy of her debut. This is no longer the usual battlefield for entertainment public relations."

Li Ran's jawline tightened: "I know, this is old news being brought up again. The compensation has been settled, and there are no legal issues. Get to the point, where is the core of the public's attack now?"

"How effective are our prepared contingency plans in the current out-of-control public opinion environment? I need specific, actionable solutions, not repetitive ones."

The PR manager sensed his boss's impatience and spoke faster: "The core attack points of public opinion, just as we predicted in the worst-case scenario, are focused on 'the original sin of the beneficiaries' and 'the sentiment of social justice'."

"Netizens, especially a large number of bystanders, don't care whether the legal process is completed or whether the compensation is in place."

"What they saw was the tragedy of an innocent girl who was paralyzed for life, and a young actress who, despite the controversy surrounding her background, still received top-tier resources."

"This comparison is inherently provocative. Ms. Liu's starting point was indeed much higher than that of most artists of the same age. She debuted as a 'Zhang Yimou girl' and had a constant stream of resources, which naturally aroused jealousy and resentment towards the rich and privilege among some people."

"In addition... in recent years, people's emotions have generally been quite suppressed, and they need an outlet. Speaking out for the 'vulnerable' and criticizing 'capital' and 'privilege' can bring huge moral satisfaction and group identity. Ms. Liu... unfortunately became this target."

Li Ran listened in silence; he understood these analyses perfectly well.

To outsiders, Liu Haocun's opportunities seemed too "smooth," so smooth that any flaws were magnified.

Hearing this, Guo Tingting couldn't help but interject, with a hint of hope and her usual way of thinking: "The current public opinion is too heated, and negative information is spreading too fast. Could we... try to remove the trending topics first? At least suppress the top few trending terms? Reduce exposure, give it a cold shoulder?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a cold, sharp gaze fixed on her as if it were a physical object.

Li Ran looked up at Guo Tingting, and in that instant, the air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes, which always held a smile or a distant politeness, now held only a cold chill and the oppressive aura of someone who had long held a superior position.

That wasn't the gaze of top idol Li Ran, but rather the gaze of a member of the Li family with a powerful background who grew up in a complex environment. The powerful aura permeated the air silently, causing everyone present to feel a pang of fear, and even their breathing became lighter involuntarily.

Long Ying's heart skipped a beat; she knew Li Ran all too well.

The last time I saw him with that expression was many years ago when he learned that his teammates had fixed a match, causing them to lose the game.

That's a signal that the bottom line has been crossed and that someone is truly enraged.

Li Ran didn't even speak immediately. He just stared at Guo Tingting with that cold gaze for a few seconds until she subconsciously looked away and her face turned pale. Only then did he let out a very light, cold laugh.

"Remove the trending topic?" His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, filled with undisguised sarcasm. "Mr. Guo, do you think Haocun's accusations of being a 'capitalist's child' and 'manipulating the system' aren't solid enough? Do you want to personally hand her a knife so everyone can see how the 'capital' behind her can 'silence,' 'remove trending topics,' and 'control public opinion'?"

Guo Tingting was speechless, her face turning red and white. She opened her mouth but couldn't utter a single word, and could only lower her head in embarrassment.

The public relations manager held his breath and dared not respond.

She knew in her heart that Liu Haocun was facing a more troublesome situation than the famous and far-reaching fan incident last year.

That was more about the fandom getting out of control and the subsequent mishandling. But this time, it touched on broader social emotions and moral judgment from the very beginning. The opponent was not the opposing fans, but the surging "public opinion".

The suffocating silence lasted for more than ten seconds.

Li Ran withdrew his gaze and looked back at the public relations manager. The coldness on his face lessened slightly, but his eyes remained icy.

He remained silent for a moment, seemingly suppressing his turbulent emotions and thinking rapidly.

Then, he spoke slowly, his voice regaining its previous calmness, yet carrying an undeniable decisiveness: "First, the public opinion guidance strategy will proceed according to the plan we discussed before, abandoning any illusions of a head-on confrontation or a quick fix."

"From a third-party, seemingly objective perspective, we slowly and rhythmically release a more complete chain of information about that old incident. The focus is not on 'whitewashing,' but on presenting its 'complexity.'"

"It emphasizes the tragedy and acknowledges the irreversibility of the damage, but also objectively describes the parents' response at the time of the incident, the subsequent legal solutions, the compensation already paid, and... the helplessness of both families who are actually victims."

"Note that you must be extremely careful with your words. There must be no tendency to shirk responsibility or play the victim. The keynote should be 'statement' and 'reflection'."

"Secondly, we will proceed simultaneously, summarizing and showcasing Liu Haocun's personal efforts, professional performance, and collaborators' evaluations since his debut, without emphasizing 'talent' but focusing on 'dedication' and 'growth'."

"Using relatively 'hard' things like clips from her works, behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage, and industry reputation, we tried to partially draw public attention back to her identity as an 'actress'."

The person in charge immediately nodded: "Understood. We have prepared some of the relevant materials and press release directions. The public opinion team is adjusting the wording and release pace according to the real-time trend. It has already begun."

Li Ran nodded slightly and continued, "Third, monitor whether any other competitors or rivals are taking advantage of the chaos to release damaging information about Haocun that goes beyond the scope of this incident, or attempting to divert attention in a completely unrelated direction. Are there any?"

The person in charge glanced at Guo Tingting, whose face was still not very good, hesitated for a moment, but still chose to speak frankly: "Yes, we have detected several companies, mainly the teams of competing actresses, who are stirring up trouble and spreading some out-of-context information about Ms. Liu's personality and interview remarks. Although it is not as damaging as the family incident, it is still exacerbating the negative impression."

Li Ran twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that was devoid of warmth: "As expected. Make a note of these opportunities to fish in troubled waters. Don't act now, but there will be plenty of chances later."

"Yes, I understand," the person in charge replied solemnly.

Li Ran's gaze swept across the entire room again, finally lingering on Long Ying's face for a moment before turning cold again: "Finally, regarding the cause of last night's incident. The CP fan wars have been going on for a while, but for it to escalate to this point, our public opinion monitoring and fan management teams failed to detect the signs in the first instance and take effective measures to guide and intervene. This is a dereliction of duty."

His voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down the spine of the person in charge of the relevant department.

"I don't want to see any more situations where internal fan disputes escalate to the point where the company's highest-level public relations resources have to be used to clean up the mess, or even involve unrelated people who suffer undeservedly."

Li Ran's gaze swept over Guo Tingting almost imperceptibly. After speaking, without waiting for anyone's response, he stood up abruptly, picked up his hat and mask from the back of the chair, and said briefly to Long Ying, "Sis, go to Auntie's office."

Then, without looking at the various expressions on the faces of the people in the conference room, he pulled out a chair, strode out, his back straight, yet carrying a suffocating, unapproachable aura.

Long Ying immediately followed, leaving the people in the conference room looking at each other, some relieved, others with even more serious expressions.

Guo Tingting watched the conference room door close again, her expression shifting before finally settling into a barely audible sigh.

She knew in her heart that Li Ran wouldn't give her another chance...