Chapter 57 - I’ve got this Celebrity’s back (17)
Chapter 57: I’ve got this Celebrity’s back (17)
It couldn’t—”
The a.s.sistant started to speak and was frightened into shivering by the cold aura emanating from Ning Feiping’s body. He lowered his head and said, “It couldn’t have been a reporter, it must have been a paparazzo…”
There were ways to deal with reporters. If they could find them, they can threaten the reporter’s future prospects and their current livelihood. They can find someone to put pressure on them. But there were no such restrictions for the paparazzi. Just like the photo that allowed Gu Xi to execute his counterattack last time, what these hidden cameras want to take or post were beyond the control of any standard means or methods.
They put all their attention on that group of reporters. They spent a lot of thought, effort and money to restrain them and they didn’t even notice when the paparazzi got in.
“You can’t control the paparazzi and now, you can’t even control the broadcasting channels?!”
Ning Feiping hurled the tablet in his hand and got up in a fury. “Which website posted the video? Why wasn’t it taken down as soon as it was found? Knowing that I want to make a move, who gave them the guts to show this kind of thing!”
The signal on the set was so bad that you couldn’t even load a webpage on your phone. He didn’t believe at all when they said there had been a live broadcast. Even if it was a paparazzo’s handiwork, he must have first recorded the event and then claimed that it was an unedited live broadcast.
To send it out, there must be a platform where it had to have been uploaded. Everyone had a tacit understanding that he wanted to punish Gu Xi. This time, he came out with the edited video and bought the hot search to advertise it; daring to upload and send out this thing that went contrary to his statements evidently meant that this platform has decided to confront him head-on.
In the entertainment industry, the circulation of information was actually not as easy as outsiders imagined. As long as you had enough money or power, you could thoroughly control the mainstream media. Even if those third-rate illegal website released some news that shouldn’t be disclosed, there will be ways to prevent it from spreading far, stopping it from making even half a splash.
It was with this certainty that he dared to order people to handle this so unscrupulously. He even intentionally did not try to hide that the online news articles were vaguely pointed towards him. This was in order to dilute the ridicule caused by the tea set incident. He did not expect that things would turn out to be this troublesome, having basically reached a point where he could not end things.
“It’s a website that came out from nowhere. I’ve never seen it before. It has no reputation at all.”
The a.s.sistant was trembling, and his face was full of bitterness: “It was all good at first, and the comments and direction of public opinion were all going the right way. And then, just two hours ago, several portals were suddenly intercepted. Just clicking on this news opens a small pop-up window with a video frame…”
Unlike Ning Feiping, who clicked on the news to read the comments, most netizens clicked on the push notifications to while away the time. Of course, there were those who also closed the pop-ups thinking they were game advertis.e.m.e.nts but as long as they were slightly attracted by the small window, there would be some people who wouldn’t be able to help but continue watching.
Just one was enough to get the ball rolling. The rest read from the comments and of course, they would go back to watch it.
He spent a lot of money on bribing the various portals and it was only natural that they would control the comments that were favorable to Gu Xi. However since the matter has already caused this much of a stink and there was no way to settle it properly at the moment, blindly controlling the reviews will only cause netizens to doubt the integrity of the website’s comment section. The gains were not worth the losses. They might as well simply turn a blind eye to it all and just let it go.
Fearing that he didn’t believe him, the a.s.sistant took out his phone, clicked on a news website, and clicked on the post. “Our people have contacted the major websites and they have been working hard to fix the loopholes, but until now, they still haven’t been able to successfully……”
The small window that popped up had a clear and stable picture. The sequence of the scenes were completely different from the edited version that Ning Feiping’s camp had sent out. It could attract attention with a single glance. There was even a notification that the video could be watched free of any data charges.
The comments kept pouring in and the volume of views kept growing bigger and bigger. It was only a short video of a few sentences and already the hot comments have been refreshed countless times.
Malicious editing and misleading articles were not uncommon on the Internet. They have almost become a magic weapon used by many film program groups and producers to confuse black and white and too many people grew up using these unjustifiable methods.
There were too many marketing tricks being used and it was the first time the netizens had encountered such a depictive public condemnation. Many of the netizens who hadn’t paid attention to the dispute before also came after hearing the news. Their ridicule and mockery was merciless, and it became a backlash carnival after being suppressed for a long time.
“It’s…this simple?”
He was used to relying on money to destroy people but all his conventional methods now, were all disadvantageous and harmful. Ning Feiping has never encountered such an unreasonable response. His chest felt so oppressed that his vision before him was starting to turn dark. He took deep breaths and suppressed the trembling of his body. His voice, however, was still faintly hoa.r.s.e.
The a.s.sistant didn’t dare to reply. He just nodded dully. He barely managed to muster up the courage, “Brother Ning, what should we do now?”
Ning Feiping’s agency was a personal studio. It doesn’t even have an affiliated company. Even if he wanted to get rid of the marketing hat, he couldn’t even attempt to do so.
Public opinion has exploded to this extent. Not only has Gu Xi inexplicably gotten countless traffic and online coverage for free but Ning Feiping has also been mocked and ridiculed. The number of his fans on Weibo instantly dropped by tens of thousands.
Ning Feiping closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Just as he was about to open the door, the door was pushed open again and someone from the Publicity Department quickly ran in.
When he saw Ning Feiping in the room, he immediately grew quiet. With the greatest of care, he said, “President Ning…”
Now that things have come to this point, Ning Feiping unexpectedly calmed down. He pushed aside the a.s.sistant’s mobile phone and took a breath. He raised his head and said in a hoa.r.s.e voice, “Talk. What else has happened?”
“That Duan Zhicheng… he handed in his resignation the same night and posted the appraisal result on his private Weibo. It’s already spread around the internet…”
The new arrival was just a small office worker from the Publicity Department. He had simply wanted to come look for the a.s.sistant to discuss what to do. He hadn’t expected that the boss would also be here. He stared at his gloomy-looking face in fear, “Now—now it’s probably also on the hot search.”
The a.s.sistant’s complexion changed. He quickly picked up his phone and flipped through it. Sure enough, he saw a very conspicuous search item and clicked on it. The most popular one was impressively Duan Zhicheng’s Weibo post.
Ma Fang Nanshan: I would like to give my sincerest apologies to Teacher @Gu Xi’s a.s.sistant. I was busy for the entire afternoon and found three experts. The value of a single cup is less than a hundred and the price of a tea set is less than a thousand. See the picture below for the appraisal and professional evaluation. Teacher Gu, you paid too much. You should have the other party return you another nine thousand yuan.
His wording was strictly according to the rules and he made the price very clear. Despite this, he managed to greatly ignite the interest of the netizens. The hashtag #Teacher Gu Overpaid for the Indemnification# was absolutely everywhere. Even the interview that Ning Feiping had given out earlier in the day that turned into a complete joke.
The comments below were surprisingly consistent with those on the other side, sparing no effort in their mockery. It was rare to see someone suffer such a fierce setback. There was video evidence and someone had already linked the two things together, turning it into the biggest conversation tonight.
“How come this matter has gotten this much attention? Don’t you have people working in public relations?!”
The a.s.sistant felt as though his head was about to explode. Seeing Ning Feiping’s face so gloomy and not saying a word, he rushed to berate the person from the Publicity Department, “What’s the Publicity Department doing! You still have to come here looking for President Ning? This kind of thing should have already been dealt with at the time— —”
“We’ve already tried to use our connections but it seems that someone is competing with us with money and forcibly spent 790,000 yuan. He even left us a message…”
The man lowered his voice. He hesitated for a while before he finished speaking, “He said…no need to go looking. He’ll just round it up.”
The a.s.sistant’s heart sank instantly.
800,000 was the price that Ning Feiping publicly stated. Gu Xi first paid 10,000 as indemnification and the rest was exactly 790,000.
This wasn’t really a big amount but there were too many online outlets these days and you needed money for all of them. No matter how strong the financial foundation, it can’t bear being tossed around like this. They’ve been spending money tonight like it was running water but it failed to make even the slightest splash. The Publicity Department kept running into walls and it was making them very nervous.
“Good… very good.”
The corners of his eyes twitched upon hearing that 790,000 yuan. Ning Feiping spoke in a hoa.r.s.e voice and nodded absent-mindedly.
Everything had obviously been going so well. He had blackened Gu Xi so much, he was about to be kicked from his role in “The Journey”. Who knew just what kind of luck Gu Xi has that in such a short period of time, he actually managed to launch a counterattack and has instead made him out to be the notorious one.
Since his debut, things have been smooth-sailing for him. He has never encountered any real hurdles and it was the first time someone has made him suffer such a big setback.
This incident has already attracted a lot of attention. At most, his persona was going to take a hit. It wasn’t such a big deal anymore. However, it was the evidence of his malicious editing and creation of misleading articles that he couldn’t free himself from.
The main theme of the drama he was partic.i.p.ating in right now was purely positive improvement. Although the investor was Shengxing, behind the scenes, it was being pushed by hands determined to sweep the decline of domestic TV dramas. Actors with such bad reputations won’t be allowed to partic.i.p.ate.
If he were really to be replaced…
A chill went down Ning Feiping’s spine. For the first time he felt nervous uneasiness from uncertainty. His expression though became colder and gloomier. “Didn’t he admit to engaging in unspoken rules? Go and hype it up. Drag him into the water. Say that he’s come out of the closet, say that he’s engaged in unspoken rules and is keeping a sugar baby. Do whatever you want. If he wants to make life hard for me then he’s not going to have an easy time of it either.”
The man from the Publicity Department couldn’t wait to get of there and left while repeatedly agreeing with him. The a.s.sistant glanced at his face secretly and wanted to take the opportunity to escape as well but Ning Feiping had already started speaking again.
“Tell Yikun Entertainment, within three days, I want to see Gu Xi kicked out of “The Fall” and completely shut out. If they continue to play dead, then they better not blame me for not safekeeping evidence of them accepting bribes …”
*
After squandering away that 790,000 yuan, Gu Xi stopped paying attention to the movements online.
Listening to the inexperienced President Mu, with his face all flushed, stumbling through two hours of trying to impart knowledge about safety and protection during special occasions, Film Emperor Gu had to wash his face with cold water several times in the middle so that he did not have a meltdown during his overly detailed teachings and so that he could stand firm to the end.
“In short — as long as you’re careful, you’ll be fine.”
Finally having finished reading aloud the materials he had prepared on the way here, Mu Jinchu breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes fell on his little nephew’s and his expression softened. He raised his hand and stroked the top of his hair.
He had gotten up too early today and had followed Gu Xi around everywhere. Lu Qingzhou couldn’t help feeling sleepy after listening for a while. At this time, he was already sleeping soundly in Gu Xi’s arms.
The sofa wasn’t big and his body was almost entirely curled up between Gu Xi’s arms. His partly visible thin back rose and fell along with his peaceful breathing. He held onto the corner of Gu Xi’s clothes with one hand. Probably having some sort of happy dream, his brows were softly unfurled, showing a distinctly relaxed and comfortable expression.
Mu Jinchu couldn’t help but smile, his voice becoming softer, “The last time I saw him, he still couldn’t sleep with anyone nearby and he would secretly hide in the closet to sleep.”
His expression was gentle and warm but Gu Xi’s heart still constricted. He hesitated for a while and said softly, “Uncle, may I know…what actually happened?”
People’s mental hurdles undoubtedly had their origins in people’s inerasable past.
Lu Qingzhou was perfectly capable of getting by in his day to day life. He can get along with him without any difficulty. He can even calmly say to him “I’m here to rob you” with a small smile on his face underneath the moonlight. There seemed to be no problem at all when his little paparazzo interacts with him one on one. When certain aspects are touched upon though, he can clearly feel that part of Lu Qingzhou still imprisoned in a certain too deep past.
When he meets those overly clear black eyes, he can hear Lu Qingzhou trapped there.
He never asks for help.
His little paparazzo was trapped there. He was evidently already so scared but he still gritted his teeth and walked out to follow him. Only when it got too painful and uncomfortable, did he cry silently in his arms for a while and smiled again when he looked up.
Gu Xi wanted to ask but he was reluctant to.
Shocked by being called “uncle”, Mu Jinchu’s gaze stayed on him for a moment. He met the clear and open gaze in Gu Xi’s eyes and then nodded slightly. He opened his briefcase, “Your role in “The Journey”, it’s meaningless. You’ll only get your hand burned holding on to it. You were blackened like this but the crew stood by and did nothing. You might as well just say that you won’t take the role.”
The topic suddenly took a huge 180 degree turn. Gu Xi was puzzled, but his face was still calm. He agreed completely. “Okay, I haven’t set the schedule yet. I will refuse tomorrow.”
He never really liked this role that posed no challenge. But because the old director was a person of good moral standing and reputation, he was somewhat reluctant to refuse in order to give him face. But he had been inexplicably targeted for so long, even if the old director has always devoted himself to academics and refused to delve into the matters of common mortals, even the crew of “The Journey” chose to remain silent. No matter what, it was somewhat inexcusable.
They wanted him to act for them but they refused to even be dampened by this muddy water; how can there possibly be such good business? He originally planned to refuse this role. Whoever wanted to fight for it, go fight for it.
Seeing him agree so readily, Mu Jinchu was slightly surprised. A smile of appreciation appeared in his eyes. He nodded, took out a script and handed it over. “Take a look at this.”
Gu Xi took it and opened it. After reading a few pages, his heart suddenly seized. He subconsciously raised his head. “Uncle–”
“If you are willing to accept it, you can also ask Xiao Zhou, he might also be willing.”
Mu Jinchu smiled and nodded lightly at him. He got up to take his leave. “No need to see me out. Wake him up after I leave. It’s best that you two stay together.”
Meeting the other’s gaze filled with expectation, the look in Gu Xi’s eyes also couldn’t help warming. He nodded gently, “Okay.”
Mu Jinchu signaled with one hand that he did not need to get up. He rubbed the soft hair of his sleeping nephew, nodded and left behind the materials of the companies he had transferred to Lu Qingzhou. He then quickly left.
He was still holding the sleeping paparazzo in his arms. Gu Xi could only leaned over to greet him good-bye. He watched Mu Jinchu’s figure leave. He held the script but did not continue to read it. He only lowered his head, eyes falling back to Lu Qingzhou’s soft and delicate face.
Lu Qingzhou slept well, cuddling against his chest, holding his clothes in one hand.
Gu Xi embraced him in his arms and gently touched his cheek with his lips.
Sleeping in the closet… how uncomfortable.
Thinking of the little Lu Qingzhou having to hide in the closet before being able to sleep, Gu Xi couldn’t help feeling his heart ache. He became even more reluctant to wake him up like this and instead lowered his head and kissed him softly, protecting him within his arms.
Lu Qingzhou was woken up by his kiss. He instinctively raised his arm towards him, his brows and eyes curved into thin arcs under the pale warm light.
Gu Xi couldn’t help but smile. He took him firmly into his arms and kissed him on the cheek. “Did you sleep well?”
“I slept well…”
Lu Qingzhou lay on his shoulder and nodded. The confusion when he first woke up disappeared and he remembered what they’d been doing before he fell asleep.
The room was quiet. Lu Qingzhou blinked and was about to get up and look around. Gu Xi was already holding him to sit back on his lap. He smiled and joked, “Uncle left first. He asked me to tell you to remember to sign the contracts– Come and see. I still haven’t engaged you in those unspoken rules…”
“You can.”
Before he even finished speaking, Lu Qingzhou had already answered. Instead of accepting the contracts, he took his hand and looked up at him. “Let me take sneak shots of you…and I’ll join you in those unspoken rules.”
The relationship between the two can no longer be measured by these things. Gu Xi was just teasing him and didn’t expect that the little paparazzo would really become nervous. His chest was slightly going up and down and the corners of his lips had pressed into a line.
He was already very quiet in the first place but he became even more reticent when he was nervous. Gu Xi retracted his arm. Making a guess, he added, “You mean—as long as you can secretly take photos, you’ll follow the unspoken rules?”
Lu Qingzhou’s ears were slightly hot and he nodded vigorously. His heartbeat was still beating slightly fast.
He was happy that his uncle was here and it was a good thing for him to be able to help Gu Xi. However, he hopes that the relationship between the two of them won’t change in any way because of this.
This indistinct worry was concealed in his heart but he had no way to voice it out. Seeing that Gu Xi wasn’t saying anything, Lu Qingzhou couldn’t help becoming more anxious. He blushed and wanted to hug him but before he could, he was already being embraced by Gu Xi with a smile. Gu Xi lowered his head and kissed him.
“Then hurry up and take a hundred and eighty pictures…Is there any other price for going public? We have to carefully consider it — That’s right, I can even do poses for you…….”