@Weekly New Entertainment V:

Breaking news! Renowned director Shen Peiping’s new drama, ‘The Disloyal Minister’, has begun filming at Hengdian World Studios. The male and female leads are the currently popular young actor @Liu Qi and young actress @Lou Lixiao respectively. Film emperor @Jiang Sheli and popular idol @Zhu Huai have also joined the cast. The lineup is impressive and the visuals are off the charts. This will also be Jiang Sheli’s first appearance on screen after taking a year-long break from acting. We eagerly wait the visual feast he will bring!

The blogger who posted this had more than three million followers and usually loved publishing this sort of seemingly innocuous article with hidden barbs. It easily lured a crowd of onlookers into tearing into one another in the comments.

【Tsk, tsk, tsk. The blogger deliberately tagged the film emperor and Zhu Huai together. This attempt to sow discord couldn’t be more obvious.】

【What happened to Jiang Sheli? Last year he won an international film award and suddenly disappeared. After taking a year off, his first drama on his return is actually a a low-budget drama, and he isn’t even the lead?】

【My gege (NT: big brother) may not be the male lead, but at least he’s an important big boss in the story. His billing isn’t something a male Nth-rank character like Baby Zhu can compare with. What is this blogger trying to pull?】

【Zhu Huai and Jiang Sheli are joining the same production. I’ve already written the announcement for Zhu Huai’s company in my head: “Zhu Huai has earned Jiang Sheli’s recognition, who praised him for his diligence and hard work. We look forward to further collaborations in the future!”】

【So the pest Zhu who caused SYA to disband has returned to the entertainment world?】

【Oh my God, Zhu Huai actually dares to act alongside Jiang Sheli. Wasn’t being taught a lesson by Jiang’s fans two years ago enough? He’s trying to tie himself to him again!】

【What happened? What happened? What happened two years ago? Can someone explain?】

Reply: 【A retrospective summary of the Zhu fans–Jiang fans flame war two years ago → [Link]】

Clicking the link led to a compilation post, complete with pictures and text, explaining the reasons behind SYA’s disbandment and the fan war between Jiang’s and Zhu’s fans at the time.

Two years earlier, an entertainment blogger had launched a poll for “The Man in the Entertainment Industry You Most Want to Sleep With.”

In that poll, Jiang Sheli had won by a landslide with more than three million votes, leaving everyone else far behind. He firmly occupied first place.

Zhu Huai, in second place, had been left behind by a gap of more than a million votes.

There was no need to explain what a gap of more than a million votes meant. What was more, unlike the organized and disciplined voting campaign launched by Zhu’s fans, Jiang Sheli’s fans had not organized the event at all. Every one of those votes had been cast spontaneously by individual fans.

The extent of it was terrifyingly obvious.

As the visual centerpiece of the SYA idol group, Zhu Huai had been so popular that his fame was practically blazing. He was widely known as the number-one idol, and his various Weibo statistics were basically always ranked first. His fans had never imagined that they would be taught a lesson by an ordinary poll.

At the time, some of Zhu’s more radical fans could not stomach such a disparity. They went to Jiang Sheli’s Weibo account and left numerous sarcastic and bitter comments, using vicious language and displaying an extremely hostile attitude.

Jiang’s fans could only laugh when they saw it.

Jiang Sheli had debuted at fifteen and had been famous for all eleven years since his debut. He had won so many awards that his hands were practically soft from holding them. His latest film had even been nominated for Best Actor at the M-country Film Festival. He had always stood at the very top of the pyramid, looking down upon the entire entertainment industry. This was the first time anyone had ever chased after him to insult him like this. Zhu’s fans were truly a first.

But what kind of storms had Jiang’s fans not seen? There were countless people in the industry who used all sorts of methods to create buzz by associating themselves with their gege. The more attention you gave such people, the more they would push it. They weren’t stupid enough to give someone publicity for free!

They were angry, of course, but they paid no attention to this attempt to piggyback on Jiang’s fame despite the enormous difference in status.

Number-one idol?

Heh.

Jiang’s fans advised Zhu’s fans to first go and find out how the term “Jiang Sheli era” had come about. Zhu Huai was merely a little idol who had come out of a talent show and did not even have a single noteworthy work to his name. Did he really think Jiang’s fans were going to waste their time fighting with them?

“Keys are three for ten yuan. Is Zhu Huai worthy? “

“Worthy of what, exactly?”

(NT: 配 (pèi, “be worthy of / be a match for”) is followed by 几把 (jǐ bǎ, “how many”), which sounds like the vulgar 鸡巴 (jībā, “dick”), turning “Is Zhu Huai worthy?” into a crude “Worthy of what, my ass)

“Going after him isn’t poverty relief; it’s disaster relief!”

But Jiang’s fans had never imagined that they would actually miscalculate this time!

They had no idea which person with a golden finger (NT: extraordinary, almost cheat-like advantage or ability) had paid to get the incident of Zhu’s fans attacking Jiang Sheli’s Weibo account onto the number-one hot search. A bright red [BREAKING] tag appeared beside it, while the tag #JiangSheliZhuHuai# also occupied the top three spots on the hot-search list. It drew onlookers from all corners of the internet into the fight, while entertainment marketing accounts seized every opportunity to publish articles portraying the two as seemingly ambiguous and suggestive of some unclear relationship.

For a time, Zhu Huai and Jiang Sheli became like conjoined twins: wherever there was one, there was the other. And, in secret, they even acquired a small but rather peculiar group of CP fans.

Some advertisers even came after hearing the news and proposed having the two of them appear in an advertisement together.

Jiang Sheli’s fans were stunned at first, then they exploded. “Wait, what? We ignored you, and you’re still pushing it, huh?!”

“Zhu Huai, you really are something. You’re clinging to Jiang Sheli’s leg and sucking him dry for all you’re worth!”

They could endure no more; there was no need to endure any longer!

The two sides of fans completely fell out and started attacking each other with forty-meter-long swords.

One side supported an undefeated legend at the pinnacle of the entertainment industry; the other supported a newly risen, currently popular idol. The fighting power of both sides was no joke. Wherever they went, not a blade of grass survived. Several times, their battles made it onto Weibo’s hot-search rankings. Fans of other celebrities would hurriedly make way whenever they saw these two groups of fans, deeply afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Yet just as the fans on both sides had completely lost themselves in the fierce fight, the SYA idol group, of which Zhu Huai was a member, suddenly announced its disbandment, sending shockwaves throughout the entire entertainment industry.

The SYA group fans and the individual fans who supported only particular members were caught completely off guard. They gathered together and wept bitterly, demanding everywhere that the official side give them an explanation.

An insider broke the news that the reason for the disbandment was that Zhu Huai had bullied members of the group and, dissatisfied with the allocation of resources between center-position member Wei Feng and leader Liu Qi, had gotten into a physical fight. He had not only caused a commotion that ended up at the police station, but had also threatened senior company executives with suicide, making it impossible for the group’s activities to continue normally. The huge-scale fan war was then seized upon by people to make an issue of it, openly mocking and secretly criticizing Zhu Huai for thinking too highly of himself and showing contempt for everyone around him.

Higher authorities even singled him out for criticism, and even the party-affiliated media deliberately published an article condemning the rampant disorder in the entertainment industry.

SYA’s reputation deteriorated overnight. Because of public pressure, advertisers and investors one after another withdrew their funding and terminated their contracts. SYA could no longer make money for the company, so in the end the company could only give up and was forced to announce the group’s disbandment. The hot-search topic #ZhuHuaiGetOutOfTheEntertainmentIndustry# remained there for an entire week, and netizens even gave him the nickname “Zhu Baby” (NT: baby (祝) sounds similar to bēibǐ (卑鄙), “despicable”).

Meanwhile, Jiang Sheli’s fans, who had been locked in a fierce battle with Zhu’s fans, were hailed by netizens as warriors. There were even rumors that Jiang’s fans had actually received the news beforehand and already knew that Zhu Huai was no good. Otherwise, with so many people trying to use Jiang Sheli to generate publicity, why had they singled out Zhu Huai and refused to let him go?

“Jiang’s fans are purifying the entertainment industry!”

Jiang’s fans were dumbfounded.

“Wait, what nonsense are you talking about? Stop making things up! We don’t have such lofty aspirations! We just wanted to teach that bloodsucking parasite Zhu Huai a lesson!”

“…No, wait. We were being used as someone else’s weapon!”

Jiang’s fans finally understood. Damn, someone had been using them as a knife, deliberately targeting Zhu Huai!

But even after realizing this, they neither responded, nor did they sympathize with him.

It was true that Zhu Huai had been sucking Jiang Sheli’s blood, and it was also true that his character was rotten. Although being used as someone else’s weapon was rather unpleasant, they had not lost anything by it, and even the slight guilt they felt disappeared because of Zhu Huai’s terrible character.

Not dragging Zhu Huai down any further was their final act of mercy.

After that, Zhu Huai was chased and cursed at by the group fans and the individual fans of the other members for more than half a year. Several major fan leaders took the lead in leaving his fandom, his career plummeted, and Zhu Huai and his fans became synonymous with “disgusting” and “rotten.”

This post from two years ago was pushed back to the top and made it onto the lower ranks of the hot-search list. After trending once again, Zhu Huai once more became the target of the entire internet’s hatred after two years.

*

Inside the rest room of the cast of The Disloyal Minister at Hengdian World Studios, Zhu Huai browsed Weibo, his brows drawn together as he remained silent.

His assistant, Xiao Nan, walked in carrying the fruit she had just bought. Her eyes accidentally fell on his phone screen, and she frowned.

“Huai ge, stop looking at that. What good things could a marketing account possibly write? This blogger posts this kind of divisive article every other day. You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth.”

“Mm.” Obediently, Zhu Huai turned off his phone. He casually took an orange from the bag and was about to peel it when Xiao Nan took it away.

Xiao Nan said, “Your next scene is an intimate scene with Jiang the film emperor. Don’t eat an orange, or you’ll leave a smell. Have some grapes instead.”

Zhu Huai immediately said, “Then I won’t eat. Bring me the breath freshener.”

Xiao Nan found it and handed it to him.

“It’s only a little intimate, not even a kissing scene. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

Zhu Huai’s eyes curved into a smile, his tone gentle. “It’s our first collaboration. If I can’t leave a good impression, at the very least I shouldn’t leave him with an unpleasant memory. Besides, he’s my senior. It’s only natural that I respect him.”

His appearance had always been exceptional. Even before his former idol group disbanded, he had been its visual centerpiece. His eyebrows were thick without being sharp, his nose high and delicately shaped, his lips resembling lips holding a pearl (NT: full, shapely lips). His eyes in particular, bright as stars, had captivated who knew how many young girls. Whenever he smiled, two adorable dimples appeared, and even Xiao Nan, who had been around him for so long, could not help but stare blankly for a moment.

There was truly nothing to criticize about Zhu Huai’s looks. If nothing had happened, who knew how differently his career might have developed.

Xiao Nan had quite a few friends who were Jiang Sheli fans. Two years ago, she had not yet started working with Zhu Huai. When the incident happened back then, a friend had given her a running text account of everything that happened. She knew the whole fan war even better than the netizens did.

She had only started working with Zhu Huai after SYA disbanded. When she was assigned to be Zhu Huai’s assistant, she had been nervous for quite a while, but after spending two years with him, Xiao Nan felt that he was nothing like the awful person portrayed online.

Zhu Huai was polite and gentle. Aside from his occasional shamelessness, he could sometimes even be a little shy. Whenever he smiled at you, it seemed as though there were stars in his eyes. In private, he was also very kind to employees like her. He never lost his temper with the staff. He even remembered which days she suffered from menstrual pain and would give her two days off. This kind of subtle thoughtfulness could never have been faked.

Although the fan war between Jiang’s fans and Zhu’s fans had not been the main reason for SYA’s disbandment, it was undeniable that it had contributed to it. That fierce fan war had dealt Zhu Huai a truly devastating blow, and even now he had not fully recovered from it.

« Ge. » Xiao Nan looked somewhat worried and asked cautiously, « Are you uncomfortable about seeing Jiang the film emperor? »

Zhu Huai knew what she meant. Instead of answering, he asked in return, « Was I the one who organized the fans to start that fight? »

Xiao Nan shook her head. « No. »

« Then was Jiang Sheli the one who organized it? »

« …No, either. »

« Do Jiang Sheli and I have a blood feud because one of us killed the other’s father? »

« No! »

« Then what do I have to feel awkward about? »

Xiao Nan was silent for a moment before saying, « Ever since SYA disbanded, everyone has thought that the two of you are completely at odds with each other. They’re convinced you must hate Jiang the film emperor to death. This time, now that the two of you are working together, a lot of people are waiting to see you make a fool of yourself. »

Zhu Huai: « ? »

« They’re waiting to see you tear Jiang the film emperor limb from limb, or watch you suck up to him again and humiliate yourself by clinging to him, only to become unpopular all over again. »

Zhu Huai was stunned by the netizens’ rich imagination and only managed to say after a long while, « They really think highly of me. I’m already like this; how much further could I possibly fall? »

Not to mention the Zhu Huai of today—even the Zhu Huai of two years ago had not been capable of laying a finger on Jiang Sheli.

Besides, Zhu Huai had never even met Jiang Sheli face-to-face. Let alone having a confrontation, they had not even had the opportunity to exchange glances. So where had the rumors that they were at odds come from?

He was truly being wronged!

« When you think about it, it really is quite something. » Zhu Huai’s expression remained calm as he counted them off on his fingers for her. « Refusing to accept the team leader and center position, getting into a fight and ending up at the police station, threatening senior executives with suicide, showing disrespect toward a senior, looking down on everyone, and being the number-one person to challenge Jiang Sheli. As far as scandals go, who has more dirt on them than I do? No wonder netizens think I have the guts to do it. »

Xiao Nan: « …Then you’re actually pretty proud, huh? »

Zhu Huai rolled his eyes elegantly. « Proud that I’m unpopular? »

At that moment, someone knocked on the door of the rest room. A staff member poked his head inside and said, « Huai ge, Director Shen wants you to come out and run through the scene with Jiang ge. Try to get it done in one take. It’s raining outside, and if it gets heavier later, we won’t be able to film this scene. »

« I’ll be right there. »

Zhu Huai stood up and stopped chatting nonsense with Xiao Nan. He tightened the black trench coat he was wearing over his shoulders, covering the somewhat revealing red costume underneath.

Xiao Nan gave him an encouraging gesture: « You can do it! »

 

 

Translator : DarNan