CHAPTER 135: CHAPTER 135: COMPREHENSIVE BAN ON FU BING

Netizens were laughing their heads off.

"Crazy man, are you sure you’re not inadvertently promoting it? Director Su’s movie trailer is already out."

"I’ve been following Fu Ying since her debut, and this is the first time I’ve seen her get bashed so senselessly."

"Stop giving the Hacker attention! Everyone go watch Fu Ying’s movie trailer—it’s absolutely explosive. I just came back from watching it, and her performance in it is the best I’ve seen in all her roles so far."

"Is she competing with herself?"

"Fu Ying has long been in a league of her own; she can only compete with herself. Her charm in this movie is truly immense. I just want to ask now, is Fu Ying really not acting anymore? She’s clearly in the prime of her acting career; it’d be such a waste of her talent and efforts not to act."

"I just watched it too, and I literally cried. I’m begging Fu Ying not to retire!"

Fu Bing was trending again.

Zeng Shouli, annoyed, called Hong Shilin, the head of the publicity team at Jiangcheng Drama Academy.

"Have a word with the people at the Weibo platform and reduce Fu Bing’s trending status. Don’t give her any exposure, and contact all the stars from the Jiangcheng Academy faction to fully boycott her. Let’s see what storms she can stir up then!"

Hong Shilin felt a surge of reluctance; he really didn’t want to handle this hot potato.

For the entire faction to semi-publicly blacklist an artist like this is just too petty,

he thought.

But he couldn’t refuse.

"Dean Zeng, what effect do you hope this semi-blacklist will have on Fu Bing?"

"Let her movie get a cold reception. It’s all about the numbers now. If her movie’s data is poor, no one will offer her film roles in the future. She’ll naturally fade away, and then won’t we have the final say?"

Zeng Shouli wasn’t just targeting Fu Bing, but also artists like her who possessed strong personal capabilities and charisma. These individuals were highly popular with the public but didn’t belong to any faction. The more such people there were, the harder it was for factions like his to control them. Fu Bing was among the strongest. If she wasn’t brought to heel, new Fu Bings would emerge.

Hong Shilin said, "I understand your thinking, Dean Zeng. I can contact the platforms immediately to completely suppress any trending topics related to Fu Bing. However, from a professional standpoint, I believe this method will have some effect, but not a significant one. If you could spare a moment, please listen to my analysis."

"Go ahead," Zeng Shouli replied. He knew Hong Shilin wasn’t his direct subordinate, so he couldn’t command him bluntly and had to listen patiently.

"First, let’s analyze the main creative team behind this movie," Hong Shilin began. "The film is directed by Su Junling, who has the Su Family backing him. The Su Family itself controls one-fifth of the world’s cinemas and large screens. Even if the movie has zero promotion, it will still get plenty of screenings; they won’t disappoint Su Junling and Fu Bing. As for the box office numbers, the Su Family and Fu Bing might not even care that much."

"Furthermore, from my understanding, Fu Bing’s movies can’t possibly have zero promotion. That’s not even considering the platforms with extensive networks she might access. Take the Douyu Platform alone: it currently has the highest daily active users among all video platforms, with an average of one hundred million. Before Fu Bing started streaming on Douyu, its daily active users ranged from thirty to forty million. After she began, it skyrocketed to one hundred million in just three months. This astounding growth in numbers means Douyu Platform will undoubtedly give her prime promotional spots. They might even promote her aggressively, especially if other platforms refuse to do so."

Zeng Shouli’s temper cooled slightly. "According to you, we still have no way to constrain Fu Bing? We just let her dominate?"

Hong Shilin knew Zeng Shouli wasn’t pleased with his analysis. "I will contact all accessible platforms, as well as various directors and financiers, to prohibit them from providing scripts to Fu Bing or her platform. No matter how capable she and her team are, they can’t cover all bases. This is the best way to blacklist her long-term."

Zeng Shouli was satisfied. "Your method is good."

"I’ll go and implement the parts I can manage for now. I’ll rely on your guidance for what comes next."

"Go on."

Zeng Shouli put down his phone, feeling completely satisfied.

A mere Fu Bing, daring to drag the Rong Family to stand against me—she’s simply courting death! And the Rong Family, offending the entire academy faction for a mere celebrity! If I don’t make them taste my methods, where will I put my face?

Fu Bing knew she’d be thrust to the forefront of the controversy, but as long as it didn’t actually impact her or the interests of those she wanted to protect, she could turn a blind eye.

When Xiaomei saw the Hackers insulting her sister, she was about to explode with anger.

"Sis, aren’t you going to hit back at them?"

"With so many people who love me, why should I care about the nonsense from a few Hackers?"

Xiaomei’s expression faltered for a moment, then she scratched her head. "That seems about right."

"Go get ready; we’re heading back to Jiangnan later."

"Many media outlets have requested interviews. Are you sure you don’t want to pick an authoritative one for an interview?"

"No need. Tell them my teacher just passed away and I’m not in good health. I won’t be accepting any work for now. Ask them to please understand."

"Mmm. That’s what I told them before."

"My little sister has made great progress."

Xiaomei, feeling a bit shy, hugged Fu Bing. "I still have so much to learn."

"No rush, take it one step at a time."

From the bottom of her heart, she hoped Xiaomei could remain simple and naive forever. That would mean Xiaomei wouldn’t have to face too many difficulties, as Fu Bing would shoulder those burdens for her, allowing her to grow safely under her wing. But she also knew that was impossible. Everyone has their own path in life, and the setbacks they are destined to encounter won’t vanish simply because of her protection.

The blacklisting campaign centered on Zeng Shouli was proceeding rapidly and systematically. All major directors, prominent screenwriters, and artists had become aware of it.

When Lai Shenyan heard the news, he had just finished a shoot. He said coldly, "If Qin Jinhai knew his woman was being targeted like this, would these people still have an easy time?"

Upon hearing this, his agent, Fen Du, immediately ushered everyone else out of the makeup room.

"My dear prodigy, when will you learn to be as cautious as your name implies?"

"Cautious my ass! Go find Fu Bing’s manager. My next film will be for her platform. No screenwriter? I’ll find one! No cinematographer? I’ll snatch one for her! If I just stand by and watch her being bullied, Qin Jinhai would strangle me when he gets back!"

Fen Du looked aggrieved. "I heard that Qin Jinhai, in Jiangnan, has already..."

"He hasn’t won Fu Bing over yet, so how could he be dead!" Lai Shenyan huffed.

He, like Fu Bing, had swept all the awards in the film and television industry. But they had entered the industry at different times, so they had never worked together on a project. Back when his family had driven him to the brink of suicide, it was Qin Jinhai who saved him and showed him a path he had never considered before:

Become a star!

Now that Qin Jinhai had disappeared, Lai Shenyan felt it was his duty to protect Fu Bing.

"Yes, yes, but my dear prodigy, what do you plan to do? You’re still filming projects within that circle. Are you really going to flip the table directly?"

Flipping tables was one thing, but doing so now, at this critical juncture with the comprehensive blacklist against Fu Bing, meant directly opposing half of the film and television industry.

He couldn’t even dare to imagine it!

"If it’s making enemies, then so be it! What’s the big deal? Without Qin Jinhai, I would have long since died miserably in some unknown corner. And you’d still be a little punk on the streets, not the top agent you are now."