Chapter 498 Public Opinion is Abnormal

On April 19, the day when the Forbes China Celebrity List was released, the Internet seemed to be welcoming a grand carnival.

Trending searches on Weibo were almost dominated by terms related to the list: "Forbes Chinese Celebrity List," "Liu Shishi's Income," "Annual Income of First-tier Celebrities"...

Click on any topic and you can see netizens’ heated discussions.

Envy, jealousy, admiration, debate, comparison...all kinds of complex emotions are intertwined, fermented, and collided on platforms such as Weibo, Tieba, and Time.com.

The entire cyberspace is filled with a collective onlooker and complex interpretation of the huge wealth of celebrities.

There is a yearning for success, but also a subtle dissatisfaction with the wealth gap.

The glamorous looks and unattainable incomes of big stars were infinitely magnified by concrete numbers on this day, stimulating the nerves of every netizen.

However, on April 20th, a sudden earthquake struck southwest China, instantly extinguishing all entertainment news. Trending searches swung through the charts at an alarming rate, with the disaster firmly at the top.

Shock, grief, prayers... became the most mainstream emotions on the Internet, and netizens were deeply worried about their compatriots who were thousands of miles away.

But as time went on and information bombarded them, public sentiment quietly changed.

After the initial shock and sadness, an indescribable sense of anticipation began to grow and spread in the hearts of many people.

People's eyes almost involuntarily turned to the group that they had talked about, praised or criticized the day before, the celebrities in the entertainment industry who were making a fortune every day.

Several hours have passed since the disaster, but apart from a few artists who have always had a good public welfare image and did good deeds at the first time, most celebrities have been slow to take action.

Their latest updates on Weibo might still be about advertising campaigns or event photos from the previous two days, or just a simple “prayer” or “peace be with you”.

At this moment, any silence or delay is particularly glaring. Netizens' patience is gradually being worn away by the anxious wait.

Sporadic, tentative and dissatisfied voices began to appear in the relevant news comment sections and forum posts:

"Where are those big stars on the Forbes list yesterday? Why are they all silent?"

"The money we earn in a year is more than an average person can earn in several lifetimes. When the country is in trouble, shouldn't we show our support?"

"Are you all pretending to be dead? You're usually pretty active on trending searches, but now that you need real money, you've all disappeared?"

Public opinion, like a spark, began to ignite quietly with the "dry firewood" brought by yesterday's celebrity list, foreshadowing the arrival of a prairie fire.

The longest night is finally over.

The next morning, the sky was gloomy at Jingyuan Private Residence.

Song Ci went to the company early in the morning to take charge.

Liu Shishi sat on the soft sofa at home, her unmade-up face showing a hint of fatigue. She held her iPad and learned about the latest situation in the disaster area and outside public opinion through Weibo.

The top trending search today was "China Charity Federation thanks Song Ci for 200 million yuan donation." The official announcement was worded with caution, but the number "200 million" itself carried a thunderous force.

Following closely behind are entries such as "Liu Shishi donated 50 million yuan" and "The richest couple donated a total of 250 million yuan."

Clicking on the comment section, the front row is almost full of praise and respect:

"Holy crap! 200 million! This is what a true entrepreneur should be like! The vision of the richest man!"

"Master is beautiful and kind-hearted! She is truly a role model! This move is magnificent!"

Seeing this, Liu Shishi breathed a sigh of relief.

The impact of the huge number is obvious, and her and her husband's actions have been widely recognized by society.

It's not just about seeking praise, but it's always good to be understood when doing good things.

Just when I felt a little relieved, the phone beside me suddenly vibrated and the name of my agent Cai Yinong appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Miss K."

"Shishi!" Cai Yinong's voice came through the receiver, with rare anxiety and fatigue, completely lacking his usual calmness and competence.

"Have you checked Weibo? Check out the real-time forum and the latest topics. Something's not right with the online sentiment right now."

Liu Shishi was slightly startled, her heartstrings tense again. "What's wrong? I saw the comments under the donation news, and they seemed pretty good."

"I'm not talking about you! I'm talking about others! You and Mr. Song donated 250 million. This is of course a huge act of charity. No one can say a word against it. They are all praising it."

Cai Yinong spoke faster, "But the problem is, your 50 million is like a high standard, instantly raising the passing line for other celebrities' donations to a new height!"

After a pause, he organized his words, trying to make Liu Shishi understand the key point better: "Shishi, your identity is so special, the number one on the Forbes celebrity list, and the wife of the richest man!

Most rational voices do say that you cannot be treated as an ordinary star. This is your personal cause and should not be used as a tool to kidnap others. But!

Cai Yinong suddenly emphasized his tone: "The psychological impact of the amount you donated is real! Now, netizens' expectations have been raised to a certain extent by your role model!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi frowned, her voice filled with rationality and restraint: "Donating is a token of kindness, not an obligation. Just donate according to your ability. No matter how much you donate, it's all about love. Why compare?"

This is the most real and simple thought in her heart.

"Hey, netizens, don't reason with you! Now is not the time to be reasonable!"

Cai Yinong said helplessly, "Almost all the celebrities on the Forbes Celebrity List and those recognized A-list stars are about to be flooded with comments on Weibo!

Because you have done such a great job, no matter how much they donate now, it will seem wrong. Donating too late is wrong, and donating too little is even more wrong!

Liu Shishi held the phone, her fingertips were cold, her mind went blank for a moment, and she was completely stunned.

When she donated a huge sum of money, she only thought about helping the disaster area.

Who would have thought that this "unconventional case" caused by his special identity would arouse a huge wave of public opinion and greatly raise the public's psychological expectations of all celebrities.

The original charitable act has now become a test, making colleagues fall into the whirlpool of public opinion regardless of whether they donate or not, or how much they donate.

This situation made her feel very powerless!

On the other end of the phone, Cai Yinong sighed: "The internet is now in complete chaos.

In addition, fans of star haters and rival groups took advantage of the situation to deliberately fan the flames, fabricate screenshots, release false information, and desperately muddy the waters, making the entire battlefield even more chaotic.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi could only respond with a wry smile.

At this point, things have long deviated from the original intention of charity and evolved into a crazy public opinion melee that is completely beyond her personal control.

He collected his thoughts and couldn't help but worry about the company's situation: "Sister K, how is our Tangren doing now? We haven't been affected too much, right?"

Cai Yinong sighed and spoke in a slightly slower tone, "Things are going well for Tangren. The company donated 20 million yuan, so they were able to respond in a timely manner.

I also asked Hu Ge to donate 2 million according to the standards of first-line artists at Tengda Culture.

Although the amount is not top-notch, it is still higher than most of the first-line stars that have been announced so far.

For now, I've gotten through it and haven't become the focus of netizens' criticism."

But then he changed the subject and spoke in a serious tone, "Currently the worst off are Jay Chou and Fan Bingbing.

They both donated 2 million. To be honest, this amount is definitely not small. In previous years, it would have been praised to the sky.

But the bad thing is that they are ranked second and third on this year's celebrity list respectively, and the label of annual income exceeding 100 million is too eye-catching.

At this critical juncture, 2 million is "failing" in light of the public's expectations, which you have already raised to an outrageous level!

Now their Weibo comment section is simply unbearable to read, with so much abuse everywhere.”

As Liu Shishi listened, a growing sense of unease grew within her. She interrupted Cai Yinong, her tone becoming unusually serious: "Sister K, something's wrong! The speed and direction of this public opinion fermenting is incredibly bizarre!"

After being around her husband Song Ci for a long time, she also came into contact with and understood many undercurrents of business games.

At this moment, I keenly smelled a hint of something unusual. It seemed that this was not just a simple emotional outburst by netizens. There seemed to be a force behind it that was deliberately guiding and accelerating this confrontation.

"I don't know." Cai Yinong was also slightly shocked when he heard this. "The circle is full of people who are jealous. There are always people who take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble and take advantage of others' misfortunes.

In short, we should be cautious now, keep a low profile and protect ourselves, and never bring disaster upon ourselves."

The two briefly discussed the follow-up work arrangements and ended the call.

After putting down her phone, Liu Shishi was still upset. She picked up her iPad again and continued to browse Weibo without giving up.

When she clicked on the comment sections of several popular celebrity hot topics, she was secretly shocked by the scene in front of her. She happened to see a heated debate.

A Jay Chou fan argued vigorously: "You are morally blackmailing me! Donating is a gesture of kindness, not an obligation! Whether Jay Chou donates a lot or a little, it's all out of love. Why should you dictate his decision?"

Someone immediately responded sharply: "A token of appreciation? A token of appreciation from a man with an annual income exceeding 100 million is only 2 million? How cheap!"

Other passersby chimed in with the taunts: "Go back to your fan group and lick their boots! This is the place to demand justice for the disaster area! Inhumane!"

The comment section was in chaos, almost turning into an all-out war between fans and passers-by, and the space for rational dialogue was completely squeezed out.

Liu Shishi was horrified by what she saw and was about to quit when a new rising term on the hot search list caught her attention: "Celebrity Donation Ranking".

When I clicked on it and took a look, I was suddenly filled with anger!

Some marketing accounts and media outlets have actually created a list, ranking the celebrities who have announced their donations from high to low according to the amount.

Her name and 50 million topped the list, followed by Cheng Long with 20 million, Huang Xiaoming with 10 million... Zhou Jielun, Fan Bingbing and others with 2 million were prominently listed at the back.

This is simply blatant incitement. These media outlets have no bottom line in order to gain traffic!

Liu Shishi could no longer sit still.

After careful consideration, although she knew her husband must be extremely busy at the moment, she decided that she had to make the call, so she quickly dialed Song Ci's number.

In the chairman's office on the top floor of the Tengda Technology Building, the atmosphere was different from before.

Song Ci had just hung up the phone with his wife. Not much emotion could be seen on his face, but a hint of cold sharpness flashed across his deep eyes.

His gaze turned calmly to Liu Yan, the president of Weibo, who was sitting opposite him and remained in a highly nervous state.

In fact, as the helmsman of the Weibo platform, he is responsible for monitoring the public opinion of the entire network. Even Liu Shishi noticed the abnormality, so how could Liu Yan not have discovered it?

I have always felt very uncomfortable when facing Song poetry.

"Director Song." Liu Yan looked worried, "The situation is very bad.

Now the focus of the entire network seems to have seriously shifted from disaster relief itself to a crazy outburst about the gap between the rich and the poor, the original sin of celebrities and the so-called "Internet justice."

Disaster relief information is not receiving attention anymore.”

Song Ci nodded slightly, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the smooth tabletop. "Is this simply moral kidnapping? Forcing celebrities to donate more money?"

"If it were simply forced donations, it might be easier to handle," Liu Yan said in a more serious tone. "But now a very dangerous and bad view has emerged online!"

"What opinion?" Song Ci's eyes suddenly tightened.

"Some people are deliberately trying to stir up trouble and spread the idea that celebrities' donations are not out of kindness at all.

It is because they enjoy unreasonably high incomes and possess huge social resources, so they must pay "indulgences" at this time!

Donating isn't for charity, it's for atonement!" Liu Yan reported this almost through gritted teeth.

"Absurd! Complete fallacy!" Song Ci slammed the table when he heard it. Even with his Qi-cultivating skills, he couldn't help but shout out in anger.

The nature of the matter was clearly even worse and more complicated than he had imagined! This was no longer a discussion of charity, but rather incitement and provocation, denying the legitimacy of the entire entertainment industry!

Suppressing his anger, he immediately demanded, "Investigate! Who is it? Who is spreading this fallacy that is tearing society apart during this great disaster? Has the person behind this been identified?"

Liu Yan shook his head: "The time was too short, and the other party was very secretive, using a large number of zombie accounts and proxy IPs.

The rhetoric was very clever, blending in with the real emotions of netizens, making it difficult to discern. The technical department is still tracking the situation, but has not yet pinpointed the source.

"I understand." Song Ci pondered for a moment, a cold light flashing in his eyes. He winked at Liu Yan, signaling him to remain absolutely silent.

Liu Yan immediately understood and even breathed a little lighter, so much so that you could hear a pin drop in the office.

Song Ci took out another encrypted mobile phone and dialed a number. The call was connected after two rings.

"Director Jiang, is it convenient for you now?" The person Song Ci contacted was Jiang Tao, who had just been transferred from CCTV to the Network Office to hold an important position.

"It's convenient, Mr. Song, please go ahead." Jiang Tao's voice was steady and powerful.

Without any greetings, Song Ci reported in a clear and concise manner the abnormal changes in public opinion on the Internet, especially the emergence of dangerous arguments.

"...Public sentiment is overwhelming, and I'm afraid it's not simply public opinion. There may be someone behind the scenes deliberately trying to undermine overall stability. I'd like Director Jiang to help investigate."

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Tao was silent for a few seconds, obviously trying to quickly digest and judge the importance of this information.

Then his tone became extremely serious: "Thank you, Mr. Song, for the timely notification! This matter is very serious. This is very likely to be using the disaster to create social conflicts.

I will immediately arrange for a thorough investigation and report this matter to the chief!"

"Thank you, Director Jiang." Song Ci breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Tao solemnly warned, "Mr. Song, before we investigate the matter, please ask the platform to pay close attention to public opinion trends and do our best to curb the spread of this fallacy.

It should be emphasized that as long as the income of celebrities and artists is legal and compliant, it is a market behavior and should be recognized and respected.

There is a way to be kind, judge by deeds, not by the heart!

Regardless of the motivation, the act of donating is a good deed and should never be maliciously misinterpreted or stigmatized! This fundamental principle must be upheld.”

Song Ci solemnly agreed, "Don't worry. This is my responsibility, both publicly and privately. Tengda will also mobilize all its resources to investigate."

(End of this chapter)