Chapter Twenty-Two

Xu Weiwei was puzzled and asked, "How could this be? Would the company really suppress someone so obviously? Nobody's stupid. Won't the person being suppressed mind? Won't they make a scene?"

It's not that the more outside work an artist does, the more money the company gets. Generally, the company's share is greater than the artist's. As for the accusations of suppression, I thought they were just lies made up by solo fans, a way to manipulate their fans.

Li Nan shook his head and said, "People trapped in information cocoons are not as smart as you think. Besides, many celebrities haven't read many books. Even if they get into university, their college entrance exam scores are so low that they would have difficulty even getting into an undergraduate program compared to normal students."

There are no academic geniuses, actually they are all idiots, and many of them only have primary school education and are illiterate. I have been to some film crews and have met popular actors and resource-backed actors who can't even understand the script. Some of them don't even know how to read. What can you expect them to understand?

Anyway, it's just nonsense. Besides, as long as there's a good script and a good character design, it's really easy to become popular. As long as it looks convincing enough, that's enough. The voice actors' lines and emotions are extremely accurate, the director's editing skills are good, and the makeup artist's skills are high, ultimately presenting an excellent effect.

The real actor has zero acting skills, but the edited version looks almost like an award-winning actor—it's amazing. Capital is very good at creating people; by piling on resources, they can create an extremely charismatic person even if they are fundamentally bad.

Some people are praised to the skies and have long since become arrogant. It's impossible to expect these people to have a clear understanding of their own situation.

Besides, even with the company's suppression, he still lives a good life and makes a lot of money; it's just his fans who suffer.

Xu Weiwei lowered her head and said, "That's how it is. I think you can't take anyone's fan too seriously, because you're destined to be the one who suffers the most."

What is the relationship between fans and celebrities like? It's like the emperor and his concubines in the imperial harem. Once a concubine enters the harem, she is trapped there for her entire life and has almost no chance to go out.

The imperial harem was strictly hierarchical, and the palace maids and eunuchs were all subject to the emperor's favor. They waited every day for the emperor's attention; the more favored they were, the higher their status. If they were not favored, even the servants dared to bully them.

Moreover, the concubines were required to remain chaste and could not have contact with men outside the palace, but the emperor could go out at any time, was completely free, and could play with the concubines at will, and could even bring women from outside the palace into the palace.

The so-called favor was only temporary and didn't last long. Did the emperor really care about these concubines? No, he only played with them occasionally when he felt like it.

Some of these concubines were sent by their families out of desperation, while others wanted to enter the palace to gain wealth and status and to rise in the ranks.

What's the difference between how celebrities treat their fans and how emperors treat their concubines? Basically, there's no difference. Fans wait for their idols to do something productive, and if they get even a little kindness, they feel loved.

The concubines were the same. Even if they had been widowed for three years, once they were favored for a night, they would be like they had been injected with chicken blood. They would not resent the emperor at all, but would want the emperor to favor them more.

Some concubines only saw the emperor once from the time they entered the palace until their death, and then died of old age in the palace. How is this any different from many fans who can't see their idols in real life and can only see them through videos and photos?

The concubines banished to the cold palace are what the emperor does to those worthless fans. Even becoming empress doesn't guarantee happiness, because your husband doesn't love you, you have many children, and many other women.

I actually ship Li Zhi and Wu Zetian. From their perspectives, it's a wonderful love story. But from the perspective of Li Zhi's former empress, Li Zhi is a complete scoundrel, a piece of trash, and a scumbag.

From the perspective of Li Zhi's concubines, they could even be so cruel to their own children. Don't forget, you were the one who couldn't control your lower body and conceived the child.

Many people always think they will be Wu Zetian, but in reality, in most cases, even if we time travel, we may become a former empress who is abandoned innocently, or a concubine whose own child is disliked by her husband.

How unfair is it that two scoundrels who have hurt countless innocent people have such a wonderful and enviable romantic relationship?

Sometimes I really enjoy shipping Li Zhi and Wu Zetian, but as soon as I step back and remove the CP filter, I can clearly realize that they are just two bad people and not worth my time.

I think if you choose to be a fan, you must not give your whole heart away. You can only treat it as a game. Because think about it, you are just a molecule, nothing special. It doesn't matter if you are one less or one more.

Even if you give it your all, you'll only end up losing everything, and you'll only be bringing it on yourself, just like a gambler who loses everything and brings about their own demise, so they can't blame anyone else.

I've seen some fans who, when their idol hasn't been active for a long time, deliberately use passive-aggressive tactics, just like concubines in the imperial harem who have been confined for a long time, going crazy and crying out, hoping that the emperor will come and see them even once.

I think it's pathetic to be a fan of celebrities to this extent, and I can't sympathize with them. After all, it's their own choice. The only thing that can make them feel better is to stand up for themselves.

Some of the concubines who were forced into the palace were not favored, but they still lived a fulfilling life because they loved themselves enough. For example, if they liked dancing, they would practice dancing on their own and entertain themselves.

She enjoys painting and reading, and dedicates her time and energy to herself, instead of being a resentful woman who spends all her time and energy on the emperor and doesn't love herself at all.

Sometimes I wonder about this: why are cool guys more popular than warm guys? It's because girls might need to be favored, prefer to be the only one, and don't like the so-called NP (multiple partners).

Keep it simple, the better. If you make it complicated, it'll just be a hassle. A cold, aloof man is the type who's aloof to outsiders and has very strong boundaries, but he's exceptionally kind to you. You're the only exception for him; you're the most special one.

A "warm guy" is nice to everyone, like a central air conditioner. He can be especially loving towards anyone. He'll get up early every morning to bring you breakfast. Don't overthink it; he's actually bringing breakfast for ten people, and you're just one of them.

All his good qualities are unremarkable. He always replies instantly in chats. Don't overthink it; he would reply instantly to anyone. You're nothing special.

To be honest, the love of such a person is tasteless to eat but a pity to throw away. Even if you accept it, the moment you think that he would do the same to others, your heart will instantly turn cold.

Some might say, "Isn't this kind of person good? What a wonderful person!" Yes! This kind of good person shouldn't belong to any one person alone; they belong to everyone.

I've found a suitable term: the paper placed outside public restrooms. It doesn't belong to any one person, but you can use it when you're short of paper.

Do you think it's useful? Yes, it is. It can be a lifesaver when you forget your paper. But if you actually take all the paper with you, you become a thief with no sense of public morality.

The little bit you tear off is like a little bit you gain; you can never truly possess this person. He may seem to like you a little, but he doesn't love you because he doesn't belong to you.

This is very similar to a so-called "avoiding suspicion" couple I once shipped. During that time, I was probably obsessed. Whenever they spoke, I would exclaim, "Wow, they can actually talk! How sweet! You two have met!" I would have a huge climax and be incredibly excited.

After unfollowing me, I think my fan comments are too outrageous. After all, the top has a girlfriend and deliberately ignores the bottom, doesn't sell the BL (Boys' Love) thing, and promotes the CP (Boys' Love) pairing. The so-called avoidance of suspicion was started unilaterally by the top.

The recipient was initially unaware and foolishly continued selling the content. Later, when they found out, they were still selling it on camera for profit. In the end, they couldn't bear it anymore and joined in selling the CP (couple) fans, abandoning all other interests.

Of course, the reason why the other party finally made this decision was that he also found a new lover. I must have been out of my mind to ship this couple. It's so stupid.

However, I also realized that this might be my tribulation. There really is a story about the relationships between people. Some people, you feel like you're possessed the moment you see them. Without a doubt, you're going to get hurt.

Falling completely into a relationship and losing all sense of reason in what you call a romantic relationship is extremely unreliable. I once knew a very capable girl who actively pursued a guy who was incredibly infatuated with her, even though he treated her terribly.

But this girl didn't mind. Even if the boy took the initiative to break up, the girl would still try to get back together with him. They got back together three times in total. The last time they broke up, the girl was almost half dead, but she was very happy. She was completely relieved and didn't love him at all anymore.

I don't really understand this approach. Is actively seeking out pain really a good thing? Knowing he's not a suitable partner, why not run away sooner?

Li Nan pursed her lips and said, "I think this is fine. People are very complex, and eliminating obsessions is the hardest thing. Finding a way to shatter your own illusions is the best approach."

Did you know? I used to really like an actress. She's a well-known and accomplished veteran artist. Once, I found out that I would be working with her in the same production team. I was overjoyed because I felt I would have the chance to meet my idol.

As it turned out, she opened my eyes to a whole new world. In real life, she was a very difficult person to work with. Even when filming, if anything didn't go her way, she would go on strike.

Finally, the director knelt on the ground and begged her before she agreed to continue filming. She was incredibly arrogant; I was stunned when I saw that scene, and instantly lost all liking for her.

I also met a female actress who was somewhat famous but didn't have much popularity. She was the same way, very difficult to work with. She was the type who would often throw tantrums and refuse to film, going on strike. Once, she went on strike for half a day, burning through the budget for venue fees, staff expenses, and so on.

The director begged her to continue filming, and the crew took turns trying to help, but she refused. In the end, the producer had to personally persuade her and say many kind words before she agreed to continue filming.

There are so many bizarre things that happen on set, things you can and can't even imagine. Anyway, I've never met a single actor that I'm truly satisfied with; they're all pretty bad and love to put on airs.

Especially those actresses who aren't famous but played supporting roles, the way they treated their assistants—spitting on their assistants' hands—is appalling. The assistants earn only 3,000 yuan a month. In this day and age, earning so little, yet being bullied and oppressed like this, I can only say that bullying has become justified.

Pain that can be spoken is painful, but not too painful. True pain is hard to express, like that assistant who was bullied but, for the sake of his dignity, found it difficult to reveal the truth to others.