Chapter 70 Enticement [You know what kind of person Xiao Zhou is, he...]
The private message that Gun Bro sent was just like his previous Weibo posts, with a smug tone. This was the first time the manager had encountered a paparazzo like this. He actually said that he was only revealing information for the sake of justice, not for money.
Does such a person really exist? The agent doesn't believe it.
He felt that the other side was deliberately toying with him, knowing that they must be very anxious and eager to resolve the matter, so they were deliberately holding firm and refusing to budge, so that they could negotiate a higher price later.
If that's the purpose, then all the previous actions make sense. The agent's anger and embarrassment are useless now. He's being led around by an unknown paparazzi, but he can only choose to step into the trap.
There was nothing he could do; he genuinely needed their help.
He tried to calm himself down and avoid being angry before reconsidering the copy.
[@Agent Xu Yong: Brother, we're all in the same industry, so let's not beat around the bush. Just tell me your price, and we can discuss it. Our company has a great reputation in the industry and is very trustworthy, so you don't need to worry about us defaulting on your payment.]
This time, the other party replied even faster, almost instantly, but the content of the reply was still not what he wanted to see.
[@GunBroV: There's no price involved, I'm just posting what I want to post [grinning face]]
Looking at the glaring, grinning emoji with big buck teeth that came from the other side, Xu Yong felt his blood pressure rise. This guy really wouldn't listen to reason; he was being unreasonable and taking advantage of him.
The reason I chose to use such a humble tone to negotiate from the beginning was because I thought it would be better to resolve the issue peacefully than to make things worse.
But that doesn't mean they have no other solutions besides spending money to make peace. He's just a small-time thug. If talking to him nicely doesn't work, then they have to use force. They have plenty of ways to deal with him.
[@Agent Xu Yong: Young man, I see your account is quite new, you must not have been in this business for very long, right? You have to follow the rules in this industry, and it's always best to maintain harmony, isn't it? We're not enemies, everyone's in this business for money, let's all get what we need and resolve the issue amicably, that's the outcome everyone wants, isn't it? After all, you don't want your career to stop here, right? We need to learn to develop in the long term, right? [smile]]
Xu Yong had originally planned to have a proper talk with this gunman, but the other party never played by the rules. He spoke casually and without any seriousness, and it seemed that he didn't take Xu Yong's words seriously at all. Xu Yong had been in a high position for a long time, and it was rare for him to be so humble. How could he not be angry? So, without realizing it, he raised his tone and added a threatening tone.
These paparazzi deserve to be taught a lesson. They're like rats in the gutter, swaggering around, thinking they can threaten others just because they have a few photos and videos. In reality, it's just a matter of lifting a finger to deal with them. This paparazzi is still pretending to be stupid. He might not even know how he died when the time comes.
It's just that this person might have other photos that haven't been released yet; otherwise, he wouldn't bother negotiating here and would just have someone take care of them.
After sending the message, Xu Yong deliberately waited a few minutes. In his opinion, the tone of the message he just sent was serious enough. Anyone with a little sense would understand the hidden meaning in his words. He deliberately delayed sending the message for a few more minutes to make the other party anxious, which would be more conducive to the negotiation.
Five minutes later, Xu Yong opened the chat window, but unfortunately, the other party still didn't give him the response he wanted and sent another big teeth emoji.
[@GunBroV: There's no such thing as 'can't' or 'can't'. I just use this account to post whatever I want, and I don't make a living from it. Anyone who wants to mess with me is welcome. I can just switch to a different account if necessary. [Grinning face]]
[@GunBroV: Dude, I don't really make a living from this, and I'm not really involved in the industry. Don't try to threaten me; I won't fall for it. I know you want to buy me into a hush and an apology to clear your artist's name, but things have come to this point. Do you think that trick will still work? Wake up! [grinning face]]
[@GunBroV: I'm not talking to you anymore. Don't bother sending me private messages anymore. Nothing will work. When you're in this situation, you should think of a way to apologize. [Grinning face]]
Xu Yong's face turned bright red. He never expected that this paparazzi would be so stubborn. He tried everything, from kind words to harsh ones, but the paparazzi wouldn't listen and wouldn't even give him a chance to quote a price.
Doesn't he consider that the hush money might be an astronomical sum?
They are truly short-sighted and cannot appreciate what is good for them.
He even had the audacity to say he wasn't afraid of being threatened and told them to do whatever they wanted. He really was an inexperienced newcomer who didn't understand the rules of the industry at all. He couldn't seize the opportunity given to him and had no idea what he was missing.
Since the other party had already humiliated him like this, Xu Yong naturally couldn't keep trying to fawn over them. At his age, and having held a high position for so long, he was used to being fawned over. It was rare for him to be so humiliated like this, and he was both angry and furious, wishing he could immediately drag out this smug paparazzi and teach him a lesson.
No matter how angry they are, the most important thing right now is to solve Zhou Qixue's public relations problems. Social media has exploded. Zhou Qixue is trending at the top of the hot search list on every platform. All official accounts are being bombarded by fans and passersby. None of the studio staff dare to log on, for fear of being discovered online and being attacked by people.
Xu Yong chose to contact the paparazzi first, hoping to resolve the matter peacefully and minimize the damage.
After all, the root of all the problems lies with that paparazzi. All the solid evidence that has been exposed so far was released by this one person. If this person can personally admit that what he released before was problematic and not true, then even if many people are unwilling to believe it, at least he can convince another group who are willing to believe it.
He used the gentlest and most polite tone to talk to them, but he was slapped in the face. Since that's the case, this path can only be abandoned, and there's no need to consider starting with the paparazzi anymore.
It's not a big problem if paparazzi don't cooperate. We've anticipated this kind of situation before, where paparazzi who don't want to cooperate are bribed to keep quiet or even change their minds at the last minute. This situation is easy to solve. We just need to find a more authoritative third party to deny all the paparazzi's revelations.
The reason paparazzi have authority is because netizens now believe them, but once it is discovered that what they say is false, then their revelations will naturally become unreliable.
However, they shouldn't make this clarification themselves, otherwise it would be like Wang Po selling melons and praising her own wares, and no one would believe it. It would be best to find someone else who is involved in this scandal with Zhou Qixue, or secondly, to find another well-known paparazzi in the industry to confront them.
Xu Yong thought for a moment and realized that the best solution was to contact Ye Jingyu and ask her to help clarify the situation. She didn't need to say much; she just needed to explain that the person Zhou Qixue was hugging in the paparazzi photos was her, not some boyfriend outside the entertainment industry, and also to mention that what Zhou Qixue mentioned in previous interviews was true.
While waiting for the paparazzi's reply, he took a moment to check the comments on Zhou Qixue's current Weibo account and the comments on his studio's official account. He found that the most popular comments were not condemning Zhou Qixue's outrageous private life, but rather accusing him of deceiving and deceiving his fans' feelings in a promotional CP (couple pairing).
CP fans are extremely powerful, and Zhou Qixue's studio has felt a lot of influence from them recently. In fact, Zhou Qixue didn't attract many solo fans after becoming popular, but he is now able to receive commercial orders from top-tier male stars. In addition to the capital behind them, other top-tier commercial resources have also come to him, all because of CP fans.
After Zhou Qixue became famous, his offline events were always packed with people, the vast majority of whom were fans of the couple and the drama, which gave him a great show. His Weibo data also jumped to a higher level of popularity, but most of the top comments were from fans of the couple.
They tried to purify and transform their image, but these things can't be rushed. Being too obvious would only backfire and make the CP fans disgusted. Not only would they not be purified, but they might even switch to the other side, which is something they don't want to see.
So after the team held a meeting, they decided to let Zhou Qixue take the "boiling frog in lukewarm water" approach, subtly purifying his image while simultaneously hyping up the CP (couple pairing) to try and lure in everyone who might become a CP fan. At the same time, they also subtly tried to convert the CP fans into fans of Meimeng, trying to convert as many of them as possible.
And most importantly, secretly smear Ye Jingyu, making the CP fans feel dissatisfied with her, which is more conducive to the CP fans switching sides later.
Their results are good, and Zhou Qixue has benefited a lot from them. Most of the CP fans are biased towards him. Although many have not yet clearly become solo fans, it can be seen from their comments that it is only a matter of time before they become solo fans.
After learning that Ye Jingyu was going to be on that variety show, they knew that the opportunity they had been waiting for had arrived. So they immediately arranged that report, giving Ye Jingyu a hot search gift package, and started the purification process ahead of schedule.
Who would have thought that after just one night of smooth purification, their own tire would burst?
The fighting power of CP fans should not be underestimated. You can see this from how badly Ye Jingyu was criticized last night. If you make them unhappy, you can basically say goodbye to the road to soaring popularity. Moreover, most of them hold grudges. If you don't make them happy this time, they will come out to stir things up when other dramas are broadcast.
Last night's incident involving Ye Jingyu was orchestrated by Zhou Qixue's studio. The CP fans were too caught up in the moment to realize it, but those who are more experienced and have been in the industry for a while can definitely tell who the real mastermind is from the beneficiaries.
Zhou Qixue Studio naturally thought of this, but it wasn't important. They didn't intend to attract all the fans. As long as they could attract the majority and ensure that the remaining fans wouldn't go to Ye Jingyu, that would be enough.
But today's sudden turn of events has disrupted all their plans.
Yesterday, Ye Jingyu got into trouble, and Zhou Qixue was the biggest beneficiary. Today, it was revealed that Zhou Qixue was the one who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
These two events happened one after the other. Even the most oblivious person would notice something was amiss and suspect that Ye Jingyu's actions last night were orchestrated by Zhou Qixue's team.
CP fans hate being deceived the most. It's not that they can't ship fake couples, but they have to know it's fake from the beginning. They ship them just for fun and don't take it seriously. If Zhou Qixue's team hadn't taken the initiative to promote the CP, the CP fans definitely wouldn't be so obsessed, and even think that the two are about to get married.
Now, suddenly they're told that all of this is fake, and that all the amazing moments before were fabricated or staged by Zhou Qixue. How can they accept that?
If Zhou Qixue had openly stated from the beginning that their relationship was just that of ordinary colleagues, the CP fans wouldn't be so upset now. But Zhou Qixue tricked them all into believing it, and then suddenly revealed that it was all fake. How could they not be angry?
As a result, the comments section of Zhou Qixue's and his studio's Weibo posts is now almost entirely filled with CP fans, and even casual observers can't squeeze in. They can only try to grab the top comments from the marketing accounts that are reposting the content.
Zhou Qixue's latest Weibo post was made the night before last. At that time, his team had already decided to plant a seed for Ye Jingyu's story, so they asked him to post a selfie in advance, with a caption that also had a hint of meaning.
After Ye Jingyu's incident became a trending topic last night, Zhou Qixue's Weibo post was also screenshotted and discussed. Many bystanders and angry CP fans felt that Zhou Qixue posted this because he was wronged, but did not want Ye Jingyu to be scolded, so he did not choose to speak directly.
The top comments, which were originally mostly expressing sympathy for Zhou Qixue's veiled criticism of Ye Jingyu, have now all changed. The top comments have all been replaced with black profile pictures, and every single one is questioning Zhou Qixue, demanding that he come out and respond, apologize, leave the entertainment industry, and return the money!
[Dude, you're lying without even thinking! I'm speechless. How dare you pretend to be straight and create a CP (couple pairing)? And you keep saying you love it so much. Can you please give me back the extra money? [laughing and crying emoji]]
[Let's take stock of what Zhou Qixue, this utterly despicable person, has done: ① He created a single, innocent persona for himself, saying he had never been in a relationship, but he and his "sister-in-law" have been happily married for several years, from college to work. ② He hinted to CP fans that he was dating Ye Jingyu, constantly mentioning her in interviews and fabricating countless sweet moments (now it's impossible to tell if it's true or not, it's probably all fake [facepalm]). ③ He subtly hired people to stir up trouble, saying that Ye Jingyu wasn't actively promoting herself, making CP fans dissatisfied with her, which made it easier for him to "purify" his image. ④ He's not even straight, but he has the nerve to promote a CP while flirting with Meng Nu, managing to have his career and love life on his hands [thumbs up]]
[Can't you even live for a second? I just want you to come out and say something, admit whether those things are true or not. Although everyone knows they are definitely true, can you at least come out and apologize? Have you forgotten how your team stirred up trouble for Sister Ye last night? How dare you play dead until now? [laughing and crying emoji]]
[@Zhou Qixue, please refund! The show has already sold three magazines and five commercials since it aired. I was wondering how you could make money so fast. I thought your rise to fame was unprecedented. Turns out it's because you knew you were a dangerous building that could collapse and lose fans at any time. Dude, you're really something else.]
[So, was anything you said in your previous interview true? When you said you were taking Sister Ye home to see the dog, you didn't mean you were taking your sweetheart boyfriend home to see the dog, did you? [laughing and crying emoji] Sister Ye later said in an interview that she doesn't own a dog, and that her mother owns it. How could you make up such a sweet story?]
[Brother, I'm really curious, do you even have Sister Ye's WeChat? You two haven't even added each other as friends, have you? You've been making waves these past two months, even hinting that Sister Ye isn't cooperating, but you two aren't even considered ordinary colleagues. Kid, you're truly unbeatable.]
[Wasn't that Ye Jie thing last night orchestrated by your team? And wasn't the whole subtle "purification" thing your team came up with? You even have the nerve to say Ye Jie isn't cooperating with the CP hype? My god, how can you be so shameless? Go back to your darling boyfriend and retire from the entertainment industry.]
【Dude, it's one thing if you're not straight, but you're dating two people at once! When I first saw that you and your partner had been dating since college, I was going to praise you for being so loyal. But then you started a threesome. I mean, what's going on here?! [laughing and crying emojis]
[Pay back, apologize, leave the industry, @ZhouQixue @ZhouQixueStudio, come out and apologize, stop playing dead, apologize to all the fans, and apologize to Sister Ye. She's a nice girl who put up with you for two months just to get her drama aired, and now she's being smeared just before it's over. Sister Ye didn't do anything wrong.]
Xu Yong mustered his courage and looked through the comments section. He found that the comments from several official accounts were pretty much the same, completely different from the comments on the paparazzi's side. The paparazzi's side was mostly filled with casual observers and fans of other groups, who were mostly just watching the drama and expressing shock. In contrast, the comments on Zhou Qixue's official accounts were mostly from fans, with condemnation and expressions of frustration.
The top comments reveal that fans are most concerned about being deceived, with nearly half of the top comments mentioning Ye Jingyu.
Xu Yong never expected that the perfect opportunity for purification that they had finally waited for last night would turn into a knife in their own throat. Last night, Zhou Qixue urged the team to act quickly in order to achieve the results as soon as possible, inevitably leaving some traces of manipulation, which is now being used against them.
Now, with his multiple crimes combined, Zhou Qixue has become an unforgivable sinner.
Xu Yong didn't dare to delay for a moment. He immediately found Ye Jingyu's agent's contact information on WeChat and began to formulate his words, asking the other party to help clarify the situation.
He knew, of course, that this matter was extremely difficult, but as long as it could be resolved, he was willing to agree to any of the other party's conditions, such as making Zhou Qixue the company's top supporter. After learning about this, the higher-ups called him immediately, telling him that he had to resolve it properly no matter what. Now, no matter how much pressure he was under, he had to bite the bullet and get on with it.
He had little impression of Ye Jingyu's team members; his only impression was that they were easy to talk to, not very smart, and like pushovers. People in this company were all like that—they seemed afraid to refuse, always speaking meekly and submissively, but prone to double-dealing.
The previous discussion about cooperating in creating a CP (couple pairing) went like this: they presented a complete plan, and the other side just needed to cooperate. However, the manager asked a bunch of questions as if he couldn't understand Chinese, and finally shut up when he got impatient. But the other side was always very nice and polite, so he had nowhere to vent his anger.
Furthermore, they agreed to the cooperation but then became passive in their business dealings. Ye Jingyu's efforts were far less than Zhou Qixue's. Initially, they were all very dissatisfied, but Xu Yong later realized that this was more beneficial for their subsequent purification efforts, so they stopped causing trouble for the other party.
Xu Yong suspected that the other side had no idea that Ye Jingyu was the one who made it trend on social media last night. He figured that everyone in their company was stupid and probably knew nothing but fear.
The incident involving Zhou Qixue only happened recently. As long as the other side doesn't go online in time, they won't realize how serious it is. At least they won't see these comments on their official account and realize that they were the ones who did what happened last night.
The best person to refute the rumors right now is Ye Jingyu. As long as she steps forward, the riots of the CP fans can be calmed down. Once the CP fans are appeased, nothing else matters. Those bystanders and rival fans are just joining in the fun and won't take it too seriously. They'll disperse once the hype dies down.
If they can get Ye Jingyu to step in, then most of the problem will be solved. Once everything is settled, they can deal with that arrogant paparazzi.
Xu Yong had a perfect plan in mind. He immediately began to craft his words, then shortened a small paragraph before sending it to Ye Jingyu's agent. He then began to anxiously await a reply.
He actually wanted to call directly, but for some reason he was a little scared, so he chose to send a WeChat message instead.
There was no reply from the other end, so he called Zhou Qixue again. This guy still didn't answer, neither on WeChat voice nor by phone. Xu Yong glanced at the screen with a look of exasperation, sighed, and hung up.
...
The screen vibrated, and Shi Yao picked up her phone to find that it was a WeChat message from Ye Jingyu.
[Ye Jingyu: Teacher Shi, Zhou Qixue really did send us a message.]
Ye Jingyu: You were right, they really did come to me for help clarifying things, and they even said they'd name their price.
[Ye Jingyu: [Screenshot]]
Shi Yao clicked on the picture, which contained a chat log. The sender of the message was Zhou Qixue's agent, and the recipient was Ye Jingyu's agent.
[Zhou Qixue's agent Xu Yong: Xiao Liao, are you there? Brother Xu wants to talk to you about something.]
[Zhou Qi's agent, Xu Yong: I don't know if you've seen what's trending on social media, but things have gotten a bit complicated. I might need to ask you for a favor, since we're allies right now. We're in this together, so we need to make sure the show finishes airing, right?]
[Zhou Qi's agent, Xu Yong: You know what kind of person Xiao Zhou is. He's a very honest and upright person, and he would never go out and mess around. His biggest flaw is that he doesn't like to talk to people, as you all know. Now that he's being slandered like this, I'm also very helpless. Is it convenient for you to have Xiao Ye post something on Weibo to say something? It doesn't need to say too much, just say that the two kids have a good relationship.]
[Zhou Qixue's agent Xu Yong: Xiao Ye probably wants to get into Director Chen's movie, right? As long as this matter is over, I guarantee I'll help Xiao Ye get into the production. If you need any further assistance, just let me know. [smile][rose]]
After reading it, Shi Yao couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Oh, she really couldn't resist trying to tempt him.
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-07-28 23:55:00 and 2024-07-29 23:57:14!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: 68 bottles of glugglug;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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