Shang Yechu said slowly, "If it's a romantic scandal, of course it won't shake Shishan's foundation. But what if it's social news, or even a crime?"
"A crime?" Ji Juntao couldn't understand. "It's not like couples on set are breaking the law, and Shi Shan isn't married."
Shang Yechu pulled out a webpage she had saved a while ago from her phone and tossed it to Ji Juntao: "Take a look at this."
“PUA…” Ji Juntao scanned the text quickly and understood. “You want everyone to think Shi Shan is a PUA? But all he left behind with his ex-girlfriends were some videos and photos. How can those prove he’s a PUA?”
"Then we'll have to have Mr. Ji handle it."
Ji Juntao narrowed his eyes: "Speak like a human being."
Shang Yechu smiled sweetly: "For example, the bullying I experienced by the crew of 'Half the Sky' was not actually instigated by Xu Hanwen, but by Shi Shan. What do you think? In order to force me to develop a psychological dependence on him, Shi Shan deliberately had the crew members isolate me, while he pretended to be a good person in front of me... Wouldn't you call that a very high-level form of PUA?"
Ji Juntao raised his eyebrows: "I've asked the actors in the crew, and it was indeed Xu Hanwen who instigated this, and it has nothing to do with Shi Shan."
"Does it really matter who ordered it?" Shang Yechu wiped away her smudged eye makeup. "Whoever we want to deal with, that's who ordered it."
Ji Juntao was startled.
Shang Yechu imagined: "Ah! Shi Shan manipulated me! Then everyone turns around and sees his dozen or so ex-girlfriends, and they'll think, did he also manipulate his dozen or so ex-girlfriends? How many women has he ruined? My God! This guy is rotten! What about Shi Shan's ex-girlfriends? I don't believe that among so many people, there really isn't anyone who harbors resentment? Go dig them out."
Ji Juntao said, "You don't want to deal with Xu Hanwen and Zheng Bohan anymore?"
"Zheng Bohan is a good screenwriter, and Xu Hanwen is a great director," Shang Yechu said meaningfully, halting her flights of fancy.
Ji Juntao was silent for a moment, then said, "You have a very broad mind."
"What's the big deal?" Shang Yechu chuckled. "Xu Hanwen and Zheng Bohan won't compete with me for top billing, fans, or form a CP to leech off my popularity. Dealing with them won't do me any real benefit other than venting my anger. On the contrary, it will offend both the director and screenwriter circles, giving me another reputation as an ingrate."
Directors and screenwriters think differently from actors. In their eyes, this kind of bullying in the script is simply a necessary artistic sacrifice. Any actor who acts as if they're dying over it would be considered unprofessional.
Instead of bringing this up again to bring down Xu Hanwen and Zheng Bohan (whether they can actually be brought down is still unknown, because good screenwriters and directors are too few and far between, they are rarer species a hundred times more precious than artists); it would be better to make use of them and give Shi Shan a boost.
Ji Juntao tapped the table: "Well, we really need to think about this carefully... How can we convince netizens of this? We can't just let you say it yourself."
This is a frame-up, an outright frame-up. And how to make the frame-up flawless requires some careful consideration.
Shang Yechu smiled and said, "Actually, it's quite simple to make netizens believe something."
----------
The capital city, a thousand miles away.
An intellectual-looking middle-aged woman is talking on the phone with Shishan's father.
The woman wore a formulaic smile, but her tone was gloomy and mournful, as if she had lost her parents:
"Mr. Shi, there are so many negative comments about Xiaoshan online right now, it's overwhelming! Our company is struggling to keep up..."
"Yes, yes, I know. Your willingness to let Shi Shan sign with Tianding Entertainment shows your trust in us..."
"Mr. Shi, this public opinion is different from the past. It seems to involve some kind of extramarital affair and some kind of PUA..."
"What I mean is, if Mr. Shi could use your connections to help deal with the online comments, that would be great."
"Tianding Entertainment doesn't have that much power..."
"Yes, yes, just shut down a few of the most vocal accounts and deal with a batch of smaller accounts, and that should be enough. Most of the negative comments about Xiaoshan are from these people."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Shi! Yes, yes, Xiaoshan misses you too. I'll tell Sister Wan when I have time to let Xiaoshan come home for dinner."
The woman exchanged a few pleasantries and then hung up the phone.
Several employees walked towards her, greeting her with smiles: "Sister Ji, what are you busy with?"
The woman laughed and said, "The video call didn't go through just now, so my daughter called to ask."
"Xiao Tao called again?" the employee teased. "She's really clingy."
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