Zhang Siyu, Yang Li, Duan Shuiqing, and the others watched Fang Zheng. At that moment, they felt that he seemed different from before.
If Fang Zheng had been an approachable, playful big boy next door who joked around with them earlier, then now he was a sharp, unsheathed sword, intimidatingly keen.
Fang Zheng's face was filled with confidence. Confidence came from strength, strength came from assurance, and the countless classic anime in his mind were his assurance.
With those anime works as his backing, Fang Zheng truly had no idea how he could lose after starting with four aces!
"Of course, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Our most important task right now is to complete 'Akame ga Kill!' and make it as perfect as possible, bringing the audience the best viewing experience. That is the foundation of our ACG!"
Clap~ Clap~ Clap~ Clap~
Fang Zheng finished speaking, and Zhang Siyu and the others all applauded. With Fang Zheng at the helm and pointing the way, they truly felt incomparably reassured.
Afterward, Fang Zheng held a brief welcome ceremony for everyone, celebrating the official addition of Duan Shuiqing, Tang Yirou, Sora Amamiya, and the others to the company.
After the ceremony, Fang Zheng handed each of them their scripts and a general outline of the plot, asking them to study them carefully that evening and see whether they could take their voice acting another step further.
If good artwork was the body and flesh of an anime, then sincere voice acting was its soul. The matter of voice acting therefore could not be treated carelessly.
Fortunately, Yang Li and the others were all professionals by training, so there was no need to worry about their work ethic.
On October 21, when office workers boarded the subway and buses with heavy sleepiness, when students who had gotten up early finished morning study and prepared to eat breakfast, and when night owls who had stayed up all night turned off their computers and prepared to sleep,
a push notification from Weibo was sent to their phones.
"Hello, all my fans and viewers. I am Fang Zheng, chairman of ACG Culture Company—and the original author of the 'Akame ga Kill!' everyone has been eagerly awaiting. Although I've kept you waiting for so long, I have absolutely no intention of apologizing. As for why..."
The first Weibo post ended abruptly there. Every netizen who saw the update wore a bewildered expression.
The miserable office workers were no longer sleepy, the students who had secretly brought their phones spat out their food, and the night owls who had successfully survived their tribulation jolted upright from their beds.
"Holy crap, he dares to provoke his fans like that? Nothing more needs to be said—Big Shot Fang is a real man!"
"I want to report him! This Big Shot Fang is fake. This isn't the Big Shot Fang I like~"
"Sorry, my husband is being a little naughty. I'll go teach him a lesson right now!"
"Hello, everyone. I'm the leader of the blasting team at Keyboard Warrior Culture Company—in other words, the head of the paid trolls everyone hates. Although I've been a fan of Big Shot Fang for so long, I have absolutely no intention of whitewashing him. As for why..."
After Fang Zheng posted his update, the internet exploded completely. Every fan who followed Fang Zheng on Weibo was astonished, and then fury shot straight to the tops of their heads.
After uploading the promotional PV for 'Akame ga Kill!', Fang Zheng had successfully aroused the interest of countless viewers. Then...and then this damned bastard had actually gone silent.
It was as if he had vanished from the face of the earth, without the slightest news. Along with him, 'Akame ga Kill!' had also left no trace whatsoever.
Some so-called "experts" and "professors" online even claimed that Fang Zheng had never intended to develop a new work from the start, and that everything had been done merely to attract attention.
At first, people still argued with those so-called "experts" and "professors." But as time passed and Fang Zheng truly seemed to have disappeared, the fans began to grow restless.
Those "experts" and "professors," meanwhile, acted as if they had been injected with stimulants. They jumped out and loudly promoted their conspiracy theories, even claiming that 'Star Dream' had won its award because Fang Zheng had some unspeakable secret deal with the authorities.
The internet became a complete mess. The fans thought Fang Zheng would come out to clarify things, but more than twenty days passed in the blink of an eye, and Fang Zheng still remained nowhere to be found.
But today was different. Big Shot Fang, whom countless fans had been pining for, had actually "risen from the dead"!
Ding-dong~!
Less than a minute later, before the fans had recovered from Fang Zheng's Weibo post, they heard another crisp chime.
There was no need to guess what it was. The fans all lowered their heads and looked at their phones.
"As for why, I just like seeing you unable to stand me yet powerless to do anything about it. If you've got the guts, come hit me!"
How could such a despicable person exist in this world? How could anyone make such a despicable demand?
Everyone who saw the Weibo post wore a blank expression. Was this really the Big Shot Fang they knew? Was this really the Ultimate Healing Mentor who had left countless depression sufferers unable to think of tea or food?
Once the fans recovered, the first thing they did was open Weibo's comments and start arguing with Fang Zheng.
This was outrageous. He was just an anime creator, yet he had become so conceited that he no longer knew east from west. He could not even tell who was feeding him anymore.
He was clearly lacking a good beating from society!
This habit absolutely could not be indulged!
While countless fans were busy arguing with Fang Zheng, over at ACG Culture Company, in Fang Zheng's chairman's office, Zhang Siyu stared at him with her mouth agape.
The office was not large, roughly ten square meters. There was an office desk and a genuine leather chair. Fang Zheng sat in the chair, staring at the computer with a solemn expression.
Someone who did not know the situation might really have been fooled by Fang Zheng and believed he was working seriously.
But Zhang Siyu stood behind him and watched his entire series of outrageous actions. She was completely disordered.
"Director Fang, I feel that, as the company's CEO, I have to remind you of something. The company's security department is still vacant, and you haven't gotten personal insurance either."
Zhang Siyu's words made Fang Zheng's typing freeze. It was as if time itself had stopped.
"Most importantly, our company is officially registered with the Commercial Bureau. The company address isn't a secret."
After hearing Zhang Siyu's words, Fang Zheng took a deep breath. Then he briskly deleted the text he had already finished editing, wrote a new one, and clicked send.
"Ahem, that last Weibo post was purely a joke. I ask all my fans not to take it to heart. Also, regarding the many so-called experts and professors online who said I was seeking attention, I'd first like to thank the fans who have supported me. Second, my new work, 'Akame ga Kill!', will go live on the ACG Community at seven tonight. See you there~ (Attached: A thousand-word self-criticism)"
After sending the Weibo post, Fang Zheng still was not satisfied. Since the audience were his providers, he could not afford to offend them. Reluctantly, he had even written a self-criticism.
If the company address had not been exposed, would there have been so much trouble?!
At the thought of this, Fang Zheng felt extremely depressed. He had originally planned to tease the audience a little, but before he had even started, he had already gotten himself in trouble.
If Zhang Siyu had not reminded him, he would have forgotten that he was now a public figure. Before, he could hide and the fans could not find him.
But now the company address was right here. As long as those fans surrounded the place, they would catch him sooner or later—unless he stopped coming to the company.
But that was completely unrealistic~
Left with no choice, he could only suffer the consequences of his own actions!
Fang Zheng's frustration had nowhere to go. He could not afford to offend the audience, so he had to vent it on someone else, right?
Thus, Fang Zheng posted his fourth update.
"I'm Fang Zheng, the author of 'Akame ga Kill!' Certain so-called experts and professors, come out and argue with me!"
He edited the text, then clicked send.
"Ah~ Much better~"
Fang Zheng pushed the computer forward, then reclined in his office chair with a delighted expression, as if he had done something wonderful.
Zhang Siyu stood to the side and watched his rather childish behavior, shaking her head helplessly.
Some time ago, the promotional plan she had made herself had become impossible to carry out because someone had forgotten to look at it, so she had been forced to abandon it.
Later, Fang Zheng told her that he had a plan and could definitely promote the work properly.
Zhang Siyu had agreed to Fang Zheng's proposal. What she had never expected, however, was that his idea of promotion would be this!
How could an author who relied on his audience for a living go argue with his own fans?
"Sure enough, I shouldn't have placed any hope in him." Zhang Siyu slapped her forehead. She could already predict what kind of storm would soon erupt online.
"Shocking! An anime creator actually argued with his own fans!"
"He knows how to write a self-criticism now? I'm telling you, it's too late!"
"We were worried sick about you, and you tease us?"
"402, Thirteenth Floor, Qinghui Building, Magic City. Brothers, I'll go ahead first!"
"..."
ACG Culture Company, chairman's office.
Suppressing her laughter, Zhang Siyu placed her phone in front of Fang Zheng and let him see the fans' special "concern" online.
"Damn, isn't this a little too ruthless? They're really all hot-tempered bros. They say they'll come to my door, and they actually do it!"
When Fang Zheng saw the comments beneath the Weibo post, he jolted out of his chair. Without another word, he grabbed the coat hanging on the rack, threw it over his shoulders, and headed straight for the door.
"Siyu, I'll leave the company's affairs entirely to you. I suddenly feel unwell, so I'll go home and rest for a while... That's all!"
Watching Fang Zheng flee in disarray, Zhang Siyu could no longer hold back. She burst out laughing alone in the office.
What did it mean to be handsome for no more than three seconds? This was it!
As Fang Zheng walked out of the company, he cursed himself for having such a smart mouth.
"Serves you right for fooling around! Serves you right!"
Fang Zheng was filled with regret. Who else could the "certain anime creator" in the comments be besides him?
At this time, apart from him, who else was making anime? There could not possibly be a second person, so the word "certain" had been completely unnecessary.
What was worse was that some fans had actually found his company address. When he thought about how the company still had no security department...
Hiss~!
Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat was best. Before the storm subsided, he decided to stay home for a while. He could use the time to think about what anime to make next.
After Fang Zheng left, Zhang Siyu wanted to prevent matters from truly getting out of hand, so she announced externally in the name of ACG Culture Company that Fang Zheng had overworked himself while producing 'Akame ga Kill!' and had unilaterally decided to rest for a while. She also apologized for Fang Zheng's earlier "provocation."
Since ACG Culture Company was an industry under Fang Zheng's name, many people followed it. Otherwise, Fang Zheng's fans would not have dug up the company address so quickly.
"Tsk tsk, overworked, unilaterally taking a break? Are you sure Big Shot Fang didn't chicken out?"
"Big Shot Fang, weren't you being pretty cheeky? Come out and keep arguing~"
"Big Shot Fang, I'm the president of your Magic City fan association. I've arrived at the entrance of Qinghui Building. Come out and I'll show you something amazing!"
"Pfft, that's enough, you guys! You scared Big Shot Fang into taking sick leave, and you still want more?!"
Before you continue