"Should I put out a statement to explain?" Li Xun looked away from his computer and asked Dai Ying.
Dai Ying turned to gaze out the window. "Does anyone care whether you put out a statement?"
Li Xun felt a little awkward.
Resting her hand on the windowsill, Dai Ying said slowly, "You don't need to worry about this. Your job is to hurry up and finish the script for the second arc. Penguin Video's PR team has already taken over, and we've coordinated our response with Chen Minghao's PR team. Chen Minghao's studio will release a statement this afternoon."
Just then, the hot-search list on Weibo refreshed again. A trending topic that was very likely related to the incident—"Chen Minghao Gives an Interview"—shot up to sixth place.
Li Xun clicked on it. The top result was Chen Minghao's verified account, while the second was an interview by Entertainment Weekly, titled: "About Last Night's Wrap Party Video: No Need to Jump to Conclusions, Everyone. Uncle Ming's Exclusive Response Is Here."
Below it was a video.
With her back to Li Xun, Dai Ying said, "The main point of the response is that no one ever said Young Bao Qingtian would definitely beat The Coroner. Our screenwriter said Young Bao Qingtian was no worse than The Coroner, not that it was better. The former was self-encouragement; the latter would be putting ourselves up by putting others down."
"Our crew members lacked confidence in their own project, so our screenwriter laid out its strengths for them to help them build up their confidence."
"Young Bao Qingtian's budget is no lower than The Coroner's, its directing team is no worse, and its actors are no weaker. We have plenty going for us, so the crew doesn't need to rush to write itself off."
"As for Uncle Ming praising the screenwriter in the video as a genius, the most talented screenwriter he's met in over twenty years—that was simply Uncle Ming encouraging a newcomer. Although the screenwriter of Young Bao Qingtian has been cheering everyone else on, he's actually the least confident person on the entire crew. The cast and crew of Young Bao Qingtian are packed with big names. The directing team has won countless awards, and two major productions made them famous. The budget is 2.4 million per episode, making it a solid A-list production. The male lead is at the top of his generation, the female lead is one of the Four Little Actresses born after 1985, and Uncle Ming himself has been famous for over twenty years. On a crew full of big names like this, the screenwriter is a complete newcomer. So of course he feels inferior, nervous, and unsure of himself."
"The screenwriter of Young Bao Qingtian has a spark and real talent. Uncle Ming didn't want to see that talent go to waste, so he worried that the newcomer's lack of confidence might keep him from reaching his potential. That's why he called him the most talented screenwriter he'd met in twenty years. It shows how wholeheartedly Uncle Ming wants to support and protect the next generation."
"When was I ever lacking confidence? And—didn't Uncle Ming put out a statement? It looks like he gave an interview instead!" Li Xun suddenly interjected.
Dai Ying walked back from the window to the computer. Li Xun turned his head, and the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder as he clicked the play button.
Reporter: "I heard that at the wrap party, the screenwriter of Young Bao Qingtian took a harsh swipe at The Coroner and even claimed Young Bao Qingtian would definitely outperform it and become a new phenomenon-level hit. They said Young Bao Qingtian's budget, actors, director, and screenwriter were all far superior to The Coroner's crew. You were there that night. What really happened?"
Chen Minghao: "That's a rumor. As far as I know, no one ever said that Young Bao Qingtian's crew was far superior to The Coroner's in every respect. We said that our crew was no worse than The Coroner's. We were encouraging ourselves, not putting others down to make ourselves look better."
Reporter: "People online are saying that Penguin Video offered you an astronomical fee, which is why, after taking a two-year break, you suddenly agreed to star in Young Bao Qingtian. They say actor Huang Zhou was also lured by a huge fee, and even turned down a new project directed by Zhao Guocheng. Is that really what happened?"
Chen Minghao: "That's another rumor. In fact, my fee for Young Bao Qingtian isn't higher than what I was paid for the drama I did two years ago. It's actually lower."
Chen Minghao paused.
The comments suddenly exploded across the video.
"Brace yourselves!"
"Here for the drama!"
"Shocking! So this is the truth?"
Chen Minghao suddenly pulled out a contract from beside him, opened it, and held it up to the camera. "I was paid 450,000 per episode for Military Soul two years ago. For Young Bao Qingtian, I'm getting 400,000 per episode. So the claim that Penguin Video threw an astronomical sum at me and shattered my bottom line is complete nonsense. As far as I know, Huang Zhou is also getting 400,000 per episode. Our fees certainly aren't low, but it's absolutely not true, as some unscrupulous media accounts have claimed, that we were tempted past our limits by astronomical sums of money. I agreed to star in Young Bao Qingtian purely because its story appealed to me."
Li Xun sat in his chair while Dai Ying stood beside him. The warm breath from his beautiful boss made his ear feel hot. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Noticing his unease, Dai Ying quietly took a step back, her ears turning slightly red as well.
Her ears still red but her expression unchanged, Dai Ying said, "We agreed to put out a statement. Why did he suddenly agree to an interview?"
The video continued.
Reporter: "I also watched the video posted last night. In it, you called the screenwriter of Young Bao Qingtian a genius, the most talented young person you've met in all these years, and said its script was the most impressive one you'd seen in twenty years. You also said Young Bao Qingtian was sure to become a phenomenon-level hit. Is there anything you'd like to clarify or explain?"
Chen Minghao: "About that video, I'd like to clarify—"
The first three claims that had spread from last night into today were easy to clear up. The crew had simply been encouraging itself; it was no big deal. Even if the controversy blew up, that might not be a bad thing. At the very least, plenty of people who hadn't even known Young Bao Qingtian had started or wrapped filming had learned that a new drama was coming soon. In a way, it had served as free advertising.
The only real problem was Uncle Ming's remarks, especially when he'd directly called the screenwriter of Young Bao Qingtian a genius and the most talented screenwriter he'd met in all these years. It had been a little too over-the-top, and it clashed somewhat with Uncle Ming's usual style.
Those words had unintentionally offended nearly the entire screenwriting community. People who disliked Uncle Ming might think he'd been bought off and was speaking against his conscience. His fans, on the other hand, might have their expectations for Young Bao Qingtian raised too high. If the drama failed to meet them when it aired, their disappointment would be inevitable.
Still, there was a way to explain it.
Everyone now knew how impressive the crew of Young Bao Qingtian was. Its budget, actors, and director were all top-notch; the crew was packed with big names. The only person on the entire team who was still unknown was the screenwriter, supposedly one of the three main creators.
It was easy to imagine the pressure the screenwriter was under.
So what was wrong with Uncle Ming saying a few encouraging words to help him feel more confident?
Hadn't you, a hopeless student, ever heard a kind little lie from a teacher when you were young? "You're smart and talented. As long as you work hard, you won't be any worse than the top student."
That was all Uncle Ming meant!
Many of Chen Minghao's fans had taken it upon themselves to leave suggestions in Uncle Ming's Weibo inbox, hoping he'd see them and follow their advice in his answer. They'd racked their brains to protect their idol's reputation.
"Another rumor—"
Before Uncle Ming could answer, comments like that had already filled the screen.
Everyone thought Uncle Ming's first words would be exactly that.
Chen Minghao paused, then said with a serious expression, "What I need to clarify about that video is this: it isn't a rumor, and it isn't encouragement. It's the truth! The absolute truth! Young Bao Qingtian is the most impressive script I've seen in twenty years, and its screenwriter is the most talented I've met in all these years. There's no one else like him!"
At Uncle Ming's words, the lovely reporter's lips parted and her bright eyes widened. That wasn't the interview script they'd agreed on!
The video ended. Li Xun turned to look at Dai Ying.
Dai Ying froze for a moment, then took out her phone. A moment later, the call connected.
"Hello, Uncle Ming. Weren't we supposed to say the screenwriter lacked confidence, and that you thought he had some talent, so you'd encouraged him because you were worried his lack of confidence might hold him back?"
Li Xun muttered, "I'm not lacking confidence!"
The voice on the other end laughed heartily. "That was the plan, but Huang Zhou and I talked it over and decided to tell the truth. The screenwriter of Young Bao Qingtian is a genius. In my twenty-year acting career, I've never seen a script like it—one written by a genius. There's no point hiding that."
"But that makes it sound way too exaggerated. You know how it goes with dramas that get hyped up before filming starts or right after they wrap. They often crash and burn later. Young Bao Qingtian is already starting to sound like one of those."
The voice on the other end chuckled. "President Dai, think about it. Are those dramas that get hyped up before filming starts or right after they wrap doomed because of the hype?"
Dai Ying fell silent.
"Don't worry, President Dai. A great drama speaks for itself!"
After hanging up, Dai Ying suddenly realized something—he'd talked it over with Huang Zhou?!
Li Xun refreshed the page again. The trending list had changed.
Number two on the trending list: Huang Zhou's exclusive response: The screenwriter really is a genius!
Number one on the trending list: Who is the mysterious screenwriter who won over Uncle Ming and Huang Zhou?
Before you continue