As an artifact spirit barely over three hundred years old, he had tried his best to answer like an adult.
There shouldn't have been any problem, right?
He had searched through countless answer templates. They were all like this.
Cai Jinbai glanced over and said calmly, "No problem. That was a very correct answer."
"Hehe." Cai Jinbao was relieved.
But then Cai Jinbao bounced hard and said, "Master, online trolls are smearing Xu Yuqing and Chen Chengrong."
Cai Jinbai smiled at that. "Looks like they finally couldn't hold back any longer. It's time to strike back."
Now that Xu Yuqing had signed with his company, how could Cai Jinbai not think of a way to clear away the false stains already on his name?
That included Director Chen Chengrong. Cai Jinbai would bring every truth that had previously been suppressed back into the light.
Chapter 15
The antis had not cared much about Xu Yuqing to begin with. After all, now that he had left Star Universe Entertainment, whether he went independent or found another company, how well could things possibly go for him?
He had been shelved for three years without filming a single drama. The market had probably long forgotten him.
Besides, the entertainment industry changed so quickly. Everyone was stanning young new idols and The Actors. How many people would still remember him?
So when they learned that Xu Yuqing's new company was called Jinbai Entertainment, the antis specifically searched for it online, only to find absolutely no information.
They decided that Jinbai Entertainment was some tiny, run-down company casually registered on a whim. They mocked him without restraint and even bet on whether Xu Yuqing would be exploited to death while stubbornly clinging to the entertainment industry, or forced into retirement.
But who could have imagined that the situation would take such a turn? Jinbai Entertainment was actually like this? How could it possibly be like this?!
Setting aside the looks and bearing of the two CEOs, that entire office building in the center of the New Urban District practically gleamed with two words—"money"!
Who dared say that the New Urban District's landmark was worthless? Who dared say Cai Jinbai did not have a powerful background?
If his background was not powerful, could he have secured a landmark in the center of the New Urban District?
Since he could buy an entire building, how could he possibly lack other resources?
As long as Cai Jinbai wanted them, plenty of resources would be delivered straight into his hands for his use—or for the actors under his company, such as Xu Yuqing.
Looking at it this way, not only would Xu Yuqing not sink to rock bottom, he might even soar into the clouds and rise ten thousand miles, nothing like what the antis had imagined.
Damn it, this was way too infuriating.
The antis could not stand seeing Xu Yuqing's fans acting so smug and triumphant.
But they had nothing to say, which made them especially frustrated.
Then, just at that moment, a huge batch of dirt on Xu Yuqing and Chen Chengrong surfaced.
Old matters were dragged up again, and past events were rehashed.
Quite a few marketing accounts also joined in. Some directly started attacking, claiming that Xu Yuqing had a character problem, that no matter how good his acting was, an actor like him was not worth supporting, and that Jinbai Entertainment could not be much better for signing Xu Yuqing, picking up the trash Star Universe Entertainment had discarded.
Others appeared to praise him while actually sneering beneath the surface. They mocked Jinbai Entertainment and Xu Yuqing between the lines, saying that rich people looked glamorous on the outside, but no one knew what they were like behind closed doors. Xu Yuqing was the same. He was good-looking, sure, and putting everything else aside, Jinbai Entertainment's CEO had signed him just for his face.
—It sounded like praise, but it was really a veiled jab at the misconduct of capital, power-for-sex deals, and the like.
Don't let the two CEOs' handsome faces fool you. They were still capitalists. And if they were capitalists, they definitely could not be clean.
Besides, the way the two of them interacted was disgusting and uncomfortable.
They were two grown men, yet they acted so clingy with each other.
If their sexual orientation really was questionable, then it would not be strange for them to be attracted to Xu Yuqing. No wonder they had signed him.
Chen Chengrong's matter was naturally brought up as well.
For a time, praise on the internet dwindled, replaced by overwhelming open mockery and veiled sarcasm.
Cai Jinbai scrolled through the smears, his expression unchanged.
Xuan Yu sat beside Cai Jinbai with a plate of sliced watermelon. He casually glanced at what Cai Jinbai was reading, then lost interest and looked away. Seeing that Little Bai had no free hand to eat the watermelon himself for the moment, he took the initiative to spear a piece and hold it to his lips.
Without even shifting his gaze, Cai Jinbai opened his mouth and ate the watermelon. Rich juice instantly filled his mouth. "Pretty sweet."
Xuan Yu ate a piece too and nodded. "It really isn't bad."
"When do we strike back?" he asked, feeding Cai Jinbai another bite of watermelon.
"Wait a little longer. This wave of smears hasn't reached its peak yet," Cai Jinbai said.
They still wanted to crush Xu Yuqing completely. They had probably seen that Xu Yuqing was about to rise again and could not stomach it, so they had dragged Chen Chengrong into the mud as well.
But this was exactly the result Cai Jinbai wanted. He even fanned the flames behind the scenes, making the so-called "dirt" rise to the trending searches even faster.
If they did not first draw out these baseless accusations and spark widespread discussion so more people could see and learn about them, then even if the truth was later revealed, the impact would be limited, and it would not help Xu Yuqing and Chen Chengrong much.
Chen Chengrong could be set aside for now. He was a director who worked behind the scenes and did not need to appear on screen, much less have a huge fanbase. He only needed to direct excellent, enjoyable films. People would still buy tickets to watch them in theaters, and some did not even care who the director was.
But Xu Yuqing was different. The stain of "drug use" was fatal to any artist. Even if he had merely been implicated, once he was tainted by even a trace of it, it was like a stain that could never be washed away. It would become easier for people to attack him over it in the future, and he could lose many opportunities and resources.
Since he had never done it, why not clear his name completely?
Cai Jinbai did not want that tiny stain to hinder or affect Xu Yuqing's acting career, nor did he want the true culprits to remain untouched.
From Xu Yuqing announcing the termination of his contract, to the buzz caused by his videos and photos with Xuan, to Jinbai Entertainment's office building being revealed—the two became linked, the buzz grew even bigger, and the discussion spread further. Finally, the trolls and dirt emerged, and the marketing accounts all jumped in. It was time to cast the net.
"Jinbao, you can release the truth now."
Cai Jinbao had been circling the watermelon plate. At those words, he immediately darted back. "Yes, Master!"
Just as Xu Yuqing's fans, antis, and online trolls were fighting in a chaotic mess while bystanders watched the drama unfold, a Weibo post appeared out of nowhere and rapidly seized the trending list. Its title was—[#Xu Yuqing Was Wronged, the Most Miserable The Actors in History#]
The bystanders initially thought it was something Xu Yuqing's fans had made up again, but when they clicked in, they found some unexpected inside information.
It was a long post by a blogger called "People Can't Live Without Conscience," claiming to restore the truth behind the incident involving Xu Yuqing, Gao Chi, and the others. The blogger said they could not bear to watch a good person be wronged like this any longer, and that Star Universe Entertainment was the most vicious party in the whole affair.
[Xu Yuqing is seriously miserable. Even after terminating his contract, Star Universe Entertainment still refuses to let him go. They hired marketing accounts and trolls to smear him. Just how far are they trying to drive him? Let me make this clear first: I'm not Xu Yuqing's fan. I'm just a passerby who can't stand it anymore. If I were Xu Yuqing's fan, I would have stepped in three years ago, before he was shelved.]
[Back to the point. Xu Yuqing not only never used drugs and never attended that gathering, he wasn't even friends with Gao Chi. Please, who is Gao Chi? Boss Gao of Star Universe Entertainment's younger brother. Could Xu Yuqing possibly have reached that level?]
[And Gao Chi's crimes were far more than simply harboring drug users. Star Universe Entertainment covered up the whole truth.]
[Xu Yuqing went to that gathering to save someone—a female artist from the same company. He did everything he could to get her out, even at the cost of offending Gao Chi, all to save a junior who had asked him for help. But he did not know that the gathering also involved drugs. Later, Gao Chi was arrested, and the Gao Family came to resent Xu Yuqing. Not only did they shelve him, they also threw mud at him. Instead of explaining things for Xu Yuqing, they directly set out to destroy The Actors' career.]
[Even the female artist he saved never spoke up for her savior. She did not even appear in that incident at all. Heh, a textbook case of the farmer and the snake, Mr. Dongguo and the wolf.]
[Xu Yuqing was the only good person in this whole matter. Not only did he never use drugs, he even saved someone. Though the person he saved was not someone who knew gratitude, that only proved what a good person Xu Yuqing was. Anyone still smearing him now has no conscience. Fortunately, he has successfully terminated his contract and signed with a fairly decent entertainment company.]
[Finally, I'll say this right here: Xu Yuqing's life will be smooth sailing from now on, and he will soar to great heights. Gao Chi's sentence will be increased. And there are two others—both disgusting people. Are you happy stealing Xu Yuqing's resources? Are you happy stabbing your own benefactor in the back?]
After reading the long post, bystanders were astonished. Was this really what had happened with Xu Yuqing? Was the blogger telling the truth, or making things up? First of all, they could not just take one person's word for it. There had to be evidence, right? So where was the evidence?
The fans' reaction was: Great, someone was speaking up for their brother!
They knew it. Their brother had definitely been wronged!
Those who were a little more rational wondered whether this was an anti pretending to be a fan. Were they making up nonsense to turn people against Little Xu?
The antis' reactions were—
[Oh? Pretty good story you've written there. How much did Jinbai Entertainment pay you? Or could you be Xu Yuqing's alt account?]
[After reading the whole thing, all I have are question marks. Please, Xu Yuqing went to save someone? Who did he save? One person or two? Who were they? Why don't you say? You don't seriously think people will believe a little essay like this, do you? You don't, right?]
[This is hilarious. Who do you think you are, making declarations here? Fine, I'll make one too. If things really happened the way you said, I'll livestream myself doing a handstand while eating shit! I'll swallow my keyboard too!]
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