novelraw Chapter 49 The Fairy Sister's Hardcore Protectiveness
Chapter 49 The Fairy Sister's Hardcore Protectiveness
"This question is beyond the scope of the curriculum."
Song Ze swallowed the strawberry mille-feuille in his mouth.
"I don't know, and I'm too lazy to think about it."
He stood up and walked towards the entrance.
7 month 20 day.
Luxury manor in Shunyi District, Beijing.
"Snapped!"
Several reports marked with bright red arrows indicating a decrease in value were slammed onto the marble island counter.
Sister Hong braced herself on the table with both hands, breathing rapidly.
"It's fallen below four points!"
She pointed to the data on the screen.
"The movie 'So Young' has been in theaters for a full week, and its box office barely exceeded 300 million yuan. Online reviews are absolutely terrible!"
Liu Yifei stood with his back to her in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
She pressed the trigger of the spray bottle, and the water mist sprayed onto the broad leaves of the Monstera deliciosa, gathering into droplets that slid off.
"All the film and television bloggers are launching a coordinated attack on you!"
Hong Jie's voice echoed in the spacious living room.
"They're pinning all the blame on you, flooding the world with hashtags like 'box office poison'! The PR department is working around the clock, but they can't contain this fire!"
Liu Yifei put down the spray bottle.
She picked up a white towel from the mahogany shelf and slowly wiped the water stains off the back of her hand.
"I swallowed my pride and approached the editor-in-chief of People Weekly to secure an exclusive interview."
Hong Jie bypassed the central island and blocked Liu Yifei's way.
"The entire article focuses on your dedication and the hardships you endured for this role, steering public opinion towards the safe zone of 'the actors did their best, but the script was a disaster!'"
Liu Yifei tossed the towel he had used to wipe his hands onto the sofa.
"An interview is possible."
Hongjie's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, finally settled down.
"But there's an additional condition."
Liu Yifei picked up the glass of water from the coffee table.
"Leave the second half of the interview blank; I want to talk about Song Ze and our collaboration on 'Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms'."
Sister Hong froze on the spot.
My brain went blank for three seconds.
"Absolutely not!"
Hongjie snatched the glass of water from her hand.
"Every wrong word you say now is diminishing your commercial value! Why are you bringing up Song Ze? He's a newcomer who just got rid of the plagiarism scandal. Don't you think our situation is bad enough?"
Liu Yifei did not try to grab the cup.
She turned around and looked straight ahead.
"Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms is also a work that I have put my heart and soul into. Good works and talented people deserve to be seen."
She uttered those words in the most plain of statements.
There were no ups and downs.
There was no room for negotiation.
Sister Hong stared at her.
After a full five seconds of stalemate, he gave up.
She took out her phone, walked quickly to the balcony, and contacted the program team to revise the interview outline.
Two days later.
The digital edition of People Weekly is being pushed out simultaneously through all online channels.
The first half of the article is steady and methodical, playing the victim card of dedication.
When users scrolled to the middle, a bolded "Q&A" section came into view.
Q: At a time when the film was facing huge criticism, why did you go against the grain and choose a newcomer who was just embroiled in a plagiarism scandal to compose and sing the theme song?
Below the pointed question, there were only two short lines of replies.
A: Some people, you only need to work with them once to know they can go very far. I just discovered it a little earlier than others.
The interview was online for one hour.
The alarm lights on Weibo's backend are flashing wildly.
Next to the top trending topic, a new word, "Explosive," has appeared, becoming incredibly popular.
#Liu Yifei supports newcomer Song Ze#
The major forums were in an uproar.
"A celestial being descended to earth to help people!"
"Standing up to help a newcomer when she was being attacked online, is there really such a saint in the Chinese entertainment industry?"
"Just who is this Song Ze? How could a top celebrity vouch for him with the backing of his casual fans?"
"I don't believe it, I'll go listen to his songs and see just how amazing they are."
Shanghai, Xingyao Entertainment Building.
Inside the Huanyin No. 1 Recording Studio.
Wearing black monitoring headphones, Song Ze rapidly clicked the mouse, cutting the waveform of the audio track on the screen.
The progress of the theme song for "Hot Girl" produced for Dilraba is encouraging.
If we work for two more days, the remaining two million will be in our pockets.
That mountain of 80 million in breach of contract penalties can be leveled off once more.
Fishing life in Sanya is beckoning.
"Bang!"
The heavy metal soundproof door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, slamming onto the crash pad with a dull thud.
Zhang Juan rushed in quickly, wearing high heels.
Her usually impeccable business attire was slightly disheveled, and she was panting heavily.
"Song Ze! Look at this!"
She shoved the tablet directly into Song Ze's hand.
Song Ze took off his headphones and looked down.
The screen displayed the core segment of the interview that went viral online.
He stared at that line of bold text for a long time.
In the Chinese entertainment industry, a place where people pat down the weak and flatter the strong, and where self-preservation is paramount, such a strong support against the tide is tantamount to offering one's neck to be cut off.
There was no scheming involved.
There was no exchange of benefits.
There is only a heavy trust.
Song Ze returned the tablet to Zhang Juan and took out his phone.
He walked out of the main shed, through the corridor, and pushed open the heavy fire door of the stairwell.
Open your contacts and press the call button.
After a few beeps, the call was answered.
The background noise was extremely quiet, with only the occasional sound of pages turning.
"Aren't you afraid that my haters will follow the trail and destroy all the goodwill you've painstakingly built up among casual fans?"
Song Ze stood with one hand in his pocket, leaning against the white wall of the stairwell.
The sound of pages turning stopped.
"Do you think I haven't been criticized enough?"
The question from the other side carried a hint of nonchalance and magnanimity.
Song Ze burst out laughing.
"Okay. Because of what you said, next time you come to Shanghai for a roadshow, I'll treat you to a nice meal."
He switched to supporting his body with the other leg.
"A hot pot with both spicy and clear broth options, and all the meat you can eat."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.
"...How did you know I love a hot pot with both spicy and clear broth?"
A distinct sense of surprise traveled through the radio waves.
She hadn't even told her closest assistant about these private taste preferences.
Song Ze quickly ran through a list of excuses in his mind.
"Last time I picked up your takeout on set, I glanced at the order."
He made up a lie on the spot.
The other end didn't press for more questions, exchanged a few words, and then hung up.
At the same time.
Sheshan, a high-end villa area in Shanghai.
A brand-new mobile phone flew through the air in an arc before crashing heavily onto the edge of the TV cabinet.
The screen was instantly covered with countless cracks.
Lin Shishi walked barefoot on the long-haired carpet, her chest heaving.
On the huge LCD TV, the host was reading the interview aloud in a loud and clear voice.
"I just discovered it a little earlier than others."
These words were like a sharp thorn, piercing Lin Shishi's ear.
Song Zeming was clearly the person she chose at first glance in "Heartbeat Signal".
She took the initiative to start the dating reality show, even at the risk of being criticized for hype.
The entire internet is now praising this amazing collaboration, but they're leaving her, the one who first discovered Song Ze, out in the cold.
Why did that woman steal all the limelight?
The agent stood behind the sofa, holding a thick stack of travel documents.
"Shishi, the 'Singer' program team is urging us to finalize the song selections for the first episode."
The agent forced himself to speak.
"The press release from Lin Youjia's side has already been sent out. The competition in the first round is extremely fierce, and we can't delay in selecting songs any longer..."
"Shut up!"
Lin Shishi turned her head sharply and shouted.
The agent was so startled that he took a half step back, dropping his pen on the carpet.
Lin Shishi stared at the high-definition poster on the TV screen that exuded an ethereal aura.
Full of jealousy.
Jiaxing Media Building, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
In the spacious CEO's office.
Yang Mi leaned back in her large office chair, the light from her phone screen reflecting on her delicate face.
She took a screenshot of the viral Weibo post and casually tossed it onto the table.
The assistant immediately stepped forward.
"Do you understand the power of this combination of punches?"
Yang Mi picked up her iced Americano and took a sip.
The assistant honestly shook his head.
"That's what makes this kid so strange."
Yang Mi pushed aside the paper documents next to her.
"He doesn't compete or fight for anything, just stays in that dilapidated temple of Xingyao Entertainment that's barely making ends meet. And what's the result? There are always top actresses rushing to pave the way and take the fall for him."
She twitched the corner of her mouth slightly.
"He can get all the attention that others can't buy by spending tens of millions, just by sitting at home."
She sat up straight and placed her hands on the edge of the table.
"This Song Ze has pretty good luck with women!"
The online frenzy continues to escalate.
The OST for "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" immediately broke into the top three on Tencent Music's Hot Songs Chart.
Within two hours, Song Ze's Weibo account received a massive influx of 500,000 new followers.
The comment section was filled with positive reviews and humorous remarks.
The time was exactly four o'clock in the afternoon.
Just as the praise across the internet reached its peak, a post simultaneously appeared on major gossip forums.
Hundreds and thousands of marketing accounts received instructions and began distributing the content across the entire internet.
A sensational headline with black background and red text instantly dominated all the news feed recommendations.
Behind the Scenes: Is the Support for Newcomers by Box Office Poison Pure Appreciation or Something Else?
The release time was perfectly timed.
Traffic data surged on this link.