novelraw Chapter 124: Trending Topics, Hidden Currents, and Lin Wan’s Call
Chapter 124: Trending Topics, Hidden Currents, and Lin Wan’s Call
After Zhao Zhen's message came through, the group chat remained silent for a full ten seconds.
What did he mean by "the wind direction isn't quite right"?
Jiang Ci leaned against the railing, lightly tapping his finger on the phone screen.
He exited the chat and opened Weibo.
The trending topics list refreshed.
Eleventh place.
A glaring "topic" hung there.
#General Gu Unresolved Injustice#
Behind the keyword, there was also a red "explosive" character.
Jiang Ci tapped into it.The public square was a bloody storm he had anticipated.
[It's the New Year, why did I cry like a dog in the cinema? All for a supporting character with less than twenty minutes of screen time? [Image][Image]]
Below were two selfies of crying with makeup running off, and a crumpled movie ticket stub.
[Screenwriter, you have no heart! Lin Wan, you have no heart! Why couldn't you even give General Gu a complete ending! He doesn't even have his own tombstone!]
[I'm willing to trade ten years of being single for a happy ending for General Gu! Please, I beg you!]
[Just came back from a second viewing, every detail is a knife to the heart!]
Overwhelmingly, it was all the genuine wails and recommendations from the audience.
They were heartbroken for General Gu, indignant on his behalf.
Jiang Ci scrolled through his phone, his gaze calm.
All of this was within his expectations.
However, after scrolling down a dozen or so posts, some discordant voices began to sporadically appear.
"No way, no way? A fringe male supporting character buying such a high trending spot? Desperate to get famous much?"
"LMAO, this level of marketing, Spark Media must be loaded. Anyone who didn't know would think this was the movie he starred in."
"Don't be jealous, you guys. Their 'gege' made you cry based on his skills, doesn't that count as the lead?"
"Skills? What skills does he have? He just played a beautiful, strong, tragic White Moonlight. Anyone could get famous playing that kind of character. I think it's just capital forcefully promoting him. Just wait and see, he'll crash and burn sooner or later."
At first, these comments were quickly drowned out by fans' controlled comments and rebuttals from neutral viewers.
But not long after.
A new keyword began climbing upward at a bizarre, stealthy speed.
#Jiang Ci Background#
Jiang Ci tapped into it.
Several marketing accounts, all with follower counts in the millions, had posted similarly themed posts at the same time, as if by prior arrangement.
The articles didn't name names, filled throughout with insinuating references.
"A certain J-surname rookie actor, landed the male lead in Director Wei's 'The Legend of Han and Chu' even before graduating!"
"Previously, he also beat out many senior graduates from acting schools to play the male lead in his graduation play. Just what kind of powerful figure is backing him from behind the scenes?"
"How can a newcomer with zero background land such top-tier resources?"
"A deep dive into the capital game behind 'Palace Conspiracy': Why is Spark Media willing to make such a huge gamble on a newcomer? According to reports, this newcomer was overly close with a certain key creative during the filming period."
The accompanying images were promotional photos from his graduation play and photos from the opening ceremony of 'The Legend of Han and Chu'.
The two photos were placed side by side, paired with that highly suggestive text. Even a fool could see what was being implied.
Special transactions.
Sugar daddy.
Resource-privileged star.
Buckets of dirty water were precisely thrown at him the moment his popularity peaked.
Jiang Ci looked at these comments, his face expressionless.
He was just a wage slave counting the days to survive every day. Where would he even find a sugar daddy to support him?
The vibration of his phone pulled his thoughts back once again.
In the university dorm group chat, Zhao Zhen had completely exploded.
Zhao Zhen: "Fuck! Fuck! Those goddamn marketing accounts! I'm gonna dox them!!"
Zhao Zhen: "What the hell does 'resource-privileged star' even mean? Why didn't they say anything when Lao Jiang was running around like crazy to different film crews?"
Zhao Zhen: "There's definitely someone behind this trying to screw us over! Definitely!"
He sent over a dozen voice messages in a row, with the attitude that he was about to crawl through the internet cable to have a real-life PK with someone the next second.
In contrast, Chen Mo was much calmer.
He didn't send voice messages.
He just threw out a few more screenshots.
Chen Mo: "Checked a bit. These marketing accounts belong to the same MCN company. The press releases were posted within five minutes of each other. Clearly, someone is orchestrating this from behind the scenes."
Chen Mo: "The timing is very precise, right when the first wave of word-of-mouth for 'Palace Conspiracy' is spreading and your personal popularity has reached its peak. The goal is clear: dilute the benefits from your role's success and strangle your rising momentum through 'stigmatization'."
Chen Mo: "Being able to mobilize resources at this level and launch an attack on the first day of the Spring Festival holiday season means the opponent isn't simple. Either it's a competitor from another movie in the same season, or... it's someone in the industry whose path you've blocked."
The cold, precise analysis made the malice behind it even clearer.
Zhao Zhen sent a message, incredulous.
Zhao Zhen: "Blocked someone's path? Lao Jiang just debuted. Whose path could he have possibly blocked?"
Jiang Ci looked at that line of text and also found it somewhat absurd.
He just wanted to act well to extend his own life, that's all.
Right at that moment.
"Ge?"
His cousin Lin Lin had also walked out onto the balcony at some point. She was wrapped in a thick coat, peering at him cautiously.
"Why are you hiding out here all by yourself? It's really cold outside."
Jiang Ci quickly turned off his phone screen.
He turned around, his face returning to its usual calm.
"It's nothing. It was a bit stuffy inside, came out for some fresh air."
"Oh..." Lin Lin nodded, but still looked at him with concern. "Ge, are you unhappy? I just... seemed to see some people saying bad things about you online..."
The young girl's tone held a careful worry.
A slight warmth spread in Jiang Ci's heart.
He reached out, wanting to ruffle her hair, but his hand stopped halfway.
He just smiled.
"It's nothing. It's all fake."
"That's just how people talk online. Don't go looking at it."
"Oh, okay." Lin Lin nodded, not fully understanding.
Right then, Jiang Ci's phone rang abruptly.
He picked it up to look.
Two words flashed on the screen—Boss.
It was Lin Wan.
Jiang Ci made a gesture to Lin Lin, indicating he needed to take the call, then walked to the other end of the balcony, trying to get as far away from the noise in the living room as possible.
He swiped to answer.
"Hello, Sister Wan."
On the other end of the line, there was none of the thunderous rage or anxious questioning he had imagined.
Lin Wan's voice actually carried an excitement she couldn't quite suppress.
"Seen the trending topics?"
"Mm, saw them." Jiang Ci leaned against the railing, answering calmly.
"How does it feel? Being blacklisted by the entire internet, is it exciting?"
Jiang Ci: "..."
This boss's thought process was indeed different from ordinary people.
"Don't mind those buzzing flies." Lin Wan spoke extremely fast, with her usual forcefulness and decisiveness.
"Black fame is still fame. This shows the General Gu you played has truly stabbed certain people right in the lungs. They're panicking."
"Someone panicking is a good thing."
Jiang Ci listened quietly.
"I just called to notify you," Lin Wan continued, "The first-day box office numbers for 'Palace Conspiracy' are out. As of 8 PM tonight, it's already broken 300 million."
Three hundred million.
He already knew this number from Chen Mo.
"That General Gu of yours contributed to over forty percent of the topic heat across the entire internet." Lin Wan's voice held unconcealed pride. "The publicity team just had a video conference, all saying you alone are worth the KPI of their entire team."
Jiang Ci was silent for a moment, then asked the question he cared about most.
"The company... didn't buy any trending topics for me, right?"
On the other end of the line, Lin Wan scoffed.
That laugh was full of disdain.
"Buy? Do I need to buy?"
"The audience's tears are the best data. Real box office earnings are the hardest evidence."
"Just wait and see. This show has only just begun."
Her confidence seemed to transmit directly through the electric current.
"Alright, enough chit-chat with you." Lin Wan seemed ready to hang up.
"I'm busy."
Jiang Ci asked, "Busy with what?"
Lin Wan on the other end seemed to pause for a moment, then spoke with a tone of impatience.
"I've been at Spark for so long, and I still haven't finished writing the tragic script I promised you."
"Shouldn't I hurry up?"
With that, she cleanly and decisively hung up the phone.
Beep... beep... beep...
Jiang Ci held his phone, standing in the clear, cold night wind of the small city.
Lin Wan's last words before hanging up still echoed in his ears.