Generation Z Artists

Chapter 377 Xie Rong: Don't be afraid, I will take action.
In fact, the prevailing sentiment reported in print media is very unfavorable to Fang Xinghe.

State media must "be mindful of their impact" and must not "undermine the overall situation of unity and stability," so their language is vague, either neutral or lacking a clear bias.

For example, People's Daily only briefly mentioned the issue of industry self-regulation in its culture and sports section.

"With the vigorous development of my country's cultural undertakings, some chaotic phenomena have gradually emerged in the industry. At the current stage where legislation has not yet kept up, if we want to promote the continued healthy and steady progress of the cultural undertakings, we need not only relevant leading departments to pay close attention and be vigilant, and clarify the source in a timely manner, but also rely heavily on self-examination and self-discipline from all parties within the industry..."

It was all a jumbled mess of nonsense, and Wang Charlie was completely baffled.

"What does that mean?" He turned to look at Dong Youde.

“It’s not the higher-ups, it’s just Renri (People’s Day). Renri doesn’t represent the entire upper echelons. Their own attitude is that they support the development of a self-discipline convention, but the strength of this support is questionable. It’s probably just so-so.”

"Oh."

Wang Chali understood, and then vigorously rubbed his cheeks.

"So, this is the official attitude? We can't count on them at all?"

Dong Youde chuckled: "What are you hoping for? Do you expect the higher-ups to issue a document and forcefully push this thing forward?"

Wang Chali's eyes widened: "Even if you don't force it, shouldn't you at least show some attitude?"

Dong Youde shook his head: "Those who are truly capable of taking a stand will not step in so early. You don't understand politics."

Wang Charlie really doesn't understand politics, so all he sees are negative news.

From People's Day onwards, none of the official media outlets were straightforward, except for Guangming Daily, which published some substantial content.

"Yesterday, Fang Xinghe, a renowned representative of Chinese culture, proposed establishing a blacklist system for my country's cultural undertakings to purify the industry's atmosphere, reduce internal conflicts and friction, and thus achieve sound and rapid development..."

It's infuriating how they try to hide it.

But this is precisely the most normal situation. The reason why the domestic public opinion environment has been going against the grain for a long time, with foreign media dominating official media, is precisely because official media reports must "talk about politics, stance, and influence," while foreign media speak freely and are good at using plain language to incite emotions.

This time, it is no exception.

The three powerhouses of Lingnan—Nanjing Daily, Guangzhou Evening News, and Yangcheng Evening News—each offered their own perspective and spared no effort in defending their reputations.

A simple and brutal counterattack—accusing Fang Xinghe himself in an attempt to destroy his image and thus undermine the legitimacy of his proposal.

Xiao Chuan from the 13th Ugly School wrote a long article, focusing on Fang Xinghe's rudeness, barbarity, and arrogance, which made Fang's haters applaud and reach a climax.

"I have never seen anyone display such an ugly behavior in such a warm and joyful occasion."

A big star, a world-renowned representative of Chinese celebrities, acted like a shrew jumping around in a market, swearing and cursing, leaving people speechless.

The atmosphere in the room was extremely quiet at that moment. Everyone was looking at each other, wondering what was wrong with him.

The poor little princess, who was celebrating her birthday, was terrified and at a loss. I saw her face turn bright red. She would anxiously glance at her parents every now and then, and occasionally move her feet as if she wanted to step forward to stop them. In the end, she was helpless against someone's tyranny and could only silently lower her head and curl up like a fledgling bird.

Liu Yifei's mother, Ms. Liu Xiaoli, kept a straight face and clenched her fists tightly throughout. When I saw her face, I could hear the sound of her teeth grinding together.

How can a person act like this?

How did someone's coming-of-age ceremony turn into your stage for running wild?!
What caused this person to be so angry?
On the surface, they are just rumors with no known source, but in reality, they are nothing more than a pretext for making a fuss.

His successive successes have made him overly arrogant, and he can't wait to raise the banner of 'the person in charge of the entertainment industry' and swagger over everyone else.

However, there are always some righteous people who are unwilling to compromise themselves and live under the thumb of such an arrogant and despicable person, so they simply stay far away from him, do their own business, and act in their own dramas.

As a result, this villain became unhappy, feeling ignored and disrespected, and suddenly lashed out at the birthday celebration, catching everyone off guard…

Rumors are truly a matter of who's making them; there's a difference between professionals and amateurs.

Next to the article was a large picture—Liu Yifei with her head down, her cheeks and ears were indeed a little red, looking just like she was silently shedding tears, looking a pitiful little girl.

The young fairy's male fans went wild on the spot.

Her core fans and Fang Xinghe's core fans not only have very little overlap, but they have also always disliked each other and are very at odds.

The fans of the fairy tale and the starry sky immediately broke into a frenzy, chatting all the way from the South Heavenly Gate to the West Outer Ring Road...

In another newspaper, Fang Xinghe's old friend, Cheng Yizhong, appeared as a compassionate prophet.

His tactic is to muddy the waters.

By creating chaos and diverting public attention, they naturally relieved the corrupt officials in the entertainment industry from their predicament.

Yesterday, Fang Xinghe lost his temper in public because of some rumors. His furious appearance was just like that of a young emperor whose lollipop had been confiscated by an adult.

First they cursed business leaders, then they cursed compatriots in Hong Kong and Taiwan, then they criticized the industry environment, and finally they blamed everyone—it's all because you guys are so outrageous that our country's entertainment industry can't get better. You better watch out from now on, or I'll kill your whole family!

Putting aside how arrogant and despicable this attitude is, the reason for the outburst is ridiculously funny.

When will Fang Xinghe finally understand the simple truth that "preventing people from speaking is more difficult than preventing a river from overflowing"?

Regardless of whether those rumors are true or not—I personally believe that most of them are not. For example, regarding the relationship between Fang Xinghe and Liu Yifei, the two of them often spent long periods of time together in one room during the filming of "Young You," so it's impossible that there was no intimacy between them.

In addition, reliable sources say that Liu Yifei took off all her soaked clothes when she went up the water torture platform for the last time. After that, the two of them stayed alone in that secret room for at least 2 hours. When they came out, they were very tired, but they had put their clothes back on.

What exactly happened in between?
The public has made some speculations about this, but I don't think it's a rumor.

Therefore, it is entirely reasonable that most people did not believe Liu Yifei when she repeatedly defended herself by saying, "Fang Xinghe and I are not in a relationship."

Fang Xinghe's greatest fear is being abandoned by his fans. In order to protect his reputation and maintain his single image, it is not surprising that he launched a fierce attack on the rumors of the two having an affair, and broke down in anger.

Of course, to be fair, the rumors circulating online that Liu Yifei and her daughter were both serving Chen Jinfei are most likely fabricated. If you were to say that they were both serving Fang Xinghe, I might be more inclined to believe it.

After all, there are no men as rich as Xinghe who are as handsome, and no men as handsome who are as rich. There is no man who can combine the four killer features of being rich, handsome, young, and physically strong at the same time.

But let's assume for now that all of the above rumors are false. So what?
This is still not a reason for you, Fang Xinghe, to throw a tantrum.

Six years ago, I said something like this to Fang Xinghe—

In countries where freedom of speech is not guaranteed and news media are suppressed, rumors are actually the truth that exists deep in people's hearts. They are a way for groups to express their will and a powerful weapon for the public to resist official propaganda and lies.

It is not the truth, but it is far more real than the truth; it cannot withstand scrutiny, but it is more convincing than the truth; it is full of loopholes, but it cannot stop the masses from believing it without a doubt.

Currently, rumors can no longer be stopped by wise people, but only by freedom of speech.

Fang Xinghe wrote an article specifically to respond to me, the gist of which was: I don't believe in freedom of speech, screw freedom of speech.

Looking back now, the bullet from many years ago flew around the earth and hit him squarely between the eyebrows. Doesn't it evoke a sense of absurd and bitter fate?

Fang Xinghe believed the root cause was that industry peers had bought smear articles, and that someone was jealous of them and was spreading rumors. But the truth is, some members of the public are spontaneously creating rumors about you, while others believe them wholeheartedly. You can use money to destroy Huayi Sugar Man, but how can you use money to silence public opinion?
Fang Xinghe, you don't have that ability. You can only bury your head in the sand and ignore it, just like before.

Fang Xinghe, you don't want to change the industry's atmosphere; you just want to dominate the industry and everyone in it, upgrading from a capricious little emperor to a supreme ruler.

Fang Xinghe, the pursuit of freedom is human instinct and nature. Freedom of speech is the only way for us to move towards democracy and harmony. Only when we have freedom of speech can your so-called cultural prosperity be truly realized.

Many may fear your threats, but there are always some people in this world who are fearless in the face of danger and would rather die than submit. You cannot stop our pursuit of freedom.

As a member of the public, let me set an example for everyone first—

Fang Xinghe, I think there's something fishy going on between you and Liu Yifei. There's absolutely nothing between you two that's innocent. Come on, tell me!

Grass!
Upon seeing the article, Wang Chali was furious: "That bastard! Sue him!"

Why give him that kind of attention?

Fang Xinghe smiled and calmly replied, "He's seized a good opportunity this time. Let him jump around. Let's get down to business first."

The real issue is advancing the system, not engaging in empty rhetoric with the media.

It was entirely expected that the media would cause trouble, insert their own agendas, and take the opportunity to stir up trouble.

The chaotic state of public opinion in China will not be completely cleared up until 2026. In a sense, allowing some clowns to speak out is more beneficial than harmful.

Without them attracting public attention, generating buzz, and serving as negative examples, how could the truth become clearer through debate?
Jump, everyone jump! The more lively this gets, the easier it will be for Fang Xinghe to talk to the authorities.

On the afternoon of the 26th, he went to the Guangdong General Chamber of Commerce for a meeting.

While the commotion was raging outside, he held a small, closed-door meeting with senior officials from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

As this was the first communication, the number of participants was small and the scope of discussion was limited. The main purpose was to exchange information and for each party to confirm their respective positions and ideas.

Fang Xinghe noticed that the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the Film Bureau held some opinions about his actions.

"Mr. Fang, can't we communicate this properly?"

"The way you're doing this puts us in a very passive position..."

In fact, the other party was not very impolite in terms of attitude, but there were obvious complaints.

Fang Xinghe did not adopt a confrontational stance again, but instead calmly explained his thoughts.

"The incident has already happened. I think the leaders called me over not to criticize me, but to solve the problem."

To be honest, the leaders' feelings about the current industry atmosphere are certainly not as profound and real as mine.

As a direct victim, I have been struggling in this suffocating environment since my debut.

However, this does not mean that I do not trust the General Administration of Customs and the Bureau, nor do I regard the current situation as a dereliction of duty by the higher management.

The country is developing too fast, and there are countless things to do. In many aspects, our management is lagging behind. This is an objective reality, not anyone's fault.

Therefore, I believe that as a member of the industry, it is in line with the needs of industry development for me to solve some problems on my own, given that the higher-level management cannot provide such detailed support.

Essentially, in major events like this that involve a wide range of issues, whoever takes the lead will offend people, and whoever fires the first shot will bear the greatest pressure.

Fortunately, I am not afraid of offending people, and I am willing to take on pressure. The department only needs to go with the flow to turn the passive situation into an active one.

The leaders were coerced by bad people and forced to do this under pressure.

Success is yours, failure is mine; doing nothing is actually worse, don't you think?

"You're forcing me to abdicate!"

A high-ranking leader of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Commerce slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"Yes," Fang Xinghe replied calmly. "Thank you all for your leniency towards Xiao Fang."

The top leader was dumbfounded: I hadn't even decided to indulge you yet!

Fang Xinghe's matter-of-fact attitude made the other person laugh in anger, and then he waved his hand forcefully to chase him out.

The first meeting ended unhappily.

However, this is only the apparent unpleasantness; the rules within the system have a deeper meaning.

On the evening of the 26th, as various evening newspapers followed up with reports, details of Liu Yifei's birthday celebration were further revealed.

The three musketeers, Beiqing, Xinmin, and Jiji, needless to say, as die-hard Fangzui, will definitely write whatever they can to beautify it.

Beijing Youth Daily: "Fang Xinghe is one of the most nationally conscious celebrities in China."

Xinmin: "Stubborn problems should be solved with drastic measures. We need this kind of tough approach, not just in the entertainment industry, but in the entire Chinese society."

Gigi: "Well said! If Fang Xinghe ever curses anyone, it must be their fault!"

With both sides sticking to their own version of events, the argument naturally escalated into a heated debate.

The print media is relatively better; there are only two issues a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, and they are long and rambling arguments, so it's impossible to respond promptly.

The internet is in complete chaos.

From Weibo to Tianya, from Tiexue to Longkong, from voice chat rooms to city chat rooms, battles are raging everywhere.

Fans of various celebrities, including those who support the "Full Sky of Stars" (a group of online trolls), "Fang Hei" (another group of online trolls), "Xian Mi" (another group of online trolls), and other celebrities, along with their respective online troll groups and early internet opinion leaders, were engaged in a fierce battle.

Thanks to the media's relentless mudslinging, the starry sky has, for once, been at a disadvantage.

The public has no idea what Fang Xinghe said, in what manner he said it, or what the details were. They can only fill in the gaps based on the descriptions from both sides. Therefore, whichever side has stronger propaganda capabilities will have the upper hand.

By the 27th, the situation had become 37/30, with Fang Xinghe at 3 and the opposing side at 7.

On the 28th, with the successive statements from Kai Zi, Xiao Gang Pao, Huayi Qunxing, and many Hong Kong and Taiwan celebrities and directors, Fang Xinghe's domestic fan base dropped below 100 million.

As the struggle reached its climax, Fang Xinghe shut down his microphone, awaiting a second meeting.

The 13th ugly man felt the situation was very good and celebrated with his head held high.

Then, at that moment, Xie Rong suddenly made his move, leading a group of old, young, and impoverished people to throw twelve barrels of 98-octane gasoline into the fire...

(End of this chapter)