Generation Z Artists

Chapter 383 I will not accept your apology.
Huayi's collapse did not happen in an instant, but the collapse of Huayi's stars' belief in the company did happen in a flash.

From the moment the apology statement was officially published, public sentiment began to fluctuate wildly.

[Apology Statement]

"I, Wang Leizhong, hereby offer my solemn and sincere apology for my previous actions of releasing false information and spreading rumors to slander Mr. Fang Xinghe and Ms. Liu Yifei..."

The facts were clear, the words were sincere, and it ended with "I will resign from all positions, deeply reflect on my actions, and repent in seclusion," which caused a sensation throughout the entertainment industry.

The onlookers were amazed and full of enthusiasm, feeling that this drama was incredibly entertaining and could be considered the number one comedy show of the year.

However, no one could have imagined what else Brother Fang could do.

"I'm sorry, I don't accept this apology statement."

The next day, when he published this short article in the social section of the Beijing Youth Daily, the newspaper sold out immediately.

The layout of Beijing Youth Daily is also quite interesting. The top section is Wang Leizhong's apology series for the second day, and the bottom section is Fang Ge's response.

The up-and-down motion instantly maximized the entertainment value.

Initially, when people first saw the headline, many felt that Fang Xinghe was unreasonable, went too far, and lacked magnanimity.

But after reading the entire article, everyone finally understood.

Yes! How can you apologize like that?

Fang Xinghe's response was as follows:

"I didn't have much contact with Mr. Wang Leizhong. When I first met him, I felt that he had a very rough and unruly air about him. His words and actions were bold and unrestrained, and his demeanor was extraordinary. It seemed that he was born to live in the center of the stage."

Whenever he is in a crowd, this man will do something astonishing. The more people are in the spotlight, the more outrageous he becomes, as if extravagance has been ingrained in his very being.

At first I didn't understand its meaning, but later I finally understood.

Such people can be summed up in two words: drama queens.

Unlike professional actors, drama queens turn life into a performance, see reality as a stage, act crazy and silly, and jump around, all for the sake of fame and fortune.

For any small benefit, they are willing to play the role of dutiful sons and grandsons, serving their fathers and elder brothers with utmost devotion.

Even if there is no profit, only a little fame, they are willing to take the lead in everything and charge ahead—of course, mostly just verbally.

We often see people who are eloquent and talkative, always spouting off about who is theirs and who they are, and telling others to come to them if they need anything. This is a typical example of a drama queen.

Mr. Wang Leizhong's acting is more complex and goes beyond this, demonstrating a higher level of skill.

He loves to take credit, but he also loves to take responsibility.

For example, this apology statement did not mention Huayi at all, and even in the words of "taking responsibility and resigning", it refused to mention Huayi's name, only talking about personal mistakes.

However, looking at the online slander against me and Liu Yifei, those parts belonging to Huayi were not out of personal jealousy, but purely a struggle for interests.

Mr. Wang Leizhong tried his best to tell everyone three things throughout his apology statement—

First, out of personal envy, jealousy, and hatred, I momentarily lost my mind and spread rumors about Fang Xinghe.

Secondly, I failed to manage my female celebrities well, which led her to spread rumors about Liu Yifei out of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Third, now that things have come to this, I sincerely repent and accept the punishment.

Look, the spirit of a bachelor is overflowing on the page, how bold!
Through this rhetoric, he attributed all the blame to his own mental imbalance, burying the more fundamental reasons deep beneath the surface.

But this is obviously not the case.

The evidence we have collected shows that this escalating storm of rumors is a systematic destructive project, with participants ranging from low-level to high-level: online trolls, tabloid reporters, celebrities, and media influencers, ultimately tracing back to the root cause—Huayi, not Wang Leizhong.

Mr. Wang Leizhong certainly has his own personal will, but his more obvious attribute is that of Huayi's vice chairman and chief operating officer.

You can't use Huayi's money to get things done, flaunt the power of a big company, and then immediately change your tune and claim it was just a personal idea after something goes wrong.

You can fool yourself into thinking that this is a man taking responsibility, but you can't fool the public into thinking that this has nothing to do with the company.

The direct beneficiary of destroying Liu Yifei's social image is not you, Wang Leizhong, but the "Four Dan and Two Bing" of the same level. Coincidentally, a large portion of the "Four Dan and Two Bing" are artists under Huayi Brothers. This is not a coincidence; it is an insult to the public's intelligence.

One should not be so shameless.

This is not the right way to apologize either—avoiding the root cause of all the conflicts, using extreme personal heroism to gain public sympathy, and turning a serious apology statement into a public performance. This is not an apology; it's the birth of a drama queen.

Mr. Wang Leizhong, do you think you have a special heroic spirit?

Forgive my bluntness, but all I sensed was the scoundrelly aura of a utilitarian scoundrel.

Huayi refused to face reality and tried to sacrifice its pawns to save the king, cutting its losses to survive. From the perspective of the company's survival, this idea was understandable.

Unfortunately, I stand on a different side—justice and justice, right and wrong.

In any country, in any era, and in any conflict, the principle of "provoking first and being the cheapest" is always a universal truth.

Those who instigate trouble will suffer the consequences themselves, and will not only fail to receive pity, but will also be applauded.

Ordinary people don't like such flowery expressions, so they usually just spit it out and express their feelings in one word: Serves them right!

"Deserved" means you deserve it. You deserve to be punished, and you deserve to be banned from the profession by the State Administration of Radio and Television. But you should never glorify the punishment as "voluntary resignation."

Administrative documents have their own seriousness. What kind of person would be thinking of taking shortcuts and confusing the public at a time like this?

Therefore, I don't think Mr. Wang Leizhong is that smart. When Huayi is in chaos and unable to take care of itself, you can only rely on your own experience to perform. Your acting style immediately goes astray. You are no longer as domineering and dazzling as before, and you even become a bit ridiculous.

After reading the entire apology statement, I couldn't help but laugh, and I even wanted to write a poem specifically for you.

You reign supreme in poker, you're the busiest in the circus, you stand guard in front of McDonald's, and you're the most arrogant in Gotham City.

If a drama queen goes a little too far, she becomes a clown.

This poem is a formal gift to you; there's no need to thank me, just memorize it.

It will accompany you for life, until my legend fades away, until the name of Huayi disappears into the long river of history.

Therefore, I do not recommend that you continue to struggle in such a ridiculous way.

Mr. Wang, you have effectively lost your qualifications to work in the film and television industry. I understand your desire to contribute your remaining energy and take the blame for the company, but I'm sorry, I cannot accept it.

I am the one who has been humiliated, and my core demand is: the person who apologizes must be correct.

Whose fault it is, who should stand up and apologize and repent? You can't expect to shoulder it all on your own; you can't.

Therefore, this nonsensical and trivial apology statement is unnecessary to issue again. My conclusion is that it is unacceptable and should be sent back for rewriting.

The new apology statement must begin with the full name of Huayi Brothers Film & Television Company, include your unified social credit code, clearly state the specific time, process, and content, and guarantee to the public that it will never happen again.

do you understand?

I'm not targeting anyone at Huayi, I just want to say that Huayi is a terrible company.

Of course, if onlookers feel that the two Mr. Wangs can fully represent Huayi, that's your prerogative.

Anyway, I will only comment on what I saw with my own eyes—Huayi is an unscrupulous person, does things in a shady way, and puts all their thoughts into crooked things. They still owe me a sincere apology.

Last but not least, Mr. Drama Queen, I wish you a happy retirement and that you never have to worry about Huayi again.

Respectfully yours, Fang Xinghe, written on the night of September 15th.

The article is short and concise, with elegant wording, no longer as violent as before.

However, the resulting reaction has brought a new frenzy to the already lively world of gossip.

People spread the word excitedly: "Breaking news! Breaking news! Fang Xinghe has finally written an article criticizing people!"

The literary group in the starry sky wept with joy: "Fang Xinghe, you've finally remembered that you're still a writer..."

Film critics scoffed: "Is this even an article?"

Kungfu fans strongly supported this: "Yes, yes, yes, that's clearly a big slap in the face!" Female fans cheered: "Stop arguing, let's go to the Huayi official website and start a group buy!"

The older female fan sneered: "No need to go. Every single person at Huayi is alive and well; none of them would dare to keep the comments section open."

The real masses and ordinary people don't care about their internal struggles; they just feel good.

"Before reading the article, I thought Fang Xinghe was going too far, but after reading it, I felt that his arguments were reasonable and well-founded."

"It's still the same flavor, it's really good!"

"This writing truly lives up to its reputation as a once-in-a-millennium master of scathing criticism."

"The birth of a drama queen is absolutely hilarious!"

"Clown Poems are clearly the funniest, I'm seriously fucking idiot, what's wrong with Fang Xinghe's brain?"

"Come on, big-chested guys, let's start voting! This year's most tragic figure candidates are: 1. Brother Kai; 2. Brother Lei; 3. Yanzi; 4. Bingbing. Quickly cast your precious vote after careful consideration!"

On forums and Weibo, there are lively polls everywhere.

Soon someone noticed the blind spot: "Huh? What's going on? Every single unlucky person seems to be connected to Ziwei?"

"Fang Xinghe is a man who always seeks revenge, and he's also rich, talented, and acts recklessly. Offending him is like stepping on a curse."

"That's true, these guys are really out of their minds, why do they have to drag him down like that?"

"Is it possible that when they were digging into Fang Xinghe's past, they thought they were being discreet, that their plans were well-thought-out, and that they were of noble status, and that they didn't even realize they would lose?"

"Absolutely! Before undertaking something big, I always feel like I can't possibly lose!"

"The vibrant scene of all things thriving is still vivid in my mind. No matter what, Huayi Baidao Xingguang is all alone against Xinghe, and the advantage lies with me!"

Upon hearing this, niche military and political forums such as Tiexue immediately erupted in celebration.

In the public section of Weibo, Bingbing's fans weakly defended her, saying, "Our sister didn't actually do anything, can we please remove her from the list of candidates?"

Soon, a righteous bystander spoke up: "It's really inappropriate to put Bingbing in there. Have you forgotten that the other company that Brother Fang angrily criticized hasn't made a move yet?"

Huh? That's right!

Suddenly, everyone remembered the production company behind "Chinese Paladin," Sugarman, who had been making headlines this year. Then, they were astonished to discover that Sugarman had actually been silent for a month...

"What happened? Did they run away ahead of schedule?"

"They chickened out a long time ago and didn't get involved in this mess. They've even deleted all their troll accounts."

"Cancellation works?!"

Miss Baby Star was full of malice: "The evidence has already been collected, and the next one will be Cai Yinong as a sacrifice!"

But that's a story for another time. In any case, judging from the current voting results, Lei Zi is in first place, Kai Zi is slightly behind, and Yan Zi is ignored.

Who cares if she's banned or not? Aside from fans searching everywhere for her, netizens don't care at all.

What everyone is really concerned about is Lei Zi's reaction, Jun Zi's response, and Hua Yi's fate.

Junzi didn't react much, he just silently smoked.

Lei Zi's reaction wasn't surprising; he was drinking, smashing things, and slapping people while driving piles...

The phrase "Never have to worry about Huayi again" is like the most ingenious curse, carrying a genuine, heart-wrenching wound that makes people unable to control the fear rising from the bottom of their hearts.

Being called a clown is just a form of mass entertainment in the sense of dissemination; those with deep enough shrewdness can slowly digest it.

But the more lasting pain comes when you anticipate that your business won't last long and malicious attacks come crashing down on you, the pressure seeping into your very bones.

Amidst this anguish, Junzi received another letter from the Cultural Affairs Bureau.

It was called a letter, but it was actually a phone call.

The man reprimanded them sternly, "What, are you still trying to pull tricks at a time like this? Are you satisfied with making things worse? If you really have no sincerity in apologizing, then there's no need for you to issue any more statements! The official document from the ministry will be sent out immediately; come and collect it yourselves! In the end, you'd better watch yourselves!"

Junzi sat in his office chair with his eyes closed for a long, long time, until one moment, as if he had been startled awake from a nightmare, he suddenly opened his eyes and began to breathe heavily.

He rang for his secretary and, in a hoarse voice, ordered, "Draft another apology statement, according to... according to the other party's requirements."

The last few words were extremely difficult to say.

However difficult it may have been, the final result was that Huayi silently changed its statement.

The apology included the company's full name, social credit code, reason for the apology, details of the rumor-mongering, reflections and disciplinary actions, and so on.

Netizens thought the festivities had just begun, but they were quickly pushed to their climax.

Fang Ge made the outburst the night before, and the statement was revised the next morning. The general public was immediately stunned, and the entertainment industry didn't dare to make any public appearances until two days later...

Yang Xiaomi couldn't hold back any longer and sent Fang Xinghe a text message: "Holy crap, Director Fang, you're amazing! Sign me! You can name any conditions you want!"

She is very representative, representing how the entertainment industry has come to regard Galaxy Pictures, which produces very little, as the biggest power in the industry.

Correspondingly, no one regards Huayi as the great tree it once was anymore.

If you had to describe their recent ordeal in one word, it would be these four: utterly disgraced.

When a company loses its reputation in its industry, the outcome is predictable.

The only difference is whether they die early or late, and how their story ends.

Dong Youde began receiving numerous calls and invitations from celebrities themselves, many of whom were from Huayi Brothers, but many more were not.

Some people wanted to explain, some wanted to apologize, some wanted to curry favor, but most were simply afraid.

Brother Fang's reputation has been rapidly heading towards demonization.

Brother De patiently received all the probing questions and gave a unified reply based on Fang Xinghe's original words.

"Galaxy Entertainment has no need to dominate the entertainment industry, nor does it have the intention to do so. We welcome good actors and stars with great commercial value, as long as the opportunity is right and you can make a positive contribution."

So please stop asking me about the conditions. Galaxy Entertainment never tests human nature, nor does it force others to cooperate in a way that violates human nature.

There will always be new companies emerging, developing, and growing in the entertainment industry, and there will always be new people rising to the top, striving, and climbing to the top. Xinghe is happy to see that endless vitality and will not do anything to hinder it.

"Keep your mind at ease, do good deeds, and don't worry about the future."

Do good deeds and don't worry about the future; this is the kind of gene that Fang Xinghe wants to etch into the very core of the Chinese entertainment industry.

This is destined to be a long process, but fortunately, he took the first step quite steadily.

On September 18th, Fang Xinghe updated his Weibo.

A photo of a tombstone without the person's face is accompanied by the caption: "The enemy is both outside and inside, but ultimately, there is more outside."

Netizens across the country began speculating about his intentions, with all sorts of outrageous theories emerging.

Even celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry couldn't understand it, but they dared not be negligent in the slightest. Some forwarded the post, while others wrote articles themselves, firmly keeping the anniversary in their hearts.

Much later, many people belatedly realized that Fang Xinghe's purge of the entertainment industry came to an abrupt end on that day.

The beast retracted its fangs, casually withdrew its gaze, and closed its eyes to lie dormant.

But it was from this day that the atmosphere in the entertainment industry became much cleaner.

The top leader of the Guangdong Provincial Federation of Trade Unions felt a sudden sense of relief and praised him, saying, "He handles heavy tasks with ease. Who said he was a barbarian?"

Whether he's arrogant or not, I don't know, but his image and style have become even more mysterious and unpredictable.

Mystery, on the other hand, is what brings the most awe and reverence.

From worship to awe, Fang Xinghe has recreated a new level on the already broken path to the top.

(End of this chapter)