How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 68 Retiring at the Peak [4 Updates, Seeking First Subscription]

At noon sharp, Qu Shou's Weibo was updated again, becoming the focus of the entire internet.

This time it's a short poem and two accompanying pictures.

He believed that all my achievements were due to his grace.

But I want to say that I myself am a rough gem.

He said he loved me, so he gave me roses.

But I don't think roses represent love. If I want flowers, I can buy them myself.

If you truly love me, then give me a stepping stone so I can climb up.

He didn't want to, so he wanted to destroy me.

Because he doesn't love me, he just wants to control me and treat me as a tool.

I'm stupid, but I'm also stubborn.

I will save myself, a thousand times over.
Like a resilient blade of grass, unyielding and unwavering.

The accompanying images are a case closure document and judgment bearing a scarlet official seal, as well as the photo she requested Wang Yao to take of her.

The photo shows a naked figure from behind, with hands bound by a belt, only the profile of the face visible, head tilted back with a look of defiance and despair.

She has always cultivated an image of an artsy woman on Weibo, and now, with this short poem summarizing her experiences and these two pictures, it's almost as if she's announcing that all of this is over.
The dust has settled.

All arguments become meaningless.

If it's really just hype, isn't it too much to risk sending someone to jail for more than three years?

Following closely behind, He Jiong, who had gained two million followers on Weibo in less than a month, issued a statement on behalf of the "I Am a Big Beauty" program team, unconditionally supporting Qu Shou's rights protection. His statement, "Praise can be uttered without thinking, but slander should be thought through before speaking," served as a banner, giving all netizens who sympathized with Qu Shou confidence.

Subsequently, Wang Yao's prepared speech for the "Confucius" production team arrived as scheduled, like a heavy hammer, sounding the clarion call for a counterattack.

The world was born beneath women's skirts, yet women's skirts are not allowed to flutter.

They also want to cut off her wings and slander her spine.
The predicament that Nanzi faced more than two thousand years ago has now been repeated in Qu Shou's life.
While the history of Nanzi may be untraceable, the evidence for Qu Shou's experiences is irrefutable.

Perhaps it is fate that the release of "Confucius" at this time is the prayer of countless victimized women like "Nanzi" throughout history.

If I stand idly by today, and disaster befalls me one day, then no one will be there to cheer me on.

It's incredibly inflammatory.

Even Qu Shou's former company, New Ideas, took the lead in the charge, with its various contracted models showing their support.

Subsequently, a large number of celebrities, internet celebrities, and major mainstream media platforms also joined the fray, vying for traffic.

That fatso Wang Jing, he was just saying he wanted to wait and see, but seeing how strongly the wind was blowing, he was the first to jump in. He not only temporarily registered a Weibo account, but also shared his personal experience working with Qu Shou on a film, describing how he felt she was such a kind, pure, and hardworking girl.
Then he specifically mentioned the Gillian Chung incident, expressing that he didn't have the opportunity to stand up for Gillian Chung a year ago, and now he can't let Qu Shou suffer any more grievances. They are both good girls, it's the man who is too bad.

Not only did he speak online, but he also specially prepared to hold a press conference offline to announce that his new movies "Beauty on Duty" and "Future Police" would be released ahead of schedule next week. At the same time, he made a boastful statement to the media: "I'll stand at the movie theater entrance and see who dares to talk trash!"

Su Youpeng was a step too slow and regretted it so much that he pinched his thigh.

Even Wang Yao felt inferior after hearing about it; when it comes to hyping things up, the old guys really know how to go all out.

An hour ago they were silent and indifferent, but an hour later they spoke righteously and spoke with their friends and family.

A gluttonous feast has officially begun.

Soon, the netizens who had been venting their frustrations mindlessly in the morning discovered that the situation had changed drastically while they were having lunch. Their righteous outpourings had not been recognized by other netizens, and had even been met with attacks and insults.

When did using such despicable methods as private life and sensationalism to generate publicity become something that people sympathize with and support?
Where did I come from? Is this still in China?

But they were soon forced to learn the whole story.

Oh, it's not a publicity stunt, it's a real statement?
Oh, it's not explicit photos, it's private photos?
Oh, it wasn't an accidental exposure, it was a deliberate exposure, because the victim was coerced?
Ugh, you should have said so earlier! We're righteous too, and we could have joined together to condemn the perpetrators!
It must be said that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

Given a strong enough current, the extent to which the masses blindly follow others will exceed your imagination.

This is the famous "foolproof resonance" principle, which is also one of the core methodologies of internet marketing.

In a specific, narrow environment, opinions are constantly repeated and viewpoints are constantly endorsed, eventually leading to a narrowing of vision and a radicalization of thought among people in this field, ultimately resulting in a "fool's resonance."

It's like a toy. Everyone keeps telling you that it's valuable, scarce, and needs to be snapped up. If enough people tell you this, you're likely to join the buying frenzy.

Just as the vortex of public opinion swept across the entire internet.

Yang Zi quietly deleted the sarcastic Weibo post, pretended nothing had happened, and then sent a message to his subordinates.

"The plan has changed; the smear campaign is over." He then slumped back onto the sofa, remaining silent for a long time.

Damn it, who's been setting me up all along?
Feng Xiaopao, on the other hand, was much bolder. Despite being criticized by netizens nearly 100,000 times, he didn't delete his Weibo posts. Instead, he made a phone call to the person in charge of the old Sina Weibo to complain.

"Can't you guys at Sina do anything right? Why don't you add a feature to disable comments?! You're just fueling the evil trend of cyberbullying, don't you understand?!"

At 4 PM on the 29th, Zhang San, as Qu Shou's lawyer, announced the trial process and details of the case, and then began to file lawsuits against the media and public intellectuals who had previously forwarded the materials and spread false information, causing another uproar.

What do you mean?
We all make a living in the internet industry, so it's normal for you to criticize me and I to criticize you.

Who is never talked about behind their back? Who doesn't talk about others behind their back?
But if you make it this formal, it's a bit too much of a joke!
The Qu Shou incident shifted from a private photo scandal to sympathy and support for the victim, and finally to advocating for the rights of internet victims.

In less than 24 hours, three twists and turns not only successfully attracted all the traffic and attention, but also split the flow into multiple traffic circles. Some people cursed the scumbag, some sought to protect their rights, some were rational and objective, and some crazy people continued to act crazy. In short, the table was extremely lively.

But those under the table were rubbing their hands together, ready to feast.

The largest conference room at Meishe Media's headquarters was filled with smoke. Xu Chen and his men were monitoring the data and feedback from every platform. When they saw that Hunan TV and the "Confucius" production team were actually involved, they knew that the outcome was already decided.

Wang Yao left him almost no room or opportunity to maneuver.

"Mr. Xu, what about the things we have?" the secretary asked cautiously.

"Destroy them all. Once they leave this door, if they get out, I will personally report it to the police." Xu Chen took off his glasses, his voice sounding somewhat tired.

The secretary's expression changed drastically. The material he was holding was originally intended as evidence to smear Qu Shou, but he had missed the best opportunity. If he released it now, he would really be sent to prison to keep Qu Shou's boyfriend company.

He has mixed feelings right now. Qu Shou's project was a success, which is good for the company, but not necessarily for him.

Now he was absolutely certain that He Ming, that idiot, had chosen the biggest crisis for them.

The worst fears came true: the sheep ate people.

"Contact President Wang and tell him we hope to find some time to come to Beijing to celebrate, and also to chat about the future cooperation between Huohe and Meishe." Xu Chen sighed after smoking two cigarettes.

"Mr. Wang's phone is off. I just called Ms. Chi, and she said that Mr. Wang has already flown to Korea. Before leaving, he gave the company's employees a holiday in advance, and handed over other matters to her for handling." The secretary's expression was somewhat complicated after finishing the call.

"Going to Korea? At such an important time?" Xu Chen was stunned.

This is the perfect time to capitalize on the peak of his popularity and reap the rewards from all sides, so why did he go to Korea?
And what does it mean that the company is giving employees an early holiday?
Something's not right, something's definitely not right!

Hu Mei and Ren Quan were equally bewildered. Qu Shou and Kanpianer.com were two major hot topics, and anyone in the industry who wasn't an idiot could easily figure out that they were behind it.

Moreover, the fact that the two are so obviously linked and hyped up means that this project is definitely going to have some big moves.

Even knowing that this trending topic was orchestrated behind the scenes by forces outside the mirror, it was at least outwardly caused by external forces.

Large companies like Huayi, New Pictures, and Bona suppressed their initial intention to confront and instead tried to gather information in a more courteous manner. Those who had close collaborations with Hu Mei and others were particularly eager to see if they could get a share of the pie.

After all, seeing that shameless fat man Wang Jing using this wave of popularity to promote his film so desperately, they also wanted to see just how much influence new media channels could have on film promotion.

Ren Quan was busy like a spinning top all afternoon. After dealing with various forces, he finally caught his breath and thought about discussing the next steps with Wang Yao.

But then came the unexpected news.

"Goryeo? What are you doing over there at this time?" Ren Quan exclaimed in surprise.

"It's Chinese New Year," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

"Dude, this is such an important time, there's a ton of stuff waiting for you to handle, and you're going off to celebrate the New Year? Besides, the New Year is still two weeks away!" Ren Quan complained.

"Brother Quan, we agreed beforehand that I would only be responsible for the company and online operations, while you would be in charge of the industry channels," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"I'll take responsibility? Can I really take responsibility? In the end, if it's not good, you'll still be the one to make the decision?" Ren Quan rolled his eyes.

"Don't talk nonsense. As long as it's a reasonable collaboration, I'm open to it. Okay, I'm about to board the plane. Let's talk again when I get there." Wang Yao said dismissively and hung up the phone.

"This kid made a mess of things in the country and went on vacation?" Chen Lingjuan was stunned when she heard the news.

"This kid really knows when to retire gracefully," Hu Mei chuckled after a moment's thought.

It seems they guessed that Wang Yao's disappearance at this time was to avoid getting involved in these chaotic internal affairs and leave everything to them to handle.

I don't know if it's because they're genuinely not greedy, or if they're just being overly cautious.

But without a doubt, after tonight, everyone will realize this.

A terrifying young man has arrived in the industry.

(End of this chapter)