Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, I became a legend in the entertainment industry by avo

Chapter 164 Ready to Go

Zhang's father's voice suddenly changed: "What happened?"

For Zhang's father, his son's government job was the most important thing to him.

It is the guarantee of his son's stable future.

Whenever something happens, he always tries to persuade his son.

But if anyone were to thwart his idea, they would really be stirring up a hornet's nest.

Zhang Qilin briefly recounted the events reported.

Finally, he said, "I just signed a contract with the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and I still have a one-year probationary period before I can be officially employed. If a major public opinion incident occurs during this period, the theatre will definitely take it seriously. Do you think I'm not anxious?"

After listening to his son's description, Zhang's father asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Zhang Qilin explained, "I've already hired a lawyer. I'll first sue him for defamation, then apply for asset preservation to cut off his financial chain—"

After hearing his son's plan, Mr. Zhang said, "Wait a minute, I'll make a phone call."

A moment later, Zhang's father called.

Zhang Qilin answered the phone and heard his father say, "Uncle Chen will contact you in a little while. Give him the lawyer's number, and he will liaise with the lawyer. He will follow up on this matter. If you need any resources or support, you can tell him."

"understood."

"In short, the primary goal is to keep your position."

"OK."

Just after I hung up the phone, Chen Xiujie called.

As soon as the call connected, Chen Xiujie's voice came through: "Linlin, in my opinion, this news is just a baseless rumor. They have no direct evidence. Isn't that what the media does for sensationalism? Is it really necessary to take it so seriously?"

Zhang Qilin said earnestly, "Uncle Chen, are you aware of the controversy surrounding chicken bouillon and MSG?"

Chen Xiujie asked, "What's going on?"

Zhang Qilin explained, "In 1968, a Chinese-American doctor wrote an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, speculating that symptoms he experienced after eating at a Chinese restaurant, such as numbness in his limbs and palpitations, might be related to MSG, thus labeling MSG as harmful."

"In 1999, European and American companies acquired and controlled my country's chicken essence market. During the promotion process, they intentionally or unintentionally reinforced the negative image of MSG as unhealthy." This statement is based on that article, while no one noticed that the main ingredient in chicken essence is also MSG.

Chen Xiujie asked with some confusion, "What does this have to do with your current incident?"

"Once a label is attached, it's hard to remove," Zhang Qilin explained. "This article, amplified by business competitors, deeply ingrained the concept that 'MSG is harmful' in people's minds, and many still believe it today. Essentially, this was an extremely successful propaganda war and commercial smear campaign."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "If I portray the character I'm playing now successfully, all similar roles will come to me first. Only if I don't accept those roles will others have a chance. Some people see this as getting in the way."

"Now someone wants to label me as arrogant and difficult to work with. If I don't react or handle it weakly, then there will be a second and a third one —"

"Various rumors, such as 'accusations from crew members' and 'past news about alleged diva-like behavior,' will surface. Once this impression becomes a consensus both inside and outside the industry, my acting career and reputation will be completely ruined."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Chen Xiujie initially thought Zhang Qilin was overreacting, but now he understood the danger involved.

Public opinion is a deadly weapon; it kills without drawing blood, yet it can completely ruin a person's future.

Chen Xiujie said with emotion, "I was too naive. I never imagined that behind ordinary news, there could be such sinister intentions. We can't take this lightly. Give me the lawyer's contact information first, and I'll personally speak with him."

Zhang Qilin gave Chen Xiujie the lawyer's phone number and agreed to communicate promptly if anything came up before hanging up.

Zhang Qilin checked the report again and found that its popularity was still rising.

The comments section is full of all sorts of opinions.

Only a handful of fans are defending themselves.

He guessed that Shen Ya suppressed the desire of most fans to speak out in order to prevent the report from having a wider impact.

Without generating buzz, how can Zhou Fang obtain evidence?

Zhang Qilin called Shen Ya.

As soon as the call connected, Zhang Qilin asked, "Did you see that news report?"

"I saw Brother Lin. I've already told everyone to try not to leave comments on the article to increase its popularity. Without popularity, the news will quickly fade away," Shen Ya said proudly.

Shen Ya thought Zhang Qilin would praise her.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Qilin said, "I don't want to cool it down now; instead, I want to keep it heating up."

Shen Ya was taken aback and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Brother Lin, why? The higher the popularity, the greater the negative impact on you, right?"

"The greater the public interest, the better it is for lawyers to gather evidence."

Shen Ya was taken aback. She hadn't expected Zhang Qilin to go to court over such a trivial matter.

Worried that Zhang Qilin was acting impulsively, she advised, "Brother Lin, isn't going to court over a single report a bit too much of a commotion? It might attract the attention of other media outlets—"

"I'm doing this for the other media to see," Zhang Qilin said. "If I don't fight back this time and let them smear me at will, more media will follow suit. I want everyone to know that if you mess with me, you'll really get beaten, and beaten to death."

Shen Ya still didn't understand why Zhang Qilin did this, but she knew that Zhang Qilin must have had a reason for doing so.

So he nodded and said, "Brother Lin, I understand what you mean. I'll go tell the fans right away and ask them to cooperate with the lawyer to make the hype even higher."

"By the way, let them take note of this media outlet's previous reports, whether there are any obvious cases of fabrication, so that the lawyers can collect evidence and cut off the other party's financial chain more quickly."

After giving his instructions, Zhang Qilin was about to hang up when he heard Dong Qiyu's voice on the other end of the line: "Zhang Qilin, if I help you dig up dirt on the other party, can you help me select speakers for hundreds of lecture series?"

Zhang Qilin was taken aback. It had been more than two months and they still hadn't picked out anyone?

He couldn't help but complain, "Dong Qiyu, it's been over two months, and you still can't pick out anyone. What else can you do?"

Dong Qiyu's defiant voice came from the other end of the phone: "If you're not convinced, then come and try. My blood pressure has been soaring to 200 lately, and I'm only 20 years old!"

"I still have a ton of things to finish, how could I have time—"

"If you help me choose people, I'll dig up all the dirt on this media outlet."

Zhang Qilin pondered for a moment before saying, "I'm still filming, for at least 20 days."

"Then it's settled. I'll get someone to dig up dirt on them now, and you can come help me choose the actors after you finish filming."

"That depends on whether the material pipe you dug is effective or not."

"I'll make sure he's dead beyond any hope of survival," Dong Qiyu said through gritted teeth.

For her, as long as she can relax, she doesn't care about the lives of others.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Qilin reviewed the current arrangements and, finding nothing missing, went to attend the training.

Meanwhile, at the editor-in-chief's office of "Star News Express" magazine.

Editor-in-Chief Li Yan stared at the computer screen in front of her. The comment section of the article about Zhang Qilin "acting like a big shot" was refreshing rapidly, and the popularity was rising at a visible speed.

Across from the desk stood Xiao Wang, the editor in charge of the entertainment section, his face beaming with pride.

"Mr. Li, the data is still rising. The number of reposts and comments is 30% higher than we estimated," Xiao Wang said, his voice trembling with excitement. "Several big V's and marketing accounts we've partnered with have followed up and are stirring things up. The topic has already climbed to the pre-trending position on the hot search list."

"What's Zhang Qilin's reaction?" Li Yan asked.

"Not yet," Xiao Wang replied. "We haven't received any contact from him, his agency, or the production crew—no lawyer's letters, no phone calls, not even any private inquiries or favors."

"Oh?" Li Yan raised an eyebrow. "Is his management company that incompetent? Doesn't he have a lot of fans? Why isn't there any organization controlling the comments and defending him?"

"There were a few fans trying to explain below, but it was a small-scale effort and was suppressed by our online army," Xiao Wang explained. "We don't know what Zhang Qilin's side's reaction is yet; they might want to handle it quietly and let the hype die down naturally."

"Have you given it the cold shoulder?" Li Yan scoffed. "He thinks he can just ignore it? He's naive."

"Maybe—they're just stunned?" Xiao Wang guessed. "After all, he's a newcomer, and he's never experienced anything like this before. It's normal that he doesn't know how to handle it for a moment. Or maybe they're waiting for the film crew to step in?"

"The production crew?" Li Yan's lips curled into a cold smile. "The production crew is eager for high popularity. Unless the fire spreads back to them, they will at most issue a lukewarm statement. They won't really put in any effort for a newcomer."

She had originally expected Zhang Qilin's side to react quickly, either by sending a lawyer's letter in a fit of rage or by humbly seeking a middleman to negotiate terms for retraction.

Unexpectedly, the other party remained completely silent.

"Keep an eye on it," Li Yan instructed Xiao Wang. "If they offer enough money, retract the article and apologize. If they continue to play dead, write an article tomorrow morning 'leaking information' from a crew member, framing it as the newcomer being frivolous and unworthy of his position."

"Understood, Mr. Li," Xiao Wang nodded, preparing to go out and make arrangements.

After Xiao Wang left, the office became quiet again.

Li Yan leaned back in her chair, lost in thought.

No response?

Is it due to slow reaction and incompetent team?

Or are they planning something else?

Li Yan looked up at Zhang Qilin's photo on the screen and had to admit that his face was indeed very distinctive.

A playful smile appeared on her face: "Why give up performing in perfectly good stage plays and insist on getting involved in the murky waters of the entertainment industry—what a waste of that face."

But that's how this industry is; if you block someone's way, don't blame someone for moving you out of their way.

Of course, she also had to thank Zhang Qilin.

If he hadn't ventured into the film and television industry, she wouldn't have been able to land such a lucrative job.

As for how the newcomer will retaliate?

Li Yan closed the page, picked up the coffee on the table, and took a sip.

What kind of waves can a greenhorn who just came out of the theater circle make?