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

Chapter 165 Lion Hunts Rabbit

Zhang Qilin checked the news on his phone while having lunch.

The buzz continues to rise, and it has already made it onto the trending lists of various platforms.

The argument in the comments section became increasingly heated.

Just then, his phone rang; it was Feng Yuanzheng calling.

Zhang Qilin answered the call.

"Qi Lin, the court already knows about what happened online," Feng Yuanzheng said calmly. "The court asked me to ask your stance: do you plan to file a lawsuit, or settle it privately?"

Zhang Qilin shared his thoughts.

Feng Yuanzheng said, "No problem. The court will never sit idly by in the face of such malicious smears. We will fully support you in protecting your rights. The court's legal department will liaise with your lawyer to ensure the best possible outcome for this case."

Hearing that the Beijing People's Art Theatre was willing to fully support him, Zhang Qilin felt a warmth in his heart: "Thank you, Teacher Feng, and please also thank the theatre leaders for their support—"

"Qi Lin," Feng Yuanzheng continued, "As an actor of Beijing People's Art Theatre, as long as you haven't done anything wrong, the theatre will never ignore you. Just focus on filming, and communicate with us promptly if you need anything."

T

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Qilin continued to do his work methodically.

In the afternoon, the online discussion about Zhang Qilin began to subtly shift.

Initially, only a few random accounts commented on the article in the Star News Express and related topics, using a calm and restrained tone: "After reading it, I feel it's a bit taken out of context. What can you prove based on just one GIF?"

Was the entire event recorded on camera? The director's waving might have had another meaning, right?

"As a complete bystander, I feel like this is being rushed. I'm waiting for an official statement or a statement from the person involved."

These comments may seem like individual actions, but the timing and wording subtly reveal a certain organized nature.

Soon, a clearer signal emerged.

Several accounts claiming to be Zhang Qilin's fans, but with proper profile pictures and IDs, began to explain: "Friends, calm down, don't be misled. There are so many senior artists present. Qilin is a newcomer. If he stood in the front row near the director, everyone would say he was stealing the spotlight. But if he didn't stand there, he was accused of being arrogant. Isn't this wrong no matter what?"

"Refuse to be forced to act like a big star," focus on the work itself, and trust the judgment of the "1911 Revolution" production team and Director Zhang.

Instead of flooding the comments section and controlling the narrative, they selectively used facts and logic to correct the bias in the most popular replies.

This organized activity was quickly detected by the monitoring staff of "Star News Express" and reported to editor-in-chief Li Yan.

Li Yan frowned again as she looked at the backend data and the brief report handed to her by Xiao Wang.

"Zhang Qilin himself, and his team, still haven't contacted us directly or made any public statements?" Li Yan pressed, this was the point she cared about most.

The actions of fans can be understood as being organized by the management company or fan club, but the attitude of the celebrity is the key.

"No," Xiao Wang answered definitively, "We checked all public channels and found no mention of this matter, nor have we received any calls or emails from them or the production team pressuring us to delete the script."

silence.

Silence again.

But this silence, unlike the seemingly stunned or cold silence of the morning, seemed to have a different flavor.

The morning was deathly still; now, there seems to be something more in that silence—

The fact that the fans took organized action shows that Zhang Qilin's team is not doing nothing; at least they are guiding the fans.

The direction it should guide is not to engage in flame wars and insults, but to speak the facts with restraint. This is not like the usual crisis public relations approach of controlling comments and deleting posts. It seems to be laying the groundwork for something.

The fact that neither I nor my team have spoken out or made any contact is even more illogical.

Generally speaking, the solution is either to back down and resolve the issue privately, or to issue a strong public statement.

This constant behind-the-scenes fidgeting while maintaining a calm and composed demeanor made Li Yan feel somewhat uneasy.

"What is he waiting for?" Li Yan murmured to herself.

"Mr. Li, should we still publish that article about the crew members' revelations tomorrow?" Xiao Wang asked for instructions.

"Wait a minute," she said after a moment's thought. "Have the online trolls and partner accounts hold back a bit, and observe the situation further, paying particular attention to any lawyer's letters or any related court activity."

"Yes," Xiao Wang replied.

Li Yan waved him out and then fell into deep thought.

She has dealt with too many negative stories about celebrities. She has seen those who are furious, those who are crying and begging for mercy, those who have powerful backgrounds and suppress the situation directly, and those who swallow their anger and admit defeat.

But this was the first time she had ever seen a reaction like Zhang Qilin's.

Although she didn't intend for this report to cause a major uproar, she only wanted to establish a foothold in the public discourse.

This provided a basic public opinion environment for subsequent operations.

But now it seems things are spiraling out of control.

Zhang Qilin made no response to the report, neither communicating nor expressing his opinion.

He remained completely uninvolved, as if the controversy he caused had nothing to do with him.

This unusual calm sent a chill down Li Yan's spine.

She sensed that Zhang Qilin had a public relations expert pulling the strings behind the scenes, but she couldn't figure out exactly what he wanted to do.

Li Yan realized that she might have bitten off more than she could chew this time.

That evening, the situation took a sudden turn, and Zhang Qilin's fans began to launch an organized attack on the "Star News Express" magazine office.

They are no longer limited to rational clarification on related topics.

Instead, they strategically reported "Star News Express" to various platforms for publishing false reports and maliciously manipulating public opinion.

Meanwhile, fans also created a series of posts with pictures and text.

The article detailed past instances of false reporting by "Star News Express" and raised numerous questions about the malicious smear campaign against Zhang Qilin, which were widely circulated on social media platforms.

Seeing the relevant data provided by her subordinates, Editor-in-Chief Li Yan felt much better.

At first, she thought Zhang Qilin's silence was a trap, but it turned out that he was relying on his fans to fight for him.

In her view, although the fans' actions came on strong, they ultimately lacked professionalism and were easily dealt with.

She instructed her subordinates to continue monitoring while she went home to sleep.

The next day, 9:00 AM.

Star News Express Magazine, Editor-in-Chief's Office.

She had just sat down behind her desk when Xiao Wang knocked on the door and came in: "Mr. Li, the situation has changed a bit."

"Say it," Li Yan said dismissively.

"The production team of the TV series '1911 Revolution' has just released an official statement via its official Weibo account."

"A statement? About Zhang Qilin?"

"Yes," Xiao Wang handed over the phone.

Li Yan took it and quickly browsed through it.

The statement on the Xinhai Revolution was carefully worded and clearly expressed its stance.

Li Yan's face darkened.

The production team's explicit support for a newcomer was somewhat unexpected for her.

This is tantamount to directly opposing her report, and it's an official endorsement of her denial.

"What about Zhang Qilin?" she asked quickly.

"He forwarded the production team's statement," Xiao Wang said, making a few quick gestures to bring up the page.

Li Yan looked over and saw that Zhang Qilin's personal Weibo account had forwarded the production team's statement, adding only a short sentence: "The innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will remain guilty, but tolerance does not mean indulgence. We will see those who spread false reports and malicious rumors in court."

"He really dares to sue?" Li Yan couldn't help but question. "I've seen plenty of people send lawyer's letters to scare people—"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Wang's voice was filled with unease: "President Li, there's also—the Beijing People's Art Theatre has reposted Zhang Qilin's Weibo post."

"What?" Li Yan suddenly stood up.

The official Weibo account of Beijing People's Art Theatre reposted Zhang Qilin's Weibo post and commented: "We firmly support our actors in safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law. Artists should prioritize morality and artistry. We must never tolerate baseless slander and actions that corrupt the industry's atmosphere. Beijing People's Art Theatre has always been a strong supporter of every law-abiding and dedicated actor. The online space also needs a clean and upright environment. We support legitimate rights protection!"

The wording was serious, even elevating it to the level of industry conduct and integrity.

The public support from the Beijing People's Art Theatre carries a symbolic significance and actual deterrent power far exceeding that of a statement from an ordinary brokerage firm by tenfold.

Li Yan's forehead began to sweat.

She realized that she might have seriously misjudged Zhang Qilin's background and determination.

However, the blows have only just begun.

"Mr. Li, quickly check the trending topics and several major gossip forums!" Another editor rushed in frantically, without even knocking.

Li Yan and Xiao Wang immediately rushed to the computer.

Several new topics quickly rose to the top, followed by the words "hot" or "trending":

[Star News Express: History of Being Sued for Repeatedly Spreading Rumors]

[Star News Express Editor-in-Chief Li Yan's Fake Academic Credentials]

[Celebrity News Flash: Paid News Used to Extort Celebrities]

[Star News Express: Internal Financial Chaos and Tax Evasion Suspected]

Clicking through leads to several self-media outlets and well-known whistleblower accounts with substantial followings, which published detailed articles and compilations of seemingly irrefutable evidence almost simultaneously.

The content directly targets the magazine "Star News Express" and its editor-in-chief, Li Yan, for fabricating fake news multiple times over the years.

There are suspicions of news extortion, and the case also involves the personal scandals of editor-in-chief Li Yan and issues related to the magazine's operations.

These revelations are not baseless rumors, but rather supported by evidence and presented in a comprehensive manner.

The timing of the release was precise, coinciding with a period when the production team, Zhang Qilin himself, and the Beijing People's Art Theatre had all made statements, drawing significant public attention.

In an instant, public opinion shifted from whether Zhang Qilin was acting arrogantly to whether "Star News Express" was a media outlet with no bottom line that specialized in spreading rumors, as well as Li Yan's personal character.

The comment section exploded: "My God, he's a repeat offender. How come this kind of magazine hasn't gone out of business yet?"

'

"I support Zhang Qilin in pursuing this to the end; it turns out there's something really dark behind this."

"The editor-in-chief himself is rife with corruption, yet he has the nerve to criticize others?"

"They should investigate them too, including the tax authorities."

Li Yan's face went from ashen to deathly pale, and her fingers were icy cold.

She hadn't expected the other side's counterattack to be so swift and to hit the nail on the head.

This is something fans can't do; it requires professional investigation, intelligence gathering, and public opinion manipulation.

"Quickly contact a PR firm, remove the trending topic, issue a statement, and sue them for defamation!" Li Yan shouted shrilly, completely losing her composure.