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

Chapter 179 caused his social death.

He looked eastward at Zhou Mingxuan, who was frantically holding his phone.

"What's the panic?" He frowned, his tone full of impatience. "The sky isn't going to fall."

Zhou Mingxuan rushed to the bedside, his phone screen almost touching Xiang Dong's face: "Look at this, it's already trending on several forums."

Xiang Dong snatched the phone away.

He squinted at Dong, his pupils suddenly contracting.

On the screen was the conversation that took place in the hotel conference room yesterday.

His words, which slandered the Xinhai Revolution and thanked the Qing court for its voluntary abdication, were edited out word for word.

His mind went blank, as if he had been hit hard by a sledgehammer.

He looked at the comments section and thought, "What's wrong with this person? Thanking the Qing government?"

"The Xinhai Revolution almost tore China apart? This is the most outrageous statement I've heard this year."

"What kind of historian is this? His bias is completely out of touch!"

"The coffin lids of the 72 martyrs of Huanghuagang are about to burst open!"

"Thank the Qing Dynasty? Thank them for ceding territory and paying indemnities, thank them for making us their slaves for centuries?"

"@Official Weibo account of the film '1911 Revolution', someone vandalized the martyrs during your filming. Are you going to do anything about it?"

'

""

Xiang Dong's hands began to tremble.

It wasn't because of the pain, it was because of the fear.

He knows the rules of this circle all too well.

Some things are safe to say in private.

But once it's put on the table and seen by ordinary people—

That's a different matter.

"This—who the hell did this?" Xiang Dong felt a rush of hot blood to his head, his vision went black, and his wounds throbbed with pain.

He instinctively tried to sit up, but the movement aggravated his injuries, causing him to hiss in pain and cold sweat to instantly bead on his forehead.

Is it the one with glasses?

Is it still that woman surnamed Dong?

No, they didn't record anything yesterday.

Could it be—the group of people who had the car accident yesterday?

Are they in cahoots?

Camera — Yes, camera!

Zhou Mingxuan's face turned pale: "We can't find it. It's an unfamiliar account. Around 10 a.m. this morning, it appeared on several video websites and forums almost simultaneously—Teacher Xiang—"

"Delete it! Contact the website immediately, no matter how much it costs," Xiang Dong ripped the IV needle off the back of his hand, blood trickling down his skin without him noticing. "Call Lao Liu, and call Lao Wang at the Cyberspace Administration too, tell them—"

The assistant hurriedly responded, picked up the phone, and started dialing.

Zhou Mingxuan also contacted several online public relations professionals he knew.

They invested heavily in Xiangdong and utilized many connections and channels.

An hour later, the effects began to appear.

The first to take action were several large portal websites.

Clicking on the related news link showed that the content had been deleted due to suspected violations.

Following this, posts on several major forums were also cleaned up in batches.

On Weibo, the related trending topic dropped rapidly from number 17 and quickly disappeared from the list.

Xiang Dong refreshed the page, and the once overwhelming discussion had largely subsided.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Teacher Xiang is truly resourceful," Zhou Mingxuan flattered with a smile, "He suppressed it so quickly."

Xiang Dong ignored him and angrily questioned his assistant: "Go and find the memory card. You know the consequences if other things on it are leaked too."

The assistant shuddered in fright, nodded hurriedly, and ran out of the ward like a startled rabbit.

Xiang Dong leaned against the hospital bed, feeling both shocked and angry.

He knew that although the online uproar had been temporarily quelled, the memory card was still in the other party's hands, and it contained videos of his interactions with foreign forces.

If those things are also exposed, it will have a huge impact on him.

We must find the person who received the card and make a deal with them before that information is leaked.

"Teacher Xiang, what should we do next?" Zhou Mingxuan asked cautiously. "We need to find a way to divert attention," Xiang Dong said with a frown. "We need to expose some scandals about entertainment stars to draw public attention away from this matter."

Zhou Mingxuan nodded repeatedly: "Okay, Teacher Xiang, I'll take care of it right away."

Zhang Qilin, who had just returned to the courtyard, received a call from Sun Yu: "Brother Lin, those news stories have been taken down by public relations, and many of the online troll accounts have been attacked—"

"Don't panic. Tell those online trolls to keep posting with those headlines on various forums. I'll cover their losses in the end."

"By the way, the other party contacted that account via private message, wanting to redeem the memory card."

Ignore it.

Zhang Qilin hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair.

The most difficult part of this incident was how to completely bring down Xiang Dong without letting the other side discover that they were the mastermind.

If people find out that he was the mastermind behind it all, at best his role as Lin Juemin will be replaced, and at worst the entire film could be attacked by foreign forces.

Therefore, he couldn't use his connections and could only rely on spending money to maintain his position.

It all depends on what results Dong Qiyu has achieved.

One o'clock in the afternoon.

The news notifications popped up on the apps of six media outlets almost simultaneously.

History blogger Xiang Dong's remarks spark controversy: He claims the Xinhai Revolution nearly tore China apart, and he's grateful the Qing Dynasty abdicated voluntarily.

[Thank you, Qing Dynasty? Some people have been kneeling for so long that they really can't stand up anymore.]

At the same time, several influential figures in the cultural field simultaneously shared the video clips and comments.

Within an hour, the topic completely spiraled out of control.

Xiang Dong's team was initially desperately deleting posts and suppressing trending topics.

But they soon discovered that they couldn't suppress it at all this time.

Because it's not just a few media outlets that are publishing it.

The participation of ordinary netizens far exceeded expectations.

Someone started a topic on Weibo:

[Thank you for the challenge, Great Qing]

Below the topic, netizens' comments flooded in like a tidal wave: "Thank the Qing Dynasty? Then I'll first thank the Yangzhou Massacre, thank the Jiading Massacre, and thank the tens of thousands of scholars who died in the literary inquisition."

"It's hilarious! When Empress Dowager Longyu signed the abdication edict, she was crying for the 268-year-old Qing Dynasty," not for the 400 million compatriots of China. If she truly understood the bigger picture, she would have done so in 1840, not in 1912."

"Teacher Xiang Dong, it's your prerogative to kneel, but please don't drag us down with you."

A netizen with the ID "History Class Representative" compiled a long list titled:

A list of major unequal treaties signed by the Qing Dynasty between 1840 and 1911.

The list, when pulled down, was dense and alarming.

The last line reads: "Is this the Qing Dynasty that Mr. Xiang Dong is thanking? Thanking it for ceding territory, thanking it for paying indemnities, thanking it for sending out the dignity and blood and sweat of 400 million people, truckload by truckload."

This Weibo post has been forwarded over 500,000 times.

In the courtyard, Zhang Qilin received a call from Sun Yu: "Brother Lin, it's finally exploded! Should we increase our bets?"

Sun Yu was somewhat worried that if they uploaded more videos, they might all be deleted.

Zhang Qilin wasn't worried. When he saw the media outlets that had spoken out, he knew that Dong Qiyu had pulled some strings; otherwise, those media outlets wouldn't have gotten involved at this time.

So he said with a smile, "You can upload a few of his other videos. I believe that after watching them, everyone will have a better understanding of what kind of person Teacher Xiangdong is."

.

"Okay, I'll get right on it."

Soon, a new post appeared online: "[Video of Xiang Dong's interactions with overseas NG0 organizations —]"

Anyone with a discerning eye can see what's going on as soon as they watch the video.

The comment section below the post exploded: "Holy crap, Teacher Xiang Dong not only thanks the Qing Dynasty, but also the Great Sakura Empire?"

"Cherry blossom festival? Wearing kimonos? And a song and dance performance? Professor Xiang, you're quite the multi-talented historian!"

"So, part of Professor Xiang Dong's money came from overseas? And whose interests are served by his historical viewpoints? Does it even need to be said?"

"This is not just a matter of academic stance, it's—never mind, I'm afraid of getting my account banned."

"What's there to be afraid of? What's there to be afraid of in telling the truth? Xiang Dong knows in his heart whose money he took and whose side he spoke for, and we know in our hearts too."

By 3 p.m., the related topic "Xinhai Revolution" had become a trending topic.

"Eastward-looking public intellectual"

"The Qing court voluntarily abdicated."

Three keywords completely dominated Weibo's trending topics list.

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

The official Weibo account for the movie "1911 Revolution" has finally spoken out.

This Weibo post was carefully worded but clearly stated its position: "The Xinhai Revolution is a towering milestone on the journey of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The noble spirit of the 72 martyrs of Huanghuagang who sacrificed themselves for the revolution is forever worthy of the respect of future generations. The film 'The Xinhai Revolution' aims to restore that magnificent history, commemorate the martyrs, and pass on their spirit. We firmly oppose any remarks that distort history or insult the martyrs."

Within just half an hour of posting this Weibo post, it was forwarded over 10,000 times.

Li Bingbing reposted a Weibo post: "When filming the scene of collecting the martyrs' remains, I knelt in the mud for four whole hours. My knees hurt, but my heart ached even more because I knew that those who actually went to collect the remains back then were risking their lives. Some history cannot be forgotten, and some people cannot be insulted."

Zhao Wenxuan wrote only four words: "How can such slander be tolerated!"

Sun Chun posted a longer message: "I play Yuan Shikai, a complex historical figure, but complexity does not mean that black and white can be reversed. The significance of the Xinhai Revolution cannot be erased by a few words from a scholar. The blood of those who fell at Huanghuagang was not shed in vain."

Even Brother Long, who usually doesn't get involved in controversies, posted: "As filmmakers, we have a responsibility to tell the next generation the true history. Any remarks that distort history or insult our martyrs must be condemned."

Zhang Qilin also reposted the official Weibo post, writing only four words: "Remember, defend."

The statements from the film's official Weibo account and the celebrities instantly propelled the incident to the forefront of public attention.

Xiang Dong's social media accounts have been compromised.

The comments section was filled with insults, and the private messages were full of questions and curses.

His previous long articles on history were dug up and criticized one by one, with netizens exposing every loophole and misinterpretation.

7 PM.

In the ward.

Xiang Dong's cell phone, landline, and assistant's cell phone rang incessantly.

He didn't dare accept any of them.

He saw a news channel on his phone reporting on the matter.

The host's voice was calm and cold: "Recently, a video circulating online has attracted widespread attention. In the video, a man claiming to be a historian named Xiang Dong made remarks that slandered the Xinhai Revolution and insulted the martyrs. Our reporter's investigation revealed—"

In the comments section, one comment was pushed to the top: "History is not a little girl who can be dressed up as one pleases. Some people want to dress her in a kimono, want to make her kneel down, but we will not allow it, because we still remember the names of those who made her stand up."

Xiang Dong immediately turned off his phone.

The room was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.

The following day, Xiang Dong's social media account was permanently banned by the platform.

The so-called research institution where he previously worked issued a statement saying that he had already left the company and that his personal remarks were unrelated to the institution.

The publishing house he had previously worked with urgently removed all of his works from its shelves.

The programs, lectures, and forums he had participated in all deleted all content related to him.

Even some of his colleagues, those public intellectuals who used to call him brother, have distanced themselves from him, and some have even turned around and attacked him, publishing articles to expose his true colors.

Xiang Dong has become completely socially dead.

At 9:30 p.m., Zhang Qilin finished practicing his lines and prepared to wash up.

The phone rang.

He picked it up and saw that it was a call from Zhang Yimou.

Zhang Qilin answered immediately, saying respectfully, "Director Zhang, what can I do for you?"

"Come to my studio tomorrow."