I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

Chapter 89 Public Opinion Sparks a Frenzy: Traffic Stars (2-in-1 5K)

"Sweetie," he said, his tone softening, but his brows remained furrowed.

"A hundred million in investment isn't a big deal, but for a movie star like you to go and make TV shows, isn't that lowering your status?"

"Uncle Lu," Jing Tian put down his coffee cup, "I've been in the industry for six years, and you've made six movies for me, investing nearly 3 million yuan, but the total box office revenue hasn't even reached 2 million yuan."

"Do you know what people are saying about me online right now? They're calling me a 'resource-backed' actor, someone who's been heavily promoted but still can't become famous. My casual fanbase has already collapsed. If this continues, I won't even have the chance to make bad movies."

Lu Zheng remained silent.

"Yes, I also think movies are high-class, and TV series are low-class. But Uncle Lu, what do you think of the latest ones?"

"Liu Shishi rose to fame with 'Scarlet Heart.' Yang Mi became a national sensation with 'Palace,' gaining over ten million Weibo followers. Jiang Chen, a newcomer who debuted only two years ago, also rose to prominence with 'Swords of Legends.'"

"What's wrong with TV dramas? TV dramas can create stars, attract fans, and turn around reputations!"

J

Why can't we try a different approach?

Lu Zheng looked at her, his expression changing slightly.

When did this girl, whom he had watched grow up, become so clear-headed?

"Moreover, I did my research before I contacted him. He was the one who orchestrated the whole thing with the TV series 'Swords of Legends'."

"He was a newcomer with nothing, yet he wrote the script, negotiated the copyright with the game company, convinced Zhengwu Sunshine to star in it, and even secured investment from Tencent. Uncle Lu, I have no idea how he did it."

"

"That kind of person is amazing."

"And I really like this show. It's not an impulsive decision, I genuinely feel that this role suits me, and that this story will be a hit."

Lu Zheng didn't say anything.

He stared at Jing Tian for a long time, as if he were getting to know this girl all over again.

From childhood to adulthood, she could get whatever she wanted just by being cute.

We have everything you could want!

Every single thing was paved for her by her family; she never had to think, calculate, or take responsibility for her choices.

But this time, she actually thought of it—

She understood her situation, analyzed the changes in the market, and even investigated a man's background.

She is genuinely planning her future.

Lu Zheng suddenly smiled.

"Sweetie, very good."

"6

Jing Tian was taken aback: "Huh?"

"What I fear most is not that you lose money, but that you act impulsively and get scammed."

Lu Zheng's gaze softened. "You're thinking so much about your career plans. Whether they're right or wrong, your uncle is willing to give it a try."

"This drama has a budget of 100 million yuan. With that kid's star power, even if it loses money, it won't be a huge loss. If you really want to act in it, I'll let you go. I can afford the cost of this trial and error."

"However, if you find out it was a mistake later, you'll have to follow the company's arrangements from now on and won't be willful anymore, okay?"

Jing Tian's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously: "Okay!"

"Also, I'll personally oversee the formation of the production crew. As for Jiang Chen, I'll have someone investigate him thoroughly. If he dares to deceive you—"

His eyes turned cold. "I'll make sure he can't stay in this industry."

Jing Tian stuck out his tongue, but the corners of his mouth were already turned up.

"Thank you, Uncle Lu!"

He Chengming from Yu Zheng Studio: "Ah Zheng, has the 'Moonlight Legend' project changed its mind again?"

Moon Shadow Legend is a martial arts MMORPG launched by Kingsoft's subsidiary Seasun Games in 2012. The game itself continues the world view of the "Swordsman Love" series.

We are currently selecting a spokesperson, and the competition is extremely fierce.

"You bet." Yu Zheng's expression was a bit unpleasant. "Do you think these game developers have any brains at all—"

"A trap? At the beginning of the month, everything was going so well. You were the only one qualified for the period drama male star role. Hu Ge's offer was too high, and Yuan Hong wasn't quite up to par."

"As a result, they called me yesterday and said, 'Teacher Yu, our marketing department thinks Jiang Chen is also quite suitable.'"

He Chengming scoffed: "Jiang Chen? That kid who played the Fourteenth Prince?"

"Things are different now. The finale of 'Swords of Legends' just aired, and he already has nearly 2000 million followers on Weibo. Young girls all over the street are calling him 'husband'."

Yu Zheng's tone was tinged with resentment, "I spotted him back in the 'Palace' crew. I thought he had potential and wanted to sign him. And what happened?"

"He won't do it?"

"I won't do it!"

"Does a young person who's still a student really think they can live off their own small studio?"

"So what do we do now? Just give up the endorsement to him like this?"

"Let him go?" Yu Zheng sat back on the sofa, narrowing his eyes. "He'll have to return my note sooner or later. Without me, could he have entered the industry, met Yang Mi, and become famous?"

"Besides, this endorsement isn't something he can decide on his own. Isn't the brand trying to create a dual-track system? Ancient costume male stars and ancient style singers. They want to generate buzz, so let's add some spice to it."

"Go back and prepare. I'll have someone write a few press releases. Hasn't he become arrogant now that he's famous? Let him learn what it means to be famous and get into trouble."

"Okay, no problem!"

"You should hang out with those media reporters lately, have tea when you need to, treat them to meals when you need to. Jiang Chen's little shabby studio doesn't even have a proper PR person, so when something goes wrong, there's no one to clean up their mess."

"Just wait and see, this kid, does he really think the entertainment industry is so easy to navigate?"

Two days later, a behind-the-scenes interview was conducted at Very Quiet Distance.

He Chengming sat on the sofa in the interview room, with a white background with the program's logo behind him.

The staff member opposite was holding up a white signboard with several notes written on it in black marker.

Reasons for refusing to act in Swordsman, memories of working together in Palace, Jiang Chen's recent situation, evaluation, and transformation plan for serious dramas.

Host Li Jing smiled and said, "Chengming, Jiang Chen is really popular lately. You two worked together in 'Palace' before. What's your impression of him?"

He Chengming paused for a moment, his lips twitched, and he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Well—how should I put it," he rubbed his nose, "he was still a newcomer back then, and he worked really hard on set. But I think he had some bad habits, for example—"

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, waved his hand, and gave a forced smile: "Oh well, it's all in the past, let's not talk about it anymore."

Li Jing's eyes lit up, and she wanted to ask more questions, but He Chengming had already turned his head to talk to his assistant, clearly not wanting to continue the topic.

The interview aired that same evening on the entertainment channel.

In less than an hour, the hashtag #HeChengmingTalksAboutJiangChenHesitantToSayIt# trended on Weibo.

The comments section exploded: "What exactly constitutes a 'bad habit'? Can you explain it clearly?!"

"Teacher He's expression clearly tells a story—"

"Does being hesitant to speak mean there's something to say? Maybe it's all made up?"

"Is He Chengming jealous that others have become famous?"

"Jiang Chen's fans, stop defending him. His senior has already said so, what more do you want?"

But soon, the dissenting voices were drowned out by the barrage of attacks from online trolls.

Someone started a thread on Douban: "I bet ten dollars that Jiang Chen has something going on about the expression on He Chengming's face during the interview."

Someone on Weibo stirred up trouble: "Everyone in the industry knows what kind of person Jiang Chen is, but no one dares to say it."

Late at night on the same day, at 23:47

A Weibo account named "Entertainment Gossip Girl" published a long article.

The title is very catchy.

Exclusive: Jiang Chen is two different people on and off screen, starting with Yu Zheng and He Chengming's refusal to discuss in detail.

Jiang Chen is very popular lately, everyone knows that. But is his rapid rise to fame really just because of "Swords of Legends"?

?

Today, I want to talk about another side of this "rising star".

The story of how someone climbed to the top by "climbing the social ladder"!

When Jiang Chen was filming "Palace" in 2010, he was still a student and played the Fourteenth Prince in the crew.

At that time, Yang Mi was already one of the "Four Little Actresses". A crew member revealed to the editor that Jiang Chen was "very proactive" in approaching Yang Mi on set.

He often chatted with Yang Mi, and his phone was full of their chat history. He would also often go over to her during breaks from filming.

At the time, everyone thought that this kid was quite good at handling things.

The source declined to be named, but the staff member said, "Back then, some senior colleagues said privately that this kid wasn't there to act, but to find a stepping stone."

Another crew member recalled that when Jiang Chen refused to sign a contract with Yu Zheng, he spoke with a certain arrogance.

Yu Zheng personally invited him, but he declined, saying he wanted to try something different.

How can a freshman who hasn't even produced a single representative work have the right to be picky?

What's even more intriguing is the relationship between Jiang Chen and Yang Mi.

From "Palace" to "Swords of Legends," Jiang Chen's every step of his rise seems to be accompanied by Yang Mi's presence. Is it simply a matter of friendship, or a carefully calculated marketing ploy?

The next day, at six in the morning.

Weibo exploded.

At that time, there was no real-time trending search, only the hot topics list on the PC, but the popularity of the topics was visibly soaring.

The name "Jiang Chen" spread like a virus across Weibo's main page.

The hashtag #JiangChen's Persona Collapsed# was widely shared and quickly rose to the top of the trending topics list across the entire site.

#JiangChenYangMi# followed closely behind, firmly holding second place.

#JiangChenHuggingThighs# has also made a strong entry into the fourth place on the trending topics list.

Anonymous revelations sprang up like mushrooms after rain, each more explosive than the last.

At 9:00 AM, a popular entertainment blogger posted a set of photos.

"Confirmed! Intimate photos from the cast of 'Palace' have been leaked!"

In the photo, Jiang Chen is resting on a folding chair on set, while Yang Mi stands beside him holding a parasol, the umbrella tilted so that most of it shades Jiang Chen's head. Yang Mi's own shoulders are exposed to the sun, slightly reddened.

In another photo, the two are sitting side by side in a corner of the set. Yang Mi is looking down at her phone, while Jiang Chen leans over and their faces are very close, as if they are sharing some secret.

The photo was taken from a tricky angle, secretly from behind, so you can't see their expressions, but you can feel the intimacy even through the screen.

There's an even more ambiguous one: after finishing filming at night, Yang Mi's car is parked in front of the hotel, and Jiang Chen gets out of the car, turns around, and waves back into the car.

The car window was rolled down halfway, revealing half of Yang Mi's face, a smile playing on her lips.

"Sharing a car late at night! Suspected of spending the night together!"

The comment section quickly garnered over 10,000 views.

"I knew he'd become famous so quickly; turns out he rose to power through women!"

At 11 a.m., an even more outrageous revelation came out.

A marketing account published an article titled: "Exclusive Evidence: Jiang Chen and Yang Mi are Living Together! Eyewitness Testimony from a Residential Area Near Beijing Film Academy!"

The article vividly describes: "According to a security guard in a residential complex near the Beijing Film Academy, in the first half of 2011, Yang Mi's car was frequently seen entering and leaving the complex, staying for anywhere from a few hours to the entire night. This complex was where Jiang Chen was renting at the time. The two were repeatedly seen entering and leaving together, behaving intimately, suggesting they were already living together."

At 2 p.m., an even more explosive piece of news swept across the entire internet.

A post appeared on an anonymous forum: "Shocking gossip in the entertainment industry: A certain female celebrity surnamed Y had an abortion for a certain male celebrity surnamed J!"

The post didn't name names, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell who it was.

"In 2010, a certain actress surnamed Y suddenly took a week off while filming a period drama, claiming to have caught a cold. However, according to medical staff on the set, she actually went to a private hospital for surgery. The man accompanying her at the time was the male supporting actor surnamed J from the same drama. After the surgery, the actress was weak, and the man surnamed J stayed with her throughout the process. The two stayed in a hotel near the hospital and did not separate for seven days."

Below the post, someone added "details": "I know, it's Yang Mi and Jiang Chen! During the filming of 'Palace,' Yang Mi suddenly disappeared for a week. When she returned, she had lost a lot of weight and looked pale. Yu Zheng even got angry, saying she was delaying the schedule!"

"Yes, yes, I remember too! There were rumors back then that she was pregnant, and it turned out to be true!"

"Jiang Chen is such a scumbag! He made Yang Mi have an abortion, and then used her to climb the social ladder!"

"I feel so sorry for Yang! She was deceived by this kind of man!"

Public opinion is like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger.

At 4 PM, the hashtag #JiangChenScumbag# was trending at the top of the search results.

#YangMiAbortion# followed closely behind.

A well-known relationship blogger published an article titled: "Looking at the Jiang Chen incident, we can see the ecosystem of 'gold diggers' in the entertainment industry: how do they gradually drain female stars of their resources and emotions?"

A female influencer reposted: "Sisters, see this clearly, this is the true face of men! They climb the ladder by relying on women, use them and then discard them, and even turn around and blame others! Jiang Chen must get out of the entertainment industry!"

October 8, Shanghai.

The press conference for the new urban fashion series "Refresh 3+7" was held.

The venue was decorated in a bright and beautiful style, and the LED screen was playing the trailer for the TV series on a loop.

The entire cast, including Hu Ge, Ady An, Xuan Xuan, Jiang Jinfu, Sun Yizhou, Qin Hao, Ma Sichun, and Zaxi Dunzhu, attended the event. The flashbulbs were constantly going off, and reporters had their cameras and microphones all set up.

The first half of the press conference proceeded smoothly, with the main creators discussing their creative concepts and the actors sharing anecdotes from filming, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

During the Q&A session, a reporter from a tabloid wearing glasses suddenly raised his hand. When the microphone was handed to him, a barely perceptible hint of excitement appeared on his lips.

"Mr. Cai, recently 'Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky' has received a lot of criticism, with many viewers saying it was overshadowed by 'Gu Jian Qi Tan'. What's your take on this phenomenon?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Xuan-Yuan Sword" was Tangren's major production this year, but it was ultimately crushed in both ratings and critical acclaim by "Swords of Legends".

This was a sensitive topic, and the reporters exchanged glances, waiting to see what would happen.

Cai Yinong's smile remained unchanged. "Competition between works is normal. Audiences have the right to choose, and we respect the market."

The tabloid reporter persisted: "So, what does Mr. Cai think of Jiang Chen, the lead actor in 'Swords of Legends'? He's been very popular lately."

Cai Yinong picked up the bottled water on the table and took a sip.

"As you've all seen in the recent public opinion, I don't know if it's true or not, but I want to say that moving too fast is not a good thing."

The venue became even quieter.

"This kind of fame," she said with a slight smile, "will soon be forgotten by the market. An actor ultimately goes far based on acting skills and respect for the industry. But I recently heard about a newcomer who has many endorsement deals, but his staff can't even read the full contract terms, which carries a high legal risk. He's probably just digging his own grave."

The reporters' eyes lit up, and their pens flew across their notebooks.

"Mr. Cai, are you talking about Jiang Chen?" someone asked.

Cai Yinong did not answer directly, but simply shook his head slightly.

I didn't name names; you can figure it out yourself.

"But since you asked, I'll say a few more words. How many works has an actor done since their debut?"

One supporting role, one leading role, just two works.

"All told, it's been two years since their debut. They have 20 million Weibo followers and topped the trending charts, but what's supporting this level of popularity?"

"Fans manipulating data? Manipulating votes and rankings? Controlling comments?"

She shook her head.

"I don't quite understand this model, but I don't think this counts as celebrities; this is about online traffic!"

"If we really have to call him something, we should call him a traffic star."

"What's piled up with data isn't what the work has accumulated over time."

That evening, major entertainment media outlets unanimously chose the same keyword for their headlines.

Sina Entertainment: Cai Yinong criticizes a rising star: This guy can only be considered a traffic star, he doesn't deserve to be called an actor.

Tencent Entertainment: "Cai Yinong subtly criticizes Jiang Chen: 'Only two dramas since debut, her popularity relies entirely on fan-driven data manipulation.'"

NetEase Entertainment: "A Debate About Actors: Cai Yinong Discusses Jiang Chen's Sudden Rise to Fame"

The post on Tianya Forum had an even harsher title: "Cai Yinong Slams: Jiang Chen Doesn't Deserve to Be Called a Star, He Can Only Be Called a Traffic Star!"

The term "traffic star" appeared in the public eye for the first time.

That night, Weibo was buzzing like it was Chinese New Year.

#TrafficStars# topped the trending topics list.

#Cai Yinong Jiang Chen# followed closely behind.

The comments section was polarized.

"Sister Cai is right! Jiang Chen's popularity is just a temporary surge; he's only made it this high with two dramas. He'll cool off sooner or later!"

"The term 'traffic star' is so accurate; from now on, we'll call them traffic stars!"

"Are Tang Dynasty people jealous? Xuanyuan Sword gets crushed by Ancient Sword, Cai Yinong is getting anxious!"

"How many years has it taken Brother Hu to achieve his current status? What makes Jiang Chen so special?"

"What's wrong with popular celebrities? Having popularity is a skill, what's it to you?"

Some people even dug up Cai Yinong's past remarks, pointing out that when she supported Hu Ge back then, she also followed the "traffic-first" approach, but now she is criticizing newcomers, which is a double standard.

But many more voices are simply following the trend.

The term "traffic star" is like a knife, precisely cutting through a certain anxiety in the entertainment industry in 2012.

Old-school artists disapprove of the rapid rise of newcomers, and traditional media look down on the frenzy of the internet!

The endorsements that Jiang Chen's studio had been negotiating with, including "Moonlight Legend," Head & Shoulders, and QQ Browser, all came to a standstill overnight.

The brands' responses were surprisingly consistent: "We will observe public opinion and postpone the process."

Yu Zheng fired the first shot, Cai Yinong followed up with the second, and various companies secretly fueled the flames.

A top influencer without any backing has finally been hunted down.

(P.S.: This is a combined chapter; this chapter is 5000 words long and that's all for today.)

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