Chinese entertainment: What's wrong with actresses wanting to improve?

On April 21, the crew continued filming in Zhaotong Ancient City, but everyone could feel that the atmosphere was different from before.

It wasn't the fear of another earthquake that truly made the atmosphere on set heavy; what really made things somber was the news everyone was seeing on their phones during breaks.

Aerial footage of Lushan County, the epicenter of the earthquake, is being played on a loop on major news platforms.

The images of the devastated Lushan County and the affected people are heartbreaking.

Jing Tian sat on a folding chair in the dressing room, where a makeup artist was touching up her makeup.

She clutched her phone; the photo on the screen showed a family of three trapped in a collapsed house, with the parents desperately shielding their child beneath them.

Jing Tian turned off her phone screen and closed her eyes briefly.

"Sister Tian Tian?"

The makeup artist noticed her emotions and stopped applying the brush.

"It's okay, let's continue."

Jing Tian took a deep breath and stuffed her phone into her coat pocket.

At 1 p.m., the Red Cross Society of China released a detailed list of the first batch of donations for the Ya'an earthquake on its official Weibo account.

This list is arranged from highest to lowest donation amount and covers two main categories: corporate donations and individual donations.

Netizens recognized many familiar company names on the list, including Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu, and NetEase...

Each company donated between five million and ten million.

But what really made this list explode on social media was the section on individual donations.

The names of artists from the Morning Light Foundation almost exclusively appeared at the top of the list of individual donations, like a neat queue.

Fan Binbin was at the top of the list, donating five million yuan.

This amount is the highest among all individual donations, even exceeding many corporate donations.

Below her is Yang Mi, with five million.

Given Yang Mi's current status, she should normally donate three million.

However, Yang Mi stated that she will soon be starring in "Star Wars" and will also be releasing "The Wandering Earth" this year, which makes her a top-tier star, or at least a near-top-tier star.

Therefore, I insisted on donating five million.

Next were Deng Chao, Huang Bo, Wang Baoqiang, Chen Xiao, Tang Yan, Hu Jing, Qin Lan, Li Dabai, and Zhang Liangying, each receiving three million.

Next up are Lei Jiayin, Zeng Li, Yang Rong, Liu Yan…

One million each.

For those in second-tier cities and below, although Fu Yibai gave a range of 100,000 to 500,000 yuan, everyone chose to donate 500,000 yuan.

As for newcomers, the Star Girls' fame and commercial value are already comparable to first-tier actors like Deng Chao and Tang Yan, but the majority of their income goes to the company.

Therefore, it is still quite difficult to get everyone to donate hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Fu Yibai is not the kind of capitalist without a conscience.

He directly instructed Chen Mo to donate three million yuan in the name of the Starlight Girls group. The company would cover the three million yuan, and they wouldn't need to repay it to the company.

If they wish to make additional donations in their own names, they can also enjoy the same newcomer benefits as Fu Yibai and Zhao Qiding.

Dilraba, the newest member of Chenxi, chose the 500,000 yuan donation amount after learning that the company could help advance the payment.

The list spread at an astonishing speed on Weibo.

In less than two hours, the "List of Celebrities Donating to Chenxi" topped the trending search list.

The comments section is refreshing at a rate of thousands per minute.

"These are the artists of Chenxi. They usually keep a low profile, filming quietly and not engaging in hype, but when the country is in trouble, they are all quick to rush to the front lines."

"What kind of corporate culture exists where one company dominates the top ten individual donations?"

"My God, even a newcomer who just debuted donated 500,000, which is more than many established stars have donated."

"I've become a fan of Chenxi artists again."

"I'm going to go catch up on their latest movies now."

However, public opinion is never just one voice.

Amidst a chorus of praise, a few accounts began making sarcastic remarks in the comments section.

At first, there were only a few scattered noises, but they gradually gathered into a small wave of sound.

Their questions are: All the celebrities have donated, but what about Chenxi Company? Why isn't Chenxi Group's name on the donation list? Does this mean the company isn't planning to donate after the celebrities have?

These questions were quickly refuted by netizens who had experienced the 08 natural disaster.

"Are you new here?"

During the 08 Southern China snowstorm and the Wenchuan earthquake, Chenxi donated supplies directly, without going through the Red Cross donation channel.

"During the Wenchuan earthquake, Chenxi's supply convoy was among the first private enterprises to enter the disaster area, even faster than some official convoys."

"People donate supplies instead of cash because the supplies can go directly to the disaster victims."

Anyone who's been through it knows how slow the Red Cross process is.

"Those who question whether Chenxi is not donating should check the news from 08 before speaking."

The debate between the two sides continued from the afternoon into the evening, with the topic gaining increasing attention.

More and more people are starting to ask: How much supplies has Chenxi donated this year? Why haven't we seen an official announcement yet?

Neither Chenxi Group nor Fu Yibai responded to the netizens' questions.

They were waiting for their own supply trucks to arrive in the disaster area to confirm the handover was complete.

At 4 p.m. on April 22, the official website of the Red Cross Society of China updated the list of donated materials for the Ya'an earthquake.

Among the long list of companies, Chenxi Group's name was at the top, with donated materials totaling 100 million yuan.

This number was like a depth charge, causing a huge uproar in the public sphere.

One hundred million yuan.

Not ten million, not twenty million, it's a full one hundred million.

Moreover, it was all supplies, not the kind of cash donations that could be manipulated.

Tents, blankets, drinking water, convenience food, medicine, generators, lighting equipment—the list of supplies includes the exact quantity and specifications of each item, accurate to the single digit.

The scale and scope of this batch of supplies can no longer be simply described as "disaster relief aid"; it's practically the logistical support for a small army.

"One hundred million??? I didn't read that wrong, did I? That's more than the previous companies combined!"

"Is this Dawn? What an amazing company!"

Ah! Ah! Ah!

My husband is so handsome! He donated 100 million yuan without hesitation!

"Upstairs, you're drooling on me."

Other companies donated cash, while Chenxi donated supplies.

Those in the know understand that donating supplies is far more difficult and costly than donating cash. Procurement, transportation, coordination, and distribution all require a significant amount of manpower and resources.

"Chenxi is treating disaster relief like it's their own project."

Someone dug up old news from 08.

Chenxi Group donated 100 million yuan worth of supplies to the Southern China snowstorm and the Wenchuan earthquake, respectively. With the addition of the Ya'an earthquake, the group has invested 300 million yuan in supplies for three major disasters.

Moreover, each time it involved supplies, each time they were directly delivered to the front lines of the disaster area, and each time they were done quietly before being officially announced.