They surrounded me right after the breakup.

The lights in Lu Chengze's office stayed on until late at night.

Project manager Zhao Qiming stood at the door, the stack of scheduling data in his hand already crumpled from being squeezed.

"Mr. Lu, Mr. Zhou from Xinyu Cinema is still unavailable." His voice was hoarse when he spoke.

"Not answering the phone either?"

"I received a call saying that we shouldn't discuss film scheduling before the screening."

Lu Chengze raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.

Did he explain why?

Zhao Qiming handed over the phone screen.

"They didn't say it directly, they just replied with a message saying to let us see the trending topics."

Lu Chengze opened Weibo.

#The hairstyles of the main actors in Shanghai Fortress# are among the top trending topics in the live feed.

Clicking in reveals a deluge of screenshots.

The bangs, the official photos, the retouched candid shots—it's like someone made a whole collection of hairstyles.

"Wearing bangs while fighting? Do you think the audience is blind?"

"His face is even more delicate than the female lead's; who would believe he'd play a general?"

"My grandma wouldn't let her grandson have this hairstyle, saying it would affect his crawling and rolling around."

Lu Chengze placed his phone face down on the table.

"Where are the online trolls?"

"They're posting, but it's all the same template phrases, obviously fake," Zhao Qiming said.

"The more people post, the more rebellious they become."

"Then let's change our approach."

"They changed it. This afternoon, they had marketing accounts stir up trouble, saying it was the character's personal style, but nobody in the comments section bought it, and they even dug up that this scene wasn't in the original novel at all."

Lu Chengze remained silent.

He loosened his collar and walked to the window.

The traffic below was still moving, and the headlights formed two luminous rivers in the night.

"Will the film be finished by the screening next week?" he asked.

"Rough cuts are fine, but finished cuts won't do," Zhao Qiming answered honestly.

"Several special effects scenes are still being reworked."

"Then let's use rough shears."

"Mr. Lu, there are a few places where the green screen wasn't completely removed during the rough cut..."

"That's still better than now!" Lu Chengze suddenly turned around, his voice rising.

"If they don't release something soon, we won't even be able to hold the screening!"

Zhao Qiming dared not speak again.

He took half a step back.

Lu Chengze sat back down in his chair, supporting his forehead with both hands.

"Zhao Qiming, if this project fails, we're both fired."

Zhao Qiming wanted to say something, but swallowed his words.

The office fell silent again, with only the low hum of the air conditioner vents.

At the same time, Jiang Han was still in Xingyue's office.

He lit a cigarette, but only took a few puffs, letting the smoke slowly burn on his fingertips.

Fang Chongwen sat opposite him and showed him the data on the tablet.

"Our video from the stock footage library has nearly 30 million views across the entire internet."

"The worst part is that the trending topics that United Capital bought themselves have now become a library of material for derivative works," Fang Chongwen said.

"Every time they make a purchase, they open another entry point for us."

"This is what you call using their money to do our things," Jiang Han said.

"Lu Chengze must be getting anxious by now." Shen Qingning came in from outside, carrying a cup of hot milk.

"That's the right thing to do." Jiang Han took the milk but didn't drink it.

"People make mistakes when they're in a hurry."

"I heard that Zhao Qiming went to three cinemas today, but was turned away at all of them." Shen Qingning sat down.

"It's not that we're being blocked, it's that we're being left out in the cold," Fang Chongwen said.

"The people in the theater industry are shrewd. Getting too close to 'The Fortress of Shanghai' now is tantamount to handing over their screening schedules to public opinion for judgment."

"So they will definitely go to the screening," Jiang Han said.

"Whether they get screen time or not is another matter."

"Is Zhou Xinyu going too?" Shen Qingning asked.

"He'll go. This guy's a master at reading the wind," Fang Chongwen said.

"He gave me a heads-up, saying that the lead actor's hairstyle was more serious than he had imagined."

Jiang Han smiled.

"The audience isn't stupid. If they can't even bear to change a character's hairstyle, why should they believe that the 300 million yuan was spent wisely?"

"Should we add fuel to the fire?" Fang Chongwen asked.

"No need," Jiang Han shook his head.

"The fire is already big enough. If we add more fuel to the fire, it will be us going too far."

"But United Capital is still struggling to survive," Fang Chongwen said.

"They issued another statement in the afternoon, saying they have hired lawyers to deal with the false information."

"Who should we deal with?" Shen Qingning sneered.

"Our people are stating the facts, while netizens are expressing their opinions. Who is he suing? The audience for poor taste?"

Jiang Han stubbed out his cigarette.

"That's why I said they panicked."

Fang Chongwen closed the tablet.

"Chairman Jiang, are you really not going to the film screening?"

"I'm not going," Jiang Han said.

"Let him finish showing the film. After that, you can contact those theater owners and invite them to Xingyue to see the behind-the-scenes special."

"Those sixty minutes in 'The Wandering Earth'?"

"Let's add some deleted scenes from 'Nezha'," Jiang Han said.

"Let them see clearly how we make things."

"I'll make the arrangements tomorrow," Fang Chongwen said.

"Also, have Mao Buyi post a Weibo tomorrow. Don't make it too deliberate; just post a picture of the recording studio," Jiang Han said.

"What are you trying to do?" Fang Chongwen didn't understand.

"Let the outside world know that Xingyue is still moving forward. Let others make a fuss, we'll do our own thing."

Shen Qingning held the milk glass and chuckled softly.

"This is good. It doesn't set up a stage, it doesn't respond to dialogue, it just makes people feel that Xingyue is not actually in that battlefield."

"The battlefields are all their own," Jiang Han said.

"We are simply stating the bottom line of the industry."

The office was silent for a few seconds.

The neon lights outside the window flickered on and off.

Fang Chongwen got up to take his leave.

As he reached the door, he turned back and said, "Chairman Jiang, the media will definitely be waiting for you tomorrow."

"Make them squat," Jiang Han said.

"Please spread a message for me, saying that Jiang Han doesn't comment on other people's movies, he just wants to make his next film a success."

"clear."

The door closed.

Shen Qingning reheated the milk and handed it to Jiang Han.

"You really don't intend to kick me while I'm down?" she asked.

"I won't step on it," Jiang Han said.

"After they fall down on their own, I'll have Guo Fan post a message on his WeChat Moments saying that the behind-the-scenes special of 'The Wandering Earth' is about to be released."

"Isn't this considered stepping on someone?" Shen Qingning raised an eyebrow.

"This is called giving the audience a better choice." Jiang Han finished the last sip of milk.

He stood up and walked towards the door.

Shen Qingning followed.

The two entered the elevator.

Jianghan pressed B2.

Shen Qingning didn't say anything more, but simply reached out and straightened his collar.

The elevator slowly descended.

The mirror reflected the shadows of two people, one tall and one short, like two trees moving in the night.

Air cooling on the second basement level.

Jiang Han went out first, and the Cullinan's headlights automatically turned on.

He got into the back seat, and Shen Qingning followed him into the car.

Jiang Han's phone vibrated as the car drove out of the park.

It was a WeChat message from Wang Jing.

"Brother, I heard that Zhao Qiming got turned away by Zhou Xinyu."

"The whole industry is laughing about this now."

After reading it, Jiang Han replied with three words.

"I just found out."

Wang Jing replied instantly: "Did you plan this all along, or were you going to keep up the act until the very end?"

Jiang Han did not return.

He put his phone in his pocket, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

The city of Jingzhou outside the window slowly receded into the night.

That was a joke about a 300 million investment.