2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 73 Bad intentions
From a personal perspective, Sun Jianyi actually quite likes Chu An, a talented and thoughtful young person.

To be honest, Old Master Sun was quite worried for Chu An about this farce with Ji Yang, fearing that he might act impulsively and lose control, ultimately leading to an unmanageable situation.

To put it bluntly, the entertainment industry under the system must correctly understand its position, otherwise everything will fall apart.

However, Chu An gave him a big surprise.

As it turns out, this kid not only knew where the red line was, but also had a very high level of thinking.

Finally, this post, which advocates against fan culture and promotes values ​​among young people, is definitely the finishing touch.

Ring ring ring.
The silence was broken by the ringing of the telephone. Old Sun quickly answered it, his smile undiminished.

"I saw it, I saw it. The response from netizens was very enthusiastic, and their understanding of fan culture is deepening."

"You mean yes, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Sun Jianyi gripped the receiver and dialed two more numbers.

The next day, CCTV-1 aired "Focus Moment".

"Today's topic is about the internet."

"Recently, a well-known actor incited his fans' emotions and guided minors to attack and insult competing artists online, sparking widespread discussion across society—what kind of responsibility should idols bear? Please see the report."

The program "Focus Moment" briefly reviewed the verbal battle between Ji Yang and Chu An, focusing on the inappropriate behavior of idols inciting fans.

The restoration article quoted the last paragraph of Chu An's post—

A true idol should be a ray of light on the path of growth, illuminating a confused yet vibrant youth.

A true idol should point you in the right direction when you are lost, and bring you hope when you are in despair.

The true idol should be the young man from the Dunhuang Academy who dedicated ten years of his youth to restoring the rich tapestry of history.

It should be aerospace engineers who, deep in the Gobi Desert, lift up the stars and the sea for the Chinese people.

It is the steadfast defense of the border! It is the dedication to the forefront of science!
At the end of the program, the host gave a passionate speech, affirming Chu An's actions in setting a positive example for young people, and advocating that artists should uphold moral integrity and refrain from engaging in fan culture in its infancy.

Once a report on a moment of focus is published, it is essentially the official assessment, and there is no way to change it.

First, Ji Yang's acting career can be declared over; a multi-talented artist has fallen from grace.

It is foreseeable that major media outlets and websites will follow up with reports tomorrow, and the reports will be overwhelmingly critical of Ji and support for Chu.

Secondly, with this official endorsement, Chu An is practically immune to death.

From now on, I'm saying goodbye to being an amateur performer and becoming a legitimate, upright artist!

Tiandu Culture Headquarters

Chen Ru and several other shareholders memorized every detail of the pivotal moment.

After reading it, Chen Ru sighed:
"Why isn't this kind of talent from Tiandu?"

As the saying goes, "An expert sees the details."

What seemed like a simple public opinion crisis turned out to be a disaster for Chu An. Not only did he emerge unscathed, but he also brought down a top celebrity and made Fei Mingyu a star.

He established a wild and unrestrained personal brand, subtly flattering the emperor.

They even indirectly promoted "You Are My Glory".

This guy is a genius!!
If Tiandu had someone like that, how much less trouble would it be? If possible, Chen Ru would even be willing to give Chu An shares and have him come to Tiandu.

What a pity...

He subconsciously glared at Liang Guoliang. This guy and Chu An had such a deep-seated grudge that it was impossible to resolve.

Chen Ru still feels a chill when he thinks about it. This time, he used his authority as chairman to forcefully suppress Liang Guoliang and prevent him from getting involved in the conflict between Ji Yang and Chu An.

If they fail to keep Liang Guoliang in check, then Tiandu's situation today will be awkward.

Liang Guoliang also sensed Chen Ru's unfriendly gaze and shrugged indifferently.

He blurted out, "It's just luck; he definitely won't be so lucky next time!"

Chen Ru felt a headache coming on and didn't want to argue with Liang Guoliang anymore. "Old Liang, can't you see that?"

Liang Guoliang, "What?"

Chen Ru, "Think carefully about the whole process."

"This Chu An, not a single step of his actions has been what either of us expected!"

"He endured for half the time, waiting for the incident to escalate. He impersonated Ji Yang's fan and incited the fans' emotions. He took down 'Entertainment Frontline' to make the media that helped Ji Yang more cautious. He secretly recorded conversations, seized on Ji Yang's incriminating evidence, and linked it to the suppression of Fei Mingyu last year."

"The most outrageous thing is that he dared to openly admit to impersonating a fan!"

"They even taught you a set of values ​​and put you on a moral high ground."

"Whether it's done openly or covertly, whether it's petty theft or blatant honesty, they've played you for everything!"

"Finally, they left no room for maneuver and crushed Ji Yang to death."

"It's like openly telling this circle, 'I'm not someone to be trifled with! Don't mess with me!'"

Liang Guoliang, "..."

He gave an awkward, forced laugh. "It's not as serious as you make it out to be, is it?"

"How could a seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid have so many tricks up his sleeve?"

Chen Ru gave a wry smile. "Whether my guess was right or wrong is no longer important."

Liang Guoliang frowned. "What do you mean?"

Chen Ru pointed at the television and said, "This is a model set up by the authorities. Try touching it and see what happens!?"

Liang Guoliang, "..."

The other shareholders remained silent, each with their own plans.

Liang Guoliang is indeed an unpopular person.

However, when it came to his actions towards Lu Mingze and Chu An, the people didn't actually feel any resistance.

Chen Ru's decision to stop Liang Guoliang from continuing his reckless behavior was also from the company's perspective; now was not the right time.

Once Tiandu overcomes its current difficulties, or if a suitable opportunity arises, they wouldn't mind crushing Lu Mingze and Chu An. They'd show everyone that Tiandu is not to be trifled with.

But after this incident, at least Chen Ru has changed his mind.

He told his assistant, "Find out the production progress of 'You Are My Glory' and try to free up Xu Shu's schedule to secure the lead role."

Liang Guoliang immediately became agitated upon hearing this, "Hey Lao Chen, isn't this a bit unnecessary? We'll just leave him alone, why are you delivering goods to his door?!"

Chen Ru: "You don't know anything!! Wasn't Chu An joking that he and Xu Shu were a good match?"

"Right now, no drama has more exposure than 'You Are My Glory'! Winning the female lead role won't do us any harm."

Chen Ru is the kind of pure businessman who doesn't care about principles as long as there's profit to be made.

This greatly displeased Liang Guoliang, who glared at Chen Ru with a gloomy look in his eyes. At that moment, no one knew what he was thinking.

Shichahai, Chu'an's Little Courtyard.

"You pig!" Chu An yelled throughout the yard, "Find me a place to move out by tomorrow! You're getting addicted to living in my house, aren't you?!"

Fei Mingyu peeked out of the room; he still wasn't quite used to the nickname "Fei Pig." But...
The term has become so widely used online and even offline that it can't be changed now.

As Chu An said, he had firmly established that label.

"Why didn't you urge Sister Xing to move? Can't I move after the New Year?"

With only about 20 days until the Lunar New Year, he really didn't want to go through all that trouble. Chu An retorted, "Stop talking nonsense! If you need any more commercial performances, go negotiate at your own home!"

Fei Mingyu has made a complete comeback, and now he's been getting calls from people offering commercial performances and endorsements.

Fei Mingyu had nowhere else to go in Shengjing, so he could only invite people to Chu An's place, which made things very inconvenient for Chu An and Lin Wanxing.

As she finished dressing, she gave Fei Mingyu an ultimatum: "You have one day; you must move out!"

As she spoke, without giving Fei Mingyu a chance to refute, she went out on her own.

They didn't go far before arriving at Shen Jin's film crew.

He bowed and scraped to Director Shen as soon as he entered, apologizing profusely. "It's my fault, it's my fault, I ruined your leading role."

Reporters photographed Ji Yang at the airport this morning, quietly boarding an international flight to South Korea. Meanwhile, the film crew...
Well, even if he wanted to finish the series, it's impossible for him now. Being featured on CCTV's prime-time slot is tantamount to a blacklist; no one can save him.

To this, Shen Jin could only smile wryly: "I guess I brought this on myself!"

He's also a bachelor. "I should have stopped Ji Yang when he wanted to turn against you. Why did he have to try and gain some attention? Now look what's happened, he's copying Lao Lu and changing the lead actor at the last minute."

Overall, the losses weren't too great, considering filming had only been underway for less than a month. Moreover, Ji Yang was absent from filming for most of that time. In other words, the scenes involving Ji Yang totaled only about ten days.

It's not too late to change the actor now.

But where is he supposed to find someone to take the blame?
"Little Chu, you've really stumped me this time."

Chu An was also very sorry; Ji Yang's downfall had implicated Shen Jin the most.

"If there's anything I can help you with, Brother Shen, just let me know. Consider it a favor I owe you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jin raised an eyebrow and chuckled inwardly, "You said it yourself."

He called to the assistant director, "Come on, let's give Teacher Chu a makeup test."

Chu An was completely bewildered. "What are you trying on?"

Shen Jin, "You ruined my leading man's career, so you have to step in and take his place!"

Chu An, "..."

*Screech!* How did that boomerang end up hitting his own head? Just thinking about the nagging, indecisive, and utterly cumbersome male lead character he'd tailored for Ji Yang…

"No, no! I really can't act in this! How many people have I offended this time? If I act in it, your show won't sell."

Shen Jin laughed. "Can't sell them? Are you being modest, or are you just putting on an act?"

His post, "Be Your Own Light, You Don't Need to Be Too Bright," was more than just a high-profile achievement that got him on CCTV!

Many of the onlookers who were initially just annoyed by Ji Yang's fans became Chu An's true fans because of that post.

In addition, Chu An's image label is so damn awesome that Shen Jin is envious just thinking about it.

A young, straightforward, outspoken, and damn innocent soul...
His acting skills are terrible, but he is incredibly talented.

This kind of persona has no competitors in the country, right?
So endearing.

To put it simply, according to the newly released data from the National Bureau of Statistics, as of December 31, 2001, the number of Chinese internet users had exceeded 80 million.

In just two days after CCTV's Focus Moment broadcast, the number of netizens surged to 100 million.

Excluding the nearly ten million netizens who joined naturally in January, the remaining ten million were those who went online specifically to read Chu An's original post after seeing the news and left messages for their idol.

At least in the short term, no male star has such a large following and such high popularity as Chu An.

Otherwise, why do you think Shen Jin insisted on having Chu An play the role?
What are you pretending for?

Chu An scratched his head sheepishly, "It's not that exaggerated, is it?"

Then, changing the subject, he added, "However, this act really can't be performed!"

The analysis stated, "Dramatic dramas set in the Republican era are inherently difficult to act in, and even though the male lead is a secondary character, he still needs to demonstrate acting skills."

"I can play a young boy in a modern drama, but I can't outshine Wanxing's acting skills, otherwise the show would be unwatchable."

Shen Jin certainly knew, "but..."

Before he could say "but," Chu An quickly shut him up, "Here's what we'll do: I'll give you a cameo role. I'll also give you a script at a friendly price later, and let's not talk about this again!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jin exclaimed, "It's a deal!"

Chu An: "It's a deal!"

Shen Jin: "Then I need to hurry up and find the male lead!"

When Shen Jin stopped insisting, Chu An breathed a long sigh of relief.

"With You" was a last resort; Lu Mingze couldn't find anyone else to play the role, so Chu An was forced into it.

As for Chu An himself, acting was not an option in his plans.

Become a screenwriter, plagiarize, and then focus on working behind the scenes, slowly building your presence in the entertainment industry.

When the time is right, wouldn't it be great to shoot some amazing blockbusters that no one has ever filmed before?
As for the actors
Chu An's plan is that "The Best of Us" will be his debut work and also his farewell performance.

after
I don't care who it is, I'm not acting!
After seeing Shen Jin off, Chu An stayed a while longer before going home. It turned out that Lu Mingze, Dong Wende, and Ma Lan, along with other key members of the team, were waiting for him at home.

"Are you going to register at school next, or will you wait until after the New Year to decide?"

Chu An rolled her eyes. She had originally planned to register for high school in early January, but Ji Yang's matter delayed her.

It's almost Chinese New Year, and high school seniors will be on holiday soon, so why is he still going to school?

Let's talk about it after the New Year!

Lu Mingze seemed to have known all along that Chu An would say that.

"Then let's begin the preparations for 'You Are My Glory'."

Chu An had no objection, but Lu Mingze handed Chu An a stack of information on female celebrities.

"Who would you like to act with in your new drama? You can choose yourself."

Seeing that all the actresses were well-known, Chu An knew it was a casting call for the female lead and became serious. He murmured, "Who I'll be paired with...it's really hard to say."

"Huh???" He looked up abruptly. "What do you mean?"

Lu Mingze, Ma Lan, and even Lao Dong were all looking at him with wicked smiles.

None of them had good intentions.

Ma Lan: "It's fine if it's someone else's drama, but you can't turn down our own drama. You have to be the male lead!"

Dong Wende: "Aren't you pretty shameless? Keep acting, I'll film you looking more handsome!"

Lu Mingze patted Chu An on the shoulder and said, "You're the one! I don't find anyone else convenient to use."

Chu An, "."

.

I didn't go to the store or the construction site yesterday. I got back quite late today.

Like I said before, wait until I finish my offline tasks.

Or get your hand speed back.

Back in the day, how come I could write three or four thousand words an hour? I even wrote five thousand sometimes, and the quality was top-notch.

Now? 1281 words per hour, no more.

(End of this chapter)