Chapter 345: Insulting Someone with Classical Allusions?!

Meng Jie has always had a touch of "bad luck aura."

Last time she sang a heartfelt duet with Bai Liang on New Year's Eve, she practiced the song for so long—her investment was immense.

Yet she only stayed hot for one day before Yang Mi announced her divorce, crushing her momentum into dust.

A one-day trending topic pass.

And this time, even after she transformed into the Death Diva and pulled off a massive stunt in front of half the entertainment industry.

She made countless people remember this beautiful girl whose singing was completely off-key.

But the trending topic hadn't even lasted half an hour before that Zhā's spin erased it entirely.

The girls who didn't attend this Weibo Night truly rallied in the group chat to defend her.

Li Yitong: "What's going on? My sister Meng just went all out and still didn't snag top trending?"

Li Xin: "She's crushed Song Qian twice in a row, yet every time something brutal comes out afterward—her luck is just terrible."

Li Yitong: "That Zhā? Her dancing is worse than Song Qian's, her singing worse than Meng Jie's—she just spins once and everyone goes insane."

Jin Cheng: "This isn't about skill—it's not Meng Jie's fault. I'd bet Zhā isn't even targeting Meng Jie."

Chen Yao: "+1"

The two girls from Tang Ren knew exactly what was going on.

Zhā never even considered Meng Jie a rival—she had only one opponent in her sights.

Dili Reba.

Even netizens could see what that spin meant, let alone them.

So Meng Jie was merely an innocent bystander crushed underfoot.

Though it sounds like we're underestimating Meng Jie, the truth is probably exactly that.

The girls' conversation had already shifted to: Will Dili Reba do something?

Because barring surprises, this year's Weibo King will once again be Bai Liang.

As for Weibo Queen, honestly, no one knows who it'll be yet.

Dili Reba, Gu Li Naza, Yang Zi—all are possible.

Whoever doesn't win it will likely get bundled into the Weibo Annual Goddess award.

At this moment, facing the camera still locked on her, Reba forced her expression into a calm smile.

But out of camera range, her hand gripped the dress hem so tightly her knuckles turned white.

If the dress hadn't been made of decent material, some flimsier fabric would've been torn clean off by now.

If the camera had shot from the side, it might've caught the faint muscle definition in her arms.

Though not overly obvious or exaggerated, it was unmistakable that her inner turmoil was raging.

Though the camera didn't catch it, the people beside her saw it clearly—several female idols sat like quails, not daring to speak.

What if Dili Reba snaps later?

After all, her archenemy just openly provoked her.

Then came the twist: right after Zhā's performance came the Weibo Annual Goddess award.

The presenter read out a string of names on stage.

Tang Yan, Qin Lan, Ma Sichun, Yang Zi, Dili Reba, and Gu Li Naza.

Whoa!

Right after that spin, they're putting these two on stage together?!

Honestly, after hearing the names, many felt the scene was absurd—and wondered why these heavily favored girls still didn't win Weibo Queen tonight?

Zhao Liying and Yang Mi didn't even show up.

Then who'll take the stage with Bai Liang?

As all eyes turned to her, Miss Jing Tian was still muttering: "Gu Li Naza is truly 'crazy'—don't mess with her, don't mess with her."

Earlier, Zhā had threatened to "explode" her—afterward, Jing Tian had thought it over and felt she might've been tricked.

Zhā isn't Shuangzi; she's not some unhinged type. On the contrary, she's sweet and demure—soft-spoken, seemingly delicate. Would a girl like that really "explode" at someone?

But today, she'd truly seen it all!

Direct confrontation!

Has the rivalry between these two Xinjiang girls really escalated to this level?

Jing Tian felt a small shiver of dread.

At that moment, she noticed many people were staring at her—she jolted, nearly standing up.

Luckily, she asked the girl beside her: "Did they just call my name?"

Li Bingbing gave her a blank look, thinking: How has this walking treasure grown even more cluelessly adorable? Has she regressed?

"No, sit still."

"I nearly died—I thought they called me!"

"You'll be taking the stage with Bai Liang," Li Bingbing reminded her patiently.

"What award?"

"Weibo Queen. Everyone who could've challenged you is already on stage."

"Really?!"

It's obvious—the top-flowing little blossoms were all bundled into the Weibo Annual Goddess award.

Scanning the whole venue, only Sister Tian Tian remains—she's the only one left.

It's strange: in 2018, Jing Tian's film and drama performances were all hits, yet her visibility was absurdly low.

Did she forget to buy trending topics?

Miss Jing Tian: I reckon I'm just a decoration.

The trending topics weren't really bought; I just hitched a ride on Bai Liang's coattails, and naturally got overshadowed by him.

This is the main reason for her low presence.

If she were one of those "ambitious" female artists, these results would already be enough to blow everyone's minds.

But Miss Jing Tian is very "strict"—if you're clinging to a leg, cling properly. What if buying random trending topics makes Bai Liang's fans angry?

At this moment, she hadn't thought much about it; after being reminded by Li Bingbing, she felt a bit pleased.

Then she eagerly switched into "watching the drama" mode.

Because the stage right now was incredibly dramatic!

Miss Jing Tian had been distracted for so long, yet those girls still hadn't figured out their positions.

Because Gu Li Na Zha and Di Li Re Ba didn't want to stand together.

They stubbornly lingered, adjusting their clothes, fixing their hair, still not stepping toward the center of the stage.

Meanwhile, Tang Yan didn't want to stand next to Di Li Re Ba either; Yang Zi had a grudge against Gu Li Na Zha and also got along poorly with Di Li Re Ba.

But they seemed to realize standing there like that wasn't appropriate, so they began pairing off.

Re Ba grabbed Qin Lan's arm and said: "Sister, the moment I saw you, I felt an instant connection~"

Qin Lan: "Oh really? You're pretty too. Wait no, you all—never mind, let's just chat about fifty cents' worth."

Meanwhile, Na Zha linked arms with Ma Si Chun, and the two actually started chatting.

For some reason, they genuinely felt they liked each other.

Na Zha: "Hey~ What a coincidence! You're a love-struck girl too?"

Tang Yan was forced into a pair with Yang Zi, and they awkwardly chatted, neither understanding what the other was saying.

The scene looked chaotic, just like the BaSha Charity Gala.

The funniest part? The guest presenting the Weibo Annual Goddess award was Su Mang! That so-called queen of the domestic entertainment fashion circle.

It really matched up!

Even Li Bingbing downstairs was laughing, silently giving the girls a thumbs-up.

Good job! The new generation finally has some big flowers fighting and showing off like this.

Huh? How did Qin Lan sneak in?

After finally using people as buffers to separate the incompatible ones, a new conflict arose.

Who gets the center position?!

It's just a Weibo award, right? But because of Bai Liang, Weibo awards now have real attention.

In a situation like this—with many people, complex relationships, and existing tensions—the issue of the center position became serious.

Fortunately, Su Mang had plenty of experience with such scenarios.

She let the girls compete openly and covertly for a while, then stepped forward herself to "restore order."

In the end, she placed Qin Lan, the oldest, in the center, then positioned Di Li Re Ba and Gu Li Na Zha one on each side, and everyone else naturally fell into place.

Even Yang Zi, who didn't want to stand next to anyone, gritted her teeth and stood beside Di Li Re Ba to avoid being shoved to the very edge.

The others did the same.

Su Mang: "I saved the world again."

But the chaotic, bloodless battle onstage was only the beginning.

Back at their seats—that's when the battle heated up.

Di Li Re Ba and Gu Li Na Zha were seated right next to each other.

No sooner had their butts touched the chairs than Re Ba couldn't help blurting out: "Spinning top spirit."

"Hmph, only you can spin? Did you patent it?"

"Who's the copycat? You know who it is—you've been practicing secretly for a long time, right? Two and a half years? You'd be better off learning basketball—you could even land an NBA endorsement." Na Zha:???

This… this insult came with a classical reference?!

Damn it, the opponent's evolved too fast.

Before she could retaliate, Re Ba hit her with another idiom: "Dong Shi imitating Xi Shi!"

"Who are you calling ugly?!" Na Zha flew into a rage—calling her stupid was fine, but calling her ugly? She'd rather die than accept it!

She was the most beautiful in the world!

"You're taking it personally?" Re Ba shot her a cold, sidelong glance and kept spewing venom.

She'd been holding it in since earlier—she truly couldn't take it anymore. If she didn't insult her a few times tonight, she'd be so furious she'd give Nainai a headache.

And because of her schedule, that person couldn't come to rub her temples, so… insult her!

Anyway, their calls were encrypted, and now both had learned their lesson—they half-covered their mouths to avoid letting online sleuths read their lip movements.

"You look like a toad—your eyes are about to pop out."

"Oh, you're a swan? Your lipstick's on your teeth."

"Fire your makeup artist—look at the paste she put on you; a fly landing on it would get stuck!"

"Oh my, thank you so much for your concern—your makeup artist can't even pick the right lipstick shade; it looks like two sausages."

"Di Li Re Ba, do you think I won't slap you?!" Na Zha shouted in fury.

She… she couldn't come up with anything else to say!

!

But hearing this, Re Ba didn't respond—she simply calmly leaned her face closer.

The meaning was clear: Go ahead, hit me~

Okay okay, stop fighting now.

Qin Lan, sitting beside the two, didn't understand a word, but felt the tension was far too thick—she could see they were about to come to blows.

Sister, you should step in as an international force to mediate.

And it's not worth fighting over a man.

All men are big pig's feet—sister's been there, listen to me: not a single man in this world is any good!

Funny enough, just then Bai Liang happened to walk by, heading for the restroom.

And at that moment, Qin Lan nearly choked—these two girls had become poised and reserved in under a second.

Where was the furious shrew who'd just wanted to tear each other apart?

They each smiled warmly, winking or nodding at Bai Liang in greeting.

But this guy Bai Liang was blunt—he walked right over, completely ignoring the cameras.

"Here, take a candy. This Weibo Night is dragging on too long—you probably haven't eaten anything, don't pass out."

One candy each—fairly distributed.

Qin Lan merely glanced a little longer, and Bai Liang caught it—so she got one too.

Looking at this capybara's gentle smile, Qin Lan tore open the wrapper and popped it in her mouth—hmm, it was indeed sweet, and coincidentally, her favorite flavor.

So she decided she needed to revise her earlier judgment.

Actually, it's not true that not a single good man exists in this world—it's just a matter of luck.

Or, from a certain perspective: good men are something you have to fight for~

Huh? Is that logic circular?

Qin Lan looked again at the two girls who'd just been yelling at each other—they were literally fighting for him!

Unfortunately, after both fought for ages, they ended up watching Sister Tian Tian happily taking Bai Liang's hand and walking onstage with him to receive the award.

That smile was sweeter than the candy she'd just eaten.

Originally, Sister Tian Tian, in her joy, had wanted to be even more "bold."

But she accidentally noticed two new Jiang girls staring at her with deadly intensity—their gazes nearly solidified into visible malice.

She nearly flinched—wait, is it really that extreme?

Instantly cowed, she dared not attempt any clever stunts, humbly accepted the award, gave a brief speech, and was done.

External conflict is an effective way to resolve internal conflict.

After a silent, tacit warning to Sister Tian Tian, Na Zha and Re Ba simultaneously turned back to each other.

"Hmph!" ×2—

The Weibo Night story gave the onlookers the best New Year's topic.

So damn brilliant!

Starting with Song Qian's antics, then Meng Jie's broadcast, followed by Na Zha and Re Ba's remote battle, even suspected on-site shouting matches, and finally Jing Tian snatching the prize—she might be the biggest winner.

Exactly!

This is the entertainment circle!

After Fan Fan Bingbing left and the other big stars gradually fell silent, the entertainment circle felt noticeably calmer.

It even had a sense of harmony—everyone getting along.

At least on the surface, each one was more polite than the last.

Then these two new Jiang sisters burst forth—unmasked, sharp as needles against wheat awns—like the first sip of ice-cold cola in summer, it made one shiver with delight.

Fight! Fight!

Gentlemen, I love war.

Without the slightest hesitation, on the very night of Weibo Night, their fans crashed into each other head-on.

The battle was earth-shattering.

Old rivals, nothing to say—how to fight, where to fight, everyone knew the drill.

Some top fans had even developed friendships through mutual insults—just seeing each other's IDs meant they were old adversaries.

Come on, unleash your moves!

Sometimes it was hard to say whether the fans knew their own idols better—or their rivals' idols better.

After admiring their own idol's beautiful photos, they'd move on—but their rivals' ugly photos and scandals? They knew them inside out, could recite them backward.

Overall, Na Zha held the upper hand at Weibo Night.

After all, no one knew she'd been verbally abused in her seat by Re Ba until she could barely respond, and the anger had genuinely given her a headache.

From the public's perspective, Na Zha had used that signature move between Re Ba and Bai Liang to launch a direct, face-slapping counterattack, while Re Ba had failed to respond effectively.

Fortunately, Guo Fan stepped in at that moment.

He didn't know why he was meddling in fan wars, but Sister Yanzi asked him to cut a few scenes of Re Ba's cameo in The Wandering Earth.

And honestly? The effect was phenomenal!

The day he released it, the pre-sale box office for the movie surged again!

Guo Fan never imagined that, up to now, The Wandering Earth's pre-sale box office was number one across the entire Spring Festival season.

A landslide first!

Who could still tell which film was the niche genre?

So… this is the fan circle?

Sister Yanzi: This is nothing yet—we haven't even started the cutting-the-grass mode.

Neither Bai Liang's fans nor Re Ba's fans, stirred by the emotion, had been systematically milked dry.

No extreme group campaigns to flood pre-sales had been organized.

Otherwise, how could they be leading second place by only a hundred million and barely at that?

Not that it couldn't be done, but the current presale numbers are already enough.

A 22% share of screenings, with prime-time slots making up 28% of that.

First place among all Spring Festival films!

Of course, the screening allocation isn't just down to presales.

The fact that The Wandering Earth's media-screening word-of-mouth held steady was also a big factor.

Take The New King of Comedy, whose presales were pretty high too — its word-of-mouth just didn't hold.

Besides, the theater chains aren't stupid.

The Zhou Xingchi brand may be rock-solid, but after watching the film, can anyone really not tell whether what he's serving up is a carefully crafted masterpiece or a sloppy cash-grab?

Otherwise, how could the three words "Zhou Xingchi" fail to snag even 15% of the screenings?

Of course, if this year's Spring Festival lineup weren't so absurdly stacked, the screening share could've been even higher.

It's just that the competition is a bit too fierce!

Actually, a low screening share isn't the end of the road — the thing is dynamic, not set in stone.

A genuinely solid film can reshape the screening landscape through the audience "voting with their feet" — last year's Operation Red Sea pulled off exactly that kind of comeback.

Still, given the choice, nobody wants to be the so-called dark horse.

Who doesn't like feeling great from start to finish~

Wouldn't it be better to come out of the gate with the strongest results and posture and steamroll all the way through?

Guo Fan: Good, good, good! This feeling is really fantastic!

Making the film felt like stumbling over hurdles everywhere, but now everything's going ridiculously smoothly.

Oh right — the latest news Guo Fan received: on New Year's Eve, after Bai Liang performs at the Spring Festival Gala, he'll promote The Wandering Earth one more time when he's interviewed in the broadcast studio to wish the whole nation a Happy New Year.

A "husband-and-wife" joint promotion.

Hey, Reba is going to the Spring Festival Gala this year too.

(End of chapter)