Chapter 155: Sacrifice (Begging for monthly tickets, begging for rewards)

This storm was watched by many people, mainly because it had blown up far too big, slamming people to death.

But many people didn't know the Jade Rabbit was behind it, all assuming it was just Guangxian Media's doing.

After all, the two sides had been going at each other for a while now.

Wang Zhangtian is a very honest man, neither clarifying nor saying anything, silently shouldering the blame for Fang Hong.

At his status, would he bother explaining himself to you common folk? Liu Xiaoli also noticed, having been closely following her daughter's public opinion trends lately.

No choice—she was afraid it would blow up too.

But seeing it get smoothly suppressed, she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking: "Little Fang is really something."

If it were her, she wouldn't have that ability.

Her daughter had been through it before, several times, and was still going through it—always letting others curse her without a shred of temper.

Of course Liu Tianxian also saw the shift in public opinion, and she knew it was Fang Hong's doing.

This time he'd cursed someone to death on her behalf, and she didn't know whether to call that man good or bad.

In any case, it was complicated.

But after Chen Zhixi told her not to do Propaganda Department work, she had already returned to Beijing, and didn't go to the Jade Rabbit to find Fang Hong—she was sulking.

Fang Hong didn't go looking for her either; right now he was swamped, searching every lead and clue to find out who was pulling strings behind the scenes, trying to drag Liu Tianxian into the same mess.

Zeng Yike had dated so many boyfriends before, yet inexplicably fell for Liu Tianxian, and every time she went out she got photographed—way too convenient.

It didn't blow up anywhere else, but exploded first over at Hunan Satellite TV, and they even appeared on the same show together.

He refused to believe such a coincidence existed in this world, or that there wasn't someone directing things behind the scenes.

He watched that show from start to finish, carefully! Lately, as the public opinion battle intensified, the Shoehorn couple had been cursed into oblivion.

On September 28, the opening-day box office of The Sorcerer and the White Snake came out—because the schedule had been moved up, and on top of that the couple's reputation was in tatters.

Opening day was only 3.13 million! Miserable to behold.

After release, more people saw the film, and it began being torn apart again.

"All Best Special Effects, no substance!"

So Shoehorn had to come out again, trying to make peace: "The film industry should have less mud-slinging; let's all work toward mutual prosperity—arguing won't affect the box office at all."

But naturally no one paid him any attention, because Fang Hong and Wang Zhangtian had reached an agreement to use him as a sacrifice.

If he didn't die, both sides' box offices would suffer.

After all, the pie is only so big—the more you take, the less he gets.

On the 29th, White Snake Legend's box office rose a bit, reaching 4.99 million.

That day Painted Wall also premiered; its box office was also underwhelming, only 7.15 million—of course a bit higher than that one.

But after this film premiered, audiences accused it of "misogyny"! Female viewers are more sensitive—the film has a "concubine selection game" segment that pushes fairies one by one into men's arms.

Some female viewers said it was disrespectful to women.

Bad Genius also premiered the same day, with a box office of only 6.09 million.

No helping it—the 29th isn't a holiday.

After Liu Tianxian's scandal, she hadn't done much Propaganda Department work, and recently had been putting her extra energy into cursing Shoehorn.

So all the buzz got buried, and many people didn't even know this film existed.

But after release, its word of mouth was quite good.

"Youth isn't just about abortion and romance—cheating is the real theme of student life!"

"The most tense, thrilling film—Liu Tianxian cheats her way through the whole thing, insanely satisfying!"

"Calling it a masterpiece is a bit over the top, but it's definitely the most talked-about film. Genius students either don't cheat, or they turn it into a transnational spy thriller—thrilling, full of twists, exciting. Hope Liu Tianxian works with Principal more, and stops mixing with Hong Kong circle directors."

"The flashy editing and oppressive camera work are so badass I don't even want to discuss it."

"The ending is too politically correct—what a shame."

"."

Wangyi spontaneously gave good reviews, word of mouth fermented, and right now with no good films to watch, a good one is genuinely hard to come by.

The next day, the 30th, it rose a bit—box office 11.87 million, word of mouth fermenting further; now it all depends on tomorrow, October 1st, the national holiday.

Those two films also grew—Painted Wall 9.61 million; The Sorcerer and the White Snake 8.72 million.

Li Lianjie is still pretty badass—even after Shoehorn and his wife got cursed like that, the box office held firm.

But the cursing battle still hadn't stopped.

Shoehorn saw the dirt still pouring in from all sides, countless people cursing his film as garbage, and came out again seeking relevance: "If I find out who's spreading rumors, I'll definitely slap them across the face twice."

But a Guangxian Media employee publicly posted about his film: "They say Zhao Yazhi came from heaven, and Huang Shengyi came from Heaven on Earth."

This comment—calling Huang Shengyi a prostitute—completely broke her, forcing her to come out and post: "Playing Bai Suzhen is very difficult, I don't know what to do. Everyone already has a Bai Suzhen in their heart, the gap can't be too big. How to get everyone to accept it, and especially today's young audiences to accept it, is a test."

"." In any case, the cursing battle on both sides was fierce, and Wangyi were eating melon watching the show, as if Bad Genius had nothing to do with it—little knowing this film was the real winner.

Because no one was cursing this film, it grew quietly on pure audience word of mouth, and Liu Tianxian didn't show her face, as if she'd vanished.

The public opinion was buried under the dirt on the Shoehorn couple.

On October 1st, the national holiday, Bad Genius's box office suddenly broke through 30.98 million, topping the box office chart—fierce!

Those two films had their box office sucked away—Painted Wall barely cracked 11.72 million.

The Sorcerer and the White Snake 9.67 million, didn't break ten million.

Wang Zhangtian was starting to regret it—the two sides cursing each other had let Fang Hong play the fisherman.

Should have taken some benefits back then.

And Shoehorn was still confused—he only knew Wang Zhangtian was cursing him, so he cursed back.

Bad Genius's massive success also drew attention from mainstream media.

"You don't deserve your little heart if you don't watch Bad Genius three times." --China Entertainment "Campus-themed films can also deliver a high-speed rhythm." --CCTV News Channel.

"Best Film 'Bad Genius,' a masterpiece among youth films!" — NetEase Entertainment "'Bad Genius' turns campus cheating into a high-IQ spy thriller!"

"."

Word of mouth exploded; no one criticized it, only moralists yammering that the film would lead students astray. In such an atmosphere, 'Bad Genius' broke 46.07 million at the box office on October 2nd.

It refreshed the current domestic film's highest single-day box office record. What was the previous record?

Doesn't matter — it was refreshed anyway. Those two other films are still half-dead, still cursing each other.

It dipped a bit on October 3rd, at 37.76 million, smoothly breaking 130 million — that is, breaking 100 million in five days.

Box office performed poorly throughout the holiday period, so 'Painted Wall' and 'The Sorcerer and the White Snake' had no chance; these two dropped below ten million again.

'Painted Wall' had a small investment, with integrated production and distribution, so it didn't matter! 'The Sorcerer and the White Snake' hired all big names, including figures like Li Lianjie, so the investment was huge.

This incident drained the shoehorn of his spirit; he posted: "I was originally a person who really loves movies, I have a passion for film, but this experience left me very disappointed, very dissatisfied, made me realize the film circle is darker than I imagined, and some film people's tactics are outrageous."

This guy just yammers too much, and still no one pays him any attention.

Time passed quickly; the internet was in an uproar, and the country was a scene of thriving prosperity.

Recently, Liu Tianxian's reputation got another boost thanks to 'Bad Genius,' though her buzz was suppressed.

This was deliberate on the part of Fang Hong and Wang Zhangtian — they couldn't let her pop up, since 'Legend of the Hongmen Banquet' was still coming.

As for before 'The Four Great Constables' was released, Fang Hong had promised Wang Zhangtian to settle this matter once and for all.

But Zeng Yike hadn't been quiet, constantly posting on Weibo to show affection to Liu Tianxian — not posting pictures of petting cats, knowing Liu Tianxian likes cats.

Just posting some literary lines, calling out across the distance.

Liu Tianxian would also post matching cat pictures in response — truly unbearable, even Liu Xiaoli couldn't stand it.

But she couldn't really advise anything. Who's at fault? No one is. Liu Tianxian only treated Zeng Yike as a good friend.

Zeng Yike also acted very considerate.

If Zeng Yike didn't have that kind of tendency, the two of them would just have a perfectly normal relationship.

Just as Liu Tianxian was in the living room, lying on a fluffy blanket playing with her phone.

Fang Hong appeared at Liu Tianxian's Villa; of course Liu Xiaoli opened the door — the two are now on the same side.

"Hello, Auntie!"

He greeted Liu Xiaoli.

No matter what, this matter had nothing to do with Liu Xiaoli — she was still an elder.

Liu Xiaoli nodded, then gestured for him to come inside.

Fang Hong walked in, went up to the languid Liu Tianxian, and looked down at her.

Liu Tianxian was wearing a striped hospital gown, her hair a mess with no image to speak of, and a little puppy was running around beside her.

She merely glanced at Fang Hong indifferently, then looked away, ignoring him.

Instead, she picked up the puppy beside her and started playing with it, completely ignoring everyone else.

"Look at the state of you," Fang Hong said.

"I'll do whatever I want, none of your business," Liu Tianxian snapped back.

They could bicker all they wanted, but their relationship was still there, not broken — Fang Hong just didn't want her to get hurt because of a friend.

Liu Tianxian had always known this.

"I can't be bothered to manage you. Didn't you want to be yourself? Then look at it yourself."

Fang Hong tossed a stack of documents directly onto Liu Tianxian: "I've spoken with Director Ouyang on the phone. You're a sacrifice, and Zeng is just a tool."

(End of chapter)