Chapter 726: Entertainment Industry Uprising

At the principal's words, the crowd erupted in "Ohhh!" and "Hahahaha!" jeers and laughter.

There were also applause—these were people who had been coerced by Su Mang, forced to donate or face kneeling punishment; was this really how it should be?

It was just that the principal spoke too boldly, openly claiming the event was meant to buy luxury villas—and it wasn't impossible; otherwise, why would Su Mang work so hard?

At this moment, Su Mang was left speechless by the principal's words, his face dark with humiliation, only able to look helplessly toward the audience.

But they couldn't do anything to him right now.

If someone insisted on coming onstage to speak, what could they do? Unless they called security to drag the principal out—but that might work on ordinary people; if they did it to the principal, the fallout would be enormous.

What is the principal's status? Chairman of Chang'e Yutu, one of the Top Ten Economic Outstanding Figures, a promising youth!

"This evening's gala is extraordinary—it's the most degenerate gala I've ever seen. Maybe I don't attend many events because I rarely leave campus, so my horizons are narrow—but today has opened my eyes wide."

Fang Hong's voice carried a resolute force as he added: "Let me reveal a bit more insider info for you—though I can't guarantee its truth—whose bid took the rosewood Guanyin statue?"

A short, stocky man with dark, sunburnt skin raised his hand—he looked like a mine owner.

"This item's cost was fraudulently inflated to 4.8 million yuan; the real cost was only 300,000 to 500,000 yuan, netting 2.9 million yuan in tax evasion," Fang Hong blurted out.

Everyone in the hall exchanged stunned glances—these billionaires played too cleverly; a 500,000-yuan item suddenly turned into millions of profit, all while gaining a good reputation.

Look, I donated hundreds of thousands of yuan—how virtuous of me. In truth, they made money.

The mine owner's face turned black—he'd return the item during inspection if it wasn't worth the price, since the money hadn't been paid yet.

The mine owner was still quite rough—he didn't care about all this.

Aside from the car donations, which were relatively normal with little room for manipulation, every other donation had some Mao Ni involved.

"The signed baseball cap of the 'Silly Roe Deer'—if I heard correctly, some bank president bid 2.8 million yuan for it. A baseball cap worth that much? I don't believe it. Is there something fishy going on?" Fang Hong smiled meaningfully.

This was entirely possible—a hat worth millions? Even a fool would know there was Mao Ni.

"The principal has gone too far—you've said everything you should and shouldn't have. Is that enough?!" A man in a silver suit rose to his feet, staring directly at him.

Seeing him stand, everyone's expressions grew tense—the principal had finally met his match.

"I'm sorry, Chairman, but today I must expose everything here, or my conscience won't let me rest. Everyone says I don't donate—how am I supposed to donate? Give money so others can buy villas and earrings?"

"And then I have no power over them—isn't that ironic? You donate, yet you have no oversight. Isn't that right, General Manager Cao?"

Fang Hong looked toward Lao Cao's direction.

Lao Cao knew all about these things—he usually donated more to schools than to disasters.

"You don't have to donate—no one forces you—it's completely voluntary. But you're spreading rumors here, stirring up trouble—what are you trying to do?" The Chairman pointed at him.

"I'm not trying to do anything—I just want to tell you, and all of you in the fashion circle, that we in the entertainment industry aren't things you can manipulate."

"Oh… you're short on cash, so you target us entertainers, using charity as an excuse to bully us—donate, and you get a publicity draft praising you; don't donate, and you get a publicity draft slandering you. What's the meaning of this? Do you think I, as principal, or I, as Weightlifting Champion, don't exist?!" Fang Hong tapped his own chest, unyielding.

Someone in the audience couldn't help laughing—the term "Weightlifting Champion" had just been a joke among them, but the principal had taken it seriously.

Liu Tianxian also rubbed her forehead—this guy really did take everything onto himself.

"Who's bullying you entertainment people? Do you have a persecution complex?" A wealthy woman rose to her feet—she was Wang Xiuping, wife of the Fashion Group Chairman.

The Chairman wasn't here—his health was poor.

Wang Xiuping had finally figured it out—the principal was here to cause trouble.

"No bullying?" Fang Hong scanned the crowd of celebrities.

The celebrities exchanged glances; as they hesitated, Liu Tianxian stood up without hesitation: "I don't understand why, but they say my status is high, and just appearing on stage for a photo costs two million yuan."

The audience was stunned—Liu Tianxian was truly bold, not pretending at all, directly exposing the inside story.

Though everyone knew this rule existed, actually exposing it would be like tearing off the gala's last veil of shame.

Admirable—but she's his wife, so naturally they supported her.

"I think many others have suffered the same treatment. I'm not asking anyone to do anything—I just want to say: don't sell your dignity for a cover story or a few publicity drafts. We have dignity too." Liu Tianxian was declaring rebellion.

And there were indeed responders—Guoji Zhang stood up and said: "It's bullying—Su Mang told me himself: don't donate two million, and you're off the cover!"

She'd long resented Su Mang—before, he'd even rushed her off the red carpet, so coldly practical.

Their feud had existed for years—when Guoji Zhang married Wang Feng last year, she didn't even invite Su Mang.

They used to be close, but their relationship had deteriorated sharply in recent years.

Seeing Guoji Zhang rise, the onlookers were astonished—it seemed Guoji Zhang was about to break ties with Harper's Bazaar.

Some in the audience were tempted to stand, but dared not—they only glanced at each other, hoping someone else would rise first.

Even with the principal's backing and Liu Tianxian's rebellion, they still dared not defy the fashion circle.

After all, the fashion circle could truly assign their endorsement tiers, shape their images, and elevate their status.

Then Zhang Shaohan also stood up—but she said nothing, merely standing to show support, her heart full of resentment with no outlet.

She donated 700,000 yuan and was still online-bullied—how could she not be resentful? They just thought her donation was too small.

"Don't be afraid—today, our principal says: anyone who has suffered bullying, speak out your grievances. I want to see if the fashion circle can function without us entertainment people." Fang Hong encouraged them.

Zhang Shaohan was brave—even those not from here dared to resist. It just showed most in the entertainment industry had grown used to being bullied, like sheep too timid to act.

But she still said nothing—she simply stood there, silently protesting.

Seeing someone take the lead, in the stunned gazes of the crowd, Lin Xinru, Jiang Xin, and Young Master Zhou rose one after another.

"I just don't get it—I donated one million yuan, but the publicity draft won't let me use the word 'charity.' What's this? Is charity your family's business?" Young Master Zhou spoke with a teasing tone.

She was actually angry because Su Mang had once mocked her in an interview for being only 1.5 meters tall, claiming she relied entirely on photo editing.

Seeing one celebrity after another rise, Su Mang's eyes turned sinister—he'd already noted their names in his little notebook; none of them would ever appear on Feng again.

The Chairman's wife watched coldly, her face twisted as she muttered to those beside her: "These bitches dare to rebel? I'll blacklist them all—especially Liu Tianxian—completely erase her."

"Understood, General Manager Wang." The General Manager nodded.

The Fashion Group's blacklist could truly erase a star's value—they partnered with nearly all top international luxury brands, high-end cosmetics, and jewelry houses.

They also had ties with top-tier stylists and photographers, who would refuse to work with blacklisted artists.

And they controlled a media matrix—all major fashion magazines—Fashion Cosmo, Harper's Bazaar, Fashion Gentleman—were under their control.

They also have their own apps, websites, and social media, forming full-media coverage.

This is also why many stars dare not resist—they can only endure and suppress it. They aren't like the Principal; whether they fit into the fashion circle or not doesn't matter much. The Principal is a man, doesn't take ads, and doesn't shoot magazine covers.

But they need fashion ads and magazine features to maintain exposure and boost their own value.

Seeing many stars act boldly, it was surprising when Yao Dazui also stood up.

"Isn't this person feuding with the Principal? Why would she support him?"

"Probably because during her bitter divorce battle with her ex-husband years ago, Basa heavily republished Tang Yifei's accusations against Yao Dazui, claiming his image had collapsed."

"No wonder!"

Excluding Liu Tianxian, three major figures have now stood up: Guoji Zhang, Yao Dazui, and Young Master Zhou.

Then came Ni Ni, Little Yellow Duck, Xia Jie, Tang Wei, and Zhang Yuqi, each rising one after another.

Little Yellow Duck was scolded by Su Mang for low EQ, accused of ignoring seniors when accepting awards.

Xia Jie befriended rival magazine Vogue, which Su Mang saw as betrayal—this is also why her resources declined after marriage.

Ni Ni refused Basa's request for a cover shoot due to role ranking issues, then later cut his cover entirely.

Zhang Yuqi was called by Su Mang "the flesh goddess!"

Anyway, there are too many. She's truly offended countless people—even Deng Wendi and Hong Huang. Do you think she has any brains?

As more and more people stood up—here one, there another—the celebrities present couldn't help but be startled.

"Looks like these little lambs have found courage under the Principal's encouragement."

These wealthy men and celebrities have always viewed female stars as playthings. The entertainment circle is dirty, but not because of the stars—it's dirty because of these rich men and celebrities.

Without their lust-driven hunting for beauties, the entertainment circle could be cleaner than any other circle.

Even now, it's cleaner than any other circle, because whenever something happens, the spotlight shines on them, and netizens and media mercilessly condemn them.

Why do stars always get scolded? Because in other circles, you can't scold them, and you don't dare to. Any random circle is more powerful than entertainment.

"Today my husband and I also support the Principal—but after today, I will permanently quit charity work," Sun Li pulled Deng Chao to his feet.

Deng Chao said nothing; he was more tactful, but his action spoke clearly.

Sun Li was heartbroken—she donated money but was called a miser, mocked by netizens for being too stingy. She didn't understand: whether she donated or not, she was criticized!

Better to stay low-key and do what she truly wanted.

This silenced everyone present, making Su Mang and the organizers frown.

Then Tong Dawei and Guan Yue, a married couple, also stood up—they too had been called "stingy to the last penny."

Da Mimi said nothing, just stood up, and was mocked: "The most miserly actress!"

Either you donate too much and it's expected, or you donate too little and you're branded a miser, a miserly rooster, someone who won't give a single penny.

"I can donate any amount, but don't accuse me of chasing money just because I didn't show up once—that's unreasonable. Everyone has their own affairs," Fan Xiaopang also stood up.

Before, when she didn't come, she was scolded: "Chasing money!"

More and more stars stood up—mostly female stars. Male stars were slightly better off, with fewer issues, but they too were pressured. Huang Xiaoming stood and said: "I reject moral coercion."

The lesser-known stars rose one after another, silently protesting—they were forced to drink, entertain, and be groped here, then had to buy tickets with their own money, or be dragged out.

Just now, someone who didn't buy a ticket was dragged out.

Those without clout or money, just wanting to bask in the spotlight, still get harvested—they're the most pitiful group.

Seeing more and more people rise, Su Mang panicked. The Chairman's wife was also alarmed. One or two were manageable, but too many—they couldn't handle it.

"Today I want to give a thumbs-up to every star who stood up. You may get blacklisted, but I want to say—you're all amazing," Fang Hong gave them a thumbs-up.

Being praised by the Principal made the standing stars blush, their hearts stirred, their bodies warm.

This was resistance against fashion, resistance against bullying, a refusal to moral coercion!

Liu Tianxian was also stirred. She had never dared do such a thing before—but now she dared. She disliked Su Mang because he always forced her to drink with clients.

"Remember, people in entertainment aren't lowly. Don't let yourselves be seen as lowly—being priced like goods, toyed with, then harvested. Why?"

This grand event, in truth, uses so-called poor children to hand out tickets to us—but I really want to ask: of all the money we donated, how much actually reached those poor children?"

"We're not unwilling to donate—we're generous. Donating brings good reputation; why not? But we want to donate meaningfully, comfortably, and with a clear conscience."

Fang Hong, fired up, added again: "All the celebrities and wealthy here, listen well: entertainment may seem lowly to you, a playground for your amusement—but it's not something you can manipulate at will. We can choose not to play with you."

"If you push us too far, fashion, media—everything gets blacklisted."

These final words shocked everyone present. The Principal was clearly preparing to blacklist Basa and lead an entire entertainment uprising.

Some exchanged glances; some stars straightened their spines, even standing taller.

They'd been oppressed too long—just wanting fame and money, forced to submit, burdened with moral coercion, even their gestures scrutinized under magnifying glasses: was it indecent? Was it illegal?

(End of Chapter)