Chapter 134

Jingcheng, a certain internet cafe

Wei Yang sat with a cheap 2-yuan boxed meal, shoveling it down while typing furiously.

This former entertainment reporter for the Southern Metropolis Daily, who had once helped expose the report "Little Actor Is Actually a New Entertainment Elite," originally had a promising career.

But after being fed up with his superior Pang Yidian's workplace bullying, he beat him up and quit in fury.

After failing to find work in Beijing following the New Year, Wei Yang, who prided himself on his writing skills, became a freelance writer.

A freelance writer, in plain terms, is a "blind migrant" who survives by his pen.

He usually submits articles or news to various websites and newspapers; when accepted, he gets paid, and he also takes on odd writing gigs—advertising soft articles, ghostwriting sequels, puff pieces or hit pieces on films, TV shows, and songs, and so on.

When the market is good, he can earn a little money and gain minor fame; when submissions fail or work is scarce, he struggles to afford food and lodging.

Wei Yang was now in one of those difficult phases.

To save money and for convenience, he had been holed up in the internet cafe for nearly two weeks, and his savings were steadily dwindling.

He had to reserve enough for internet and phone bills to keep working and stay in contact, so he could only pinch pennies from every crack.

A few days ago, his meals were instant noodles in a cup, sometimes with a sausage added; now he could only afford the cheapest boxed meals without even a speck of meat, and he couldn't even afford a bottle of Lao Gan Ma—unless things changed, he'd soon be chewing steamed buns raw.

Perhaps because of his background as an entertainment reporter, Wei Yang was familiar with and drawn to entertainment news.

Also, because demand in this area was high, his submissions had a relatively higher chance of being accepted.

So every day, Wei Yang first chased hot trends by writing watered-down articles to earn money and sustain himself.

Today was no different: after finishing two articles on the romance between pop diva Wang Fei and Li Yapeng, he proofread them, felt the acceptance odds were high, and pulled out his few remaining cigarettes to light one as a reward.

Since last year's revelation that Li Yapeng broke up with Young Master Zhou and began pursuing Wang Fei, this new "Fei-Peng romance" had become a major entertainment gossip sensation.

Li Yapeng really knew how to stir things up!

Late last year, he was exposed as paying for Wang Fei's birthday party; during the Spring Festival, he was caught spending every night playing mahjong with her until midnight; recently, media outlets leaked that Li Yapeng had "harassed" Wang Fei with text messages—sending as many as a hundred joke texts a day just to cheer her up.

In short, the gossip material never ran dry, sustaining many media outlets and freelance writers like Wei Yang.

But Wei Yang had no access to firsthand sources—he could only rework online scraps, which lacked freshness, leaving him to merely skim the surface and sip the broth.

Wei Yang wasn't satisfied with this; he wanted fame and more money, so he had to find new, explosive scoops.

But with limited capital, no money, and no connections, he could only scour the web—so, smoking, Wei Yang browsed Tianya Forum.

Tianya Forum

Was currently the most popular content creation and knowledge-sharing forum in the country.

It covered numerous sections—including web novels, entertainment gossip, sports highlights, strange tales, social news, and emotional life—and had a massive, highly active user base.

Among these, the entertainment gossip section thrived because it involved major celebrities and satisfied ordinary people's voyeuristic curiosity about stars' real lives and private affairs.

As a result, related boards and posts on Tianya were wildly popular, and many people's impression of Tianya was simply that it was full of gossip.

In recent years, Tianya had leaked an abundance of explosive entertainment industry scoops.

Including the compilation and exposé of the Liu Jialing and Yizhoukan incident, which revealed to mainland gossip netizens the dark side of the Xiangjiang film industry.

Also, the rumor that Qiao Feng and Zhu Zhu from "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" were making "e-e-e" noises in their tent, disturbing others' sleep.

The source of this leak was unclear, but it likely gained fame through Tianya's fermentation.

Oh, and the recently popular "Shi X Ba Mei" trend—this term also originated on Tianya.

As a result, Tianya's reputation kept growing: those with scoops loved to post here, and entertainment reporters like Wei Yang loved to lurk here for material.

"The truth behind Zhang Guoli's son assaulting someone—involves the department head; this story is worth writing."

"New-generation starlet Huang Shengyi allegedly has a boyfriend? She's not even famous yet and people are already digging?"

"Leak from the Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies set: 'Double Bing' erupted in fierce conflict in the makeup room… Holy shit."

Wei Yang froze—two top young actresses fighting? That's that intense?!

Then he checked the time and his eyes lit up—the post had been published less than two hours ago, still fresh.

Wei Yang carefully read through the entire post and the original poster's replies.

The "insider" claiming to be from the production team said he had witnessed the incident firsthand; he didn't know the exact cause, but claimed the two women had been at odds even off-set, keeping to themselves and rarely interacting.

The details were vividly described.

Like Li Lin and Jiang Xin blocking the door to prevent intrusions, Dong Xuan and Yang Xue trying to disperse the onlookers, Huo Siyan rushing to report it, and producer Yan Li rushing in with the director to break up the fight.

Even after a netizen, apparently a Li Bingbing fan, questioned his credibility, the poster posted a group photo from the Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies set and a behind-the-scenes shot to prove his identity.

"Solid. Absolutely solid."

Wei Yang was overjoyed and immediately left enthusiastic comments on the post, trying to get the original poster's QQ or email for private contact.

But the original poster didn't reply; anxious, Wei Yang "revealed his identity," falsely claiming to be a Sina journalist—still no reply.

Half an hour later, replies piled up, and the post had become an in-site trending topic.

The moderator even showed up to join the fray, saying the leaker had contacted him to delete the post, but after being refused, the leaker apparently deleted his account and vanished.

"It's blown up big time—the scoop's probably real."

Wei Yang no longer hesitated—he screenshot the original post and replies, then immediately began writing his article and sent it to major portals and media outlets.

————

Su Province, Wu City Film City

Yan Li browsed the online news, then shut his computer: "You two should take a look."

Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang, who were being widely rumored to have fought violently and bled profusely, turned to the screen simultaneously.

"'Double Bing' Fights in Makeup Room: 'Battle of Wills'—Dong Xuan and Li Lin Block Door to Prevent Paparazzi, Producer Yan Li Frantically Tries to Break It Up"

—According to insiders, in the makeup room of the Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies set, popular actresses Li Bingbing and Fan Bingbing erupted into a fierce argument, and the scene briefly spiraled out of control…

Fan Xiaopang couldn't help rolling his eyes halfway through: "This reporter's got no brains—saying we fought over a makeup table? Really?"

"You don't get it—it's about showing the big through the small. The fight over the makeup table reveals your mutual hatred and your power struggle within the production team."

Yan Li explained beside him, clearly impressed; Li Bingbing looked at him skeptically: "This isn't some writer you hired, is it?"

"No, the writer I'm looking for wrote this article."

Yan Li clicked twice and published a new article, this one far more detailed, covering relevant details of the crew's conflict and speculations about the reasons behind the rivalry between the two Bings—highly polished.

"Pang Yidian?"

Fan Xiaopang glanced at the byline: "Your pet paparazzo?"

"What do you mean 'my pet'? He's my hometown buddy, writes well, charges fair, and has some influence, so we've collaborated a bit."

Yan Li sipped from his cup: "We'll rely on him for the next phase of the 'Two Bings' rivalry hype. I've already arranged with him—we'll start pushing the narrative that she's Huayi's number one actress."

Fan Xiaopang frowned: "Wasn't the plan about stealing a man?"

"Why the rush? I already said—the ace card can't be played straight away. First, we fully heat up the 'Two Bings' concept, then reveal the man-stealing angle. When that happens, we can fold this current story into it."

Yan Li explained further; Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang listened and found no issues.

The rivalry between the two Bings was still just beginning, but they'd already tasted some sweetness—even without any dramas airing, their exposure never stopped.

Especially Fan Xiaopang, who, by being paired with Li Bingbing as one of the "Two Bings," saw her status skyrocket—more effective than starring in several dramas.

But before Fan Xiaopang could enjoy it long, Yan Li doused her with half a basin of cold water.

"Right now, the 'Two Bings' rivalry still centers on career. Compared to Bingbing, Xiao Fan has many weaknesses and real risks."

Yan Li sighed, realizing he'd underestimated the boost from the movie "Mobile Phone."

Originally, Li Bingbing was already more popular than Fan Xiaopang, but Fan's youth and popularity let her barely cling to parity—the "Two Bings" rivalry was plausible.

But after "Mobile Phone" became a hit, Li Bingbing's profile surged across the board, nearing top-tier status.

Fan Xiaopang, already at a disadvantage, was now even more outclassed.

Short-term hype was fine, but once Li Bingbing fully capitalized on "Mobile Phone's" benefits, Huayi's number one actress would be a done deal.

At this point, Yan Li even felt a grudging respect for Wang Jinghua's long-term scheming.

Originally, Wang Jinghua planned to give "Mobile Phone" to Fan Xiaopang, to elevate her career and create competition with Li Bingbing—making it easier for Wang Jinghua to balance them.

The strategy was sound, but Yan Li had meddled in.

Now Wang Jinghua was worried, and Yan Li's "Two Bings" plan had been disrupted.

The "Two Bings" rivalry needs balance—back-and-forth, evenly matched, or it's just boring. If the gap's too wide, it's like a big beating a small one—no drama, no appeal.

"In the short term, it's hard for Xiao Fan to catch up with Bingbing. We need an unconventional move."

Yan Li looked at Fan Xiaopang with hesitation: "I should warn you—this move has side effects."

Fan Xiaopang frowned slightly: "Go on."

"The old saying: when career fails, love succeeds. Since Bingbing leads in career, Xiao Fan must win back ground in romance."

Li Bingbing understood, watching Fan Xiaopang with interest: "So you're telling her to be the other woman?"

"Uh… crude words, but the logic holds."

Yan Li cleared his throat. Earlier, when he pushed the "two women fighting over one man" angle, he'd planned to take the blame himself—being the two-timing jerk—to keep the two women as clean as possible.

Now the plan had changed: Yan Li would still be the heartless playboy, but Fan Xiaopang was given a bigger role.

They'd highlight her "romantic victory," adding tension and sparks to the rivalry.

But this plotline would inevitably harm Fan Xiaopang's reputation—and possibly damage her public image.

Fan Xiaopang hesitated deeply. Yan Li, seeing this, slowly sipped his water, saying nothing.

His main goal in stoking the "Two Bings" rivalry was the project "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies." No matter what Fan Xiaopang chose, the drama's attention was guaranteed.

If the "Two Bings" gimmick later fizzled, the rivalry lost intensity, and exposure dropped, they'd be the ones hurt—especially Fan Xiaopang, desperate to climb up.

Yan Li had given his advice; it didn't directly affect his interests. The decision wasn't his to make.

"So being the other woman? Fine, let's do it."

Fan Xiaopang didn't hesitate long. Earlier, when Yan Li pushed them to hype the rivalry over a man, he'd said: if you want to make money, don't fear being hated. The same logic applied to her—wanting to rise, why care about the label "other woman"?

Not only was she unafraid, now that she'd decided, she even started brainstorming ways to add more drama—public declarations of love, mocking Li Bingbing, things like that.

If we're going to hype it, we go all the way!

Li Bingbing couldn't help rolling her eyes at Fan Xiaopang, already imagining how to respond.

Her character was far more likable than Fan Xiaopang's—she could play the heartbroken, tragic heroine to win sympathy, or the strong, independent woman who crushes the traitors.

"Should I just take Yan Li back?"

Li Bingbing thought of another possibility: a classic "broken mirror mended, the other woman ousted" revenge plot—everyone loved that.

Crucially, it meant the "Two Bings" would truly clash again—discussion would skyrocket.

Fan Xiaopang got excited: "Then I'll take him back again—another headline!"

Li Bingbing was about to speak when Yan Li, unable to hold back, interrupted: "Are you two playing ping-pong? Passing me back and forth like this—when will it end?"

Cooperating with the hype was fine; trashing my reputation repeatedly wasn't a problem either—but what's in it for me?

Don't even talk about helping me make money—just let me score a goal so I don't work for free…

The two women calmed down. They'd gotten too carried away with their fantasies and almost forgot Yan Li was a real person—the director, after all—and they had to follow his lead.

"What's the next step?"

"Of course, I, as producer, will go out and deny it—all of this is baseless."

Yan Li had already prepared his script: "Then I'll arrange a video interview for both of you. You know what to do, right?"

Li Bingbing said: "Put on an act, sweet words with a dagger behind."

Fan Xiaopang said: "Fake affection, smiling with a knife hidden."

Yan Li clapped his hands hard: "Exactly! Follow this script—don't overdo it. Just slightly more exaggerated than your usual interactions."

Fan Xiaopang / Li Bingbing: "..."

Were they really that obvious in daily life…?

…

Under Yan Li's orchestration, news of the two Bings' discord came one after another, becoming the most important entertainment news of the first two months of 2004.

Forums like Tianya and Mop had numerous discussion threads, and the fan sites of both sides, along with the newly emerged Baidu Tieba, even saw small-scale flame wars between the fans of Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang.

The "Huan Tian Xi Di" crew also became a hot favorite of the media, with media outlets from all over the country coming to interview and report.

Not only did the two Bings steal the spotlight, even the other lead actors rode the wave and gained considerable exposure.

With such high popularity, a TV station finally could not hold back any longer and came to the "Huan Tian Xi Di" crew to scout on-site and make contact, intending to purchase the rights.

(End of chapter)