Chapter 307: The Frontline of Gossip: Weibo

The X-photo incident actually began appearing at the end of January.

At first, a couple of explicit photos were released in Xiangjiang, then spread to the mainland, and the uproar grew worse and worse.

By the Spring Festival, Ying Huang reported it to the police; the two female celebrities involved faced massive fan boycotts of denials, the male party released a video apology, the matter exploded completely, multiple Hong Kong stars spoke out, and then a flood of photos surfaced, triggering nationwide frenzy.

The Hong Kong entertainment circle shook, and Yan Li was in pain but also delighted.

The pain was that Zhang Baizhi was now a top-four contender for Weibo Goddess; when the X-photo scandal broke, her vote count didn't drop—it increased.

Some votes came from casual users drawn in by the hype, some from fans voting to show support, and others as a kind of reward after viewing the photos.

At this peak moment, Weibo couldn't openly manipulate the results—her place in the top four was essentially secured.

That was fine, but Yan Li feared these people would push Zhang all the way to the championship, turning Weibo Goddess into a real joke.

Fortunately, Zhang's next opponent was Liu Tianxian, and her final rival might be Fan Xiaopang; both were formidable, and Yan Li could consider behind-the-scenes maneuvering if necessary.

In any case, Zhang Baizhi had reached the end of her journey to the top four.

The delight, of course, was this super-gossip spectacle bringing enormous traffic to Weibo.

As everyone knows, Weibo was a new platform, ill-prepared for such sudden events, and since its information spread virally at extreme speed, the official team simply couldn't delete photos fast enough to keep up with users posting them.

Besides photos, discussions were nonstop and wildly popular.

Just like the earlier ice-and-snow incident, Weibo once again demonstrated its platform's advanced superiority.

First, its real-time nature and propagation speed nearly crushed traditional platforms.

These days, many forums and BBS require posting, moderation, and pinning—information travels slowly through layers.

Blogs update irregularly and require readers to actively visit, causing propagation delays.

News portals are even worse—they only publish press releases, with longer processes and no comparable timeliness.

QQ groups and chat rooms spread quickly, but only within small circles, unable to form public discourse.

Weibo allows instant posting, brief messages, and viral propagation that can reach massive users in an extremely short time.

The sudden X-photo scandal, fragmented information, and the distance across Xiangjiang made Weibo's efficiency and speed truly revolutionary.

Second, the diversity of information sources and its self-media nature.

On portals and forums, publishing rights rest in the hands of a few editors and moderators.

Weibo lets every user speak out, offering firsthand reports, diverse information, and a flood of leaks and rumors from those involved.

While Tianya could do this too, what made Weibo stand out was that a few celebrities actually joined in.

That's right—these days, celebrities don't understand all that messy stuff, and since Weibo's user base is mostly mainland artists, they joined in the gossip, sharing opinions and even leaks.

Although many celebrities were on blogs, propagation was slower, and gossiping was far less convenient than on Weibo.

Some celebrities had direct ties to the parties involved and chose Weibo as their platform to speak out.

These days, many celebrities release statements through media, but media tends to edit content, and influence varies widely.

Better to use Weibo to communicate directly with the public, avoid unnecessary trouble, and reach massive audiences with clear, effective messaging.

Thanks to this incident, Weibo even gained a number of celebrities as loyal users.

Celebrities aren't stupid; once they realized Weibo was a powerful tool and felt the platform's popularity and benefits, they naturally wouldn't abandon it—they'd actively manage their presence.

Third, building a public discussion square.

While Tianya and other forums allowed interactive replies, their structure was loose and easily drowned out.

Blog and portal comment sections sat below articles, relatively closed and hard to expand.

Weibo's core interaction mechanism—【retweet + comment】—allowed users to add commentary while retweeting, letting opinions spread and collide rapidly.

The 【@】 and 【topic hashtag】 functions enabled direct dialogue with specific users, improving interaction efficiency, while also aggregating all discussions on a particular event into a massive public square.

This was absolutely impossible on previous internet platforms; though Weibo still looked crude, it was already a breakthrough moment.

These three advantages, plus some scattered minor ones.

Although Weibo was new and had few users, it nonetheless became one of the three major gossip platforms alongside Tianya and Tieba.

To some extent, Weibo became the frontline of gossip—most related information appeared first on Weibo, then was copied and reposted to Tianya, Tieba, and other platforms.

Riding this nationwide frenzy, Weibo's user base exploded.

On average, 150, 00 to 200, 00 new users registered daily, and the number kept rising, mostly active users—far exceeding the influx from the ice-and-snow incident.

Don't think this is exaggerated; during the ice-and-snow incident, people still habitually turned to newspapers and TV.

Weibo merely played a supporting role, attracting mostly netizens concerned with rescue efforts—not a mainstream publicity platform.

But the X-photo scandal was different: TV and print media could only report the event—they couldn't show photos or specific gossip. Weibo had it all.

Moreover, this kind of scandal was far more attractive than ice-and-snow rescue efforts, especially involving superstars—with actual photos, no less.

You say some place needs rescue, and it doesn't concern you—many people don't care. But say "Zhang Sir's photos on Weibo," and everyone immediately begs for the link.

…

Sanya, vacation villa

Yan Li stared at the email from Weibo, his smile impossible to suppress.

In just a few days, Weibo's total registered users were heading toward five million; the incident wasn't over yet, and if it held out a bit longer, after the aftermath settled, ten million was certain.

Once it reached this scale, Weibo's momentum would truly take off, poised to form a positive feedback loop, growing better and better.

Fan Xiaopang's expression, however, was less than pleasant. When the X-photo scandal broke, this bastard's phone rang nonstop.

She vaguely knew what those calls were about—Yan Boss, though not as professional as Chen Laoshi, occasionally kept souvenirs too.

With the X-photo leak exposed, how could those women not panic?

Not to mention her—even Fan Xiaopang broke out in cold sweat, nearly smashing her computer.

"Dinner's ready."

When Yan Li had laughed enough, Fan Xiaopang snorted and called him to eat.

Yan Li, who roughly understood why Fan Xiaopang was angry, wrapped his arms around her plump waist and whispered soothing words into her ear.

Fan Xiaopang pinched him hard: "You said it—don't you dare go back on your word."

"When have I ever broken a promise?"

"Hmph."

Fan Xiaopang sneered, yanked him downstairs, and as they passed the stairs, the former tigress instantly turned into a delicate flower.

"I've told you a hundred times—work matters, but don't forget to eat. Skipping meals hurts your stomach. You, stop making your parents worry."

Saying this, she affectionately hugged Zhang Hong and smiled at her: "Auntie, I've dragged him down to eat."

"Good, good, hurry and eat."

Zhang Hong smiled warmly. Yan Li shook his head and reached for a piece of eggplant fritter, but Fan Xiaopang stopped him.

"Go wash your hands."

She pulled him into the bathroom and washed his hands herself.

Amid the sound of running water, Yan Li felt speechless: "Enough already—you're overacting."

Fan Xiaopang had clearly figured out why Zhang Hong was slightly resistant to her; these past few days, she'd been relentlessly playing the role of a virtuous girlfriend and obedient daughter-in-law, trying to change Zhang Hong's mind.

"Don't worry about it—just cooperate."

Fan Xiaopang ignored Yan Li. Zhang Hong's attitude toward her had clearly become much warmer and friendlier—this tactic worked, so she'd keep performing.

After washing her hands, she took a towel and gently dried Yan Li's hands right in front of Zhang Hong.

Yan Li grumbled, but his body happily cooperated with Fan Xiaopang's attentions.

This tigress had a strong personality, a successful career, and solid confidence. Though she usually listened to him and occasionally showed feminine tenderness in daily life, such overt displays of devotion were rare.

Just two days ago, Fan Xiaopang brought him a basin of foot-washing water and massaged his feet—Old Yan nearly choked on his cigarette.

Zhang Hong had privately talked to him: "Men, be a little more considerate toward women. Don't act so high-and-mighty."

Yan Li's hometown had some feudal customs, but few husbands treated their wives like this.

If Old Yan asked Zhang Hong to wash his feet, she'd splash the water right in his face.

After washing up, they sat down to eat. Since the family ran a restaurant, Old Yan cooked everything himself; the hired maid only helped out.

Cooks don't like cooking at home, but during the Spring Festival, with his long-absent son and future daughter-in-law present, Old Yan showed off his skills every day.

Indeed, since becoming wealthy, Old Yan no longer had to endure heavy kitchen labor, giving him more time to study cuisine, exposing him to many famous chefs' dishes, and with Yan Li occasionally contributing recipes, his cooking had improved significantly.

The new dishes developed with these recipes even surprised Yan Li.

Remember, Yan Li attended countless banquets, ate at many fine restaurants, knew how to cook himself, had access to system recipes, and sometimes cooked for fun.

Under these circumstances, if even he was impressed, you could judge Old Yan's skill.

Fan Xiaopang had also benefited greatly—these past few days, she'd dared not step on the scale, constantly worrying about returning to the grueling days on the set of "Yanzhi Xue."

"Bingbing, eat more. You don't look thin on TV, but in person, you've definitely lost weight."

Zhang Hong routinely served Fan Xiaopang dishes; Fan Xiaopang cried inside but smiled brightly.

Yan Li, mischievous as ever, kept pointing out fatty, calorie-heavy dishes and claiming they were Fan Xiaopang's favorites, prompting Zhang Hong to pile more on her plate. Fan Xiaopang couldn't take it anymore and quickly changed the subject.

"Aren't you supposed to release that ad after the New Year? Why hasn't anything happened?"

Yan Li took a bite of beef: "How was I supposed to know so much would happen during the Spring Festival?"

"Originally, we planned to drive traffic and expand influence. Now you've seen how Weibo is—let's hold off. Wait until the frenzy dies down before releasing it."

On one hand, to avoid overlapping traffic and maximize returns; on the other, with both the ice-and-snow incident and the X-photo scandal going on, Yan Li's ad would feel completely out of place—it just didn't fit.

Better this way: when Weibo's influence grows even stronger, Yan Li's ad will have even greater impact.

Fan Xiaopang felt a bit regretful—Yan Li had hardly ever done ads, except for some public service announcements.

This one was kept so mysterious, with no details revealed at all—she was genuinely curious.

Fan Xiaopang then continued chatting with Yan Li about other work, occasionally explaining things to the confused Old Yan couple.

Her motive wasn't just to avoid the food—she was leveraging her strengths.

Fan Xiaopang's image as a virtuous girlfriend is merely catering to Zhang Hong's preferences—anyone could play this role—but she also aims to convince the elders that she is Yan Li's good helper and supportive wife; this is her confidence and an image others cannot replicate.

Fan Xiaopang's thinking is correct!

Although Zhang Hong sometimes feels pressure, she also thinks Fan Xiaopang is capable and can help her son.

At the Yan family's small restaurant, Old Yan handles the kitchen, while Zhang Hong manages everything else—she is essentially a strong woman holding up half the sky.

From the mother-in-law's perspective, she wants a well-behaved daughter-in-law; from the mother's perspective, she also wants her son to have a wife who can share his burdens.

In short, although Zhang Hong still harbors complex feelings toward Fan Xiaopang deep down, they have softened considerably compared to before.

Zhang Hong even mentioned the Weibo Goddess voting, saying she would call home to ask family members to vote for Fan Xiaopang.

As the X-Zhao scandal raged, the Weibo Goddess contest was about to enter its finals.

Although Zhang Baizhi, who made it to the top four, was currently popular, she faced some backlash; moreover, her opponent, Liu Tianxian—renowned as a jade maiden—had already gained the upper hand in public favor.

On the fan front, Zhang's side was in chaos, while Liu's side won one victory after another, their morale high, aided by behind-the-scenes maneuvering on Weibo.

Although voting had not ended, Liu Tianxian had already secured a 60% lead and was virtually guaranteed a spot in the finals.

The other top-four matchup was Fan Xiaopang versus Xiao Yanzizi in their "My Fair Princess" rivalry.

After many years, the two finally faced off directly in a fierce battle; at its most intense moment, the vote stood at 51%–49%, with fans and netizens scrambling to force the creators of "My Fair Princess" to take sides.