Chapter 346

February 2nd, the eighth day of the first lunar month

The film "The Founding of a Nation" officially commenced shooting at the Huairou Film Base, with director Han Sanye, Huang Jianzhong, Tang Guoqiang, and other key creatives all present.

Yan Li was listed as producer of the film and made a cameo as a Nationalist army officer at a checkpoint, suspected of being a spy.

This role had only one scene: allowing the democratic figure Zhang Lan and his group to pass, with mysterious demeanor, making him appear like a Communist underground agent.

Originally, Yan Li was slated to play Du Yuming or another senior Nationalist officer, but it was later found his scenes might not make the final cut, and his youth clashed awkwardly with the predominantly middle-aged cast.

Moreover, Yan Li was busy and had limited shooting time, so they assigned him a similar role, filmed it quickly, and moved on.

Though the role was small, the actors he shared scenes with were no ordinary people.

It was likely Chen Daoming, and this plot segment also involved Jiang Wen's portrayal of Mao Renfeng; according to Han Sanye, he might direct that portion.

As previously mentioned, "The Founding of a Nation" recruited numerous "part-time directors," including big-name directors like Chen Da Dao, Feng Xiaogang, Jiang Wen, and Ning Hao.

Han Sanye had already instructed them: while making cameos, they would also oversee certain segments—directing, guiding, or advising—each handling one section, which would surely enhance the film.

But Yan Li felt these famous directors were all troublemakers; directing here, directing there, easily creating imbalance and dissonance.

Still, this was a tribute film—different circumstances; spectacle mattered most, and above them stood Han Sanye as the anchor and Huang Jianxin as the overall supervisor.

"... Inviting celebrities means entertainment, no no no, I'd rather call it marketization or commercialization..."

"... In an era of rapid film market expansion, mainstream themes must also follow the times—we cannot remain stagnant..."

"... Operating mainstream themes through commercial models is one of our key development and research directions; we have historical epics, fantasy epics—why not mainstream or red epics..."

"... Hollywood's 'Top Gun' and 'Saving Private Ryan' are routinely called military and war films, but fundamentally they're American mainstream epics—I've never seen certain people question Hollywood like this; double standards are unacceptable..."

"..."

As always, the current climate is terrible—too many public intellectuals and traitors, especially concentrated in media and cultural circles.

When they see sensitive topics, they praise and idolize them as masterpieces.

But when they encounter mainstream or red-themed material, they react as if their mothers were murdered—screaming accusations, hopping mad and cursing up a storm.

"The Founding of a Nation" drew massive attention and stirred nerves; online chatter prompted some media to ask questions.

Though Han Sanye was the project's official lead, his visibility clearly paled next to Yan Li's, so they targeted Yan Li.

Though it stole some spotlight, Yan Li still responded, considering "The Founding of a Nation."

After the interview, Han Sanye gave Yan Li a thumbs-up.

Some things, as an official representative, he couldn't say openly—and even if he did, the impact wouldn't match Yan Li's appeal as a young commercial idol.

If Han Sanye said those things, not just officially, but in public opinion, he'd be besieged from all sides.

Yan Li, not only backed by Weibo's support, but also by his sheer influence and fan base, could already counteract those public intellectuals and traitors to some degree.

In fact, many of them were his fans.

True, Yan Li didn't want to admit it, but as a commercial idol and charismatic figure, he was a standard elite authority—his supporters were numerous and fiercely loyal; attacking Yan Li might trigger internal strife.

Shaking his head, Yan Li didn't take it too seriously; he appeared briefly, greeted Han Sanye and the lead actors, then left the set.

His scenes still had a while to shoot, and might not even be filmed at Huairou.

Zhichun Road, Weibo headquarters

When Yan Li arrived, the company was bustling; the Spring Festival surge meant Weibo's total registered users were about to hit 100 million, so they were planning events and promotions to boost Weibo's profile.

Entering his office, the secretary handed him documents and matters; Yan Li skimmed them and asked casually.

"Is the second Weibo Goddess final round nearly over?"

"Announced at 8 p. m. sharp."

"Who's ahead?"

"Right now, Xiao Yanzi has the edge, but the gap is tiny—they've been trading leads."

Yan Li nodded; this year's final, featuring two top actresses from the Four Dan and Two Bing group, plus their "Return of the Pearl" connection, was even livelier than last year's.

"Boss Yan, should we steer some traffic?"

The secretary asked; Yan Li paused, understanding her meaning.

Fan Xiaopang was one of their own; Weibo naturally leaned toward her winning. Now, with scrutiny high, vote manipulation was sensitive—but steering traffic was subtler.

"No. Let them compete on their own."

A Weibo Goddess wasn't worth cheating for.

Yi'an and Weibo rose and fell together; the platform was already sensitive. Arbitrary interference would destroy its neutrality and credibility.

So Yan Li would uphold rules as much as possible—even occasionally sacrifice his own people—to preserve the bigger picture.

"Bring me the 100-million-user campaign plan. Notify the financing team to meet this afternoon. Also, the speech draft for the Internet Business Forum has a few issues—call the writer in, I'll speak with him."

Stretching his wrists, Yan Li put the Weibo Goddess out of his mind, drank some water, and entered work mode.

But Yan Li didn't care about a Weibo Goddess—Fan Xiaopang did.

Or rather, she didn't care about the Weibo Goddess title—she just didn't want to lose to Xiao Yanzi.

Xinghe Bay

"Sis, we've mobilized all fan groups, Tieba forums, and related forums—we'll catch up on votes soon."

Yang Tianzhen reported; Fan Xiaopang pointed at the computer screen, where the "Return of the Pearl" forum showed Xiao Yanzi's fans campaigning.

They campaigned as usual, but used derogatory nicknames—calling her 【Lock-Sis】, 【Hat-Sis】, 【Stick-Sis】—so vile.

Fortunately, Fan Xiaopang's fans weren't gentle either, firing back with 【Flag-Sis】, 【Shit-Sis】, 【Beat-Up-Sis】.

The two fan factions clashed fiercely in the "Return of the Pearl" forum, dragging Lin Xinru into the fray.

These three had never gotten along; their fans hated each other.

But now Xiao Yanzi and Fan Xiaopang dominated; even without direct targeting, the collateral damage forced Lin Xinru's fans into retreat, battered and humiliated.

"Sis, don't get angry—many trolls are just like this: venomous tongues, hardened hearts."

Yang Tianzhen glanced briefly and thought Fan Xiaopang was upset by the fans' comments about Xiao Yanzi, but she shook her head instead.

"I think the other side is well-prepared and has strong mobilization power—we can't put all our eggs in one basket."

Fan Xiaopang has been red-hot for the past two years, but Xiao Yanzi is no pushover; even if her career momentum isn't as strong, her massive national popularity and influence still firmly secure her a place in the top tier of female stars.

This is evident from Weike's follower counts and the Weike Goddess votes—had it not been for Yi An's connections, Fan Xiaopang might already have lost.

Now the two sides are locked in battle, the gap is narrow, and it's hard to say who will win.

If she wins, everyone is happy; if she loses, Fan Xiaopang plans to win back elsewhere.

Yang Tianzhen asked: "Sis, what's your plan?"

"Play it safe—expand the battlefield, open two fronts. If we lose here, we win there, or at least end in a draw."

Fan Xiaopang spoke, fiddled with her laptop a few times, and opened a Weike ranking list.

"This is the Weike total follower ranking—I'm currently number one, with 9.79 million followers, just one step away from ten million."

Yang Tianzhen's mind clicked—she understood Fan Xiaopang's idea, her eyes brightening: "Brilliant idea."

Currently, Weike's total registered users are nearly a hundred million; some stars in the top tier already have followers nearing the ten-million mark.

Don't think this number is small—Weike is open to the entire internet, each user has their own preferences and followings, so when spread out, the number concentrated on a single account is naturally limited.

So, having multiple accounts reach nearly ten million followers in under a year is already remarkable.

Not just on Weike—look at foreign social media; only a handful of personal accounts have even come close to ten million followers.

That means the first Weike account to surpass ten million followers has a strong chance of becoming the world's first social media account to break ten million followers.

This significance is enormous—far more valuable than the Weike Goddess title; a well-timed marketing push could even gain international influence.

Yang Tianzhen grew more excited by the thought, marketing headlines flashing through her mind; she couldn't help hugging Fan Xiaopang and praising her.

"Sis, how did you even think of this? This move is genius."

Fan Xiaopang felt a faint pride—she owed it to her fans' online brawls; she saw one of her followers say that even if she lost, she'd still be the Weike follower with the most fans, and that gave her the idea.

It's no wonder Yang Tianzhen and the team hadn't thought of it—Fan Xiaopang's followers weren't the most numerous before.

But just as the Weike Goddess battle erupted, Fan Xiaopang defeated powerful rivals, overcame Chun Ge, and faced Xiao Yanzi in a peak showdown, causing her Weike exposure and popularity to skyrocket, forcing her straight to number one.

Xiao Yanzi is no slouch either—currently ranked third, also very close to the ten-million-follower threshold.

This is both due to the Weike Goddess boost and because both were already highly ranked.

Of the Four Dan and Two Bing, excluding Xu Caiv, the other five all rank within the top thirty in total Weike followers, with Yan and Fan consistently in the top ten.

Of the other three, only Li Bingbing has barely made the top ten, leveraging her bond with the Two Bing and the lingering momentum of "Painted Skin."

As for the others in the top ten, they are Li Kaifu, Chun Ge, He Dan, Guo Degang, Liu Huohua, Wang Fei, and Yan Li.

Either they have exceptional public favor and massive fanbases, or they're extremely active, or both—and they're all Weike veterans.

Fan Xiaopang was somewhat relieved that Yan Li had disabled comments, removing one attraction point, and rarely engaged in self-promotion or paid promotion on Weike; otherwise, the first user to break ten million followers might not have been her.

"Go arrange it—losing the Weike Goddess title is acceptable, but we must be the first to reach ten million followers."

Yang Tianzhen nodded, adding flattery: "There are countless Weike Goddesses, but only one Weike Queen."

"Sis, I don't even want you to win the Weike Goddess title—combining both achievements would be wasteful. Market two runner-up positions, then win the crown next year—it'll be even more talk-worthy."

"It's not that big a deal."

Although the ten-million-follower plan is the foundation, if she can beat Xiao Yanzi, Fan Xiaopang still prefers to crush this old rival once more.

…

The final of the Weike Goddess contest stirred the hearts of many fans and industry female stars.

Though Liu Tianxian won last year, many felt she won unfairly, benefiting from the infighting among the Four Dan and Two Bing.

This girl is popular, sure, but most people still see her as somewhat behind the Four Dan and Two Bing, especially in film achievements.

As for Zhang Ziyi and Zhou Weiwei, their film credentials are solid.

Among the Two Bing, Li Bingbing performed well at Huayi before and now has "Painted Skin"; Fan Xiaopang, besides "Painted Skin," has appeared in "Red Cliff," "Peach Blossom Luck," and "Mo Gong," naturally rising as a top-tier film goddess.

Xu Caiv took a different path, pioneering the path of the talented female director, and starred in the hit "The Promise."

Xiao Yanzi has never stopped making films; though she lacks a standout signature work, her advantage lies in being a Liu-enhanced version, completely outclassing Liu Tianxian.

So, Liu Tianxian's election as Weike Goddess last year, while beneficial to her personally,

helped solidify her position as the top new-generation star, challenged the Four Dan and Two Bing, and even led some to consider her on par with them.

But her foundation is too shallow, and she stands alone—unable to shake the Four Dan and Two Bing's monopolistic dominance.

In public perception, the Four Dan and Two Bing remain the most popular female stars in mainland China; Liu Tianxian is still grouped with other popular stars, not among the elite.

Precisely because of this, this internal battle among the Four Dan and Two Bing drew exceptional attention.

Added to that, Weike and sensationalist media stoked the hype, fans went wild, and what began as the "Return of the Pearl" rivalry escalated into a battle for the top female star of the entire entertainment industry.

This disgusted Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Weiwei, and others—those shameless people, thinking a single vote could snatch the title of top female star of the entertainment industry? Pfft.

Thus, the daily brawls among the Four Dan and Two Bing's fans became uncontrollable.

Eventually, Xu Caiv's official fan club was forced to join Weike.

They had no choice—the main battlefield was Weike; without a proper base, they'd be kicked out.

Xu Caiv signed an exclusive contract with Sina Weike; this fan club was effectively half of Xu Caiv herself, and now Weike had finally assembled all Four Dan and Two Bing.

Then the fighting intensified even more!

At Beidian's small grove, Yang Mi watched the heated scene on her phone's Weike feed and sighed in admiration.

Some bystanders might think these fans are too noisy, but as an artist, seeing these seniors command such massive followings, commanding the spotlight and wielding influence, she felt mostly envy.

Tong Yaya glanced at her: "Stop envying them—I think it won't be long before you're even more popular than they are. Don't forget me then."

Yang Mi is heavily promoted, her resources clearly improved, her momentum strong; in this Weike Goddess election, she made it into the top thirty-two, among the top of the new generation.

She envies the Four Dan and Two Bing, unaware that others envy her too.

"Then I'll accept your good wishes."

Yang Mi didn't refuse, smiling as she agreed; Tong Yaya was stunned and couldn't help shaking her head.

"You're so shameless."

"Your skin's thin? Let me pinch it."

Yang Mi reached out to pinch, Tong Yaya dodged, and the two laughed and wrestled playfully.