Chapter 131: Taken Over by Drama

[Hahahaha, these two little troublemakers are really going to drive Brother Jia'er to his grave.]

[Having a firstborn like this must make life so easy for their parents.]

[They really have become a family. Their relationship is wonderful.]

[It is only for the sake of the show. You lose the moment you take it seriously.]

[Whether it is just showmanship or they really are a family, I am happy watching them, and that is all that matters.]

[A harmonious, happy family.]

[Redefining what a harmonious, happy family means.]

[The newcomer seems a little restrained. The older brothers keep tossing her setups, but she has not caught a single one.]

[Well, she is new, after all.]

[I used to like Bai Lu quite a lot, but she is starting to annoy me. She is so loud and hyperactive.]

[If you hate liveliness so much, go listen to Buddhist sutras. They are free.]

[I cannot stop laughing. If Bai Lu were not so lively, what would you be watching? She is carrying all the comedy in this show.]

[If you do not like her, then leave. Why all the nonsense? You do not like her, yet you still click in to watch. How desperate are you?]

[Good grief, it is a variety show with seven people, yet all the credit has gone to Bai Lu. That is some ego! So the other six are just decorations? Why not have your family ascend to heaven while you are at it?]

[Yes, yes, yes. If the show succeeds, it is all Bai Lu's doing; if it makes no splash, it is because everyone else is dragging her down.]

[Some of Bai Lu's fans are absolutely vile. They attack anyone and everyone. In the entire entertainment industry, the only person they do not dare pick a fight with is Sister Ting Xiangxue from Best Actor Lu's family. Honestly, if Bai Lu's fans keep acting like this, she is going to lose every last bit of her goodwill with ordinary viewers.]

[Lately, a whole bunch of foul-mouthed Bai Lu fans and self-pitying Bai Lu fans have suddenly appeared across all the major social platforms, stirring up trouble everywhere. Is someone deliberately trying to sabotage Little Bai Lu? The saying that one fan can outweigh ten anti-fans is no joke.]

[Little Deer barely has any real fans. Before she joined Yu Xing Entertainment, she did not even have an official fan support club. She was a child star who played daughters and minor supporting roles in all kinds of films and dramas. Her first leading role has not even aired yet. What Bai Lu fans? They are all fake fans, paid trolls wearing a fan's skin.]

[It is an inevitable stage. Little Deer has grown up. She cannot spend her whole life playing daughters and minor roles in films and dramas. She has to carry a production as the female lead. She also signed with Yu Xing Entertainment and was endorsed by Best Actor Lu. Her momentum is simply too strong. There are only so many resources to go around. If Little Deer gets them, someone else gets fewer. So those who genuinely like Little Deer must exercise restraint, restraint, restraint. In the end, restraint is still the answer.]

That comment had hit the nail on the head. There were quite a few clear-headed people among the fans.

As a former child star, Bai Lu was in a rather unusual position. To date, she had no leading work to her name and no awards to support her career.

She had name recognition, but that was all.

Her fanbase was also extraordinarily loose-knit. Forget the detailed divisions into data teams, anti-black teams, comment-control teams, editing teams, art teams, frontline teams, and so on. Just a few months ago, she did not even have an official support club or fan site.

After she signed with Yu Xing Entertainment, the company quickly organized her fans. One look at a professional management company in action, and you knew whether it was capable.

They followed all her schedules, announcements, and events, producing attractive photographs and videos in real time to keep the fans going.

Whenever an incident occurred, they issued a statement at the earliest opportunity. Their public relations work was both prompt and precise, guiding the fans and putting them at ease.

After the loan-shark scandal broke, Yu Xing Entertainment handled it almost perfectly. Even so, some fans remained dissatisfied. They left messages on the company's official account, offering all kinds of suggestions.

One suggestion was that Yu Xing Entertainment should communicate regularly with the fan support club, since that would make it easier for the fans to organize support activities. Every kind of fan support required the agency's cooperation.

Yu Xing Entertainment replied: No need.

They had not even bothered with a punctuation mark.

Shortly afterward, Yu Xing Entertainment announced on its official account that once Bai Lu finished filming this variety show, she would return to school to study and prepare for the college entrance examination.

The most intriguing part was the image accompanying the announcement. It contained only one sentence:

I am an actor. Acting is my profession. I am simply doing my job.

The line was particularly famous because it had come from Lu Yiting.

When Lu Yiting won his first Academy Award for Best Actor, he gave an exclusive interview to Time magazine, and that sentence was the headline.

Lu Yiting: I do not know how moviegoers see me, but I know perfectly well that I am only an actor. My achievements are the result of the combined efforts of countless people working behind the scenes. I have been extraordinarily fortunate to receive the greatest honor, the most praise, and the warmest affection.

...

I am an actor. Acting is my profession. I am simply doing my job. When someone does their work well, they naturally deserve praise, but never excessive adulation.

...

No, I do not like using the word “fans.” I prefer “moviegoers.” It is enough to like my work. Do not like me as a person. I am who I am, and I am certainly not the person someone else imagines me to be.

...

Yes, I truly dislike it when fans turn me into some kind of divine being. What I dislike most is when they make me out to be perfect. I am a human being. I am not perfect in the slightest; I have countless flaws. As a public figure, I naturally have the responsibility and obligation to convey a positive influence. But I have no obligation to reveal every part of myself to moviegoers and audiences. That distinction is extremely important.

...

By using Lu Yiting's words as the image, Yu Xing Entertainment had practically spelled out: Be a good fan and stop meddling in things that are none of your business.

The fans joked that Yu Xing Entertainment intended to raise Little Deer like an old-school cadre and turn her into a female version of Best Actor Lu.

Those who genuinely liked Bai Lu naturally supported the decision.

With so many fans, a few traitors were bound to appear.

But this sudden batch of “fans” was organized into clearly defined ranks, with a complete system and a one-stop operation covering flame wars, personal attacks, and comment control. What they really were could not have been more obvious.

Either every traitor in existence had decided to become a Bai Lu fan, or they were anti-fans in disguise—organized, disciplined, and determined to smear her.

It had been especially obvious over the past week.

After dinner, once filming for the day had ended, Li Huan stopped Bai Lu and asked her worriedly, “Have you contacted President Yu? What did he say?”

Today’s livestream had been unusually discordant.

It had practically been taken over by flame wars.

Bai Lu smiled. “Why would I contact Yu Fuqing? The manager actually responsible for me is Lai Jian.”

Yu Fuqing had to be extremely busy lately—so busy that he did not even have time to act like an annoying plaster stuck to her skin.

She was practically ecstatic.

As expected, Gao Fanqin was reliable when it came to handling things.

Li Huan hesitated. “...Then what did Lai Jian say?”

“I have not contacted her. I do not know.” Bai Lu shrugged, looking completely unconcerned. “Once I finish filming this variety show, I am going back to school. I probably will not appear on many variety shows in the future. I want to focus on being an actor.”

Li Huan knew she was a girl with her own ideas and probably did not need him to worry about her. With a laugh, he ruffled her hair. “You really have made Best Actor Lu your goal.”

Bai Lu gritted her teeth. “I will surpass him.”

Li Huan fell silent.

That was, frankly, a little too presumptuous.