Xu Zifan's first Weibo post after his seclusion was a request for support for "Xia Yi's Story." This is his first time investing in a film or television drama, and his girlfriend even plays the third female lead. He promptly organized a giveaway. The conditions for the giveaway were to retweet the Weibo post and share a screenshot of watching "Xia Yi's Story," and ten people would be randomly selected to receive a brand new iPhone.
Netizens have long been aware of his habit of frequently sharing giveaways, and many of his followers immediately share his giveaway announcements. "It's just watching 'The Story of Xia Yi,' right? Let's see, what if I win!"
Thus, "The Legend of Xia Yi" received a massive promotional boost. Leveraging Xu Zifan's popularity, its premiere broke the record for highest viewership during its broadcast period! Industry insiders were stunned; such a feat was unbelievable—a drama relying on its investors to guarantee ratings?! "The Legend of Xia Yi" was exquisitely produced, and viewers who started watching couldn't help but keep watching. Most viewers didn't abandon the show, praising its captivating plot and the stunning beauty of the actresses—a visual feast just from their looks and styling!
The popular topic of "The Legend of Xia Yi" quickly shifted from a giveaway to discussions about the plot and characters. Even casual viewers who didn't participate in the giveaway became curious after seeing so many people praising the show. They started watching and couldn't stop, recommending it to everyone they knew.
"The Legend of Xia Yi" was quickly hailed as the best palace intrigue drama of the past decade, its popularity spreading rapidly. Not only was it streamed on major video platforms, but major television stations also purchased broadcasting rights, making it a phenomenal hit and a classic example of the genre. As the plot unfolded, the lead actors frequently trended on social media, gaining immense attention and becoming widely known.
Unlike typical storylines, halfway through the series, the female lead, Xia Yi, was met with a barrage of criticism. She was labeled with all sorts of terms, including "saintly saint," "pure white lotus," "green tea bitch," "drama queen," and "venomous woman." Palace dramas don't inherently have absolute heroes and villains; the protagonists often resort to underhanded tactics to rise to power. Therefore, viewers felt particularly sorry for the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, and even the Emperor received some understanding. The only one who couldn't accept Xia Yi was...
The drama's title, "The Legend of Xia Yi," has been jokingly dubbed by netizens as "The Legend of the Drama Queen," and Xia Shuangshuang, who plays Xia Yi, has naturally become a target of widespread dislike. No matter what netizens think of her, she's just not likable. Considering her past actions—throwing ice water at Xu Zifan, issuing an apology video, and implicitly admitting to being cheated on—aren't all of these things reminiscent of Xia Yi? Xia Shuangshuang is practically playing herself! She's clearly Xia Yi reincarnated; it's disgusting!
Xia Shuangshuang was still delighted by the popularity of the newly aired drama when she was suddenly overwhelmed by the overwhelming dislike. She doesn't dare post on Weibo now; any update will immediately trigger a horde of trolls attacking her, and her fans can't even fight back. Furious, Xia Shuangshuang asked the system to send a message using a secondary account, pretending to be a rational bystander speaking out, reminding everyone that acting is different from reality, and praising her acting skills for making everyone feel so immersed in the story.
Xu Zifan has been keeping an eye on her lately. Every day after finishing his experiments, he uses his tablet to check the online comments and see how things are progressing. After all, this drama was a trap he set for Xia Shuangshuang; how could he give up halfway through?
He was scrolling through Weibo while eating that day when he came across this very rational comment from a passerby. Knowing the entertainment industry as he did, he was certain that these kinds of comments were being manipulated by someone behind the scenes. He did a quick check, and sure enough, it was a post from Xia Shuangshuang's alternate account, with the IP address obscured by the system.
Xu Zifan was immediately delighted. At this moment, he had to fight fire with fire, and he couldn't miss any opportunity to step on Xia Shuangshuang. If he did it well, he might be able to complete the mission ahead of schedule, and then the rest of his life would be his!
Xu Zifan typed on his tablet for a few moments, creating a long image illustrating how IP tracking breaks through concealment methods. He anonymously sent it to various marketing accounts. These accounts, always eager for drama and attention, immediately published the image: "[Xia Shuangshuang is suspected of using multiple accounts to lavishly praise her acting skills and express dissatisfaction with netizens.]"
Marketing accounts have always been known for their clickbait headlines, each with its own attention-grabbing title that quickly attracts a large number of netizens. Those in the know checked the accompanying diagram and discovered that those smaller accounts were indeed linked to Xia Shuangshuang's IP address! While the controversy was initially heated, people at most had a negative impression of her and were aware of the need to distinguish between on-screen and off-screen interactions. However, Xia Shuangshuang's self-proclaimed identity and statements have genuinely garnered her a huge wave of criticism, significantly damaging her public image.
After all, people like celebrities because they admire their unapproachable aura or their straightforward personalities. Xia Shuangshuang, however, directly labeled herself as hypocritical, a perfect example of someone who says one thing to someone's face and another behind their back—and nobody likes that kind of person. Even more people are criticizing her now. The system detected a significant drop in her popularity and, based on that, lowered her appearance level by one grade as punishment.
Xia Shuangshuang panicked and hurriedly asked Xu Hao for help, hoping he could find a way to help her with public relations. However, Xu Hao was busy with the company's business every day, so how could he care about such a small matter? He didn't really like her, especially since they hadn't seen each other since the banquet. His previous enthusiasm had cooled down, and Xu Hao had long wanted to get rid of her, so he was even less likely to bother with her.
Xia Shuangshuang cursed under her breath, "Men are all the same," and quickly sought help from her agent again. Her agent hadn't liked her from the beginning, and after "Xia Yi's Biography" aired, she specifically instructed her not to make any comments. However, Xia Shuangshuang persisted, causing this mess, which proved that Xia Shuangshuang was indeed very troublesome, making the agent even more dissatisfied. But since she was still under her management, she had to save her.
The agent went to Xia Shuangshuang's apartment to see her in person. As soon as she saw her face, she frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you? You look so bad. Did you take any medication?"
Xia Shuangshuang quickly shook her head to clarify, "No, absolutely not, Brother Li, don't worry, I cherish my reputation and would never do such a thing."
Brother Li snorted coldly, walked in and sat on the sofa. "If you care about your reputation, you should be honest. Do you think you can influence public opinion by creating some fake accounts? They're useless and only get you into trouble." He opened his notebook and said, "Alright, now tell me everything you've been hiding from me, or if something like this happens again, not even a god can save you."
Xia Shuangshuang sat down opposite him, thought for a moment, and said, "After I broke up with Xu Zifan, I got together with Xu Hao."
Brother Li looked at her in surprise, "Who? Xu Hao? Xu Zifan's uncle?"
Xia Shuangshuang nodded. Brother Li threw the notebook on the coffee table and said irritably, "Are there no men left in the world? After you dated Xu Zifan, you went to date his uncle. What will people think of you if this gets out? They'll say you're a gold digger who'd rather be played by an uncle and nephew for money! Are you crazy? And you still have the nerve to tell me you want to reach the top of the entertainment industry? I think you'd rather fall to the bottom!"
"No, Brother Li, please stop scolding me. Things are already like this. I came to you to ask you to help me solve the problem, not to lecture me. Xu Hao is Xu Zifan's uncle, not my uncle. Why can't I be with him? Marrying Xu Hao is one of my goals. Once I marry into the Xu family, all the criticism will disappear." Xia Shuangshuang was so angry from being scolded that she couldn't help but speak out her true thoughts.
Brother Li chuckled, glanced at her, picked up the notebook again and wrote Xu Hao's name on it. "Anything else? Tell me anything special. Is there anything that would get me condemned if it were exposed? I need to be prepared."
Xia Shuangshuang said, "I think the crew of 'Xia Yi' is targeting me. Xu Zifan often eats and talks with them, so they must have deliberately made the drama like this."
Xia Shuangshuang only changed her agent to Brother Li after filming "Xia Yi's Story". Brother Li was really unaware of what happened to her on set. Hearing this, he frowned and said, "You think Xu Zifan changed the script to retaliate against you? Didn't you object when you saw the script while you were acting?"
Xia Shuangshuang felt a pang of guilt. It was she who suggested that the Empress and the Imperial Concubine die early, and she definitely couldn't say that. If Brother Li didn't help her, then no one would. She said confidently, "The director never gives me the complete script when he changes the scenes. I think my part fits the character perfectly, so I didn't think much of it. Brother Li, they must have deliberately set me up because they think I'm inexperienced. You have to help me get justice."
Brother Li thought about it and realized it made sense. Some people had speculated before that Xu Zifan invested in that drama to get revenge on Xia Shuangshuang. Later, when nothing happened, they thought they were wrong. But if Xu Zifan deliberately changed the script to frame Xia Shuangshuang, that seemed to be the most reasonable and realistic explanation. It was also the only reason to bring Xia Shuangshuang's popularity back; she had to be placed in the position of the victim.
Brother Li asked Xia Shuangshuang about other matters, then returned to the company and discussed it with the public relations department. They quickly commissioned an online press release to question whether Xu Zifan's investment in "Xia Yi's Story" was related to the current damage to Xia Shuangshuang's image. The press release didn't condemn Xu Zifan outright, but rather deliberately presented facts and reasoning, starting with why Xu Zifan invested in film and television, mentioning that he frequently dined and drank tea with the director and other lead actors, and concluding that all the other lead actors were well-liked, while only Xia Shuangshuang, the supposedly most outstanding female lead, was being universally criticized and disliked. If Xu Zifan hadn't been involved, who would believe it?
Actually, Brother Li has revealed the truth: Xu Zifan did it on purpose! So this argument is quite convincing. Many people who read this article posted by the marketing account went to Xu Zifan and asked him if he deliberately tricked Xia Shuangshuang.
Xu Zifan pondered for a moment, realizing that Xia Shuangshuang had changed agents, which meant she probably hadn't explained the situation clearly to her new agent and was trying to muddy the waters and divert attention. After all, this would generate far more buzz than creating a fake account. If everyone was skeptical of this claim, they would likely think that a rich kid was bullying a minor celebrity, putting Xia Shuangshuang at a disadvantage. Fortunately, he had a backup plan.
[Xu Zifan v: Of course the script was changed! Wasn't this someone's demand because they had powerful connections? Why are they acting like a victim now? By the way, I'm quite curious, who's that person behind you? (Director and screenwriter, please help her remember.)]