The atmosphere is wrong.

Gao Sheng clearly felt it.

If the director got furious at this moment, he would try his best to appease him. He would rather Luo Jian scold him than have the calmness and peacefulness conceal the rumbling thunder.

For the first time in his life, Luo Jian was not angry.

Not only was he not angry, he was distracted and looked at the insignificant extra in the corner.

The little extra pursed his lips leisurely, and although he didn't say anything, he had a kind of arrogance as if he was looking for chaos in the world.

The crew suffered heavy losses, shutting down production for half a day—80,000 yuan for studio rent, 100,000 yuan for dozens of workers, and 150,000 yuan for equipment left idle…

[This is just the beginning. The reshoots are a bottomless pit! Just rebuilding the scenes will cost 20 million, not to mention the actors' salaries...]

[Tsk tsk tsk… How about AI face swapping? But that would sacrifice Director Luo's artistic conscience.]

Luo Jian stroked his conscience, secretly rejoicing—

Fortunately, I took the life-saving medicine early...

Otherwise it could be packed by now.

Xia Chi shook his head.

[Zhou Xu, ah Zhou Xu, you're really courting disaster! You usually act harmless, but then you poke a hole in the sky!]

[He just debuted with the image of a "pure boy," but now he's attracting flirts.]

[Fans spend money on luxury goods for you, so you're trying to meet your KPI for the anti-pornography team, right?]

[Prostitution? What were you thinking? A five-star hotel chose a floor that's under heavy surveillance during the anti-prostitution crackdown. It's like they're being targeted by the police.]

[I guess I've done this a lot before.]

【You will suffer the consequences if you do evil! Alas! 】

The little dragon shook his head.

Jiang Nan also shook his head.

Luo Jian also shook his head.

Gao Sheng: “…”

What's going on?

【Glorious is even worse.】

[Three dramas waiting to air, and one number one. There's no way to save it, just bury it. You're asking for trouble by giving Jiang Nan's resources to Zhou Xu. You must be regretting this now. The penalty is enough to buy three school district apartments in Chaoyang District!]

[There are still five endorsement contracts lined up for termination, and the compensation is astronomical...tsk tsk tsk...]

[The shareholders will cry even more miserably than Zhou Xu's fans! ]

[The company's annual report may have to be changed to a bankruptcy report! ]

【Take Gaosheng as a sacrifice to the heaven! 】

"A-choo——" Gao Sheng sneezed hard, as if he had eaten pepper.

He took the opportunity to wipe his face, then looked up again with a sudden realization: "Look at my memory! I had dinner with Zhou Xu last night. Now that I think about it... that Japanese restaurant is really not fresh." He covered his stomach seriously, "I also went to the bathroom seven or eight times yesterday... Maybe Zhou Xu had food poisoning..."

Keep making up.

Luo Jian had an expression that said, "I don't believe you at all."

This silly Dachun is probably also kept in the dark, so you'd better wish him good luck.

I will be sacrificed to heaven tomorrow!

"Ahem."

Luo Jian continued slowly, "Since it's food poisoning, he'll need to recuperate for at least ten days or half a month. Our show requires fourteen hours of non-stop work every day, and I'm afraid he won't be able to adapt. Why not... let him stay at home and recuperate?"

Raise it until the blue background white text notice comes out...

The smile on Gao Sheng's face froze instantly, and the corners of his mouth twitched unnaturally twice: "Director... Director..." He laughed dryly: "You can't joke like that. What happened today was definitely an accident. You... you give this kid another chance..."

【He's still a child! ! 】

[A child who is about 1.8 meters tall, has a brain, an ID card, a passport, a driver's license, and the capacity for civil conduct, and needs to bear legal responsibility for his actions! Ah!!!]

【Don't let him go.】

[I can celebrate Children's Day in the detention center.]

[He has a big appetite and the lunch box inside is enough for three meals.]

Luo Jian didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

"No need to say anything, notify the producer and replace him."

******

When the notice of "** District Police Reporting that an Artist Named Zhou Was Detained on Suspected Prostitution" came out, the crew of "Silent" immediately completed a textbook-level public relations.

The crew's official Weibo account immediately issued a solemn statement: "We have terminated all cooperation with the artists involved in the case and initiated legal proceedings to recover the crew's losses..."

Then the behind-the-scenes footage was released in advance: a beautiful long shot of Jiang Nan’s battle damage and a documentary of his martial arts training.

#“Silent” big production# #“Silent” Jiang Nan# #Jiang Nan reshoots his rival scenes# #Jiang Nan’s battle damage# #Jiang Nan has such an authoritative face# immediately became a hot search.

It can be considered a good public relations battle, which can prevent the project from depreciating and the brand from withdrawing its investment.

Guanghui Media was not so lucky.

First, the listed company's market value evaporated by 27% in a single day. Investors held an emergency meeting overnight, and the terms of the gambling agreement were triggered.

Then, a chain reaction of brands collectively terminated their contracts. The first episodes that had already been filmed but not aired were permanently sealed, and the remaining ones were faced with the difficult choice between AI face-swapping and reshoots. The platforms demanded the return of advance payments plus compensation, resulting in astronomical losses...

To cope with the crisis, Guanghui Media, a leading agency in the Chinese entertainment industry, was forced to urgently sell its CBD headquarters to offset debt and laid off 30% of its staff to cut costs. After six months of crisis public relations and business restructuring, and thanks to the stable performance of its other artists and the profits from its existing projects, it was finally able to stabilize its fundamentals and gradually resume normal operations, but it was no longer as prosperous as it once was.

This is all later.

As Guanghui Media was crumbling in the storm, Xia Chi was only focused on one thing - whether Gaosheng had fallen.

The reality surprised him. In this crisis, Gao Sheng was not liquidated, but still held the position of Jiang Nan's agent.

Everyone in the industry knows it well: it is precisely because of the existence of this top star that he has become the last amulet for Gaosheng.

What is even more intriguing is that Jiang Nan’s contract is about to expire, and rumors say that the renewal negotiations are at a stalemate.

A month later, the day finally arrived and the monster could no longer hold back.

A long article with pictures suddenly became a hot search, and the entry #Jiang Nan’s ex-girlfriend# was instantly labeled “explosive”.

Weibo user "Ms. H" exposed many private photos and video clips of Jiang Nan on the Internet, implying in a subtle way that she and Jiang Nan were in love for three years, that she had an abortion for him, and that she broke up with him due to cold violence after his debut, and also posted screenshots of ambiguous chat records.

The boy in the photo, Jiang Nan, is about seventeen or eighteen years old. He is either biting a popsicle with a youthful look on his eyebrows and eyes, or curled up in the quilt with only half of his sleeping face showing.

This revelation was like throwing a match on a powder keg, instantly setting off the entire Internet. Major marketing accounts came out in full force as if they had planned in advance, and topics such as #姜南垮房##渣男现现记##姜南床照片# climbed up the hot search list at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Entertainment gossip accounts showed off their skills, breaking down the photos frame by frame. The vague accusations were immediately compiled into "real" stories, and various "insiders" jumped out to add fuel to the fire.

Jiang Nan’s Weibo account immediately issued a solemn statement and called the police, but the speed of refuting the rumor was far behind the wave of rumor spreading, and the comment section of the statement was quickly overwhelmed.

"The photos are already confirmed, but you're still stubborn?"

"I knew he wasn't a good person..."

"The man who caused abortion with cold violence, get out of the entertainment industry!"

“…”

What's even more frightening is that a well-known screenwriter suddenly posted on Weibo with the caption "Finally someone told the truth." This seemingly true but false statement made public opinion completely turn to the woman's side. In just six hours, a brand endorsed by Jiang Nan quietly removed its promotional posters.

Occasionally, one or two sober passers-by or veteran fans would see through it, dig deep into Ms. H’s account, and discover a large number of logical loopholes.

"After three years of dating, there's not even a proper photo together? Ms. H, this is unacceptable. Come and give us a photo together."

"Come on, she even posted on Weibo in 2017 about participating in an online lottery for Jiang Nan's fan meeting tickets. Would a serious girlfriend need that to see him? At least delete it before spreading rumors."

"Just a dream girl."

"I remember this striped shirt. It was sponsored by a previous brand and I wore it in a vlog. The video was leaked from the vlog."

"Also, the pattern on the curtains is standard for trainee dormitories. The surveillance in that dormitory is stricter than a prison. And you can even let your girlfriend stay over to take pictures?"

"And it's a dormitory..."

However, the fans' efforts to refute the rumors were quickly drowned out by emotional condemnation.

That day, Xia Chi happened to have some free time. He curled up in bed and witnessed the entire bloodthirsty online carnival. His knuckles turned white from gripping the phone, and his chest was filled with a lingering depression.

The cold light of the screen cast shadows of varying depths on his face, and all kinds of vicious remarks were refreshed like a tide.

Xia Chi was a little confused. Where would Jiang Nan be at this moment? What would he do?

Is it sitting silently in a deserted hotel, letting the darkness swallow up every inch of sunlight; or standing in front of the floor-length mirror, mumbling, giggling, and dancing; or pretending not to care, letting those malicious words pierce your heart like arrows.

This world has always been cruel. The more you cherish your feathers, the easier it is for you to be targeted by a hunting rifle. The purer you are, the more likely you will be crushed to pieces.

He remembered the faint scent of alcohol that had lingered on Jiang Nan every time he'd approached him—a slow, self-destructive experience. Falling sober was too painful, so painful that he'd rather suffocate in the alcohol than feel the powerlessness of reality any longer.

The eighteen-year-old boy leaned against the mirror to calibrate every angle, his sweat forming a rainbow arc. At that time, he was so naive that he thought there was a vast future in the mirror. He didn't expect that what he saw in the end was the Colosseum decorated with gold powder, and the gorgeous fangs gnawing at human bones and making them bleed.

In Jiang Nan’s super topic, many big fans are having heated discussions.

"This is obviously a leaked photo from an insider!"

"Guanghui saw that he couldn't keep Jiang Nan, so he wanted to destroy him."

"The rumors are obviously fake and are just meant to fool passersby. Guanghui Media is trying to pressure Jiang Nan. If you dare to terminate the contract, we will kill you. You've really walked into a den of wolves."

"Guanghui is almost unable to hold on. How can they easily give up Jiang Nan, this cash cow..."

"But for things like this, the only way to file a defamation lawsuit is by the time the court decides, the new hires will have already been replaced three times. Even if the dirty water is poured on them, even if they can be washed clean, they'll have already been skinned alive."

"Can anyone tell me what's happened to Jiang Nan? This has happened for the umpteenth time. Can't you just let him go?"

Everyone was helpless and watched public opinion ferment bit by bit.

At three o'clock in the morning, a post was suddenly pushed to the top.

The poster's ID "Chun Nanque" did not say a word and directly used cold metadata to tear open the cracks in the rumor.

He enlarged and annotated the only photo with EXIF information in Ms. H's revelations, which was the suspicious bed photo.

File name: IMG-20170511-122332

Shooting time: 20170511 12:23:32

Shooting parameters: iPhone 8...

Filming location: City A, Changping District, Wenhua Road...

At the same time, he dug out the EXIF information of a landscape photo posted by Weibo user "小江湖0304" in 2017.

File name: IMG-20170513-182502

Filming time: 20170513 18:25:02

Shooting parameters: iPhone 8...

Filming location: City A, Changping District, Wenhua Road...

Comparing the metadata of the two photos side by side, a surprising fact emerged:

Ms. H and Xiao Jianghu actually used the same mobile phone to take photos at almost exactly the same GPS coordinates and in a similar time period.

Chu Nan then professionally compared the leaked photo with another photo on the Weibo of "小江湖0304". The similarity of CMOS dust distribution in the two photos was as high as 89.7%.

Dust and lens stains are like "fingerprints" that can directly prove that two photos were taken with the same mobile phone.

Chu Nan left a comment below: "I have checked all of Ms. H's Weibo posts for the past 17 years, and all the photos were taken with a vivo phone.

There was not a single word of nonsense, but the implication was already obvious. The so-called bed photos of Ms. H were provided by Xiaojianghu0304.

The pumpkins finally found a breakthrough and flocked to Xiaojianghu0304's Weibo to start verifying frame by frame, and found out that he liked a large number of Jiang Nan's negative posts.

Some netizens were shocked and went to "Chu Nanque"'s Weibo to ask if he was an insider in the circle. How could he accurately identify an ordinary photo of "Xiao Jianghu 0304" on an old Weibo post from many years ago based on just a recently leaked photo?

[Of course, I ripped them off the internet one by one.]

"ha--"

Xia Chi yawned loudly at the table, his eyelids so heavy that he could hardly lift them.

At six in the morning, the sky gradually brightened. The Taoist priest, who was supposed to get up early to meditate, was now going against the biological clock that was deeply ingrained in his bones, and was forcing himself to become a walking corpse.

Outside the window, the world of the Internet was turning upside down. Before he closed his eyes, there was only one thought in his mind.

Gao Sheng is dead.