018 The Boomerang Strikes Wang Xingxing

“I’ll take care of this!” Wang Xingxing declared proudly. Then, without another word, he turned and strode out of the deputy general manager’s office.

Ha! The old man’s full of empty words. Blaming horse’s missteps—wasn’t that himself? And shamelessly claiming it’s all for our growth? Thank you very much! If he were truly noble and righteous, he wouldn’t want our filial respect. Pah! Hypocrite through and through! Even the craftiest schemers would have to call him master.

Back in the office area, Wang Xingxing opened a webpage. He was determined to find out which fiend was spreading rumors. The film had only been released for a day; the ratings were still unsettled. As long as his fingers were quick and he hired enough paid commenters, he was confident he could turn the tide. Ha, he wasn’t a novice when it came to manipulating public opinion.

Clickety-clack! Wang Xingxing hammered the keyboard. He located the previous head of the comment army. But after sending a message, there was no response for a long while. Damn! Now they were pretending to ignore him! Figuring the other party must have missed the message, he refrained from sending more reminders. Some people are just shameless. If you take them too seriously, they start putting on airs. Just like Cheng Jie. This time, facing him head-on, he’s got no way out, right? Ha, you’ve been shown mercy!

Wang Xingxing searched for “Taiji” related topics by keyword. Soon enough, the top trending video caught his eye. Its title read: “[Shocking! A billion-yuan investment, yet Zhang Mu just delivered a huge disappointment to fans!]” He clicked in.

The screen was flooded with barrage comments, all bashing Taiji. “Damn! Who the hell is this bastard?” Wang Xingxing frowned. Although the insults targeted Zhang Mu, Taiji was his project too. He couldn’t stand it! Absolutely couldn’t!

“Film Judge?” Wang Xingxing pondered. This was the hottest film commentator on the entire internet, known for sharp words. Wang Xingxing had always looked down on this person, seeing him as a scoundrel who thrived on stirring trouble. So, when inviting guests for the premiere, Wang Xingxing had made the call to remove this commentator from the list.

“Heh, so you dare to throw mud at Taiji?” Wang Xingxing’s eyes gleamed with disdain. He recalled a story: A painter once painted a picture and asked viewers to find its flaws. In just half a day, the entire piece was marked up with every possible fault. The next day, the same painting was shown again, but this time viewers were asked to identify its merits. Again, within half a day, the canvas was dotted with praises.

See? Many things simply don’t stand up to scrutiny. Criticize Taiji for being bad? What masterpiece could you create? It’s easy to talk when you’re not the one making it!

Wang Xingxing fired off several rebuttal comments, but the opposition was overwhelming. His words fell on deaf ears and he was instead bombarded with insults. Ha, the boomerang hit him hard.

No choice. Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

Wang Xingxing could only helplessly watch the commentator ramble on, ready to nitpick every detail.

“...In this age of efficiency, who’s got time to watch a long, tedious, foot-binding cloth of a film? No one! Yet Taiji drags on for two hours! That’s its biggest sin! Yes, you heard right—length itself is a crime! After all, if the film were exciting, fine! But it’s not.

“My friends, I don’t know if you’ve seen this movie? If you have, please share your thoughts in the comments. If not, I advise you not to waste your money! Thirty yuan could buy you some instant noodles, isn’t that better?

“Back to the point. Taiji positions itself as a fantasy blockbuster, but I saw none of the dazzling special effects we’ve come to expect—only some pretentious martial arts scenes shot on location. Honestly, if Taiji were re-edited, maybe it could revive the wuxia film trend in Great Xia! But that’s impossible now; people this century don’t eat the leftovers of the last.

“Alright, back on topic. The film seems to borrow heavily from a once-popular web novel. I don’t know if they bought the rights. But that’s not what we’re discussing today. What I want to tell you is that the plot of Taiji is nothing but crap! Yes, it’s the only word that fits!

“The protagonist is a youth burdened with a bloody grudge, coming to Qingyun Mountain for revenge. He trains hard but loses his way, turning to mystical cultivation. Fine, I’ll call that awakening. But when the ‘Weishui refugees’—the very murderers of his parents—come seeking shelter, he not only fails to avenge his family but actively pleads on their behalf. His master is clear-headed, predicting a calamity for these refugees, but the protagonist insists on mercy and repays evil with kindness! Without his master’s knowledge, he leads the refugees onto the mountain. And what do those refugees do? Do they show gratitude? No, they poison the cultivators of Qingyun Mountain directly!

“Friends, tell me, isn’t this maddening?”

Reading this, Wang Xingxing was furious. What nonsense was this? It was a deliberate misrepresentation! The protagonist was boundless in compassion! Not a petty man like this commentator could understand such a noble heart!

He was livid. Absolutely livid! He stomped in anger. The comment section exploded:

“Refund Taiji! I knew something was off! Turns out it’s a subtle expression of treacherous thoughts!”

“Betrayal! Those connected to the protagonist all suffered! He’s just exploiting his resources to curry favor with enemies!”

“Damn! The more you think about it, the scarier it gets! No wonder my brain felt clogged at the time!”

“Has Zhang Mu been cursed? His past films weren’t like this!”

“Heh, hard to say!”

“Don’t spread rumors! Zhang Mu is a victim here! Insider info says it was all Deputy Director Wang Xingxing’s doing!”

“Does he really have that much authority?”

“After all, he’s the young director heavily backed by Starshine!”

“I get it! Wang Xingxing must be the Starshine heir!”

“Impossible! He’s got an ordinary background. I worked at Starshine before; I’d know!”

“Exactly. If he were the heir, why would he pick fights with others?”

“Hey upstairs, sounds like you two have a story. I’ve got drinks, want to share?”

The comment section was a riot. Scorn everywhere.

Seeing this, Wang Xingxing felt a chill. What was going on? Weren’t they supposed to be slandering Zhang Mu? Why was this mess pinned on him, the deputy director? This was too much! And what about those former colleagues popping up? Didn’t Cheng Jie kick them out? Why shift the blame onto him now?

True, he did want those rivals gone to avoid sharing resources. But wasn’t this all done under Cheng Jie’s orders? If you weren’t so reluctant to show respect, would Cheng Jie have used you to take them down? Don’t you have any sense?

Wang Xingxing’s face twisted with fury, but at this moment, he still hadn’t realized he’d been sold out by Cheng Jie. His value squeezed dry, not a shred left. Used-up rags were meant to be thrown away.

Heh.

Cheng Jie sneered coldly at his computer screen. He had hired the comment army, but not with company funds. So, only he and the people involved knew it was his doing. The older you get, the craftier you become.

He had been planning this since the premiere.

“Xiao Wang, as your superior, this is the last lesson I’m giving you,” Cheng Jie said slowly, fingernails clicking. His smile was dark and sinister.

If Taiji bombed, so be it. After all, it wasn’t his own money at stake. As long as the film flopped, that ungrateful Wang Xingxing wouldn’t dare to make a fuss.

Heh heh heh!