309: Xu Le: Yes, I'm the victim!

Exploding, exploding, exploding!

The popularity literally shot through the roof.

With the frantic efficiency of the Douya streamers, the onlookers quickly discovered the true identities of the 16 people who wrote the online essays, and they were exactly as exposed online.

Although they tried their best to hide it, they weren't exactly award-winning actors. The moment their identities were revealed in reality, they couldn't control their emotions and were called out.

The most ridiculous part was that one of the people claiming to have had an abortion for Xu Le was a 43-year-old middle-aged man.

The streamer "Buff Not Fat" braved it and began the interview: "Mr. Bu Yongqiang, may I ask if you have always been a man?"

"Hey, how the hell are you talking? If I'm not a man, could I be a woman? You're crazy!"

"But your online ID 'Mature Beauty Long Legs 110' accused Mr. Xu Le of tricking you into an abortion..."

"Shit! Who the hell is Mature Beauty Long Legs 110? You're slandering me! You're slandering me!"

"Can you open Microblog and show us?"

"Look at your mom! I'm just an ordinary person. Turn off the camera, turn it off! I'm not accepting interviews. Get lost, get lost!"

Buff Not Fat was berated, but he didn't back down at all. He had targeted this middle-aged man precisely because he was male.

Being male was great!

Not only would it generate more buzz, but if they got into a fight, his "self-defense" would generate even more.

Just as he was thinking about how to use self-defense to "accidentally" unlock the other person's phone and log into Microblog, the other person's phone rang.

"Hello, President Wang."

"No, it's not like that. Let me explain..."

"I..."

Bu Yongqiang barely managed to say three sentences before the call was hung up.

Just as Buff Not Fat was about to ruthlessly snatch the phone, the other man glared and rushed to the bathroom first.

After waiting for ten minutes, Bu Yongqiang still hadn't come out. Buff Not Fat was getting a bit impatient, but fortunately, the number of viewers in his livestream was skyrocketing.

Just as a ten-rocket donation streak prompted him to go in and find the man, Bu Yongqiang came out on his own, staring at Buff Not Fat with a Face full of resentment.

"Was it you?"

"What?"

"My Microblog was hacked. It posted some bullshit content, and I can't even delete it."

Buff Not Fat's heart skipped a beat. "No! I'm a professional streamer with ethics! However, I majored in cybersecurity in university; I can help you take a look."

Bu Yongqiang: "Turn off the livestreaming equipment!"

"Fine!"

In front of Bu Yongqiang, and amidst the curses of the audience, Buff Not Fat cut off the livestream.

Bu Yongqiang breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled Buff Not Fat to a deserted corner and handed over his phone, completely unaware that the hidden camera in the other man's collar had been activated.

Buff Not Fat opened Microblog and indeed saw the content he had posted, with a large number of private messages expressing concern and comfort.

"Are you done yet?"

"I really can't delete it. Your phone has a virus!"

"Then what should I do?"

"Let me check again. Maybe the hacker planted the virus in WeChat. I'll take a look."

Buff Not Fat quickly opened WeChat and soon saw the contact "President Wu." He clicked on it, and inside was a short essay. Looking at the time, it was sent right around the same time Bu Yongqiang had posted his own essay.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

"I clicked the wrong thing. Let me look again."

Buff Not Fat quickly flipped through the pages. The audience watching the drama was almost flying with joy, constantly typing things like "Awesome" and "Fat Brother is taking off" in the livestream.

Similar to Buff Not Fat, other streamers were also showing off their Divine Abilities, almost confirming the identities of the posters with solid evidence. Amidst the internet carnival, two trending topics emerged out of nowhere.

【We Owe Xu Le an Apology】

【Who is President Wang?】

...Xu Le didn't care who President Wang was.

He was currently refining faith like crazy!

There was so much!

But this kind of faith born of guilt would definitely not last long. It would soon be actively forgotten, and even the faith from the admiration of "Professor Xu" would sharply decrease.

Once a white cloth is stained, no matter how you wash it, a trace of that stain will remain.

He had to seize the time to become stronger!

He tossed a script for "Elm Street" to Gong Juren, telling him to invite the previous actresses for a second collaboration and prepare for a new shoot.

Revenge had to be taken, but the priority was collecting faith!

Gong Juren thought to himself that Brother Le was indeed powerful, easily resolving the online smear campaign, only to turn around and find that "My Love from the Star" was gone.

What the heck?

"Brother Le, our show is gone."

Xu Le called iQIYI, Youku, and Tencent. They were surprisingly easy to talk to, saying the reason was that the previous incident had caused too much of a stir and the higher-ups had spoken. At the same time, they transferred the money over.

120 million!

The view count clearly hadn't reached its limit, but seeing how much Face they were giving him, Xu Le didn't press the issue.

He needed faith!

His fame was already out there; taking the video down would actually further boost his notoriety. After all, people were curious and liked to watch things that were banned.

The Merchant of Venice could become popular once more, and the faith he gained would rise accordingly. It was a win-win!

Gong Juren spent three days making a preliminary shooting plan and then began contacting actors, starting with the former eighteenth-tier actress Xie Xiaona.

"Sister Na, it's Gong Juren. Brother Le has prepared another movie script, horror genre, and you're still the female lead."

"Ah, really? Thank you! Contact my manager, Sister Hong, to confirm the schedule."

Gong Juren frowned, feeling a bit strange.

They had a verbal agreement for a three-project deal. Even if the schedule needed to be confirmed, she should have checked with her manager herself.

Soon, the phone number was sent over.

Gong Juren then called Sister Hong.

"Hello, Sister Hong! I'm Gong Juren, calling to confirm Teacher Xie Xiaona's schedule."

"Hello, hello! But Nana doesn't have any free slots recently; everything is fully booked."

Her tone was polite, but the content was not. Saying there was "no schedule recently" usually meant a flat-out refusal to cooperate.

Thinking of Brother Le's instructions, Gong Juren suppressed his anger: "The preliminary plan for this movie is from mid-March to mid-April; one month is enough. Brother Le's script is as excellent as ever; the setting alone is worth a billion!"

Short duration, a movie, and an excellent script!

He presented these three elements in the simplest language, not believing she could still refuse.

"I'm truly sorry! Nana always praises Teacher Xu Le and Producer Gong, saying you are the most excellent creators. But our time is all booked up. Sorry!"

She didn't even say there would be a chance to cooperate again.

How could Gong Juren not know the subtext? Polite on the surface, but every word was a rejection.

Sister Hong looked at the hung-up phone, a cold sneer playing on her lips.

"Heh, blacklisted and he doesn't even know it. Still filming movies? If you can pass the review, then I'll come back and kiss your ass!"

Xie Xiaona gave a thumbs up: "Sister Hong, you're so patient! If it were me, I would have blown up long ago. Blacklisted and still doesn't have a clue, yet he still wants to invite me."

Sister Hong pretended to be displeased: "Nana, you're a top-tier star now. You're currently negotiating endorsements with LV and Chanel. You can't lose your value because of those lowlifes."

The two shared a smile, looking down at the pedestrians on the street as if they were ants, busy and mediocre.

Gong Juren felt very guilty. After telling the news to Xu Le, Xu Le didn't seem to mind: "Maybe it's because the drama was taken down, and they have misgivings."

"Brother, you've already proven your innocence! You're the victim! It's ridiculous that iQIYI, Youku, and Tencent took down the video. That bitch was originally a complete nobody, and you turned her into an A-lister, yet she turns her back on you and doesn't even honor the three-show agreement..."

Xu Le slapped his thigh: "That's right! I'm the damn victim. No matter how big the stir was, it had nothing to do with me. Why did they take down my show?"

He suddenly thought of the mastermind, President Wang.

Not only did he secretly hire a bunch of trolls, but he could also get iQIYI, Youku, and Tencent to take down a viral video. He was definitely no ordinary person.