80: Chapter 80 Things Have Gone Wrong

The cool, recycled air rushed to meet him.

Meng Zhu stepped out of the virtual pod and stretched his slightly stiff neck.

Countless images were being flipped through in his mind; this was the aftermath of detaching his emotions, and his brain throbbed with a dull pain.

In the living room, work assistant Chen Fei and personal assistant Li Qing had been waiting for a long time.

Both were excited and thrilled, evidently having just emerged from their own virtual pods, having watched the entire livestream.

But Meng Zhu did not know that there was another reason for their excitement.

...

"Wait, what do you mean by the 'nuclear explosion' you just mentioned? Has the Light and Shadow Federation split? Is there going to be a war?"

"No, no, no, Teacher Meng, it's not that kind of nuclear explosion; it's the internet."

Chen Fei adjusted his glasses.

"The internet has truly exploded this time."

Meng Zhu realized, taking the water handed to him by Li Qing.

"What exactly is going on?"

As he asked, he began to operate the holographic screen in the living room himself.

The next second, he understood the meaning of the "nuclear explosion" that Chen Fei and Li Qing had spoken of.

It wasn't just Movie Home; the trending searches across the entire StarNet were countless.

# Meng Zhu The End of the Supporting Role is the Leading Role # [Explosive]

# Meng Zhu Vengeance for Stealing a Wife # [Trending]

# Congratulations to Mr. Zhu for his second success # [Explosive]

# Will you still steal the role in the next movie # [Discussed]

# Meng Zhu followers exceed two million, one million followers from one movie # [New]

# How to marry Meng Zhu # [Trending]

Among them, the discussion volume and search volume for the entry "# Meng Zhu The End of the Supporting Role is the Leading Role #" were staggering.

Within the entry, there were countless posts and analytical articles that seemed endless.

"[Technical Analysis Post] From 'you are my moonlight' to 'intrusion into the heavenly family', discussing how Meng Zhu used two performances to redefine the role of 'supporting actor'! He isn't playing a supporting role at all; he is playing the lead in his own world!"

"I declare that from now on, as long as it's a movie featuring Meng Zhu, the original leading actor can just go ahead and buy a standing ticket! It's best to leave overnight."

These were just the beginning.

After all, the movie had just ended, and the discussion still needed time to ferment.

But Meng Zhu himself had not expected that things would escalate to an uncontrollable point because of a fan's livestream.

In the following days, Meng Zhu did not pay attention to the storm on the internet, but calmly accepted the psychological maintenance arranged by Li Qing.

The help provided by the agency to actors was multifaceted and extremely complex.

There was a one-month temporary training before acting, and likewise, a one-month period of maintenance and recovery after filming.

Until one day, a week after finishing the performance.

"A fan's livestream?"

Meng Zhu raised an eyebrow, not understanding.

"Yes, Mr. Meng."

Chen Fei's expression was somewhat conflicted.

"Now the problem has blown up; we have already received notice from the Film Bureau, requesting that you temporarily do not perform in any new movies."

"Is it that serious?"

Chen Fei nodded with a complex expression, simultaneously pulling up a recording of a livestream in the living room.

"This person is your fan and is a top-tier streamer on a gaming platform, named 'Guoba Gaifan'."

Meng Zhu sat on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the holographic screen.

In the video was a young man around thirty years old.

"Hello everyone, I am Guoba Gaifan. Recently, many fan friends have been asking if I joined the Tea Society. Let me give a unified reply here: Yes, that's right, I am indeed a fan of Mr. Zhu."

The beginning of the livestream was very plain, but as Zhang Wei spoke, the atmosphere began to change.

"You are all asking for the reason. In fact, veteran fans know that Guoba was also an actor back in the day, but later switched tracks."

"I still remember how high-spirited I was back then. I debuted in three movies, all of which finished smoothly. At that time, my heart was set higher than the heavens; I thought sweet romance novels were stress-free, and in my ignorance, I accepted a tragic novel."

"The tragedy started from there. I disappeared for two whole years and also underwent two years of psychological therapy."

His voice choked up.

"Do you know that feeling? From having nightmares to sleepwalking, and then to being unable to stir up any emotions, accompanied by persecution mania—I looked at everyone around me and always felt they would bully me. No matter what I said, absolutely no one would believe me. All of this was because of the year I was severely tormented by the female lead in the movie."

"I was clearly the supporting villain; in the early and middle stages, the female lead should have unconditionally sided with me. A voice in my brain told me that no matter what I said, the female lead would unconditionally believe me and unconditionally go bully the protagonist. Yet, my subconscious was actually counter-killed by the male lead early on, and I even became a tool for the female lead to prove her sincerity to the male lead. I became a part of their love story, tormented and humiliated for a year, not even counting as a background prop."

"Clearly in tragic movies, the supporting male role's advantage in the early and middle stages is heaven-defying, but that sense of powerlessness when facing the male lead cannot be removed by the emotional memory firewall at all. My subconscious remembered it clearly, until I fell ill."

"Let me say something from the bottom of my heart: even after I was cured later, I never dared to act again."

"To be honest, such people don't exist at all. The male leads in tragic novels are all crazy. But think about it, in ordinary movies, which male lead isn't a paranoid maniac?"

"It's fine if we don't provoke the female lead, but once we do, the outcome is not much better."

"For a long time, sweet romance novels have been slightly better. The supporting male role is generally a background prop. As long as you don't let your lust get the better of you, it's usually just being rejected repeatedly. If it's that kind of 'white moonlight' movie, maybe if you're lucky, you can get some favor from the female lead."

"It's true that there are actors who have snatched the female lead or even made her fall in love with them, but when the male lead goes crazy, the movie often either breaks the plot or rushes to a terrible ending."

"It can be said that the actors of the entire Light and Shadow Federation have suffered under the protagonists for too long."

"So when Meng Zhu appeared, he was so different. He didn't fight or snatch; he truly attracted the female lead. He was also smart, while the male lead always appeared very mentally challenged, which at one point made me doubt my life."

"But I soon understood: it wasn't that the male lead was too weak, but that Meng Zhu was too strong. The second movie, 'intrusion into the heavenly family', which just finished, is ironclad proof."

"I know there have been voices on the internet recently calling for Meng Zhu to play the lead, and some people have even gone to the Film Bureau to cause trouble. Honestly, I want that too. I want to see actors rise up, crush the protagonists, and I also want to see actors replace the protagonists and win over the female lead."

"But regarding the matter of replacing the protagonist, as everyone knows, the Film Bureau will never agree to it. I advise everyone here to be rational. Let's just let Meng Zhu use the supporting role to make a comeback and vent our frustrations for us."

This accusation deeply resonated with many people.

So much so that the voices calling for actors to replace protagonists grew louder and louder.

Meng Zhu became a banner.

The surging tide finally aimed at the Light and Shadow Federation Film Bureau.

" # Strongly demand the Film Bureau open up restrictions on replacing protagonists # "

This entry had been hanging at the top of the trending list for two consecutive days.

The official public relations hotline reached a point where it was impossible to get through.

Meng Zhu turned off the holographic screen; the clamor on the internet seemed isolated from him.

But after watching the video and the news on the internet, his heart was actually not calm.

Having the experience of living two lifetimes.

He knew there was something fishy about this.

For example, many actors' fans might be a bit carried away and utilized by people with ulterior motives.

To put it bluntly, as the saying goes, the higher you are lifted, the harder you fall.

In this incident, there were definitely quite a few actors pushing the waves from behind.

The goal was to 'kill with praise' Meng Zhu, or even to provoke the disgust of the Film Bureau.

However, Meng Zhu did not know that the Film Bureau was currently discussing him as well, and that Team Leader Li Feng was even more overwhelmed.