81: Chapter 81 Announcement from the Film Bureau

The Light and Shadow Federation Film Bureau, high-level conference room.

The hall was packed, and everyone's face was filled with gloom.

Because of the trouble Meng Zhu had caused, the Film Bureau had been holding meetings for several days in a row.

Just as everyone was at their wits' end today, the disciplinary inspection team finally pushed open the door and walked in.

Seeing the person arrive, the head leader raised his eyes.

"Any results?"

The disciplinary inspection personnel looked serious.

"Leaders, after two days of investigation, we have cleared Li Feng's team of all suspicion and confirmed that the online public opinion was organized spontaneously by netizens."

"Good, then go call Li Feng over to the meeting immediately."

By the time Li Feng arrived at the venue, there was a deathly silence in the hall.

On the central holographic screen, the public opinion index was constantly refreshing.

Tieba, Super Topics, Movie Home, StarNet surfing—all information had been organized into tables and was floating in the center of the hall.

"#Strongly Demand the Film Bureau Open Up Protagonist Replacement Restrictions#"

This entry was no longer just a set of ordinary words.

It carried the anger and expectations of countless people, forming a massive wave capable of shaking the rules.

With just a casual glance, Li Feng saw the Bureau Director, and beside him, the Minister of Network Security.

The man was over sixty, with a glint in his eyes.

"You are Li Feng?"

"Minister, regarding this public opinion, I absolutely had no selfish motives. I wanted to promote this matter, but definitely not in such a hasty and reckless manner."

Li Feng quickly expressed his stance.

Many leaders, over a hundred people in the entire conference hall, were all quietly watching him.

They actually all knew, but the procedure had to be followed; after all, Li Feng was highly suspicious.

The Bureau Director sighed.

"Li Feng, within an hour of the incident occurring, we had basically grasped the specific situation."

"The initial snowball rolled so fast partly because many actors incited their fans, but more of it was due to the netizens themselves."

An elderly man with gray hair rubbed his temples.

"Now the Public Relations Department has lost its effectiveness. Blocking, deleting posts, lowering heat, official refutations... doing this now is like pouring oil on a fire; the public's backlash will only become more intense each time."

Another leader in charge of technology looked ashen.

"According to the public opinion guidance AI analysis, the core cohesion of this wave of public opinion is as high as 78.7%. There is almost no possibility of diversion, guidance, or even dissolution. We can only solve the problem from the root."

After speaking, everyone's gaze turned to Li Feng.

The Bureau Director spoke again.

"Li Feng, your team has been researching Meng Zhu for some time. We have discussed it for a long time, but there isn't much useful information. Now, tell us your opinion."

It was time.

Li Feng took a deep breath, his expression calm as he called his smart assistant and accessed his database.

"Leaders, before discussing how to respond, I believe it is necessary for us to first understand Meng Zhu as a person."

Data connected to the smart system.

The next second, countless pieces of information were extracted and arranged, forming Meng Zhu's exclusive file.

With his 3D portrait as the core, countless data lines extended like a spider web, forming a massive 3D structure.

[Performance Style Analysis], [Decision Logic Simulation], [Emotional Resonance Spectrum], [Psychological Resilience Assessment]... and so on, and finally, [Subconscious Behavioral Pattern Deduction].

"Leaders, regarding the script for 'intrusion into the heavenly family', it was indeed our team operating behind the scenes, but to be honest, the actor Meng Zhu still caught us off guard."

His tone carried an indescribable complexity.

"Before the movie started, we analyzed many possibilities, but we didn't expect that it would end with such a result."

Achieving success twice in a row—at the time, no one would have believed it.

He looked around, his voice sinking.

"There might be luck and coincidence in this, but these are not important for now. The problem now is that with these two movies, netizens are deifying Meng Zhu."

Li Feng's voice rose sharply.

"This is extremely dangerous! We cannot allow this irrational fanaticism to continue fermenting! We cannot let the public lose their ability to judge for themselves, nor lose their awe for the rules of film."

"You are right. We have already conducted a risk assessment. You know him better. I heard you also sent people to watch the Tea Society. Tell us your solution."

Li Feng was calm and collected; clearly, he hadn't been slacking off during the investigation.

"Leaders, now we can only go with the flow."

"Do you know what you are saying?"

The Security Minister, who had been silent, finally spoke.

"I do."

Li Feng nodded.

"We are not ready yet, right?"

With that one sentence, the conference hall was once again so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"But leaders, whether we remain silent or suppress it now, we will only press the spring tighter and tighter."

He scanned the conference room.

"Of course, I don't mean to directly open up the protagonist replacement restrictions; that would be an extremely irresponsible act."

The Bureau Director and the Security Minister exchanged glances and nodded slightly.

"Continue."

"Leaders, I think we can release news that we are preparing adjustments or testing the feasibility of protagonist replacement to appease the public. At the same time, we should take a two-pronged approach and immediately book another movie for Meng Zhu."

"Book another movie?"

The conference room was in an uproar.

They had only just issued a notice a few days ago for Meng Zhu to suspend acting.

"Yes, the current public is generally blind and hot-headed. I plan to use a movie to pull the now-deified Meng Zhu down from his pedestal."

"Oh? Elaborate?"

Everyone's eyes gathered; regardless of anything else, someone finally had a plan.

"It's like this."

Li Feng held up two fingers.

"The top priority is that while we appease the public, we must use Meng Zhu to shatter his terrifying cohesion and let the public regain their reason."

"My plan is simple. First, use a movie where the fundamental setting completely precludes the possibility of Meng Zhu stealing the female lead. Second, use the plot setting to slightly torment Meng Zhu, making him and the public regain their awe."

"You want to force him to take a tragic script?"

"No, no, no. Everyone, please look at this movie. After nearly an hour of big data screening, our team believes this is the most suitable movie."

After reading the synopsis, everyone was thoughtful. After another two hours of intense discussion, the meeting finally ended, and the decision was made to adopt Li Feng's plan.

At exactly six o'clock that afternoon, the announcement from the highest office of the Light and Shadow Federation Film Bureau appeared.

Like a thunderbolt, it exploded over StarNet.

The indisputable official authority instantly covered the trending searches on all platforms, forcibly suppressing all the clamor.

[Announcement from the Light and Shadow Federation Film Bureau Regarding Issues Related to the "Protagonist Replacement Mechanism"]

[Respected StarNet public, actors, and movie fan friends: Recently, discussions on the Internet regarding opening up "protagonist replacement restrictions" have been highly valued by the Bureau.

To respond to public concerns and clarify the facts, we hereby announce the following:

1. The Bureau has always taken "enhancing the artistic expression of film" and "protecting actors' enthusiasm and safety" as its core work policy. The "protagonist replacement mechanism" hotly discussed online is actually one of the confidential projects that the Bureau has been focusing on internally.

2. Before being officially implemented, this mechanism must undergo a series of rigorous, cumbersome, and necessary processes, including but not limited to: [Theoretical Risk Assessment], [Stress Testing], [Specialized Virtual Equipment Debugging], [Joint Demonstration by Multi-domain Experts], [Internal Gray-box Testing], and [Small-scale Controllable Public Testing]. We hope the general public understands that safety is always the cornerstone of innovation.

3. The Bureau solemnly promises here: We have never stopped the pace of exploration. In the near future, after all difficulties are overcome and risks are effectively controlled, a brand-new mechanism that is more vibrant and better able to reflect the value of actors will eventually be opened to all the public.

4. In view of the outstanding talent and pioneering spirit displayed by the two-star actor Meng Zhu in his recent works, the Bureau, after careful discussion, has issued a special invitation to Meng Zhu. After the "protagonist replacement mechanism" completes internal testing, we will invite Meng Zhu to perform in the Federation's first protagonist replacement movie.

Once this announcement was released, the entire StarNet was shaken.