Chapter 48: Joint Strangulation

"Dad! Why is Cheng Cheng livestreaming? Wasn't his movie scheduled for a mid-October release? Why is he suddenly bringing up the National Day holiday lineup?"

Jiang Wang received a call from his daughter, and the moment he picked up, a soft, reproachful voice washed over him.

He had already mentally prepared himself for this phone call.

Helplessly, Jiang Wang said, "Nan'nan, this isn't something your dad can decide. Cheng Cheng has offended too many people. You know how the entertainment industry works—it's all about connections and social savvy. Acting too independently and without regard for consequences comes with a price."

Jiang Nan sounded somewhat uncomprehending as she complained, "So that means making Cheng Cheng drink boiling water and eat cacti? I don't know how he managed it, but thankfully he's fine. What if he had actually gotten hurt? What would we have done then?"

Jiang Nan had received the news during a break in her program recording.

At that moment, several staff members were huddled closely around a smartphone, their expressions nothing short of spectacular—a mix of excitement, schadenfreude, sarcasm, and other emotions. They periodically burst into shrieks and shouts, carrying on as if they were watching a monkey show:

"Look, he's getting roasted by netizens again! So damn satisfying!" "Haha, remember how arrogant he used to be on set? Now he's just a complete clown!" "Reduced to this state, what a joke!"...

These sneering and mocking voices pierced Jiang Nan's ears. Looking closer, she realized the person in the video was Cheng Cheng.

She had forcefully restrained herself from messaging Cheng Cheng, fearing it would hurt his self-esteem.

After understanding the ins and outs of the situation, she felt an intense, overwhelming sense of injustice on his behalf.

Why? Why always him?

Why is it always Cheng Cheng?!

Why are people constantly trying to suppress him? Why won't they ever let him go?!

It was like this with the previous incident, and it's like this again now.

Clearly, he had never done anything wrong, yet undeserved catastrophes kept falling upon his head.

"I didn't make Cheng Cheng eat cacti or drink boiling water; that was his own choice," Jiang Wang sighed heavily.

Anxious, Jiang Nan said, "Dad, can't you talk some sense into him? There's no need to push himself this hard for a movie, especially by hurting his own body."

"My daughter, you don't understand," Jiang Wang said, recalling his own dark and gloomy years. "Cheng Cheng is a man doing what a man is supposed to do. A man must shoulder his own responsibilities, using every possible means—even if it means burning himself out, even knowing it will end in failure, he must still charge toward that failure."

At this point, Jiang Wang continued:

"Nan'nan, Dad has to apologize to you. No matter how many reasons there are, Dad still failed to keep his promise. Don't worry, from now on, no one in the entertainment industry will ever dare look down upon our father-daughter pair again. Everything we've suffered today, I am going to take it all back!"

"—Dad, you've been wronged too."

"It doesn't matter if Dad suffers a bit; Dad doesn't want you to suffer..."

***

"Absolute clowns!!!"

Behind the scenes at the roadshow for *Glory Era*.

Lü Zhuofeng swept an entire desktop of items onto the floor, roaring in fury.

The entire room—including the staff and the main cast of *Glory Era*—stood in dead silence, not even daring to breathe loudly.

During the roadshow event on stage just moments ago, an oblivious reporter had asked Lü Zhuofeng how he viewed the internet's trending topic of "The Most Desperate Movie Promotion in History."

Lü Zhuofeng hadn't known about it at first, but through the reporter's explanation, he learned it was something Cheng Cheng had cooked up.

While on stage, he naturally had to save face, stating that it was simply a novel, youthful, and highly commendable form of movie promotion. But the moment he stepped backstage, his rage boiled over.

What infuriated him was the feeling that his authority had been challenged, disrespected, and defied!

Why couldn't Cheng Cheng and his bunch of washed-up nobodies just obediently accept their fate?!

Why wasn't the situation developing according to the script he had designed?

Did they still not understand his intention in bumping their release up to the National Day slot?

It was to let them die!

It was to subject them to utter humiliation!

What were they still struggling for?

What were they still trying so hard for?

Wouldn't it be better to recognize the situation and face reality?

After all, he was just a garbage director who transitioned from being a puppeteer, leading a bunch of castoffs: Li Yang, who got lucky and struck gold once only to cool down on pure merit; Qi Hao, who emerged from cheap online movies; some nameless nobody whose name nobody could even remember; and Wen Lian, that ungrateful, shameless bitch!

What was most infuriating was!

This group of people was actually beginning to pose a threat to him!

Lü Zhuofeng had dragged the main cast through dozens of cities, yet they hadn't managed to secure many hot searches.

Cheng Cheng, all by himself, using this shameless, clownish method reminiscent of a street-performing juggler, had actually managed to hit the Weibo trending list! Moreover, his peak livestream viewership had reached over 30 million!

And the trending search term was literally "The Most Desperate Movie Promotion in History"!

Wasn't he, a man in his sixties or seventies still toiling on the front lines of filmmaking, considered desperate?

This generation of viewers were idiots too!

They didn't understand the first thing about cinematic art; they were just fucking watching monkeys!

It was these ignorant and foolish viewers who were making the current film market worse and worse!

"Get out, all of you!" Zhao Wenliang dismissed everyone present.

He was the investor of the movie and also Lü Zhuofeng's longtime friend.

Once everyone had cleared out, Zhao Wenliang patted Lü Zhuofeng on the chest to help him smooth his breath, saying, "Stop getting angry. It's not worth it to get worked up over a minor character like him. Don't end up ruining your own health."

After panting for a long while, Lü Zhuofeng finally calmed down, though grievance still simmered in his chest as he cursed:

"Nowadays, any piece of trash thinks they can break into the film market. You might say these things can't really hurt you, but they're just disgusting! I hate it when scum like this tries to muscle into the film industry!"

Zhao Wenliang advised, "You don't need to pay attention to him. What kind of danger could his movie possibly pose to you? Zhuofeng, you are the top director in the country. This time, we're aiming to break records. Your only opponent is your own past self. We don't even take *Flames of War* or *Comedic Routine* seriously, let alone some Cheng Cheng? Don't let him ruin your mood. Pull yourself together; we still have interviews to attend."

Lü Zhuofeng gnashed his teeth, his eyes flashing with malice:

"I don't consider him an opponent, but I can't let him keep playing the fool for attention either. Otherwise, if he keeps acting as Wen Lian's shield, he'll remain a thorn in my side."

Zhao Wenliang said, "Fine, we'll do whatever you say. Once the National Day holiday ends, I'll immediately contact people to get him blacklisted! As for right now—"

A sinister smile crept across his face: "I'll send a wave of bot accounts to disrupt his livestream. Doesn't he want to act like a clown? Then let's let him play the fool to his heart's content all at once! We'll run him ragged, and yet nobody will go to the theater. Don't you think that'll piss him off?"

As he spoke, Zhao Wenliang couldn't help but chuckle himself.

The corners of Lü Zhuofeng's mouth curled into a smile as well, and he added, "And mass report him. Shouldn't livestreaming content like this be banned? We're doing a good deed to prevent others from imitating it and turning livestreams into platforms for vulgarity and ugliness."

Catching this scene, Zhao Wenliang laughed even more heartily:

Zhuofeng, any thorn in your heart, I will pluck it out for you!

***

Meanwhile, Xianghua Entertainment and Fanghua Meiji also sprang into action, deploying measures to strangle Cheng Cheng's career.

Because they simply could not tolerate Cheng Cheng making a comeback; any flicker of a spark had to be stamped out immediately!

They had grown accustomed to the rule that those who submit prosper and those who resist perish. How could they possibly allow someone in the entertainment industry to openly and distinctively oppose them?

Even the momentary existence of such a person was a blow to their prestige!

*Author's Note:* Thanks to the major patrons *Hell Encounter* and *God is Not in This World* for the 500 Qidian coin tips, thanks to *Ramen-selling Uncle* for the 100 Qidian coin tip, and thanks to all the major patrons who voted, read along, and added this to their bookshelves. Wishing you all sudden wealth and overflowing romantic luck!