Haven't we already made up our minds to let go of these things?
As if to numb myself, and also to further solidify my resolve, I sneered inwardly: Chen Yang, Chen Yang, just because you're not Yang Wei anymore, does that mean you're not Xiao Wu anymore?! Hmph…
I glanced at the exhausted Ning Yan: "Any progress? Have you found out who did it?"
"We've got a lead." Ning Yan smiled bitterly: "To violate the rules of the industry like this, to fight us to the death, to resort to such ruthless tactics, must mean someone has a deep grudge against us. There's no such thing as a blood feud in the industry; the only possibility is that Jenny stole someone else's job and blocked their path, which is why she's so hated."
Yes, that's pretty much what I guessed. Although I initially suspected my enemies, both Ye Huan and the big boss of the Qinghong gang are powerful figures. If they were to make a move, they would target me, not deliberately use such tactics to mess with one of my company's stars.
“TianX Entertainment Company.” Ning Yan handed me the information, smiling wryly, “This company became famous a few years ago by producing several talent shows, and then monopolized the popularity of several contestants, packaging and launching them, which was quite successful. Unfortunately, after we launched Jenny, because of the similarity in style, several of their idol-type artists were greatly affected. In addition, some grudges we made in the past year due to competing in the market…”
I took the documents, glanced through them briefly, and said casually, "Well, it's enough to know who the opponent is." Then I looked at Ning Yan and said, "Alright, go and prepare. I need a list... Hmm, make a list of all the reporters who have written negative news about Jenny in the newspapers and media recently. I need it."
Ning Yan frowned: "Chen Yang... are you trying to bribe these reporters? I'm afraid it'll be difficult. These reporters have probably already been bribed by our opponents, which is why they're going to such lengths to smear Jenny. According to industry practice, once they've taken money from one side, they're unlikely to take money from us. These paparazzi are annoying, but they also have certain rules. If they take money from both sides, it will ultimately ruin their own careers in the industry... You may not understand, but..."
I waved my hand, interrupting her: "Who said I was going to bribe them?"
"you……"
I smiled, but there was a hint of malice in my smile: "I just wanted to give them some advice."
Ning Yan shuddered and hurriedly said, "You...you don't mean to...please don't! If we threaten them with violence, and if things are exposed, our company's reputation will be completely ruined!"
I smiled and said, "Who said I was going to use violence?"
Seeing Ning Yan's puzzled look, I smiled and mumbled a few words to send her away. As for this matter, I'll have to use some underhanded methods eventually; it's best not to let a woman like Ning Yan get involved.
In the afternoon, Ning Yan was quite cooperative and gave me a list, which included information on some entertainment reporters who had been giving us trouble recently.
I held it in my hand and examined it carefully for a while, then I found a hammer.
Sigh, I don't have any capable people around me right now. Originally, this task required a clever person to handle it. Among the people around me, the most suitable person for this kind of thing is Xiao Zhu, who is quick-witted. But Xiao Zhu isn't with me, and I'm a little worried about letting Hammer, this hothead, do it.
I explained everything to Hammer very carefully, down to the smallest detail. Although Hammer isn't the smartest guy, he's reliable! Whether he understands what I tell him or not, he always completes everything I ask him to do exactly as I require.
After I finished speaking, I handed him the list: "Go to the company account and withdraw one million in cash. Find these reporters and ask them to do as we say. If they agree, tell them to give each of them fifty thousand upfront, and another fifty thousand after the job is done! Understand? If you encounter someone who is unwilling to cooperate, don't force them. Remember one thing... never reveal your identity. When you contact them, be careful and don't leave anything that can prove your identity! Don't leave business cards or phone numbers! They will definitely ask about your identity, just be mysterious and don't tell them."
Hammer said, somewhat puzzled, "Fifth Brother... isn't what we're doing a bit absurd? In this situation, we're actually adding fuel to the fire..."
"No need to ask anymore, just do as I say." I sighed. "Although it cost some money, it got this matter handled well. It's not bad. Sigh... these guys really hit the mark, hitting Jenny's vitals right away. But if she gets through this, nothing will be able to threaten her anymore."
Hammer withdrew money from the company account and went out to run errands. I called Ning Yan in again, and she looked rather grim: "Chen Yang... what did you send your men to do? You wouldn't really..."
I laughed. I knew Ning Yan's concerns. Hammer had a fierce face and a burly appearance, which easily made people think of the word "violence".
"Don't worry, I sent my men not to kill or set fires, but to distribute money." I laughed.
"What?" Ning Yan exclaimed anxiously, "Didn't I already say? Paying those reporters to speak on our behalf now is useless! Think about it, those reporters have already written and published their articles! Asking them to turn their guns on us now would be like making them slap themselves in the face. I doubt anyone would do something so foolish! Even if you offered them money, they wouldn't do it. Because once they do it, they'll be contradicting themselves, and it will be very difficult for them to continue working in the industry."
I still had that weird smile on my face: "Who said I wanted them to turn their guns on us?"
"..."
A day later, in the already boiling hot situation, it was as if a bombshell had been dropped! The news, published in seven or eight entertainment newspapers and media outlets that day, sent almost the entire entertainment industry into a frenzy!
Entertainment News Flash: Breaking news! Super popular idol Jenny is actually the secret lover of her company boss, Chen Di!
Entertainment News: Breaking News! Our reporter's undercover investigation uncovered a shocking secret about Jenny! The popular superstar Jenny, the goddess in the hearts of countless fans, is actually transgender! Our reporter conducted an undercover interview with the doctor who performed Jenny's sex reassignment surgery…
Gossip Weekly: Shocking gossip! Jenny's amazing background! She's actually Bruce Lee's illegitimate daughter!!!
Daily Entertainment Star: Heartbreak! Jenny's lover is actually "her"!!! A popular idol, she loves women more than men!
Paparazzi: Witnesses claim to have seen Jenny secretly meeting Tom Cruise in New York...
Star Media: Exclusive scoop! Jenny was once abducted by aliens! Her perfect figure and voice are the result of extraterrestrial plastic surgery!
"The More Gossip, the Happier": Aliens Appear on Earth! Jenny's True Identity is Actually an Aryan Immigrant! An Alien Idol Appears on Earth!! Please see our latest report: She's from Namek!
...
…………
……
This is insane!
This is absolutely insane!
I sat in my office, lounging in my chair. On the desk in front of me, the major entertainment news newspapers from the past two days were neatly lined up. Looking at these sensational and alarmist headlines, I smiled broadly.
Bang!
The office door was pushed open, and Ning Yan stormed in, her face contorted with rage. She held a newspaper in her hand, the headline of which read: "Interview with Jenny's Gender Reassignment Surgeon..."
Snap!
Ning Yan slammed the newspaper down in front of me, angrily saying, "What's going on here! Chen Yang, these newspapers have suddenly gone on a crazy attack on Jenny! What have you been doing these past few days?"
"Oh..." I took the newspaper she brought, glanced at it, and then casually put it back on the table. Then I looked at Ning Yan with a smile and said, "These reporters are really funny with their fabrications."
"What exactly did you do to these reporters?" Ning Yan asked sternly. "Did you try to bribe them, or did you send people to beat them up? They're attacking us so fiercely now! You must have offended them to make them so angry. I told you before, what you did wouldn't do..."
“I paid these reporters to write this.” My words immediately stunned Ning Yan. Her mouth gaped open, and she stared at me intently.
I stood up, poured her a cup of tea, patted her, and pressed her shoulder to help her sit down. I smiled, squinting my eyes, and said, "Don't get excited, have some water first."
"You...you...you..." Ning Yan's voice trembled, then she gritted her teeth and said, "Have you gone mad? How could you instruct these reporters to attack me??"
"Yes, that's right. I did it." I laughed. "These reporters' articles are really expensive! One article costs tens of thousands, I spent quite a bit of money."
"Oh my god... what are you trying to do?" Ning Yan looked dejected and groaned weakly.
I calmly walked around the table, sat back in my chair, glanced at Ning Yan a few times, and suddenly said, "Don't you understand?"
Seeing Ning Yan's bewildered expression, I patiently explained:
Do you think these reports are exaggerated?
"Exaggeration! This is beyond the power of the word 'exaggeration'! It's utter nonsense!! This is clearly a malicious attack, an insult!!"
“Hmm.” I nodded, completely ignoring Ning Yan’s anger: “You said it yourself, this is all nonsense.”
I paused for a moment, then softened my tone: "Tell me, will the readers outside believe that Jenny is transgender?"
"...Nonsense! Of course not!"
"Hmm, will people believe Jenny is really Bruce Lee's illegitimate daughter just because they read the newspapers?"
"Of course not! Bruce Lee has been dead for so many years! How old is Jenny this year?! How could that be!!"
"Hmm..." I smiled, "So, does anyone believe Jenny is an alien?"
Ning Yan, enraged, laughed: "I think you're the alien!" Then, she couldn't help but laugh herself.
“This is it.” I spread my hands and laughed. “Look at these reports. Although they are very harsh, malicious, and full of insults and slander, they may make you very angry. But have you ever thought that out of the hundred people who have read these reports, probably ninety-nine out of ten will not believe the bullshit written on them?”
"Only an idiot would believe that Jenny is some kind of alien or transgender person!" Ning Yan shook her head.
“Right! Only an idiot would believe that.” I laughed. “But idiots don’t go online to read entertainment news, and idiots don’t spend money to buy newspapers. Those who can see these things are normal people; they have their own thoughts and at least a basic level of intelligence.” I continued patiently to Xun Ningyan: “Okay, let’s make an assumption: what would an ordinary, normal-minded person with normal intelligence think if they saw these reports?”
"People would think these are all nonsense, at most laugh them off, and no one would take them seriously."
"That's it!" I laughed. "This is exactly the effect I wanted!"
Ning Yan's eyes lit up! She immediately understood!
These newspapers had a remarkable effect. Although Jenny was mentioned by countless people for a time, and the news was widely circulated as a joke, no one took these jokes seriously.
The most subtle thing is this: since the rumors that "Jenny is transgender, Jenny is an alien, Jenny is Bruce Lee's illegitimate daughter" are false, people naturally assume they're nonsense. So… what about the claim that "Jenny was a prostitute"... hehe…
Hmph, so they'll slander me? They'll expose scandals? Fine! I'll escalate and exaggerate these scandals to an absurd degree, until no one believes them anymore!
More importantly... the bigger the scandal gets, the less people will believe these "scandals." This will not only not damage Jenny's reputation, but will also boost her popularity even further!
How many people would still believe these "scandals" now?
If you believe it?
Haha! Now even an idiot knows these entertainment newspapers are talking nonsense! An idiot knows they're maliciously attacking and slandering you. You still believe these newspapers say Jenny was once a prostitute? Are you admitting you're an idiot?
This is exactly the effect I wanted!
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Seventy-Three: Strike While the Iron Is Hot
When I spent money to bribe these reporters, I had a very clear plan. If I paid them to change their tune, it would be like making them contradict themselves. Although these paparazzi love money, none of them would be willing to do such a thing. But instead of making them change their tune, I gave them a large sum of money to continue attacking Jenny. Naturally, few people would refuse such a good deal—especially since there was a lot of money in their pockets.
These past few days I've actually made a contribution to Shanghai's newspaper industry. I buy all the entertainment newspapers every day to read, and by the way, Qiaoqiao, Mutou, and Aze each get a copy every day too.
"Brilliant, truly brilliant." Aze was smart after all, and he figured out my scheme a long time ago. He thought for a moment and said, "Actually, this matter can be taken a step further. Those reporters bit us hard before, putting us in such a passive position. We should teach them a lesson."
“Of course,” I nodded.
The hype over the past few days has almost died down. These endless scandals and utter nonsense, while initially amusing, have become tiresome for newspaper readers. Now, anyone with a modicum of common sense can't help but wonder: who has Jenny offended? Why would someone be so malicious as to target her?
As for those fans who were already crazy about Jenny, they now understand and are even more indignant at the despicable behavior of these entertainment media outlets in maliciously attacking their idol.
“If these fans find out that these reports were done by you, Jenny’s boss…” Aze chuckled, “their company would probably be torn down by these angry fans.”
"If it's going to be demolished, it won't be my turn." I smiled slyly.
At that moment, I played my second card!
I asked Ning Yan for another list, this time not the media outlets that were against us, but those that had maintained a good relationship with Deep Blue Entertainment, as well as those that had remained restrained and relatively neutral, or at least friendly, towards us throughout this controversy.
This time, I couldn't let Hammer handle it. I simply had Ning Yan do it, and of course, Aze also went to join in the fun and help out.
After several rounds of negotiations, coupled with a reasonable monetary offensive, such as offering well-known reporters substantial "writing fees" and promising sponsorship fees or advertising revenue to their respective media outlets...
Soon, a new storm was stirred up again!
This time, these media outlets that are friendly to us almost unanimously raised a series of questions in the most prominent places in their newspapers or websites!
The articles may differ from place to place, but the central idea remains the same!
I question you! Anyone with eyes can see that these malicious attacks against Jenny are utter nonsense! But why are those media outlets so united and relentlessly attacking this young woman with such vicious words? All that filth and slander has been thrown at a girl who is only in her early twenties. What is the purpose behind such despicable behavior?
More importantly, what benefits do they gain from doing these things? Or... is someone behind it all?
These articles have had an even better effect!
First, it subtly suggests that someone is bribing the media to maliciously target Jenny. Second, it further evokes sympathy for Jenny among readers.
Yes, people are all made of flesh and blood. Seeing such a beautiful and charming woman like Jenny being maliciously attacked by these bastards, yet she just swallowed her anger, is such a despicable thing that it is truly outrageous!