After Spectating Gossip, the Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m a Big Shot – CH43

Chapter 43

[Hahahahahahaha, this is the first time I’ve seen a media group interview where the reporters were rendered speechless.]

[Thinking back to two years ago, a newbie I liked was moved to tears during a media group interview. It seems the tables have turned—now it’s your turn! Well done, Brother Qin!]

[I’m so fed up with the media stirring up trouble like this. Clearly, these are two separate dramas; why bring them up together?]

[I think it’s okay to ask, right? After all, with the current popularity of Secrets of the Six Doors, no other drama can beat it. Perhaps only The Grand Scheme can surpass it?”

[So annoying! This is the celebration party for Secrets of the Six Doors. Can those praising The Grand Scheme please leave!]

[Just telling the truth—The Grand Scheme is just that good!]

[Exactly, fans of Secrets of the Six Doors are too sensitive. Do you get upset just by mentioning it?]

*

Although Qin Wen cleverly avoided the pitfall of comparing the two dramas, the debate in the bullet comments inevitably brought the comparison between Secrets of the Six Doors and The Grand Scheme onto the trending searches.

The Grand Scheme is a grand historical power-struggle drama that top-tier male star Jiang Sining has meticulously polished over two years. From the released behind-the-scenes footage and trailers, it appears magnificent with exquisite visuals, aiming squarely to be the drama of the year.

Since its airing date was set, many major dramas have adjusted their broadcast times to avoid clashing with it.

Only some minor productions were released, clearly sent out as cannon fodder.

Who could have expected that Secrets of the Six Doors would emerge as a dark horse, becoming a mountain standing before The Grand Scheme?

That being said, most people believe that as soon as The Grand Scheme appears, it will definitely end the screen domination of Secrets of the Six Doors.

After all, it’s Jiang Sining.

Jiang Sining’s debut drama was a huge hit, and his subsequent works have all performed very well. In the industry, there’s a saying: as long as you’ve signed Jiang Sining, the ratings are basically secured.

In this drama, Jiang Sining is not only the lead actor but also a co-producer, adding another layer of assurance to the project.

With these factors, even though Secrets of the Six Doors is currently unstoppable, no one believes it can overshadow The Grand Scheme.

Even the director of Secrets of the Six Doors, Gao Shen, felt a bit uneasy.

Gu Xingshi comforted him, “Director Gao, you should have a bit more confidence in yourself!”

Gao Shen sighed softly and said to Gu Xingshi, “It’s not that I lack confidence. The director of The Grand Scheme is Lu Kebing, one of the directors I respect the most. With him and Jiang Sining involved, I really can’t imagine how they could lose.”

Gu Xingshi said no more.

Indeed, the name Lu Kebing was too well-known. He had several high-quality TV dramas under his belt, and a few years ago, he even ventured into filmmaking. Although the box office was average, the reviews were quite good.

Now he’s returning to television, collaborating with Jiang Sining. Putting these two powerhouses together, one can imagine how formidable it would be.

However, both Gu Xingshi and Qin Wen maintained a good mindset.

Qin Wen had played the role of his dreams, performing it to his heart’s content, and was already very satisfied.

As for Gu Xingshi, he was even more at peace. In his view, Qin Wen’s acting career had just begun. The fact that Secrets of the Six Doors became a hit had already pleasantly surprised him; he didn’t ask for much more.

So, both of them opened the first episode of The Grand Scheme with an attitude of learning and appreciation.

But after watching for twenty minutes, Gu Xingshi couldn’t help but yawn.

How to put it—the visuals were stunning, the sets and costumes were exquisite, Jiang Sining’s acting was solid, and the supporting actors were competent. But no matter how he watched, it was just so boring.

Gu Xingshi sneaked a glance at Qin Wen beside him, only to see him watching intently. He immediately reflected: Do I not appreciate good art?

He sat up straight and watched for another five minutes, but couldn’t hold back any longer. He used a cushion to wipe the tears that had formed from yawning.

Although…

It was really dull.

This was what Gu Xingshi thought before falling into a deep sleep.

Two hours later, when the ending song of The Grand Scheme played, Gu Xingshi slowly woke up, stretching lazily. “Finished watching?”

Qin Wen put away the notebook in his hand and nodded earnestly.

Gu Xingshi was a bit puzzled. “Is it that good? You’re even taking notes?”

Qin Wen shook his head. “I watched for a few minutes and realized I didn’t understand what this drama was trying to convey. To not waste time, I started studying the acting of the seasoned actors. For example, in this long take, the way this actor suppressed his emotions before exploding—simply superb…”

Gu Xingshi: “…”

He still didn’t fully grasp the extent of Qin Wen’s diligence.

Besides the two of them, many others were also watching the premiere of The Grand Scheme.

For example, Jiang Jianyue.

After following Secrets of the Six Doors for some time, Jiang Jianyue had become a fan. But as a film and television content creator, she had to admit that, on popularity, the strength of The Grand Scheme far surpassed Secrets of the Six Doors.

Therefore, on the night of The Grand Scheme premiere, she skipped Secrets of the Six Doors and tuned to watch The Grand Scheme instead.

But after watching it, she was dumbfounded.

Was this supposed to be the grand historical power-struggle drama polished over two years?

To discuss its merits, of course, there were some.

Lu Kebing’s aesthetic sense was impeccable as always; every frame could be used as a desktop wallpaper.

Jiang Sining’s acting was also solid; several long takes showcased his skill.

However, this did not change the fact that the drama was fundamentally “unwatchable.”

The plot barely progressed, character motivations were illogical, the political intrigue was simplistic, and everyone seemed intent on delivering grandiose speeches. The dialogue was convoluted and pretentious, making viewers want to fall asleep.

Jiang Sining’s flashy acting, aside from highlighting himself, was disconnected from the rest of the drama.

In other words, it turned a pile of garbage into a beautifully wrapped pile of garbage.

Jiang Jian Yue couldn’t describe her feelings—disappointment, anger, and frustration.

It was like being a gourmet who watched the finest ingredients turn into a culinary disaster.

Yet, at this moment, the trending topics were filled with praise for The Grand Scheme and honor Jiang Sining’s acting.

What was worse, many people were belittling Secrets of the Six Doors, claiming it had a narrow scope, stereotypical characters, poor acting, and couldn’t compare to The Grand Scheme.

They even mocked the audience of Secrets of the Six Doors for lacking appreciation, saying that “country bumpkins can’t enjoy fine food.”

Jiang Jianyue was so angry that her blood pressure soared.

It’s one thing for The Grand Scheme to buy trending spots, but was it necessary to belittle others to elevate themselves? Especially targeting Secrets of the Six Doors, a drama with a completely different theme, and even mocking its audience?

Was the publicity team for The Grand Scheme out of their minds, or were they planted by competitors?

In a fit of indignation, Jiang Jianyue wrote a lengthy blog post, directly analyzing why The Grand Scheme was unwatchable. Little did she know, this would stir up a hornet’s nest.

The swarm of paid trolls and die-hard fans quickly flooded her blog, hurling increasingly nasty insults.

But Jiang Jianyue was no pushover.

She had maintained her candid style in the film and television community for years because she was tough enough.

As the conflict escalated, many bystanders joined the fray.

[Just between us, I also think The Grand Scheme was terrible. I couldn’t even finish one episode…]

[I consider myself a casual fan of Jiang Sining and watched the drama for him, but I have to say, this show is really bad. But Jiang isn’t a god; occasional missteps are normal. He can do better next time.]

[I even argued with my friend earlier; she insisted that I had no taste and could only enjoy shallow idol dramas. It made me so mad! Even if I get flamed for it, I have to say: The Grand Scheme is just bad!]

Meanwhile, another force was working diligently to decouple The Grand Scheme from Secrets of the Six Doors.

Whenever discussions started to steer towards Secrets of the Six Doors, they quickly redirected the focus back to The Grand Scheme.

*

When Gu Xingshi woke up the next morning, the only trending topic left was #The Grand Scheme Is Unwatchable.

He was stunned.

Soon after, he received a call from Sun Hongfei, who said cheerfully, “President Gu, you don’t need to worry. Last night’s viewership for Secrets of the Six Doors wasn’t affected at all—in fact, it even increased!”

Gu Xingshi exclaimed in surprise, “Really?”

“Absolutely,” Sun Hongfei replied enthusiastically. “But it’s all thanks to President Wen. He had already instructed us to monitor public opinion, saying that The Grand Scheme might try to tie itself to us. At the time, we thought President Wen was overthinking it—does The Grand Scheme need to associate with us? But by evening, we realized President Wen truly has foresight; he predicted it perfectly…”

Listening to Sun Hongfei’s endless praise for Wen Yue, Gu Xingshi was silent for a moment.

After Sun finished speaking and didn’t hear a response, he asked puzzledly, “President Gu, why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t you think President Wen is amazing?”

Gu Xingshi: “…”

What was he supposed to say?

He wasn’t Wen Yue’s subordinate; he had no obligation to shower him with compliments!

But facing this die-hard fan, Gu Xingshi held back and replied perfunctorily, “Yes, yes, your President Wen is truly impressive!”

Sun Hongfei chuckled, “President Gu, you’re too modest.”

This is clearly your President Wen!

Gu Xingshi: “?”

Fortunately, Sun Hongfei quickly returned to normal and began discussing regular business matters.

After hanging up the phone, Gu Xingshi slowly got out of bed to wash his face and brush his teeth.

Feeling bored while brushing his teeth, he couldn’t help but call out to the system: [System! The Grand Scheme is so bad—are there any juicy stories behind it?]

As expected, the system immediately responded, [Hehe, I was just about to tell you!]

Gu Xingshi perked up immediately. [Tell me quickly!]

The system began, [Many people are saying that Lu Kebing failed this time, but that’s not the case. Lu Kebing performed normally; the biggest issues were with Jiang Sining and the scriptwriter!]

[Didn’t Lu Kebing try his hand at filmmaking before? That venture wasted several years, and the results weren’t great. He originally had a scriptwriter he always collaborated with; his previous hit dramas were all written by that scriptwriter. However, the scriptwriter was quite old, and after Lu ventured into films, the old man retired.]

[Later, when Lu returned to television, he wanted to make a big impact, so he signed a performance-based contract. He even went back to the scriptwriter’s hometown to persuade the old gentleman to come out of retirement. However, Jiang Sining was dissatisfied with the script, feeling that his role wasn’t prominent enough. He brought in a scriptwriter he had worked with before and insisted on changing the script.]

[The old gentleman had a stubborn temperament. Feeling subtly ostracized by them, he simply quit. Lu Kebing was furious, but Jiang Sining was a co-producer and had a good relationship with the investors. Together, they pressured Lu. Since Lu had signed the contract, he couldn’t just walk away like the old man, so he had to grit his teeth and continue filming.]

[Seeing Lu swallow his anger, Jiang Sining became even more audacious. Not only did he change the script—turning it into a mess—but he also insisted on adding those showy long takes to showcase his acting, hoping to use this drama to win awards!]

Hearing this, Gu Xingshi was astonished. [Didn’t he realize that messing around like this would ruin the drama? If the show is bad, what’s the use even if his acting is good?]

The system sighed, [Well, it’s not the first time Jiang Sining has done this. He had a previous work like this, but back then, he wasn’t so bold. Plus, the scriptwriter for that drama was strong, so they barely salvaged it. Later, with paid promotions and fan praise, he genuinely believed he was exceptional and could carry a show on his own, which is why he became even worse this time.]

[However, that incident didn’t spread widely, and the drama’s metrics were still decent, so it was covered up. Lu Kebing had been making films in recent years and didn’t know about this, so he was persuaded to take on the project. When he wanted to back out, it was already too late. He did his best, but unfortunately, Jiang Sining was too self-assured and wouldn’t listen, even using his status as co-producer to suppress Lu. In the end, Lu gave up and went along with Jiang’s antics. If Jiang wanted long takes, he gave him long takes; if he wanted close-ups, he provided close-ups… The first few episodes are actually acceptable, but it gets progressively worse after that…]

Gu Xingshi was stunned. [Those first few episodes were considered the good ones?]

The system replied, [There’s an upcoming scene where Jiang Sining performs a wet sword dance—that’s the most explosive part of the entire drama. But he’s quite pleased with himself. Apparently, he teased it to his fans on Weibo early on, saying it’s a special treat for them…]

Gu Xingshi sighed. […I don’t even know what to say.]

The system continued, [Oh, by the way, he’s planning to break into films. He very shrewdly set his sights on Feng Tingyun’s production team, but during the audition, he was directly rejected by Feng Tingyun.]

Gu Xingshi mused, [Hmm… I sympathize with Old Feng for a moment.]

*

In the time that followed, as The Grand Scheme continued to air, it became increasingly dull and trivial. Apart from Jiang Sining’s obligatory highlight scenes in each episode, there was nothing else.

The viewership of The Grand Scheme visibly plummeted. It couldn’t even compare to Secrets of the Six Doors, even worse than some low-budget sweet romance airing at the same time.

The viewers of Secrets of the Six Doors finally felt vindicated.

Moreover, compared to the increasingly disjointed plot of The Grand Scheme, Secrets of the Six Doors was getting better and better. On various social media platforms, people were enthusiastically discussing the plot and speculating about future developments. It was very lively.

As for The Grand Scheme, apart from the lackluster spamming by hired bots, the only recent trending topic was Jiang Sining’s wet sword dance scene. However, the headline was #JiangSiningGreasy.

Such a stark contrast made the once-confident Jiang Sining’s expression dark and uncertain.

Seeing this, his agent could only console him, “Sining, what’s done is done. Stop looking at these. At least your fans still recognize your acting skills. We’ll choose the next project carefully; it won’t affect you.”

“What do you mean it won’t affect me!” Jiang Sining angrily pointed at the scripts on the table. “Look at these scripts they’ve sent over. In the past, who would dare present me with such garbage!”

The agent sighed helplessly. “Just wait for this period to pass, and things will calm down.”

But Jiang Sining became even angrier, complaining, “I said back then that Lu Kebing wasn’t up to it! You all insisted he was a great director. A great director produces this kind of stuff? It’s a waste of my acting talent!”

The agent wanted to say something, but Jiang Sining was becoming increasingly arrogant and short-tempered.

Back on set, he had advised Jiang Sining not to go against the veteran scriptwriter, but Jiang had snapped at him. Later, as if deliberately opposing him, Jiang had driven the old man away and promoted his own scriptwriter.

Afraid of adding fuel to the fire, the agent could only continue to soothe him with gentle words.

Only then did Jiang Sining huff and sit down on the sofa. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked, “By the way, did the audition results from Director Feng come out?”

The agent inwardly exclaimed, Oh no.

After the audition, Feng Tingyun had directly sent a message rejecting him. But at that time, The Grand Scheme was just premiering, and the agent feared that if Jiang threw a tantrum, it would affect the initial publicity, so he hid the news.

He thought that once The Grand Scheme aired and achieved good results, when Jiang was in a good mood, he would slowly break the news to him.

But who could have expected that The Grand Scheme would fail so miserably!

If Jiang found out now that he had been rejected, who knows how he’d lose his mind.

Just as he was hemming and hawing, not knowing what to say, Jiang Sining saw a new trending topic pop up.

#QinWenJoinsFengTingyun’sNewFilm

Jiang Sining exclaimed in disbelief, “Qin Wen?? That male supporting actor in Secrets of the Six Doors who only knows how to smile foolishly?”

The agent was speechless.

Jiang Sining opened Weibo and became angrier the more he read. “What? He didn’t even audition; Feng Tingyun invited him to join?! And I have to act alongside someone like him?”

Seeing that if he didn’t clarify now, Jiang would completely misunderstand, the agent had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, “Actually, you won’t be acting with him…”

“What do you mean?” Jiang Sining asked.

The agent’s voice grew smaller and smaller. “Your audition… didn’t pass.”

“What?!” Jiang Sining exclaimed.

The agent quickly tried to calm him. “Don’t get upset. It’s hard to transition from TV to film, especially with Director Feng’s movies. Failing an audition is normal. You’re still young; we’ll try a few more times, and we’ll find a way…”

“What do you mean my audition failure is normal! What do you mean it’s hard to transition from TV to film? Qin Wen has only played a third male lead, so why did Feng Tingyun personally invite him?” Jiang Sining looked at him darkly. “Are you saying my acting is worse than his?”

The agent knew that Jiang Sining was always proud of his acting skills and didn’t dare agree with him, so he said, “I heard that Feng Tingyun has a good relationship with Qin Wen’s agent; maybe that’s the reason?”

“That must be the reason!!” Jiang Sining exclaimed.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. “He wants to step on me to climb up! Does he even know who he is! Go find someone to dig up his dirt. I want him to know that I, Jiang Sining, am not someone he can trample on as he pleases!!”

The agent could only find people to investigate, but after checking all around, there was no dirt at all.

Jiang Sining couldn’t believe it. “How can anyone have no dirt!!!”

“I don’t care! Make it up if you have to! You must smear him to death! Force him out of the industry!!”

Seeing that he was about to lose his mind, the agent didn’t dare to persuade him further and quickly issued the task.

But after sending out the assignment, he looked at the name of Qin Wen’s agent, Gu Xingshi, and felt it seemed familiar. A bad premonition flashed in his mind—was he forgetting something?

*

Gu Xingshi has been incredibly busy lately.

Secrets of the Six Doors was skyrocketing in popularity, especially in the episode where Qin Wen’s character, Yu Changyan, had his identity exposed.

Although it was a shocking plot twist, because of the foreshadowing laid out earlier and numerous clues, combined with Yu Changyan’s background being revealed, such an important segment was perfectly handled by Qin Wen’s acting.

The audience didn’t feel deceived at all; instead, they found it thrilling.

Many people even sided with Yu Changyan. Both the protagonist and antagonist had supporters, and they began digging into the details, gradually understanding the true theme of the drama.

And the segment showcasing Qin Wen’s explosive acting was circulating online.

Gu Xingshi hadn’t expected that Feng Tingyun would see it and immediately be impressed by Qin Wen’s acting, inviting him to join his new film.

Gu Xingshi knew Feng Tingyun’s character well—favor was favor, film was film.

He would never give a film role as a favor just because someone had helped him.

Therefore, from the beginning, he hadn’t asked Feng Tingyun for audition scripts. After all, Qin Wen was a novice who had just started learning acting; it was better to progress gradually and not rush things.

But he hadn’t expected that, by a twist of fate, Qin Wen would actually join Feng Tingyun’s crew.

Although it was just a small supporting role, being recognized by Feng Tingyun and entering the film industry was already a significant achievement.

In these busy and joyful days, he had completely put The Grand Scheme and Jiang Sining out of his mind.

But he hadn’t expected that even though he wasn’t looking for trouble, trouble came looking for him.

Seeing the overwhelming negative posts about Qin Wen online, Gu Xingshi was furious.

[If a tiger doesn’t show its fangs, do they think I’m Hello Kitty?]

[System!]

[At your service! I’ve been preparing for a long time! Let me tell you, there’s plenty of dirt on Jiang Sining~]

After listening to an earful of gossip, Gu Xingshi instead calmed down.

Of course, Jiang Sining would retaliate, but the primary task was to counter the smears against Qin Wen.

It wasn’t just Gu Xingshi who was angry; Qin Wen’s fans were also furious.

[Brother Qin is definitely not like that! A lot of these rumors are obviously fabricated!]

[I feel like crying. It’s so easy to spread rumors but so hard to refute them. It’s really difficult to prove innocence. If we let these rumors spread, Brother Qin’s career will be greatly affected in the future.]

[Waaa, I’ve been trying to explain for Brother Qin, but so many people still don’t believe. What should we do?]

Just when everyone was worried, someone suddenly shouted in the fan group, [Boss #10086 had posted on Weibo!] Everyone swarmed to Weibo.

They thought that the person would refute the rumors one by one, but upon opening the Weibo post, they found it listed the various troll farms and the accounts they used to spread rumors.

Even details like how much money each company spent and what fake dirt the paid trolls fabricated after receiving the money were all clearly listed.

The trolls, who had been causing trouble, were suddenly exposed and immediately fell silent.

[Whoa!!! What kind of hardcore clarification is this!!!]

[Hahaha, as expected of Boss 10086! Others deal with the rumors; he directly deals with the people making up the rumors!]