This was a calculated smear campaign, so it was naturally more than just simple mockery.

Rong Xu had been in the industry for less than two years. Before last night’s Golden Phoenix Awards, his career had developed so rapidly that many people didn’t even have time to process it. In a blink of an eye, they realized this young actor had already reached an incredibly far point.

Moreover, every step he took was very steady. He didn’t become an overnight sensation like some predecessors such as Qin Cheng and Chu Qi, immediately soaring to immense popularity. But when you look back at each of his works since his debut, you slowly begin to marvel: this young man has achieved so much.

This kind of thing happens subtly; it doesn’t register immediately, but the facts are already there.

Huaxia’s three major TV drama awards—the Peony Award, the Flying Apsaras Award, and the Golden Bell Award—Rong Xu had won four trophies.

For Huaxia’s most important Golden Phoenix Award, Rong Xu became the only dual Best Actor nominee in history.

If you simply and crudely talk about box office, then among the films starring Rong Xu, Black Cloud and Lost City both surpassed 10 billion yuan, making them the two highest-grossing films in Huaxia last year!

Rong Xu rose too fast and became incredibly popular too quickly. With many fans, there were bound to be many antis. Some of these antis were simply anti-Rong, but others were fans of other young actors.

Among the same batch of fresh young faces, why is my idol still filming second-rate TV dramas while you’ve already achieved so much? We were all young actors auditioning and acting together back then. You’re so impressive, who wouldn’t be envious, who wouldn’t be jealous?

In addition, among these antis were also fans of Zhong Yi, Ling Zhen, Deng Yiwen, and others.

In their eyes, there were rumors that Zhong Yi was originally the actor for Wan Qiyao in Veil of Supremacy. If Zhong Yi hadn’t sprained his ankle then, that role would have been his, and perhaps Zhong Yi would have been the one to receive the dual Best Actor nomination today!

Fans of Ling Zhen and Deng Yiwen had similar thoughts.

If Ling Zhen had starred in Black Cloud, if Deng Yiwen hadn’t been disheartened by the “beauty overshadowing” incident, perhaps the situation today would be very different.

Regardless of the reason, when they saw Rong Xu receive the dual Best Actor nomination for the Golden Phoenix Award, they cursed behind his back in anger. But after the Golden Phoenix Award results were announced, they gleefully stepped out to trample him, wishing that Rong Xu would remain depressed from then on.

Fans held these thoughts, and many young actors also held similar thoughts.

So, fans openly cursed, mocked, and ridiculed; celebrities then fueled the fire, fishing in troubled waters, buying online trolls and marketing accounts to smear Rong Xu.

Many experienced Rong Xu fans gathered to discuss the situation and generally understood what was happening. They tried their best to reassure ordinary fans, telling them not to argue with these antis, while also trying to find the masterminds hidden behind these antis and online trolls: only by knowing who was behind this could they achieve a decisive victory.

However, time waited for no one.

After the first marketing account went under, many so-called entertainment gossip accounts also started speaking out. In their Weibo posts, they superficially praised Rong Xu and encouraged him not to be discouraged by this setback, but in reality, they were all mocking, suggesting that Rong Xu had reached his peak, and if even a dual Best Actor nomination couldn’t win him a trophy, how could he possibly win a Golden Phoenix Award trophy in the future?

The #RongXuGoldenPhoenixAwards# tag had already made it to the top 40 trending topics by around 4 PM. Clicking on it, the featured Weibo posts were full of sarcastic, backhanded compliments, while public Weibo posts were flooded with online trolls, mockingly saying that Rong Xu didn’t win the Golden Phoenix Award, that his popularity was only superficial, and that he was actually about to flop.

Seeing these Weibo posts and comments, a group of major fans, including Yuan Xiaoyi, were almost in tears. They quickly contacted Luo Xi, as this was clearly no longer just a fan issue, but also told Luo Xi not to tell Rong Xu.

[Rongrong didn’t win the award yesterday, he must be a bit unhappy. It’s better not to tell him about this. The later he knows, the better.]

Luo Xi was very touched by these fans’ words, but as Rong Xu’s assistant, she had no choice but to tell Rong Xu about it.

When Luo Xi called, Rong Xu was just being egged on by Wen Xuan and Lin Xuan to sing. With this call, the handsome young man blinked innocently and held up his phone: “Sister Xiaoxi is looking for me, I have to take the call.”

Lin Xuan directly said, “No, no, we agreed everyone has to sing. Tell her to send a message. It’s your turn to sing now, Rongrong, no escaping.”

Everyone in the private room immediately echoed, “Exactly! We all said to turn off our phones. Rongrong not only didn’t turn his off but dared to answer the phone. Penalty: sing another song!”

Helplessly, Rong Xu had to hang up Luo Xi’s call and sent her a message, telling her to text him if anything was urgent, as it wasn’t convenient right now. After he finished singing Chu Qi’s song, he was punished to sing another song. It wasn’t until a full ten minutes later that Rong Xu got his phone back.

Wen Xuan handed over the phone with a smile, saying, “I didn’t look at your phone’s content, but your little assistant seems to have been texting you. Don’t know what’s up, hope it’s not urgent.”

Rong Xu frowned slightly, said thank you, and opened his phone to check.

Looking at the content on the phone screen, a trace of surprise flashed in the young man’s clear eyes. A moment later, he shook his head with a wry smile. Seeing this, Wen Xuan, who was beside him, asked curiously, “Rongrong, looking at your expression, it doesn’t seem like bad news?”

Chu Qi, sitting on the other side, also turned his head to look. “What is it?”

After a moment of thought, Rong Xu spread his hands helplessly, revealing the phone screen to both of them: “It’s really nothing major. Sister Xuan and Brother Chu should be used to it by now. It’s just someone buying online trolls to smear me today. Sister Xiaoxi and Brother Luo are already handling it. It should be fine by tomorrow.”

Wen Xuan’s eyes widened: “Huh? Smear you?!”

Just then, the female singer finished her song, and the room suddenly became quiet. Wen Xuan’s exclamation made everyone in the room turn their heads and look their way.

Chu Qi, on the other hand, carefully looked at the content on Rong Xu’s phone, but after reading it, he was clearly more surprised than Wen Xuan: “They’re saying you’ll never win another award and are going downhill from now on? Wait, I think I don’t quite understand, Xiao Rong, are you sure you’re twenty this year?”

Rong Xu smiled faintly and nodded: “To be precise, I have half a year until my twentieth birthday.”

Chu Qi: “…” A moment later, this superstar of the Chinese music scene sighed lightly, speechless. “So, who gave them the courage to think that a twenty-year-old celebrity is already starting to decline?”

---

Half an hour later, Wen Xuan suddenly posted a very short Weibo post with a photo, receiving over 100,000 comments within ten minutes.

[Wen Xuan: Our Rongrong is truly awesome hahahaha Rong Xu [Image]]

In the picture, the stunning and elegant actress deliberately hid her face behind Rong Xu, smiling as she took this large group photo. Under the slightly dim lighting, Rong Xu stood at the very front, and behind him were Wen Xuan, Chu Qi, James, and seven or eight other celebrities. Among them were incredibly famous movie queens and superstars, as well as young singers and actors.

But at this moment, they all stood behind Rong Xu, holding up the handsome and beautiful young man in front.

As if becoming his strong backing!

Wen Xuan’s Weibo post immediately attracted the attention of netizens. After that, Chu Qi, James, and others also retweeted the Weibo one by one, each adding comments similar to “Rongrong is indeed awesome 23333.”

Lin Xuan retweeted the Weibo, but at the end, expressed great dissatisfaction: [Rongrong is indeed great, but why did you make me take your photos?! I wanted to be in the group photo too!]

This time, Rong Xu responded directly: [Who told you that you lost at rock-paper-scissors again? ^_^]

These simple interactions immediately showed netizens that these people had a very good relationship.

When a fan asked under Wen Xuan’s Weibo why she suddenly said Rong Xu was great, whether it was because many people were mocking Rong Xu for not winning the trophy today, Wen Xuan calmly replied: [Isn’t Rongrong great? Let me tell you, he sings so well, he’s truly great.]

She just wouldn’t answer directly; she just insisted Rongrong was great. “Come and bite me, then!” Anyway, no matter what you said, their group had only one answer—

Rong Xu is great! Exceptionally great! Extremely great! No rebuttals accepted!

Although Wen Xuan and the others didn’t directly confront the haters, they had already expressed their stance in this way. As members of Qin’s Crazy Squad, Xia Muyan, Jennifer, and Hugh, who were not present, also retweeted the Weibo five minutes later. They didn’t need to stand behind Rong Xu in the photo, but their actions silently proved that they too thought Rong Xu was great.

For a time, several big-name celebrities publicly expressed their goodwill towards Rong Xu, all admitting “Rong Xu is great.” Their fans naturally stood with them, making those anti-fans, who were already ignored by most, appear even more ridiculous.

Rong Xu’s fans initially didn’t understand the meaning of Wen Xuan’s Weibo, but when they noticed that the anti-fans had actually started to tone down their blatant mockery, they became excited.

[QAQ Rongrong is awesome, mwah mwah to Rongrong!]

[Rongrong’s singing is indeed very good, “Lost Wings” is especially, especially good~]

[“Lost Wings” isn’t that good, is it? I only looped it 200 times ╮(╯_╰)╭]

With the support of so many seniors, Rong Xu’s fans finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued to declare their love for their Rongrong. Meanwhile, because of this sudden anti-fan incident, the gathering could no longer continue. Rong Xu bid farewell to a few people and was driven by Luo Zhentao to Huaxia Entertainment to deal with the incident.

Wen Xuan, quite experienced, comforted him: “Being smeared is normal. Only mediocrity isn’t envied. Just get used to it.”

Rong Xu’s eyes curved in a smile, and he said softly, “Sister Xuan, I think if you didn’t say that to me through gritted teeth, I’d be a little more touched.”

Wen Xuan: “…That’s because I was also smeared for a long time.”

Rong Xu smiled slightly: “But now Sister Xuan is great, no one dares to smear you anymore. That’s good.”

Without answering, Wen Xuan looked at the young man in front of her, slightly startled. After a long while, she raised her red lips and gently nodded.

When Wen Xuan first debuted, she was indeed smeared for a long time. Her first role was a villainous female supporting character, probably because her acting was too good and the character was deeply ingrained in people’s hearts. At that time, the audience hated her to the core. Later, some other things happened that led to her being smeared for several years, until she slowly gained trophy after trophy for Best Actress through her strength, and the situation gradually improved.

Looking at the car’s receding back, Wen Xuan turned her head slightly and casually said, “Isn’t Xiao Rong a very gentle person?”

Chu Qi, who was beside her, was not surprised by Wen Xuan’s sudden remark. He answered without hesitation, “He’s not a particularly enthusiastic person, but he is indeed a gentle person.”

---

At the same time, in an apartment near Huaxia Entertainment, a cold and indifferent man opened his eyes, waking from sleep. The past few days had been very tiring, and he was soon to travel abroad for filming. Since Rong Xu left home that morning, Qin Cheng had chatted with him for a bit, then began his afternoon nap.

After waking up, Qin Cheng started packing his luggage, preparing for his departure abroad tomorrow night. By the time he finished packing, dusk had already settled, but his young friend still hadn’t returned home.

Feeling a slight surprise, the man got up and walked to the bedside table, picking up his phone. Before he could even send a message asking when Rong Xu would be back, a special notification popped up.

[Rong Xu National Fan Club: Rongrong is great! ❤️❤️❤️ //@Chu Qi: Indeed great. //@Wen Xuan: Our Rongrong…]

Qin Cheng: “…” EXM?!

He quickly clicked on Weibo to check. Five minutes later, Qin Cheng found the stream of “Rongrong is great” Weibo posts, as well as the posts and comments from the anti-fans and online trolls.

This incident happened too fast. It had only just started to show signs in the morning, and by the afternoon, it had developed into this situation. By the time Qin Cheng discovered it, the impact was already quite significant. Rong Xu and Wen Xuan were both trending, and the overall situation seemed to be set, but many online trolls were still relentlessly smearing Rong Xu, and paid marketing accounts were still publishing sarcastic remarks.

His thin lips slightly pursed, the man leaned down and picked up another phone, sending a message: [Why didn’t you tell me he was being smeared?]

Soon, Xu Jin replied, his words betraying surprise: […You mean Rong Xu? Do I need to tell you about this kind of thing?]

Qin Cheng: “…”

A moment later, he sent a message: [If anything happens to him in the future, tell me immediately, good or bad.]

[Xu Jin: …I’m applying for double salary.]

Qin Cheng ignored him.

Before long, Xu Jin emphasized again: [I really want double salary!]

[Mmm, approved.]

Xu Jin, seeing this message, immediately felt like crying without tears: […Young Master Qin, can I just have my original salary? Please don’t make me Rong Xu’s manager too!!!]

This time, Qin Cheng didn’t reply. He lowered his head, looking at his other phone, carefully observing Wen Xuan, Chu Qi, and their Weibo posts. After thinking for a moment, he seriously opened his own posting page and began to edit content.

“Definitely the best…”

No, that’s redundant with Wen Xuan’s. Not unique enough!

“He is the best…”

No, that’s also not good. It’s easy to cause suspicion, and if he really posted it, Rong Xu would definitely comment on it.

“I think you are good.”

This one’s good!

Qin Cheng began patiently searching for a suitable emoji. Then he opened his photo album and found a group photo of himself and Rong Xu from when they filmed Bloomed Robe, among countless candid shots (of Rong Xu).

After doing all this, he checked again for any errors. Once everything was confirmed, Qin Cheng was about to press the send button when he saw another message pop up at the top. His hand slipped, and he accidentally clicked on it, without even having time to save the draft.

Qin Cheng: “…”

[Yang Changzheng: This time, I was very lucky to collaborate with @RongXu on an album, “Rong Yan.” This is one of my most satisfying works, and Rong Xu is also the most dedicated child I’ve ever met. Among actors, he sings the best; among singers, he acts the best. It’s truly very interesting to work with him. The MV is currently in production. This is “Rong Yan,” and it’s also the “Rong Yan” (face/appearance) of Rong Xu that I want to show you. Finally, you are great! @RongXu [Image]]