He gave a thumbs-up to the camera.

“—Me, me, me! I won the movie ticket and went to see it. Good heavens, the male lead’s leg was broken one second, and the next he was doing parkour while carrying the female lead. Logic was fed to the dogs, and even the dogs refused to eat it!”

“—How much PR money did he take from Shen Xici? Starting to slander people on New Year’s Day? He’s really a good dog of Shen Xici’s studio!”

“—’The Two-Faced’ is about the same. The cinematography is sometimes good, sometimes bad. The plot is sometimes brilliant, sometimes like a pile of crap.”

“Alright, back to the main topic. After talking about the directors, let’s look at the movies themselves. The protagonist of this movie is basically a con man, the kind who could con his way into the United Nations. A poor street punk from the bottom, he changes his clothes, impersonates a young master from a big family who moved overseas and has returned to visit relatives and worship ancestors. Not only is he not exposed by various parties, but socialites, chamber of commerce presidents, and the heads of certain big families all appreciate him and are optimistic about him. And he’s really clever. His ability to adapt on the fly… at one point I thought he would be exposed and killed, but ten seconds later, he immediately turns the tide. It’s really satisfying to watch! This theme isn’t actually new. Similar con artist themes have been filmed abroad. But what’s most amazing, besides Shen Xici’s acting, is that Director Lu Jiming is extremely talented, whether it’s the meticulous, dramatic, and full of highlights script, the detail of the storyboards during filming, the design of the cinematic language, or the use of long takes! Why do I say Director Wu Ya stole from Director Lu? Because those so-called brilliant storyboards by Director Wu Ya, which were praised over and over by the water army, in terms of design style, are all in line with Director Lu Jiming’s design habits. The method of expressing cinematic language is also the same. It’s equivalent to seeing Director Lu Jiming’s handwritten signature there. A talented director’s way of thinking and creative habits are extremely obvious. In the eyes of professionals like us, it’s like a sun hanging right there. You can’t ignore it even if you want to.”

On New Year’s Day, most young people, apart from saying a few auspicious words for the New Year, had nothing to do. The traffic in the live stream room was terrifyingly high. While watching the stream, fans in the room continuously shared what he was saying, and the hot search topic shot up in minutes.

The traffic-driving effect was powerful, and more and more people kept entering the live stream room.

“—A comedy streamer, having become Shen Xici’s dog, dares to call himself a professional? How ridiculous.”

“—You say ‘The Two-Faced’ stole the script from ‘Fleeting Life,’ where’s the evidence? I’ll say I’m a professional too, and I can also see that ‘Fleeting Life’ is the one that stole the script!”

“—As a public figure, please be responsible for what you say, okay? If you keep barking like a dog, I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

Brother Thorn adjusted the delivery box mask on his face. “Oh, you’re going to tear my mouth apart? What kind of expert has entered my live stream room? Looking at the name, could it be the great army of Lingjia?” He stroked his chin. “But you’ve really hit a steel plate this time. Let me rummage through my belongings. Don’t you dare leave! You must wait for me!”

Not two minutes later, Brother Thorn returned, fiddled with his phone, and then held up a diploma. “Can you see it clearly? If not, go to my Weibo. I’ve already posted it on my homepage. I never thought that one day, someone would question my professionalism!”

“—Damn, that face-slap came so fast. If I were a Xu Lingjia fan, I’d be furious hahaha. This streamer’s academic qualifications are so much higher than my idol’s! Isn’t this the kind of behavior that would only appear in the finals of ‘One Hundred and One Ways for Fans to Screw Over Their Idol’!”

“—What? The comedy streamer I’ve been following is actually a Ph.D. from USC? Huh? Am I eating so well? Alright, with USC’s golden reputation, all bullet comments questioning the blogger’s professionalism will be treated as anti-fans exposing their IQ!”

“—USC, known as Oscar’s backyard, has become a ‘wild chicken school’ in the mouths of Xu Lingjia’s fans? So ten percent of the Oscar judges and thirty percent of all Hollywood professionals graduated from a ‘wild chicken school’? Do they know you’re saying this about them?”

“—If it only involved the script, it could still be summed up as copying. But they took his storyboards and shot designs too. That should indeed be called ‘stealing.’ I agree with the blogger’s statement. Just based on this diploma, I believe what Brother Thorn said, that ‘The Two-Faced’ stole the script from ‘Fleeting Life’!”

“—Damn, damn, the official Weibo of the movie ‘Fleeting Life’ has directly issued a statement, saying they have sent a lawyer’s letter to JiaRui Media and have formally filed a lawsuit in court. They’re preparing to go head-to-head! I’ve been eating leftovers from last night’s New Year’s Eve dinner on New Year’s Day. How can that be as delicious as this gossip!”

“—Lawyer’s letters in the entertainment industry are like flyers, they can be handed out casually. The producers of ‘Fleeting Life’ really know how to create hype. I even suspect that after creating a buzz and boosting the movie’s box office, the producers of the two movies might say it was all a misunderstanding…”

On the afternoon of the second day of the Lunar New Year, the official Weibo of “Fleeting Life” updated again with a post containing links to several files. The file folders were labeled “Storyboard Designs (Blurred Version),” “Script Revisions 1-19 (Partial),” “Script Manuscript,” and “Work Registration Certificate.”

The files were large and numerous. Melon-eating masses and fans with slow internet speeds wailed under the official Weibo post, banging their bowls and waiting for the big shots with fast internet to download the files and selflessly share them.

Before long, screenshots of the storyboards and script were released.

“—This is too outrageous… Two to three thousand hand-drawn storyboard drawings. Not a few hundred, but two to three thousand, hand-drawn!!! And, although many of them have been blurred, you can still see that the quality of completion is too high. A one-person blood petition for the officials to release a collection of the storyboard designs!! I want to collect it!”

“—I now sincerely feel sorry for Shen Xici. What kind of accursed director is this? A single scene was revised eight times and filmed over a dozen times, and then comparing it to the movie trailer, they actually used the first version. Director Lu, are you okay?”

“—@MovieTheTwo-Faced, it’s your turn to provide evidence now!”

“—The other side is so pathetic. This is solid proof, it can’t be more solid. I was wondering yesterday, they sent a lawyer’s letter, why not release some evidence? Turns out the amount of evidence was too large and needed two days to organize. Director Lu of ‘Fleeting Life’ and Shen Xici are both awesome beyond belief!!”

“—Wow, wow, wow, so firm! I support ‘Fleeting Life.’ Audiences need good movies like this, not some commercial trash with a melodramatic plot and contrived storyline!”

“—I’m different. I’m taking a side directly, following the footsteps of the Son of the Mountain God! Who gets it? I carry Shen Xici’s Son of the Mountain God photo card with me, and I actually haven’t been late for work and had my salary docked for missing the bus for a whole week! The director chosen by the metaphysics master definitely has no problem!”

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Jiming’s personal Weibo posted another photo. It was a group photo of four young boys standing in a dormitory. They looked like they had just started their freshman year of college, and all of them were laughing without a care in the world.

Lu Jiming only added two words: “Back then.”

“—Wu Ya and Sloppy Director were actually good brothers in the same dorm? This thief is really impossible to guard against!! I feel so bad for our Sloppy. He actually encountered such a terrible thing! Wu Ya might as well change his name to Wu Ya (toothless), which sounds like wu chi (shameless). Isn’t everything he does shameless!”

“—Sloppy Director, why don’t we stop making movies and make a TV series instead! You release one explosive point a day. Even short dramas aren’t this exciting!”

“—It’s the third day. Is @MovieTheTwo-Faced still playing dead? Oh, still playing dead.”

In the Xu family villa, the lanterns and couplets by the door had been torn down and thrown to the ground. The bamboo frame of the lanterns was broken, and the couplets had several footprints on them. It was cold and deserted, without any New Year’s atmosphere.

In the living room, Cheng Ningyu leaned back on the sofa, her long hair disheveled, not at all like her usual glamorous self. She pressed her throbbing forehead. Hearing the door open, she immediately sat up straight. “A’Mei, how did it go? What did they say over there?”

Ye Mei hadn’t slept well for two nights in a row. She threw her handbag onto the sofa, exhausted. “The other side has preserved all the evidence very well. The manuscript, the source files, all the chat records and email exchanges during the creation and revision process, and the script’s registration certificate. They have everything, not a single thing missing. And, Lu Jiming also has witnesses who can prove that Wu Ya did indeed have access to his script and storyboard designs.”

She said sarcastically, “How can we even fight this lawsuit? They can produce so much evidence. What about that person surnamed Wu? The storyboards he produced were all traced from photos of Lu Jiming’s manuscript!”

Cheng Ningyu collapsed back onto the sofa.

She asked in a panic, “What if the case is really decided?”

Ye Mei was utterly exhausted. “What else can we do? Lu Jiming’s side refuses to settle privately. ‘The Two-Faced’ can only be taken down. The total box office revenue from these two days is not even enough to pay their compensation. Oh, and there’s that one billion from the gambling agreement. The name signed at the end is Xu Lingjia’s.”

“One billion,” Cheng Ningyu felt dizzy. She couldn’t sit still, her expression uncontrollable. She said carefully and urgently, “Do we really have to compensate JiaRui one billion? A’Mei, you know, where would we get that much money… You’ve been at JiaRui for so many years and have always been highly regarded. Can you help talk to them? The child is ignorant and signed the contract recklessly. One billion is really too much. How can we possibly come up with it!”

Ye Mei raised her tired eyes and looked at Cheng Ningyu quietly, without speaking.

Cheng Ningyu’s heart skipped a beat. She intuitively felt that Ye Mei’s attitude was not right. Her feet turned towards another sofa. With a “smack,” a loud slap landed on Xu Lingjia’s face.

Ye Mei just watched coldly, not stopping it.

Xu Lingjia’s face immediately turned red.

“Xu Lingjia, look what you’ve done! What kind of madness has possessed you? You won’t listen to a single good word, treating everything your godmother and I say as if it’s just wind blowing past your ears. Now you’re happy, are you? You’re trying to drive your father and me to our deaths! How could I have given birth to a son like you!”

His hair covered his eyebrows. Xu Lingjia’s eyes were gloomy.

Meeting his gaze, Cheng Ningyu raised her hand again and slapped him hard.

Ye Mei watched this scene and said indifferently, “That’s enough. Get some ice to put on it. The company wants you to film a video to make a public apology. You know what to say.”

On the evening of the third day of the Lunar New Year, JiaRui Media issued a public apology. It first apologetically stated that it had taken up everyone’s time and public resources. It then stated that regarding the issue of its invested film “The Two-Faced” having an overly high similarity in plot and shots with the film “Fleeting Life,” both the company and the actor Xu Lingjia were victims.

Wu Ya had claimed the script was original and received investment from JiaRui Media. For this film, both the company and the actor Xu Lingjia had poured in a great deal of effort. They had not expected to be deceived by Director Wu Ya. JiaRui Media had suffered heavy losses in this incident and would definitely strengthen its script review process in the future to avoid making the same mistake again, hoping for the audience’s supervision.

At the same time, Xu Lingjia also released a live-action video. In the video, he was gaunt and pale, his eyes devoid of light. He seemed a little out of place sitting in front of the camera.

He said he was young, but since he was a child, he had received the love of too many people, which he had always cherished. That’s why he wanted to produce results to repay everyone’s love. When selecting the script, he chose “The Two-Faced,” and had been looking forward to meeting the audience on the big screen.

For the past three days, he had been waiting for Director Wu Ya to take a stand and give him, as well as all the audience, an explanation. But unfortunately, he did not get one, so he had mustered the courage to stand up.

In the video, Xu Lingjia acted extremely sincere from beginning to end, completely losing his usual sunny boy image. Coupled with the guidance of public opinion from JiaRui’s PR department, it did have some effect.

“—Although I know Xu Lingjia is not a good person, to be honest, this incident isn’t Xu Lingjia’s fault, right? Before the release, who would have known that this script and storyboards were all stolen? It was an unexpected disaster. It’s really a bit tragic.”

“—The director’s mistake is being blamed on the actor? To be fair, JiaRui Media and Xu Lingjia were both badly screwed over this time. Forget it, I’ll go buy a ticket to support him.”

“—Sigh, although I’ve already left the fandom, seeing someone I once liked like this still makes me sad. Xu Lingjia, this is not your fault, you don’t have to blame yourself! I’ve seen the movie, and your acting has improved compared to before!”

However, not two hours after Xu Lingjia posted the video, Wu Ya directly posted a video in response.

“Who the hell wants Xu Lingjia to act in their movie? He has no acting skills, no looks, and no popularity! So what if he has a few stinking dollars? As soon as he came, he said he wanted to bring capital into the crew and be the male lead. Pfft! I had already found my male lead, his acting is good and he’s handsome, just waiting to sign the contract! But Young Master Xu wasn’t happy! In the video, he claims he didn’t know anything, acting like an innocent white lotus. You fucking threatened me with the fact that you knew the script wasn’t mine! You found out from somewhere that my script wasn’t my own and threatened me, saying if I didn’t cast you as the male lead, you would expose me! Screw you, now you’re pushing all the blame onto me, trying to get away scot-free? No way! I’m not afraid of you anymore! I’m going to curse you out! Curse you out until I feel good!”

This one-sided tirade lasted for a day and a night. Wu Ya posted a total of four videos, all cursing Xu Lingjia and JiaRui Media for not being human. Now that the cat was out of the bag, they wanted to push all the responsibility onto him alone. No such good thing. If he was going down, everyone was going down together!

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, “The Two-Faced” was urgently pulled from theaters. The public opinion storm that had lasted for most of the Spring Festival holiday had an extremely significant promotional effect.

Coupled with the fact that the movie itself was of extremely high quality and had been recommended over and over by numerous influential bloggers, the word-of-mouth effect kicked in. The box office of “Fleeting Life” leaped past “Capital City Massacre” to take the top spot.

The total box office predictions given by the major ticketing platforms’ big data models also gradually rose from the initial less than one billion to over three billion. Even the company specially thanked in the end credits, Zhulong Guangqi Company, saw its order volume soar. Jiang Lieyuan called in pleasant surprise, thanking him repeatedly and stating that in the future, for any movie Shen Xici filmed, Zhulong Guangqi would cover all the lighting equipment!

In the video call, Lu Jiming was “clack-clack”-ing on an old-fashioned calculator, his voice floating, “The box office just showed it broke two billion. Shen Xici, quick, pinch me. I’m not dreaming, am I? How come I feel like I’m about to get rich…”

“If I could pinch you, why don’t you pinch me a couple of times too?”

Back when the crew had no money, Shen Xici had signed a contract not to receive a fixed salary, but to get a share of the box office profits after the release.

Staring at the real-time box office data, Shen Xici was also in a bit of a daze.

It seemed he was about to have money too?