"You're all ganging up on me, aren't you? Fine, if this is a show of bullying the weak, I don't need to be a part of it!"
After Xu Mengmeng shouted these words, Huang Yanyan nodded without a second thought: "Alright."
He then turned to Da Zhuang and instructed, "Handle it according to the contract."
"Got it!" Da Zhuang immediately called the station.
"You, you guys..." Xu Mengmeng hadn't expected the director to agree so readily, not even trying to persuade her to stay!
In fact, she was certain that the production team wouldn't want to escalate the situation and certainly wouldn't agree to her withdrawal. She felt she had to put on a show!
Who would have thought they wouldn't even attempt to retain her? And now, having made her statement, it would be humiliating if she didn't leave!
"Fine, I'm leaving. I wouldn't participate in such a low-class show even if you begged me! Don't regret this!"
After Xu Mengmeng roared, she picked up her small bag and turned to leave. Even more ironically, out of everyone present, including the staff, not a single person tried to persuade her to stay.
Xia Weiliang knew that even if she didn't leave now, she would find it unbearable and want to leave once they reached Lianhua Village. It was better to send her away early, which would also save Brother Sihuo airfare.
However, she still felt a pang of guilt.
Approaching Huang Yanyan, she said apologetically, "Brother Sihuo, I wasn't targeting her, it's just that..."
"I understand," Huang Yanyan said calmly. "I just want a harmonious team, one that can better showcase the local customs and traditions of the filming location to the audience, and focus on issues easily overlooked by us! What use do I have for a drama queen who causes trouble within the team?"
Da Zhuang chimed in, "Exactly! If you want to watch palace intrigue, go watch 'Little Grass and the Youngsters'! That show is absolutely brilliant!"
Huang Yanyan glared at him, "What nonsense are you talking! Just focus on our own show. What others do is none of our business."
"Right, right, second uncle, you're right to scold me!"
Xia Weiliang's affection for "Courage" was unparalleled, even surpassing her feelings for "Challenge Me," which had saved her career.
After all, it was a show they had experienced life and death together in; their bond was naturally extraordinary.
The filming went smoothly.
Xia Weiliang revisited familiar places, and her relationships with everyone were harmonious. This week felt like a vacation for her.
Until the first episode of "Courage" was released on the platform and became a massive hit, sparking widespread discussion, her popularity soared, and the title of "Variety Show Goddess" was firmly bestowed upon her.
Xia Weiliang remained quite composed. Although she might get hit for saying it, she was truly no stranger to being "famous."
Then, an anonymous whistleblower, claiming to be an insider from the production crew, surfaced. Using photos and edited videos as evidence, they directly accused Xia Weiliang of bullying newcomers and engaging in on-set harassment!
The protagonists in the video were Xu Mengmeng and Xia Weiliang. Xu Mengmeng appeared to have been crying, repeatedly apologizing to Xia Weiliang and pleading with her to overlook the matter, asking for her forgiveness.
In short, her fans were heartbroken upon seeing it.
As for the other protagonist, Xia Weiliang, she was depicted in a different light, smiling dismissively and telling Xu Mengmeng that her tactics were nothing...
All in all, Xia Weiliang's image of bullying became multi-dimensional and well-developed.
Moreover, Xu Mengmeng did have some die-hard fans. Others might unfollow her, but they wouldn't!
They were determined to protect Xu Mengmeng to the death. These individuals had all developed close relationships with Xu Mengmeng through one-on-one chats and were fiercely loyal, believing her to be a pure and guileless girl! They would not stand idly by while she was being bullied like this!
Thus, her fans began to rally to her defense, repeatedly claiming that she was being bullied by the entire crew and that everyone was siding with Xia Weiliang, who had the highest status!
Soon, the flames of conflict spread to Xia Weiliang's comment section.
{Heh, she's a celebrity, a big star! Just a star with no representative works, that's all.}
{That's what we see, but what about what we don't see? How much unfair treatment has Mengmeng suffered without our knowledge?}
{This is outrageous! I can't believe this is still happening! That person called Xia Niangniang, don't get too full of yourself, okay? We haven't even heard of you!}
In short, the comments were filled with mockery, slander, and an abundance of victim-playing...
They could grab a microphone and start a live broadcast with this!
Soon, the Liang fans (Xia Weiliang's fans) refused to back down.
What's going on? Do you think we don't have support?
What are you waiting for? Go get 'em, everyone!
And so, the comment section became even more lively.
{What's going on? Come to cause trouble? Have you asked the network administrator for this area?}
{With this level of intelligence, you want to pick a fight? Who else could you pick a fight with but our Niangniang! What, is our reputation too good?}
{I just don't understand. It's an edited video, cut from the beginning and end. None of us were there, so how can you babble as if you were at the scene! You haven't even figured out what happened, and you're already rushing to curse people! Does that make you rich or smarter?}
{In my humble opinion, they simply don't know us well enough. It's time we established their persona for them.}
Thus, the Liang fans descended upon the battlefield in full force.
Everything unfolded exactly as Xu Mengmeng had predicted. She had become a hot commodity for all the media, who were desperately trying to contact her for exclusive interviews.
Especially during her live streaming sessions, a large number of viewers flooded her stream, constantly asking in the comment section about her situation with Xia Weiliang.
Each time, Xu Mengmeng would reveal just a sliver of information, promising more details tomorrow for those eager to know.
Seeing her fan count skyrocket, Nuomi became furious. "Are you shameless? Do you have any shame? She's clearly riding on this hype! Sister Weiwei, I'll contact the company immediately. If she continues to speak nonsense, we'll sue her into bankruptcy!"
Xia Weiliang was still reading her script and didn't even look up. "She won't be able to jump around for long. No need to give her attention."
Seeing her so calm and collected, Nuomi grew anxious. "Sister Weiwei, you're too detached! This won't do! You have to fight back!"
Xia Weiliang was amused by her tone. "Alright, our priority right now is to film properly and not be disturbed by these people."
Huang Yanyan had also seen the online comments, especially those concerning Xu Mengmeng.
Da Zhuang fumed, "Second uncle, are you going to do something about this? If not, I'll find a way to seek justice for Niangniang!"
Huang Yanyan shook his head, "The higher-ups have forbidden us from speaking out, sigh."
Xu Mengmeng had a powerful family background. The higher-ups didn't want to be caught in the middle and create trouble for themselves, so they simply warned everyone below not to speak, letting both sides battle it out amongst themselves. The more heated the conflict, the more the platform benefited!
Da Zhuang exclaimed upon hearing this, "That's so disloyal! When we invited Niangniang, she agreed without a second thought, without even asking for details! Now that there's trouble, the platform won't help! This is truly disheartening!"