466: Chapter 459 Setting Off 466: Chapter 459 Setting Off As a film and television culture studio, when it came to video production, professionalism was a given!
The video, after being edited by assistant Liu and his team, had all scenes that could destruct Zhang Xi’s image or potentially cause her negative impact trimmed away impeccably clean.
In the video, Zhang Xi was devastated by the death of her beloved dog, looking pitiful, and begging for sympathy.
Chen Hai, the dog killer, strutted over with a bravado air, and Zhang Xi had barely asked him a question when she was immediately struck across the face with a slap…
These days, a video of an ordinary woman getting slapped by a stranger in public could stir up heated discussions on the internet.
Let alone the fact that the woman getting slapped in the video was Zhang Xi, regarded as a goddess by many…
Comment 1: My heart aches for Xixi, our goddess.
Even a woman he hits, that man in the Chinese outfit is worse than a beast.
Comment 2: Heini was so cute, it accompanied Xixi for three years.
That man in the Chinese outfit is no better than a beast.
It’s not just killing Heini, but he even laid hands on Xixi.
Comment 3: Launch a human flesh search now, find out the Chinese outfit man’s name, age, and workplace, expose him online, so everyone knows how low his character is.
Comment 4: The video has been edited.
I was in the county town that day, Heini bit someone, and the Chinese outfit man kicked it to death!
Comment 5: The person above, still trying to whitewash?
How much did you get paid?
Don’t you feel any guilt taking such dirty money?
…
Just one or two hours after the video was posted online, the debates had exceeded one hundred thousand, and the number of shares had already surpassed ten thousand.
Dog lovers, rural women, die-hard fans of Zhang Xi, and an incalculable number of rhythm-leading trolls…
The video instantly went viral, climbing to the top ten trending searches in just a few hours.
…
Chen Hai was completely unaware of all this.
With September third approaching, the day of the physical body endurance test against the nuclear bomb was almost upon him.
Even if he wasn’t planning to go into seclusion, he chose to stay at home, trying to keep his spirit, qi, and mental state in optimum condition as much as possible.
Honestly, even if he knew about the rowdy debates regarding his video on the internet, he would probably just laugh it off, not taking it seriously at all.
After all, he was someone preparing to withstand a nuclear bomb.
The vitriol of internet warriors had no threat to him and couldn’t hurt even a single hair on his body.
In the blink of an eye, another two days passed, and September third finally arrived.
Early in the morning, the doorbell at Chen Hai’s courtyard house was already ringing.
Chen Hai, who was prepared, still donned his Chinese outfit and cloth shoes, looking spirited as he walked to the door and opened it.
“Chen Hai, it’s me.”
“My father must have told you that today, someone will come to pick you up!”
“Are you just going to go like this?
Don’t you have anything else to prepare?”
At the entrance of the courtyard, the one who rang the doorbell was none other than Ye Cheng.
He was in casual clothes, but compared to the past, he now carried an air of authority that only comes from holding a high position over the years.
Age-wise, even if he hadn’t reached sixty, he was close.
If he was still with the military, with his background, his rank would have been frighteningly high by now.
“Just like this is fine, it’s merely a test of strength, there’s not much need for preparations!” Chen Hai said with a smile as he nodded in response.
What rank or position Ye Cheng currently held wasn’t something Chen Hai bothered to ask.
Perhaps he was chosen to pick him up because of their acquaintance.
“I knew you were very tough even back then!”
“I never expected that over these years, your strength would have become so terrifying.”
“Since there’s nothing to prepare, then fine, just follow me.”
With a complex expression and having given Chen Hai a few scrutinizing looks, Ye Cheng sighed and reflected.
Back then, his temper was a bit explosive, and he tended to be clumsy in his actions.
Compared to before, his speech and behavior were much more stable now.
Despite his musings, it was just that, musings.
He did not ask curiously about what Chen Hai had been through during his years of absence.
Given his current status, his arrival at Chen Hai’s place would not be alone.
Two men in their thirties, whether bodyguards or personal security, followed him, one on each side.
These two had sharp eyes and an air about them that suggested they had seen action.
Upon seeing Chen Hai, they scrutinized him with evaluative gazes.
Perhaps it was their professional habit to do so.
Chen Hai gave a slight nod towards the two, then closed the courtyard gate carelessly.
After calling out to Ye Cheng and his party, he walked leisurely towards the entrance of the alley.
At the alley’s entrance, a Dongfeng Mengshi military vehicle was parked.
This type of vehicle was massive, impressive, and dominant.
Even Chen Hai felt a bit envious, taking a few extra glances.
“If you’re interested in this type of vehicle, I’ll give you one after you come back!” Ye Cheng said with a smile, inviting Chen Hai to get in the car.
“Give it to me for free?
Then I won’t be shy!”
“Right, with the gas prices going up again, this kind of car, could it be a strategic partner sponsored by several barrels of oil?”
“Brother Cheng, to be honest, how much gas does your car guzzle per kilometer?” Chen Hai chuckled and teased casually.
“You kiddo, are you really short on gas money?” Ye Cheng laughed along in response.
Amidst the roaring of the engine, the Dongfeng Mengshi that Chen Hai and his companions were in finally started up and sped off into the distance.
…
Inside the lobby of Morning Film and Television Culture Studio.
Whether it was Zhang Xi or her subordinates like Fang and Liu, they were currently fixated on a large LCD screen on the wall of the company.
The video they had posted a couple of days ago had received a great response.
Countless netizens had cursed the man in the Tang suit to the point of no return, and even the fact that the man was named Chen Hai was dug up by the all-capable netizens.
Sadly, besides the name Chen Hai, they hadn’t been able to unearth anything useful about him, even with the collective efforts of numerous netizens up to this point.
On the first day of the video’s release, it had skyrocketed into the top ten of the trending search.
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to climb from the top ten to the number one spot!
After all, Zhang Xi was just a minor celebrity on the second or third rung.
So-and-so’s late-night secret rendezvous with a young fresh meat celebrity…
A certain prime minister shot and killed overnight…
The top spots on the trending search list were either big events or involved big celebrities.
Two or three days after releasing the video and allowing it to ferment online, it was still just a hair’s breadth from the number one spot.
“Little Liu, don’t be afraid to spend money, keep on hiring more commenters for me!”
“We’re just a bit away from being the top trending search, make sure they get us there no matter what!”
“As long as we can take the top spot on the trending search list, I could get paid an extra million or more for the movie deal I’m negotiating…”
Staring intensely at the numbers displayed on the LCD screen, Zhang Xi gritted her teeth and instructed her assistant, Liu.
Initially, she posted the video simply to get revenge on Chen Hai, to have the netizens expose him online and disturb his peace.
But now, seeing the video’s good reception, she was ready to capitalize on the opportunity to increase her exposure and really set herself ablaze with fame.
“Don’t worry, Sister Xixi, I’ve already got several groups lined up for the commenter army.”
“The money’s been spent, this time we’re definitely getting to the top of the trending searches!”
Liu waved his fist confidently.
Once the money was spent, its power quickly became apparent.
Through the backend, Zhang Xi and her team could clearly see, the video they had released saw an explosive growth in viewership and comments, all in the span of a few breaths…
The next thing they knew, their video was gone, their company’s account flagged for violation, suspended…
Zhang Xi and her subordinates looked at each other with wide eyes, at a complete loss for what had happened.
They were baffled, as hiring commenters to boost statistics alone shouldn’t have been enough to get an account suspended.
After all, they had done similar things countless times before without ever having been flagged or suspended.
“Little Liu, who exactly did you hire?
What on earth did they do to get our account straight-up suspended?”
After regaining her composure, Zhang Xi’s face turned ashen as she pointed at the assistant, Liu, and scolded furiously.
“Sister Xixi, please calm down.
I’ll contact them right away to see what’s going on,” Liu explained quickly, his sweat flowing.
“Sister Xixi, look at this, how did the words ‘Chen Hai’ suddenly become prohibited?”
On the other side, the secretary Fang seemed to have made a startling discovery; she called out to Zhang Xi in alarm.
Hearing Fang’s words, Zhang Xi was taken aback.
She immediately tried it out on a nearby computer.
Before, typing ‘Chen Hai’ into Baidu would turn up a load of content.
But now, not only had ‘Chen Hai’ turned into asterisks, but all references related to Chen Hai had become almost impossible to find.
“What the hell is going on?” Getting such a result, Zhang Xi almost went mad, cursing crudely for a rare moment.
Suddenly, her personal phone started to ring.
She pulled out her phone and saw the caller ID.
Upon recognizing the contact saved as Sister Hua, she quickly excused herself from her subordinates.
Then, she walked to her office alone and pressed the answer button on her phone.
“Zhang Xi, what kind of video did you post?
What are you doing?”
“Haven’t I told you, there are too many big fish in Capital City, and there are many people you can’t afford to offend?”
“Do you even know who Chen Hai is?
You dare to post scandalous material about him; are you tired of living?”
…
From the other end of the phone, a woman’s voice was frantic with fury, berating her without preamble.