CHAPTER 748: CHAPTER 509: WHO CARES ABOUT THEM

Zhou Yun couldn’t help but laugh in frustration when she saw the stories about her and Yu Zhiyang spreading online.

How did these internet folks concoct this story?

To say she was a cougar? That can’t really hold up. Even though Yu Zhiyang is just eighteen, Zhou Yun isn’t that much older, at most their relationship could be considered a brother-sister romance.

To say she had an affair? This claim seemed to be made quite seriously, as if her insistence on casting Yu Zhiyang as the male lead was because of a change of heart.

There are several versions of the story on the internet, each emphasizing different points, but all of them depict the dark side of Zhou Yun that nobody knows about.

In version A, Zhou Yun is depicted as a woman who likes younger men, far from the pure image she presents on the surface.

In version B, Zhou Yun is a femme fatale who plays with Song Chi’s emotions and uses him, displaying highly skillful tactics that leave Song Chi utterly manipulated.

In version C, Zhou Yun becomes famous at a young age and loses the ability to make normal judgment, unable to distinguish between reality and pretense, unclear about what she really wants, confused and decadent. Under her agency’s arrangement, she plays the part of a perfect genius Actress, but in fact, she is just a Celebrity puppet who cannot survive without her team.

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These stories spread widely on the internet, spreading like wildfire.

Watching this, Zhou Yun realized that it was no longer just the push of some Haters, it had become a widely "enjoyed" meme, with everyone unable to resist joining in.

These stories may not be truly believed by many, but everyone, with a mindset of watching the excitement and joining in the buzz, helps spread them far and wide.

Zhou Yun felt that in the current situation, there was no need for her to try to explain.

This situation would only worsen if she tried to clarify.

Zhou Yun adopted a let-it-be attitude, deciding to just lie low.

After all, because of this uproar, many of her scheduled jobs were put on hold by the partners themselves, and she was even excused from participating in the roadshow for "Behind the Scenes."

Shi Luoqi even personally called her to explain that to avoid giving troublemakers an opportunity, she should not take it to heart, as everyone on the crew believed in her character.

Zhou Yun, naturally, had no objections.

What objections could she have? Could she insist on participating in the roadshow regardless of the situation?

Zhou Yun stayed at home to rest, keeping company with the limping Song Chi.

Every day, the two of them would watch a movie together and discuss it, but for the most part, they stayed in their rooms, reading or working.

It’s not to say that the reader was Zhou Yun and the worker was Song Chi. Zhou Yun still had work to do; the production of "Under the Grand Dress" was still moving forward methodically, and almost every day, she had to meet online with the team to discuss the latest progress and decisions.

Zhou Yun did not participate in the scheduling meetings, only the script meetings, costume meetings, and other content production-related meetings.

Nevertheless, there were many decisions to be made each day.

From big decisions like script line adjustments to small details like character costume and accessories, Zhou Yun had many matters to weigh in on.

Because Zhou Yun had stayed out of the limelight and remained silent, the external tumult and various storms were gradually calming down.

At this time, "Behind the Scenes" was finally premiering.

The film did not hold a premiere ceremony and went straight to release.

The preview screenings had already built up a good reputation. If it were not for the public opinion crisis with Zhou Yun, Shi Luoqi would have marketed the reputation of "Behind the Scenes" to let it succeed through word-of-mouth.

However, due to the sudden onslaught on Zhou Yun, Shi Luoqi had no choice but to abandon this strategy. In any case, "Behind the Scenes" could not avoid Zhou Yun as she was the only celebrity of the film; the other actors did not have any box office draw in the current film market. It was impossible to follow the approach some films take when facing a public opinion crisis—abandon one of the leads and focus on promoting another.

Under these circumstances, "Behind the Scenes" was released.

The first-day advance box office only amounted to a few million.

Some were pessimistic, remarking that after Zhou Yun’s box office miracle with "Life," her reputation as a box office charm had worn off.

"Movie Album" magazine posted an article on its WeChat public account: Has Zhou Yun’s journey as a genius actress come to an abrupt halt?

The article detailed Zhou Yun’s recent challenges with "Behind the Scenes" and concluded with a statement: