CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55: MAGNET FOR CONTROVERSY

Even though she was famous once, it was only temporary, just like fireworks that vanish after their brilliant display. Until the day Tong Yan died, I had never heard of her name; she must have lived a very miserable life.

How much like her, isn’t it? They both risked everything for love, only to end up like this.

The first episode of "Apocalypse" aired on major TV stations at 8 PM on Sunday, and its ratings were solidly the top across all channels. The same night, Weibo exploded, with "Apocalypse" dominating the trending topics list. Some images and text from "Apocalypse" spread like a virus across WeChat Moments.

The four main actors were all over Weibo and Tieba, with everyone talking about the storyline, the actors’ looks, and future plot developments. In just a few days, it had become a nationwide sensation.

Li Qin’an, upon hearing the news, smiled. This outcome was expected and not surprising. The plot was good, and the actors’ performances were excellent. It would be hard for it not to be a hit.

At this time, some attentive fans noticed that the lead actor in "Apocalypse" had been switched. That’s right, the original leading lady was Gu Shuang, and now it was Chen Lan. Although neither was very famous, such a sudden change seemed suspicious.

Reporters, sensing news, immediately contacted Gu Shuang.

Facing the camera, Gu Shuang had tears in her eyes and looked aggrieved, "I don’t know how things turned out like this. I injured my foot at the time and couldn’t do the fight scenes, so I wanted a day’s rest, and somehow, things ended up like this."

The reporters were in an uproar, questioning just how strict or perhaps heartless Director Li was, replacing an actor because of an injury. Actors inevitably get hurt sometimes; if getting hurt means getting replaced, who would dare act in Director Li’s films in the future?

Another reporter asked, "Was the injury from filming?"

Gu Shuang’s eyes turned slightly red, and she shook her head, "I accidentally hurt myself."

The reporters, hearing this, got even more excited. Was there more to this story than met the eye?

"Wasn’t it from filming?" the reporters pressed.

"It was my clumsiness, nothing to do with them," Gu Shuang insisted.

Them? It was obvious who she meant.

This interview garnered a lot of fans for Gu Shuang, and at this time, Jiang Shishi, while filming, mentioned casually, "I also encountered something similar while shooting ’Reckless Youth.’"

Both "Reckless Youth" and "Apocalypse" had similar issues, and only one actor had played significant roles in both, and that was Tong Yan.

Now, Gu Shuang and Jiang Shishi’s fans started attacking Tong Yan, and Weibo and Tieba were full of harsh words. Even with many loyal fans defending her and declaring their love for Little Fatty, they couldn’t match the fanatical zeal of the others, whose actions were terrifying.

When Gu Feng informed Tong Yan of the news, she only said "Oh" and didn’t comment further, keeping a calm expression the whole time.

Gu Feng was taken aback by the girl’s composure, suspicious, "Aren’t you surprised at all?"

Tong Yan sneered, "Brother Feng, how many times have I been bashed?"

Gu Feng realized that indeed, this girl was a magnet for negativity; having been with her for so long, even he had lost track of how many times she’d been bashed. She’s really grown used to it.

"Such a bother," Gu Feng sighed, "Look at you, you’re the busiest among artists. I’ve cleaned up so many messes for you. I remember just having a press conference recently."

"Brother Feng, with your looks, you should just become an actor," Tong Yan suggested enthusiastically.

Gu Feng straightened his face, "I can’t compare to Young Master Mo."

Tong Yan: ...

Li Xin, you traitor, where are you? Come out, I promise not to kill you!

Gu Feng considered the unprecedented intensity of the current backlash, feeling a headache coming on.

"Brother Feng, don’t rush to stop this; the best part of a show always comes last," Tong Yan winked slyly, like a cunning cat, "Think about it. The more pitiful they appear now, the more miserable they’ll be when everyone finds out the truth later. Just the thought of it is satisfying."