Chapter 141: Contract Terminated
Wei Lu's fans were causing an uproar. After Wei Lu posted an ambiguous Weibo message, she seemed to disappear, which made her fans even more convinced that she had been wronged on the show. Consequently, they united to protest against the program team.
As a result, the official Weibo account of "Don't Look Back in the Dark" was completely flooded with comments from Wei Lu's fans, pushing all the previous episode reviews to the bottom.
Qin Linlin had been looking forward to seeing what discussions her scriptwriting would spark and was eager to exchange opinions on its shortcomings for future improvements. But when she saw all this, she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
However, just as she angrily typed out a long rebuttal, several of the young master guests reposted some comments from Wei Lu's fans, adding a string of question marks.
Wei Shu V: "Are you implying that I look like an idiot here?" Repost @Weiwei Xiaoxiao V: "...I think the post-production is intentionally lowering everyone else's IQ to highlight someone else's intelligence. This kind of manipulation really makes me sick."
Lei Miao V: "You already are one, no need for others to imply it. And by the way, to those who are implying things about me, just you wait." Repost @Wei Shu V: "Are you implying that I look like an idiot here?..."
Wei Shu V replied @Lei Miao V: "Let's fight!"
In addition, Liu Qingling and Yang Ji also stepped forward. Unlike the young masters who recklessly confronted others without fear of being accused of inciting cyberbullying, they simply expressed their feelings on their own Weibo accounts, asking their fans if their performance on the variety show was really that bad and if they truly seemed like idiots.
Liu Qingling and Yang Ji's fans replied: "Hahaha, no way, Lao Liu, Lao Yang, the show perfectly showcased your high intelligence. You contributed so many brilliant detective moments. Don't listen to those nonsense talk."
Some fans of Guan Haifeng and Ling Ting, who hadn't had time to watch the show and had believed the "evidence" presented by Wei Lu's fans, thought their idols had been wronged. They angrily started watching the variety show, fully prepared to criticize Rong Yu, but as the episode progressed, they began to sense that something wasn't right.
The remarks that Wei Lu's fans had selectively edited to appear "intelligence-lowering" were actually part of a logical, step-by-step reasoning process. If their idols hadn't said them, someone else would have. Moreover, these inferences weren't stupid at all; they were quite reasonable and had garnered much agreement from others.
These were clearly their idols' shining moments. How could Wei Lu's fans claim they were making them look stupid? It seemed it wasn't the show's post-production manipulating things, but Wei Lu's fans intentionally misleading them to attack other artists!
Then, looking at Wei Lu's recent situation, what else was there not to understand?
Wei Lu's new drama "Swan Lake Love Song" had low ratings, and its popularity had fallen outside the ranks of currently airing new shows. No matter how much her fans tried to boost it, it wouldn't rise. In contrast, "Blood Mist," which occupied the top spot, seemed particularly obstructive.
Rong Yu was the lead actor in "Blood Mist," while Wei Lu was the lead actress in "Swan Lake Love Song." Rong Yu was a newly debuted boy band member, whereas Wei Lu was an actress who had starred in several TV dramas and movies and had even won some awards. Her acting skills and young age were always points her fans loved to boast about.
But now, whether it was the show's popularity or youth, Rong Yu had the advantage. How could Wei Lu's fans not feel resentful?
The entertainment industry witnessed new faces replacing old ones every year, with a constant influx of young talent. Wei Lu's fans had always boasted about her youth, but that very point was fragile, as the day was bound to arrive when someone younger and more talented would appear. This type of advantage could easily transform into a liability.
But such a simple concept, some of Wei Lu's fans just couldn't grasp it, feeling unwilling.
So, they latched onto the fact that Wei Lu was the first to be eliminated in the "Don't Look Back in the Dark" game, trying to generate heat to get their idol more exposure and simultaneously boost the popularity of "Swan Lake Love Song."
The incident caused a stir for a whole day until everyone gradually realized it was just fans intentionally trying to generate heat. Instantly, people lost interest.
After all this fuss, it turned out Wei Lu's side just couldn't get their new drama's popularity up, so they resorted to starting fights to boost it!
However, it must be acknowledged that the strategy ultimately worked. Some curious netizens, drawn in by the online controversy, went to watch "Swan Lake Love Song," causing its viewership to surge dramatically. Originally ranked outside the top ten, by evening it had actually squeezed into tenth place!
However, while Wei Lu's side achieved their goal, Qin Linlin couldn't swallow this anger.
Soon, Qin Linlin discussed with other members of the production team, and they unanimously decided they would rather breach the contract than let Wei Lu continue recording on the show.
After this first incident, Qin Linlin worried that Wei Lu, having tasted the benefits, might try to manipulate the show again to promote her other projects, or further damage the reputation of the guests and the program itself.
The show had paid for her appearance and hadn't forced her to participate. The team also found it tiresome that she seemed to expect constant catering to her demands, treating any lessening of special treatment as a personal slight.
Qin Linlin reviewed the contract and felt relieved they had only signed Wei Lu for three episodes. With one already filmed and two remaining, they were perfectly positioned to pay the breach-of-contract penalty.
Shortly thereafter, the official Weibo account for "Don't Look Back in the Dark" posted a formal statement, directly tagging Wei Lu's studio. The message was courteous but firm, asserting that the program had never used malicious editing, sought to damage Ms. Wei Lu's reputation, or deliberately undermine any participant. It reiterated the show's commitment to fair play, where all guests were subject to the same rules. The statement concluded that if Ms. Wei Lu was uncomfortable with this principle, the program had no choice but to terminate her contract, with the full penalty fee to be paid. It ended with polite wishes for smooth path in her career and a bright future.
As soon as this statement was issued, Wei Lu's studio was instantly shocked. A group of people looked at each other, unsure what to do for a moment.
They hadn't expected "Don't Look Back in the Dark" to be so petty. They felt they were merely trying to ride the wave of publicity and couldn't understand why the situation had escalated so dramatically. From their perspective, it was just fans causing trouble, so why did the official Weibo statement make it sound as if their studio had orchestrated the entire campaign?
Although their studio had indeed added fuel to the fire, they believed such matters should have been discussed with them privately first. Publicly tagging them on Weibo felt like a breach of professional etiquette.
Wei Lu's agent felt resentful, thinking the PR team for "Don't Look Back in the Dark" didn't understand how things were done. In their view, fan disputes were just background noise—not a serious issue that should derail professional cooperation.
If the show's team had approached them privately, they would have gladly shifted all blame to overzealous fans. But by publicly calling out the studio, "Don't Look Back in the Dark" had effectively framed them as the mastermind behind the campaign, making it appear as though Wei Lu had tacitly approved her fans' behavior.
For the sake of saving face, Wei Lu's agent didn't want to stubbornly issue a statement and agreed to terminate the cooperation between both parties.
Refusing the termination would make them appear desperate to hold onto the contract. Given their perceived status, the agent felt he couldn't lower himself to cling to a small, newly launched variety show.
After both the official "Don't Look Back in the Dark" Weibo and Wei Lu's studio had posted their statements, the online spectatorship grew. Putting all the pieces together, it became obvious that Wei Lu's own fans had single-handedly bullied their idol out of a job opportunity.
This was a classic case of overzealous fans—seemingly more "dedicated" than the star's own agent. Convinced they were acting in her best interest by opposing the show, they had managed to get her removed from it. In the aftermath, they even felt a sense of pride, believing they had done their idol a great service.
They should have considered the consequences: the show had invited Wei Lu with a contract commensurate with her status and paid the agreed fee. Now, because of her fans' behavior, the production team was forced to terminate the contract and pay a penalty. While this might seem like a short-term financial gain for Wei Lu, the long-term damage was significant. Future variety shows would now think twice before inviting her.
Producers would inevitably worry: what if her fans mobilized another protest campaign after their show aired? What if they couldn't withstand the harassment and had to end the collaboration prematurely?
Hiring a celebrity was meant to be mutually beneficial—boosting the show's ratings while elevating the artist's profile. But if Wei Lu's fans could trigger such chaos, the calculation changed. The show could end up losing money while still being obligated to pay her full fee. That was a terrible deal for any producer.
In an industry with no shortage of talented artists, why would anyone choose one known for attracting such troublesome fans? They would naturally prefer to work with professionals who didn't bring this kind of baggage.
Online, it was a field of melon-eating netizens. In reality, Yin Chengjue sat on the sofa, holding Rong Yu with one arm, analyzing the pros and cons of this matter with him. Simultaneously, he summarized for Rong Yu: "So, managing your fans well is really important. Success comes from fans, failure comes from fans—this saying isn't without reason. You can pamper your fans, give them benefits, but you must not fawn over them, nor indulge them to do things under your name, whether good or bad."
"Not even good things?" Rong Yu asked, puzzled.
Yin Chengjue smiled and tapped his nose: "When you've seen more of this industry in the future, you'll understand. Whether good or bad, don't let things be done under your name. Because fans are first and foremost independent individuals, and only then people who appreciate you emotionally. The good deeds they do themselves naturally count as their own. Even if influenced by you, the final decision to act is theirs. This belongs to their judgment, they must have their own judgment, not blindly follow anyone, including you."
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