167: The 167th day of being popular
While the entire internet buzzed about Yao Bianliang's new drama "Spring Warmth, Dew, and Splendor," Feng Shiyuan's new video was quietly released.
The video had no prior warning, but as Yao Bianliang's studio and fan club retweeted it, the video's popularity quickly skyrocketed at an astonishing speed.
At 11 o'clock in the morning, YouTuber He Youkun, who specializes in satirical content on the entertainment industry, woke up and saw notifications on his phone.
"Huh? Feng Shiyuan finally released a new video about Yao Bianliang?" He stretched and sat up on his bed.
Like Feng Shiyuan, He Youkun was also a well-known YouTuber in the satirical content community of the entertainment industry.
During this period, the two had engaged in competitions, comparing their data and fan bases, making their rivalry quite fierce.
Seeing Feng Shiyuan's new video now, He Youkun couldn't help but snicker softly. "He's only releasing a video to ride the wave of her popularity now? His reaction is way too slow."
Recently, Yao Bianliang has been in the limelight, and the three words "Yao Bianliang" were practically synonymous with the entertainment industry's hot topic. Any video related to her would easily gain popularity.
Therefore, He Youkun had already released three videos about Yao Bianliang in the past two months.
With such good popularity, how could he not ride the wave?
Five days ago, he received a collaboration request from the Lu Group. According to their requirements, he needed to praise Yao Bianliang more exaggeratedly and express his anticipation for her new drama.
Not only could he gain popularity, but he could also get a free meal out of it. He Youkun naturally couldn't ask for more.
As a result, he released another video in the past two days, highly praising Yao Bianliang from all angles.
He soon realized that the Lu Group had also contacted several other YouTubers. Over the past few days, many YouTubers released similar videos, enthusiastically praising Yao Bianliang.
At this point, the positive reviews for Yao Bianliang were overwhelming, and the public was probably getting tired of them.
For Feng Shiyuan to release his video this late, he undoubtedly missed the prime time.
"Tsk, didn't expect it. Old Feng is also experiencing some delayed realization." He Youkun gloated a little.
He wondered what new approach Feng Shiyuan was planning to take this time.
Casually, He Youkun clicked on Feng Shiyuan's video.
However, the title that came into view froze him in place.
"Yao Bianliang's Acting Skills Aren't Good Enough, Lack of Ability, and Plasticity! Disagree? Let's Debate!"
He Youkun: "..."
He Youkun almost thought he was mistaken.
What is this?
Hasn't Feng Shiyuan always been firmly supporting Yao Bianliang? Now that everything is going so well, why is he suddenly changing sides? This doesn't make sense.
Could it be that he deliberately used a clickbait title?
He pondered inwardly, doubting whether he should play the video.
As usual, Feng Shiyuan's face appeared in the video, and the barrage of comments quickly scrolled above.
【After watching the video, I came back specifically to comment. There's a surprise at the end.】
【Hahaha, it killed me. Friendly fire from our side.】
【Guys, don't rush, you must watch the video until the end!】
【Finished watching the video. Hahaha, RIP Feng Bro DogHead.jpg】
Seeing Feng Shiyuan's serious expression in the video and his usual opening remarks, he gradually steered the topic toward its main course, speaking earnestly.
"Recently, there has been a flood of praise for Yao Bianliang, even hailing her as the hope of Huago Domestic Entertainment. But is Yao Bianliang really that good? In my opinion, perhaps not."
"So today, I want to discuss Yao Bianliang's shortcomings with all of you."
He Youkun couldn't believe it. Was Feng Shiyuan really being serious?
Wasn't he a loyal supporter of Yao Bianliang?
And so, He Youkun watched in disbelief as Feng Shiyuan seriously pointed out various shortcomings of Yao Bianliang.
"Firstly, Yao Bianliang's acting skills are not as good as everyone claims. In 'The Physician' and 'To Our Youth,' her emotional performance in some place were not good. Let me give you a few examples..."
Feng Shiyuan proceeded to show clips of Yao Bianliang's acting and began to criticize them one by one.
Although he was criticizing, it wasn't baseless. It was the kind of criticism that had reasoning and was convincing.
Just criticizing her acting skills wasn't enough for Feng Shiyuan. He immediately began to bring up other points of criticism.
"Secondly, since her debut, Yao Bianliang hasn't even had a single television drama, let alone any remarkable film works! Relying only on some short sketches, how did she become the hope of Huago? Without any noteworthy works or authoritative awards, there are countless stars like her in the entertainment industry. So, at best, Yao Bianliang is just a variety show celebrity! Those who want to praise her should wait until she wins the Best Actress award at the Golden Rooster Awards before doing so. Otherwise, this so-called 'hope of Huago' with no real substance is simply a laughing stock."
【Wow, Feng Bro has gone all out.】
【He does make sense. This youtuber's opinions always catch me off guard.】
【Wait, did I remember wrong? Wasn't this youtuber originally a fan of Yao Bianliang? How did he suddenly turn into a hater overnight?】
【But I think Feng Bro is not wrong. Currently, Liang Liang doesn't have any significant works to boast about. It's too early to praise her like some marketing accounts do.】
【I'm a fan of Yao Bianliang, and I also think she needs to improve in many areas! She's not as perfect as some marketing accounts claim.】
"Thirdly, everyone says Yao Bianliang spoils her fans, but are her actions truly spoiling them?" Feng Shiyuan continued.
"Prohibiting fans from spending money to vote or support her, especially banning underage fans from spending money on their idols, is just something an idol should do. There's nothing particularly praiseworthy about it!"
"She refuses to engage in negative criticism, black PR, or falsifying data; these are just basic moral principles that any public figure should uphold. If such things are worthy of praise, then aren't our standards too low?"
Feng Shiyuan seemed to have completely forgotten that he himself had recently made a similar video, praising Yao Bianliang as a breath of fresh air in the entertainment industry.
As long as he wasn't embarrassed, others would be.
The barrage filled with question marks, but Feng Shiyuan showed no signs of stopping. He continued to enumerate several points of criticism.
This included Yao Bianliang's looks, emotional intelligence, professional abilities, and various other aspects. In short, he covered every possible flaw she might have.
"In conclusion, in my personal opinion, Yao Bianliang is just an average actress. Her acting skills are not top-notch, her professional abilities are not outstanding, and she doesn't have any significant works to her name!"
"She is far from being the 'hope of Huago' or the hope of the domestic entertainment industry as some marketing accounts claim. She is simply an actress with plenty of flaws, and there's nothing worth praising about her."
【Geez, did Feng Bro actually turn from a fan to a hater?】
【Did you take money from the opposing side? How much did they pay you?】
【Wow, I almost believed Feng Bro's nonsense. DogHead.jpg】
Feng Shiyuan: "That's all the criticism I have for now. If anyone disagrees, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section."
As Feng Shiyuan's last word fell, the background music began to play softly, gradually increasing in volume. The screen froze on Feng Shiyuan's serious and earnest face.
He Youkun almost thought the video was over, but fortunately, the remaining progress bar indicated that there was more to come. The situation was far from simple.
Just as the video was about to end, a "click" sound of drums rang out, and the video gradually darkened while the background music paused for a moment.
Soon, the music resumed, and the drumbeats intensified as fireworks designed for celebration burst forth in the video.
Against a red and festive background, several lines of text slowly appeared:
"Yao Bianliang Fan Support Club's limited-time lottery is now open! Participate in the lottery by leaving a comment of at least 10 words or more on any platform and in any comment section."
"The harsher the criticism, the greater the reward. Participants who leave high-quality negative comments also have a chance to win a signed photo!"
"Limited quantity, first come, first served!"
He Youkun: ?!
What is this sudden advertisement-like change?
This transformation came out of the blue, and everyone obviously didn't react immediately, resulting in the barrage filled with exclamation marks.
As these lines of text appeared one after another, Feng Shiyuan showed a screenshot of the fan support club's lottery on the video.
Finally, at the end of the video, there was a line of small text. The font was so small, as if afraid of being seen clearly by the audience.
"The total text of this video script is 2,200 words, providing comprehensive criticism to Yao Bianliang. I hope the fan support club will not underestimate me and give me one of her signed photos. Thank you very much."
The barrage erupted in excitement.
【Oh my god, I almost believed it, but the ending caught me off guard.】
【When I saw the beginning, I thought the up had really turned from a fan to a hater, but in the end, it's all for a signed photo? Exposed!】
【Hahaha, this is the bets comedy of the year.】
【So, Feng Bro's video was actually a mukbang video? I'm shocked for a hundred years; who knew you could play mukbang like this?】
【But to be honest, the criticisms about Yao Bianliang, in the beginning, are actually quite reasonable.】
【Hahaha, I'm laughing so hard. While criticizing Yao Bianliang and then desperately asking for her autograph, your serious face is hilarious.】
He Youkun was completely stunned by this point.
Before watching Feng Shiyuan's video, he had considered many possibilities, including how the up might praise Yao Bianliang from different angles or provide in-depth analysis. But he had never expected this turn of events.
But he never expected that the topic would take such a turn!
Feng Shiyuan was clearly a fan of Yao Bianliang, yet he was doing what a hater would do, criticizing his idol and degrading her to nothing.
And now, it seemed that the content of this video was actually instructed by Yao Bianliang herself... What was wrong with her?
Why would Yao Bianliang voluntarily initiate such an activity?
Other celebrities feared having a bad reputation, but she had to encourage everyone to criticize her.
He Youkun felt like he couldn't handle this anymore.
Feng Shiyuan's video had just been released, and it had already climbed to the top of the trending list.
The netizens in the comment section were all having fun, with the number of shares, likes, and comments surpassing historical records within minutes.
And what about him?
For the past two months, he had been crazily posting videos related to Yao Bianliang, indeed gaining some attention. But now, compared to Feng Shiyuan, these statistics were simply not worth looking at!
And it could be predicted that after Feng Shiyuan's video was released, public opinion would definitely change. That meant his recently published video would suffer again, right?
Thinking like this, He Youkun became more and more frustrated.
He had originally thought that this time he could finally ride the wave and surpass Feng Shiyuan by a lot.
But now it seemed that things were completely different from what he had imagined. Not only was Feng Shiyuan not surpassed by him, but his popularity had even directly surpassed him.
He couldn't sit still anymore. After pondering for a moment, he sent a message to his sponsor.
*****
Lu Group
Naturally, Lu Group was also aware of what He Youkun knew.
At this moment, everyone's mood was enveloped in a dark cloud, and the atmosphere in the office was almost frozen.
Sitting at the main seat, Lu Yanchen's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and he almost felt a splitting headache. "Look at what mess you've caused!"
He threw his phone back on the table.
One of his trusted subordinates beside him picked it up, and the familiar interface came into view.
He Youkun, the up they contacted a couple of days ago. The other party had made the praise video as they requested, and the large bold words in the title were exceptionally eye-catching - "Yao Bianliang, The hope of Chinese Entertainment."
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