Li Jie is of low character, and his fans are even worse.

The "fan meet-and-greet" for *The Fairy and the Monkey* was pure marketing; not to mention Li Jie, even the director, Lu Xiaoguan, didn't believe there were any actual "fans" present.

Regardless, the commercial success was all that mattered. The stocks of the investing companies even saw a bump in tandem, with every daily box office update serving as "good news." Compared to the money-laundering capabilities of the investors, making a movie was merely a drop in the bucket.

Lu Xiaoguan was in a good mood. His directorial debut on the big screen had actually made money. Although he didn’t pocket much himself, it was decent enough, and it meant his follow-up projects wouldn't be hard to get off the ground.

To show appreciation for the "Erlang Shen" and "Howling Celestial Dog" actors, a media interview session was arranged. Although Ding Wei hadn't exactly made a comeback, he had at least managed to show his face again, letting people know that the sissy Erlang Shen was played by him.

He didn't dare dream of movie offers—a washed-up young idol was worth less than a dog. Ding Wei knew his place, so he didn't hide the fact that he would be appearing in *Masked Gourd Hero: The Wisdom Orange*.

"So, you are challenging yourself in the field of live-action animation, is that right?"

"It’s more about further honing my acting skills. Plus, I personally really like children, and I feel honored to be able to star in this series that is so beloved by them. So, it’s not really a challenge, just trying my best to do a good job and not let the children down. Let’s go!"

Ding Wei clenched his fist and gave it a little shake in front of the camera.

If it were anyone else, Lu Xiaoguan wouldn't have bothered arranging such an exposure opportunity. Even the lead actors wouldn't have gotten it; these were resources, the kind of New Year exposure that money couldn't buy.

It was all for the sake of Li Jie that Ding Wei received this chance. This made Ding Wei’s assistant-cum-manager, Dong Sharen, incredibly excited, secretly thinking that his "Brother Wei" had finally regained his prestige.

However, when it was Li Jie’s turn for the interview, the tone shifted entirely.

The media were all seasoned cynics with sharp pens. They started off with a smirk, asking, "Should we call you President Li now?"

"Calling me Brother Li is fine too."

"Hahahaha..."

The interviewer was an entertainment columnist from Sanjiang Media who also ran his own Weibo account. Having received five thousand yuan from Boss Li, they were certainly "friends." "President Li, your fans are hoping for a duet between you and Wang Shiyin for *Laughing In the Spring*, and the demand is high; it even reached eighth on the entertainment wish list. Have you considered it?"

"I am a singer-songwriter. My focus is primarily on creation. Singing... let's just leave that aside. I could sing back when I was young, but it’s been many years since I’ve held a microphone. I’m not sure if I still have the skills of my prime. Maybe when I decide to make a comeback, but for now, I’ll stick to writing."

"I hear there’s a collaboration with 'Boss Mei'?"

"That is true. We collaborated on a song called *Good Fortune Comes*. Currently, Teacher Mei is polishing this new Lunar New Year single in Jianye. Both teams are very satisfied, and I expect it to be released before the Lantern Festival. I have to say, Teacher Mei’s talent is worth several people combined. I hope to continue working with her in the future."

"It seems President Li has a lot of confidence in *Good Fortune Comes*."

"Absolutely confident. I’m not bragging, but the moment you hear it, you’ll feel a sense of national peace and prosperity."

"..."

The columnist was rendered speechless by Li Jie’s shameless self-promotion.

However, there was no denying that Li Jie had the credentials, as he had been a "child star" singer-songwriter ten years ago, once hailed as a once-in-fifty-years talent. It was just that his later career development was, well, complicated. The genius had essentially fizzled out. Although Pingjiang Television had tried to promote twenty other "child stars" around him, and they hadn't exactly lost money, it was far below expectations.

After his popularity was squeezed dry, everyone naturally went their separate ways. No one expected that this orphan surnamed Li could defy fate; after his image changed, had his creative ability also mutated?

The interviews on the thirteenth day of the Lunar New Year ended in the morning, and the trending topics on major entertainment platforms hit by noon. The "Tianxian Fans" on Weibo had already popped champagne, claiming that the hottest single of the New Year period had to be the "Sister's"!

Who else could it be?!

Just tell me, who else?!

At noon, the time had come.

Entertainment writers, columnists, and online outlets looking to hitch a ride on the traffic and hype of *The Fairy and the Monkey* immediately jumped on the clickbait train.

"Li Jie claims *Laughing In the Spring* is mediocre; new work *Good Fortune Comes* set to top the charts."

"Li Jie: '*Laughing In the Spring* will be easily crushed by *Good Fortune Comes*.'"

"On the *Fairy and the Monkey* meet-and-greet, 'Howling Celestial Dog' makes a shocking statement, declaring no intention to duet with 'Fairy Wang' on *Laughing In the Spring*."

"Back in the game! 'Child prodigy' songwriter releases new music after ten years!"

"Master Mei Xingyu joins hands with 'Howling Celestial Dog'; ringing in the Lantern Festival!"

The "Tianxian Fans" who had popped the champagne early instantly turned red with rage. In the morning, they said their "Sister" would take the top single of the month, and by noon, the internet was flooded with "Howling Celestial Dog eating rice balls." Is this okay?

Consequently, Boss Li’s Weibo exploded once again. Since many students were either on holiday or just starting the semester with little interest in studying, they channeled all their pent-up winter energy directly onto Li Jie.

"What exactly do you want?! How many times is this?!"

"Are you sick?! Huh?! Must you always leech off of Sister's popularity?! Do you want a lawyer's letter?!"

"Does slandering others make you better? Go film your live-action animation!"

"Protect our best Sister! Beat the dog! Beat the dog! Beat the dog!"

"You cheap dog surnamed Li, all you do is leech, leech, leech! It’s disgusting!"

"You're a loser!"

Boss Li felt innocent. Damn it, I didn't do anything!

What he didn't know was that the "Ten-Year Haters" group had started a new activity, proudly declaring they had done it all.

"Sing *Greatness of Heaven* for Brother Guo," they taught each other how to have fun. Under Li Jie's Weibo post, they tagged the Small Animal Protection Association, Dog Home, and Animal Rescue Home: "Someone is committing mass animal abuse here, please come and handle this."

Nani?!

The new "fans" were instantly delighted. The pain of chemotherapy was nothing; after watching this spectacle, happiness had arrived!

With the principle that one should never fear the chaos, the new "fans" made perverted expressions in front of their phone screens, skillfully tagging Gaolianghe Entertainment: "Someone is maliciously leeching off @Wang Shiyin’s popularity, hurry up and collect evidence to send a lawyer's letter!"

"Lawyer's letter warning!"

"Hey hey hey, I'm here! As soon as I entered the comment section, I saw someone beating a dog!"

Li Jie saw the "Ten-Year Haters" group acting up again and thought about going into the group to tell those rebellious sons to stop their antics. However, an account named "Gaolianghe Entertainment - Zhao Zeping" actually ran to Li Jie’s comment section and posted: "President Li, everyone should make money in harmony; this is unnecessary."

Wait, what?!

My rebellious little temper!

"Who the hell are you?!"

Boss Li fired back a heaven-defying comment and was promptly reported.

"See! This cheap dog has such low quality!!!"

"It’s disgusting that my Sister is being leached off by this kind of person every day! Disgusting!"

"Gaolianghe Entertainment - Zhao Zeping" hadn't expected Li Jie to be so vulgar and immediately pinned a comment to their own homepage: "Although the entertainment industry is primarily for entertainment, I believe that the improvement of personal quality among practitioners also promotes the creation of excellent works. We cannot prioritize talent while ignoring morality. Only by having both virtue and talent can we have a positive impact on the industry, society, and the audience."

Boss Li was furious and was just about to start ranting when the "Ten-Year Haters" swarmed in, directly drowning out the comment section of "Gaolianghe Entertainment - Zhao Zeping."

"Who are you pretending to be? No talent means no strength, right? If you have no strength, what are you talking about morality for? If you're bad, practice more; don't run to other dogs' dens to mark your territory. Is this your den that you're running around in?"

"I thought you were some big shot, but I clicked in and found out you're a nobody. With your skills, Brother Crab would have crushed you ten years ago. Skr~~"

"You idiots, didn't you fail to manage @Wang Shiyin’s brain-dead fans? This is truly abstract. What kind of strength do you have to be thinking of competing with our 'Howling Celestial Dog'?"

"Marking this, setting a flag. On the 'Lantern Festival,' *Good Fortune Comes* will definitely crush *Laughing In the Spring*. Brother Crab is anthropomorphic, but take my advice, don't try to touch porcelain blindly. I'll come back to dig up this grave on the 'Lantern Festival'; if *Good Fortune Comes* doesn't crush *Laughing In the Spring*, I'll live-stream myself humping a five-speed electric fan!"

"You just want to hump an electric fan!"

"Asking weakly, can I hump an industrial exhaust fan instead?"

"How about a gas turbine?"

"Hump mine."

"..."

"..."

In less than five minutes, "Gaolianghe Entertainment - Zhao Zeping" closed the comment section—or rather, limited it to followers of three days.

Then, the group of "rebellious sons" returned to Li Jie’s comment section to continue "bombing the place": "@Gaolianghe Entertainment - Zhao Zeping, the old man knows how to play, huh? Did you feel proud after gaining a wave of followers? See you in three days."

Throughout the whole ordeal, Li Jie didn't do anything... He just shouted "Who the hell are you," and even that was censored by Weibo.

In the "Ten-Year Haters" group, everyone tagged "Woken Up Handsome Every Day," the new group name Li Jie had changed to, focusing on being "real."

"Brother Crab, work is here, bite that old man!"

"By the way, what does 'Boss Mei' actually do? Is there anyone who listens to opera?"

"Does that mean I have to live-stream humping an electric fan?"

"How is that possible? You clearly said live-stream humping a five-speed electric fan. Don't forget the speed, it's five-speed, okay."

"Yay!!"

"No yay allowed!!"

"No no yay allowed!!"

"No no no no yay allowed!"

"No no..."

The recursive "Gourd Baby" chain started automatically, while the newcomer "Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng" was very worried about the mental state of the group members. If they were released to take revenge on society, it would be truly stimulating.

Then, "Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng" slapped himself in the office. "What the hell? What kind of stimulating?"

"You're a police officer, Xiao Yuanyin!"

"You are a police officer!"

"This group is truly poisonous..."

He had wanted to close the group to work, but Director Xiao, who was middle-aged and had no other hobbies, just picked up a document, thought for a moment, and pulled out his phone... to take one more look.