Heavy rewards bring brave men.
Junlin Entertainment quickly found professional internet trolls willing to take the job.
A barrage of news, output in a storm, soon occupied the top spot on major social media trending topics.
"Gu Entertainment monopolizes and disregards human life."
"Gu Entertainment spends millions to suppress the truth, hiding the death of an amateur."
"Victim's family denounces Gu Entertainment for profiting from tragedy."
"How much longer can Gu Entertainment continue its arrogance? An industry bully gets away with it!"
...
Before the public, caught in the midst of the gossip, could even click on each item, a prominently displayed post surged to the top.
"Full record of the live filming for Gu Entertainment's reality show."
Upon clicking, one could see the entire scene was orderly and well-managed, with only two artists injured. There was no mention of any deceased person.
Following this video were feedback forms from Gu Entertainment's police reports and the medical records of the two artists.
The entire process was detailed.
"This is outrageous. Did Gu Entertainment offend someone? They just injured two people and are claiming someone died. That's truly absurd."
"Isn't the entertainment industry always like this? A scratch on a finger is reported as needing amputation. It's probably just hype for position disputes."
"Is injuring someone not important? Gu Entertainment was negligent, that's true. Shouldn't they be held accountable? Was my idol injured for nothing?" The trolls still wanted to struggle, after all, their leader had only received a deposit, and the remaining payment was contingent on results.
"It's not that it's not important, but compared to a death, being injured... how to put it... doesn't seem like such a grave matter."
"Exactly. The previous news was too shocking. Clicking into the video and seeing: This is it?"
"Moreover, the cameras recorded the entire process, from medical treatment to the police report. The staff handled it quite well, with follow-up care and such. It feels quite thoughtful."
"Ah, accidents happen. No one wants them."
"You are all Gu Entertainment's trolls! Can't you see our idol fainted? With this attitude!" The trolls were fuming, their teeth aching. They quickly switched their avatars to the injured artists, disguised as fans, attempting to provoke conflict. "My idol is in their rising phase. Because of this incident causing downtime, delaying my idol's schedule, can you afford to compensate us!"
"That's right! What if my idol is left with a scar? Future schedules will be delayed. My brother will cry!" The trolls frantically switched accounts, hyping up the complaints, and not forgetting to use the "Lazy Egg" emoji commonly used by the idol's fans.
They were soon proven wrong.
"Are you really fans of my idol? In the fan group just now, our idol was beaten by their manager for laughing too wildly because they could get free hospitalization and avoid work. Didn't you see that?"
"Yes, the reason our fans use the Lazy Egg emoji is because our brother is genuinely lazy."
The trolls were stunned.
Damn it, if you're this lazy, why be an artist!
Are you crazy!
What kind of monsters with all sorts of personas are there!
Is there no professional ethics at all!
The trolls, their plan having failed, did not linger. They quickly switched accounts, changed nicknames and avatars, and continued trying to instigate conflict and generate buzz.
"I initially thought it was celebrity hype, but now I believe it. Someone really wants to target Gu Entertainment." A passerby, who had seen through the scheme, screenshotted evidence of a troll's unchanged IP and account suffix, but with four different appearances in nickname, avatar, and发言, jumping between the injured artists with fan avatars. This evidence was then presented for all to see.
"Tsk, I knew it! Gu Entertainment is an industry benchmark. How could they do such a thing!"
"In this day and age, you have to let the bullets fly for a while before believing any news."
"Industry benchmark? Gu Entertainment has done its share of shameless things. Didn't they scheme against Junlin Entertainment this time? They stepped on Junlin Entertainment to rise. Seeing 'I Am a Great City Lord' become popular, they immediately launched 'There's an Empty City in My Dreams,' it's disgusting! Anyway, I won't watch that dog city! I'm a fan of 'I Am a Great City Lord,' whoever they are, I love them! I stand with the Great City Lord!"
After this post, it gained quite a few supporters from onlookers. Even when reminded that 'I Am a Great City Lord' plagiarized 'There's an Empty City in My Dreams,' some people stated they were fans of the drama and the TV series wouldn't bear the original author's burden.
In any case, they just liked 'I Am a Great City Lord.'
In response to this situation, Qin Shuangshuang, after receiving instructions from Gu Entertainment's legal department, personally stepped forward. She forwarded the comments that had previously supported 'I Am a Great City Lord' and explained how her parents, while battling illness, cherished each other with a united heart, and used this city of their dreams to comfort their souls in their final moments.
Simultaneously, Qin Shuangshuang also posted her parents' medical records and some manuscripts.
Initially, her parents typed on the keyboard, but later, they had little strength left. The manuscript for the concluding part, as well as two epilogues, were all handwritten.
The handwriting started neat and elegant, but gradually became more scattered.
From these manuscripts, it was not difficult to see that the author's body was at its limit. Even while enduring immense pain, they still wished to give the story a complete ending, a closure for themselves and for the readers.
"The final manuscripts were all handwritten by my mother, and then I typed each word to create the chapters visible to readers.
For some, whether it's the novel 'I Am a Great City Lord' or the TV series, it has brought you emotion and beautiful fantasies.
However, these emotions and beautiful fantasies are the final testament of my parents before their deaths.
I cannot change your minds or force you to acknowledge 'There's an Empty City in My Dreams,' but I believe the law will help me.
During this time, I have despaired, cried, and even considered following my parents.
But if I cannot vindicate them, and watch their final testament be subjected to such malicious plagiarism and alteration, I will have no face to meet them even in death.
I am grateful to Mr. Gu for patiently listening to my plea, and I am also grateful to Gu Entertainment for their help.
With the support and assistance of Gu Entertainment's legal department, I am officially filing a lawsuit against Junlin Entertainment and the original author of 'I Am a Great City Lord.' "
The accompanying photos included various copyright-related documents placed on a desk, as well as a candid family portrait.
The girl protected in the center smiled sweetly, with a couple behind her gazing at each other.
After Qin Shuangshuang's intervention, those who had previously supported 'I Am a Great City Lord' immediately fell silent.
Many netizens were deeply moved and, in the process, significantly boosted the popularity of 'There's an Empty City in My Dreams.'
Song Junhan, who had been watching the online developments unfold, was so angry he nearly vomited blood.
What he hadn't expected was that after dropping the second bombshell, intending to have a fight to the death with Mr. Gu, he discovered that the fish was destined to die, while the net remained completely unharmed.