The moment Gao Fei finished speaking, Zhang Cheng felt a chill.
He looked at the gloomy-faced, sharp-eyed Old Gao, swallowed, and asked, "Old Gao, I don't quite understand. You just attended the film festival and are the focus of attention from all sides, both domestically and internationally. Your fame is soaring. Knowing that even the slightest stir you cause will be amplified by the media, why would these people commit arson that results in death? Aren't they afraid of burning themselves?"
According to Zhang Cheng's thinking, after the film festival, Gao Fei was the public's focus. Regardless of what he did or his industries, they were all under the scrutiny of the major media. Today, the smashing of thirty express delivery branches was already major news. The warehouse being destroyed by arson was direct front-page news. Now, with the incident escalating to a case involving a death, and in Kyoto no less, this was more than just front-page news; it was disturbing the peace in the capital itself. A competition of interests had caused a city-wide uproar. Therefore, Zhang Cheng couldn't understand, was it necessary to make such a big fuss?
Gao Fei took the cigarette pack from him, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag. "Old Zhang, you've grasped the key point, but your thinking is too one-sided."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Cheng raised his eyebrows, a little confused.
Gao Fei took another puff and said, "Whenever a case involves a death, it not only garners close attention from the media and the public but also greatly increases pressure on the authorities. This is especially true for cases involving celebrities. Faced with overwhelming news and public opinion, the authorities will quickly solve the case, capture the culprits, and quell the media frenzy. And are the culprits caught by the authorities, used to appease public opinion, truly the ones responsible?"
"Therefore, they are not only unafraid of the authorities' close investigation but even hope that a death will make it to the front page, thereby masking the truth behind the case."
After hearing the explanation, Zhang Cheng understood. Creating a hot topic, public pressure, a swift resolution, a scapegoat, and the real culprits escaping scot-free. This series of moves was beyond the comprehension of a first-year university student like him.
Gao Fei, who hadn't smoked for a while, coughed heavily, stubbed out half his cigarette, and continued, "Also, as you said, my current fame is at its peak. As long as I continue to represent Tongda Express and endorse Suyue Express, the business volume of these two companies will always surpass that of their competitors. The warehouse being burned down and resulting in a death will certainly affect my reputation and image. If it were an ordinary celebrity, after the hot news broke, they would definitely, at the behest of their backer company, break off ties and distance themselves to maintain a clean image. But these people miscalculated one thing: I will not only refuse to terminate the contract and distance myself, but I will confront them head-on."
In the past, capital always had the upper hand against celebrities. After all, every celebrity had an agency or similar entity behind them, and to avoid losses for the company, they would surely make their stars sever ties with collaborators. But facing Gao Fei, capital had miscalculated. Not only did he not have a company behind him, but his meteoric rise to become a popular new star in Longguo was paved by his own capital. This was also why Gao Fei engaged in both business and entertainment. Because he didn't have the shackles of an agency, he could directly resist the threats from capital.
Having lived two lives, Gao Fei had learned one thing from the entertainment industry in his previous life: celebrities, in the face of capital, were merely actors, summoned and dismissed at will. Capital: A popular celebrity? Just a plaything.
.....
That evening, the warehouse arson case, just as Gao Fei had predicted, became the headline news eagerly reported by major media outlets. Similarly, not long after the media reports, it quickly became a hot topic on the three major platforms.
"Shocking! Because of Gao Fei, the warehouses of Tongda and Suyue Express were burned to the ground, and their employees died in the fire."
"Unbelievable, Gao Fei caused a warehouse fire and the deaths of two employees just by smoking a cigarette!"
"Latest news: Due to the warehouse being destroyed by fire and employees tragically killed, Gao Fei, the person in charge of the two express companies in Wutong District, has been taken to the police station for investigation."
"Tongda Express and Suyue Express in Kyoto's Wutong District had their warehouses completely destroyed by fire, with employees tragically killed. Gao Fei, the person in charge, is being investigated for mismanagement leading to the fire, and his career is completely ruined."
Various eye-catching headlines emerged. Within half an hour, "Arson Case, Employee Deaths in Fire, Endorser and Agent Gao Fei" became trending topics on the hot search list. Instantly, due to the media's leading headlines, various rumors and comments flooded the hot searches.
"According to the media reports, because the express warehouse caught fire and caused casualties, Gao Fei's career is completely over, and he can no longer appear on screen. This is a ban, and I suddenly feel a sense of relief!"
"The express warehouse that Gao Fei is responsible for代理 and whose administrator he hired died in the fire. It's likely due to his poor management that the fire started, indirectly causing employee deaths. It seems he's going to be banned for real!"
"Gao Fei is almost banned, anti-fans, quickly find another target, it's no longer interesting to keep blackening him! From now on, we can only leave messages at his grave!"
The comments from anti-fans were full of schadenfreude, directly using rumors to confirm Gao Fei's ban. As for Gao Fei's fans, they were simultaneously attacking the gossip media and counter-attacking the anti-fans.
"These are all misleading reports. Whether Comrade Xiao Gao will be banned is not for these gossip news outlets to dictate."
"You anti-fans don't celebrate too soon. How much of the gossip media's news is true? What if the authorities come out and clarify, slapping you anti-fans in the face!"
"These gossip media outlets love to stir up trouble online. Before the authorities confirm whether the news is true or false, they're already creating a stir online. I hope Gao Fei sues these gossip news outlets!"
"A bunch of gossip media outlets who haven't understood the truth of the matter, and anti-fans who like to follow the trend, you have brains, but they are only the size of a walnut!"
The fans unconditionally supported Gao Fei. After all, he had just won an award at the film festival and would never self-destruct his career.
The various opinions and rumors online intensified. The Kyoto Police Department quickly logged into their official account and issued a statement.
"Regarding the Wutong District express company warehouse fire case, the Kyoto Police Department has established a special task force to investigate the case. The investigation is ongoing. We urge netizens not to believe false news circulating online. Please follow the official latest news and updates."
Following the Kyoto Police Department's official account statement, the Yuanfei Studio account also posted simultaneously.
"We hope all media outlets and netizens will refrain from maliciously spreading rumors. Fans, please also practice not believing or spreading rumors! If any media outlets or netizens continue to create and disseminate rumors, Yuanfei Studio will sue and pursue legal responsibility against the rumor-mongers. Mr. Gao Fei has been actively cooperating with the police investigation into the Wutong District express warehouse arson case and will be fully responsible for the injured and deceased staff."
With the Kyoto Police Department and Yuanfei Studio releasing statements one after another, Gao Fei's fans felt a sense of relief. At the same time, they angrily denounced the criminal perpetrators of the arson and accused the rumor-mongering media and anti-fans. As for the gossip media and anti-fans who had spread rumors, upon seeing that the studio was not sending lawyers' letters but directly suing, they immediately deleted the fabricated news and comments from earlier. This was because Gao Fei, after his college entrance exams, had sued a large number of netizens who had spread rumors and smeared him. Comrade Xiao Gao was not joking; he meant what he said. Therefore, the gossip media and anti-fans completely quieted down after the studio's statement. The trending topics were now filled only with the comments of fans and neutral netizens.
.....
An hour after the arson case.
Based on the special task force's investigation, collection of evidence, clues, and surveillance footage, they quickly identified four criminal suspects in the arson case: Luo Youcai, Ning Fan, He Junyi, and Tan Wei. Upon identifying the suspects, the special task force immediately reported to their superiors. Deputy Director Pan Yue, the commander-in-chief, ordered the district sub-bureaus, special police detachments, and other units to set up checkpoints at various intersections in the city and on roads entering and exiting the city for investigation.
At 9:25 PM, the four criminal suspects in the Wutong District express warehouse arson case attempted to break through a checkpoint and flee while exiting the city, but they were ultimately apprehended by the city's special police detachment. After apprehending the suspects, the special task force immediately conducted an interrogation. During the interrogation, the four criminal suspects confessed to their crimes. When admitting their guilt, the special task force continued to question whether they were instigated to set fire to the Tongda and Suyue Express warehouses. However, all four refused to admit they were instigated. Instead, they claimed that they had been drinking and casually lit something at the warehouse entrance, which accidentally caused the fire.
According to the four suspects' descriptions, combined with the surveillance footage obtained by the special task force, they were not lying. They had indeed used lighters to set fire to cardboard boxes outside the warehouse, which caused the fire. The motives and process of their crimes were fully verified. Even if the special task force suspected that the four were instigated to commit arson, it was difficult to obtain concrete information if they refused to speak. Finally, to quell the various online opinions, the higher authorities could only temporarily announce the case results.
At 10:30 PM, the Kyoto Police Department's official account posted: "After swift deployment and investigation by the special task force, the four criminal suspects in the Wutong District warehouse arson case have been apprehended..." The statement roughly outlined the investigation process and apprehension of the suspects. At the same time, the post included a blurred video showing the four suspects setting fire outside the warehouse.
From the acceptance of the case, investigation, to the apprehension of the suspects, it took a total of just over two hours. The special task force's swift and decisive resolution of the case received widespread praise and acclaim from netizens. After watching the released video, netizens condemned the four criminal suspects while also expressing pity for the two warehouse administrators who tragically died in the fire.
Meanwhile, Zhang Cheng, who had just returned to his dormitory, couldn't help but swallow after reading the official statement from the Kyoto Police Department. "They solved the case so quickly, it's exactly as Old Gao predicted!"