After the table read concluded, the production team began preparing for the official start of filming.
Before this news was officially announced, Xiao He checked the internet again and found that everyone was still intensely focused on the Qin Yuezhang situation.
Initially, people were still doubting the authenticity of Qin Yuezhang blacklisting Xiao He. Some kept trying to message those ex-partners in their private message windows, wanting to confirm the truth of the matter. But not long after, Qin Yuezhang's agent was arrested.
And it was said he was taken away right in front of Qin Yuezhang while Qin Yuezhang was recording a show.
When Wen Qi saw those police officers, his heart sank, and cold sweat continuously broke out on his forehead.
He instinctively looked towards Qin Yuezhang, but Qin Yuezhang just turned his head away, adopting an attitude of wanting nothing to do with him.
Wen Qi could only let out a bitter laugh.
He knew he couldn't say anything, not even refute the crimes the police mentioned.
After all, he was the one who handled many of those unspeakable matters personally. Qin Yuezhang never directly touched them. So, if they were to investigate, his situation would be much more serious than Qin Yuezhang's.
In comparison, hiring a hacker to spread rumors about a public official and a celebrity was already a very minor offense.
Wen Qi even readily took the blame for Old Master Qin, also shouldering the responsibility for the hacker's intrusion into Xiao He's phone.
After Wen Qi's arrest, the news about Qin Yuezhang blacklisting Xiao He almost became an indisputable fact.
That ex-partner of Qin Yuezhang's who had previously hinted at "Qin Yuezhang blacklisting a certain star" specifically reposted this news, deliberately saying with a sarcastic tone, "Those who said I was lying, come and see for yourselves. And listen closely to how loud this slap in the face is."
She had personally heard Qin Yuezhang say he would blacklist Xiao He. How could that be false?
This left netizens utterly astonished. Those who loved to join in on the fun instantly flocked to this "ex-partner's" comment section, curiously asking which other people Qin Yuezhang had blacklisted before.
With this commotion, a few artists who had indeed been blacklisted by Qin Yuezhang actually made comebacks and started settling scores with Xingchen Entertainment and Qin Yuezhang.
The drama surrounding Qin Yuezhang was hyped to a new stage—but this matter had nothing to do with Xiao He anymore. He was just one of the victims among many.
Even though he knew this Wen Qi was just a tool, a pawn sacrificed by the mastermind, Xiao He had no intention of letting him off. He directly instructed his company's legal team to engage with the authorities, determined to send this guy inside so he would never dare to abet evildoers again.
As for the online situation, Xiao He's side never made any formal public statement. They neither denied nor admitted anything, and certainly didn't jump in to guide fans into flame wars. They truly just watched the fire from across the river, calm and composed.
Compared to those few ex-partners of Qin Yuezhang who were jumping up and down, and the other artists whose careers were ruined by Qin Yuezhang's blacklisting, Xiao He could be said to be very zen about it all.
It even made his fans adopt a somewhat zen attitude as well.
A certain fan group chat.
[Crane Little Black: Brother Xiao, really, he tells us nothing. It makes me feel like I have no place to use my skills.]
[Azure Sky Cloud Crane: Not having to charge at the front lines, not having to fight with others in the circle every day, not having to think about working on the data metrics daily. When someone tries to blacklist Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao can handle it himself first. Isn't that great? We're getting carried, and following along is also a proud and satisfying experience.]
[Hehe: I think so too. My colleague is also a fan, though she follows other stars, not Xiao He. After this incident came out, she was very envious, thinking we are really lucky to be fans of Xiao He. Brother Xiao solves many things himself. When he faces us, he always comes to meet us with his best condition and works. We don't need to exhaust ourselves putting in effort for him.]
[Group Owner: Yes, yes. It feels like after becoming a fan of Xiao He, we don't have to constantly push to work on the data metrics or keep a close eye on the opponent's every move. He himself is very competitive. Usually, we only see his works, never any damaging information. Chasing him is truly enjoyable.]
[Wind Rustling: Choosing to retire here was my best decision. Brother Xiao is my best investment project! I will follow Brother Xiao to the death!]
[Quick Look at My Little Box: Alright, alright. If you want to show off, don't just say it in the group chat. We must take this outside to show off to others! Let others see, and promote it by the way. Otherwise, we can't really let others think Xiao He has no fans backing him up, right?]
[Little Black is Little Crane: Has Brother Xiao entered the production set? He's really so hardworking. I feel like he never has a moment of leisure. He's really like an iron man.]
[Wind Rustling: Sigh, there's no helping it. I heard Brother Xiao's company has just started up. The pressure of initial operations and development must be huge. All we can do is silently support him from behind!]
[Azure Sky Cloud Crane: Well said! Perfect timing. To celebrate Brother Xiao entering the production set, and to express our fans' attitude towards this incident, I'll also organize a giveaway on Weibo. I see I have a lot of things here that haven't been of much use. I'll just take them all out for the giveaway.]
The group chat fell completely silent.
This group was established very early after Xiao He's debut. The fans in this group were basically Xiao He's first-generation fans and were also currently the most influential and authoritative voices within Xiao He's fan community.
If it were any other such veteran group, they would have long started forming cliques online, throwing their weight around, creating small factions among fans, and guiding fans into online maintenance and flame wars.
Unfortunately, these major fans in this group seemed to have already weathered major storms and were exceptionally mature in mindset. When they gathered, not only did they not engage in that confrontational approach, but they also became increasingly zen. Usually, besides chatting about Xiao He-related works and matters in the group, they would also casually discuss things from their real lives. Everyone got along like very good friends.
After this period of interaction and communication, everyone basically knew each other's situations.
Among them, this fan named Azure Sky Cloud Crane was undoubtedly the wealthiest of them all.
And due to her overly extravagant, big-spender style, a few others in the group who were long-time members of fan communities could roughly guess whose fan Azure Sky Cloud Crane's account had been before.
But that matter was in the past, and everyone basically wouldn't bring it up voluntarily.
However, Azure Sky Cloud Crane's extravagance was something everyone witnessed.
The "useless" things she mentioned weren't actually useless. It was because her family updated her wardrobe every year. Expensive clothes and bags from major brands basically only had a one-year "shelf life" for her. The replaced ones naturally became "useless" things.
But who would really consider these things useless!
Even the cheapest clothes she pulled out cost thousands of yuan, let alone those outrageously luxurious, famous-brand bags.
Originally, some group members thought Azure Sky Cloud Crane was just showing off, buying into a rich lady persona. But wow, Azure Sky Cloud Crane directly gifted each group member a bag. The level of her extravagance left everyone else in the group speechless.
Little Box even dared to joke that Azure Sky Cloud Crane was so rich she could probably directly sponsor Brother Xiao. Azure Sky Cloud Crane just replied lightly, "Not that shabby."
Group members: ...
Alright, alright. We're all fans here. Why is everyone so different?