Chapter 200: Overpraise and Its Perils

Chapter 200: Overpraise and Its Perils

Tang Fei was urgently hospitalized, and examinations revealed only minor abrasions. Despite her lingering doubts and reluctance to enter the temporal palace of the system ever since her previous encounter, in this life-threatening moment, Tang Fei instinctively took refuge within it. Amidst the chaos of the explosion, her abrupt disappearance and subsequent reappearance went unnoticed.

She evaded the explosion, only to reemerge moments later with minor scratches from debris; the blast's force had spared her.

Though Tang Fei had developed a sense of wariness towards the system, she acknowledged that without it, many tasks would prove inconvenient.

Zhou Weichuan dismissed everyone, leaving only himself and Tang Fei in the room. In her presence, his countenance turned so dark it seemed water would drip from it.

"When will you ever overcome this frightening habit of yours?"

A fine, lovely maiden spends her days pretending to be a hero, recklessly risking her life time and again. Though she's fortunate to have escaped unscathed thus far, who would dare to wager on the odds of disaster? Who could entrust their safety to the fickle whims of luck?

Zhou Weichuan had even entertained the thought that if Tang Fei didn't correct this habit, he would ask her to retire from acting.

But the moment he laid eyes on Tang Fei, he doubted he could hold any real sway over her. Should he insist that she quit acting, this adventurous and impulsive girl might just take off.

"Dragon Saber is a project helmed by my team, one that I personally propelled forward. On set, I serve as a supervisor—I cannot idly standby while someone meets with an accident." Tang Fei lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers. Her tone was resolute, yet her demeanor betrayed a hint of unease.

After all, she had encountered Huang Hanmin while filming at the Happiness Hotel, and in the heat of the moment then, she had promised Zhou Weichuan that she would refrain from acting impulsively in the future.

All she could argue was, "I'm not filming at the moment. If I get injured, it won't affect the project's progress. Besides, I'm very agile and there's a good chance I won't get hurt."

As she spoke, Tang Fei gained confidence. She looked up at Zhou Weichuan, "I don't embark on anything without assurance. I was confident that I could evade it, as you can see, I only have a few scratches now. I'm aware of my capabilities; this wasn't reckless impulse, but a decision made after careful consideration."

Xing Le still has to film; if he gets injured, it will create problems for wrapping up Heavenly Dragon Saga, and every day of delay means more expenses.

"Tang Fei, I don't want to force you into anything," Zhou Weichuan said gently as he carefully took her injured hand in his, causing Tang Fei to flinch slightly with pain.

"But you must weigh your actions carefully. Your well-being is paramount. I would rather lose money, even if it means sacrificing the entire Heavenly Dragon Eight Parts project, than see you harmed."

Tang Fei's eyes flickered rapidly. Did this count as sweet talk?

"Then your brother must be hurt worse than I am."

"He was injured due to the explosives specialist's negligence, not your fault. You can't equate his situation with yours in a one-to-one comparison."

"But the production crew is under my management; their responsibility is my responsibility. Zhou Weichuan, would you prefer me to be someone who shirks responsibility?"

I hold even less regard for someone who undervalues themselves. Have you forgotten how you counseled Xiao Yuan? A production team shoulders collective responsibility; a drama is not crafted by one person alone. In any case, the serialization of 'Dragon Saber' is nearing its conclusion. Once you've rested well, refrain from involving yourself further with the 'Dragon' project.

The Mercury City project is already constructing its underwater scene for filming. You might as well go to the set and acquaint yourself with the environment, find your character's vibe."

It's really not fitting for couples to engage in logical debates, but once embarked upon, one must emerge victorious. To lose an argument to her boyfriend was unacceptable; Tang Fei wrinkled her nose, feigning displeasure.

It was astonishing that she actually found Zhou Weichuan's words quite reasonable; she must have been bewitched by his charms, clouding her judgment and logic.

Indeed, it was all Zhou Weichuan's fault for being too captivatingly handsome, enchanting her into a daze and causing her defeat.

Does that mean I'm not beautiful? Wasn't Zhou Weichuan enchanted by me? The more Tang Fei thought about it, the angrier she became, her cheeks puffing up in frustration.

This was likely an issue that arose when romantic partners worked at the same company, with emotions and professionalism becoming intertwined. Zhou Weichuan sighed silently to himself. Having won the logical argument, the next step was to cheer his partner up.

"Let me say something pleasant to you, shall I? Your cheeks are puffed up like a hamster's, and it doesn't suit you well."

Tang Fei snorted, folding her arms across her chest. "Fine, go ahead. I'll be the hamster then, ugly enough to make your eyes hurt."

"The Spirit Surge premiere shattered viewership records."

"Really? What were the viewership ratings?!" Tang Fei's eyes lit up, but her cheeks promptly fell, indicating her sudden excitement turning into anticipation.

"Premiere ratings hit 2.6, the highest in a decade, and your dramas take the top three spots for viewership this year," Zhou Weichuan displayed his phone to Tang Fei, revealing Xiangnan TV's internal celebratory messages and accolades that had already gone viral before their official release. Beneath the news, comments flooded in, row after row reading, "Tang Fei is amazing."

"The psionic frenzy hardly implicates me," Tang Fei frowned as she observed the discussions below, all centering around her. She had only appeared for ten minutes in the first two episodes, tasked solely with exuding beauty without any substantial plot involvement, serving as a gentle and charming figure.

Many have argued that marrying Li Xiuyun was akin to having saved the galaxy in a past life.

Ordinary discussions and commentary on others or the plot were drowned out by her posts, with those expressing dissatisfaction with the commenting environment often met with retaliation.

"Mr. Zhou, don't you think the public opinion is veering off course?"

Zhou Weichuan was puzzled. The department in charge of public sentiment monitoring hadn't mentioned any issues, so why did Tang Fei suddenly say this?

Isn't the public opinion generally positive? What have you noticed?

Even with the surge of psychic energy frenzy and my sizable fanbase, it can't escape the fact that only 2.6% of the national audience tunes in. Moreover, discussions across the entire internet revolve solely around the ten minutes I appear, drowning out all other discourse, which in some cases gets buried under clicks or even hidden. There's also a swarm of people directing vitriol towards the other female characters, and posts criticizing Su Yang as a scoundrel amass tens of thousands of likes. Something about this situation doesn't seem quite right.

Tang Fei knitted her brows, having witnessed similar scenarios countless times in her previous life. Could it be that such practices were not in vogue in this world?

Excessive flattery, the ultimate form of praise, is the most effective way to ruin someone.

Especially when dealing with individuals who are difficult to defame or discredit directly, they resort to the tactic of overpraising – a form of 'praise killing' – to create vulnerabilities and provoke a counterreaction.

Unbeknownst to Tang Fei, her single-minded focus on the project for "The Eight Parts of the Dragon" had led her to overlook the online discourse, allowing such sentiments to amplify unchecked. Promptly, she grabbed her phone, logged into Weibo, and initiated a guidance post for her followers, aiming to steer the conversation.

She shared a screenshot of Su Yang and proceeded to praise Guan Liu's performance, appending her thoughts and reflections on episodes 1-2 to engage with fellow fans.

First and foremost, it's essential to distinguish true fans from those who stir up trouble. If all actions are genuinely driven by the fans without any external influence, her guidance will undoubtedly have an impact.

Fans have always followed their idols with unwavering devotion.

Should there be an invisible hand guiding events, the tide of public opinion would shift once more, regardless of what she says. Her words would hold no sway over those with ulterior motives.

Only by segmenting the crowd could she identify who was targeting her.

Such tactics seem genuinely rare in this world; I can only recall one or two instances, and even those might have been orchestrated by unseen forces.

However, such methods were already commonplace in Tang Fei's former world, so ubiquitous that anyone with internet access would have a basic understanding of them.

Zhou Weichuan turned to Tang Fei, inquiring, "Do you think someone is deliberately exaggerating the praise for you in public opinion, while also maliciously suppressing other viewpoints to create a one-sided situation?"

"Well, suppressing other opinions only redirects animosity towards me. First, we need to identify who is steering the narrative, then uncover the mastermind behind them. Our own people mustn't be swayed. Once we separate them from the crowd, it will be easier to deal with them."

"Alright, you rest first, I'll handle this matter," Zhou Weichuan said after a moment of contemplation. Tang Fei's observation might indeed be an oversight in their public opinion monitoring. It's not just negative comments that pose problems; excessively positive remarks that cross the line are essentially negative.

Everything revolves around a certain degree of moderation.