Chapter 176 176 Follow-up

Chapter 176: Aftermath

After this ordeal, Liu Rennong, who had always appeared so-called "flawless" in the industry, suddenly showed cracks.

These photos were almost smoking-gun evidence.

Though there was no direct evidence that Liu Rennong played a role in the collusion between theaters and film crews, his involvement in *How Much Do You Know* was enough—why did every high-screen-count film feature him?

"...People who recommended *Fearless Life* to many friends said that if screenings followed normal market rules, *Fearless Life*'s box office should have been much higher."

"If *Fearless Life* hadn't fueled resentment over *Return Undecided*'s rigged screenings, how much longer would audiences have been hoodwinked?"

"I'm not surprised at all. If Liu Rennong were truly as humble and cautious as he portrays himself, why would he sign someone as arrogant to the core like Qi Di? And Bei Hong—does anyone really think a newcomer's first film being a so-called *blockbuster* like *Sanctuary* is a good thing?"

"...In my opinion—just my personal take—Director Miao Zhi's talent isn't inferior to Liu Rennong's. His early works were full of creativity, and though he lost his edge in recent years, I can still see his personal vision in his films. He’s just weaker in marketing."

Audiences naturally know less about directors than actors. Since everyone touted Liu Rennong as "respected," his reputation spread effortlessly.

"Suddenly, I understand why Liu Rennong gets along so well with theaters—to them, he’s a saint."

In fact, even before Shen Wenjie’s exposé, Qi Di and Bei Hong’s behavior had already upset many viewers. But since both were signed under Liu Rennong’s studio, audiences kept their dissatisfaction to themselves.

After all, Liu Rennong was widely touted as amiable and kind. When everyone says so, those who dislike him end up looking like outliers.

"Now that I think about it, how many big-name directors got there playing nice?"

Though netizens didn’t exactly sympathize with Shen Wenjie—*Return Undecided* had already benefited enough—if anyone deserved sympathy, it was the other films during the Spring Festival season. But Liu Rennong’s kick-the-ladder antics were even more infuriating.

Did other film crews owe Liu Rennong anything?

Netizens dug up the award rivalry between Liu Rennong and Miao Zhi.

Unlike past rumors like "Miao Zhi lost" or "Miao Zhi and Liu Rennong are archnemeses," this time, more details emerged. For instance, an old entertainment newspaper showed several industry insiders expressing outrage over Liu Rennong’s win.

Back then, without the internet, there was no PR spin on the scale we see today. Based on feedback from directors and critics at the time, the award’s legitimacy was fishy.

Moreover, while Liu Rennong’s career flourished afterward, his films still faced harsh critiques—contrary to the public perception of consistent high quality.

In fact, he was a marketing maestro.

"...Just realized how often he trends—more than some second-tier celebrities."

"He also pioneered the era of hype-driven films. Don’t forget, I’ve been digging through old news and noticed his movies often competed for overseas awards, but the buzz was always about stunt-driven scandals—red carpet falls, being hugged by a naked man, etc. Plenty of hype, but awards?..."

The deeper people looked, the more shocking it got. Piecing together Liu Rennong’s past controversies, especially incidents timed with his film releases, he was truly the film industry’s "golden boy."

But he was good at hiding.

High screenings benefited the crew, red carpet mishaps were the stars’ fault, arrogance was Qi Di’s doing, and *Sanctuary*’s inflated paycheck went to Bei Hong—his hands stayed clean.

"Liu Rennong looks so disappointed when talking about Qi Di, I can’t even bring myself to criticize him. He bent over backwards for Qi Di—it’s Qi Di who messed up, not him."

"LOL, as if Qi Di alone could monopolize so many resources?"

Public opinion began turning against Liu Rennong. While he remained silent, Zhang Zhizhen snapped back: "Sharing a meal equals collusion? Maybe their film was just good? Instead of speculating, some should reflect on themselves. Don’t resent genuine talent just because you’re lacking."

His words lit a fire under netizens.

...*They* were protesting unfair screenings—since when did that make *them* jealous?

Zhang Zhizhen took a lot of flak for this, with the comment section drowning in all sorts of insults. Of course, Liu Rennong wasn’t spared either.

Netizens deeply suspected that Zhang Zhizhen, unable to secure funding for his films, had simply switched to being a clickbait internet personality—at least ensuring he wouldn’t go hungry and could still cash in on the drama.

...

“It’s deliberate—he’s dragging Liu Rennong through the mud,” Xu Wen concluded.

Liu Rennong had good PR, so to outsiders, his relationships with peers appeared harmonious. Even though Zhang Zhizhen wasn’t known for having a good temper, Liu Rennong still managed to stay on good terms with him. Before Zhang Zhizhen crashed and burned with *The Swordsman*, the two had collaborated on several projects and even served together as judges for a few awards.

During the judging process, even when Liu Rennong ranked higher, he still fully respected Zhang Zhizhen’s opinions as a senior director.

The two were close in age, with Zhang Zhizhen only starting his directing career a few years earlier than Liu Rennong. Yet, Liu Rennong’s approach really buttered Zhang Zhizhen up, leading him to publicly praise Liu Rennong multiple times.

“Zhang Zhizhen only truly flopped with *The Swordsman*, yet he ended up in a position where he couldn’t even get films made. Now, though he still holds a few advisory titles, his influence has weakened compared to before, and he’s gradually losing his voice in the industry.”

“*The Swordsman* was actually filmed later than *How Much Do You Know*,” Xu Wen remarked softly. “Both stopped making films, yet one thrives while the other is everyone’s punching bag. How could Zhang Zhizhen not feel bitter?”

“*The Swordsman* was a trainwreck, but Liu Rennong hogged theater slots from other films—isn’t that worse than *The Swordsman* flopping? Zhang Zhizhen would naturally resent it.”

At their core, neither Zhang Zhizhen nor Liu Rennong was particularly magnanimous. Zhang Zhizhen feeding Liu Rennong to the wolves was entirely predictable.

Zhang Zhizhen engaged with netizens in the comments, frantically “defending” Liu Rennong. The more he “defended,” the harsher the backlash against Liu Rennong became, with old scandals kept recycling by commenters.

However, Xu Wen suspected that Shen Wenjie’s revelations wouldn’t move the needle much on Liu Rennong. Films like *How Much Do You Know* and *Silent Crisis* were too far in the past—even if it were proven that their screen allocations were rigged, the studios wouldn’t return the profits they’d already made.

Besides, Shen Wenjie had no concrete evidence.

All he’d done was put a dent in Liu Rennong’s clout slightly and ensure that future films attempting to replicate *How Much Do You Know*’s strategy would get slaughtered at the box office.

Once a film maintained high screen counts for too long while its quality failed to justify them, audiences would vote with their wallets, boycotting any movies closely tied to Liu Rennong.

Liu Rennong’s standing in the industry stemmed from two things: his prestige as a renowned director and his well-known close ties with theaters.

His directorial prestige had already dimmed due to audience skepticism over *How Much Do You Know*, and while his theater connections might remain intact, industry insiders would now keep him at arm’s length.

Though Shen Wenjie hadn’t exposed much, he’d hinted that Liu Rennong was shifting blame.

The entertainment industry was full of sharks, especially when money was involved. After this, directors might prefer to play it straight and earn honest box office returns rather than attempting shady maneuvers like *Return Undecided*.

...

The leaks came from Shen Wenjie, the “defense” was Zhang Zhizhen’s doing, yet when netizens summarized the situation, they dragged Lu Xu into it, crediting this as yet another 'W' for their self-appointed “champion of justice.”

In the past, Lu Xu might have tried to duck the spotlight, insisting he had nothing to do with it. But now, he’d given up—letting netizens say whatever they wanted, as long as it made them happy.

Really, all he’d done was show up for *Fearless Life*’s promotional tour.

And yet… thanks to his “champion of justice” image, *Fearless Life*’s box office saw a second wind after a plateau. As netizens put it, they were “empowering” Lu Xu so he could better counter Liu Rennong.

*Fearless Life*’s box office was on a tear, surpassing 3 billion, then 3.5 billion—exceeding all platform predictions. Though it ultimately fell short of 4 billion, settling at 3.877 billion, it still became the box office king of the Lunar New Year season.

Regarding the controversy stirred by *Return Undecided*, reporters specifically sought out Miao Zhi and Lu Xu for their thoughts on Liu Rennong’s so-called 'screen-juking' scandal.

Miao Zhi’s response: “Not familiar with him. Don’t ask me.”

Lu Xu, meanwhile, said: “If this is true, every other Lunar New Year release deserves an apology. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard a single one yet.”

On camera, Lu Xu neither showed the smugness of a victor nor took the opportunity to kick someone when they were down. He simply stated a fact—it was just Shen Wenjie and Liu Rennong at each other's throats.

Neither Shen Wenjie, who was initially the perpetrator and later inexplicably became a victim, nor Liu Rennong, who secured prime screening slots for Shen Wenjie, ever apologized to the other films during the Lunar New Year release window.

*Fearless Life* was the box office champion, making it the winner of the season, but it was also a victim.

The same was true for the other films.

"Yeah."

"It just hit me—yeah, whether it's Shen Wenjie getting burned or Liu Rennong's reputation collapsing, they brought it upon themselves. The real victims are the other films released in the same season as *Return Undecided*."

"Feels like 'the puppy' suddenly grew up. After winning the Contention Award for Best Actor, 'the puppy' has been looking more and more polished."

"Just to clarify here, Lu Xu has always been dignified. It's just that his opponents weren’t, so he had to respond in a way that might not seem dignified."

During this Lunar New Year release window, *Fearless Life* was the most influential film, and Lu Xu was undoubtedly the most influential actor.

His willingness to speak up immediately united the other films of the season.

Apart from *Return Undecided*, several other films Weibo'd at the same time, emphasizing their desire for a fair competitive environment.

The creators of these films later mentioned *Fearless Life* and Lu Xu in interviews, expressing gratitude that the season had *Fearless Life* and that Lu Xu, as the lead actor, had the guts to take on certain power players in the industry—even against the theaters.

*Fearless Life* earned 3.8 billion yuan at the box office. For Lu Xu as the lead actor, keeping quiet wouldn't have hurt him, but he still chose to speak out.

"Whether in the TV world or the film industry, Lu Xu remains the same Lu Xu."

"Every day as a fan of Lu Xu is another day of liking him even more."

The more Lu Xu was willing to speak up, the more it highlighted how despicable Liu Rennong and his camp were.

Though Liu Rennong never admitted it, he would never again command the same level of trust as before.