Chapter 94: A Win-Win Situation, Fans Feel Your Pain (Guaranteed: Monthly Votes Requested)

“Ah, I see.”

After hearing Xiao Nan's words, Lin Xing found himself both amused and bewildered. “Is that really possible?”

Xiao Nan nodded gently. “Sister Dao asked me to pass this along to you and see what you think.”

“All right, I understand.”

Lin Xing thought for a moment and then approached Ma Wen, who stood nearby. “President Ma.”

“Teacher Lin, I truly have to thank you for introducing Miaoyin. Even Liu Zhou feels that Miaoyin’s performance far exceeded expectations.”

President Ma said with a cheerful smile.

It was worth noting that before this, Ma Wen didn’t know Lin Miaoyin at all. At first, when Lin Xing mentioned introducing someone, especially when he said it was just to give her a chance to audition, Ma Wen was a bit worried.

It was like drinking at a banquet—some people say ‘drink as you please,’ but if you really do, some may turn hostile.

So, Ma Wen thought it over and called Lin Xing’s manager.

Then Sister Dao made it clear: ‘Let him do as he pleases’ really meant exactly that.

But after Miaoyin’s audition, Ma Wen was quite surprised.

This young woman fit the role of Liu Zitong perfectly, both in appearance and acting skills.

More importantly, she was hardworking. Ma Wen then learned that Miaoyin had also participated in the variety show “Let’s Farm.”

No wonder.

He felt that Lin Xing was quite helpful to the artists in his company.

“President Ma, I should be the one thanking you for giving Miaoyin this opportunity.”

Lin Xing smiled and then shared what Xiao Nan had told him earlier. “Yesterday was my birthday; Miaoyin and I were out shopping when we got photographed, and it even made the trending list. Didn’t you say you were going to start the first wave of promotion for ‘Portrait of the Murderer’ in the next few days? I think the timing is perfect.”

A pleased expression crossed Ma Wen’s face. “Teacher Lin, you mean…”

“Yes. Today is Miaoyin’s wrap day. She can celebrate it on her Weibo.”

Lin Xing explained, “Then you can capitalize on that momentum for publicity.”

“Alright.”

Ma Wen immediately understood.

Lin Xing was now a magnet for attention. Moreover, after the recent announcement of the premiere date of “The Dark Tide,” Lin Xing had been the subject of much discussion. Just when things seemed to calm down, he was back in the trending topics.

A scandal.

During their participation in “Let’s Farm,” many speculated whether Lin Xing and Miaoyin were siblings or cousins, since they share the surname Lin.

But Lin Xing had already denied this on the show.

Now, on Luy Island, someone caught Lin Xing and Miaoyin together. Whether or not it was a romance, gossip would jump to that conclusion first.

The Weibo discussions were lively.

Lin Xing thought, since they were trending because of Miaoyin, why not make good use of it?

After talking to Ma Wen, he called Sister Dao again.

“This free trending spot can’t go to waste. I’ve already told Ma Wen; they’ll officially announce it soon,” Lin Xing said to Sister Dao. “When I was chatting with Miaoyin earlier, I thought maybe we could craft a persona for her.”

Sister Dao was momentarily surprised. “Actually, I’ve thought about Miaoyin’s image too, but the ‘beautiful woman’ image is now tired and disliked by the public. As for other images like ‘sexy,’ that doesn’t suit Miaoyin either, so…”

“Dao Jie, why are you always thinking about appearance-based personas?” Lin Xing laughed. “Both of the dramas Miaoyin took on were last-minute rescues, weren’t they?”

That one sentence made Sister Dao’s eyes light up. She thought, that could work.

“All right, I’ll have the publicity department get to work immediately. Since Miaoyin wrapped today, we can start laying the groundwork.”

Sister Dao acknowledged this and added, “A Xing, ‘The Dark Tide’ is scheduled to premiere on January 1st as the big show to start the year, but there will be plenty of promotional activities. We need to coordinate well.”

“I’ve already informed the production team,” Lin Xing nodded gently. “If ‘The Dark Storm’ needs me, I’ll take leave.”

“Mm, well… never mind, I’ll get the PR team moving.”

Sister Dao had wanted to discuss public opinion management but realized that as Lin Xing’s manager, she shouldn’t burden him with worries.

As always, she reminded herself: You just focus on acting; I’ll handle the rest.

What Lin Xing didn’t know was that Sister Dao had recently set up a PR team specifically to manage the publicity around “The Dark Tide.”

At this moment, she believed Lin Xing was busy shooting “Portrait of the Murderer” and didn’t want to disturb his mindset with these matters.

Half an hour later, Lin Miaoyin posted a photo on Weibo: “Wrapped up shooting. Thank you all.”

The photo was a group shot with Lin Miaoyin in the center, alongside Lin Xing, Zhou Wei, and several other actors.

“What’s going on? Miaoyin, are you filming something?”

“Wow, Miaoyin’s working with Lin Xing? Could they be playing lovers?”

“Is Lin Xing acting in a romance drama now?”

“Honestly, I think Miaoyin and Lin Xing look fine together.”

“Yeah, even though Lin Xing is ten years older, he’s handsome. Unlike those previous idol dramas with Zhao Ziqing and Pang Yi, which felt like a father-daughter romance.”

“Ha! That show was a disaster. Pang Yi as a domineering CEO just didn’t fit. He looked better as a nouveau riche.”

…

Under Miaoyin’s Weibo, many fans commented. Thanks to “Let’s Farm,” Miaoyin had gained a modest following, and with some earlier minor works, her comment section often surpassed a thousand remarks.

Originally, Sister Dao had planned to build Miaoyin as a rising starlet with strong popularity, intending to bolster her data comprehensively.

But after Lin Xing’s suggestion and further communication with Miaoyin, they decided it wasn’t necessary to inflate the numbers artificially.

Even so, Miaoyin’s Weibo metrics were decent.

After all, she frequently posted photo grids.

Who doesn’t like a youthful, vibrant young woman?

Moreover, most people will always favor women in their twenties.

Miaoyin’s personality was also quite pleasant; she often replied to comments, which naturally encouraged more interaction.

When the gossip about Miaoyin and Lin Xing hit the trending list, fans were initially displeased.

They hoped Miaoyin would be a career-focused fan favorite and not become another star distracted by romance, especially considering some actresses who dated their own company bosses and coasted on their status.

Thus, fans debated fiercely.

Then, Miaoyin posted on Weibo, and everyone understood.

Not only that, Miaoyin even joined her fan group to clarify, “I’ve been filming on Luy Island these past few days, and it was Brother Xing who introduced me to this role.”

Well then.

Miaoyin’s reply sparked another wave of trending discussions.

“Looks like Lin Xing is really pushing connections.”

“This is hilarious. I actually thought Lin Xing was moving away from idol dramas towards serious roles, but nope.”

“Actors’ words can’t be trusted. Remember that one who said they were quitting the industry? Came back after half a month.”

“Lin Xing doing idol dramas isn’t a big deal. His face suits it. Just don’t let him ruin serious dramas.”

…

“Seems like Lin Xing has been taught a lesson on set of ‘The Dark Tide,’ otherwise why would he be back in idol dramas?”

“Love stories are so nice, aren’t they?”

“But I still love Lin Xing’s style of pushing connections.”

…

The discussions on Weibo never ceased. Initially, people thought Lin Xing and Miaoyin were dating; then they believed they were co-starring in an idol drama; some even claimed Miaoyin was Lin Xing’s company artist, so this was nepotism.

As the buzz settled, “Portrait of the Murderer” was officially announced.

“#PortraitOfTheMurdererOfficial#

Revealing truth through painting, finding the killer through art.

Today, ‘Portrait of the Murderer’ is officially announced.

Producer: Ma Wen.

Supervisor: Wei Fei (@WeiFei).

Director: Liu Zhou (@LiuZhou).

Head Writer: Wang Yi (@WangYi).

Lead Actors: Lin Xing (@LinXing), Zhou Wei (@ZhouWei).

Special Appearance: Wei Fei (@WeiFei).

Supporting: Lu Quan (@LuQuan), Ning Rong (@NingRong), Li Chuang (@LiChuang).

Guest Star: Lin Miaoyin (@LinMiaoyin).

…”

The announcement left many confused.

Not an idol drama?

Two male leads?

A crime-solving detective thriller?

Was Lin Xing going to play a police officer?

Soon after, someone revealed that Miaoyin's role was not planted through connections; rather, the originally cast actor had an emergency before filming began, and Miaoyin was brought in as a last-minute substitute.

This revelation baffled everyone even more.

“What does that mean? I remember Miaoyin’s previous costume drama ‘Xie Qi’ had tax evasion issues. She had to do reshoots, right?”

“More than that. In the drama before last, ‘Old Li’s Daughters,’ she got the part because Zhao Ziqing suddenly bailed on the crew.”

“Wow, what kind of luck does Miaoyin have?”

…

The waves of trending discussions came one after another, clearly staged and gradual.

First, Miaoyin posted wrap photos, sparking rumors she and Lin Xing were filming an idol drama and fueling gossip. Then Miaoyin cleared the romance rumors directly in her fan group.

That was phase one.

Phase two saw people discussing how the idol drama pairing was fine, but also accusing Lin Xing of nepotism.

Once the buzz peaked, “Portrait of the Murderer” officially announced, putting to rest the idea that Miaoyin was a backstage hire; instead, she was the rescue actor.

Such an extent of public discourse was impossible without deliberate guidance.

The result was a win-win.

With minimal promotional cost, “Portrait of the Murderer” dominated the trending list for nearly a day, and Sister Dao successfully crafted Miaoyin’s image as a reliable last-minute savior.

Don’t underestimate this ‘rescuer’ persona; it means when good roles come up in other productions, Miaoyin might be the first name that comes to mind because she’s already a topic-maker.

For “Portrait of the Murderer,” if they hadn’t invited Lin Xing as the male lead, this web series would never have attracted such traffic.

That night, after a full day of shooting, Ma Yun discussed with Liu Zhou and Wei Fei about organizing a media visit with a live broadcast.

“I think it’s a good idea. It’ll help people understand our show better.”

Wei Fei nodded gently. “Let’s do it tomorrow. With Double 12 coming up, people won’t have time to pay attention later.”

Liu Zhou agreed. “Unlike ‘The Dark Tide,’ we don’t have that advantage. Plus, as an S+ level production, we have to make the most of clever promotion.”

“Portrait of the Murderer” had planned well.

But the next day, after the media visit and live broadcast attracted some heat, they looked at the trending list and realized it was ruined.

“Damn it, forget it. Let’s not spend any more money for now.”

Seeing the situation, Ma Wen quickly told the publicity team, “Stop spending. Just handle normal promotion.”

Approaching Double 12, a top streamer named An Ning was criticized for complaining that viewers had no money during her sales event, which many took as a betrayal.

People watched the live stream to save money, but she told them if they couldn’t afford it, don’t watch, and go earn more money.

Wasn’t that exactly the kind of capitalist exploiting workers?

Or weren’t the viewers supposed to be her bread and butter, yet she acted like their boss?

Ridiculous.

The audience was furious, and An Ning’s fans began to abandon her.

Almost overnight, she lost nearly 500,000 followers. Some new followers might be bots, but the lost fans were genuine.

More importantly, with Double 12 near, all big streamers and merchants were vying for market share. When this top streamer stumbled, others seized the opportunity.

Thus, a fierce but unglamorous commercial battle broke out.

In short, trending topics were dominated by this drama, and other streamers eagerly sought to capitalize on An Ning’s misfortune.

How much money would a modest-budget web series have to spend to compete with this?

So, better just keep filming.

After Double 12, the live stream heat cooled off, and after a few days, trending topics returned to normal: celebrities dining out, showing off legs or backs, and the like.

On December 16th, Lin Xing had just finished shooting the episode “Wife Swap Murder” for “Portrait of the Murderer” when he received a message from “The Dark Tide” crew.

“Teacher Lin, at 8 p.m. tonight, a special feature about ‘The Dark Tide’ will be released. Please remember to share it. The copy reads: ‘We act only to achieve the best effect; no matter how hard or tiring, it never feels like a burden.’”

Lin Xing replied, “Got it!”

However, he had no intention of using that copy.

Why was An Ning criticized before Double 12?

He had once been an ordinary person, endured hardship and exhaustion, but after success, he had separated himself from the common folk.

So Lin Xing felt that acting wasn’t really a hardship for him. More importantly, if he wrote that copy, he’d get criticized.

What Lin Xing didn’t expect was that while he didn’t feel the pain, his fans did.

…

…

(End of Chapter)