SABA Chapter 19

Jiang Tiao smiled for a while and felt much better. He opened Big Eye and found that seven of the top twenty trending searches were related to this episode.

[Extreme Escape Room God]

[Luo Xingwen’s Watermelon Special Effect Costume]

[He Xinran’s Character Setting]

[Crying Woman]

[Jiang Tiao, believe in the light!]

[If you’re scared, sing!]

[Picasso: Turns out I’m an obscure painter]

Nie Jin seemed to have eyes that could see a thousand miles. Before Jiang Tiao could ask, she explained, “Extreme Escape Room is already one of the more popular variety shows in recent years. Coupled with the dense points of laughter and interest in this episode, it’s not surprising that it’s causing such a stir online.”

Jiang Tiao mentally clicked his tongue. If only their professions weren’t so different, he really wanted to poach Nie Jin for his brother or Huo Shen.

“What’s going on with the last one?”

He remembered that there wasn’t anything like that in either the recording or the official broadcast.

Nie Jin let out a scoff, sounding somewhat schadenfreude. “It’s all thanks to He Xinran’s idiotic fans.”

It turned out that after the show aired, He Xinran’s intellectual persona was mocked and trended on hot searches. Netizens also dug up a clip from a previous variety show where he played a guessing game of famous paintings. Back then, he reacted quickly, even rattling off the names of the paintings and their painters. At the time, his company had bought him several trending searches. Now, it seemed his knowledge and intelligence were all due to the show leaking answers and having inside information.

Nie Jin continued, “Being mocked isn’t a big deal. In a while, with other things happening, everyone will forget. But who knew he had such a strong fan base?”

Jiang Tiao then scrolled to the original Weibo post. It was a post listing He Xinran’s attempts to build a persona and pretend to be cultured. Below it were all comments from He Xinran’s fans, and the top trending comment was the one that led to the hot search.

[Please be kind, everyone. Everyone has their blind spots. This painter is so obscure, and it’s not a famous work. It’s normal for Ranran not to know it. Don’t you have things you don’t know?]

The comments in the replies were in stitches.

[Picasso: I used to be an obscure painter.]

[Please, read more and chase stars less. Your brother is crying because you’re making him look stupid.]

[Everyone just wants to laugh at your brother. Do you want to see your brother mocked into the center of the earth?]

[Flowery language for Li Qingzhao, pretentious ancient style for Li Bai, poor language skills for Cao Xueqin. Who knew there would now be an obscure painter named Picasso. [dog head]] [Note]

[It’s okay, Suo Suo, don’t be sad. We can hug and cry with the obscure poet Li Shangyin. [dog head]]

Nie Jin heard Jiang Tiao’s uncontrollable laughter through the phone and guessed that he must have opened his phone to check the comments on Big Eye while on the call. Not knowing what divine comment he had seen, she was in a good mood and didn’t dwell on it. She had been suppressed for a month after her role in “Thousand Twilight” was snatched before signing. Now, seeing He Xinran stumble, she felt incredibly comfortable. It wasn’t appropriate to celebrate outwardly, as it would seem ungracious. Celebrating together in private was acceptable.

Nie Jin continued, “Alright, I called specifically to discuss something important. The online evaluation of you has improved. I watched the show, and your performance this time was excellent. I estimate it can ferment for a few more days. The day after tomorrow, there’s a red carpet event in City B. I got an invitation from the organizers. We’ll have the stylist dress you up nicely, take plenty of photos, and I’ll help you create some buzz to maintain momentum and facilitate future job offers.”

Specialization is key. Jiang Tiao trusted Nie Jin’s ability as an agent and had no objections. After Nie Jin finished giving instructions, she hung up. Nie Jin’s words piqued Jiang Tiao’s curiosity. He clicked on Weibo, intending to check the online comments.

He first clicked on the “Extreme Escape Room God” hot search. Most of the discussions were about the plot. Some praised the show’s plot design this time, some praised the elaborate scenes that clearly cost a lot of money, and some analyzed quicker decryption methods. Jiang Tiao read quite a bit. Some analyses were very insightful and taught him a lot, but some were pure nonsense, filled with seemingly plausible but ultimately empty words. He liked a post that was full of practical information and even used 3D modeling to show the internal structure and passageways of the castle. Then, he looked at the two hot searches related to himself.

The first hot search was a video clip of him from the show, including his decryption in the secret passage and some moments of him using props. The video quality was commendable; the pacing and BGM were perfectly timed, indicating the work of a master. Jiang Tiao originally wanted to like it, but the caption made him hesitate.

[Who wouldn’t want a cute and handsome kid?]

Jiang Tiao felt complicated. He only wanted to be handsome, not cute. The comment and repost section was also lively, with no coordinated comments, all real people. Black hats and fanatical fans were equally divided, fighting fiercely.

[Ah, even in night vision mode, his looks are still stunning!]

[Is it the styling? Why didn’t I think he was that handsome before?!]

[Bad acting, low emotional intelligence, judging by appearance. Don’t blame the styling.]

[Qie Guiren is stupid, but incredibly beautiful!!!]

[Hahahaha.]

[Exactly. There are so many ugly men in idol dramas now. Being handsome is also a cleansing for the eyes.]

[Looks are justice. With viewers like you, this is why the domestic entertainment industry is rotting.]

[Understands famous paintings and can solve math problems in less than a minute. Is such a person considered stupid?]

[Ahhh, God opened so many doors for him, why did he only close the window of acting? Can’t this world tolerate even a little perfection?!!! [Angry][Regretful][Dark Crawling]]

Jiang Tiao couldn’t stop laughing. He replied to a comment:

[Being too perfect is not good either, it invites jealousy from heaven.]

The person was likely online and saw it quickly.

[Ahhh, he replied to me! It’s really him! He actually replied to me! This is the first time I’ve been replied to by the actual person!!!]

Comments immediately flooded in from people watching the spectacle.

[I thought it was a fake account. I went to check, and it’s really him?!]

[OP, what’s wrong with you? Get up!!]

[Ahhh, but it’s really him! It’s really him!]

[Wealth cannot corrupt, and power cannot coerce! We can’t be so spineless!! You’re not his fan!!]

[Someone! Drag this instigator out! @Jiang Tiao, Tiao Bao, let’s not misunderstand. As long as you control yourself and don’t break the law, I’ll be your fan from now on!]

[Wuwuwu, I want a reply too. I had a breakup today and am very sad. I want comfort from a handsome little brother.]

Jiang Tiao: [The wise do not fall in love. The lone wolf travels from bachelor’s to doctorate. A partner will only slow down your progress.]

[Sister, don’t be sad. At least you were together once. My crush rejected me again today. This is the fifth time I’ve mustered the courage to ask him out. I think I’m going to give up. [Crying][Crying][Crying]]

Jiang Tiao: [If you can’t get a man to agree after asking three times, just delete him. Even Zhuge Liang wasn’t this hard to invite.]

[Hahahaha……]

The comments below were filled with laughter.

[Damn, damn, damn, damn, I actually think this makes a lot of sense. What kind of dog man does he think he is, better than Marquis Wu of Zhuge? I’m going to dump my crush today too!]

While Jiang Tiao was replying to netizens, Nie Jin, who was comfortably applying a face mask in Yun Jing City, received a call from the publicity team. She thought it was so outrageous that she initially doubted her own understanding. The publicity person was also handling such a situation for the first time and was unsure what to do. “So, what should we do now?”

Nie Jin was getting a headache. “What’s the current sentiment?”

“Currently, there haven’t been any major issues. Based on the data alone, he’s even gained some followers.”

Nie Jin understood what the publicity team meant. She hesitated and then shook her head. “The risk is too great. I’ll go find Jiang Tiao. You monitor the online public opinion and steer the narrative at any time.”

The publicity person was a doer and simply replied “ok” before hanging up and getting to work. Nie Jin, holding back her frustration, found Jiang Tiao’s phone number. She had already decided that when he answered, she would scold this person who was always causing trouble for her.

However, after three calls, they all went unanswered and were automatically hung up. Nie Jin’s anger subsided, replaced by suspicion. Since Jiang Tiao had turned over a new leaf, he had always been prompt in answering his phone. There were all sorts of nasty things being said on Weibo. She recalled Jiang Tiao’s fragile psychology and unstable emotions from before his transformation, and her brow furrowed. She made another call.

The ringing continued. Just as Nie Jin thought this call would also be automatically hung up, it was answered.

“Hello~”

Jiang Tiao’s voice sounded quite energetic.

Nie Jin’s face was grim, but she couldn’t speak too harshly. “Why did it take so long to answer?”

Jiang Tiao: “I have a premonition that you want to scold me.”

Nie Jin sneered. “So?”

Jiang Tiao chuckled twice. “Studies have shown that five minutes is enough time for a person to go from angry to calm.”

The unexpected reply infuriated Nie Jin, making it difficult for her to speak coherently. She had worried about him for so long! Nie Jin felt her head buzzing. “You…”

Jiang Tiao: “Come on, take a deep breath. Inhale for 5 seconds~ exhale for 7 seconds~”

Nie Jin instinctively followed suit and took a deep breath. When she realized what she was doing, she became even more annoyed. Getting angry at someone like this was just making things difficult for herself!

“‘Success depends on acquired effort, so let’s rest today and tomorrow’; ‘Since I’ve already failed ninety-nine times, let’s try one more time, and it’ll make a round number’… Do you know what you’re posting? Do you want to be a comedian? If you like jokes so much, why don’t you just participate in a talk show audition?”

Jiang Tiao: “That wouldn’t be bad either! The competition in the acting field is too fierce. If I switch tracks, maybe I can dominate with my looks!”

Nie Jin was silent for a moment. Although Jiang Tiao was joking, after many years in the entertainment industry and the workplace, she was highly skilled in observing people’s expressions. Jiang Tiao’s veiled resistance clearly indicated his disapproval of her wanting to control what he said and did in public.

Jiang Tiao sensed the silence on the other end of the phone. Just as he thought Nie Jin was convinced, he received a message. It was from Nie Jin, containing only two images, clearly taken casually and not very refined.

[5.2.4: Party A (management company) has the right to represent and manage Party B’s (artist’s) online statements (including but not limited to Weibo, live streaming platforms, etc.).]

[10.5.5: Party B has an obligation to cooperate with Party A’s management. If Party A requests it, online statements (including but not limited to Weibo, live streaming platforms, etc.) must be approved and confirmed by Party A.]

Jiang Tiao’s silence was deafening. After a long while.

“Are you sure I signed this contract myself?”

Nie Jin: “Of course. The company retains surveillance videos of every artist signing in the conference room.”

Jiang Tiao: “……”

“How many years have I signed this kind of indentured servitude?”

Nie Jin: “Ten years.”

Jiang Tiao hung up the phone and expressionlessly posted an update on Weibo.

[Just put a piece of cold tofu in my pocket. From now on, I’m going to be a cool and detached person.]