Love? The Reborn Me Just Wants to Obtain Rewards

Chapter 638: Chapter 275: Direct Confrontation, Hot Oil Blanching Vegetables

After the Xing Yu Public Relations Department entered the fray, they only did one thing—

They fanned the flames.

The buzz wasn’t at its peak yet, so there was no rush to clarify or get into a fistfight.

Of course, fanning the flames required skill. Buying fake internet commenters was too lowbrow; the text that bots copy-pasted lacked the subtlety to stoke the fire properly.

The public relations team split into four groups, each with their own tasks.

One group wrote stories on Zhihu, from both perspectives, cryptic and suggestive, highlighting the dilemma of discerning gender.

The second group targeted the leaders on Douban—the Douban Group Eight, where avowed entertainment fans lurked, ready to attack any major incident like sharks, snapping and biting away.

They found those well-known gossipmongers and brawlers, provoked them a little, and off they charged into the fray.

The third group liaised with independent media, vaguely revealing pieces of the truth without spilling everything, leaving room for interpretation.

The opposition undoubtedly had their own media connections, and even the trolls nurtured from afar by Europe and America, South Korea, and Japan were better at spreading rumors than independent media. Once the two sides collided, there would be plenty of arguing.

The fourth group dealt with reputable media and platforms, explaining what needed to be explained, reporting what needed to be reported, promising what needed to be promised...

Manager Gu’s connections provided previously were now being reassembled through this opportunity, strengthening relationships properly.

This move also aimed to prevent public opinion from ballooning, keeping the whole incident’s influence contained within the entertainment circle.

Of course, there would be some spillover.

But the difference between managing and ignoring it was significant.

As long as Xingyu showed the attitude of "we are actively managing," it would score points with higher-ups and the media. Understanding this is key to grasping why the e-commerce Somalia could quickly resolve any issue that arose.

If this were unpacked further, it’s actually an art of problem-solving.

For instance, when the external environment is extremely tense, what’s more important and critical at a higher level? Which issues can be temporarily set aside to be addressed when there’s more bandwidth?

For those issues temporarily left unresolved, if you can proactively manage, organize, and self-correct without causing a fuss, you’d definitely be seen as "well-behaved."

So while Su Huai was manipulating public sentiment, he strictly kept it within limits.

Every business in the world is doing the same thing; the essence of marketing is to influence public opinion.

The difference is, some performances are acceptable, while others decidedly are not.

Those who can really understand what can and cannot be done will at least be successful in the sales field.

In his past life, Su Huai wasn’t that kind of person. He witnessed many cases, but whenever he wanted to use that knowledge himself, his IQ seemed to plummet, his mind going blank.

But now, he was flipping through strategies with ease, turning the tide with a flick of his wrist.

...

The scene was chaotic even before Xingyu stepped in.

Once they did, all hell broke loose across the entire internet.

The biggest difference from this morning was that as Pei Shuyu’s fans became more assertive in battle, and inadvertently (inevitably) expanded the scope of their attacks, fans who previously mocked Tara’s Korean entertainment began to show signs of uniting.

As time went on, the boundaries of the battlefield blurred.

Yuji and Tara remained the epicenter of the incident, but the emotional focus had shifted from them.

Our side’s attitude escalated to: Those of you who are fans of Korean groups have something wrong with your brains.

The thoughts of Korean entertainment fans were: What’s so bad about being fans of Korean bands and Korean artists? What right do you have to dictate who I can admire?

Fundamental ideological clashes led to quarrels that took on a vehement nationalistic tone.

This, in turn, made the fights more intense and bloodier.

Su Huai had foreseen this scenario.

In truth, this frenzy was a microcosm of the current era.

Before long, the renowned web novelist Maoni would voice that era-defining phrase, "Even if Kim Taeyeon were a Nazi, it’s my damn business if I want to like her, fuck you all."

And then, vilified by the masses, this frenzy would reach its zenith.

The truth about the incident was later thoroughly exposed: Kim Taeyeon truly had no intention of insulting Huaxia. She simply posted a bunch of gratitude photos during a sensitive time for Huaxia, which went unnoticed in her country. One particular detail was taken out of context, leading to extensive backlash.

Maoni’s anger stemmed from there; he felt incredibly wronged and livid.

But in such an era, does the truth matter?

Not at all.

Many people are unclear about what kind of era we’re living in. To put it simply, this is an era of major global change after the end of an economic boon.

The aftermath of the last economic crisis had accumulated enough momentum to resurface.

Huaxia’s manufacturing industry had effectively created a significant counter-current, severely affecting America’s hegemonic foundation.

The redneck’s bizarro representative made a strong entrance, initiating the process of deglobalization. America made a thunderous u-turn, refocusing its attention on the Asia-Pacific region, and formed an even tighter alliance with the South Koreans, Japanese, and Taiwanese, leading to many intense incidents.

Domestically, due to housing prices, there was a great deal of pent-up sentiment that needed release.

A deeper economic reason was that plundering and exploitation prevented us from developing normally. With inflation skyrocketing and wages stagnant, the pressure on young people’s lives was visibly growing, with no hope in sight. Public intellectuals were running amok, stoking the flames everywhere, and the groups infatuated with Korea, Japan, and America relentlessly suppressed and struck hard at the bewildered younger generation...

What does it mean to sit on a powder keg?

Looking back, Su Huai felt that from 2016 until the mask-wearing period, the people of his country were sitting on a massive powder keg.