Huayu: This director specializes in promoting young actresses.

Chapter 44 The Irritable Xiaotian Engages in Online Flame-Ups

After finishing lunch, his gaze fell on the movie poster for "Take My Brother Away" on the corner of the table, and he frowned slightly.

Although "The Beginning" contains many movie Easter eggs, such as the hour, minute, second keychain hanging on Li Shiqing's schoolbag and the movie ticket stub tucked into Xiao Heyun's phone case, it's not enough.

He needs a more direct trigger point to naturally draw viewers who have seen "The Beginning" into the cinema.

"We need to organize a collaboration event," he muttered to himself, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table.

Li Yitong leaned against the table, looking at his pensive profile, and handed him a glass of water with a smile: "Thinking about publicity again? Take a break first. 'The Beginning' just broke a record, catch your breath."

"I just can't stop," Lin Feng said, taking the water. "The competition for movies during the summer season is even fiercer; we can't afford not to plan ahead." He looked at her and suddenly smiled. "But... I can reward myself first."

As soon as he finished speaking, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. Li Yitong was wearing a black blazer and a black skirt today, with her slender legs encased in flesh-colored stockings, outlining smooth curves.

Lin Feng's hand slid down the hem of her skirt, feeling the silky, slightly cool touch on his fingertips. He couldn't help but sigh softly, "These stockings... are really nice."

"Boss!" Li Yitong struggled in his arms, her cheeks flushed. "Don't do this, someone might come in later..."

The more she struggled, the more alluring the friction between her bodies became. Lin Feng's Adam's apple bobbed, and his breathing grew heavier. Li Yitong noticed his change and froze instantly, her voice pleading, "Not here, this is the office... and I haven't recovered from yesterday..."

Seeing her reddened eyes, Lin Feng finally didn't insist. He just leaned close to her ear and whispered something in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Li Yitong rolled her eyes at him and scolded, "You're so mean!"

He deliberately let go, and the pen on the table fell to the ground with a "thud." "Want me to pick up the pen?" he raised an eyebrow, his tone innocent.

Li Yitong bit her lip, glared at him, and finally slowly squatted down. Her long, black hair fell down, covering her flushed cheeks. Occasionally, when she looked up, the reproach in her eyes excited him even more.

Just then, the office door was flung open, and Li Yi's excited voice burst in: "Boss! Great news! Tencent just announced that 'The Beginning' has surpassed 100 million views in 20 hours! It's broken the record set by 'The Lost Tomb'!"

Lin Feng froze, instinctively pressing down on Li Yitong, who was still squatting on the ground. Li Yitong was so frightened that she held her breath and almost stood up. Luckily, he pressed her down quickly, otherwise, if this scene had been witnessed, she would have been in deep trouble.

Lin Feng composed himself and adopted a businesslike expression: "Understood. Have the publicity department proceed as planned, and the film's pre-release promotion can also begin."

"Alright!" Li Yi, oblivious to anything amiss, turned and rushed out again, cheering to her colleagues outside.

The moment the door closed, Li Yitong jumped up, grabbed the bottled water on the table, unscrewed it, and gulped down several mouthfuls before glaring at him, her face flushed: "It's all your fault! We almost got caught!"

Lin Feng laughed and pulled her back into his arms: "We didn't get caught, did we? I'll 'make it up to you' when we get back tonight."

"Compensation my foot!" Li Yitong slapped his hand away, her ears turning so red they could bleed.

In the afternoon in the mountain city, sunlight streamed through the window, casting dappled patterns on Tian Xiwei's workbook. Having just finished lunch, in a good mood, she opened Douban to check the rating of "The Beginning," only to immediately spot several glaringly negative reviews.

"What the hell? 'Full of plot holes'? 'The female lead's acting is awkward'? Are you blind?!" Tian Xiwei exploded instantly, her fingers flying to open the comment section and log into her account "Weiguang Xianglin".

The first comment she retaliated against was one that said "Li Yitong only knows how to stare." Tian Xiwei typed furiously: "You idiot! You must have watched a pirated version, right? I cry every time I watch Yitong's portrayal of despair. What do you know?!"

The other party quickly retorted: "Fans just blindly praise it. This show is just so-so, far worse than The Lost Tomb."

"Pah! What's 'The Grave Robbers' Chronicles'? Five-cent special effects and a drastically altered plot, it's an eyesore! Only a pig like you would find it entertaining!"

Tian Xiwei's fingers flew across the screen, and Chongqing dialect flowed out like a rhyming jingle, "Let me tell you, every detail of 'The Beginning' can withstand scrutiny. Someone like you who watches dramas without using their brain should just switch back to watching cartoons!"

The more she cursed, the more enraged she became. She moved from Douban to Weibo, and then to Zhihu, attacking any comments that criticized "The Beginning".

Some people accused her of plagiarizing a foreign drama's "looping plot," to which she retorted, "The screenwriter already said it's original, so show me the evidence! If you can't, shut up and stop being a keyboard warrior!"

Some people said "veteran actors are being wasted," to which she directly posted a screenshot: "During the scene where Officer Zhang sacrifices himself, do you dare say the acting was bad? If it was bad, why were you crying? Are your tears tap water?"

In the comments section, her Chongqing dialect was incredibly powerful, with profanities like "laozi," "gui'er," and "hachuocuo" flying everywhere, effectively silencing several trolls.

Some passersby found it amusing and commented: "Chongqing girls are so fierce! But I love them!" and "I give this defense a perfect score, you're absolutely right!"

Tian Xiwei argued with netizens for over an hour, refuting every single negative comment she could find, before finally letting out a long sigh and stretching. Sunlight shone on her face, and she smugly snorted, "Trying to outsmart me? You're still too green!"

But when she looked down at the math homework spread out on the table, her face fell instantly, her mind blank.

"Oh no! I forgot to do my homework!" she wailed, grabbing her pen and frowning at the function problem. "I should have known better than to waste my time with those idiots..."

In the rehearsal room of the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy, Liu Haochun was stretching his legs, listening to his classmates chatting.

"Any good dramas to watch lately? I'm so angry watching 'The Lost Tomb'. I started watching it because of the lead actors, but the plot was so awkward."

Liu Haochun's eyes lit up, and he immediately replied, "You guys should check out 'The Beginning'! It's really good!"

"The Beginning? Never heard of it. Who starred in it?"

"It stars Li Yitong and Raymond Lam..." Liu Haochun's eyes sparkled as she talked about the plot. "It's about a time loop; the female lead tries to prevent a bus explosion, and each loop reveals new clues. It's incredibly mind-bending, and the acting is superb!"

Afraid her classmates wouldn't believe her, she even took out her phone and showed them stills from the show: "Look at this Officer Zhang, he acted exceptionally well..."

Her classmate was convinced and said, "Really? I'll check it out tonight."

"Really! I promise I'm not lying to you!" Liu Haochun smiled sincerely, secretly giving herself a thumbs up in her heart. She had successfully recommended another person! She just wanted more people to see Lin Feng's work and wanted everyone to know how amazing he was.