C31

Jiang Fanxing’s video directly addressing all the scandals earned him a huge boost in public goodwill. Even casual bystanders who didn’t follow the entertainment industry now knew there was someone unafraid to face all the scandals head-on—a true “young bull unafraid of the tiger,” raising the standard for how a public clarification could be handled.

Combined with his good looks, clear diction, and natural ease in front of the camera, many industry-savvy fans saw his potential and immediately listed him as a “rising star.” Though the term carried a hint of fan-circle mockery, it still implied a minimum level of potential—if someone had none, they wouldn’t even make it onto the list.

After the clarification video went live, countless curious onlookers and fans flooded Lin Ming’s livestream, spamming messages nonstop:

“Jiang Fanxing responded directly—what do you have to say?”

“Is the streamer scared or what? Just respond head-on like him. No need for a video—say it right in the livestream.”

“Letting him wear makeup is one thing, but now you’re turning it around on him?”

“Disgusting crew, disgusting lead actor, all colluding together.”

Lin Ming was frustrated and anxious from all the spam. He couldn’t respond, nor could he mount a full counterattack like Jiang Fanxing, who had meticulously preserved all his evidence.

Damn, wasn’t Jiang Fanxing still an undergraduate? How could he be so cunning, like a ghost!

Lin Ming had no choice but to embarrassingly shut down his livestream and kept asking his team what to do next.

The team exchanged uneasy glances. They tried to reassure Lin Ming that legal action would take time and that they hadn’t said anything too extreme—the responsibility ultimately lay with the production team. But behind the scenes, this makeshift team was already considering which boss to switch to next.

It looked like Lin Ming’s run was over—they could only cash out and leave.

“Your current metrics are steadily increasing, and that’s enough for now, especially since you don’t yet have a work portfolio strong enough to rely on,” Shen Tianqing said, reviewing Jiang Fanxing’s data with a satisfied smile.

Overnight fame was enviable, but steady, measured growth was better. For one, fans would be more loyal and easier to manage, and for another, the actor could learn more during the rise, rather than being clueless.

Take Chen Kele, for example—he exploded overnight thanks to CP marketing. Objectively, his numbers were strong, but he still needed time to convert CP fans into his own followers. Unless he really clashed with Qiu Songsheng to “purify” his fanbase, this step couldn’t be skipped—and Shen Tianqing didn’t want to take that route. Chen Kele wasn’t the type to be ungrateful anyway. For a long period, he couldn’t market via CP and had limited opportunities.

Meanwhile, Qiu Songsheng wasn’t doing much better. He rose too quickly, and as a result, was still inexperienced in many aspects of the entertainment industry. His repost of Jiang Fanxing’s clarification likely hadn’t even gone through his agency. Jiang Fanxing’s strong character made it okay, but if it had been anyone else, Qiu Songsheng’s “good intentions” could have backfired. The number of assistants the company allocated to him showed just how carefully they were managing this cash cow.

But Jiang Fanxing’s trajectory looked very promising.

Now everyone knew he was the third male lead in Wansheng, and his votes on the character poll were steadily climbing. He wasn’t falling behind Qiu Songsheng or Lin Rin in the slightest, and fans of the other cast members were also eager to see his performance. Even if some fans of other leads felt envious of Jiang Fanxing’s rising metrics, they wouldn’t step up to create drama just yet—the show hadn’t even aired, so it was best to wait.

Producer Zhang Jie also called afterward to check in and even shared some “fun stories” about Director Zhu Guofu. Honestly, Jiang Fanxing felt really touched.

It was his first time joining a production that was both professional and full of warmth, and it made him genuinely excited about his upcoming life in the entertainment industry.

“Your account is fine now. I cleared out all those nasty private messages, and the bad comments have been pushed down by other fans,” Shen Tianqing said, returning control of the social media account to Jiang Fanxing. “You just focus on things. When you’re checking gossip, make sure to use a secondary account—otherwise, if a scandal pops up, I’ll have to take over your account again.”

“Hehe, don’t worry. I’ve got two phones. I’ll use the other one when I’m browsing gossip posts,” Jiang Fanxing replied. He had already planned for this—switching accounts mid-use was tedious, and now that he had the money, he could just buy a new phone of a different model.

“Oh, regarding the production team and Lin Ming, I’ve already commissioned lawyers to investigate. We’ll sue where necessary, claim compensation where possible, and get as much as we can. Once we receive it, you can use it for charity—it’ll also help your image,” Shen Tianqing asked for Jiang Fanxing’s opinion.

“That’s fine,” Jiang Fanxing said. “But can I ask which law firm you hired?” He cared about this.

Shen Tianqing smiled. “Naturally, it’s the firm your senior works at—the same one where you interned. If we’re hiring lawyers, might as well go with someone familiar to you.”

“…Ah, when did this happen? Have they signed the contract? Can I go meet them? I still want to act like the big client in front of them! Wealth without returning home is like walking in brocade at night!” Jiang Fanxing let out two dramatic wails, even more exaggerated than when he was being attacked online.

“You can go,” Shen Tianqing nodded. “They haven’t signed yet. Do you want to go to their office, or have them come to you?”

“Of course I’m going,” Jiang Fanxing replied without hesitation. “I’ll also get a chance to check it out myself.”

“Alright, I’ll arrange it for you.”

Meanwhile, Heartbeats 100% seized the momentum—not only revealing that Jiang Fanxing would be the final love mentor on the show, but they also immediately set a premiere date!

Originally, a dating variety show wasn’t anything special. But the fact that the mentor was the very Jiang Fanxing who had just dominated headlines across the internet? And he wasn’t appearing as a guest but as a mentor?

Wow—this was exciting. People were genuinely curious about how it would turn out.

Gu Fan’s law firm was buzzing with excitement.

“How did they shoot this? We at Gu Law have such a handsome guy, how did he end up looking fat and ugly on camera?”

“Did we give too little promotion fee, and the director is targeting us?”

“Wow, the final love mentor is Jiang Fanxing? What kind of fate is this? Gu Fan, you kept this from us so well! Filming the show together must’ve been so much fun.”

Gu Fan only found out about this after work that evening, during a team gathering. During the day, he had been too busy, plus he had been filming a program earlier, and many tasks were delayed. Now they had to work overtime to catch up.

He had just finished work and was immediately hit with this shocking news. He was stunned.

Heh, they didn’t even film in the same place.

And now he finally found out—the last love mentor was actually Jiang Fanxing?

No, wait. Thinking back, everything actually made sense now!

Gu Fan truly lived up to his title as an elite lawyer—he quickly pieced together all the clues from before. Like that time when Jiang Fanxing called him, bragging and asking how much money he’d earn; then suddenly getting evasive about the details; and how lately, he hadn’t been in touch at all.

That wasn’t normal!

Jiang Fanxing’s favorite thing in the world was showing off—especially in front of people he knew. He always acted humble and polite around strangers, but only his close friends knew just how cocky and dramatic he could be, always wanting to stand out from the crowd.

Oh right—there was also that advice the “mentor” gave during filming…

Ha. No point hoping it was anyone else. Other than Jiang Fanxing, who else could it have been?

Then he remembered all the embarrassing things he did while filming the show—things that Jiang Fanxing got to see in full detail. He might’ve already laughed about them a dozen times with their mutual friends.

Gu Fan felt completely defeated.

This world wasn’t worth living in. Maybe he should just drop dead right now.

“Sorry, I’m not feeling well. I think I’ll head home first…” Gu Fan tried to find an excuse to leave early—he just wanted to rush straight to Jiang Fanxing and demand an explanation.

But the next words from his senior partner hit him like a hammer:

“Oh, right, Xiao Gu—Nian Nian Studio wants to hire our firm to handle a lawsuit. They’re from the entertainment industry—big spenders with lots of business. And they specifically requested you as their attorney. In a few days, someone from their side will come to sign the contract. It’s a shame I’ll be out of town, so you’ll have to take good care of them. Don’t be stingy—anything you spend will be reimbursed. Getting a celebrity client is a huge opportunity for you, you know? You’re really lucky to have such a famous junior!”

In the legal field, the greatest fear was anonymity.

Whenever a celebrity got caught in a scandal or some big news broke online, countless lawyers would rush to volunteer their services for free. Were they really that righteous and altruistic? Of course not—they were doing it for their careers.

For a lawyer, the most important thing was having cases. If you handled a high-profile one and built a reputation, more clients would come. Once people knew your track record, they’d trust you with bigger and better cases.

For a young lawyer like Gu Fan, it usually took years to slowly build a name for himself. But now, with such a “powerful junior” by his side, he might’ve just skipped over an entire decade of struggle.

“Teacher, isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? Fanxing isn’t exactly a huge star yet. He—”

“No, that’s not the point,” the senior partner said seriously, fixing his gaze on Gu Fan. “Jiang Fanxing is your junior. As long as he’s hired you for a case—and you win—it’ll put you on the radar of other artists in the industry. Once they confirm your skill among themselves, they’ll come to you too. And trust me, celebrity clients are among the best clients you can get. They come with fame, and their cases usually aren’t that complex. If you help them win breach-of-contract lawsuits, the claims can reach tens of millions—even hundreds of millions—and that’s considered normal.”

And if this were a company instead, only a handful of listed corporations could handle sums this large. Plus, those companies usually had their own legal departments—outsiders didn’t get a look-in.

“Ah, too bad not everyone can survive in the entertainment industry. Otherwise, Gu Fan, if you slimmed down a bit, tweaked your looks, maybe you could be like Jiang Fanxing too.”

“…No, Jiang Fanxing is a rare one. To reach what he has, I’ve only ever seen him.”

Finally, the first episode of Heart-Throb 100% premiered, amid the eager anticipation of many.

Viewers immediately rushed into Taozi Video, opened the show, and started firing up the live comments.

[I came for Jiang Fanxing! Any fellow fans here?]

[Haha, me too. His clarification video was so logical—I’m really curious how he’ll comment as a mentor.]

[Checking in! Star Dust #10086 reporting for duty (Jiang Fanxing fan nickname).]

[This show looks really well-funded.]

[Jiang Fanxing, don’t disappoint me. Make your feedback count.]

The production team of Heartthrob 100% was thrilled—they wanted to see how the show would fare. Especially since this wasn’t exactly a flagship program; it was just one of the many projects funded by the platform. Standing out would be tough.

“The show’s popularity index is already over 5000! Amazing! As long as we keep this momentum, we can attract sponsors. If the show doesn’t lose money, we can greenlight a second season!”

“Wow, Jiang Fanxing’s popularity is insane! What a bargain. Has the director signed him for the next five episodes yet?”

Director Wang’s heart sank a little. Jiang Fanxing was only signed as a “fly-by” mentor for the remaining five episodes. Damn it—if he had signed him for all ten from the start, they wouldn’t be in such a passive position now.

“To be honest, I have two crushes. One’s surname Zhao, the other Guan.”

In the first episode, Jiang Fanxing’s self-introduction immediately became a hot topic for promotion and trending searches.

Viewers were nearly in stitches.

[Perfect—just like a young college student. He bows to no one at the Matchmaker Temple, but kneels before the god of Wealth.]

[LOL, in his video he already wished us wealth and early retirement, and now he’s naming his crushes as the god of Wealth—finance-lover persona confirmed.]

[Haha, who isn’t a money-lover these days?]

[Ah, Jiang Fanxing’s perfect in every way… except he’s my rival, I can’t handle this.]

[He’s also my rival? Let’s draw swords!]

[Stop it. As long as the two gods of Wealth and I live well, nothing else matters.]

The barrage of comments completely covered the screen the moment Jiang Fanxing appeared. Fans of the other mentors barely had any presence amid the sheer volume.

Yang Yuan was so angry, he smashed several water cups in frustration.

TN:

I had this sitting in my docs for a bit, school is stressing me