My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 145: Making the List

Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Making the List

Ordinary movie press conferences aren’t particularly interesting; their main purpose is to promote the film and introduce the actors and team.

However, the press conference for "Twin Flowers" was clearly different. As soon as Han Fei took the stage, he was bombarded with malicious comments, a form of "treatment" rarely seen, attracting more and more onlookers and doubling the heat instantly.

Subsequently, Han Fei’s various performances added a series of highlights to the otherwise bland conference; the man seemed disinterested in worldly matters, yet he firmly stood on the hot topics.

At the peak of the excitement, the curtain began to play the edited promotional clip of the movie.

Originally, netizens had very low expectations for this low-budget suspense thriller, as the limit for such movies is well known, and no matter how good they are, they don’t qualify to compete with other categories of films.

To everyone’s surprise, the high-quality trailer was released, and many who hadn’t held much hope were instantly amazed.

Be it the cinematography, the plot, or the actors’ acting, it left most movies of the same period far behind.

This was destined to be a dark horse!

The netizen response was very positive, and in the second half of the press conference, it was basically Director Jiang and Zhan Lele answering various questions from the netizens and talking about some fun stories from shooting.

Onstage, everyone was having a great time, seemingly unaffected by the incident before, exchanging laughs and stories.

Most of the audience were full of anticipation for "Twin Flowers," but there were also people who felt quite upset at that moment.

In the northeast corner of the audience seats, a middle-aged man sat with a gloomy look in his eyes, staring at Han Fei’s face, filled with displeasure.

He took out his mobile phone, deleted the message sent by the host, and then logged into his backup account to contact someone through a platform.

"I’ll pay a high price if you can help me dig up some dirt on an actor."

"Who?"

"His name is Han Fei. The movie he stars in, ’Twin Flowers,’ is about to be released."

"Pay the deposit first, and I’ll monitor him around the clock."

"You’d better not keep me waiting too long."

After sending the last message, the middle-aged man stood up and left his seat. He quietly headed towards the exit of the venue without noticing that Han Fei on stage was quietly watching his retreating figure.

The film press conference ended smoothly, and until the very end, the live broadcast’s heat didn’t drop below five hundred thousand—a red-letter day for the "Twin Flowers" crew indeed.

It was the first time Han Fei publicly revealed his face, and his life entered a new phase that day.

In just two hours, Han Fei’s social media account gained nearly thirty thousand followers, and what surprised him the most was seeing his name on the domestic actors’ leaderboard!

At the moment, Han Fei ranked at the ten-thousandth place, but he was the only actor on the entire leaderboard who had gained a spot without any works, merely relying on the promotional clip and live broadcast heat.

The actors’ ranking list, calculated by Smart Brain based on data like fame, search volume, works, and the number of fans, is considered the most authoritative list currently, because it isn’t manipulated by any individuals or companies.

Previously, Han Fei’s dream was to make it onto the leaderboard, as only those actors who are on the list can be regarded as actors recognized by the public.

"The ten-thousandth spot? After ’Twin Flowers’ is released, my ranking should continue to rise, right?"

It was already half past nine in the evening after the press conference ended. Han Fei entered backstage and was tidying up his things when his phone suddenly rang.

"Why would Jin Jun suddenly contact me?" Han Fei had once saved that veteran paparazzo from the industry, and they had exchanged contact information.

Upon answering the call, Jin Jun spoke rapidly, "Someone is offering a high price for my apprentice to dig up dirt on you. That person is using a burner account, but the celebrities he targeted before all had financial entanglements with Wuwu Entertainment Company. I suspect that the person who wants to find dirt on you is from Wuwu Entertainment."

Jin Jun was very reliable. He not only informed Han Fei that someone wanted to target him secretly but also directly deduced the background of the other party.

"Wuwu Entertainment is one of the subsidiary companies of the company I used to be with. These people seem to have a big problem with me."

"It’s more than just a big problem. Your ’Twin Flowers’ is clashing with their ’Urban Secret Love’ release schedule. They spent over ten times more on production and promotion than you did, but their popularity and expectations are far below yours. Of course, they want to stir up trouble!"

Jin Jun knew a lot of insider information, "Also, I heard that a supporting male role in Urban Secret Love was supposed to be played by you, but then someone took your role. Now look at you, you’ve assisted the police with a significant case, and you come with built-in popularity and talkability. You’ve become the male lead for your biggest competitor. Isn’t that repeatedly slapping Wuwu Entertainment in the face? The more successful your show is, the worse they feel. If your show becomes a hit, they might become a laughingstock in the circle, and that relation-based actor who took your role will probably have a hard time too."

"I don’t really care whether they suffer or not. I just hope I can always live on, being kind and principled." Han Fei vaguely remembered what Huang Ying had said. The ’Perfect Life’ game would soon be in open beta, and this mass-market game could potentially build a new social gaming ecosystem. When that time comes, there would be very few who could refuse this game.

After the open beta, the game would be completely managed by Smart Brain. If those people went too far, as long as they entered the game in the future, Han Fei’s Soul-summoning Talent would come in handy.

Although his Soul-summoning Talent was indeed very weak at the moment, no one could predict what would happen in the future.

After hanging up with Jin Jun, Han Fei hadn’t put away his phone when another call came through.

After seeing the contact, Han Fei was a bit surprised. He pressed the answer button, "Are you being bullied by those hoodlums again?"

The caller was Qu Wenhou, whose mother, Qu Yun, lived in Building 2 of the Happiness Residential Community.

"I really didn’t expect you to be an actor! I can’t believe I’ve eaten instant noodles with you!" Qu Wenhou’s voice was very excited.

"Didn’t expect me to be an actor? What did you think I was at first?"

"I thought you were in the underworld! You check the surveillance before a fight, and your actions are fierce and swift. You’re much more realistic than those gangsters in the movies!"

"Okay, okay, you better not go around spreading this." Han Fei turned the volume down, "I’m about to leave the venue. Is there anything else? Wenhou?"

"I also saw your live broadcast today. I explained to those who insulted you so many times, but no matter how much I messaged, they never replied to me."

"You spoke up for me so much?" Han Fei suddenly felt warmth in his heart; he originally approached Qu Wenhou just to get information about Qu Yun, he didn’t expect this small act of kindness to have been taken to heart by the other party.

"If it were me standing on that stage, I might have already broken down. I never thought that after going through so much, you could still keep moving forward, and you’re willing to help people like me." Qu Wenhou’s voice lacked the childishness of his peers; he seemed very mature, "I must thank you again! I’m going to start classes at school from tomorrow. I need to keep moving forward too!"

"Go for it, aim for a good university, and make those who bullied you jealous."

After casually chatting for a few moments, Han Fei hung up the phone and felt a strange sensation in his heart.

He never thought that someone like him could give others strength. He had always felt depressed and dispirited, exuding negative emotions.

"At which moment did things start to change? Have I been healed or spoiled? Or is this a rekindling of hope?"