thefictionvixens Chapter 92 Give them a real one
Chapter 92 Give them a real one
While there are many drawbacks to having more channels and closer distances, the advantages are also very obvious.
For example, if you're powerful enough or willing to spend money, you can dominate the headlines of major websites anytime, anywhere, attracting netizens' attention with bold, large, and sensational headlines.
Just like the original "Loser 2", with the resource advantages of Sohu Group, it crushed "Report to the Boss" when it was first launched.
This time, however, the roles have reversed.
"Adolescence" was downgraded from a key strategic project to a regular project under the video division. Alex had to reduce the resources he could access to save face, and even its recommended spot was squeezed into a corner by the newly launched "Lost Season 6".
However, "Old Boys" carries the heavy responsibility of being the self-produced content of Baidu's new genuine high-definition video website.
The trailer was released on March 14th.
Baidu search, Tieba, and Shuoba – a three-pronged approach.
Within 12 hours of its release, it garnered over 500 million views.
But this does not mean that "Puberty" has been trampled underfoot.
When a wave of enthusiasm sweeps across the internet, viewers don't really care who's stirring it up; they can't even tell which way the wind is blowing.
All they know is that reminiscing about youth is popular lately, so they click on whatever they see.
This is why there are so many people intercepting traffic and jumping on trending topics on the internet.
So when "Puberty" was released on March 15th, it performed quite well.
Countless netizens, drawn in by tags like youth and memories, were immediately captivated by the exaggerated garish filters, the school uniform skirts altered to the thighs, and the female lead's impressive cleavage.
Weibo, Tieba, and forums are filled with a frenzy over the explicit scenes.
"Holy crap, that body is amazing!"
"Are online dramas this explicit these days? Any recommendations, guys?"
"Has anyone slowed down and taken a screenshot of the sit-up scene? May good fortune be with you always!"
Looking at the screen full of discussions and soaring clicks, Alex thought he had won big.
"Ren Pingsheng, all that nostalgia hype you painstakingly created, didn't it all end up benefiting me?"
Indeed, fueled by its borderline content and softcore pornography, "Puberty" became a massive hit.
However, he only guessed the beginning correctly.
Sensory stimulation is inherently eye-catching, but there's an old Chinese saying: "A tall tree catches the wind."
As more and more netizens clicked on the film out of curiosity, hoping to reminisce about their youth, things started to go wrong.
"Responsibility is your previous generation's business. My responsibility is to abandon responsibility."
"Don't talk to me about ideals, I've given them up."
Some idle netizen took screenshots of these jarring lines from the film, pieced them together, and posted them on Xinlang's Weibo account.
"Is this the 'post-80s generation' you portrayed? Heavily made-up, idle, twisted personalities, and constantly in heat?"
Public opinion was in an uproar.
Those born in the 80s immediately distanced themselves, saying, "My youth was at most about skipping class to watch Stephen Chow movies at video arcades and scamming some pocket money to buy cassette tapes. Who the hell was involved in organized crime? This is definitely a 90s kid!"
The post-90s generation was furious. "Bullshit! My brother told me that you post-80s kids love to imitate gangsters, growing your hair long and wielding watermelon knives to attack people. How dare you try to shift the blame? I'm still studying for the college entrance exam in the evening!"
The two groups were locked in a fierce online battle, but before a victor could be determined, state media intervened.
A post on Renmin.com directly accused the film "Adolescence" of "using the guise of youth, promoting rebellion and depravity, advocating extreme individualism, and seriously distorting values."
The Legal Evening News followed up, pointing out the negative impact of the "smoking, drinking, skipping classes, fighting, and going to nightclubs" scenes on teenagers in the business cards.
Xinlang Entertainment is taking advantage of the situation, prioritizing "sex appeal over plot, relying on explicit content to grab attention. Every generation has its own youth, but no youth is like this."
Once the official media sets a tone, those so-called experts and professors will come running.
Tao Hongkai, a self-proclaimed "internet addiction expert" who has been embroiled in online battles with World of Warcraft players, feels he has found new ammunition.
He appeared heartbroken and distressed on camera during a television interview.
"Teenagers are still developing mentally! If they are tempted by this kind of online dross, they will become the irresponsible bad kids like those in movies!"
The more he talked, the more excited he became, spitting as he spoke. "The internet is a place that poisons them! Online games are spiritual opium, and so are these shameless, unregulated, and despicable online videos! They're telling our children that ideals can be abandoned, and responsibilities can be discarded! This is destroying the foundation of the nation!"
In closing, he dropped a bombshell: "I can say without hesitation that girls who are seduced and corrupted by this kind of trash don't deserve to be mothers!"
These words immediately sparked a massive outcry of criticism online.
But the parents were genuinely frightened.
Suddenly, "online video regulation" was thrust into the spotlight by the media, with various experts vying to express their opinions, wishing they could cut off all online videos in one fell swoop.
As another online micro-movie scheduled to be released in two days, "Old Boys" inevitably got caught in the crossfire.
"Another short film masquerading as a youth film, is it going to be another one that sells sex appeal?"
"What good stuff can you find online? Kids shouldn't be allowed to see this kind of stuff."
"The trailer looks quite sad, I hope it's not some kind of vulgar or negative culture again."
……
Pengcheng, Penguin Building.
Xu Liang pushed open the door to Peng Zhijian's office, his expression not looking good.
"Mr. Peng, there's a lot of criticism of online videos right now. Should we postpone our investment for now?"
Peng Zhijian didn't even look up, flipping through the documents in his hand.
"What's the delay? Follow the procedures as usual."
"But..."
"Xu Liang, do you think Pony cares about this?"
Xu Liang did not respond.
Peng Zhijian closed the document. "We were born into Ping Shi for those three domain names. Although Weibo and QQ have different social attributes and don't pose a threat to us, why let go of such a good opportunity to make things difficult for Cao Guowei?"
He tapped his fingers twice on the table. "Investment is just a formality. If he wants it, let him. If it works out, Tencent will have another content line, and everyone will be happy. If it fails, it won't affect our acquisition of the domain name."
Xu Liang understood.
From beginning to end, Shengping was never a strategic asset that absolutely needed to be acquired.
It is merely a piece that can hinder the opponent's development.
……
That same evening, Ren Pingsheng's phone rang.
Gong Yu.
"This fire is burning really hard; even General Manager Li called to ask about it."
There was a pause on the other end of the phone, then Gong Yu chuckled in a low voice, "This...is all part of your plan, isn't it?"
"Did President Gong see through it?"
"You were adept at using public opinion to create momentum when you were searching for Arc. I saw it all with 'Men's Diary'," Gong Yu said, his tone devoid of any worry. "Besides, I've seen the finished product; how could I not see what you were doing?"
Ren Pingsheng did not deny it.
"The harsher the criticism, the greater the contrast, and the stronger the audience's desire for compensation, then..."
"Then 'Old Boys' was released," Gong Yu finished speaking for him.
"‘Don't talk to me about ideals, I've given them up’ versus ‘Should I wither before I even bloom? I had dreams,’" Ren Pingsheng chuckled. "President Gong, what do you think the audience will think?"
Gong Yu burst out laughing on the other end of the phone, "You little rascal, you've made a fool of Alex, that's pretty ruthless."
Ren Pingsheng ignored that topic and instead asked, "President Gong, let's not talk about that. How's the testing going with the one-click sharing feature I mentioned before?"
"Don't worry," Gong Yu said confidently, "the interfaces for all the mainstream social media platforms, including Baidu Tieba, Weibo, Kaixin, Renren, and QQ Space, have been fully integrated."
This is the real trump card.
After watching the video, viewers can directly extract any segment from the player and generate a short video with one click to share on external platforms. This feature is a game-changer for the secondary dissemination of long videos.
Videos like "Old Boys," filled with tear-jerking moments and brilliant scenes, are naturally designed for sharing.
"That's good. See you on the 17th."
See you on the 17th.
After hanging up the phone, Ren Pingsheng turned around.
Tong Liya was standing in front of the desk, holding a brown paper document bag in her hand.
"Director Ren," she said, pulling out two contracts and handing them over. Her voice was softer than usual, tinged with trepidation, "They're signed."
Ren Pingsheng took it and turned to the last page. The three characters "Tong Liya" were written neatly, and a red fingerprint had already been pressed on them.
A five-year contract has officially come into effect.
She stood there without leaving, her fingers twisting and turning on the hem of her clothes.
"Director Ren, everyone's criticizing us online..." She bit her lip. "Will our movie be okay?"
Ren Pingsheng carefully put the contract away and placed it in the drawer.
Are you scared?
Tong Liya shook her head, then nodded, and finally confessed honestly: "Sister Wang told me not to worry, but I spent the whole night scrolling through Weibo and the more I scrolled, the more panicked I became."
"Ya Ya, have you noticed something?" Ren Pingsheng picked up the bottled water on the table, unscrewed it, and took a sip.
"What?"
"What are those people who are most vehemently criticizing 'Puberty' actually saying?"
Tong Liya paused for a moment, then thought for a second, "They say...our youth wasn't like this."
"Yes, since they complain that the one they're talking about is fake," Ren Pingsheng screwed the bottle cap back on, "then let's give them a real one."