abnabooks Chapter 344: My biggest KPI is actually this old T-shirt?
Chapter 344: My biggest KPI is actually this old T-shirt?
Chapter 344: My biggest KPI is actually this old T-shirt?
The direction of online public opinion took an unexpected detour outside the film itself.
It all started with a single forum post.
"Is something off about Jiang Ci's condition? From his speech at the Golden Rooster Awards to the premiere, he's been abnormally quiet the whole time."
The post quickly went viral.
Countless netizens immediately flocked to it.
"That's right! After the awards ceremony ended, everyone else went off to celebrate, only he walked alone towards the end of the red carpet. That image of his back still makes my heart ache!"
"He never left his role! He's acted in so many tragedies, he can't even tell who he is anymore!"
"Oh my god... Someone who puts their very life into acting, what kind of shattered mental state must they be in?"
Soon, the hashtag #HeartacheForJiangCi# once again topped the trending list.
Fans spontaneously organized prayer gatherings, and even a psychologist publicly offered to provide him with free counseling.
Spark Media, President's Office.
Lin Wan stared at her phone screen, a throbbing pain in her temples.
The call from the cinema manager had just ended, the other party's roar still echoing in her ears,
pleading with her to get Jiang Ci to come out and start the promotional tour immediately, or else the cinema glass would be smashed by fans.
But Jiang Ci himself had vanished off the face of the earth since the premiere, not answering calls or replying to messages.
"Everyone's gone mad!" Lin Wan slammed a file onto the desk in frustration.
Right at that moment, assistant Sun Zhou pushed the door open, his face a mask of panic.
"Director Lin, it's bad! Online, everyone is saying Brother Jiang Ci has depression and is recuperating alone!"
Lin Wan's vision went dark, and she nearly passed out.
She grabbed her car keys and rushed out.
"Get the car ready! To his place!"
Half an hour later, the door to Jiang Ci's apartment was being pounded with earth-shaking force.
"Jiang Ci! Open the door! I know you're in there! If you don't open up, I'm calling the police!"
There was a rustling sound from inside, and the door opened.
Jiang Ci stood there, his hair a bird's nest, wearing a crumpled sleep shirt, bleary-eyed.
"Sister Wan? So early in the morning, are we demolishing the place?"
Seeing him like this and recalling all the online speculation, Lin Wan felt her blood pressure skyrocket.
She shoved Jiang Ci aside, barged into the room, pointed a trembling finger at his nose.
"You! Immediately! Right now! Start a live stream for me!"
Jiang Ci yawned, utterly confused.
"A live stream? Why?"
"Why?" Lin Wan shoved her phone in his face. "See for yourself! The entire internet thinks you're about to jump off a building!"
Jiang Ci took the phone, skimmed over the #HeartacheForJiangCi# topic and those prayer essays, and said nothing.
He had just... pulled an all-nighter gaming, was catching up on sleep during the day, and had ordered a family bucket.
How did that escalate to a public mourning?
"Sister Wan," Jiang Ci returned the phone, explaining earnestly, "I'm fine. I'm just hungry."
Lin Wan wasn't listening at all.
"I don't care! You must appear in front of the public right now! Prove you're alive and well!"
In the end, under the threat of physical force, Jiang Ci reluctantly opened a live stream.
He couldn't be bothered to change, staying in his sleep shirt, slouched in his gaming chair.
The live stream began.
Tens of thousands of viewers waited to see a haggard, melancholic man.
Instead, on screen, in front of Jiang Ci sat a huge, mountain-like family bucket.
He held a cola in his left hand, a chicken leg in his right, about to take a bite.
The bullet comments froze for a second, then exploded.
【？？？？？】
【Am I blind? Is this the Film Emperor's live stream?】
【The vibe is all wrong! Where's the promised river of sorrow?】
But soon, the public opinion was overridden by an even more powerful logic.
【He must be in too much pain! He can only numb himself with binge eating!】
【Look how frantically he's eating, like an insecure child! He didn't cry when Ye Chen died, now he's trying to swallow all his tears!】
【Wuwuwu, he's lost weight, his sleep shirt looks so loose, mommy's heart aches!】
Jiang Ci looked at the bullet comments, baffled.
He tried to explain, "Everyone, don't misunderstand, I'm really fine, I was just hungry."
The bullet comments scrolled faster.
【No! You're not fine!】
【Stop pretending to be strong! Seeing you like this makes us feel worse!】
【Ci, if you want to cry, just cry it out, we're all here for you!】
Jiang Ci looked at the screen, then at the chicken leg in his hand, plunging into deep self-doubt.
Did this generation of viewers all learn reading comprehension from their P.E. teachers?
In his mind, the system's voice chimed in appropriately.
【Detecting intense emotional fluctuations!】
【Heartbreak Value +12!】
【Heartbreak Value +28!】
Jiang Ci: "..."
Just eating a meal counts as KPI now?
Seeing the situation turning sour, Lin Wan made a decisive move and made a call.
Soon, the live stream screen split in two, Su Qingying's makeup-free face appearing in a small window.
She wore a sports tank top, sweat beading on her forehead, the background clearly a gym.
【Holy crap! It's Su Su!】
【The two Film Emperors are sharing a screen, aaaaaah!】
Su Qingying looked at Jiang Ci munching on a chicken leg on screen and paused.
Jiang Ci raised the chicken leg in greeting.
"Have you eaten?"
Su Qingying picked up a towel to wipe her sweat and shook her head.
"Not yet, just finished my workout."
A mundane conversation, but in the eyes of CP fans, it was earth-shattering sugar.
【I'm dying from the sweetness! The daily life of an old married couple!】
【He's concerned about her! She's working out for him! What kind of divine love is this!】
Jiang Ci, not looking at the comments, asked another question.
"Well... want some? My bucket's pretty big."
Su Qingying: "..."
The video call disconnected.
Jiang Ci continued his battle with the family bucket, seeing someone ask if Director Zhang had received the razor blades they mailed him.
He spoke into the camera, "Everyone, please stop mailing razor blades. It's dangerous and a waste of money."
He then saw the screen fill with gift effects.
"Don't send gifts either. I'm just letting you know I'm safe."
After saying this, he had Sun Zhou directly turn off the tipping function.
This series of actions ignited the bullet comments once more.
【He's so gentle! He has us in his heart!】
【Even at a time like this, he's still thinking about us! I'm crying to death!】
【Not letting us spend money, what kind of divine idol is this!】
Jiang Ci, who just wanted to avoid trouble, completely failed to understand his fans' train of thought.
【Heartbreak Value +38!】
【Heartbreak Value +55!】
The numbers in the system backend didn't decrease; instead, they rose.
Right then, a bullet comment drifted by.
【Does anyone else think... Jiang Ci's sleep shirt, even though it's wrinkled, has a really special cut? It has this inexplicable 'broken feeling' fashion sense?】
This comment instantly inspired countless fashion bloggers.
Jiang Ci, eating too fast, choked.
His face turned red, and he grabbed his cola, taking several big gulps.
"Cough... cough... cough..."
He choked until tears welled up in his eyes, waving his hand repeatedly to indicate he was okay.
However, this scene, in the eyes of tens of millions of viewers, meant:
He, overwhelmed with sorrow, unable to speak.
Emotionally broken down, choking up in public.
Trying to smile, but it looked worse than crying.
【He can't hold on anymore! He finally can't hold on anymore!】
【Is he using drinking water to hide his tears?】
【Stop filming! Let him have a good cry! Please!】
A screenshot of him tilting his head back to drink, his Adam's apple bobbing, paired with the text "Some bitterness, you can only swallow yourself," spread across the entire internet.
Jiang Ci finally caught his breath. Looking at the screen full of "wuwuwu"s, then at the half-eaten chicken leg in his hand, he felt utterly numb.
There was no way to have a conversation today.
He silently picked up a second chicken leg, channeling his indignation into appetite.
At the same time, the system panel flashed frantically.
【Heartbreak Value +648!】
【Congratulations, Host. Obtained extended lifespan duration: 99 days!】
Lin Wan's phone vibrated again.
It was a text message from the Public Relations Director of a top luxury brand.
"Director Lin, which brand is the sleep shirt Mr. Jiang Ci wore during his live stream? Our president greatly admires this 'Broken Feeling Aesthetic.'
We held an emergency meeting overnight and have decided to invite Mr. Jiang Ci to become our brand's newest global spokesperson."
Lin Wan looked at the text, then at Jiang Ci on the screen struggling with a chicken wing, her expression blank.
Her worldview was being reshaped.
And in the live stream room, Jiang Ci, chicken wing in his mouth, looked at the message about the endorsement invitation,
then looked at his skyrocketing lifespan duration, sinking into philosophical contemplation.
So...
His biggest KPI tonight was actually this old T-shirt he'd been wearing as sleepwear for a year?