Chapter 2691 - 2753: Li Yifei’s Support

The women of the Li family returned one after another. Upon learning that the film directed by Ning Xin’er had been nominated for the Cannes Film Festival, they were extremely surprised. Some of them also liked watching movies, both domestic and foreign, whether blockbuster or art films, with each having different preferences. However, due to their busy work schedules, they only knew that Ning Xin’er, after her comeback, became a director, selected a script, gathered a group of people to make a movie, and when filming wrapped, everyone celebrated a bit at home.

But they all thought she was just playing around, spending some money to make a film. After all, Ning Xin’er had never been a director before. Even though she had quieted down these years to study related knowledge, it was still just learning. Who would have thought she not only actually made the movie, but it also got nominated for prestigious awards at an internationally renowned film festival, including three very important awards? This was beyond everyone’s expectations, followed by a sense of pride. The Li family now had wealth, power, and fame, but to achieve something in such a high-end field as film, everyone was very happy.

This further proved Ning Xin’er’s personal ability. At the peak of her acting career, she had to retreat due to pregnancy and went into seclusion. After joining the Li family, she didn’t want to appear publicly again. Li Yifei encouraged them to pursue their own interests and careers, so Ning Xin’er decided not to act but to start a film company and become a director herself.

Who would have thought her first film would receive an international award nomination? This honor also surprised Ning Xin’er herself. After the domestic media got the news, they all rushed to report on it. But with good voices come bad ones. Soon, some film critics or Internet Celebrities began publishing posts, among them a renowned professional critic who wrote an article. Initially, it pretended to discuss the content presented by the film "Eternal," its storyline, character lines of the main and supporting roles, plot summary, and conflicts, presenting it as if from a reasonable, neutral perspective.

Of course, this was only the first third. The latter two-thirds began with lengthy criticism, repeatedly mentioning the film’s values, empty story, conflicting characters, and generally problematic plot direction, even suggesting a subversive taste. Towards the last third, it compared "Eternal" to films already deemed trash by netizens, praising those films and stating "Eternal" was several times worse, completely unwatchable. It then made groundless claims about the Cannes Film Festival, saying it was a place where awards could be bought, with many minor celebrities visiting just to walk the red carpet and earn the title of "Carpet Star."

Finally, it targeted Ning Xin’er, rehashing previous internet speculation that she was a kept woman of influential figures, which is why she suddenly retired at her career peak. It also speculated that Ning Xin’er paid a lot for the Cannes nomination, igniting netizens’ gossip hearts. Many posted photos of Ning Xin’er with Li Yifei, speculating she might be kept by him.

That’s how it is online: news spreads explosively, with truthfulness taking a backseat to being sensational. So within a few hours, just as Li Yifei lay down with his two wives, he saw the post on Twitter. Lying on his left was Ning Xin’er, who froze for a breath, furrowed her brows while finishing reading, and let out a small hum. Meanwhile, on his right, Ye Yunzhu saw it too and clicked her tongue, saying, "This person is too irresponsible, just saying whatever without regards!"

"Some people do this for a living; they have no principles, attacking whoever is trending—like mad dogs." Ning Xin’er shrugged. After all, she had mingled in this circle. When she was famous, hailed as the pure jade girl, she faced a fair share of criticism. Many people didn’t care about the truth; they just wanted to criticize, seeing online smearing and attacking as costless, requiring no effort.

Li Yifei wrapped his arms around the two women, hugging them tighter, letting out a few contented hums, saying, "Do you want me to vent your anger?"

"No need, it’s a small matter. These critics, Internet Celebrities, they all just work for money; it’s rare for them to be truly fair. The more attention you give them, the more they act like mad dogs!" Ning Xin’er shook her head.

"We can’t just let them say whatever they want," Ye Yunzhu added.

"We can just find some people to post some articles later and let them argue. After all, it’s like them doing free advertising for us!" Ning Xin’er laughed.

Advertising, huh? That too, the entertainment industry has too much hype. Some people get famous for praise and good reputation, while others for infamy. It’s akin to many obscure actors posting bed photos or showcasing outings with wealthy people. To them, these are survival strategies.

Li Yifei suggested, "Shouldn’t we send out some lawyer’s letters?"

"Yes, we should, of course, and actually file a lawsuit lest others think I’m easy to bully!" Ning Xin’er considered for a few seconds, eyes sharp with resolve.

"Haha, then let’s do it. Let’s not fear trouble; making a big deal of it is also a kind of promotion!" Li Yifei laughed.

Ye Yunzhu nodded in agreement, "Exactly, if they’re allowed to slander, then we’re allowed to use the law to bring them to justice. This way, next time news arises, they’ll have to think twice."

After chatting for a while, Li Yifei picked up his phone and opened Twitter. His follower count had long surpassed ten million, and his reputation was good. Seeing it wasn’t too late, he picked a photo of him and Ning Xin’er from his phone, showing them intimately with Ning Xin’er holding onto Li Yifei’s arm, her head slightly tilted towards him. Li Yifei asked, "How about this photo?"

"Husband, you..." Ning Xin’er seemed surprised, sensing Li Yifei’s intention, "Let’s just leave it; it’s such a small matter, no need to stoop to their level."

"Then this photo it is!" Li Yifei smiled slightly, pressed confirm, and edited a message: "Congratulations to Xin’er for her first film earning multiple Cannes nominations. When it’s released, I will definitely watch it in theaters and recommend it to my friends!"

Li Yifei rarely publicized family matters, given the Li family’s extraordinary situation, incomprehensible to the public. If he revealed this, there were still over a dozen more, which would be shocking; plus, the Li family didn’t need exposure from this. How does that saying go—saying nothing at all, oh no, it’s supposed to be getting rich quietly. However, this time, Li Yifei wanted to support Ning Xin’er; she was in showbiz, or rather, re-joining it. She wasn’t an actress anymore, nor the innocent jade maiden, but a director making films. She needed both strength and fame.

If her first work could reach such heights, why wouldn’t Li Yifei lend a hand? United in heart, they could achieve greater heights. With this in mind, Li Yifei said, "Let’s post it like this; it might stir up discussion!"

"Husband, you could use stronger words, attack those money-grabbing mad dogs!" Ye Yunzhu suggested.

Li Yifei chuckled, "Let’s start with this; if someone comes looking for trouble, I’ll give them a piece of my mind."

He pressed the send button, and a few seconds later, the tweet went out. Given the late hour, many weren’t asleep, some browsing Twitter, suddenly seeing a tweet from an old soldier, so intimate with an erstwhile pure jade girl. Reading the caption, they were utterly shocked, unable to comprehend what was happening. After all, that critic’s post had limited reach; most people weren’t following the issue.

So they quickly investigated, discovering that Ning Xin’er, who had been out of the limelight for years, somehow returned and released a film, "Eternal." The name wasn’t particularly appealing, but since Ning Xin’er directed it, they were intrigued. Especially some men, imagining such a beauty making a movie, felt compelled to support it. More were curious why an old soldier made such a tweet, paired with such a photo.

For a while, netizens’ curiosity burned, desperate to uncover the couple’s relationship. Unfortunately, Li Yifei’s tweet offered no additional information, appearing equally as good friends or something else.

However, some netizens keenly noticed that across the Twitterverse, the old soldier was the first to support Ning Xin’er. No other celebrities or Internet Celebrities had tweeted congratulations, asserting that the old soldier, known for his righteous image, was the first to post. For a while after he posted, no other celebrities followed, an unusual occurrence. Even Li Yifei had to ask Ning Xin’er, who frankly replied, "I didn’t arrange any publicity, nor did I notify industry friends, so naturally, no one retweeted it. But husband, once your tweet goes out, I believe many will retweet it, catching the trend, seizing the opportunity to owe a favor."

"Retweeting isn’t the key, where you stand is what matters!" Li Yifei concluded.

With public opinion swirling, netizens found not only had Ning Xin’er transformed into a director, but her first directed work was nominated for major awards. This discovery left them both shocked and delighted. Many immediately left comments in support, vowing to see the film in theaters upon release.

Quickly, people started echoing the sentiment of owing Ning Xin’er a movie ticket, gathering tens of thousands of approvals, leaving everyone in bed laughing uncontrollably.