Chapter Ten: War of Words (

Chapter Ten: War of Words (Part One)

Zhang Le’s latest post was, without a doubt, pouring oil on the fire. In the eyes of many, it was simply asking for trouble. The people cursing him were already legion, and instead of apologizing or trying to placate them, he had actually fired back with equal boldness.

Most of those berating Zhang Le simply couldn’t accept him being together with Yang Xiner. Yet his words—“What’s mine is mine, and what’s not mine will become mine”—struck straight at the heart of their resentment.

Yang Xiner is my woman; no amount of your yelling or cursing will change that. Even if she wasn’t my woman before, she is now. All your noise is nothing but envy, jealousy, and spite.

His first statement exuded dominance, directly exposing the sore spot of his detractors. Then, he bluntly revealed that these so-called defenders of moral high ground were simply hiding behind a pretense of caring for Yang Xiner. Their anger stemmed from the simple fact that Zhang Le, and not they themselves, was with her. It was envy, plain and simple.

Yang Xiner is my woman now—what can you do about it?

“Bite me, then!” This wasn’t a question but an insult—one that didn’t use a single crude word, yet showed the other’s utter impotence. After all, what creature is best known for biting as its form of attack?

“You’re awfully bold!” Feng Lei, upon seeing Zhang Le’s post, couldn’t help but admire him. “Aren’t you worried the netizens will curse you to the point you can’t live in peace?”

“They slander me, deceive me, insult me, laugh at me, belittle me, despise me, betray me—how should I respond? I endure them, yield to them, avoid them, let them be, tolerate them, respect them, ignore them, and after a few years, let’s see what becomes of them.” Zhang Le replied with a serene smile.

“Speak plainly!” Feng Lei rolled his eyes.

“Do you think anyone will still go to Xiner’s account to curse her now?” Zhang Le asked. “Didn’t you say a real man should step forward and draw the fire?”

“A true man dares to face fierce attacks head-on!” Feng Lei gave him a thumbs up in admiration, but then asked in confusion, “With so many people cursing you, instead of defusing the situation, you add fuel to the flames. Are you trying to create a scandal on purpose?”

“Scandal, my foot!” Zhang Le retorted. “Isn’t this what you wanted to see? You said yourself, they’ve already insulted my ancestors for eighteen generations—am I not allowed to say a word in return? If they want to curse, fine. If they really get on my nerves, I can tear them to shreds without even resorting to vulgarities!”

“I look forward to it!” Feng Lei said with relish.

“All right, enough about this.” Zhang Le waved his hand. “I actually have serious business to discuss with you today.”

“What’s up?” Feng Lei asked. “I thought you called me here to show off!”

“Do you think I’m that boring?” Zhang Le smirked. “Besides, this is my first girlfriend. How about you? Can you even count yours on your fingers and toes?”

“Quality trumps quantity. With one, you’ve already outdone all of mine combined,” Feng Lei replied, feigning dejection.

Seeing Zhang Le merely staring at him, Feng Lei continued, “All right, what’s the matter?”

“I want to make a film!” Zhang Le said earnestly.

“A film? That’s great!” Feng Lei was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. “Go on, as long as it’s within my power, I’ll help you.”

Zhang Le’s provocative post had the desired effect; it was as if he’d set off a beacon, drawing fire from all sides. His account was soon flooded with insults.

Netizens cursed him, and the media eagerly fanned the flames.

His post went viral in no time. Countless people cursed Zhang Le, but soon they began to echo his own words. “Envy, jealousy, and spite,” as well as “Bite me,” became catchphrases among many.

When Yang Xiner herself liked and shared his post, everything exploded further.

Many saw her action as reckless, given that most of those cursing Zhang Le were her fans. Her endorsement wounded those who claimed to care for her, and for her, the cost outweighed the gain. Many fans turned against her, accusing her of lacking discernment.

Zhang Le provoked widespread outrage, while Yang Xiner cheered him on.

Few understood why Yang Xiner would so recklessly support Zhang Le.

“Love truly is blind,” Zhou Run remarked with a smile, glancing at Yang Xiner and speaking to his friend Chen Ke.

“Instead of teasing others, you’d be better off thinking about the theme song,” Chen Ke shook his head in exasperation. “You’re not just the lead actor in this film, remember.”

Chen Ke, in his fifties, was one of the country’s top directors, while Zhou Run, in his forties, was arguably the most influential Chinese actor. Not only an actor, he was also a renowned producer.

For this collaboration, Zhou Run had invested half the film’s budget. The female lead was none other than Yang Xiner.

Chen Ke had selected a duet as the theme song, but the effect of Zhou Run and Yang Xiner singing together was less than satisfactory.

As a director who pursued perfection, Chen Ke could not accept this. Yet with the film’s release and promotion looming, finding a suitable song was no easy task.

“Perhaps we could try asking Xiner’s young boyfriend to write one,” Zhou Run suggested with a laugh. “Director Chen, I hear he’s your fellow alumnus.”

“Alumnus? Oh, he’s also from the Beijing Film Academy?” Chen Ke looked at the surprised Yang Xiner, then frowned slightly. “Wait, he graduated from the directing department—what does that have to do with the theme song?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard—Xiner’s four chart-topping new songs were all written and composed by him,” Zhou Run replied with a smile.

Once a mega-star in the music world, Zhou Run still paid attention to the industry, though his focus had shifted to film. For him, cinema offered a better path to international recognition.

“Who would have thought a directing major could be so musically gifted,” Chen Ke chuckled, glancing at Yang Xiner with obvious intent.

“Is it possible?” Yang Xiner asked uncertainly.

Her uncertainty was not just about Chen Ke and Zhou Run asking Zhang Le to write the theme song; she was also unsure whether Zhang Le could produce something that would satisfy them. After all, so many acclaimed musicians had already failed to meet their standards.

Yang Xiner believed in Zhang Le’s talent, but she was not so blindly confident as to think he could succeed where so many had not.

But she knew if Zhang Le could write a song that satisfied them, the benefits would be immense.

This film was the most anticipated in years; naturally, the theme song was under intense scrutiny.

Just as Chen Ke and Zhou Run were considering asking Zhang Le to write the theme, a viral post from a popular idol was questioning whether Yang Xiner’s four hit songs were truly written by Zhang Le.