Chapter 109: Illiterate Team Building, It's All About the Contrast

"I'm dying of laughter. This is the first time I've ever seen a drama's main cast collectively heap praise on one person during a livestream."

"Hahaha, the funniest part is that Song Wen couldn't get in, so they dragged the actress who played Shen Ting into the stream instead, and they just kept right on praising Lin Xing."

"Speaking of which, it reminds me of the other actors saying during their livestream the day before yesterday that Lin Xing would just stay by himself on set when he wasn't filming."

"Yeah, I guess you could call that 'method acting.' Lin Xing even mentioned in an interview that to maintain the 'evil' of Zhou Bo, he barely spoke to anyone on set."

...

The livestream was originally scheduled for one hour, from 8:00 to 9:00 PM, but perhaps because the atmosphere was so electric—and the viewer count in the livestream room was skyrocketing—it kept going.

How should I put it?

With the grand finale coming up tonight, Wang Fei had already been written out of the story, but Song Wen, a "big tiger" in Jinghai City, was still at large, to say nothing of the even higher-ups in Handong Province.

One episode to wrap up all the plot threads.

Would it be a disappointing finale?

After all, up until now, the first 19 episodes of *Sweeping the Black Wave* could be called truly excellent. Both the plot and the cast (with the exception of Feng Qing) were impeccable.

With the finale fast approaching, many people were dying to know how it would all end.

Even though the finale was set to drop at 10:00 PM, everyone still wanted a sneak peek at what would happen.

And so, the *Sweeping the Black Wave* livestream, which had evolved into a "Praise Lin Xing Convention" in its second half, saw more and more passersby flooding in.

After all, those watching *Sweeping the Black Wave* on "Weishi Live" weren't just regular viewers; there were entertainment reporters too. Many from "Zha Lang" (Sina) were watching, using their official accounts to post clips as they went.

They were posting the highlight reels through accounts like [Sina Entertainment], [Sina Dramas], and [Entertainment News Headlines].

This was traffic.

They were cashing in on the traffic while simultaneously driving more viewers to the "Weishi Live" stream.

Besides "Zha Lang," several other official entertainment accounts were doing the same. Only a fool would pass up free traffic.

Because of this, the number of people in the livestream kept growing.

Most importantly, as more actors joined, the energy only intensified.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Yet, the comments were flooded with requests to keep talking.

"Teachers, what do you think? Shall we chat for a bit longer?"

Zhao Fang asked with a smile, "Everyone in the chat is still wanting more."

Currently, in addition to Ren Yi, Lin Xing, and Wang Fei, the room also included Zhao Lili, Cai Ying, and Zhou Guang.

Zhou Guang had been with Ren Yi, but he hadn't been on camera at first. However, when Ren Yi started talking about the "dog meat" scene, he pulled Zhou Guang into the frame.

And so, they all chatted about that scene.

Next, Zhao Lili and Cai Ying started talking about Lin Xing's performance on set.

The "Praise Lin Xing Convention" had been going on for nearly half an hour.

"Is it 9:00 already? Well, let's talk for another half hour. Old Wang, you're an old timer now, you should be fine, right?"

Ren Yi said with a chuckle, teasingly looking at Wang Fei.

"You're the one who's an old timer."

Wang Fei laughed and said, "Forget half an hour, an hour is no problem at all."

With the two heavyweights giving the go-ahead, the others naturally had no objections.

However, Lin Xing steered the conversation toward Zhao Lili and Cai Ying.

Cai Ying, in particular, was a newcomer. Her role wasn't large, but she was very professional, so Lin Xing took the time to praise her.

Then there was Zhao Lili. Her role in the drama was decent, though her performance was standard—the character didn't have many highlight moments, and her acting was nowhere near the level of the veteran actors.

Now that they were livestreaming, Lin Xing felt that compared to himself, Wang Fei, Ren Yi, and Zhou Guang—and even Song Wen, who was typing in the chat—these two didn't get nearly as much exposure.

But Cai Ying and Zhao Lili really needed it.

With that in mind, Lin Xing took the lead for the next half hour, guiding everyone to talk about funny moments during filming and their experiences with the scenes.

"There was a scene tonight that was supposed to be in the rain, but as it turned out during filming, it actually started raining for real."

Lin Xing brought up the final scene.

Cai Ying laughed, "But when we were filming that, Teacher Lin actually scared me. I thought he wasn't acting at all; I thought he was really going to throw me off the building."

"Cai Ying, hold it right there, no spoilers!"

Lin Xing quickly interjected, "We need everyone to go watch the final episode on Penguin Video in a little while."

"Right, Little Ying, no spoilers."

Ren Yi also laughed, "Director Zu specifically warned us during the livestream prep—no spoilers for the finale. In any case, we hope everyone will go watch it."

...

"What does that mean? Zhou Bo throws Shen Ting off the building in the end? They changed the plot that much??"

"Yeah, didn't Zhou Bo always treat Shen Ting like his little sister? How could he throw her off the building??"

"Damn it, I can't wait anymore. I just want to watch the next episode right now."

...

Well, that did it. Even though Cai Ying had spoiled part of it, because she hadn't given away everything, the audience was now truly on edge.

The half hour flew by.

"Thank you all for watching. Remember to tune in to Penguin Video at 10:00 PM for the *Sweeping the Black Wave* finale. See you at the next stream."

"Thank you everyone, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye."

"Goodbye, everyone."

"Goodbye."

...

At 9:30 PM, the livestream concluded successfully. Everyone took turns saying goodbye to the audience, not forgetting to remind them to head over to Penguin Video for the finale.

In fact, the hot searches had already started trending before the stream even ended.

After all, the livestream provided a massive amount of information.

It wasn't as if veteran actors had never praised internet-famous idols before, but those praises were usually subtle, sometimes even backhanded.

But the praise today was sincere.

The former "illiterate" was actually being praised for his professionalism.

The former "illiterate" was actually being praised for his script-writing contributions.

How refreshing.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, people would have truly thought Lin Xing had paid for these press releases.

More importantly, if it had just been a few compliments, it wouldn't have been strange; some veteran actors would praise anyone if the money was right. You'd be surprised how low some of them are willing to stoop.

It's just that people have a "character filter" for some veteran actors.

But during today's *Sweeping the Black Wave* livestream, the praise for Lin Xing wasn't just a few empty words.

As the most explosive scene in the entire show, the "dog meat hotpot" scene made many people want to kill Zhou Bo.

Ruthless, insane, and twisted.

He cut off his own cousin's tongue as a "repayment" for a past favor.

Not only that, he controlled everyone who had previously called him a "mongrel."

Watching him eat the dog meat while laughing and asking President Wu, "Is your dog delicious?"

I ask you, who wouldn't be terrified of such a maniacal laugh?

Everyone had previously assumed that was written by the director and screenwriter, but Ren Yi revealed that it was Lin Xing who had suggested the change.

Most importantly, from beginning to end, Lin Xing's camp had never publicized this behind-the-scenes detail.

Just think about other internet-famous actors who are always bragging about their "improvisation" on set. The funniest one was Bian Pengtao, who bragged about his improvisation, only for it to be revealed that all he did was add a filler word to a line.

This led many to mock him, saying, "Why didn't you add a 'hey' while you were at it?"

Because of this, Zhao Fang felt truly shocked hearing these revelations in the livestream, especially with everyone else chiming in to praise Lin Xing.

She had interviewed Lin Xing face-to-face.

Yet Lin Xing hadn't spilled a single detail.

If it had been any other internet-famous actor, this would have been on the hot search list eighteen times in one day.

High emotional intelligence, not trying to steal the spotlight, keeping a low profile on set, and never using the airing of *Sweeping the Black Wave* to hype himself up.

Even when visiting the Zha Lang offices, Lin Xing had called on his fans not to engage in cyberbullying.

If Ren Yi hadn't mentioned the script-editing incident, Lin Xing probably never would have brought it up himself.

More importantly, if it weren't for Ren Yi and Zhou Guang testifying to it, even Zhao Fang would have found it all a bit surreal.

So, she wrote on her Weibo account: "Lin Xing has used his own hard work to shed the 'illiterate' label. He has indeed been studying hard for the past ten years. So, having a low academic background isn't scary; what's scary is having a low background, not working to improve oneself, and then spending money on press releases to pretend one is 'authentic.'"

"@Bian Pengtao, I'm talking to you."

"@Niu Xiang, brother, did you see this??"

"@Li Xingchi, do you want to take a look??"

...

"@Han Ying, Yingzi, are they talking about you??"

"@Liu Lu, Big Lu, why don't you take a look too??"

"@Zhang Xiang, get in here and learn something."

...

Good heavens, the single Weibo post Zhao Fang made to defend Lin Xing suddenly turned into an "illiterate" reunion.

Among those she tagged, Bian Pengtao and Niu Xiang were top-tier stars on par with Chu Chen. But at least Chu Chen wasn't illiterate; Bian Pengtao couldn't even write the word "swimming" correctly.

As for Niu Xiang, in a variety show, he couldn't say a single coherent thing about the drama *Quit While You're Ahead* that he had starred in, and when asked about his character, he just said, "Uh, ah, I just acted it..."

It was so awkward that even passersby got secondhand embarrassment, yet his fans were still trying to defend him.

As for the top-tier female celebrities like Han Ying, Liu Lu, and Zhang Xiang, they were even worse—former "bad girls" who had suddenly transformed into "goddesses."

In short, thanks to the contrast provided by his peers, Lin Xing had completely shed the "illiterate" label today.

If an actor with such good acting skills, an actor whose on-set script changes were recognized by all the main cast, is still called illiterate, isn't that just ridiculous?

Some of Lin Xing's fans even started making jokes.

"What illiterate? Who's illiterate?"

After the discussion on Weibo had been fermenting for about half an hour, the final episode of *Sweeping the Black Wave* updated right at 10:00 PM.

If you had to summarize the finale of *Sweeping the Black Wave* in a few words, it would be... Good and evil find their due.

Evil does not triumph over good.

Justice will prevail.

Sweeping away the black, merit in the present.

At the same time, the official *Sweeping the Black Wave* account posted on Weibo, celebrating the successful conclusion and stating that the fight against organized crime is a never-ending journey, for the sake of every family's lights, to restore a blue sky to Jinghai City.

The sky has cleared.

Finally, the official account posted only three words: "The sky has cleared!"

Thinking back to the very first trailer for *Sweeping the Black Wave*, it said the sky over Jinghai was too dark, and hadn't been bright for fourteen years.

Now, the sky had cleared.

A three-minute closing short film was released, showing a "before and after" contrast.

People always hope for justice to prevail, and they always hope for good and evil to receive their due.

As a drama based on reality, as a "crime-sweeping" drama, *Sweeping the Black Wave* managed to satisfy at least 80% of the audience.

Not everyone was happy with the finale.

Some said it was too rushed, asking why the mastermind in Handong Province didn't appear.

Others said it was fine, and that the scale, reaching all the way to the top leader of Jinghai, was already pretty good.

And among these discussions, the scene that shocked everyone the most was the one brought by Lin Xing.

"I finally understand why Cai Ying said she was scared during the livestream."

"Damn, Zhou Bo really is a maniac. I truly admire his logic."

"Because I'm going to die, but you are the most important people to me, so before I die, I'll kill you first, so you won't have to suffer. And then, since I killed you, I don't want to die anymore. Damn, he's a psychopath."

"I initially thought Zhou Bo really loved his godmother and god-sister, and I thought he had a shred of humanity left, but damn, he threw them both off the building."

"The water is too cold, isn't it? I really didn't expect a character to be so evil from start to finish."

...

As everyone watched the scene on the rooftop where Zhou Bo threw his godmother and god-sister off the building, the comments were filled with curses.

What a total psychopath.

As for Old Zhong, he also posted a Weibo: #SweepingTheBlackWaveFinale# *Sweeping the Black Wave* has concluded today. I've been labeled as Lin Xing's publicity director lately, but I still have to say that Lin Xing's portrayal of Zhou Bo was truly excellent, because many evil people in reality are exactly like that.

When they haven't made it yet, when they are at the bottom of society, they are basically more honest than anyone. But once they make it, they truly recognize no one, and are even worse than beasts.

Just like Zhou Bo in this drama, after becoming Shen Ming's godson, he became arrogant, lawless, and committed every evil deed imaginable. Even when Shen Ming told him to tone it down later on, he wouldn't listen.

Even after being caught, he remained arrogant. So when did he finally feel fear?

The moment he was sentenced to death, that scene where he wet his pants was truly acted well.

Lin Xing understood this character thoroughly, which is why he said that the death penalty was the only logical end for Zhou Bo.

...

Old Zhong's words represented the sentiments of many viewers.

The death penalty is the greatest deterrent.

Lin Xing did indeed portray the contrast from beginning to end.

The character of Zhou Bo truly maintained his persona from the beginning to the finale.

Purely evil.

Old Zhong's post didn't forget to tag "Old Wang Watches Films," continuing to beat a dead horse.

"Old Wang Watches Films" had indeed been having a mental crisis lately.

Does this damn Lin Xing have a cheat code or something?

He had decided to lay low for two months, and on April 1st, he would write a piece specifically to attack Lin Xing.

An actor usually only rides the wave for two or three months. Even Lin Xing's three-month ride after *Just Waiting For You* was already rare.

That was an accident.

Old Wang had analyzed *Sweeping the Black Wave* himself—Lin Xing played the villain, and even if passersby thought he acted well, they couldn't possibly like the villain he played.

Therefore, whether it's fan-made content or other discussions, in two months, there wouldn't be many people talking about it anymore.

That would be the time for Old Wang to strike back.

"Heh, let's wait and see."

Old Wang sneered, logged out of Weibo, and prepared to open a burner account to go back to Bilibili and make videos.

Of course, no one else knew about this.

After all, with the finale of *Sweeping the Black Wave*, many were immersed in the discussion. After a night of fermentation, *Sweeping the Black Wave* dominated the rankings on Penguin Video.

Number one on the 24-hour hot list.

Number one on the trending list.

Discussion count exceeded 200,000.

...

According to data network statistics, *Sweeping the Black Wave* reached an astonishing 30% market share, and that was just on the exclusive platform.

The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place shows combined didn't even equal the total for *Sweeping the Black Wave*.

It was ridiculously strong.

This also helped the industry understand the importance of a good show.

Apart from Lin Xing, there were no other internet-famous actors in *Sweeping the Black Wave*. Aside from Feng Qing dropping the ball, the rest of the cast were all veteran actors.

Being a veteran actor isn't just a title; your acting has to hold up.

Otherwise, if you're just old but your acting is subpar, what kind of veteran actor are you?

Just for your age?

The next day, *Sweeping the Black Wave* remained hot. A content creator who had previously done a great job editing videos of Du Fei cut a new video titled "Zhou Bo, A Life of a Demon."

Previously, she had edited a Du Fei x Zhou Bo video.

Today, after the conclusion of *Sweeping the Black Wave*, she cut a character-focused video on Zhou Bo.

A villain.

A maniacal villain.

The most critical part was that many of Zhou Bo's lines made everyone deeply agree.

"If you have no power or influence, you deserve to be bullied."

"This society is unfair; all we can do is climb to the top."

"The first pot of gold is always sinful. Who at the top cares if you're 'black'?"

"I don't want to be a good person. If you want to be one, do it yourself. I just want to be one of those 'people above,' I've had enough of being bullied for being a good person."

...

A villain who talks logic to you.

Who could handle that?

More importantly, with all the "young masters" and "young ladies" on Weibo recently mocking the common people, it suddenly made everyone feel that Zhou Bo was right.

Besides this creator, other creators were cutting even more videos.

On January 11, 2024, Lin Xing, with the conclusion of *Sweeping the Black Wave*, once again stood on the hot search list.

But this time, the light boat had passed the ten thousand mountains.

...

PS: It's my daughter's birthday today. In the name of my troublesome little girl, I'm asking for subscriptions and monthly tickets.

Please give me monthly tickets.