The filming location for *Land of the Strong* was a minor military planet named Mili. As a reserve installation for the Federal Government, Mili was under strict access control; the production team could only reach it by boarding a starship specifically designated for transporting military supplies.
After saying goodbye to Liu Ang, Jiang Liulan boarded the starship alone, following the main production crew.
All the guests participating in this recording had already met at a gathering organized by Director Zhang’s team. Liulan, the newcomer who had joined late, was the only one they didn't know.
The moment he stepped into the cabin, Liulan could clearly feel the gazes turning toward him. If this had been mere curiosity about a new member, it would have been fine, but Liulan was certain that beyond the scrutiny, these looks were mostly unfriendly.
He gained a deeper understanding of just how "infamously popular" he had become.
Director Zhang seemed completely oblivious to the exclusionary attitude of the others. He pulled Liulan to his side, looking composed, and announced loudly to everyone, "Everyone, this is our final new member, Jiang Liulan. Let's get acquainted so we can work well together during the recording."
Liulan bowed slightly to the group. "Hello, everyone. I’m Jiang Liulan. You can just call me Liulan."
The cabin fell silent. Rather than intentional exclusion, most of them seemed more embarrassed than anything else. None of them had known in advance that the last member Director Zhang had selected would be Jiang Liulan.
Jiang Liulan had been very "hot" in the industry lately, and it was impossible for them not to harbor resentment over the incident with Chen Yan.
The actor sitting in the front row, Du Jinfeng, was a seasoned veteran. Well-versed in the ways of social conduct, he didn't let the awkwardness linger. He took the initiative to cooperate with the Director by smiling and saying, "Welcome, Liulan."
Du Jinfeng’s brief welcome broke the deadlock. Seeing that the most senior veteran had spoken, the others felt it would be rude to remain silent any longer and chimed in one after another.
"Welcome, welcome. Our team has gained some fresh blood."
"Let's look out for each other!"
The first to chime in was a young woman sitting in the very back. Liulan recognized her; Liu Ang had briefed him before boarding. She was Zhu Yiyi, a rising star in the film and television industry. She was the youngest among the guests, two years younger than Liulan. Another person who spoke up was the woman sitting next to her. If Liulan remembered correctly, she was Lü Shi, the winner of this year's Most Popular Female Singer award.
Very few people who make it to the top in the entertainment industry are naive. Even if they didn't approve of Liulan, they would try their best to put on a harmonious front so as not to disrespect Director Zhang.
Just when Liulan thought the greetings would pass by in a blur of perfunctory exchanges, a voice dripping with impatience and malice cut through the air.
"Look out for each other?" the man sneered. "Others might not even think we're worth their time. It’d be a miracle if they didn't open their mouths to curse us instead."
Liulan looked in the direction of the voice. The speaker was a young man wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, his face twisted in contempt and disdain.
Liu Ang hadn't had time to introduce this person, so Liulan didn't know who he was.
But not knowing him didn't stop Jiang Liulan from firing back. He said decisively, "If there’s any cursing to be done, it’ll be directed at you first."
"Are you provoking me?!" Hearing Liulan’s words, the young man made to stand up and move toward him, but the male artist sitting next to him quickly grabbed his arm, whispering a reminder: "Director Zhang is still here."
The young man glanced quickly at Director Zhang.
Zhang Chong’s status in the industry was no small matter. Unless one wanted their career ruined, few dared to cause trouble in front of him, and the guy in the black T-shirt was no exception.
Although not entirely convinced, the young man sat back down under the persuasion of those around him, though his expression toward Liulan became even more hostile.
The impact of the incident was significant. After his provocation, the other guests displayed varying degrees of discomfort.
They settled into a tacit silence.
Director Zhang couldn't possibly ignore the awkwardness any longer, but he didn't force the issue. He simply patted Liulan on the shoulder and said, "Go take a seat."
Liulan nodded. Unfazed by their exclusionary attitude, he scanned the cabin coldly and, as a matter of course, chose to walk toward an empty seat next to one of the male artists.
That artist was easy to read. The moment Liulan took a step, his expression froze, and his hands began to fumble in a panic. When Liulan reached his side, the artist’s body stiffened, his face wearing a look of resignation.
Jiang Liulan glanced down and saw the small optical computer in front of the artist, which was flashing continuously.
Seeing that Liulan had discovered his little maneuver, the artist hurriedly explained, "No, I... I..."
Before he could finish, the flustered artist accidentally triggered the public speaker mode on his optical computer. The screen expanded suddenly, and Liulan heard a familiar voice—his own—ring out:
"Selling your body is such a good deal, why don't you do it yourself?"
Ah, his classic line for cursing Chen Yan. The primary reason for his "infamous popularity."
Everyone in the cabin changed color instantly. The man in the black T-shirt who had insulted Liulan earlier let out a harsh, vicious snort.
The artist in front of Liulan realized he had made a grave mistake. He frantically tried to shut off the optical computer, but he wasn't fast enough. Massive waves of red, hateful comments scrolled across Jiang Liulan’s field of vision:
"Get out, you bitch!"
"What kind of trash is allowed to debut these days?"
"Go die! Go die! Go die! Go die! Go die!"
"Who is this piece of scum trying to disgust by debuting?"
"[Vomit] [Vomit] [Vomit]"
"Boycott Jiang Liulan! Get Jiang Liulan out of the entertainment industry!"
The artist’s Adam’s apple bobbed. With trembling hands, he finally managed to shut off the screen before Liulan could finish watching the entire video.
What a miserable existence, he thought, almost wanting to cry out loud.
Liulan acted as if nothing had happened. He calmly placed his luggage under the seat, sat up straight, summoned his own optical computer screen, and opened Weibo.
The artist stared at him blankly as he scrolled, and blurted out, "Aren't you... angry?"
"What?" Jiang Liulan asked, not looking back.
"I was watching that video of you cursing... aren't you angry?"
"Doesn't matter. It’s not like I’m the one being cursed, and I watch it myself sometimes."
"Oh... wait, what?" The artist’s brain couldn't process this, and he looked completely bewildered.
Liulan shot him a glance, pointed to the video already open on his own screen, and said without a hint of guilt, "Self-reflection."
"Oh..."
Looking at the red comments once again flooding Liulan’s screen, a bit of sympathy appeared on the artist’s face.
*He’s self-reflecting? That must mean he realizes he was wrong, right?*
Thinking this, the artist steeled his nerves and whispered, "Um, my name is..."
Before he could finish, he heard Liulan continue his previous thought: "Didn't perform well last time. I’ll try to be more elegant with my cursing next time."
The artist: "???"
The artist gave up on trying to understand the man sitting next to him. His eyes went blank as he stiffly turned his head to look straight ahead.
Unfortunately, Liulan, having realized he was there, didn't let him off the hook. "You said your name was what?"
Liu Ang had told him that to survive in the industry, he had to broaden his network. Liulan kept that in mind.
The artist managed a strained smile. "Ah, ha, haha. My name is Xie Ti."
"Jiang Liulan."
After exchanging names, silence fell again. Liulan busied himself with his optical computer.
Despite his best efforts to restrain himself, Xie Ti’s gaze couldn't help but drift to the screen Liulan had enlarged.
Liulan had closed the video and was now refreshing his personal Weibo homepage. A notice from his company about his departure from the group *boost* hung at the very top of his profile. The comments section of that post seemed entirely devoid of fans; everyone was cheering for his downfall, or else leaving scathing insults.
"What are you, exactly? How dare you curse our Yanyan?"
"Surely no one would fan such trash?"
"We urge LG to ban Jiang Liulan immediately!"
Xie Ti sighed to himself. If he were the one being hunted and cursed like this, he would definitely be hiding at home in a depression. How could anyone be like Liulan, remaining calm, cool, and unshakable?
A spark of respect ignited in Xie Ti’s heart. He made up his mind to try talking to him again, but before he could even open his mouth, he saw Liulan typing out replies to several of the hateful comments on his screen:
"I suppose I count as your father."
"Anti-fans are fans too. Don't love me too much. [Flying kiss]"
"I suggest you acquire LG as soon as possible!"
In that moment, witnessing the whole thing, Xie Ti understood one absolute truth: Jiang Liulan was a man who absolutely could not be provoked.