Chapter 86: World 2 [End]

The explosive popularity of this previously niche genre made many investors sniff out a business opportunity. Upon learning that the production cost of Song Xiaocao was only ten million, these profit-driven individuals began searching for similar scripts.

They attempted to replicate famous historical female figures, hoping to ride this wave of popularity and profit handsomely from the female audience.

Whether this plan would succeed was hard to say for the moment. After all, filming and production took time; the earliest anyone would see results was the following year.

Song Xiaocao’s screening keys were extended twice. It was only removed from theaters after the summer season had completely ended. After final box office statistics were tallied, the total gross was 5.6 billion. After deducting cinema shares and various costs, Jing Ke, the sole investor, pocketed just over two billion in revenue.

Once this astronomical figure was publicized, netizens focused all their attention on whether Jing Ke would keep her word and actually donate all of the two billion.

Some so-called rival companies even hired paid trolls to fan the flames, attempting to morally blackmail Jing Ke, forcing her to cough up the money.

In Jing Ke’s eyes, two billion was really nothing special. If she used her professional skills to manipulate the stock market for a while, she could easily earn that money by short-selling a few listed companies.

Therefore, once the dividends arrived, Jing Ke established a dedicated charitable foundation. The first batch of beneficiaries was one hundred small counties with relatively underdeveloped educational resources. After meeting with local governments and educational bureaus, she began funding the upgrade of existing schools and providing living subsidies to underprivileged students.

Jing Ke didn’t want anyone lining their pockets with the money she donated. So, she wrote a specialized piece of software for this purpose, requiring every single expenditure to be accounted for down to the cent, accompanied by photographic proof.

The software was nationally networked. Not only could internal staff see all the details, but ten thousand guest viewer slots were also opened daily, accepting oversight from all of society.

This software was remarkably well-designed. Although recording every expenditure was slightly tedious, it was the best method to prevent individuals from embezzling funds for personal gain.

After the software ran smoothly for a month, Jing Ke took some time to upgrade it, allowing it to accept designated donations from the public.

Furthermore, when utilizing corresponding donations, the donor’s name would be noted in the expenditure details. This greatly satisfied those wealthy magnates who wished to do good deeds and accumulate merit.

However, putting this software on the national network encountered some difficulty. Many well-known charitable organizations didn’t want this software promoted at all.

The specific reason was easy to guess. If such excellent software became known to the general public, wouldn’t they be forced by the public to use the same software?

If all expenses were publicly disclosed down to the last cent and subject to full societal scrutiny, how could they use donations from all corners of the world to buy luxury cars and mansions? This was cutting off their financial lifelines!

Clear water harbors no fish. The power structures behind charitable organizations were deeply entrenched and complex. Relatively small charities, unable to withstand public pressure, opted to switch to the new software.

But the most prominent charities, those backed by powerful figures, continued to go their own way. However, without comparison, there would be no gap evident to the public. The public donations they received dwindled. Eventually, they could only survive by accepting corporate charity aimed primarily at tax avoidance.

Jing Ke had no intention of butting heads with such groups. After all, she had handed over the core programs and codes to the higher-ups. She’d let them slowly debate how to handle it.

If they couldn’t bear to make the necessary sacrifices, then so be it. She wasn’t here to save all of humanity. She did all this more for Shao Qing, more for the Fortune.

–

The debate sparked by Song Xiaocao didn’t die down even after it left theaters. However, from a certain perspective, controversy was also a good thing. At the very least, it signified that more and more clear-headed women were emerging. They wouldn’t be easily domesticated; they possessed their own independent thoughts.

As the sole lead actress of Song Xiaocao, Shao Qing reaped both controversy and immense popularity. Many major international luxury brands approached her, wanting her to be their Asia region ambassador.

Regarding endorsements and resources, Shao Qing still handed them over to Sister Ke to manage. Let professionals handle professional matters. Shao Qing would endorse whatever Sister Ke vetted and selected.

As a flood of patriotic films and comedies flooded the market during the National Day holiday, the buzz surrounding Song Xiaocao gradually began to wane.

But at the end of the year, when major awards announced their nominations, Song Xiaocao once again broke out into the public consciousness with a stunning eight nominations.

[No way, eight nominations, isn’t that a bit too exaggerated? I admit Song Xiaocao was well-made, but is it really that incredible?]

[Hey buddy up front, you think changing your profile gender to female lets you pull off a reverse troll? Look at the disgusting comments you’ve posted.]

[Just sour grapes, huh. Could it be some producer whose trash film boasted a 300-million budget but only grossed ten million is hiring trolls?]

[I need to remind everyone here, the new regulations are actually being enforced now. Hundreds of people have been punished one after another. Almost every day, a few are dragged out and publicly made an example of.]

Once this news spread, most netizens’ attention shifted back to the Song Xiaocao film.

However, under the deterrence of the new regulations, bloggers with large followings mostly refrained from entering the fray. After all, once they publicly voiced an opinion, their likes could easily exceed five hundred, reaching the threshold for punishment.

Besides, the production quality of Song Xiaocao was virtually unassailable in every aspect. And Jing Ke, the biggest beneficiary, had donated the money to fund schools. A donation exceeding two billion was enough to earn Jing Ke praise from most state media outlets.

Winning all eight nominations was naturally impossible, but taking home half of those honors was not difficult for Song Xiaocao.

The Song Xiaocao crew’s first award was the Best Supporting Role Award, presented to Jiang Qingyi, who had played Song Xiaocao’s mentor for zero pay.

Jiang Qingyi’s appearance drew considerable attention and applause from the attending guests. Especially those artists of a similar age—they had witnessed Jiang Qingyi’s past glory and were genuinely happy to see her emerge from the shadows and stand here.

The Best Director Award was unsurprisingly awarded to Director Zhang. Whether judged by true skill or seniority, Director Zhang was the undisputed top choice.

Additionally, Song Xiaocao won the Best Story Award. The Assistant Director went up to accept the award. She choked up while speaking, and at least a third of her speech consisted of gratitude towards Jing Ke.

Saved for last to be revealed were naturally the most anticipated awards: Best Actor and Best Actress.

Song Xiaocao‘s plot had virtually no romantic storyline, nor did a so-called male lead even exist. So, the former award was certainly unrelated to the Song Xiaocao crew. In the end, the Best Actor award went to the lead from the National Day box office champion.

Patriotism is never a cold genre; in official selections, it holds significant advantages.

“Next up is the moment to reveal the winner of the Best Actress award. I believe everyone already has an answer in their hearts, right?” the host said with a smile.

As the host’s gaze swept towards the guest tables, the lighting technician wisely directed the spotlight onto Shao Qing and Jing Ke.

Following the camera’s pan, Jing Ke and Shao Qing, whispering intimately to each other, appeared on the live venue screen and the broadcast feed.

[Awooo, I knew it was my Qingqing wifey winning! After so many years, my Qingqing wifey has finally won Best Actress again!]

[JingQing CP is real! They didn’t even forget to whisper sweet nothings at this moment! Keep feeding me this sugar!]

[People up front must be new fans just joining the fandom. Boss Jing and Shao Qing’s content is endless! Whether it’s fan edits, fanfiction, or photos together, I could easily share several gigabytes worth.]

[What? I don’t believe it. Unless you show me!]

[Fine, I’ll post a drive link on my profile page soon. If you want it, go get it yourselves.]

[If you find it too much trouble, just look at Boss Jing and Shao Qing’s Weibo photo albums. The sugar there is overwhelming.]

[So sweet, ah. The jacket on my Qingqing wifey is definitely my Boss Jing’s.]

After a brief moment of building suspense, the large screen soon began playing classic clips from Song Xiaocao, and the host announced Shao Qing’s name.

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Shao Qing, draped in Jing Ke’s white suit jacket and wearing a red haute couture gown, walked onto the stage.

“Thank you all very much for your recognition and support. Thank you to Director Zhang for choosing me, and thank you to every hardworking staff member in the crew…” Shao Qing began the customary thank-you process, finally mentioning Jing Ke only at the end.

“I originally should have thanked Boss Jing as well. But Boss Jing has told me many times that, given our relationship, saying ‘thank you’ is too formal and distant. So, I won’t be distant.”

Shao Qing’s eyes curved like crescent moons. “Seizing this opportunity, I also want to announce one thing to everyone.”

After a three-second pause, Shao Qing proactively raised her left hand. The large, pink diamond on it was exceptionally dazzling.

“Your Boss Jing has agreed to marry me. From now on, she is my Jing Ke, and mine alone. Once the wedding date is set, I’ll have Jing Ke draw one hundred fans on Weibo to attend our wedding.”

Shao Qing declared, her smile even more radiant than when she received the trophy.

[What? What! My CP is getting married! Aaaaah! I can ship them for a lifetime!]

[Whoa, did you guys hear that? My Qingqing wifey proposed to Boss Jing! Shaoke is real after all! Never imagined that Boss Jing, who seems so formidable, would be the one proposed to. I absolutely love this type of contrast!]

[Boss Jing probably only shows this contrast around Shao Qing. I heard many marketing accounts got suspended precisely because they fabricated rumors about Shao Qing.]

[Suspended by Boss Jing? This reminds me of some old memories. I remember Shao Qing had a fan with amazingly good hacker skills. Could it be…]

[You guys are reading too much into things. Boss Jing specializes in finance and investment. She probably isn’t a hacker, right?]

[But wasn’t that awesome software written by Boss Jing?]

[Not written by Boss Jing, but by her employees. Boss Jing should be more like the client. I think official personnel were involved too.]

[True, Boss Jing is busy being all lovey-dovey with Qingqing wifey every day. She probably doesn’t have time to study computer science. Most importantly, Boss Jing’s hair is so thick and lush! She looks nothing like a programmer!]

At this moment, seeing public opinion successfully diverted, a certain hardworking government staff member finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Boss, it seems some fans have guessed that Teacher Jing knows how to code. Should we bolster the security detail?” the staff member asked.

“Do it. And send a team to conduct an advance inspection of Hildeya Island. Barring any surprises, your Teacher Jing’s wedding will be held there. The security work then must be flawless,” a certain official instructed.

The viewers watching the livestream had no idea that their idle speculation had caused a certain department considerable stress for quite some time. They continued to immersively flood the screen with barrage comments, clamoring for Boss Jing to come up on stage and show her face.

Public sentiment was overwhelming. Jing Ke wasn’t the shy or hesitant type either. Seeing that the organizers didn’t mind an investor like her taking the stage, she went up, sporting a blue diamond of the same style but different color.

“Thank you all for your support. I also hope you will continue to support Shao Qing,” Jing Ke said, taking the microphone. “I don’t plan to livestream the wedding ceremony, but we will select some photos afterward and share them online.”

“Oh, and on that day, we plan to select ninety-nine lucky individuals through a lottery platform. Each of them will receive nine hundred ninety-nine thousand.” Jing Ke added unhurriedly.

“I have no intention of provoking any gender conflict, but I can clearly sense that our female fans offer us more support. Therefore, ninety slots will be for female fans, and the remaining nine for male fans.”

Jing Ke paused, then said, “This is the ratio calculated after statistical analysis by professionals. Anyone who doubts me, please do not participate in the draw.”

“Finally, I hope more women can possess the same spirit as Song Xiaocao—indomitable, resilient, never admitting defeat. Dare to rebel against an unfair destiny, and bloom brilliantly wherever you may be,” Jing Ke concluded.

These were words they had decided upon while whispering together earlier. Neither Jing Ke nor Shao Qing wanted to overshadow the spotlight that rightfully belonged to the character Song Xiaocao.

[Sob, Boss Jing speaks so well! She not only says it, she’s also doing it together with Qingqing wifey!]

[My CP must last forever, never dying!]

[Boss Jing and Shao Qing will definitely be together forever! Even when I’m ninety-nine years old, I’ll still be collecting sweet moments from the JingQing CP!]