After a brief conversation, Deputy Director Shen of the Film Bureau took charge of the matter, even though Robin didn't get to meet the Director himself. He patted his chest and assured her, "Miss Robin, rest assured! As long as the film's quality is up to par, I guarantee it will pass censorship in record time!"
"Thank you so much," Robin replied, feeling a bit embarrassed by his enthusiasm. She even considered offering him a small gift, but she had rushed out without preparing anything. Could she really give him her autograph?
While Robin's signature was undoubtedly valuable, it didn't feel right to offer it as a gift, especially not unsolicited. Wouldn't that seem pretentious?
In the end, she left empty-handed, simply adding Deputy Director Shen on WeChat before departing.
Back in his office, Deputy Director Shen glanced at the bottle of baijiu on his desk. He immediately summoned a Film Bureau staff member and instructed them to return the liquor.
Deputy Director Shen didn't know what kind of film had managed to bring both Boss Wang and Robin to the Bureau on the same day. But when faced with this choice, there was no hesitation. He would undoubtedly side with Robin!
At first glance, Robin hadn't offered Deputy Director Shen any tangible benefits. But in reality, simply establishing a connection with her was a tremendous advantage in itself.
Moments later, Boss Wang happily returned to his company. Before he could even settle into his chair, an employee from the Film Bureau stood before him, clutching the bottle of baijiu.
Boss Wang blinked in confusion. "???"
Without a word, the employee turned and left, leaving Boss Wang utterly bewildered.
What the hell is going on? he wondered. Everything seemed fine just now. Why are they returning the gift so suddenly?
Even if Deputy Director Shen had accepted the baijiu but ultimately done nothing to help, Boss Wang wouldn't have been surprised. But returning the gift outright meant Deputy Director Shen was severing all ties!
Perplexed, Boss Wang racked his brain for answers. If the Film Bureau route was blocked, he still had other options. He could negotiate with cinemas to reduce screenings after the film's approval, or hire a troll army to smear its reputation online.
The former could wait. As for the latter, Boss Wang was already taking action. He contacted his usual troll army broker and outlined his requirements:
"There's a film called Honkai coming out soon. I want you to smear it indiscriminately, both before and after its release."
"Got it, boss!" the troll army leader replied.
As time passed, just three days later, discussions about the new film Honkai began to surface online.
"Hey, just heard a rumor! A new movie called Honkai Something-or-Other is coming out soon. Definitely worth keeping an eye on!"
"Really? I searched online, but I couldn't find any info about it. Do you think it'll be any good?"
"Absolutely amazing! I won't spoil anything, but trust me—just go see it when it's released. You won't regret it!"
"Alright, I'll take your word for it this time, OP!"
This was a community for film enthusiasts, and the original poster had previously recommended several excellent movies, earning him considerable trust among the members. Before long, the thread had amassed two to three hundred replies, showing promising engagement.
But soon after, Boss Wang's hired trolls, like sharks drawn to the scent of blood, descended upon the scene.
"What's this Honkai? Never even heard of it. If it's any good, pigs will fly!"
"Honestly, you'd be better off watching the Boy Who Cried Wolf movie adaptation. It's far better than this Honkai garbage. Sure, they're both brainless, but at least the former has some nostalgic value from the classic children's tale."
"Don't watch this! I traveled back from the future. I took my grandma to see this movie, and it was so awful, it gave her a heart attack and killed her! That's why I came back to warn everyone!"
"Ugh—just looking at the title makes me want to puke. It's so childish! Anyone who likes this must have underdeveloped brains."
In just a few hours, the initial two or three hundred replies had exploded to over two thousand, all filled with insults and slander. The handful of positive reviews were completely drowned out by the torrent of negativity.
The original poster was stunned. Wait, where did all these angry trolls come from? But his shock quickly turned to fury.
Criticizing the movie itself was one thing, but the fourth comment, for example, was insulting the fans!
The original poster was actually an employee of the Film Bureau. He had personally witnessed Robin visit the Bureau and declare her love for the movie. That's why he had recommended it in the first place.
But now, wasn't this person practically insulting Robin? How could they possibly tolerate that?!
Without hesitation, the original poster opened all five of their Robin's Fan Clubs and typed, "Family, someone's badmouthing Robin. What should we do?"
The group chats had been filled with calm chatter, but the moment this message appeared, the entire group fell silent for a few seconds—like the eerie calm before a storm.
The next second, phrases like "Who is it?", "Where are they?", and "He's doomed!" flooded the screen.
Meanwhile, the Troll Army had just completed their mission. The supervisor who had coordinated with Boss Wang picked up his chopsticks, ready for lunch, when an employee shouted, "Boss, trouble! Those people on the movie forum are starting to trash us!"
"Huh?" The supervisor paused, startled. Theoretically, they were only attacking the film itself, which hadn't even premiered yet and had no established fanbase. How could anyone be defending it? He nonchalantly replied, "If it's just a few people, ignore them."
After all, their mission was simply to drown out the positive reviews and turn public opinion against the film.
But the employee wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "Boss, the two thousand negative reviews we just posted have already been buried!"
The supervisor stared in disbelief. "???"
He checked his phone. The comment count on the targeted post had skyrocketed from two thousand to twenty thousand, and the number was still climbing rapidly.
What the hell is going on? he thought. Did they hire their own troll army?
As the supervisor scrutinized the comment section, despair crept across his face.
What? Robin likes this film?
What? We just insulted Robin?!
His gaze went blank, his lips trembling slightly. "We're doomed."