LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 21
Song Anti retweeted the promotional video for "Nishang," but it wasn't long before observant Sherlock Holmes fans noticed something was off. In the video, the seductive "Song Anti" was dancing, with a blue butterfly tattoo on her left lower back that seemed... not quite right.
Initially, only a few netizens questioned the proportionality issue, and it didn't cause much of a stir online, with very few replies.
However, just over ten minutes after these comments were posted, the official account deleted them all without a trace. This sudden and fierce action made netizens suspicious that something was amiss.
A Sherlock Holmes fan dug up magazine photos of Song Anti from before and superimposed a dotted grid on her lower back. It was clear that Song Anti's butterfly tattoo covered almost all of the squares.
However, when the same grid was applied to a screenshot from the video, the proportion of the butterfly to the entire lower back was reduced by almost a third.
This comparison directly disproved the fact that Song Anti had used a body double.
"What's going on? This dance wasn't performed by Song Anti, and Bai (the body double) got all excited for nothing."
"After careful observation, it's clear that the editing techniques used a body double, there's no face when dancing, and no dance when showing the face."
"Isn't this deceiving the audience?"
"Song Anti, are you embarrassed?"
"It's normal to use a body double during filming, why is she being criticized?"
"Feeling sorry for Song Anti."
"That's right, which A-list star hasn't used a body double? Don't try to create controversy for the sake of marketing!"
"Using a body double isn't the issue here, the problem is that Song Anti reposted the video and claimed that it was her performing the dance."
"That's right, using a body double isn't a big deal, but lying is... there's really no way to defend yourself."
"This is just shooting yourself in the foot."
Soon, the hashtag #SongAntiBodyDouble surged to the top of the trending searches.
The situation escalated, with online criticism and accusations that Song Anti lacked dancing skills and was lying about using a body double for the dance.
Many people also brought up Song Anti's dark history of stage performances during her days in a girl group, and compared it to the "Nishang" dance.
The comparison was a complete disaster.
"Feeling sorry for the dance double."
"That's right, the body double danced much better than Song Anti."
"Song Anti, do you have any shame?"
Forced to act, Song Anti had to delete the tweet claiming the dance as her own, and then posted another tweet: "Please pay more attention to my acting. [bows] [thank you]"
However, this tweet immediately sparked more questioning and dissatisfaction from viewers.
"Your acting isn't that great either, you know."
"Is it really that hard to admit that you lied?"
"Can you explain why you used a body double and misled netizens?"
"Is it because of your vanity?"
"You don't have many dance scenes, why don't you dance yourself? Isn't it hilarious that a former girl group member can't even dance?"
"Song Anti is now popular and busy with variety shows and endorsements every day, so where's the time to practice dancing? [laughs]"
"Fans of the original work say that the female lead is the greatest dancer in the Tang Dynasty, and they really don't want a star who can't even dance to play the part."
...
The body double incident had grown out of control, and Song Anti was at a loss as to how to handle it. Faced with no other choice, her agency had to issue an apology statement on her Weibo account, stating that they would not use body doubles and that Song Anti would dance the "Ni Chang" dance herself.
But it wasn't long before someone posted a video of Song Anti herself performing the dance, and compared it to the promotional footage that had been released earlier. The dancing was stiff and out of sync, and the fans of the original work who had previously been indifferent to Song Anti began to resist and attack her ferociously.
"Really, the plot had already been altered, and now they cast a celebrity without acting skills or talent like Song Anti to play the female lead, I absolutely object!"
"Her dance is so ugly that it's crying! If she plays the lead, the fans of the original work will never accept it!"
"Song Anti, don't ruin 'Ni Chang'!"
...
Since Song Anti gave up using a body double, Director Zhao immediately restored Bai Yin to the lead dancer position. Qiao Xinqi had fought hard to get the position, but now she had lost it to Bai Yin again, making her teeth itch with hatred. She whispered something in Song Anti's ear.
Song Anti was already in a bad mood due to the "mercury in retrograde" phase, and hearing Qiao Xinqi's words only made her angrier. She came to the set of the "Yu Hua Garden" in a rage.
Bai Yin was rehearsing a group dance with several girls, and one of them was asking her for advice. Bai Yin was very patient in explaining the movements and techniques.
Sun Lili was fanning herself on the side, watching Bai Yin with a smile, feeling relieved that everything had turned out okay.
Bai Yin wasn't someone who could be easily manipulated or set aside.
Song Anti had encountered her good tactics, and now she was experiencing them firsthand.
At this moment, Song Anti strode over, grabbed Bai Yin's collar, and forcefully pulled her out of the dance floor.
Sun Lili sensed that something was wrong and immediately tried to stop her, but Bai Yin gave her a glance.
Years of understanding made Sun Lili immediately stop in her tracks.
"Good, Bai Yin, I didn't expect you to have this trick up your sleeve."
Bai Yin shook off Song Anti's hand and smiled, "What are you talking about, Ni Jie?"
"Don't think I don't know, the tattoo incident, you did it on purpose. You didn't want to be my dance partner and were waiting for a chance to frame me!"
"First of all, you asked me to get the tattoo. If you had chosen to remove your own tattoo, this wouldn't have happened."
"Secondly, the tattoo artist has restored the full view of the tattoo according to your design, but the size can't be exactly the same because your waist is thicker than mine. Lastly, I hope you understand the point. The netizens are attacking you not because of using a body double, but because you lied."
Bai Yin's words were logical and clear--
All of this was Song Anti's own doing, and she had only herself to blame.
Song Anti's cheeks turned red, veins bulging on her temples, and her neck felt like a boiling kettle.
With a loud "smack," she slapped Bai Yin across the face.
Everyone present was stunned, and a few backup dancers gasped in shock. They never expected Song Anti to resort to violence.
Five distinct hand prints appeared on Bai Yin's fair cheek.
"You wretch! You deserve to die!" Song Anti was about to strike again, but several crew members immediately stepped in to restrain her. "Calm down, Miss Song, don't act impulsively!"
Song Anti hysterically shouted, "So you want to challenge me? You want to enter the entertainment industry? As long as I'm here, you can forget about it for the rest of your life!"
The assistants led the agitated Song Anti away from the dance floor.
Director Zhao Xun approached Bai Yin and comforted her, "Don't worry about her. In the entertainment industry, this kind of injustice is inevitable. Just try to be more accommodating."
Bai Yin understood Zhao Xun's meaning.
The entertainment industry is a place where seniority matters. As an unknown, she was bound to be bullied by those who were more powerful. To protect herself, she had to climb to the top.
She rubbed her slightly numb left cheek and turned to look at Sun Lili.
Sun Lili clenched her teeth, her hands trembling, and gave her a reassuring look.
That afternoon, the hashtag #Song Anti Hits Someone on Set# surged to the top of the trending list, with a bright red "explosive" label attached.
Clicking on the trending topic, the first video that appeared showed Song Anti's arrogant and domineering behavior, like a proud rooster. The crisp sound of her slap against Bai Yin's face was clearly audible.
"You wretch! You deserve to die!"
"So you want to challenge me? You want to enter the entertainment industry? As long as I'm here, you can forget about it for the rest of your life!"
Such harsh and domineering words, along with the image of a shrew, instantly overturned her "goddess of historical dramas" character.
Netizens' criticisms came like a tidal wave:
"Oh my god, Song Anti's words... so vicious!"
"Compared to her usual pure image on screen, she's like a completely different person."
"I can't believe I've been a fan of this woman for so long."
"Don't ever pursue stars with true feelings. Being disappointed is too painful."
"Song Anti must have had a reason for doing this!"
"Isn't it just because her stand-in was discovered and she got embarrassed?"
"I feel sorry for this backup dancer."
"Did anyone else notice that this backup dancer looks a lot like the fan dancer from a while ago?"
"Oh yeah, it's her!"
"No wonder, only she could perform the Ni Chang dance so beautifully."
"Amazing!"
...
In the top-floor office of the Canxing Group, Chen Huaixiao ended the video call and sat at his desk, carefully reviewing the report on the next quarter's variety show planning that his supervisor had sent him.
Shen Bin walked over and whispered to him, "Master Chen, Song Anti just caused a scene on set."
Chen Huaixiao remained expressionless. "Is this such a big deal that it needs to be reported to me?"
Shen Bin swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty, "I'm worried about Madam being treated unfairly."
“What’s your concern about my woman?” Chen Huaixiao’s voice was calm. “And who dares to mistreat her?”
Shen Bin quickly retreated from the office, realizing he had stepped on a landmine.
At that moment, Chen Huaixiao's phone buzzed with a news alert:
"Song Anti loses her temper on set, ruining her image! Substitute actress slapped!"
Chen Huaixiao furrowed his brows slightly and clicked on the article. Although he had expected Bai Yin's move to be a trick, seeing the slap land on her soft, delicate skin made his heart skip a beat, feeling the pain as if it were his own.
...
A few minutes later, Shen Bin saw the CEO storm out of his office with a scowl and stride purposefully to his desk. His hand was trembling.
“Besides 'Nishang', does Song Anti have other engagements?” Chen Huaixiao asked, his tone cold and commanding.
“Yes,” Shen Bin replied hastily. “She's scheduled to participate in the variety show 'Celebrity Challenge' this weekend, followed by a fashion endorsement shoot next Wednesday and a romance reality show the week after that…”
Before Shen Bin could finish, Chen Huaixiao cut him off curtly. “Cancel them all.”
“What?” Shen Bin was taken aback. “You mean…”
“All of Song Anti’s engagements in the next six months are canceled,” Chen Huaixiao said, suppressing his anger. “I want to blacklist her.”
Shen Bin swallowed hard, secretly impressed.
Chen Huaixiao had been generous with new actors in the past, never holding a grudge for their mistakes. This was the first time he had taken such a drastic step to blacklist an artist!