"Order, please! Maintain order!"
Security personnel were managing the crowded press conference venue, which was now packed to capacity.
With the support of Bilibili staff, the setup had an added air of grandeur.
"Firefly, Dan Heng! Look—so many people showed up! Are they all our fans?" March 7th, Firefly, and the others were observing the bustling crowd from the second floor.
"I wouldn't be so sure." Su Chen took a sip of his fizzy soy milk. "Some of these faces look familiar."
Firefly focused intently, studying several people before speaking up.
"I think I recognize a few from when I was job-hunting at the film studio."
Dan Heng stroked his chin. "They're extras? But who hired them? Boss Su Chen, was it you?"
"Not me. I don't go for flashy stunts like this. Unless… no way?"
Su Chen scratched his head vigorously.
Is this Scott's doing?
Highly likely!
He's the only one sleazy enough
to hire extras to sabotage the event.
Totally his style.
I didn't expect this—Tenghua's been quiet lately.
No hired trolls spamming the comments, no smear campaigns…
Were they saving their move for today?
No, that doesn't fit a big corporation's playbook.
Something this blatant?
Tenghua wouldn't have gotten this far if they pulled stunts like this.
Big companies prefer the slow boil.
My guess? Scott's gone rogue.
After all, lone wolves like him
don't operate by normal logic!
"Let's see what kind of show you're trying to put on."
Still, to ensure safety, Su Chen turned to the group with a firm warning.
"Remember, no matter what happens,
don't act impulsively. No moves without my signal!
Dan Heng, keep an eye on things."
Dan Heng didn't respond verbally, but his nod was agreement enough.
——
Soon, 10 AM arrived.
Though the venue was originally a sales center, it had never been fully utilized,
leaving the space largely empty and easy to repurpose.
Now, it resembled a grand auditorium.
All eyes were on Su Chen as he stood at the podium,
a massive projection screen behind him.
His past life as a content creator had steeled his nerves for moments like this.
Firefly, March 7th, and the others sat in the front row, giving him exaggerated thumbs-ups
and mouthing, "Y~o~u~ g~o~t~ t~h~i~s~, B~o~s~s~!!!"
Su Chen chuckled, then tapped the microphone to check the audio.
Raising it to his lips, he began:
"Hello, everyone. I'm Su Chen, founder of 'miHoYo Film & Television Development Co., Ltd.'
—the company destined to shake the universe!"
He struck a pose, radiating over-the-top confidence.
"Huh?"
The audience stared blankly.
March 7th buried her face in her hands. "Dan Heng… is that really our boss?"
"Did playing the Trailblazer for days somehow absorb his… abstract energy?"
Firefly, however, beamed. "But it's just like always! I think it's spirited!"
"Uh… sure. If you say so."
——
Noticing the crowd's bewildered expressions, Su Chen cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem. Let me introduce our upcoming web series."
He clicked a remote,
and the screen behind him displayed the train logo alongside "Honkai: Star Rail."
"As you can see, this is our series' title—
a story about interstellar exploration!
Though to be precise, the stage isn't just the stars…
but the countless planets scattered across the cosmos."
"Hey!" A certain anonymous Scott—
sporting a fake mustache—stood up abruptly.
"Who even understands all this 'interstellar' 'cosmos' 'planets' jargon?
How many shows these days bait-and-switch their premises?
Remember the 'great' Shanghai Fortress?
The marketing was everywhere—no one had a bad word to say before release.
And how'd that turn out? 2.1 rating!!!
Worst of all, they'd already recouped costs from pre-sales alone!
Infuriating, right?
Mr. Su Chen!
Seems like miHoYo's following the same playbook!
You've only released a few videos so far,
yet suddenly the entire internet's singing miHoYo's praises?
How's that possible without some shady backing?"
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"
A chorus of agreement rose from the crowd.
"Is that Scott? Does he think a fake mustache fools anyone?"
Firefly's fists clenched audibly. "I can't take this—I'm gonna crush him!"
Dan Heng sighed. "Don't. If you hit him, he's dead.
Boss Su Chen said it himself—Scott's time is almost up."
——
Meanwhile,
Bilibili's livestream of the event had devolved into chaos since Scott's outburst.
[Okay, he's got a point. Is miHoYo planning something shady?]
[True, miHoYo came out of nowhere. After 'A Short Play' went viral thanks to influencers, suddenly Bilibili's promoting them too. Feels like manufactured hype.]
[Wow, grandma wouldn't fall for that, but you did! What conspiracy? It's organic support from fans!]
[Then explain why so many creators are suddenly hyping Star Rail? How much did they get paid?]
[Wrong. Here's the truth: Creators noticed videos praising Star Rail get boosted, so they jumped on the bandwagon for easy clicks.]
[Yep. Meanwhile, critical videos get buried. Every. Single. Time.]
[Wait, that does track…]
[This is ridiculous. A great series is about to drop, and now this drama? Tall trees catch the wind, huh?]
[All we want is a good show. What's your problem?]
[Name one bad short so far—A Short Play, Dramatic Irony, Episode 0—all top-tier. They outclass most web series already!]
[Ever heard of 'all the good parts are in the trailer'? Pre-release and final product could be totally different!]
[Exactly! They're just buttering us up before the cash grab. Watch—Su Chen's about to announce a paywall model. Just wait!]
[Now that you mention it, Kafka and Silver Wolf's outfits are kinda fanservice-y…]
[Classic. Now we're attacking the actors?]
[The show's the show, the actors are the actors. Don't mix them up.]
[Look at Kafka and Silver Wolf's designs—clearly engineered to pander to male viewers!]
——
Onstage, Su Chen faced Scott's accusations with a calm smile.
"Ah, so that's your concern. No problem!
I can give the entire internet an answer that'll leave no room for doubt. How's that sound?"