Chapter 512: "Disguiser" Airs, and Qi Fei Becomes a Hit

Wu Yun had the call on speaker, so he switched from the call screen to his Weibo account. Just as he expected, it was flooded with apologies.

“I’m so sorry, President Wu! I was just running my mouth. Please, be the bigger person and drop the case!”

“I was wrong! I shouldn’t have said those things! I’m sorry! Please don’t sue me!”

“SOB… What am I going to do?! I don’t want to go to jail! I’m so sorry~”

…

Wu Yun sneered. “You really have to hold a knife to their throats before they understand the stakes.”

Wu Yun’s mind drifted to the keyboard warriors of the future—people who ran their mouths off just for the thrill of it—and the tragedies that resulted from their cyberbullying.

Wu Yun felt he needed to set a precedent, to teach these netizens that words have consequences.

“Lawyer Zhang! Don’t withdraw a thing. We’re moving forward with the lawsuits! We need to teach these people a lesson they won’t forget!”

“If you succeed, I believe this case will become the benchmark for all similar incidents in the country. It could even help curb a great deal of cyberbullying!”

“This is a monumental undertaking!”

“And of course, funding will not be an issue.”

Hearing Wu Yun’s words, Zhang Guowei sounded like he’d been injected with pure adrenaline. “Don’t you worry, President Wu!” he said excitedly. “We will give it our all! We will see this heroic undertaking through to the end!”

Wu Yun simply said, “Good.” Just as he was about to hang up, he heard Zhang Guowei shouting on the other end, “Alright, everyone, listen up! Notify our colleagues in the other firms—video conference at eight tonight!”

After Wu Yun hung up, Qi Fei asked, “Xiaoyunzi, don’t you think this is a bit much? You shouldn’t worry about what these people think! You’ll wear yourself out.”

Wu Yun raised an eyebrow. “A bit much? No. I’m defending my legal rights.”

“Feifei, when you get famous, if a bunch of haters pop up and spend all day trying to ruin your mood… it’s one thing if you never see it, but if you did, could you really just ignore it?”

Qi Fei thought about it and shook her head.

Wen Meng chimed in, “I’ve read news stories like that. There was one about a person on the edge of a roof, hesitating to jump, and people in the crowd below were actually goading them on.”

“Shouting things like, ‘Jump! You’re a coward if you don’t!'”

“And in the end, the person really did jump.”

Wu Yun nodded. “Exactly. That’s why I’m going to make these people who run their mouths pay the price. And as it happens, I have all the time and money in the world to play their little game.”

“Mr. Wu, young ladies, dinner is served!”

Aunt Wang called out to the three of them chatting on the sofa as she placed the dishes on the table.

Wu Yun stood and pulled both women up from the sofa, one with each hand. “Time to eat! Feifei’s show is on right after dinner!”

When they reached the dining table, Wen Meng looked at the spread of four dishes and a soup and sighed, “What a feast! This is so much better than the food on set.”

…

The living room TV was on, displaying the Mango TV station screen.

A countdown to the show’s premiere appeared in the top-right corner of the screen.

“Hurry! It’s about to start!”

The three of them quickly finished dinner and returned to the sofa.

Wu Yun sat in the middle and opened his arms. Taking the cue, Qi Fei and Wen Meng settled on either side, leaning comfortably into his embrace.

Just then, the theme song for *Disguiser* began to play on the TV.

A montage of thrilling scenes played along with the music. Combined with all the recent promotions, it sent the audience’s anticipation into overdrive.

Wu Yun clicked his tongue in appreciation. “Feifei, I have to say, you look amazing in a qipao.”

“I just had a great idea. How about you two wear qipaos for me tonight? Heh heh heh…”

Suddenly, Wu Yun felt two different pairs of small hands pinch the tender skin of his inner thighs, making him suck in a sharp breath.

“Ow, ow, ow!”

Qi Fei tilted her head up and gave Wu Yun’s chin a playful nip. “See if that stops you from getting any more wild ideas!”

“It’s starting!”

—

As *Disguiser* began to air, viewers watching online were immediately drawn into the story.

The audience was captivated by the gripping plot, full of twists and turns, and they immediately began speculating about the characters and what would happen next.

When the second episode aired, Qi Fei’s portrayal of Yu Manli stunned everyone the moment she appeared on screen. Netizens who hadn’t seen the promos and were watching the show for the first time flooded the forums with comments.

“I need all the info on the actress playing Yu Manli in thirty seconds!”

“That shot from behind… her figure is to die for!”

“Hasn’t anyone seen her face yet?”

When Yu Manli finally put on her military uniform, her disheveled hair created a kind of messy beauty that captivated a whole new set of viewers.

“Ah! I can’t take it anymore! I officially declare myself a fan of Yu Manli! I’m watching this show to the end just for this actress!”

Of course, there were also a few timid comments: “Uh, doesn’t anyone care about Hu Ge? This is the first time I’ve seen him in a WWII-era spy drama! And I have to say, his acting is incredible!”

Just then, a netizen posted Qi Fei’s information.

“The actress playing Yu Manli is Qi Fei. I just looked her up—she’s still a student at the Modu Drama Academy! Judging by the plot, Yu Manli seems like a major character. Tsk, tsk. This Qi Fei is no simple character herself!”

“Hahaha! Look at the way Hu Ge is staring at her, he’s totally stunned!”

“And Qi Fei’s fighting skills are impressive! You can tell from her moves that she’s had training! That whole scene was a single take!”

…

The scene where Yu Manli beats up Ming Tai in the bathroom sparked widespread discussion among netizens. Of course, there were a few dissenting voices, questioning Qi Fei’s acting and suggesting she’d used connections to get the part, but they were quickly drowned out by the flood of positive reviews.

As the second episode concluded, Yu Manli appeared with her hair in a neat bun, dressed in her military uniform. Even the baggy uniform couldn’t conceal her valiant and dashing aura.

This was especially true in the final scene, where she fought off multiple opponents.

Thanks to the many private combat instructors Wu Yun had hired for her in Modu, Qi Fei had long since mastered stand-up fighting techniques.

Her skill had greatly impressed the director, Li Xue, during filming. Originally, Li Xue had planned to use quick cuts and editing tricks to emphasize Yu Manli’s combat prowess.

But Qi Fei’s ability made him change his plans; he felt like he had struck gold.

Combined with her solid background in dance, she executed the fight choreographer’s moves flawlessly, resulting in that incredible single-take fight scene.

“AHHH! I know it’s all choreographed, but I feel like Qi Fei’s punches landed right on my heart!~”

“To the guy above: take a look in the mirror! Have those zits on your face cleared up yet?”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“Hahaha! He’s calling you a toad!”

“So what? This toad wants a taste of swan meat!”

As the ending theme began to play, the two-episode premiere came to a close. Instantly, the internet erupted in a collective cry of despair.

“AHH! Two episodes isn’t enough! I demand Mango TV release more!”

“Sigh, now we have to wait until tomorrow!”

…

The premiere of *Disguiser* was cause for celebration all around.

The executives at Mango TV saw the ratings for the time slot, which had shown a steady upward trend throughout the broadcast, eventually breaking into the top three for concurrent viewership.

They were grinning from ear to ear. At this rate, the ratings for future episodes were bound to be even higher.

The distributors of *Disguiser* and director Li Xue knew they had a hit on their hands. They had signed a performance-based contract with Mango TV—the higher the ratings, the greater their share of the profits.

Based on tonight’s performance, they would not only recoup their investment in *Disguiser* but make a hefty profit. Everyone involved breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The internet was overwhelmingly positive about *Disguiser*, with many people spontaneously recommending the show to their friends, getting them to watch a spy drama—a genre typically favored by the older generation.

The character of Yu Manli left countless netizens wanting more. As a result, Qi Fei’s long-registered but quiet Weibo account suddenly exploded in popularity.

Song Qin called, her voice buzzing with excitement. “Feifei! You’ve blown up!”