However, after watching the recorded video, Hu Guangxu's expression became even more bewildered.
His eyes were wide, and his face was filled with doubt about reality.
Hu Guangxu pointed to the video on his phone, "Are you sure this wasn't photoshopped as a prank?"
The assistant director shook his head bitterly, "No, this is the live broadcast footage. Otherwise, this matter wouldn't have escalated so quickly."
"Holy—"
Hu Guangxu blurted out, then abruptly stopped, clutching his chest and gasping for air.
The assistant director's bitter and helpless mood suddenly improved a lot.
At least he didn't have to worry about such a situation.
It was hard to say whether Director Hu was lucky or unlucky to have a girl like Jian Sheng.
After tens of seconds, Hu Guangxu finally managed to calm his racing heart and deeply felt the malice of the world.
He pointed at the video, his finger trembling, "If it's not a fake composite video, then tell me how a little girl not yet five years old managed to split it?"
The assistant director hesitated, "Perhaps, it was a prop prepared in advance?"
Hu Guangxu paused.
He could accept the answer that it was a pre-made prop more readily than the idea of the little girl possessing supernatural strength.
However, he was sure that this wasn't a script fabricated by their program team for the sake of generating buzz.
The comments on Weibo were even more unbearable than those in the live stream.
Most of these netizens still maintained a basic level of rationality and human decency. Even though they felt the live stream of Jian Sheng splitting wood was fake at first glance, they hesitated to directly criticize the little girl due to her age.
Therefore, the target of their anger shifted to the program team, accused of "writing scripts, creating personas, and faking things to deceive the audience."
Below the video, and on the official Weibo account of the program team, were filled with accusations and curses directed at the program team.
As the chief director of the program team and the person being criticized, Hu Guangxu naturally knew that he had not arranged this scene.
In fact, their planning only regulated the content of the game tasks within the program, and they had no intention of creating a persona for any celebrity.
He also believed that his subordinates, the other middle and lower-level staff, would not dare to play such a trick behind his back.
The current question was, was the piece of wood that Jian Sheng split real or a prop?
Hu Guangxu sighed deeply.
He was unwilling to suspect the little girl and those around her. Therefore, despite being half-believing the assistant director's words, he immediately contacted Jiang Bin, who was on-site.
"Xiao Jiang, go and check if the piece of wood that Jian Sheng split is real or fake."
"If it's real, do whatever you need to do."
"If it's fake... change the subject and move past this matter. I'll handle the subsequent public relations."
After giving instructions, the assistant director cautiously asked, "If it turns out that Jian Sheng's people bribed the program team, what are you going to do?"
Hu Guangxu glanced at him.
"What else can I do? We'll just fabricate a non-existent person to take the blame. Otherwise, don't you think such a young child like Jian Sheng can withstand the scolding and attacks from netizens who enjoy seeing trouble?"
The assistant director found it unbelievable, "If it's really fake, you'll just let them off so easily?"
Hu Guangxu rolled his eyes, his voice very cold.
"I just don't want the little girl to be attacked by so many people online. But those involved in this matter, whoever needs to pay breach of contract fees will pay them, whoever needs to leave the industry will leave, and for those who refuse to leave, let's see if anyone in the circle is willing to have them."
The assistant director shivered.
Director Hu's temper had mellowed considerably as he got older.
Many people had forgotten how he, starting from an ordinary person with no background, had risen to his current position.
Now, it seemed someone was going to have a bad time.
The assistant director sighed inwardly, feeling a bit sorry for the little girl named Jian Sheng.
In his heart, he had already subconsciously concluded that Jian Sheng splitting the wood was a scene staged using props.
-
In the farmhouse courtyard.
After a moment of silent stillness.
Jian Xiuhuan was about to speak, then stopped. He wanted to ask the little girl if her current strength also originated from her mysterious cultivation.
But this was really not a suitable place to discuss such matters, so he remained silent and chose to wait and see.
After the initial shock, others had various expressions.
Some were still dumbfounded, some looked surprised and uncertain, and some had suspicion written all over their faces...
Indeed, was it too much for them to accept her showing just a little more strength?
Thinking back, when she was at the Jian family, she hadn't fully understood the situation in this world and had impulsively revealed so much. It was truly her good fortune that her maternal uncles could accept her so quickly.
Jian Sheng repeated the excuse she had thought of in her mind.
'Wow, you guys actually believed it? I found two pre-split wooden blocks from the woodpile, put them together, and pretended I split them. You guys actually believed it?'
This was the excuse Jian Sheng had prepared in advance.
If she said this, regardless of whether people believed her or not, at least on the surface, it would be plausible.
Jian Sheng hid the axe she was carrying behind her back again, gave a somewhat forced smile, and was about to speak.