Translator: Yunyi Editor: Yunyi
The average person couldn’t possibly be as cruel as Elder Nangong.
After all, he even went as far as to hold his own great-granddaughter hostage. What couldn’t he do for the sake of revenge?
So, ‘The Wild Dog Crisis’ ended up being released at the end of December as the old man had hoped. However, as an old name in the industry, the agency that produced the film didn’t initially receive the attention that they expected. It wasn’t until the next day, when scandals broke out, that the American audience finally took notice of them.
“OMG! Supposedly, one of our films plagiarized a Chinese film. I can’t believe it.”
“I don’t believe the Chinese could possibly write anything good, but they did indeed start screening first.”
“What a joke! What hasn’t the Chinese plagiarized in the past? How could they have the audacity to make an accusation like this?”
The news quickly got hyped up because it involved the clash of two cultures.
Plus, Hollywood was a place where everyone in entertainment aimed for. How could they say that a Hollywood agency plagiarized the Chinese?
Even if the Westerners were beaten to death, they’d still refuse to believe it.
Because of this scandal, the Americans began to take note of ‘The Wild Dog Crisis’, as well as Tangning’s film, ‘The Ant Queen 2’. On one hand, they ridiculed the Chinese for their filming techniques, while on the other, they praised their own country’s production for having an improved storyline.
They were completely shameless. Even though Tangning’s film had started screening so far ahead, they still managed to grasp onto it to create hype and benefit from it.
A little while later, the American film agency announced that they would be seriously dealing with the accusations and claimed that a Chinese explosives technician stole their script and leaked it. On top of that, they also revealed evidence that the man had worked on the set of ‘The Ant Queen 2’.
“We are going to punish the Chinese agency for what they’ve done. Our lawyers will be contacting them soon. I hope ‘The Ant Queen 2’ can be taken out of the theaters as a sign of respect.”
The Americans expressed their standpoint clearly, but that wasn’t the main issue. The main issue was the fact that the Chinese audience ended up being successfully riled up as well.
Plagiarizm was something that no one could accept, especially when their favorite, Tangning, and the country’s biggest agency, Hai Rui, were involved. If even their Hai Rui’s production couldn’t be trusted, then there was honestly no hope left for the domestic sci-fi market.
So, netizens began to express their opinions online.
“I think the Americans are being shameless and twisting the truth. ‘The Ant Queen 2’ obviously started screening first. How could they claim that they plagiarized off them?”
“Are the Americans using their power to bully the weak?”
“I’ve seen both movies. The similarities lie in just one particular supporting character; even their lines are pretty much the same. But, I can’t tell who plagiarized who.”
“Does Hollywood need to copy from others?”
“Don’t blame me for being blunt, the two films have the same lines, but the lines definitely fit the context of ‘The Ant Queen 2’ more. In the American film, it’s a bit out of place.”
“I’ve also seen the American film. To be honest, it’s not up to Hollywood standard. The plot is all over the place; even the protagonist doesn’t have a main plot line. It’s simply filled with blood and action. If we’re talking about plagiarizm, I’m sure it was the Americans that plagiarized!”
All of a sudden, the entire internet was filled with discussions. But, of course, Elder Nangong successfully affected ‘The Ant Queen 2’s’ momentum, because a lot of people started to shift to a neutral standpoint. At least, until the copyright was confirmed, they weren’t planning to buy any tickets to watch it.”
For ‘The Ant Queen 2’ to experience such an incident while they were at their highest point, was quite a sudden blow.
Especially when the Americans acted frighteningly fast. Right after they said they were contacting Hai Rui, they immediately jumped on the next plane and headed towards Beijing.
The Americans acted like they were telling the truth and put up a strong and intimidating front.
But, only those involved, knew why this was happening.
As Su Youran and Nangong Quan sat at home watching the news, they were both furious and shocked. If Little Eggshell wasn’t in Elder Nangong’s hands, they may have already stepped forward to betray the old man. But, now that their daughter was in his hands, they were afraid to tread recklessly.
The public wanted Hai Rui to provide an explanation because the scandal involved national pride. If even an agency like Hai Rui turned to plagiarizm, what hope did the industry have left?
Because of this matter, Fang Yu ended up holding a press conference. As he stood on the stage, he said confidently to the media, “Thank you everyone for your concern regarding this scandal. Please let me provide an explanation on behalf of Hai Rui.”
“Firstly, the script for ‘The Ant Queen 2’, which was produced by Tangning and distributed by Hai Rui, was completely written by the hands Hai Rui’s CEO, Mo Ting. Here is the original handwritten draft with clearly marked dates. Which means, even before ‘The Ant Queen 2’ started filming, there was already a confirmed script. At that time, Mr. Ceng, hadn’t even joined the crew yet. So, how could he have possibly leaked information for us to plagiarize?”
“Moreover, the final scripts and synopsis in every single actor’s hands were issued on specific dates. Which meant, nothing changed during filming. So, how did the plagiarizm occur?”
“Secondly, I’m sure everyone heard about the explosion that happened on the set of ‘The Ant Queen 2’. The explosives technician that’s in question, was the culprit behind the explosion. Even as we speak, the police are still trying to find him. But, according to one of our actors, he caught the man sneaking glances at his script during his break. Could it be possible that this man ran away to The States and leaked our script to the Americans instead?”
“Thirdly, we’ve analysed the plot of both films. I’m sure everyone can tell which film the ‘plagiarized portion’ is more suited to.”
“A film that’s involved genuine hard work compared to a film that’s riding on the coattails of Hollywood; I’m sure everyone can tell which one’s more sincere.”
“The following, are words from Tangning herself: I’ve never thought about surpassing anyone, nor have I dreamed about going to Hollywood. I simply want the domestic sci-fi market to flourish.”
“I’ve already expressed my thoughts towards Hollywood in the past and I don’t think our abilities are any less than them.”
“So, I hope that everyone can trust the ‘The Ant Queen 2’. From production until release, our film had nothing to do with the Americans. We will leave the rest with our lawyers…”
