127 Taking Words Out of Context

Li Daniu was indeed the ruler of a nation, but that nation was small and impoverished—so insignificant that no power in the world took it seriously. Unlike a British royal groomed from childhood in courtly etiquette, Li Daniu was an outsider who had suddenly appeared, having crossed over to take the place of the original king.

So, was there really any need to observe royal protocol? What good was royal etiquette? Could it feed anyone?

With a mindset of “live and let live, but if someone crosses me, I won’t repay kindness with ingratitude,” Li Daniu logged onto his EyeBook account and responded directly to the news report.

“What name I choose has nothing to do with you, with America, or with anyone else in the world. I love the Chinese language and Chinese culture—that’s my personal right. Does America forbid people who use Chinese names from making movies or writing here? Is equality and freedom just empty talk? I’m not an American citizen, yet some people complain about the language of my name. To those immigrants with American green cards, my advice is simple: leave quickly. You’re not welcome here; Tuvalu welcomes you instead.”

After posting this message, Li Daniu tagged the Hollywood Daily’s account, along with several American human rights organizations, the U.S. government, the immigration bureau, and a number of foreign immigrants with large followings on EyeBook.

Just as the Hollywood Daily had intended with their article, within a few hours, netizens across the United States were well aware of the report, and the paper’s daily sales skyrocketed.

However, ninety percent of the attention they received was in the form of opposition.

Although racial discrimination frequently surfaced in America, when these issues were laid bare, the hypocrisy of many Americans led them to take the moral high ground and fiercely criticize the Hollywood Daily without mercy.

Despite its name, the Hollywood Daily was nothing more than a second-rate tabloid, typically filled with celebrity gossip—often fabricated—to boost sales. If anyone sued them, they would be delighted, as lawsuits only increased their fame and sales.

In America, lawsuits wasted not only time but also a fortune, because legal fees were the highest in the world.

Many celebrities ignored such tabloids because it wasn’t worth the trouble; often, the more you refuted gossip, the more people believed it.

What Hollywood Daily didn’t anticipate was that Li Daniu wouldn’t sue them. Instead, he seized on their selective editing and sensationalism, leveraging his massive fanbase and the hypocritical human rights rhetoric prevalent in America to turn public opinion against the paper.

Celebrities who had previously been targeted by the tabloid gleefully shared and liked Li Daniu’s EyeBook post.

Although these celebrities weren’t mega-stars, their combined following was a formidable force.

Previously, without a leader, they couldn’t unite. But now with Li Daniu at the forefront, they naturally aligned themselves with the momentum. After all, this gave them the moral high ground.

They could exact revenge on those who had wronged them while boosting their own reputations—what was there to lose?

Meanwhile, a faction espousing white supremacy and American exceptionalism openly supported Hollywood Daily’s report, even using it as a basis to vociferously call for immigrants to be expelled from the United States.

These two opposing camps clashed irreconcilably, igniting a fierce internet war.

This uproar was unprecedented because no public figure with over forty million followers had ever voiced opinions like Li Daniu’s before.

For public figures, many matters are too sensitive to openly take sides, because once they do, they must bear the full brunt of any ensuing conflict.

Li Daniu was unfazed by such burdens. He didn’t rely on fame to survive; fame only accelerated his future earnings but did not affect their magnitude.

As America plunged into controversy, netizens from across the ocean in China also bypassed internet restrictions to join discussions on American forums and prominent public accounts.

Because Li Daniu’s EyeBook posts were visible to his Chinese followers—and though his post was in English, that was no obstacle for Chinese netizens—they quickly understood the situation.

Upon learning the full story, over a million Chinese netizens rallied to support Li Daniu, whom they viewed as an international friend, and began targeting Hollywood Daily and those advocating for immigrants to be driven out of America.

The Hollywood Daily’s owner, initially proud that the entire nation was talking about his paper, soon grew uneasy when he saw that twenty percent of subscribers had canceled their next day’s orders despite having prepaid. Some foreign immigrants were even organizing protests outside the paper’s headquarters—though he failed to realize that most of the protest rhetoric on his website was actually posted by Chinese netizens using VPNs.

“You idiots! Even if sales multiply tenfold, it won’t make up for losing twenty percent of pre-orders,” the Hollywood Daily’s owner banged his fist on the desk in his office, shouting at his editor-in-chief.

“And now they’re organizing protests demanding the government shut us down. What do you suggest we do?”

The editor-in-chief felt utterly defeated. Though he was a capable editor, the owner personally reviewed every print edition, knowing exactly which people to offend and which to avoid.

“Didn’t you praise this article just last night?”

“Boss, this Li Daniu is twisting things. We never discriminated against immigrants. Even if we did, he has no right to complain—he’s not an American immigrant.”

“Stop wasting my time!” the owner slammed the desk again, roaring, “I know he’s twisting things, but I want solutions, not excuses about his qualifications to speak. And isn’t twisting facts your usual tactic? How come this time we got caught?”

“We’re trying to change the subject, boss. We must never admit to discriminating against immigrants. Let’s shift focus to the poor sales of his new book.”

“Then what are you waiting for? If you can’t fix this, pack your bags and get out.”

Fleeing the owner’s wrath, the editor conferred with other staff before posting an article on the Hollywood Daily’s EyeBook account.

“We hereby issue a formal apology for any inappropriate statements in our previous report. However, we did not intend to discriminate against immigrants or any language or culture. The main point of the article was simply that the renowned author Li Daniu’s new ‘Harry Potter’ book’s sales and reception failed to meet the expectations of ‘Lord of the Rings’ fans. Nothing more—please do not take things out of context.”

When situations go south, playing humble and shifting the topic is their usual ploy.

Yet, to force a media outlet known for distorting facts to plead “please don’t take things out of context” was a first for Li Daniu.

Upon seeing this post, Li Daniu immediately replied with a new update:

“This apology lacks any sincerity. Whether or not it’s taken out of context, netizens’ eyes are sharp. If you really didn’t mean it, they wouldn’t be accusing you. As for your claim that my ‘Harry Potter’ book’s sales and reputation are poor, I firmly disagree—it’s only been three weeks since release. Regarding whether it disappoints ‘Lord of the Rings’ fans, I say every story creates a different world; differences naturally bring supporters and detractors. Just as even the greatest chef cannot satisfy every palate, I believe ‘Harry Potter’ will ultimately find readers who love it.” (To be continued.)