Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm Chapter 458 - 457: Your Punishment—Stay with Me for a Week

That's right—Martin's strategy was simple: self-blackening.

Thanks to his past life's mories, Martin knew that internet users had a strong tendency to push back against criticism, especially when it targeted sothing they liked. The urge to defend their favorite things was almost instinctual.

Early internet users, in particular, had a sense of "mission" when it ca to defending what they loved.

Once Martin's hired trolls spread poorly written, obviously malicious negative reviews about Step Up online, those who had actually seen the film couldn't sit still. They began countering the negativity, defending the movie, and encouraging more people to go watch it.

Even those who hadn't initially cared much for Step Up found themselves compelled to type out justice-fueled responses when faced with such blatant, groundless attacks.

People always sympathize with the underdog!

And at this mont, the internet was painting Step Up as the "underdog" being unfairly targeted.

A massive online campaign to promote Step Up took off.

"Go watch Step Up! You won't regret it!"

"Martin is ridiculously handso, Jessica is drop-dead gorgeous, and the movie is amazing!"

"Want to see Martin's abs? Watch Step Up! Want to see Legolas doing a dance-off? Watch Step Up! Want to see the stunning Jessica Alba move like a goddess? Watch Step Up!"

At the sa ti, a wave of backlash against Hulk was also brewing.

People started connecting the dots—if soone was paying trolls to bash Step Up, it had to be its biggest competitor, right? And the only other major film in theaters at the ti was Hulk.

"No way I'm watching Hulk—if its producers are this shady, their movie must be garbage too."

"Not watching Hulk. Competing through honest box office numbers is one thing, but resorting to dirty tricks? Despicable!"

"I already saw it, and I deeply regret it. It's boring as hell."

"Sa here—Hulk is a total snoozefest. The pacing is painfully slow, and the director shoehorned in way too much of his personal artistic 'vision'."

"Hulk? More like Romantic Walks Through Lavender Fields with Hulk or The Coming-of-Age Tale of a Poetic Green Giant. This is NOT a Marvel movie. It's nowhere near Spider-Man."

At first, when the flood of negative reviews about Step Up began appearing, Kevin Johnson—Martin's industry rival—was thrilled.

He genuinely thought the movie was bombing.

But then...

As the situation evolved, he started to sense sothing was wrong.

Wasn't everyone supposed to be trashing Step Up?

Why did it suddenly flip, with the internet now bashing Hulk instead?!

Overnight, all the haters of Step Up had vanished, replaced by a tidal wave of Hulk criticism.

Martin's "reckless self-blackening" strategy not only fueled sympathy for Step Up and gave its box office numbers a huge boost, but it also silenced would-be detractors. After all, not every movie is universally loved—but when a film is already being unfairly attacked, who would want to pile on?

On top of that, Hulk simply wasn't a well-made movie.

Critics hailed it as a perfect blend of comrce and artistry, but in Martin's view, it failed at both.

Ang Lee's ambition was too great, but he wasn't Christopher Nolan. His strengths lay in arthouse films, not in balancing comrcial appeal with artistic depth.

He overestimated himself this ti.

By the third week, Step Up had surpassed $100 million at the box office. anwhile, Hulk saw another catastrophic drop, earning just $12 million that week. With a $140 million production budget, its breakeven point was nowhere in sight.

"How... how could this happen...?"

In his office, Kevin Johnson clutched his head, sweat beading on his forehead. His tie was askew, his hair unkempt—a stark contrast to his usual ticulously polished appearance.

The secretary who entered the room was startled.

Kevin Johnson had always considered himself an elite businessman, keeping his image spotless. She had never seen him look this disheveled.

"What is it?"

His voice was sharp and tense—no trace of his usual flirtatious tone with the pretty secretary.

The secretary quickly answered, "Mr. Johnson, the chairman's office just called. You're needed for a board eting."

Swish!

Kevin Johnson's face turned pale, then ashen.

He staggered out of the office, leaving his confused secretary behind.

His career... was over.

His instincts were right.

The mont he stepped into the boardroom, the verdict was handed down:

"After a unanimous vote by the board, Kevin Johnson, you are hereby terminated."

Not only did Universal fire Kevin Johnson, but the studio also wasted no ti in reaching out to Martin to nd their relationship.

Martin, however, barely acknowledged the gesture.

With his current status, a "small fry" like Kevin Johnson wasn't even worth his attention.

July rolled in.

On July 9th, Disneyland in Los Angeles was bustling with excitent.

This world's first-ever Disney the park, built in 1955, was still the largest amusent park on the planet.

Today, its grand theater was hosting a major movie premiere.

That's right—the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Martin's version of Captain Jack Sparrow was about to make his grand entrance.

Nearby, Jessica, Lindsay, and Scarlett giggled as they stared at the movie poster. Even though it was just a silhouette, they were so familiar with Martin that they could already imagine his quirky pirate look.

anwhile, on the red carpet, Martin had his arm around Keira Knightley's slender waist, both of them flashing picture-perfect smiles for the caras.

Even as he struck poses, Martin leaned in to whisper to Keira, "You've been in England for so long. Didn't you miss ?"

Keira chuckled. "Of course I did. Did you miss ?"

"I did!"

"Then why didn't you co visit in London?"

"Uh..."

Martin paused for a split second—so this was what she was getting at.

He quickly explained, "Weren't you busy filming Love Actually?"

"You could've visited on set."

"...Okay, my bad!"

Martin imdiately raised his hands in surrender.

The truth was, during his ti in London, he had completely forgotten about Keira.

"Hmph. Your punishnt is to spend an entire week with ."

"No problem!"

Martin exhaled in relief.