More and more people in the protest group decided to go see the movie with their own eyes before deciding whether to continue the boycott. Several organizers saw this situation and couldn't help but feel anxious. It was not easy to persuade these people to join the group, and if they ran away now, how could they ask for money from those who had bought them?
"Have you all forgotten why we're standing here? Have you forgotten your convictions? We've worked so hard together for so long, are we just going to give up like this?" The leader looked angrily at the others in the group.
Actually, the protest group was even larger before. At its peak, there were even over 5000 people gathered to boycott Laila's movie.
But later, when the arson case occurred, the mysterious circumstances surrounding it led some of the original fans who saw the problem to leave. They sincerely participated in the activities for the sake of the original work and didn't want to be used as tools. Even though the case hadn't been judged yet, the fishy smell could be detected.
At first, everyone was indignant about the leaders' houses being burned down, and for a while, they even thought it was the Moran family behind it. But as the case unfolded, it turned out that everything was just a setup. If they were willing to give up their homes for money, it showed that the three leaders were not good people either. So the protest group saw a wave of departures, and now there were only over a thousand people left.
Among these remaining people, some were bought to intentionally boycott Laila, while others were just causing trouble for the sake of it, or had softer minds and believed whatever others said.
The original leaders disappeared because of the case, and the current organizers took over later. If this remaining group of people ran away, not only would they not get the money they were promised, but they might also get into trouble.
For the sake of money, they had to find ways to keep people here.
But having a soft heart doesn't mean being stupid. Many times, no matter how much the organizers incited, it couldn't compare to the words of friends, acquaintances, and family. When everyone around them was praising the movie, how could they not be moved?
In just two days, the group of over a thousand people had dwindled to just over 300. Unfortunately, most of these people had been paid to join, and the few remaining were just there for the sake of it and left as well.
So on the protest site, there were only a little over 200 people left, looking particularly pitiful in the vast square.
Those who often frequented this place knew what these people were up to, and many of Laila's fans and movie buffs couldn't stand them. They often came to argue with them. As a result, during this period of protest, the police listed this place as the most watched area, patrolling several times a day, fearing that they might cause trouble again.
Previously, there were many people here, with over 5000 people participating, and at least over 2000 were usually present. So the powerless fans couldn't do much, and under Laila's restraint, it wasn't easy to gather together to show these people anything.
But now it was different, with so few people left, and occasionally a few more leaving, everyone could see that they had reached their limits, and any attempt at protest now lacked the momentum it once had.
"What are you still doing here? Haven't you seen that Laila's movie has already taken the top spot for the first week at the box office? Standing here, how many people will believe your words?" Passing fans of Laila couldn't help but mock them as they passed by.
The few leaders of the protest were infuriated, and hearing a remark that poured oil on the fire made them even angrier: "Sure enough, it's Laila Moran. Her movie has already secured the top spot for the whole week, even before Friday. I wonder how much she paid for the box office! Money talks!"
This was clearly accusing Laila of buying her own box office, and her fans didn't want to hear such slander against their idol.
"What? Is it only okay for her to lose money, but not to make money? If it's a flop, it's expected, but if it's a success, it's cheating. According to your logic, all successful people in the world are frauds, and only the failures are the most real and deserving to exist?"
"No need to ask, he's definitely a failure himself."
"That's right! Look at how twisted his mind is, you can tell that such a person will never be favored by the goddess of luck!"
The organizers of the protest were almost driven mad by their remarks.
"What's the use of saying anything here? Isn't your idol just a coward? If she really has the ability, why hasn't she shown her face? We've been here for months, does she dare to say a word?"
"Hahaha!" More and more fans gathered, laughing uncontrollably.
"Please, who do you think you are? Why would Laila care about your opinion?"
"Does he think the world revolves around him?"
"Some people just have no self-awareness. Fortunately, there are people like him around to ensure that there are jokes to listen to every day."
The protesters were already leaving, and the remaining people didn't want to make fools of themselves by confronting others when they knew they couldn't win. Those who were paid to cause trouble kept their distance, not wanting to get into a street fight for a bit of money, lest they be laughed at by their friends if they were caught on camera.
Under the relentless pressure from the fans, the protesters slunk away. This incident soon spread on Facebook. There were so many people watching at the time, and there were also many travelers present, so the incident spread even further.
Even people from the East had posted a lot of photos last time.
As soon as it was related to Laila and "The Lord of the Rings" movie, Eastern movie fans immediately launched into a group mockery mode.
"Truly, only there can people say such foolish things under the banner of free speech."
"A remote salute to the brain-dead dog heads, very, very, very good."
"Suddenly feeling intellectually superior, how should I break it to you? I'm actually a humble person."
The various funny comments made Laila, who had come over the wall, laugh so hard and also brought back many memories of internet slang that had once been popular and then disappeared from the internet.
In order to capture the market, Facebook entered this market last year. Due to the updates in ideology and some characteristics of the future, it had caused quite a stir for the first-generation local software that had already occupied some market share.
It was just that Laila, this friendly "international friend," was different from other foreign companies, making it easier for her to penetrate.
But Laila was not one to monopolize everything; she didn't mind sharing the profits. Speaking unpleasantly, if certain local powers became interested in her company, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it even if she wanted to.
She wasn't afraid to play by the rules; she was afraid that others wouldn't reason with her. At times like this, having some powerful supporters was useful.