The Starlight Film Division seemed to be in a bit of collective self-denial, tinged with an unspoken sense of shame. After all, everyone had openly criticized Lin Yuan's movie in one way or another:
"Who could have imagined..."
"In the end, we were all outdone by a novice."
"I still don't understand why 'Flirting Scholar' was so successful. I watched the movie... but my kid loved it so much. Maybe we're just too old and out of touch."
"Perhaps we should just let Admirable Fish run the studios and focus on online productions."
"I just feel bad for Director Zhou… his decision to sell the movie is now backfiring. I heard he was heavily criticized in today's high-level meeting."
"I heard it too; it was a bloodbath."
"It's not a big problem; the company has begun damage control. Look how they are celebrating on the official Weibo."
"..."
They weren't lying about that.
Ol' Zhou was indeed reprimanded.