"It's so annoying! How can there be such a person!" Ruan Ningxue fumed.
She had worked hard on Magic Mirror, and seeing someone publicly smear it left her furious.
"This guy is just an opportunist," Yang Xin said, trying to calm her. "He doesn't care whether people support or hate him—he just wants the attention."
"Yeah, people like that exist in every industry," Chen Xu added with a smile.
"But Chen Xu, are we really just going to ignore him?" Ruan Ningxue asked, clearly feeling wronged. "If we don't respond, isn't that just letting him trample over us? But if we do, aren't we just giving him what he wants?"
"Of course we won't ignore him," Chen Xu replied with a smirk. "He wants drama? Let's give him drama."
He opened his official blog and posted:
"To those clinging to old-fashioned ideals—games are both art and commerce. Just like films, there are indie art films and big-budget blockbusters. Magic Mirror never claimed to be art.
Of course, some 'veterans' might feel their art is under attack by rising talent. But hey, if your 'masterpieces' aren't getting attention, maybe it's not the audience's fault."
After hitting "Post," Chen Xu updated the Magic Mirror game page with the same message. His official blog didn't have many followers—just over a thousand, mostly carried over from his earlier webcomic days—but the response was swift.
The sudden boldness stunned both Ruan Ningxue and Yang Xin.
"Didn't you say he was doing this on purpose? Isn't responding just playing into his hands?" Ruan Ningxue asked, confused.
Chen Xu shrugged. "If someone's smearing you to your face, staying silent is just pathetic. Why not fight back with a smile?"
Yang Xin, meanwhile, had a gleam in her eyes. "Under the Legend isn't that big. If we work overtime, we can push production forward! This could be our moment!"
Chen Xu nodded. "Exactly. I was wondering how to promote the game—now the traffic's coming straight to us. It'd be a waste not to use it."
He glanced at the two and added, "But we'll need to work hard these next few days."
In the gaming world, it was just like a market—when the top dogs fight, the small ones get crushed. But what's worse than criticism? Silence. Obscurity. At least this kind of attention meant people cared.
And Chen Xu had full confidence in Under the Legend.
While the team went into overtime mode, Chen Xu's post began to gain traction. Even though his personal following was small, Magic Mirror had a strong player base. Many of those players brought traffic to the blog.
Zhong Media had previously drawn attention with his criticism, so fans had been watching closely to see what Chen Xu's response would be.
And they got it.
At first, Zhong Media's rant had just been another eye-roll moment for most players. He was known for his loud opinions.
But Chen Xu's post, thinly veiled but clearly targeted, shifted the tone completely.
It was no longer a one-sided rant—this was a face-off.
And nothing drew attention like a good public feud.
Gaming media picked it up. Social media blew up. Forums lit up. Even casual players who didn't care about the games themselves were now watching the drama unfold.
Comments flooded in:
"What the hell's going on?""Fight! Fight! Fight!""So Chen Xu is the creator of Magic Mirror? Didn't know that.""Wait, is he actually well known?""Doesn't matter—his clapback was fire!""Zhong Dapao had some decent games, but 'art'? Come on.""I support Chen Xu! Nothing wrong with gentleman games!""To be fair, adult games don't belong on a pedestal.""Get off your high horse. Zhong Dapao started the drama in the first place."
Thanks to this wave of attention, Chen Xu's official blog gained over 100,000 followers overnight.
Meanwhile, at Hepai Style's office, Zhong Media got the news from his assistant.
But instead of being angry, he was thrilled.
"Perfect!" he said with a grin. "I was hoping for a young, cocky designer with some fame. Finally, someone with spirit! If you're not bold in your youth, are you really young?"
He recalled his earlier interviews—talking about the importance of 'heat' in the industry. That's what he was after.
People cooperating with you—willingly or not—meant everything.
He had even bought some traffic to stir the pot. It hadn't worked much before.
But now?
With a proper response, the spotlight was his for the taking.
Time to fan the flames.
He opened his official blog and posted:
"Some game designers are skilled at taking things out of context. I never said my games are art—I only said I aspire to create a game that can be called art.
But some developers may never understand what it means to make a true game. They rely on nothing but little tricks."
He tagged Chen Xu directly.
What surprised him was how fast the reply came.
Within five minutes, Chen Xu posted back:
"I could say the same. My new title Under the Legend drops on July 15. Maybe certain designers can check it out—see whether it qualifies as a 'true' game. Or even… art."
Zhong Media's smug grin froze.
That tone. That confidence.
It was exactly what he used to do.
Someone had turned his own tricks against him.