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The naysayers and the drama-watchers reacted as if they'd struck gold!
Even some previously neutral viewers began to have doubts.
In a society that generally values education, especially degrees from prestigious universities, the label of "Ivy League Dropout" easily led to associations of unreliability.
Rob was so furious he was cursing up a storm on the phone.
"Fuck! These bitches have nothing better to do! Is acting about skill or a diploma? Why bring this up now?"
"It's definitely those jealous rivals or toxic fans from Ryan's camp playing dirty!"
He paced around anxiously.
"We need to issue a statement immediately! Explain that you voluntarily dropped out to pursue acting opportunities? Or..."
"Fuck! What actually happened back then? You don't have any real skeletons in your closet, do you?"
Cassius, however, remained very calm.
When he helped Li Suyan attend the USC showcase earlier, Professor Anderson had indeed mentioned he could help see if the disciplinary record could be expunged. But later, things got busy, and he forgot to follow up.
"It's not really a skeleton. Back when I was an extra, there was a small misunderstanding on set!"
Cassius comforted Rob.
"Don't rush the statement. With this kind of thing, the faster you rush to explain, the more it looks like a cover-up!"
"Then what do we do? Just let them drag your name through the mud?" Rob asked anxiously.
Cassius looked at the mocking comments on his computer screen.
"This is a great opportunity to generate traffic!"
This wasn't really fatal "dirt," especially in Hollywood, a place that valued actual box office numbers and popularity far more.
Plus, with the goodwill he had accumulated from the general public before, the impact wouldn't be that great.
Especially since Professor Anderson had proactively offered to help resolve this matter when he went back to school last time.
Cassius had even less reason to worry!
The current public opinion could actually push his heat and traffic to a new level.
Where does traffic come from without controversy?
Especially for an Asian actor mixing in Hollywood circles; the most important thing is to be seen first.
---
After a brief period of noise, different voices began to emerge in public opinion.
Many fans of 2 Broke Girls and viewers who became fans after The Ellen Show stood up to rebut:
"Wake up! Actors are judged by their work! His screen time in Thor wasn't much but it was solid, and he's one of the core sources of humor in 2 Broke Girls! Isn't that enough?"
"So what if he didn't graduate? Bill Gates dropped out too! Did that stop him from becoming a tycoon?"
"I suspect the person who leaked this knows nothing about Hollywood. How many big stars never went to college or dropped out halfway? This is worth hating on?"
"Based on his understanding of the character and culture on The Ellen Show, does he look like an uneducated person? Where is the logic?"
Even some current USC students or alumni left comments under relevant topics:
"I'm a current student at USC. I heard Cassius put his studies on hold because he got a very important acting opportunity. I don't know the specifics, but I heard his performance in professional classes was actually quite good."
"A teacher in the alumni group said that when Cassius came back to school for the showcase, he took great care of the juniors and even helped out. He's a very warm-hearted senior!"
Kristen also called immediately, her tone even more aggressive than Cassius's.
"Shit! Are these people done yet! Do you need me to tweet in your support? I'll just say my least favorite people are bookworms who only know how to study!"
Cassius was amused by her.
"Don't. The moment you tweet, the nature of this thing changes. I can handle it!"
"Are you sure?" Kristen was skeptical.
"Positive. It'll save some marketing money for the movie!"
Cassius half-joked.
After hanging up, Cassius thought for a moment and logged into his rarely used Twitter account.
He didn't write a long essay to explain. He simply retweeted the news link that originally exposed his questionable academic credentials, accompanied by a very simple caption:
"USC taught me a lot, especially the realization that the film set is the best classroom. Grateful for all the experiences! PS: I probably don't need a college diploma to read the Green Lantern ring's instruction manual, right?"
Cassius didn't deny the fact that he dropped out, but cleverly diffused the attack using a Green Lantern reference.
As soon as the tweet went out, it instantly blew up.
"Hahaha! I respect this response! The set is the best classroom! Real talk!"
"Fighting back with a movie reference! Handsome!"
"So he admitted he dropped out? But his attitude is so likable!"
"Isn't the point that he actually has work to prove himself? Look how well he played Han Lee in 2 Broke Girls!"
The voices of support grew louder.
Cassius's response—neither dodging nor hiding, and even carrying a bit of humor—made people feel he was open and confident.
---
When Li Suyan found out someone in the academy was leaking dirt on Cassius, she almost snapped the director's viewfinder in her hand.
She was Cassius's number one career fan and his former roommate.
Wasn't this a slap in her face?
And the knife came from inside her own alma mater!
"Damn it! Which bastard did this? If I catch you, you're dead!"
Li Suyan spun around in circles in her small studio, furious, and immediately pulled out her phone to call for backup.
She had been at USC for so long, and the Directing Department was a gathering place for social butterflies and shrewd people. Finding out some internal gossip would only take minutes.
Several classmates who were also fans of Cassius quickly formed a temporary investigation team.
Although that anonymous leaker account hid their IP, the posting time and familiarity with events inside the school over the past few years all pointed to someone inside the School of Cinematic Arts.
Li Suyan mobilized her connections, asking around indirectly in various student groups and alumni chats.
Finally, a senior sister whom Li Suyan often worked with on set revealed over coffee:
"I heard the final review for the School of Dramatic Arts graduate recommendation spots is coming out soon. Professor Anderson has a top-tier recommendation spot in his hand that hasn't been decided yet. Several hot candidates have been fighting pretty hard for it recently..."
Li Suyan's brain worked fast.
She immediately connected the timing of the leak, the content designed to precisely strike at Cassius's rising public image, and these clues. A vague profile of the suspect emerged.
It was likely someone competing for that recommendation spot who felt Cassius was the biggest threat.
Following this line, she asked about the hot candidates for the graduate recommendation in the School of Dramatic Arts this year.
Especially anyone who had crossed paths with Cassius and might hold a grudge...
"Li Zhe?"
Li Suyan frowned as she looked at the list and brief profile her classmate sent.
She had an impression of this name. He was also studying acting, a year below Cassius.
She remembered Cassius mentioning that he knew a guy named Li Zhe back when he was doing extra work early on, and they had been extras on a set together.
Later, during her student short film showcase, Li Zhe had played a role in another short film. He had run into Cassius backstage, chatted for a few sentences, and seemed polite enough on the surface.
She pulled up the group photo and backstage footage from that showcase and sure enough, found Li Zhe.
In the photo, he was standing next to Cassius, his smile looking a bit stiff.
"Case closed!"
Li Suyan organized the information she collected into a simple report and sent it directly to Cassius.
"Bro, look at this! Found the mole!"
When Cassius received Li Suyan's message, he was in a conference call with Rob and the writing team, discussing the script for Green Lantern.
He glanced at the message popping up on his phone. His eyebrows moved slightly, but he didn't interrupt the meeting.
Only after the meeting ended did he carefully read through Li Suyan's investigation results.