She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 290

Chapter 290 

Zayn’s words left everyone in silence 

The director opened his mouth, wanting to argue a bit more, but the atmosphere was so tense that he felt any further rebuttal would incite public anger. 

In the end, he said resentfully, “Very good. I hope you won’t regret it.” 

He had some connections in the industry, and if Zayn ruined his film, he would ensure that Zayn could never act again 

After the negotiations ended, he immediately asked his assistant to distribute articles on how Zayn acted like a big shot and paid to quit the film. He even invited people in the industry to dinner and complained, hoping to ruin Zayn’s reputation. 

In the film and television industry, it was not uncommon for people to act like big shots. 

However, there was no one like Zayn who would terminate his contract and leave just because the crew refused to change the scene according to his wishes. 

As soon as the news spread, it immediately caused discussion and criticism across the internet. 

Those in the industry were even more critical of Zayn. 

A producer commented, “Celebrities aren’t short on money, and many are even the rich heirs. If they all acted like Zayn, demanding script changes to suit their preferences and paying to break contracts if denied, wouldn’t the entertainment industry fall into chaos?” 

A director scolded angrily, “He ruined this movie. He prevents the hard work and talent of so many people from being seen by the audience and the industry. Isn’t that destroying people’s careers?” 

A fan expressed disappointment, saying, “I thought Zayn was dedicated, but now it seems I was mistaken!” 

Some stars and seasoned actors spoke out, saying, “We must boycott actors who prioritize their personal preferences and interests over the production team! We hope that all our peers will avoid collaborating with such actors in the future.” 

Many netizens, unaware of the full story, joined the chorus of criticism against Zayn. 

As a result, calls to boycott Zayn trended on social media, creating a wave of pressure to blacklist him and push him out of the industry. 

Although some fans defended Zayn, their voices were drowned out by the overwhelming mainstream criticism. 

Faced with such criticism, Zayn didn’t rush to explain himself. Instead, he posted a few photos on his Twitter. 

The caption for the photos read. “Today, I brought Bello home, and he’s very happy. He enjoyed an extra bowl of chicken soup.” 

In the photos, he lovingly stroked Bello’s head while holding a bowl of soup up to Bello’s mouth. 

When a fan asked if Bello was his pet, he replied, “Bello isn’t just my pet, he’s a military dog with commendable service. He’s my comrade, and I want to take him home to provide him with a comfortable life.” 

His answer caught the attention of his fans. 

Fans eagerly liked and shared the post, asking him, “It looks so cool with those bright eyes! Where did you get it? Was it from the military?” 

Zayn replied, “He’s 11 years old and retired for three years. He was originally taken in by a shelter, but when the crew 

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planned to sacrifice him with a real bomb in his mouth, I decide to adopt him and take him home. 

His words shocked the fans. 

80% 

Fans pressed on, asking, “Are you saying the crew intended to blow it up for the scene? That’s just cruel and outrageous!” 

“Are you referring to the production team of The King of Military Dogs? Did you request changes and terminate the contract to save Bello?” 

“I know! Zayn is a soldier, so there’s no way he would act like a boss and ruin a production just for money. It must be the crew that did something wrong. He just wouldn’t stoop to their level.” 

Fans reposted Zayn’s explanation everywhere, hoping to give Zayn justice. 

However, Zayn was still a newcomer and did not walk the path of popularity. The number of fans and connections in the industry he had was not yet strong enough to resist anti–fans and negative news. 

His voice couldn’t reach a wider audience. 

Until that night, the extremely popular author Lockwood, with over 10 million fans, retweeted his post and attracted the attention of the entire Internet. 

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Lockwood stated, “I firmly oppose the abuse and killing of animals, especially companion animals, for the sake of filming! Military dogs are companions to humans, they should not be unjustly sacrificed for movies!” 

She also announced, “Zayn’s integrity and courage are exactly the qualities needed for the male lead in the series adaptation of Lockwood’s Detective Diary! I am very pleased to invite him to play the lead role, and I believe he will excel in this new character!” 

Lockwood’s comment section instantly exploded. 

Tens of thousands of live fans were so excited and nearly going crazy 

[Oh my gosh, Lockwood, who never posts, actually made a tweet?] 

There’s too much information this time. I don’t think my brain can hold it anymore. Let me calm down for a moment…] 

[So you’re saying that the crew of The King of Military Dogs decided to blow up a military dog for the sake of filming, and Zayn decided to quit and break his contract to save that military dog? In that case, Zayn is not only right but also a real hero!] 

Someone shouted: [Is Lockwood’s Detective Diary going to start filming? Why is such explosive news only being revealed now? The male lead is Zayn, who’s the female lead?] 

[There’s no male lead in the original novel. I wonder what the male lead played by Zayn looks like? There won’t be a love scene, right?] 

Someone was confused, and then asked: [Why do some people refer to him as ‘third brother‘?] 

[Let me tell you, Zayn is the third son in the Donovan family.] 

Lockwood’s fame and number of fans were just as significant as current trending stars, 

Her fans also included big shots and elites from various fields. 

After this tweet was posted, many influential fans retweeted it, expressing their support for him and Zayn. 

Various pet influencers and animal protection organizations had also come forward to strongly condemn the crew of The King of Military Dogs for deciding to blow up a heroic military dog for the sake of filming. They clearly expressed their 

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support for Zayn. 

The tweet went viral. 

The entire internet was buzzing about this matter. 

The details behind Zayn’s decision to quit and break his contract were continually being revealed. 

[Zayn’s salary for The King of Military Dogs was only 200 thousand dollars before tax, but his compensation for breaking the contract reached six million dollars, which is the total cost of the production.] 

[In pursuit of authenticity, many explosion scenes in this film were real. However, their safety measures were not enough, resulting in multiple background actors getting injured during the explosions. Zayn even pointed out mistakes in how the explosions were handled…] 

When this news broke out, it shocked the entire Internet. 

[After taxes, Zayn only receives tens of thousands of dollars, but he has to pay six million dollars in compensation? Why doesn’t the crew just go and rob a bank?] 

[Please ask Zayn to send over the payment code. I won’t be having late–night snacks this week, and I’ll transfer all the saved money to him.] 

[I want to buy the magazine that Zayn is featured in! I want to buy the products he endorses…] 

[Oh no, Zayn doesn’t have any endorsements or advertisements? What are these brands thinking? How could they not hire such a righteous and handsome tough guy?] 

All the brands and businesses could not find a word to refute. 

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to hire him, it was that Zayn wasn’t interested in it. 

They could only publicly explain the situation and try to offer the collaboration to Zayn once again. 

At the same time, Jaden also contacted those marketing accounts and paparazzi who owed him favors to restore the truth of the incident and give Zayn a fair outcome. 

As a result, the entire internet supported Zayn and strongly opposed the abuse and killing of animals during filming. Wave after wave, it finally attracted the attention of the state media. 

Many state media outlets published comments, seriously discussing whether films and TV dramas should not harm or even kill animals in the pursuit of authenticity and effects. The mainstream opinion strongly opposed such actions. 

Many celebrities and professionals in the film and television industry shared photos of their pets to express their support for Zayn. 

This included Luna. 

Those in the industry who previously criticized and called for a boycott of Zayn also deleted their earlier tweets, stating that they misunderstood him due to a lack of knowledge about the situation. Now that they knew the truth, they apologized to Zayn and believed he was not at fault. 

Faced with immense public opinion, the production team of The King of Military Dogs had no choice but to publicly apologize to Zayn, stating that they had learned their lesson, changed their mindset, and would no longer harm or sacrifice any animals for the sake of filming. 

The investors and producers of the film stated that they were not aware of the production team’s decision to sacrifice the military dogs in advance. 

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After obtaining Zayn’s approval, they decided to change director and continue to complete the movie. The scenes of the military dog being injured and sacrificed would be achieved through makeup, special effects, and other methods, without actually harmning the dog. 

Of course, Zayn was not required to provide any compensation to the production team. 

The changes made by the production team calmed the anger of the fans and netizens. 

Zayn made a comeback, gaining over a million fans in just a few days. He received many endorsements and business offers and was seen as a top star who wouldn’t fall from grace, with a bright future ahead. 

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