Chapter 236 Passive

Chen Xingzhi could see that Ren Limeng was serious under the pretense of being relaxed at the moment. She didn't want to be protected by him alone, but wanted to face all the ups and downs with him.

Even though he felt a little distressed, looking at Ren Limeng's gentle yet resolute eyes, Chen Xingzhi pondered for a moment, and with a slight movement of his fingertips, he finally chose to let go.

"Brother Xingzhi, let's split up. You should contact the Guanxing Studio to get the trending search results removed. I'll go find Sister An Ling and try to get her to help coordinate with the program team to clarify the entries related to me."

In addition to the second public performance broadcast this week, the "Shan Hai" program crew also filmed a lot of material in Mei City. As far as Ren Limeng knows, there were special interviews about her relationship with her mother Wu Murong and even issues related to her career change. Last week, Yan Fangshu also told Ren Limeng that the program crew specifically inquired about her past at the Meixiang Theater.

A man of integrity has nothing to fear. Ren Limeng didn't care about it at the time, but at this moment, perhaps this incident is the turning point.

"Mengmeng, are you sure? No... do you need me to come with you?"

Chen Xingzhi stared at Ren Limeng, who had a smile on her lips. A hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, but he couldn't help but ask one more question. Even though he believed in Ren Limeng's ability, many times he still hoped that Ren Limeng could face fewer ups and downs and experience more simpler and purer things.

He would do anything for more of it.

"No need, Brother Xingzhi. I have a way to deal with Sister An Ling. Of course, I still have to use your name to bully others."

Ren Limeng shook her head gently. She looked at Shen Xingzhi, whose eyes showed too much concern. She took his slender hands affectionately, interlocking their fingers as if she wanted to give him more comfort so that he could be completely relieved.

Speaking of the fox borrowing the tiger's power to bully others, Ren Limeng smiled calmly, with some intimate teasing, which made Shen Xingzhi's cold brows soften a little, and his repeated words of admonition also became slightly relaxed.

"Anyway, if you have any problems, you must come to me, Mengmeng. We are one. Not only my name, but even my person belongs to you. We share weal and woe."

"Okay, okay, I'm not just bullying you. We're in this together, we're in this together!"

"Well, then you go up and find An Ling. I'll go see Yao Xin."

"ah?"

Looking at Ren Limeng who finally looked up in a daze, Shen Xingzhi couldn't help but smile. He lowered his head gently, and there was a touch of tenderness on his usually cold face, and a biting coldness flashed in his eyes.

He let go of Ren Limeng's hand, slowly raised his left hand and rubbed Ren Limeng's head, his low voice sounding somewhat relaxed.

"Yao Xin and I still have a score to settle."

Yao Xin told Ren Limeng that he had chosen to cooperate with Hanxing Entertainment, but he had not yet officially informed Shen Xingzhi.

Before the first public performance, Shen Xingzhi had privately agreed to Yao Xin's invitation to be a regular on the next variety show. As far as Shen Xingzhi knew, Yao Xin had already attracted a lot of sponsorship intentions under his name in recent days. Even if Yao Xin and Xu Jiao reached a deep cooperation, it was impossible for Yao Xin to be willing to just slip away with the benefits he had obtained. There were still many things to discuss between him and Yao Xin.

"good."

Time was running out. Looking at Shen Xingzhi with a determined expression, Ren Limeng didn't ask any further questions. She nodded, gave Shen Xingzhi a final hug, and prepared to leave the stairwell directly.

Before opening the fire door, Ren Limeng suddenly stopped her hurried steps. She tightened her grip on the door handle and a hint of hesitation flashed across her face.

Ren Limeng turned her head to look at Shen Xingzhi, and asked softly as if to confirm, "Brother Xingzhi, are you still... willing to disclose our relationship at any time?"

"Of course, Mengmeng, I told you to just go for it. Do whatever you want to do. I'll take care of everything."

Shen Xingzhi's deep eyes were exceptionally bright in the dim corridor, as captivating as delicate black amber. Almost as soon as he met Ren Limeng's eyes, he nodded firmly without hesitation. His steady words did not reveal any doubt, and his tone only expressed his full support for Ren Limeng's next action.

Ren Limeng was not so confident in the negotiation with An Ling. The hot list dominating the screen made her position in the cooperation become somewhat passive.

"Oh? Li Meng, do you think all those hot searches about your mother-daughter relationship and Huangmei Opera were caused by Hanxing Entertainment? Are they targeting you because of Shen Xingzhi? That's too much! But... the show has already aired, and I can't ask the production team to deliberately re-edit it for you!"

In the room, An Ling was indignant and spoke up for Ren Limeng, but when she talked about what Ren Limeng wanted, her attitude was a little subtle. She just pretended to be confused and blinked.

"Sister Ling, isn't there an extended version of 'Mountains and Seas' on Saturday at noon? I hope that in the extended version, the production team can reveal more of the truth about these trending topics."

Ren Limeng is very sure that there was interview-related content during the recording of the second public program. Since Yao Xin was not broadcast simultaneously in this week's "Mountains and Seas" main program, especially not presented together with the hot searches tonight, it can only mean that the content recorded during the recording of the program does not support tonight's revelations, and is more favorable to Ren Limeng.

Ren Limeng couldn't miss this best opportunity in this dangerous situation.

The program team broadcast a short clip about her career change being a personal choice without any illegal actions, which would be more effective than Ren Limeng posting a hundred short essays on Weibo.

Her somewhat complicated relationship with her mother Wu Murong became more real and vivid during the week-long recording of the program, allowing the audience to empathize with her and understand all her past choices.

What is giving Ren Limeng the most headache on the hot searches now is the nonsense that she rebelled against the college entrance examination and switched from Huangmei Opera to other fields, and that Huangmei Opera master Wu Murong's private connections were in vain. Such nonsense has been frequently reported, with mixed true and false information making Ren Limeng very passive in defending herself, and all her explanations seem like cover-ups.

Even if Chen Xingzhi can suppress the hot search with her financial power, once people form the impression that she is the second generation of a relative, it will be difficult to reverse the audience popularity that has been hard-earned because of the live broadcast of saving people. This is undoubtedly a self-destructive foundation for a host and is full of dangers.

After much thought, Ren Limeng decided that she had to put in some effort with the program crew.

Compared with all the revelations that smeared her past, the emotional entanglement that had originally made Ren Limeng and Shen Xingzhi feel like they were facing a formidable enemy became less important. This move by Hanxing Entertainment could truly be described as a dragnet that was completely watertight.

"As far as I know, Director Dong specifically learned a lot about my past during the second public performance, which coincides with the trending topics. The production team only needs to present these records to the audience truthfully and reap the benefits. There is so much discussion about me now, and broadcasting this content will definitely satisfy everyone in terms of the topicality. If there is anything you need me to do, I am willing to cooperate fully."

Even though she was surrounded by negative news and faced imminent danger, Ren Limeng still smiled calmly at this moment. She spoke in a sincere tone, and her face as she looked at An Ling seemed to be full of sincerity.

"Sister Ling, if the production team is willing to help me out at this time, we would be very grateful."

When Ren Limeng mentioned the word "we", An Ling's expression changed obviously. She looked at Ren Limeng with a smile but no word, and there seemed to be more scrutiny in her eyes.

"Li Meng, I've helped you a lot these past two days, but there are some things I can't decide. The director of 'Shan Hai' is Yao Xin, so you should discuss this with him."

After a long silence, An Ling finally raised her eyelids. She frowned slightly, and her voice was helpless and regretful, but the meaning behind her words was very clear.

"Sister Ling, I thought we were in a cooperative relationship. Do you still want to speak to me in official language at this time?"

Ren Limeng stared at An Ling, also smiling bitterly. She straightened her body, and her usually tactful tone suddenly became blunt, "Sister Ling, there have actually been rumors in the station about your relationship with Minister Zhong..."

The director of the entertainment channel, Zhong Yanjun, is not only An Ling's supervisor, but also An Ling's aunt. This is a well-known secret in the station. When An Ling heard Ren Limeng's sigh of restraint, her eyes instantly became sharp.

But before she could open her mouth to refute or explain, Ren Limeng changed the subject, lowered her voice again, and her eyes were full of sincerity.

"Sister Ling, a servant cannot serve two masters. Since I've already chosen to go with you, there's no reason for me to go looking for Director Yao. Besides, don't you think... tonight's trending search is too coincidental?"

"...Are you saying Yao Xin was involved too? Did he work with Han Xing? If that's the case, Li Meng, you're in a very passive position now..."

An Ling reacted very quickly. She almost immediately pieced together Ren Limeng's few words. Her body, which had just sat up straight, softened again. An Ling tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with concern.

"Sister Ling, maybe we are the ones who are passive."

Ren Limeng gently corrected him, "In Director Yao's eyes, I'm Minister Zhong's man. This trending topic is definitely not just aimed at me or Brother Xingzhi. If Minister Zhong and you just stand by and watch, Director Yao's power might overwhelm us in the future."

When talking about "we", Ren Limeng emphasized the word, which was full of hints and reminders, as well as a hint of subtle threat.

From a long-term perspective, Ren Limeng is not completely deceiving An Ling at this moment. The game between the two sides is inherently one in which you are strong and I am weak. If An Ling thinks that it has nothing to do with her and just lets it go, Yao Xin, who has benefited, will inevitably become more powerful and may soon break the delicate balance that the entertainment channel has maintained.

Just like the possible impact of Ren Limeng's live broadcast of rescuing people in the morning on both parties, both sides have already exerted their strength at the same time. Any disturbance at this moment is crucial. An Ling should not harbor illusions and just want to keep herself out of trouble. To some extent, they are indeed grasshoppers on the same rope.

At least, Ren Limeng wanted An Ling to feel this way.

From yesterday's live broadcast of the "Mountains and Seas" program to today's so-called cooperative live broadcast with Gangcheng TV Station, all actions in the past two days were planned and coordinated by An Ling and Dong Zhu. Ren Limeng has been subtly labeled as a member of Zhong Yanjun's faction.