Chapter 24 What you just said was a...

"Don't spread rumors about me."

"Oh my, I saw who you were on the phone with yesterday," Fu Xiaodan teased.

She saw the news notification in the morning; it seemed that there had been another big news story about yesterday's Spring Firefly Charity Gala.

Netizens were initially shocked by Sheng Yi's attendance, but after the initial surprise, they realized it made sense, since she was Wen Shili's rumored girlfriend.

Unexpectedly, just one night later, another version circulated online.

It's said that Sheng Yi and Wen Shili have absolutely no relationship, and Wen Shili even seemed puzzled when she greeted him. Some have also hinted that Sheng Yi seems to have another boyfriend.

"No way, the rumors before were so convincing, and you're telling me it's fake?"

"Don't believe everything you read. Just take this kind of news with a grain of salt. Only a fool would take it seriously."

"It's been trending on social media several times, and no one has come out to deny it. You're telling me they don't know each other? Are you kidding me?"

"My friend said they really did date, but they broke up last week."

"So it's a seamless transition? That's impressive."

"It looks fake. You can't just ride the wave of popularity like this."

"Hey upstairs, why don't you take a look at the blogger's other posts? They've already shown off their invitation."

"Hilarious, this is definitely a publicity stunt."

The blogger was just casually making a rant, but she didn't expect so many people to see it and say things like she was "riding the wave" and "losing all shame for traffic."

Those who could attend that banquet were all pampered by their families since childhood. In a fit of anger, she threw out the invitation card. After calming down and thinking it over, she then restricted access to her Weibo account.

Even if Sheng Yi and Wen Shili have no relationship, she might still find someone else to marry.

Sheng Yi knew that the news from last night would definitely spread, but she didn't expect it to become known to everyone so quickly.

When she returned the clothes in the afternoon, although the staff tried their best to act as if nothing had happened, she could still feel the difference from the subtle differences.

On the way back, a project that was almost finalized suddenly sent me a message saying that the company needed to re-approve it.

Everyone had been very polite during the initial meetings, but unexpectedly, this happened at the last minute. Sheng Yi could sense the other person's embarrassment, and in the end, she took the initiative to comfort them. After saying that, she turned off her phone and didn't even look at the news online.

However, she still underestimated Wen Shili's strength.

Before bed, my mother, Yu Ying, called me on video. We chatted for a long time about this and that, but the conversation eventually turned to her personal relationship.

She didn't say it directly, and Sheng Yi pretended not to understand, saying, "I'm still young."

Yu Ying said, "If there are any suitable ones, we can take a look first."

"Mom, I'm at work every day, where am I supposed to meet someone suitable?"

"Didn't you have a crush on a boy in high school? Have you lost contact with him?"

Sheng Yi never expected to hear Yu Ying say this again after so many years; her mother was truly hungry.

"Other people's kids are old enough to run errands."

"What about the boys who pursued you in school? Weren't there any worth considering?" Classmates are easier to deal with than those men in your circle whose background you don't know.

"Nobody's chasing me," Sheng Yi said. Her mother really thought she was a goddess, that someone could hook up with a flick of her finger.

Perhaps touched by Yu Ying, Sheng Yi dreamed of scenes from her student days that night.

I can't tell if it was high school or college. In the dream, everything was blurry. People I knew and didn't know were all pulled into a map and followed a storyline.

Her college roommate called her to class. Pushing open the classroom door, she saw a male student on the stage singing a song with deep emotion. Below, someone was resting their chin on their hand, gazing intently at the stage.

Sheng Yi thought to herself, "Did we go to the wrong classroom?" She took two steps back and saw that the sign at the classroom door read, "Class 2-1."

No wonder it looked familiar; it turns out I've returned to Ancheng No. 1 High School.

When she woke up, Sheng Yi was still a little dazed.

She rarely looked back, and after leaving school, she rarely even dreamed of her youth. But this dream was too real; the gentle singing and the boys and girls on campus seemed to travel through time and strike her once again.

"Didn't you sleep well last night? Your dark circles are so bad." Fu Xiaodan asked as soon as she saw her.

"It's nothing, just a dream."

"How about I stay and keep you company? At least we can talk."

Sheng Yi didn't really want to talk, but she mustered her spirits to joke with her, "Oh, am I that high up? What if Liang Hui gets jealous?"

Fu Xiaodan: "He dares."

Sheng Yi didn't want to trouble others, saying, "Don't worry about me, I'm not going out, what could possibly happen to me?"

Fu Xiaodan had finally managed to get a few days off, and Liang Hui had already taken his annual leave and bought his plane tickets. What kind of nonsense is it to call it off now? Besides, when they made the plans, they didn't expect to run into this.

After much persuasion and gentle coaxing, Sheng Yi finally managed to convince Fu Xiaodan to leave the house.

"Then call me if you need anything."

“Yes!” Sheng Yi readily agreed.

Actually, there's nothing she needs. After her rumored relationship with Wen Shili broke down, she simply returned to being ignored. As long as she doesn't read the news.

Suddenly having a huge chunk of free time, Sheng Yi was initially a little unaccustomed to it. She cleaned the house bit by bit, scrubbing the floors until they shone, and taking the clothes out of the closet to fold and stack them again. On a whim, she even learned a few new dishes.

All of this was done in just three days. Sheng Yi simply pulled out an old TV series to pass the time.

As she watched the favored concubine on TV who had been banished to the cold palace, she strangely saw a reflection of herself in her.

However, at least the favored concubines truly enjoyed the emperor's favor, unlike her, who was nothing but a paper lantern, a clumsy imitation from head to toe.

She didn't pay attention to the information online, but Lao Qian would diligently send her highlights of the day every day.

There's a saying that any two strangers in the world can be connected through a maximum of six intermediaries. Sheng Yi initially doubted this claim, but the internet made her experience its power firsthand.

In just a few days, people who knew her sprang up like mushrooms after rain, speaking out on various platforms. Without netizens digging deep, some people took the initiative to reveal information, and with the help of insiders, Sheng Yi's dark history was constantly being updated.

Some people said that their aunt's daughter was Sheng Yi's classmate, and that the whole grade had heard about Sheng Yi being caught writing love letters in high school and having her parents called in.

Some say that it was unfortunate that Sheng Yi was in the same group as him, and that some people may seem gentle and weak on the surface, but they are actually the kind of people who play hard even when they don't have the cards.

Some people also said that she used to rent a place near Shengyi and witnessed Shengyi having a conflict with an elderly woman in her seventies. She couldn't stand it and even filmed it.

Sheng Yi sighed and smiled wryly, realizing how clueless he had been back then; he never expected to leave behind any physical evidence.

Old Qian asked, "Should I contact her to delete the video?"

He had seen the video and confirmed it wasn't a composite. The background audio was indistinct, but he could make out the figures of a young woman and an old man arguing and pushing each other.

Sheng Yi shook his head, "There was more than one onlooker at the time, don't waste this money."

Sure enough, others came forward to testify, saying they were also witnesses at the time. A beautiful young woman bullying an elderly person in the street—the scene still chills to think about.

Old Qian spat, "What old man? I think she's just an old woman who's become a spirit!" Although he didn't know the cause and effect, he had basic confidence in his judgment.

"Oh, so you know about 'spiritual young women'?" Sheng Yi said indignantly, jokingly.

"Girl, do you even want to stay in this business anymore?" Old Qian said, heartbroken. The person involved acted as if nothing had happened, making it seem as if he was eager to take over the eunuch's job.

"Of course I want to. Didn't you tell me before that black and red are still red?"

However, this is a bit too much... Sheng Yi smiled bitterly.

Old Qian coughed awkwardly, "That's true... but you'd better pull yourself together."

Sheng Yi felt quite energized. She finished up the shelved collaborations one by one, and continued to actively monitor and follow up on eligible projects.

To her surprise, netizens got so caught up in the gossip that they flooded her only endorsement page with comments demanding her replacement. They listed numerous accusations against her, including questionable character and habitual lying, and she was even jokingly referred to online as a "treasure girl."

However, the brand has not contacted her yet.

With such a significant negative public opinion incident, terminating the contract would definitely involve a large sum of compensation. Sheng Yi glanced at the barely warm money in her account and realized that if all else failed, she would have to borrow some money from a friend to tide her over.

Three days later, the brand's PR person called again.

Sheng Yi gripped her phone tightly. "What? Filming a new commercial?"

"right."

"But..." At this time, would going against the grain have a negative impact on the brand?

The other person guessed what she was thinking and asked bluntly, "Or are the accusations against you online all true?"

Sheng Yi smiled and said, "Okay, I'll definitely be there on time."

-

"Tsk tsk, quite the campus celebrity, huh?" Lin Hao said, holding his phone and making noise as he looked at it.

Cao Jun couldn't understand how a playboy like Xiao Lin could comment on other people's campus romances without batting an eye.

Then, I listened to him ramble on for several minutes about topics like "you can't judge a book by its cover" and "I've seen plenty of women like this."

Cao Jun stood close to the wall, afraid that he might accidentally breathe too loudly and break the eerie balance of the office.

"Hey, are you even listening?" Lin Hao had talked himself hoarse, but Wen Shili remained unmoved.

Sitting here in the middle of the day, talking to a brick wall, do you think it's easy for him?

Wen Shili looked up, met his gaze, took off his earplugs and asked, "Are you done talking?" He then gestured to Cao Jun, "Pour Mr. Lin another glass of water."

Lin Hao: "..."

Cao Jun quickly brought over a glass of water, glanced at Lin Hao's expression, and chuckled, "Um... Mr. Lin, actually I was going to say this from the beginning, Brother Li is listening to the demo."

It means you told me to shut up, so don't blame me.

Lin Hao raised his eyes and said, "I think you've been influenced by your surroundings!"

Cao Jun: "How could that be? Under your leadership, I will only strive for improvement."

Lin Hao felt dizzy. "Let me have some peace and quiet."

The office door slammed shut. Cao Jun looked at the silent man in front of him and stammered, "Actually... I think... she's not that kind of person."

Wen Shili didn't ask who "she" was, but only said, "Didn't you hear a word that President Lin just said?"

Cao Jun hesitated, "The main problem is that netizens are demonizing her a bit."

"It's unavoidable to survive in this industry," Wen Shili calmly stated the reality.

Without the protection of a company and capital, the moment you expose a weakness, you become a target for attack. Even circles you normally have no connection with will do everything in their power to crush you until you can never recover. After all, resources are limited.

If you can be defeated, it only means you made a mistake in your strategy.

Cao Jun sighed, knowing that it was already difficult enough for Wen Shili to tolerate him to this point, and it seemed that he could only leave it to fate to see what Sheng Yi would do next.

"Then I'll head out first."

"Um."

Cao Jun gripped the doorknob, about to press it down, when he suddenly heard Wen Shili's voice behind him say, "Go and find out what happened to each of them."

He paused, then added, "Keep an eye on things at the company too. Report to me immediately if anything happens."