Chapter 48 I was wrong.

The food and drinks on the table were served again, and the atmosphere showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Sheng Yi sent a message to Feng Shu, then snuggled up with Jing Jing, scrolling through their phones listlessly.

The editor-in-chief listened to Cao Jun's flattery and hurriedly echoed it, but only one thought was in his mind: it came so easily.

Next year will be the magazine's fifth anniversary, and he had sent several invitations to Wen Shili to shoot a cover for an issue. The staff were very polite, but their underlying message was always the same: it wasn't convenient.

He had already mentally rehearsed countless presentations of the basic creative concept, and both parties were interested. Everything was progressing smoothly, like a dream.

He sighed with relief, but also felt fortunate that he hadn't made another mistake.

When reviewing the rising stars in the industry over the past six months, Sheng Yi is an indispensable figure, which is why she has always been a potential cover model for their year-end issue.

However, she was too young and lacked impressive achievements. The editorial department discussed the matter repeatedly, but in the end, he made the final decision and chose her.

There's no other reason; some people are just born with a sense of style.

After the invitation was sent, news suddenly spread online that there was no longer any affection between her and Wen Shili, and that the previous claims of mutual following and friendship were just Wen Shili being kind and seeing her being cyberbullied.

Meanwhile, fans of the pairing of Sheng Yi and Zeng Shaoguang quietly began to emerge.

Neither party has taken any further action or made any further statements regarding this matter.

If Sheng Yi gets published in the year-end issue, there's no point in even thinking about getting Wen Shili to support him; forget about it.

When her agent called, he hesitated for a moment, but decided to stick to the original plan.

That fleeting moment of conscience led to the harmonious family reunion we enjoy today.

Although one of the story's main characters seems completely unaware, staring blankly into the void, it appears he is... in a daze?

Sheng Yi was actually thinking about something.

In the dim light, Feng Shu's eyes were filled with memories.

He used to be a spirited young man, a far cry from his current state of being, hesitant and full of sorrow.

What was he trying to say in the end? I'll ask him another time.

Sheng Yi glanced at the time, then looked at Lao Qian, who was spitting as he spoke. He had at most half an hour left for Lao Qian to continue.

My finger slid unconsciously across the screen, and a familiar name caught my eye. I clicked on it, and it was a statement from Xu Jiayi's studio.

The general message is to encourage fans to pursue their idols rationally and discourage any gatherings such as picking up or dropping off celebrities at the airport, so as not to affect social order and the normal living environment of the public.

Xu Jiayi has starred in several hit dramas in recent years, and her public image has always been positive. As soon as the statement was released, the comments were full of praise for her as an excellent idol and a good role model.

Sheng Yi thought of the chaotic situation at the airport yesterday. If there had been more people, the chaos might have caused some problems.

When public figures are willing to speak out on this issue, it can always help some fans return to rationality.

She casually gave it a thumbs up, and when she came to her senses, she heard a heavenly voice say, "Yeah, I still have things to do."

Sheng Yi turned off her phone, intending to quickly exchange a few polite words before heading home, when she looked up to see Lao Qian grinning foolishly, his small eyes darting back and forth between Wen Shili and Cao Jun.

Finally, as if making up his mind, he asked, "Would it be convenient for you to add me on WeChat?"

These words were spoken to Cao Jun.

Of course that's convenient! Cao Jun was worried that he might still be thinking about what happened before, but it seems that his efforts all night were worthwhile.

Halfway through taking out his phone, he suddenly remembered something, "Sorry, my phone is out of battery."

Not being a professional actor, their performances inevitably tend to be a bit exaggerated. At that moment, Cao Jun suddenly empathized with Sheng Yi's struggles in "The Overbearing King's Nightly Pampering." Sometimes, plots that are too detached from reality are indeed hard to imagine, and forcing them into acting just looks awkward.

For example, being fully energized and ready to go at any time is the most basic requirement for an assistant. But this self-proclaimed top assistant can only go against his conscience and tarnish his glittering reputation with layers of charcoal.

He pretended not to notice the complicated look in Lao Qian's eyes, and said apologetically with a grin.

Old Qian was just giving it a try; if it worked out, great; if not, so be it. Seeing his reaction, I couldn't say I was disappointed. I quickly composed myself, intending to say a few words to brush it off, and hurried to take Sheng Yi to the airport.

Thinking of Sheng Yi, he couldn't help but look in her direction. He saw that the girl had no awareness that they were in cahoots. She was watching him with her hands in her sleeves, as if she were watching a show. When she saw him looking over, she even winked playfully.

He rolled his eyes inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged until he saw the hand extended in front of him, at which point he was truly taken aback.

Even though Cao Jun was prepared, he didn't expect his artist to be so proactive. He glanced at the stunned Lao Qian without making a sound and couldn't help but silently draw circles in his mind.

It's only been a few months, and I never imagined I'd be at the very bottom of the food chain again.

No matter how turbulent his heart was, his mouth never stopped. With an "Oh dear," he used all his acting skills to push the plot forward, "Yes, yes, yes, Brother Jiali's account is the same."

Jingjing looked left and right, feeling that this way of opening seemed a bit magical.

Sheng Yi sat to the side the whole time, without saying a single unnecessary word.

The editor-in-chief, who had witnessed the entire event, sighed inwardly. It seemed like it had been a long time since there had been any joyous occasions in the industry.

Even after driving halfway there, Lao Qian still felt a sense of unreality. He remembered how Wen Shili had once been so arrogant, holding his life and death in his hands, while he had nowhere to turn and was practically begging to kneel before him. Who would have thought things would turn out this way?

He looked completely out of it, which made Sheng Yi very worried for her own life. "How about I drive instead?"

Old Qian immediately straightened his back and shook his head as if he had been injected with chicken blood, "No need, no need." But while waiting for the red light, he took out his phone again and touched the profile picture of the newly added friend.

Sheng Yi couldn't bear to look, but the next second, she heard Lao Qian shout in a rough voice.

She reacted quickly, catching his falling phone and reminding him, "The light's green."

Old Qian said "Oh," and then heard a new message coming in. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, pursed his lips, and said, "Reply to me."

Sheng Yi clicked on it and saw a notification on the screen to tap the other person, followed by a lonely question mark sent by Wen Shili.

She turned on the video call and said to Lao Qian, "You tell us yourself."

Old Qian shook his head frantically. Sheng Yi rarely saw him so embarrassed, and she wondered what Wen Shili had done to him. She smiled, about to hang up, when Wen Shili's face appeared on the screen.

Unlike his neat appearance in public, his hair was slightly messy, the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and his collar was loosely turned to the sides, revealing a small patch of warm skin on his collarbone.

Sheng Yi glanced away, silently urging Lao Qian on.

"Hello, Teacher Wen."

Can you hear me?

Old Qian shouted twice, then quietly mouthed to Sheng Yi, "Is the signal bad?"

It's not impossible that the highway is still jammed with cars at this time. Sheng Yi leaned closer to the camera to confirm.

The person on the other end of the phone rested their head on their hands and looked at the camera. Their deep eyes looked wet at that moment, like a puppy that had let its guard down, lying there quietly, obedient and docile.

No matter how much Ren Laoqian called out, his face seemed frozen on the screen, completely motionless.

"It's stuck." Sheng Yi confirmed this, tilted her head back a little, and reached out to hang up the video. But the next second, she saw her own wide-eyed face on the screen.

Thick eyelashes fluttered gently, and the still image began to flow again.

Mingming… Sheng Yi's wide eyes stared even more intently.

Lies!

A soft chuckle. The video call ended quickly.

Sheng Yi stared at the chat box for half a second, her face flushed, and typed furiously, "What are you laughing at? Is playing dead really that fun?!"

"boring!"

The screen showed that typing was in progress. Soon, a new message appeared: "Yes, I was wrong."

Sheng Yi could even imagine him blinking, leaning lazily against the sofa, typing those words.

It would be strange if they knew they were wrong.

It was like punching cotton; she ended up choking on her own. She didn't reply anymore, but instead long-pressed and deleted the previous messages one by one.

The other side followed suit, and on their phone screens, only traces of retraction remained, indicating that the story had once taken place.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She swiped it open and saw a message from Zeng Shaoguang, asking when she would arrive.

After getting off the plane, Zeng Shaoguang's car was already waiting at the door. Upon seeing Zeng Shaoguang, Jingjing remembered the great responsibility she was shouldering, forced her eyelids open, and fiddled with her phone to adjust the angle.

Sheng Yi was shocked, but thought to herself, "No wonder he's someone Lao Qian trained."

"Take a break, it's just a friend helping out."

Jingjing couldn't control that much. There was too little material in the early stages, and the only leaks were a few behind-the-scenes photos. Moreover, the production team was very strict in controlling this aspect, so CP fans basically couldn't get any information.

The two of them were the same. She originally thought they were going to team up for a big sales event, but when they actually got together, their body language didn't show any ambiguity at all. She had to find all sorts of angles and apply layer after layer of filters to salvage the situation.

She believes that as long as she stays true to her ideas, more and more fans will support her.

Unfortunately, before she could make any progress, Lao Qian called urgently, immediately grabbing Sheng Yi and asking, "Do you and Xu Jiayi have some kind of grudge?"

The arrangement of these words was so unfamiliar that even Sheng Yi herself found them strange. "What?"

Old Qian didn't say much. "Go check the trending topics." Before hanging up, he added, "Remember to use a different account."

It was the like that Sheng Yi gave last night that was screenshotted and pushed to the top of the trending searches in the early hours of the morning.

Unlike the hashtag #XuJiayiStudioStatement# which praised her in various ways, the top comments on the topic #GiveThumbsUpToXuJiayi# all followed a similar theme: "She's not famous but loves to piggyback on others' fame."

Some say she was abandoned by Wen Shili and has to mooch off others for everything; some say she can't walk independently without others; and some say she's a leopard that can't change its spots. Among dozens of comments, not a single one is even remotely acceptable.

Jingjing scrolled through the page and noticed that "most of them seem to be fans of Xu Jiayi, and the homepage is full of topics related to her."

Sheng Yi quickly changed her username and browsed around. Sure enough, when she opened the hot comments that were criticizing her, nine out of ten were actually praising Xu Jiayi.

Is there some past conflict? She thought back for a moment. Could it be the friction from the last brand event that they still remember? It shouldn't be that serious.

Xu Jiayi is a rising star. She has only recently become known to the public, so there isn't much direct competition for resources. If she's going to fight, she should find someone of similar strength to fight.

With her? Isn't this just giving her a free pass?

However, the reality is that she's now surrounded. All because of a fleeting thought, a casual click on that "Thumbs Up" button.

Jingjing was furious. "Can't we get someone to take this trending topic down?"

Sheng Yi shifted into a more comfortable position, remaining noncommittal. Zeng Shaoguang, standing nearby, shuddered upon hearing this, "Do you know how much it costs to remove a trending topic?"

Jingjing shook her head, and Shengyi covered his mouth and yawned, then gave her a number.

"I knew it was expensive, but I didn't know it was this expensive!" Jingjing opened her mouth, then silently closed it again.

Old Qian is definitely reluctant to spend this money. It would be better if some other news came out to distract him.

While a few insults may not hurt much, such accumulated negative reviews over the years will gradually lower people's impression of Shengyi. And often, regaining a lost reputation requires much more hard work.

Therefore, addressing the problem at its source is the most convenient and efficient approach.

Fortunately, it was already quite late, and the trending topic was still outside the top 20. Sheng Yi comforted her, "Go to sleep first, maybe it will be gone when you wake up."

It's just a like; there's no real significance to it anyway. All she can do is mind her own business.

However, this time she was wrong.

The next day, when she got up to do her makeup, Xu Jiayi was still trending on social media. Sheng Yi thought it was because yesterday's incident had escalated again that night, but when she clicked in, the trending content had changed drastically.

The homepage displayed a video I hadn't seen before, and the main character in the video was none other than Xu Jiayi.

The picture quality isn't very clear, but the dialogue, word by word, leaves no room for misinterpretation.

Early risers in the comments have already summarized the key points: at a certain event, Xu Jiayi was dissatisfied with the staff's reception. She smiled on the surface, but then turned around and unrestrainedly lashed out at her assistant.

Sheng Yi listened for a few minutes, but didn't say anything irreparable. However, there was a slight disconnect between her and the humble and polite image promoted by her fans.

In this matter alone, fans have almost completely taken control of the narrative, using pictures and text to say that the assistant was not competent and had already been fired by the studio, etc.

Unexpectedly, taking advantage of this opening, someone claiming to be an industry insider came forward to say that they had contact with Xu Jiayi and that she was indeed not as kind as rumored. Others were more blunt, saying that she was someone who liked to treat people differently based on their status.

"Go find whoever upset you, why are you taking your anger out on working people?"

"Why does everyone I support seem to fall from grace..."

"Everyone has a temper, you guys just like mannequins, huh?"

"I hope you encounter colleagues like this in your future jobs, you'll be stuck with them forever."

The internet was buzzing with discussion. Jingjing, holding her phone, squatted on the set, letting out a long sigh of relief. It seemed like today was a good day to make a wish.