After something like this happened, the first person Shang Yechu should have contacted was naturally Ji Juntao. Unfortunately, after making two calls, the other party remained completely silent, as if dead, so Shang Yechu gave up.

It's better to rely on yourself than to ask others for help, so Shang Yechu had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

The most important thing right now is to suppress the trending topics.

The standard procedure is to first mobilize a group of people to report Dong Hongtao's article, thus limiting the reach of the Weibo post. A Weibo post with limited reach cannot trend on social media. Then, they secretly contact Dong Hongtao to see how much money they can use to settle the matter.

Shang Yechu was willing to spend the money, but the other party was clearly prepared. Shang Yechu was worried that if one Dong Hongtao was defeated, countless others like Zhang Hongtao, Li Hongtao, and Wang Hongtao would come up. Would they all have to be suppressed in the same way?

Neither Qingping Entertainment nor Shang Yechu have a very weak financial foundation and cannot afford such a war of attrition.

Another approach is to write a lengthy defense, refuting Dong Hongtao point by point, and directly confronting him.

The downside of this approach is that it's very passive. Taking action before it becomes a trending topic makes Shang Yechu seem like she's neglecting her duties and spending her time spying on Dong Hongtao. If things go wrong, it could even spread the article further, giving Dong Hongtao unnecessary exposure.

Taking action after it's trending on social media is even worse; it will only make things look like you're covering your mouth or making sophistry, and will backfire.

Shang Yechu immediately rejected this method.

Dong Hongtao is a professional film critic and writer. Shang Yechu is not foolish enough to go to someone else's home turf and engage in verbal battles with a literary figure!

Should I ask Ji Juntao to spend money to hire a popular online figure to debate the scriptures for me?

This method is currently the most feasible. If Shang Yechu doesn't get involved, the debate from both sides won't affect her. And if it does trend on social media, it will prevent the public from being swayed by one-sided opinions.

It's just that scholars are too aloof; inviting someone to debate classical texts would cost them a fortune...

You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; Shang Yechu made up her mind without much effort.

This money cannot be paid by Shang Yechu; it must be paid in the name of the company team. It's not that Shang Yechu is unwilling to spend the money, but rather that she cannot allow Ji Juntao to develop the habit of always putting money out of her own pocket.

The computer in Ji Juntao's office at Qingping Entertainment contained some of Ji Juntao's contacts. Shang Yechu decided to go back to Qingping Entertainment first to make a record and give them a heads-up.

As Shang Yechu walked out of the internet cafe, she called Ji Juntao again. Still no answer. She wondered when that deadbeat Ji Juntao would finally get off the bus.

The driver, Aunt Cai, was already waiting at the entrance of the internet cafe. Shang Yechu sped all the way to Qingping Entertainment and went upstairs in a flash.

Shang Yechu had a key to Ji Juntao's office, but the door was unlocked. Shang Yechu pushed the door open and was surprised to find an uninvited guest.

Gu Wenhua.

Gu Wenhua sat awkwardly on the sofa, a steaming cup of tea on the coffee table in front of him. The other person rubbed his hands nervously, looking like a pockmarked chicken trapped in a weasel's den.

Shang Yechu quickly grasped the crux of the matter—she was anxious, but Gu Wenhua was probably even more anxious. After all, "The Mute Woman" was Gu Wenhua's true debut work. A junior director doesn't have the same freedom or say as an actor. With her first film being smeared so badly, if Gu Wenhua didn't resolve this issue, she could forget about ever working in the industry again.

Gu Wenhua, who already had a mournful face, looked even more grief-stricken when Shang Yechu pushed the door open and entered, and his tongue even tied in knots.

"Sister Ye! You're here!"

Shang Yechu didn't want to scare the future director, so she tried to be as friendly as possible and said, "You're here for that too? It's alright, don't be afraid."

Shang Yechu walked to Ji Juntao's computer, sat down, and began rummaging through the drawers.

Gu Wenhua asked timidly, "Sister Ye... what are you doing?"

Ji Juntao's drawer was locked, even though it was never locked before.

Shang Yechu opened the drawer to no avail, feeling a little irritated, and casually said, "It's nothing, it's nothing. Are you here to see President Ji?"

Gu Wenhua nodded. "Sister Ye, do you know where President Ji went?"

Shang Yechu fiddled with the drawer handle and shook her head: "She went to a dinner party. She's not answering her phone."

"Sister Ye..."

Shang Yechu waved her hand and pleaded, "Please don't call me Sister Ye anymore. I'm only 21 this year, and you've already graduated from university. You must be 24 or 25, right? Don't make me sound old."

Celebrities are very concerned about their age, and Shang Yechu is no exception.

Gu Wenhua asked awkwardly, "Then, Teacher Ye?"

"..." Shang Yechu then turned on Ji Juntao's computer. "Yechu, you should just call him by his first name. It sounds like you're calling someone else 'Teacher Ye'."

Ji Juntao had already told Shang Yechu his computer password, and Shang Yechu unlocked it in no time, immediately spotting the "Contacts" folder on the desktop.

Shang Yechu opened the folder, which contained many documents categorized into different types and categories, including the MCNs and contact information of influential figures in different fields.

Shang Yechu glanced at the folder, shook her head, and closed it. These were all insignificant entertainment bloggers; contacting them was pointless. That stingy Ji Juntao, he never keeps truly useful information on his computer.

Shang Yechu felt a tightness in her chest, unable to calm down for a long time. Looking at the empty office, a strange guess suddenly came to her mind.