Chapter 180 Alt Account [VIP]
Chapter Summary: She responded, with only five words.
In the evening, after the film crew finished work.
The entire crew arrived at the restaurant in batches. Because there were so many people, He Zhiyue booked the whole restaurant. With no other customers around, everyone could eat and drink to their heart's content.
Once everyone had arrived, the waiters filed in to serve the dishes.
As everyone started eating, Minmin, who was sitting at a table in the lobby, suddenly stood up. Without even saying hello to her tablemates, she immediately ran to the private room where Muzhi was.
As long as she's awake, Minmin's phone is practically glued to her hand, constantly checking online news.
Therefore, any activity online can always be discovered immediately.
As soon as Minmin knocked and entered the private room, Ji Binghe, who was sitting next to Muzhi, stood up with a serious expression. She had just received a message from the staff member in charge of monitoring online public opinion and learned about the situation online.
Mu Zhi sensed something was wrong and asked, "What happened?"
Ji Binghe's gloomy expression softened slightly. Before she could reply, Minmin quickly came over and whispered the situation online to Muzhi.
Mu Zhi: ? Her "relationship" with He Zhiyue is trending again? And it's been confirmed?
The timing of the crew's dinner gathering tonight was deliberately chosen by the person behind it, to catch them off guard.
Mu Zhi looked up and exchanged a glance with Ji Binghe. They needed to handle the online issues quickly; they wouldn't be able to have dinner tonight.
Mu Zhi first apologized to Director Wan Zhou, who was sitting next to her, saying that she had to leave because of something and that they could get together again next time. Then she stood up and said to the people in the private room, "I'm sorry, I have something to take care of. Have a good time, everyone."
Then Ji Binghe hurriedly left the table and went out. As soon as they came out, the rest of the team members also left the table and waited to the side. The group left the restaurant in a hurry.
As soon as Mu Zhi and the others left, He Zhiyue, who was sitting in the private room, also apologized to Director Wan Zhou with her assistant, saying that she had something to take care of, and then left as well.
For a moment, the crew members at the dozen or so tables in the lobby looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what had happened.
Some people checked their phones and told their seatmates what was happening online.
Soon, the gossip spread to every table, and many people began whispering among themselves.
Then, director Wan Zhou came out, holding a cup of tea. He said that today was an auspicious day for the crew to start filming, and everyone was gathered together mainly to celebrate the start of filming. He said a few words of hope that everyone would work together to make this movie a success.
I'm too old to drink alcohol, so I'll have a cup of tea instead, to wish everyone a good meal tonight and a good day on set tomorrow.
The director's words ignited everyone's passion, and they all put away their gossipy thoughts.
The entertainment industry is never short of gossip and scandals. The female lead of a movie being rumored to be dating a wealthy investor isn't a big deal; both are single, neither is married...
Soon, the private rooms and the lobby were bustling again, and everyone continued to eat and drink happily.
On the way back to the hotel.
Sitting in the car, Mu Zhi frowned after carefully reading the trending topics online.
The romance began tonight with a Weibo account that described itself as a staff member of the film "Doomsday Movie". It hadn't posted many Weibo posts, but this afternoon it posted two pictures.
The first picture shows her and He Zhiyue standing face to face; the second picture shows He Zhiyue holding her arm, her turning to look at He Zhiyue, and the two looking at each other.
The caption accompanying this Weibo post by the "staff member" read: "I'm totally shipping them."
This Weibo post was somehow unearthed by netizens, who, based on the pictures, believe that the staff member was revealing that Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue are dating.
Then a paparazzi account with over 2 million followers posted a cryptic Weibo post, saying, "I wonder if a certain top actress, who is currently enjoying immense popularity, will deny the relationship again this time."
Some netizens interpreted the paparazzi as referring to Mu Zhi, while others thought the paparazzi was just trying to gain attention.
The two photos posted by the crew show Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue in physical contact, but it looks like Mu Zhi was about to fall and He Zhiyue helped her up, rather than the two hugging or kissing.
These two pictures are a weak way to prove a relationship.
Soon, the heavy hammer came.
On an entertainment gossip forum, someone started a thread claiming it was "a suspected token of love between Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue," and posted a notice from the International Astronomical Union. The poster thoughtfully translated the contents of the notice:
The International Astronomical Union has announced the existence of a new asteroid called "Muzhi," which was discovered by He Zhiyue.
He Zhiyue named a new planet after Mu Zhi.
If this isn't love, what else could it be?
The netizens in the post were excited: It's confirmed!! Adding to the two previous times Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue were photographed together during their rumored romance, where do all these "coincidences" come from? The two of them are definitely not dating!
Minmin, who was standing next to her, reviewed the timeline: "First, there were the pictures posted by the staff, and then the posts on the forum. It all happened within 15 minutes, right when the crew finished filming and we were on our way to the hotel."
Then, as soon as we started serving the food, a group of marketing accounts compiled all the pictures posted by this 'crew member,' the Weibo posts from paparazzi who were cooperating or trying to ride the wave of popularity, and the pictures they dug up from forums, and posted them on Weibo with hashtags. It was all clearly pre-arranged.
The hashtag #Muzhihezhiyue's relationship exposed# suddenly appeared at the top of the trending searches.
One is a top-tier actress, and the other is the successor of the He Group who made headlines last year due to the power struggle within the He family, and is rumored to have successfully seized the throne. He is also the former owner of Lanxing Media, the son of He Shuhui, and the grandson of Feng Chongxian.
The topic went viral as soon as it appeared on the trending list, attracting a large number of netizens to follow and discuss it.
In less than two minutes, it topped the trending searches, followed by the hashtag #Explosive#.
Ji Binghe pinched the bridge of her nose. Just as Minmin said, someone had planned everything behind the scenes and was very familiar with the schedule of the "Doomsday Virus" crew.
But the current focus is not on finding the person behind it, but on solving the problem.
Originally, the news of Mu Zhi's relationship would have caused a sensation, as people would have been curious about who her boyfriend was and how he was associated with He Zhiyue, who had multiple identities, turning it into a high-society news story and creating an even greater sensation.
Ji Binghe had imagined what would happen when Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue announced their relationship at the end of the year...
Although Mu Zhi debuted as an idol, she started acting after her official debut. In the public eye, Mu Zhi is an actress.
Actors dating usually doesn't generate negative public opinion, so Mu Zhi's relationship being exposed won't have any negative impact either.
But things are different now; the timing isn't right, and no groundwork has been laid yet.
Ji Binghe looked at some of the unfriendly comments from netizens in the trending topics:
"So Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue are really dating? They denied it before, they're so stubborn."
"The two of them have been together for a long time, haven't they? Mu Zhi even posted on Weibo before, 'I've been single since my debut,' but now it seems that was just to create a persona and deceive the public. She's hypocritical."
"Mu Zhi is so good at flirting, and she's really something else. Every time there's a rumor about her, she denies it with such confidence, saying she's single. Her fans praise her for focusing on her career, but it turns out she's been secretly dating her company boss for a long time. Her methods are amazing, and her fans are so naive, they've been completely fooled."
"Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue are clearly dating but refuse to admit it. Who's really rejecting whom?"
"I bet it's because the future successor of this massive business empire doesn't want to. These second-generation heirs of super-rich families definitely want to marry someone of equal social standing. Dating female celebrities is just to satisfy their desire for conquest and vanity; it's just for fun."
......
In the entertainment industry, many celebrities refuse to admit their relationships after they are exposed.
A few months ago, a popular male celebrity was photographed kissing his co-star in a car, confirming their relationship. Fearing he would lose fans, the celebrity chose to ignore the rumors and had the actress deny the relationship, drawing criticism from netizens who accused him of being irresponsible and unmanly.
The shameless one still doesn't respond, choosing to let it cool down and wait for the hype to die down.
But this tactic didn't work on Mu Zhi.
After browsing online, Ji Binghe discovered that someone was clearly stirring up trouble. The discussion about Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue's relationship wasn't about the two of them, but mainly about criticizing Mu Zhi as a "liar," "deceiving," and "creating a single persona."
The focus has now shifted to the professional relationship between Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue. One is an artist under the company, and the other is the former boss of Lanxing Media. The photos released tonight, showing that He Zhiyue also went to the set for the start of filming of "Doomsday Virus" today, further prove that the relationship between the two is not ordinary.
Some directly accused Mu Zhi of getting the lead role in this big-budget film because of her relationship with He Zhiyue. Even more outrageous comments suggested that Mu Zhi's rise to fame was due to the company boss's support and that she relied on a man.
They are trying to erase all of Mu Zhi's efforts.
Back in the hotel room.
Ji Binghe hasn't yet figured out the best way to respond to and deal with Mu Zhi's latest rumored romance.
Ji Binghe knew perfectly well that Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue were not dating. Other celebrities would pretend not to know when they were caught dating, but Mu Zhi and He Zhiyue's relationship was completely innocent, and it was impossible for them to come forward and say they were dating. This would be a slap in the face to Mu Zhi's previous denials of the relationship.
It really has become what some netizens call lying and deception.
The first response I rejected: This relationship is absolutely unacceptable.
However, by denying the relationship, Mu Zhi distanced herself from He Zhiyue.
Will netizens believe it? No.
They would only think that Mu Zhi still refused to admit it even after all this, and would feel that Mu Zhi was not sincere.
Moreover, some time ago, Ji Binghe confirmed Mu Zhi's feelings for He Zhiyue with Mu Zhi and said that she would agree to date him at the end of the year.
If she denies the relationship now, but is photographed dating again later, it will still create a bad impression on the public, making them think that Mu Zhi is not upright, that her relationship with He Zhiyue is constantly contradicting her, and that she is being unseemly.
If the two of them actually get together, they won't receive blessings, but ridicule, and it might even provoke resentment from fans.
Ji Binghe was deep in thought, her brows furrowed tightly.
Mu Zhi, who had been quiet all the way back from the restaurant and back in her hotel room, finally spoke.
"I'm here to respond on Weibo."
As Mu Zhi spoke, she quickly edited the Weibo post and handed her phone to Ji Binghe, who was standing next to her.
"Sister Ji, what do you think of this response?"
It was in a hotel room at the other end of the corridor on the same floor as Muzhi.
He Zhiyue sent a message to Ji Binghe asking how she planned to handle the online situation, but received no reply. He guessed that she was too busy to reply at the moment and had not yet come up with a solution.
He knew that the decision to respond rested with Mu Zhi, but he didn't dare to ask her directly.
He Zhiyue stared at the phone in her hand, many guesses flashing through her mind.
Enveloped in a mix of emotions—tension, unease, and irritability—he ripped off his tie with one hand and tossed it to the ground. He unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt, combed his hair back with his fingers, and let his bangs fall loosely across his forehead.
He Zhiyue knew that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Mu Zhi would deny their relationship.
Because they weren't even dating, he hadn't even officially started pursuing Mu Zhi.
For the past four years, it has all been wishful thinking on his part.
He Zhiyue opened the chat window with Mu Zhi, wanting to send her a message telling her not to deny it. But as soon as the thought popped into her head, she immediately dismissed it. It was ridiculous, utterly absurd. Why admit to something you didn't do?
He had no grounds to stop Mu Zhi from denying it.
What He Zhiyue cared about was not Mu Zhi's current denial, but that if Mu Quan denied it now, then when her contract with Lanxing Media expired, she would not be able to go back to being with him. She would reject him, resist his approach, and might even choose not to renew her contract with Lanxing Media in order to distance herself from him.
Just when his five-year contract was about to end, it was ruined by tonight's "romance".
He Zhiyue was unwilling to give up. The thought of letting go of Mu Zhi made her heart feel like it was being squeezed in someone's palm, constantly being squeezed. Her heartbeat stopped, her blood stopped flowing, and her limbs felt like they were falling into an ice cave, stiff and cold.
Sitting opposite He Zhiyue, Assistant Wen had never seen He Zhiyue so distraught, not even when Chairman He was lying in the intensive care unit on the verge of death, or when he was deliberately harassed and humiliated at the shareholders' meeting.
He Zhiyue's eyes were red, as if they were burning with fire, or like an enraged beast, pacing back and forth as if about to pounce and bite someone, venting the anger in his heart.
The next second, there was a loud "bang".
He Zhiyue slammed his right fist into the coffee table, and the glass coffee table shattered instantly.
Assistant Wen was startled and stood there for a few seconds, then saw a flash of blood in her eyes—He Zhiyue's hand was bleeding.
Assistant Wen snapped out of her daze and hurriedly stood up. Carefully stepping on the glass, she walked over to He Zhiyue's side and checked on her. She found that He Zhiyue's hand had been cut by the glass.
"Mr. He, are you alright?"
He Zhiyue ignored him.
Assistant Wen had no choice but to find the first-aid kit in the hotel room, bring it over, and offer to treat He Zhiyue's hand injury.
He Zhiyue glanced at her hand and casually replied, "It's nothing."
Just then, the phone next to me vibrated.
Assistant Wen glanced at He Zhiyue's phone screen and reminded him, "Mr. He, it's Director Ji on the phone."
He Zhiyue's body stiffened upon hearing this. She turned to stare at her phone but did not answer immediately.
Wen's assistant reminded him again: "Mr. He, Ms. Mu Zhi's agent called."
He Zhiyue hesitated for a moment before picking up the phone with her uninjured left hand and swiping to answer.
He didn't speak, but listened quietly to Ji Binghe's voice.
"President He, Zhizhi has made up her mind and will respond on Weibo soon."
He Zhiyue remained silent for a while, then replied with a single word in a slightly hoarse voice: "Okay."
Ji Binghe, on the other end of the phone, noticed the unusual tone in He Zhiyue's voice and guessed what He Zhiyue was thinking, what he was worried about, or, to be more precise, what he was afraid of.
"Take a look at Weibo, have some faith in Zhizhi." Then he hung up the phone.
He Zhiyue's eyes lit up as she pondered the meaning behind Ji Binghe's words.
He quickly sat up straight, took a deep breath nervously, opened Weibo, and went straight to the Weibo trending topics list.
The top trending topic is #MuZhiRespondsToRelationship#.
When He Zhiyue clicked in, the top trending topic was a Weibo post by Mu Zhi that had been up 2 minutes earlier.
Muzhi V: We haven't started dating yet.
It only has 5 characters.
She neither admitted to the relationship nor completely denied it.
The addition of the word "still" to "have not yet interacted" makes a significant difference compared to "have not yet interacted," adding the implication that they are currently in contact.
He Zhiyue's heart pounded rapidly at Mu Zhi's response, and she even felt a corner of the iceberg she was holding in her arms melt away.
He was relieved; in this way, the "star" he gave Mu Zhi was just a gift, not a token of their love.
Mu Zhi is not being proven wrong.
There is no longer any "lying" or "deception".
In Mu Zhi's room.
After Mu Zhi responded on Weibo, the criticism against her subsided.
However, the public's interest in something will not be easily dismissed simply because of the person involved's response.
There will still be "malicious individuals" trying to save face and prove that they did not make a mistake in their criticism, using Mu Zhi's response as a basis for finding the next point of attack.
For example, Mu Zhi responded that she and He Zhiyue were not dating yet, indirectly indicating that the two were in contact.
Some netizens jumped out to continue attacking and mocking:
"It seems the man is refusing to acknowledge their relationship."
"Mu Zhi is just being stubborn. Let's wait and see He Zhiyue come out and slap her in the face!"
"Mu Zhi is really pitiful. Compared to being called a liar and deceiving fans for admitting to a relationship, what's even more pathetic is deceiving herself and creating the illusion that she's being pursued. Isn't she afraid of being exposed?"
"Tsk tsk, Mu Zhi is creating a persona for herself again. Her Weibo post is saying that the heir to the He Group is pursuing her, and she hasn't agreed yet. It's hilarious, does anyone believe that?"
Some netizens took the opportunity to stir up trouble, asking the He Group's boss on Weibo to respond and whether he acknowledges Mu Zhi as the future chairman's wife.
Looking at these comments online, Minmin pressed her hand to her liver: "Damn it, I'm so angry my liver is going to hurt!"
She clicked into the profiles of more than a dozen accounts that were spewing offensive language, only to find that they were all fans of actresses from the same cohort.
Is this the "Six Major Sects besieging Bright Peak"?
Mu Zhi's high position angered the fans of other actresses, who hoped to bring her down and felt that their own idols could stand on top and share Mu Zhi's movie resources.
Of course, this only refers to a few individual fans or a small group of fans and cannot represent the entire fan base.
But Minmin couldn't help but sigh inwardly that the online public opinion environment was already harsh on women, especially since He Zhiyue was practically a nobody.
Therefore, netizens focused their discussions and attacks on Mu Zhi.
Tonight's "romance" rumors have seen Mu Zhi bear 80% of the malicious speculation alone.
As Mu Zhi's colleague, she knew perfectly well that her boss had a crush on Mu Zhi and was pursuing her relentlessly, but online it was speculated that Mu Zhi wanted to marry into a wealthy family, that she wasn't accepted, and that Mu Zhi was being ridiculed as a joke...
Minmin really felt indignant on Muzhi's behalf and felt wronged.
After Mu Zhi responded truthfully on Weibo, she stated, "Wait two days, and the hype surrounding this matter will die down."
Tell Ji Binghe to tell He Zhiyue to stop interfering.
Her stance was that we should not respond to this matter anymore.
She gets criticized if she's actually dating He Zhiyue, she gets criticized if she denies the relationship, and she gets criticized even if she tells the truth about their interactions.
No matter how you respond, netizens will always find new points to attack.
As a public figure, Mu Zhi's relationship has become a hot topic and a subject of much discussion. As long as she responds and makes a statement, that's enough. Let's just leave it at that and not take up public resources.
Ji Binghe nodded, agreeing with Mu Zhi's suggestion. At present, He Zhiyue's sensitive position made it inappropriate for her to publicly respond.
Ji Binghe was about to call He Zhiyue when He Zhiyue called first.
"Director Ji, could you come here for a moment?" He hung up the phone.
Ji Binghe: ? After all, I've worked with He Zhiyue for 5 years and we've developed a tacit understanding.
She guessed that her boss must have a way to deal with the online comments and was discussing it with her.
But I don't want Mu Zhi to know for the time being?
Ji Binghe said to Mu Zhi, "I'm going out for a bit."
Arriving at He Zhiyue's room, Ji Binghe raised her hand and knocked on the door, which immediately opened.
Assistant Wen said politely, "Director Ji, please come in."
Ji Binghe nodded slightly to Assistant Wen and quickly walked in. Just as she was about to ask the boss if he had any ideas, she saw the boss standing next to the sofa with his right hand bandaged. There was broken glass all over the floor where the coffee table had been.
"How did the coffee table get broken?"
He Zhiyue: "The quality is poor."
Ji Binghe understood; someone had lashed out in anger by slamming the coffee table with one hand, and gave He Zhiyue a "you deserve it" look.
With business at hand, He Zhiyue went straight to the point about why he had called Ji Binghe over: "This is my response. Please take a look, Director Ji."
He then handed his phone to Ji Binghe.
Ji Binghe looked puzzled and suspicious. Did He Zhiyue also write a response on Weibo like Mu Zhi did, so she could see the content? Wait, no, she remembered that He Zhiyue didn't have a personal Weibo account.
Ji Binghe took the phone and looked down. It was a Weibo account called "Haiwangmaru Cactus hzy". Her first thought was: What the heck?
Did I accidentally click on a fan's Weibo profile?
She looked up at He Zhiyue and asked, "Kaiwangmaru Cactus hzy?"
He Zhiyue: "That's right."
Ji Binghe continued to look down and patiently scrolled down to read the content. She was initially confused, but gradually she understood it and belatedly realized the hidden meaning in the Weibo nickname.
"Cough cough cough." He choked.
Ji Binghe covered her mouth, looked up in surprise, and stared at He Zhiyue with a strange look in her eyes, asking incredulously:
"Is this your alternate account?"
He Zhiyue nodded: "Yes."
"What are your thoughts?"
"Make this alternate account public."
Ji Binghe asked, "Have you thought this through? After all, you haven't established yourself in the He Group yet, and revealing this alternate account will somewhat damage your prestigious image."
He Zhiyue chuckled lightly: "I don't care."
What he didn't tell Ji Binghe was that he had initially registered this alternate account with the intention of making his relationship with Mu Zhi public one day.
He knew that in the eyes of ordinary people, he was the boss of Lanxing Media, and if he later became the head of the He Group, there would be some dislikes about him being with Mu Zhi.
In his eyes, Mu Zhi was the best; he had begged her to see him.
He Zhiyue intended to use this alternate account to tell the public that during the period when Mu Zhi signed with Lanxing Media, their relationship was completely innocent, and that he was the one who pursued her.
He also used this Weibo side account to express his love for Mu Zhi. He was serious about her, and he loved her even more humbly than she imagined.
He Zhiyue: "I didn't do anything shameful."
Ji Binghe: "That's true. Some business tycoons have cheated on their wives, but people still do business with them. Compared to them, you're much more innocent."
He Zhiyue: "......."
Ji Binghe stopped joking and immediately put on a serious expression: "I'll arrange it right away."
After making the arrangements, Ji Binghe returned to Mu Zhi's room with a smile on her face.
Ji Binghe said to Mu Zhi, "Zhizhi, tonight's 'romance' incident will come to a beautiful end."
Mu Zhi looked puzzled.
Ji Binghe told Mu Zhi to check the trending topics to find out.
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