Chapter 7 Insufficient Life Balance
Negative news often stirs up emotions among passersby more easily than positive topics, and by midnight, these tags had all climbed to the bottom of the StarNet trending search list.
While Fang Zhuo waited quietly for public opinion to ferment, Tong Qinglu sent him a long and earnest essay explaining herself. He was too lazy to read so many words, so he directly sent her a voice message.
During the call, Tong Qinglu's voice sounded somewhat urgent: "President Fang, I can guarantee that I haven't had any plastic surgery. I can go to the Ninth Hospital of the Star Federation for a checkup."
“The pre-operative examination form posted online was indeed mine. At that time, I hadn’t reported to ITOUCCH yet. The agency required each of us girls to have our noses done at a hospital they were familiar with. But I was so scared before I even got anesthesia that I ran away from the hospital before the surgery.”
“The agent only received the examination report, and he always thought my face had been surgically altered.”
"I had no idea that he had previously organized a boy band to sell their bodies. Mr. Fang, you can believe me, even if I were short of money, I would never do such a thing."
Perhaps Tong Qinglu hadn't yet grasped the key point, but Fang Zhuo immediately understood after listening—
Smear campaigns are never baseless; the agent and the doctor at the plastic surgery clinic on ITOUCH were most likely people that Ruan Zihan specifically hired.
They were convinced that Tong Qinglu had undergone plastic surgery, and even had imagined what her face would look like after the surgery, which gave them the confidence to guide such public opinion.
The people on the other side were blatantly crazy, without any scruples.
From this perspective, the so-called "failed plastic surgery" of the other supporting characters was also orchestrated by someone with ulterior motives.
However, there were indeed some errors in the information exchange between the intermediary and Ruan Zihan. At least Ruan currently does not know what Tong Qinglu looks like now, which is why he dared to release the so-called "old photos" based on the original post-surgery template.
He should thank the other party for leaving this foolish flaw, which made the public relations plan incredibly easy to execute.
The view outside the apartment changed to a long, heavy rain. Fang Zhuo stood in front of the glass curtain wall, looking at the rain-soaked street reflected on it, and softly hummed in agreement.
“You’re smart. Block that agent now and don’t have anything to do with him anymore. Also, delete all the contact information and email addresses you used before, and only keep trustworthy friends in real life.”
"You need to attend an offline event the day after tomorrow, so make sure you're in good shape."
Although his words offered no comfort, they gave the anxious Tong Qinglu a much-needed boost of confidence.
After the call ended, she received a transfer of 100,000 yuan from Mr. Fang into her bank account.
Huddled in her rented room on the outskirts of the main planet, watching the trails left by the clouds streaking across the sky, she leaned close to the window, a sense of peace and hope rising in her heart.
The next morning, she noticed that her company assistant had registered an account in her name and posted: "[I'll be meeting everyone offline tomorrow night at 8 PM, see you there!]"
The assistant also sent her the account password, but Tong Qinglu never logged in. Just looking at the comments section was already shocking, and it was hard to imagine how disgusting the private messages in the background must be.
[Dude, you're selling tickets for a fan meeting? Regular tickets are 200 each, and you've already tagged Yuanzi before even having any work to show for her? What a smug face!]
[Stop criticizing her; the more you give her the time of day, the more pleased she gets.]
[It's only a 20-minute walk from my house. I'll definitely go over there to see what's going on, and I'll livestream it for everyone.]
[Ugh, it smells awful! How come hamsters can hold fan meetings so openly now? Don't steal my cheese!]
[I hate it when people Photoshop their phones so much they knock your head off like in the photos.]
[Didn't they say they wouldn't care? How come all 500 tickets sold out in less than a second? Has a new emperor ascended the throne?]
[Where did this emperor come from? Probably an emperor from a dream.]
Out of sight, out of mind. She turned off the StarNet and used the money Mr. Fang transferred last night to buy the expensive face mask she had been reluctant to purchase before, and took good care of her skin at home.
[Teacher Tong, I'm sending you an address. Please come here before 2 PM to try on your dress.]
In the Giant Entertainment group chat, a person named Jiang Yu sent her a message. Tong Qinglu had noticed before that he always forwarded various notices in the group, and knew that he was the chief assistant under President Fang, so she replied with a "received" very promptly.
Just after 1:30, Tong Qinglu arrived at the venue.
Pushing open the door, she was stunned by the luxurious furnishings inside and remained speechless for a long time.
This was a huge and luxurious banquet hall, with a ceiling height of over ten meters. The floor was covered with warm white frosted tiles, and a long carpet stretched from the entrance all the way to the stage. On both sides were white staircases that were half a floor high, and large fresh-cut roses were placed along the sides of the staircases.
Fresh dew drips from the rose petals. With current preservation technology, these freshly picked flowers would wilt in no more than three days, making them exorbitantly expensive.
"Teacher Tong, please come this way." Jiang Yu walked over quickly and led her to the backstage area of the banquet hall.
The room was filled with a whole row of haute couture gowns, and several girls wearing gloves and work clothes were standing next to her, clearly waiting to have their gowns adjusted.
She hesitated for a moment: "Why make it so elaborate? This must cost a lot of money..."
As a relatively unknown figure in the entertainment industry, Tong Qinglu had never seen such a grand spectacle before. Even popular young actresses had never had such an extravagant debut ceremony.
She knew that Mr. Fang had a wealthy background, but she didn't expect that he would be willing to make such a large investment in a newcomer like her.
The online comments about her are as sharp as knives. Not only does the company not question her at all, but it also prepares a grand offline event for her at this critical moment. She even feels that she is not worthy of Mr. Fang's attention.
She rested her fingers on the clothes rack, hesitating to enter the fitting room.
Jiang Yu noticed her hesitation and jokingly said, "President Fang specifically asked me to tell you that you need to be more confident on set. I thought he was joking at first, but I didn't expect that someone as beautiful as Miss Tong would lack confidence. You are the most beautiful female celebrity I have ever seen in person."
The other person's words were very comforting, and Tong Qinglu's slight anxiety was dispelled.
She straightened her back and finally listened to the stylist's advice, choosing a dark red silk gown with three-dimensional roses embroidered on the skirt for the last event.
As 8 p.m. drew closer, the chaotic discussions online intensified.
Tong Qinglu sat in the backstage dressing room and took a few long, deep breaths.
Mr. Fang assigned her a very reliable female assistant. According to the girl, she used to work in a factory sorting parts, and she could only earn a little over 5,000 yuan a month, working herself to the bone. After deducting daily expenses such as food, drink, and rent, she could hardly save any money. With the factory's restructuring, she now earns more than 30,000 yuan after tax alone, and she works much more energetically than before.
The female assistant was very lively and talkative. Perhaps noticing Tong Qinglu's nervousness, she kept telling her interesting stories from her time working in the factory, which made Tong Qinglu chuckle.
The lights came on one by one, and the background music got faster and faster.
Tong Qinglu wore her first performance outfit, a white short dress adorned with strings of pearls. Surrounded by backup dancers, she stood with her back to the stage, waiting for the drumbeat that would signal her to turn around.
As she turned around, she made a salute gesture, as if performing a dance.
The scene below the stage was much more lively than she had imagined. The entire banquet hall was packed with people. Apart from the company's live streaming camera in the middle of the corridor, all the audience members were holding up their devices and facing the stage. The first two rows of seats were filled with long-barreled cameras.
There were no cheers or screams for the first five seconds; the entire venue was almost silent except for the deafening accompaniment.
She was very familiar with this indifference. She put on her standard sweet smile with ease, and her singing tone and the completeness of her movements were not affected at all.
Meanwhile, the chat in the official live stream room had exploded with comments.
[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, my wife!!! My destined wife!!!]
[Wow, someone actually looks like this in real life! I wouldn't even dare to dream of looking like that. This woman's face is so supermodel-like, it needs to be insured.]
[Sister, I've never cursed at you. Will you marry me? Oh no, wife, can we have a secret marriage? Even if it's just for fun, I'm fine with it. I'm your most loyal little dog, woof woof woof!]
If this woman had even a shred of acting skill, the landscape of young actresses in the entertainment industry would be drastically different.
[Which company signed her? I can't even imagine how much money they spent on this venue, the stage design, the makeup and styling.]
[Two hundred yuan for a ticket? That's not expensive at all!! I regret it so much! It's only a half-hour ride from my school by monorail, and I didn't even take a single scalper ticket.]
[The person upstairs doesn't need to regret it. Most of the attendees were talent scouts and media representatives. The number of tickets was extremely limited, and before the show even started, regular tickets were being resold for over 30,000 yuan each, which is more expensive than the inner circle tickets for many young male idols' concerts.]
[I watched seven or eight live streams from audience members at the event, and the official live stream really didn't use any beauty filters at all... This girl looked even better than in candid photos taken by fansites; her styling was a huge plus.]
[Now that the new emperor has truly ascended the throne, hurry up and start filming the drama, my wallet is already itching to spend!]
As the second eight beats of the dance ended, shouts and screams erupted in the banquet hall. Even the most indifferent person couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!" upon seeing that face.
As the first song ended, some people in the audience stood up excitedly, only to be pulled back down by the audience members sitting behind them. The whole place erupted in applause, and the atmosphere reached its peak.
Tong Qinglu smiled as she looked at the audience, her heart pounding rapidly.
This was a scene that seemed to only appear in dreams. She thought her legs would go weak, her voice would tremble, and she might even sing off-key. However, she completed the four scheduled performances almost perfectly, as if she was born to receive applause and flowers.
After the performance, she bowed deeply to all the audience members and went backstage to change into the dark red dress.
The moment this look was revealed, gasps filled the air, and camera shutters clicked incessantly.
Staff had already set up small tables on the stage for interaction, and VIP ticket holders could line up to chat with her for one minute.
The first few went smoothly, but just as the line was nearing its end, a bald man suddenly appeared from the crowd, holding a box of liquid in his hand, shouting "Go to hell!" and raising his hand to splash the thick, sticky liquid from the box onto them.
Tong Qinglu instinctively closed her eyes and suddenly dodged backward.
However, as if the security guards had a pre-planned strategy, two well-trained, burly men suddenly appeared from the side, each grabbing one of the bald man's arms. Before the box of slime could be poured out, it was spilled on the ground, and white smoke immediately rose from the tile.
The bald man was quickly forked out of the venue, and several assistants rushed forward to remove the clump of slime, while calling the police and following him out.
Faced with this unexpected turn of events, the few spectators still in line were startled, and the crowd below stirred.
The host calmly went on stage to soothe the audience's emotions, but Tong Qinglu remained seated, her heart beating even faster than during her performance.
She could hardly imagine what she would do for the rest of her life if that liquid had actually splashed on her face.
Is she really just a cursed person, plagued by bad luck wherever she goes?
She looked ahead somewhat flustered, her gaze fixed on the second-floor terrace opposite.
There were no seats set up for the audience, no lighting, and no crowds. There were only a few people leaning against the railing, holding cue cards and briefly communicating the next part of the process.
Noticing her gaze, the female assistant, holding a water glass and a small fan, mouthed that she needed anything. President Fang sat on the sofa beside her, calmly processing the content projected onto the personal terminal, as if the farce that had just occurred was entirely within his expectations.
Jiang Yu smiled and raised his hand to greet her, patting his chest in a reassuring gesture.
Tong Qinglu suddenly calmed down.
Even if she has a bad constitution, there will always be someone standing behind her.
Tong Qinglu took a few deep breaths, her heartbeat gradually stabilizing. She took the microphone from the host and smiled at the audience, saying, "Sorry, there seems to be a slight hiccup. Our staff is handling it. Shall we all take a group photo later?"
Her sweet voice instantly calmed the commotion, and the staff took the opportunity to change the background music to something more upbeat. The whole farce lasted less than five minutes before the atmosphere returned to normal.
People continued queuing to interact, and the live stream continued uninterrupted. After the entire meet-and-greet, everyone took a group photo to commemorate the occasion.
On his way back to his apartment, Fang Zhuo received a message from Jiang Yu: "[President Fang, the suspect has been handed over to the Federal Police Headquarters. He'd rather serve three years in jail than reveal who instructed him.]"
Logically, a pawn that has no chance of returning would not immediately reveal the mastermind behind it.
[It's alright, have his family members arrived yet?]
Jiang Yu replied quickly: [His wife is here.]
Fang Zhuo gently tapped the rim of her glass: [Give her my business card and tell her to come back to me when she's thought things through.]
Even if this doesn't work out, the other side might slip up next time. Their methods are so clumsy and their tricks so low-class; they'll find a loophole sooner or later.
He raised his hand to look at his watch. It was 10 p.m., and he had ten days and two hours left to live.
Perhaps sensing his emotional fluctuations, a notification suddenly appeared again: [Ding ding ding, this is an ominous sign. Your remaining survival days will be reduced to ten days. At that time, your initial random disease level will be adjusted to level two, and the pain will be greatly increased. Please renew your subscription in time!]
The copyright fee for "Burning" and the amount of money he received as tips during Jian Yujing's live stream continued to rise. Including the loan from Interstellar Bank, he had a cash balance of 1.06 billion.
Currently, the amount required to redeem one day of survival time is eight million, and the cost is increasing each time.
Unfortunately, the margin for error left for him was surprisingly low.
The opponent can make countless mistakes, but he can't afford to fail even once in his current state.
Through the porthole of the cloud array, one could clearly see the thin clouds left behind by the passing aircraft. Fang Zhuo watched quietly for a while, and before midnight, he redeemed three more days of lifespan. This time, the daily cost was increased to ten million.
On the night the meet-and-greet ended, related topics topped several trending searches, and clips from the live stream quickly went viral on major short video websites.
The comment section is now highly harmonious, with half of the people begging the older sister to act, and the other half of the people asking who the new faces in the video are.
The marketing campaign went extremely smoothly, and all the previous rumors about her plastic surgery were immediately disproven. Tong Qinglu's account saw a surge in followers overnight, and her super topic transformed from a dark space into a harmonious haven for her dedicated fans.
Back in her rented room, Tong Qinglu was reluctant to remove her makeup, and even reluctant to go to sleep. She lay in bed with a smile on her face, scrolling through the internet on her alternate account.
At the same time, the woman's long fingernails poked at the virtual screen of the quantum computer, her expression a half-smile:
"Didn't you say that none of the artists you keep an eye on make a mistake? Then tell me, how did Miss Tong become so popular?"
The man sat across from her: "Did you find out? Which company signed her?"
"They're from the same company as Qiao Ankuang—Giant Entertainment."
A note from the author:
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