Chapter 67 Questioning (Being) Preemptive
[Loves Grass Jelly: Have you seen this?]
[Loves Grass Jelly: This time the product reviewer is really angry; they've practically flooded her comments section.]
[Loves Grass Jelly: LOL, this woman keeps paying me, I've wanted to scold her for a long time]
[Loves Grass Jelly: Before, when people wanted to target her products, they were all very protective of her. Now that her business has been taken down and she's been rudely confronted, they're finally panicking.]
[Loves Grass Jelly: I feel like the purification process is about to begin, finally I don't have to see Sister Ye constantly creating pairings and hyping up couples anymore]
A long string of messages came from the other end, but Xiao He had no mood to reply at all. Zhou Qixue's fans were finally like this. Because they didn't want to see the CP (couple) working together, they just kept cursing the girl. Although Zhou Qixue was the one who kept actively promoting the CP and sticking to it, only Ye Jingyu was being cursed.
Previously, whenever the other party contacted her about these things, she would be rather perfunctory. She could understand that the other party did not want to see the CP being promoted, but she could not completely lose her objective judgment. Instead of cursing an innocent person here, she should leave a message on Zhou Qixue's studio account and ask them to stop promoting the CP.
After seeing the trending topics, Xiao He knew very well that this was definitely the work of Zhou Qixue's studio. If the other side had even a little sense, they would definitely be able to guess it. To publicly sever ties and disassociate themselves before the business period is over is simply handing blood to the enemy. Any team with a brain wouldn't do this.
Although Ye Jingyu's team is not as experienced as Zhou Qixue's, they are not stupid either. At most, they are just not capable enough. They have never done anything that would lead to disaster. Why would they choose to unbind at this time? That would just push the CP fans towards Zhou Qixue's direction for no reason.
The biggest beneficiary of this is Zhou Qixue, who is also the only beneficiary. It seems that his team was prepared in advance and took action as soon as they saw that Ye Jingyu's side had some potential, determined to bring all the CP fans to his side.
Xiaohe checked the trending topics and found that the biggest piece of evidence was the text report. There wasn't even a hint of the actual video yet, but it wouldn't be released until at least the weekend. By then, even if the video revealed that Ye Jingyu didn't intend to break free from the relationship and wasn't overly intimate or lacking in boundaries with the other trainees, it wouldn't have any effect on clarifying the situation, because the best opportunity would have already passed.
Clarification is all about timeliness. If you miss the most crucial clarification period, even if you are well-prepared, not many people will want to see it.
Xiao He didn't know if the variety show Ye Jingyu participated in was really as the report said. She felt that it was very likely that it was deliberately exaggerated. But she knew that even if it was exaggerated, the CP fans and netizens would not wait for the actual episode to air, especially with Zhou Qixue's team pushing behind the scenes. They couldn't wait to convict Ye Jingyu in advance.
Even if it turns out that the facts are not entirely consistent after the broadcast, not many people will watch the clarification. By then, the CP fans will have been purified, and Ye Jingyu will no longer have any value to be used.
Xiaohe switched to the homepage of the fan account and watched her fellow fans rushing to post celebratory Weibo posts and gloating on the homepage. She suddenly felt very sad. How did being a fan become like this?
I wonder if they'll still be in a good mood after Zhou Qixue's scandalous story is revealed.
Seeing a negative trending topic about her partner only fueled Xiaohe's motivation to gather evidence and create gossip. She didn't want to continue down this wrong path; she wanted to stop it all.
The other fan was still waiting for Xiaohe's reply, but after waiting for a long time without receiving one, they thought she had fallen asleep, so they also left the chat and went to share their good mood with other people.
Xiaohe spent the whole night organizing and finally finished the first version of the melon strips just before dawn the next day. She immediately forwarded it to her senior. Her senior also didn't sleep all night. Finding photos was one thing, but the main reason was that she couldn't sleep at all after something like this happened.
Ye Jingyu's negative trending topics remain at the top of the list. After a night of fermentation, the CP fans have compiled a list of ten deadly sins against Ye Jingyu, listing her mistakes in her recent negative engagement. The big fans are indignant, and the small fans are also stirred up, wishing they could condemn Ye Jingyu as an unforgivable sinner in one fell swoop.
While her senior was browsing the gossip, Xiao He quickly glanced at the trending topics and was amazed by the fighting power of the CP fans. In such a short time, they had developed to this extent. Their fighting power was considerable even if they went out to fight. No wonder Zhou Qixue was so envious. Even if he only absorbed half of the CP fans' fighting power, it would be enough for Zhou Qixue to join the ranks of top-tier celebrities.
The senior student read it very carefully, taking a full ten minutes to finish the first version of the melon strips. She took screenshots of some of the problems and sent them to Xiaohe. The two of them discussed and revised it for more than two hours, and finally produced a more satisfactory version of the melon strips copy.
The senior student had already prepared the photographic evidence. After writing the text, she embedded the images, and then the two fell silent.
[Kissing Senior: Shall we send it now?]
[Xiao Qi loves learning: ...Should we wait a little longer?]
[Kissing Senior: When will we get there?]
[Xiao Qi loves to learn: Should we wait until Ye Jingyu is no longer trending on social media before discussing this?]
[Kissing Senior: Didn't you realize that the trending topic was orchestrated by Zhou Qixue's company? Didn't you notice that all those marketing accounts in the trending topic looked very familiar?]
[Xiao Qi loves to learn: I can tell... but I feel like there's too much attention on Ye Jingyu's matter right now. What if we post it and the hype gets suppressed? Besides, I haven't gotten that person's picture yet, so the evidence isn't complete. If it gets clarified, we'll have failed completely.]
[Kissing Senior: Do you still really think we can succeed?]
[Kissing Senior: You don't even know how many marketing accounts his company has partnered with. When we post it, probably very few people will share it. Forget about getting any buzz. Getting a thousand shares would be a victory.]
[Kiss Senior: I'm doing this with you not to actually bring down Zhou Qixue, and I've never had that thought. We could never do it anyway.]
[Kissing Senior: I just wanted to use this method to send him a message, to let him know that someone can see this, and that he'd better watch his step in the future]
Xiaohe was stunned by this series of words. She thought that her senior had agreed to make melon strips with her without hesitation in order to expose Zhou Qixue. Even if she didn't completely ruin his career and get him out of the traffic field, she thought she could at least make him suffer a little. But it seemed that the other party didn't mean that.
An unbelievable thought popped into her head.
[Xiao Qi loves to learn: What does that mean, sis? You... are you going to keep pursuing her?]
Fortunately, the other side replied quickly.
[Kissing Senior: No, I'm not going to pursue him anymore. I'm not a masochist. He slapped me like that, why would I stay and take it all? Am I crazy?]
[Kissing Senior: But after pursuing this seriously for so long, I still want a decent result.]
[Kissing Senior: I was really angry that he lied to me, but when I was organizing the photos last night, I thought about it again, and apart from that incident, he didn't do anything else to wrong anyone.]
[Kissing Senior: And he's always been dating the same person, which shows he's quite devoted, at least he's chaste and doesn't mess around, although that devotion isn't directed at us [bitter smile]]
[Kissing Senior: You know how powerful his company is at manipulating public opinion. They can suppress trending topics they don't want to be on. Even if we post this on another platform first, it will definitely be deleted. At most, we can take advantage of the time difference and spread it on a few more platforms before they find out.]
[Kissing Senior: We might even receive a lawyer's letter from his company after this post, but it doesn't matter. I just want him to know that people know what he's doing, and he shouldn't be so arrogant anymore.]
Xiaohe became increasingly silent as she read the replies. What her senior had mentioned was indeed correct. Zhou Qixue's company had signed contracts with many marketing companies in the industry, and they were already very familiar with creating and removing trending topics. All major platforms had departments that monitored public opinion. Even if they posted an exposé, it was hard to say how long they could survive. They might even be counter-sued by Zhou Qixue in the end.
Her thoughts on this part were the same as her senior's, but her original intention in making melon strips was different. She didn't want to remind Zhou Qixue; she really wanted Zhou Qixue to experience the consequences of deceiving people, even if the impact of those consequences might be negligible. At least she had done it.
She felt no mercy or remorse towards Zhou Qixue; the thought of how he had deceived his fans filled her with utter disgust.
So even though doing so is very likely to be a futile effort, she didn't hesitate to spend the whole night working on it.
Xiaohe initially thought that her senior had agreed without hesitation because she was also disgusted, but now she realized that the other person's thoughts were different from hers. Although her senior said that she would not look back and would leave without mercy, Xiaohe could still see the reluctance and soft-heartedness in her words.
Xiaohe remained silent for a long time before typing a reply.
[Xiao Qi loves to learn: I know, I never thought I could actually trip him up, we can't even afford to buy trending topics [laughing and crying]]
[Xiao Qi loves learning: Actually, it's just a shout-out, as long as he sees it. Not many people care about it now, it might get buried, so I think I'll wait a bit longer.]
After learning that her senior's position was not entirely the same as hers, Xiaohe concealed her true thoughts and compromised by sending a view that was similar to her senior's. As expected, this time she received the other party's agreement.
[Kiss Senior: Right? I was just thinking of saying something so he could see it.]
[Kiss Senior: Right now, the focus is definitely on Ye Jingyu, but I was thinking that since they're in the same drama and have a popular on-screen couple, posting together might help them both gain some popularity.]
[Kiss Senior: You can send it later, as long as he sees it, it's up to you.]
After sending that message, the senior student sent the original, well-prepared evidence photos to Xiaohe.
[Kissing Senior: You can add these in as you see fit, these are all I have]
Apart from the first photo, Xiaohe had only seen blurry thumbnails of the other pictures; this was the first time she had seen the high-resolution original.
Having confirmed that she had gained the other party's trust and even obtained the strongest evidence, Xiaohe felt much more at ease.
As long as there are pictures, that's enough. She has all the evidence now, so she can keep posting them regardless of whether her senior wants to continue cooperating.
The other party even gave her complete control over the timing of the release, allowing her to make her own decision, which meant they fully approved of her approach.
Xiaohe insisted on not posting for the time being, at least until Ye Jingyu was removed from the trending topics, but it would be best to post it before her variety show aired.
Most importantly, she was waiting for the mysterious anonymous poster to send her more evidence pictures. The poster only said that she would send them in a few days, but did not say how many days. If she posted the gossip before the poster sent the pictures, the poster might not send any more pictures. Otherwise, wouldn't that help her expose the person?
But she was also afraid that the older sister was too cautious and hesitant, and that she would drag her feet until Ye Jingyu's episode had already aired before posting it, which would weaken the effect of her exposing the woman.
Xiaohe prayed in her heart, hoping that the mysterious poster would post the pictures as soon as possible. If she still hadn't posted them by the time the show was about to air, she would have to post them in advance. Even if this meant she wouldn't be able to get more evidence pictures, she couldn't miss such a good opportunity.
The reason she insisted on posting the gossip before Ye Jingyu's variety show aired was to maximize the effect. According to her analysis, the best time was during this period.
First of all, Ye Jingyu has now been put on the execution platform. Whether it's CP fans, Zhou Qixue's solo fans, drama fans, or just casual observers, everyone is now criticizing her as if she has really been convicted of a serious crime.
Ye Jingyu's team was well aware of their situation; the company was small, had few people, and lacked experience. They were probably not capable of handling such matters. The fact that they had remained silent even now, after the situation had escalated, clearly indicated that they had been thrown into disarray and did not know what to do.
With such a team dragging things down, the best solution to Ye Jingyu's situation is to wait until the full episode airs and everyone discovers that the content of the episode doesn't match the rumors in the reports. At that time, some guilty fans and passersby will probably apologize to her.
However, the damage has already been done, and it is a fact that she went to perform on stage with a bunch of male trainees. The purification process has also been fast-forwarded by Zhou Qixue's team. Even if the black hot search incident can be reversed and clarified, the fans who ran away will not come back.
If Xiaohe follows her senior's advice and chooses to post gossip at this time, she is very likely to be accused by Zhou Qixue's experienced team and fans of using this as a diversionary tactic to clear Ye Jingyu's name and divert attention. She will be accused of deliberately spreading dirty water to clear Ye Jingyu's name and divert attention.
The evidence photos she currently possesses are incomplete. Under the deliberate guidance of Zhou Qixue's team, she will be labeled as a liar before she even has a chance to exert her influence, rendering any evidence she obtains useless.
Once anything is posted, it loses its initial advantage. Even if Xiaohe can obtain more evidence later, she has already posted it once. Posting it again after a false clarification will only have a less effective impact than before.
Xiaohe didn't want that to happen.
Therefore, she chose to remain inactive for the time being, at least until the hype surrounding Ye Jingyu died down in the next couple of days. Zhou Qixue's fans really dislike Ye Jingyu and are eager to see her suffer. If she were to jump out and post negative things about Zhou Qixue when Ye Jingyu is at her lowest point, she would be labeled as deliberately trying to divert attention, wasting a trump card, and ultimately suffering more losses than gains.
Because the evidence came from her senior, and she hadn't received the original before, Xiaohe could only follow the other person's arrangements. Now that she has the other person's support, she feels much more at ease. Regardless of whether the other person will criticize her in the end, she will still choose to do it.
The last thing she wanted to do in this circle was simply for herself.
Xiaohe read through the post again from beginning to end, making the content more complete and coherent. She was good at creating these posts with timelines, clear layout, and great visual appeal. The guide images were also very eye-catching, ensuring that most people who saw the post would be willing to click on it and understand the core message at a glance.
She doesn't have many cards to play, and Zhou Qixue's team is so powerful that once discovered, her revenge operation will be immediately stopped. She can only seize this time before being discovered to spread the word to as many people as possible.
Xiao He finished tidying up the melon strips and decided to take a break for now, waiting for Ye Jingyu to come down from the trending topics list.
She had been making melon strips all night. Ever since she discovered that anonymous post last night, she hadn't had a break. Her eyes were very dry. Xiao He got up from the computer and decided to take a nap.
Only after Ye Jingyu's matter is over will it be her turn to shine.
Xiaohe set her alarm for 5 p.m., put on an eye mask, and went to sleep.
She slept soundly until the alarm clock rang, which startled her awake. Perhaps because she hadn't slept for a long time and was too tired, she slept very deeply without having any dreams. When she woke up, she felt refreshed and her mood improved considerably.
Having slept for too long without eating, Xiaohe felt extremely hungry. She already had low blood sugar, and after not eating for so long, she was so hungry that her vision was starting to blur. So, without even checking her phone, she went straight to the refrigerator in the kitchen to look for something to eat.
She pulled out a piece of bread, munched on it while drinking cold water, and continued rummaging through the refrigerator for ingredients. There wasn't much food left at home, so she decided to make a simple tomato and egg stir-fry and steam a pot of rice to eat with the tomato and egg stir-fry.
Hunger fuels one's motivation to eat, so Xiaohe focused intently on cooking for herself, finishing in about twenty minutes. She then quickly ate, and by the time she finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen, another hour had passed since she had gotten up.
At six o'clock in the evening, the sun was still shining brightly outside, and the setting sun shone into the living room, making it look very warm.
Xiaohe finally had a moment to pick up her phone, strolled back to her room, and carried her phone, tablet, and laptop all the way to the living room. She lay back on the sofa, opened her phone, and checked for unread messages.
When she opened WeChat, her phone even froze for a moment, and her unread messages skyrocketed to 99+! The page didn't even display the exact number anymore!
She was so frightened that she quickly exited WeChat, not daring to look closely at the unread messages.
Xiaohe is used to setting all group chats to Do Not Disturb mode, even those she frequently joins. She dislikes seeing red dots on the chat list. Group chats are always very enthusiastic, and she doesn't always have time to reply. The red dots appearing repeatedly annoy her, so she simply sets all groups to Do Not Disturb mode and only joins when she has time.
Xiaohe is the kind of person who will immediately click to clear the red dot of unread messages as soon as she sees it. She can't stand the red dot being there all the time. Although she may not reply to all messages immediately, she can't stand the red dot.
In the past, when something big happened in the industry, her unread list would be filled with messages, but at most there were only a few dozen. This is the first time it has soared to 99+ like today.
This means that someone sent her hundreds of messages. It's highly unlikely that it was done by one person. Suddenly, Xiaohe felt that this scene was somewhat familiar. Who else could send her so many messages at the same time?
Has Zhou Qixue gotten into trouble again?
Xiaohe hesitated for two seconds, then bit her lip and opened WeChat.
At the very top are her senior's unread messages, with 34 new messages displayed in red dots. This is the most messages her senior has ever sent her.
The following messages were also from her fellow fans in the small group, each of whom bombarded her with twenty or thirty messages, and the total number of messages from these people exceeded one hundred.
In my senior's unread messages, besides a bunch of text messages, there were also several long voice messages and a few missed voice calls.
Xiaohe didn't dare to call back directly. Instead, she silently scrolled to the top of the unread messages to see what the conversation was about.
She flipped down quickly, her heart pounding with each flip, until she almost forgot to breathe.
While she was sleeping, Zhou Qixue's house had already been smashed to pieces.
The senior student bombarded her with so many messages, wanting to know if she was the one who did it, but she never received a reply. At first, the tone of the messages was quite angry, but later, perhaps realizing that the style of the person who broke the news was obviously different from hers, the senior student calmed down. But Xiaohe still didn't reply to the messages, and she couldn't help but worry that Xiaohe might have suffered too much and had a mental breakdown.
[Kissing Senior: [Weibo Link]]
[Kissing Senior: ?]
[Kissing Senior: Didn't you say you wouldn't post this for a while? May I ask where this is?]
[Kissing Senior: Didn't you just promise me that you only wanted to send him a message? And then you betrayed me?]
[Kissing Senior: Did I give you permission to post this picture?]
[Kissing Senior: Delete the post and clarify immediately, or I'll have to scold you; I know your personal information.]
[Kiss Senior: Where is she?]
[Kiss Senior: 36-second voice message]
[Kiss Senior: 24-second voice message]
[Kissing Senior: Voice call not answered]
[Kiss Senior: Answer the phone]
[Kissing Senior: You have time to post but no time to reply to messages, huh? What's the point of playing dead?]
...
This is the message bombarded by the senior student before she realized that the poster was not her. Then, five or six minutes later, the other party seemed to realize that the poster was not her and bombarded her with a lot more messages.
[Kissing Senior: Wait a minute, did you just send that?]
[Kissing Senior: Where did those new pictures come from? Did that person send them to you?]
[Kissing Senior: Did you not post this? The caption seems a bit off.]
[Kissing Senior: Where is she? ???]
[Kissing Senior: Holy crap, Zhou Qixue, he's actually a...!]
[Kissing Senior: [Weibo Link]]
[Kissing Senior: [Image][Image]]
[Kissing Senior: Isn't this the person I photographed? His dad is actually a man?!]
[Kissing Senior: Where are you?! Answer the phone!!]
[Kissing Senior: Voice call not answered]
[Kissing Senior: Don't do anything stupid, I'm telling you, hit someone first!]
After scrolling through all the unread messages, Xiaohe was completely stunned.
Wait a minute, what did the senior just say? Zhou Qi is a...?
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-07-25 23:56:47 and 2024-07-26 23:58:45!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Aqi w 10 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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