The backlash against Zhang Zhenzhen continues to escalate online.
Seeing so many people criticizing Yan Qiao made her feel good.
Not only that, after she revealed that she and Zhang Zhihao were a couple of academic high-achievers and that they were both interning at large companies, she unexpectedly attracted a wave of fans who asked her to talk in detail about the hardships she and her boyfriend had gone through.
Zhang Zhenzhen then had an idea. Short videos are very popular online now, so maybe she could create a couple's account and establish a persona of an inspirational academic couple.
Zhang Zhihao has the looks of a young heartthrob and is quite handsome and photogenic. Zhang Zhenzhen believes that with makeup, she would also be a 7 out of 10 in terms of looks, and perhaps she could really become popular online by stepping on Yan Qiao.
She spent the whole night thinking about it and made a video to upload.
The video featured dozens of photos, recounting the hardships and difficulties she and Zhang Zhihao had faced along the way.
The video's caption reads, "From school uniform to wedding dress, how many steps do we have to take?"
With the added advantage of both of them being top students from Peking University, the video quickly gained considerable popularity.
Zhang Zhenzhen couldn't help but refresh the page while at work, and she couldn't contain her excitement as she watched the likes and shares climb higher and higher.
If you can become an internet celebrity, you can earn far more money than if you work a regular job, so why not?
But before she could be happy for long, she noticed that her colleagues were looking at her in a strange way.
After several attempts, she finally couldn't help but ask.
Only then did someone come out and tell her, "Zhenzhen, you don't know about your boyfriend, do you?"
Zhang Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhihao both interned at Xunyue Group, but they worked at different companies. Zhang Zhenzhen worked at Xunyue Commercial Management, while Zhang Zhihao worked at Xunyue Capital.
Since they are in different sectors, information naturally doesn't flow between them.
Zhang Zhenzhen's smile was somewhat forced. "What do you know?"
"See for yourself, it's been all over the group."
Zhang Zhenzhen was busy scrolling through Weibo and didn't check the work groups much today, let alone the private red envelope groups her colleagues had created.
Upon opening the message, I found that the notification of Zhang Zhihao's dismissal was being forwarded in various groups.
Zhang Zhenzhen's eyes widened, and she asked in a trembling voice, "Why were you fired? What did he do wrong?!"
Someone nearby reminded him, their tone tinged with sympathy: "Look closely, your boyfriend is having an affair with the wife of a high-ranking executive, and the company fired him for questionable character and conduct."
It's a shame that Zhang Zhenzhen is still showing off her love online, saying how deep her relationship with Zhang Zhihao has been over the years.
At first, my colleagues were quite envious; it's really not easy to go from a school uniform to a wedding dress.
Now it just feels like a joke.
Someone has already posted this online, in Zhang Zhenzhen's comment section, and it quickly became a top comment.
I've seen plenty of people build up a persona, but it's quite rare to see one collapse before it even begins.
[What's the difference between this "unfollowing and turning against" idols, using them to gain popularity while neglecting their former idols, and being a vampire?]
[Her boyfriend isn't a fan of Yan Qiao at all. I've looked into his Weibo; more than half of his posts are negative about Yan Qiao. He's just a jealous guy.]
Zhang Zhenzhen bit her lip hard, got up and walked out of the office to call Zhang Zhihao.
He called again and again, but Zhang Zhihao didn't answer. Finally, he turned off his phone.
Zhang Zhenzhen couldn't stand it, so she took leave and went home to confront him.
The two bumped into each other downstairs, and Zhang Zhenzhen immediately started tugging at him, attracting a lot of onlookers.
This online "academic power couple" ended tragically before they even started.
Zhang Zhenzhen felt ashamed and deleted her Weibo posts overnight, also canceling her account.
Zhang Zhihao didn't want to break up and kept begging Zhang Zhenzhen.
"Believe me, someone is definitely trying to frame me!"
Zhang Zhenzhen sneered, "Someone framed you? You mean someone sent you to that woman's bed?"
Zhang Zhihao felt guilty and turned his face away, saying, "It's not about this matter. I think it's inseparable from Yan Qiao! Do you know who I saw at Aunt Yan's house yesterday?"
Zhang Zhenzhen snorted, "No one can stop me from breaking up with you!"
"I saw Third Master! Our big boss, President Pei!"
Zhang Zhenzhen was taken aback. "Who did you say?"
Zhang Zhihao deeply regretted his actions; he should have moved out obediently instead of letting Zhang Zhenzhen post those things online.
"At first I wasn't sure because I'd never seen a clear picture of Third Master's face, but the more I think about it, the more certain I am that it's him!"
Otherwise, he and that woman had only met once, and nothing had happened before, so why did it suddenly come to light now?
Zhang Zhenzhen panicked, "Will I be alright?"
Zhang Zhihao's face turned ashen. "Why don't you resign too?"
Zhang Zhenzhen was heartbroken. She had finally gotten into Xunyue, and her family was waiting for her to make something of herself.
Resigning now would mean all your previous efforts have been wasted.
She was filled with remorse, wishing she hadn't been so greedy in the first place.
...
Yan Qiao looked at Zhang Zhenzhen, who had only stirred up a few small ripples, but was quickly submerged by a larger wave, and couldn't help but feel curious.
"Zhang Zhihao was actually fired?" she exclaimed in surprise.
Pei Jingzhan raised his eyes but remained silent.
Yan Qiao tilted her head. "Don't you think this is too much of a coincidence?"
Or perhaps she was just too lucky.
“His character is poor, so it’s not surprising he was fired,” Pei Jingzhan said calmly.
Yan Qiao stared at him for a while, "You're too calm."
Pei Jingzhan raised his eyebrows noncommittally; such an intern was not someone he needed to pay attention to.
"It's not that I'm calm, it's that you're overthinking it. You're unhappy that he was fired?"
Yan Qiao cupped her face in her hands, "Hmm... I can't say whether I'm happy or not, but I feel like I'm really lucky."
Pei Jingzhan smiled slightly, "Yes, your luck will always be this good."
Before long, someone came to visit the courtyard.
It was Li Qiao who brought the cook to their home.
Yan Qiao recognized Li Qiao at a glance and asked, "Aren't you one of Young Master Xiao's people?"
On the day of the Yan family dinner, Yan Qiao clearly remembered Li Qiao walking out of Xiao Yunqi's lounge.
This led her to suspect that the person refusing to help her was Xiao Yunqi.
But then again, it doesn't quite feel right.
Li Qiao's face stiffened; she almost forgot that she and Yan Qiao had met before.
“Yes, Young Master Xiao and Mr. Pei are old acquaintances.” He quickly adjusted his expression.
Yan Qiao suddenly realized that the circle of the wealthy was really small.
On a whim, she asked, "So you know Xi Luo too?"
Pei Jingzhan paused, then calmly replied, "I know him."
Yan Qiao exclaimed, "What a small circle! So you know Third Master Pei too?"
"We can be considered acquaintances."
"Knowing someone is knowing them, not knowing them is not knowing them. What does it mean to consider someone as knowing them?"
Li Qiao suppressed a laugh, which was exactly what he meant.
Pei Jingzhan glanced at him. "I know him."
Yan Qiao clicked her tongue, "Can't all the old-fashioned people just gather together like this?"
Pei Jingzhan: "..."
Li Qiao suppressed a smile and asked, "What does Miss Yan Qiao mean by this?"
"Mr. Pei is like an old cadre, Young Master Xiao is a conservative Liu Xiahui, and this old man, Third Master Pei, is even more extraordinary, like a person from the Qing Dynasty still alive."
Li Qiao covered her mouth and coughed lightly twice. "Have you ever thought that these three people are the same person?"
"Third Master, are you considered an old man?"
“Xi Luo calls him uncle, isn’t he an old man? I think Mr. Pei is old too,” Yan Qiao said seriously.
Li Qiao pressed her lips tightly together, unable to smile.
If I laugh, I'll have to buy a plane ticket to Africa tomorrow.
Yan Qiao's personality really makes it difficult for Pei Jingzhan to stay here for so many days.
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