Chapter 12. This is a one-time exception.
The dishes were served quickly, and the bottom of the pot was bubbling happily.
This was Sheng Yi's first time at this restaurant. Only after she sat down did she belatedly realize the various rumors and comments about hot pot restaurants circulating online recently. Although she was indeed afraid of feeling awkward, she didn't want to poison herself here.
Feng Shu noticed her hesitation and explained, "This place is owned by my friend." The implication was that the problems she was worried about wouldn't exist.
"Oh." Sheng Yi nodded.
I vaguely remember hearing that his family was quite well-off. Back when they couldn't even afford their own cell phones, his birthday present was already the latest digital camera. Ancheng's brief year of study was just a brief interlude in his otherwise glamorous life, yet it's remarkable that he still remembers it.
Perhaps influenced by the couple's conversation, Sheng Yi couldn't help but recall Huang Bei's hysteria in the book cafe. The aroma of spiciness filled the air, and the rising steam obscured the faces of the two people in the hazy mist.
To avoid speaking, Sheng Yi kept herself busy like a money-devouring beast, except that while others were swallowing gold, she was swallowing pieces of grass and meat. Feng Shu, being a rather reserved person himself, only exchanged a few simple words during the meal.
"How did you end up acting? Did you study this major in college?" Feng Shu couldn't help but be a little curious when he heard that she was an actress.
"No, it just happened in a muddle," Sheng Yi said casually.
The seasoning was a bit too salty, and her throat was parched. Feng Shu pushed a glass full of water in front of her and called the waiter to refill it.
"Filming must be very busy, right?"
Sheng Yi took the cup he handed her and drank it all in one gulp. "It's alright, with my part-time job, I can barely make ends meet."
She didn't try to hide anything from her old classmates. After all, what famous artist would be overshadowed by an internet celebrity with millions of followers?
Even now, her fan base is still far behind others.
"Was that your girlfriend last time? Why didn't you bring her with you?"
She brought it up herself, indicating that she had completely put the matter behind her. Since they live in the same city, they might have a chance to meet again in the future.
When Feng Shu heard her say that, he still looked a little awkward. He paused for a moment before saying, "She has an appointment with a friend."
For some reason, Sheng Yi was quite certain that the so-called friend was the one she had met in the photography studio that day.
Meanwhile, Huang Bei and the others happened to be talking about her.
After Huang Bei's company all night, Amy finally started to look somewhat normal again. The two sat in the restaurant, Huang Bei replying to fan comments on her phone, while Amy, with nothing to do, scrolled through trending topics to pass the time.
Perhaps in a few days, she'll see him appearing in public with a new lover again. By then, she'll finally give up completely, Amy thought.
She scrolled through the trending topics list several times, but Lin Hao's name didn't appear. She couldn't tell whether she felt relieved or disappointed. She continued scrolling down, and in the real-time trending topics, she saw a familiar entry.
"It's her again," Amy murmured.
However, she wasn't the only one with this idea.
An unknown, obscure figure has once again risen to the top of the trending searches in just a few days.
Sheng Yiwen and Shi Li's names appeared side by side again, and this time, photos were thoughtfully included.
According to sources, besides the two blurred-out individuals in the photo, one is Sheng Yi, and the other is Wen Shili's assistant. Their private gathering and intimate behavior suggest that Wen Shili and Sheng Yi's relationship likely goes beyond that of ordinary colleagues.
Furthermore, both of them openly post photos on their social media, which means they don't shy away from being mentioned by others.
It seems the previous rumors were not unfounded.
If the person involved were interviewed, Cao Jun might say, "A clear conscience fears no accusation; who knew that someone would be so idle as to move things around when you're just having a hot pot meal?" But the moment the news broke, he had already promptly slid down to his knees.
"I'll never do it again." Thinking back to how he had secretly suspected Wen Shili had some sympathy for delicate, pretty girls, Cao Jun felt he must have been out of his mind. No, maybe it was because he'd stayed up all night and his brain had short-circuited.
When he met Sheng Yi, she was just an ordinary employee at the bookstore, and even now, she doesn't have much popularity. Because of Fu Xiaodan, he treats her more as a friend.
Last night, when I shared it, I thought it was just an ordinary memento of a gathering. Who knew that Wen Shili, who hasn't checked his WeChat Moments in ages, would happen to see it and, in the middle of the night, subtly remind me not to cross the line.
The moment he saw it, he immediately restricted the privacy of his WeChat Moments and silently reflected on his recent words and actions. Unexpectedly, it still ended up trending on social media.
With the public relations department involved, the trending topic didn't stay on the hot search list for long before it started to slowly drop down.
Cao Jun hung his head, not daring to say anything more.
When he first entered the industry, he overheard other artists' assistants complaining that if there were any other way out, they would gladly do this job. They were constantly running around, doing more work than a mother hen, and the pay was less than what they'd earn raising pigs in a small town. Especially the big stars; their diva-like behavior could drive anyone crazy.
Cao Jun, who was full of ambition and ready to give it a try, hesitated for a long time before finally closing his eyes and deciding that he could just take this month's salary and run away.
As a result, he worked his way up and became a company veteran.
Aside from being a bit grumpy in the morning, Wen Shili is generally easy to talk to. He doesn't like going out and socializing, and he doesn't have any messy romantic relationships. He's also incredibly generous with the red envelopes he gives out during holidays. If he were to resign today, the number of people interviewing him tomorrow would be enough to raze the gates of Xingchen Entertainment to the ground.
After waiting for a long time, he finally heard Wen Shili speak, "This is the last time."
Cao Jun breathed a long sigh of relief.
-
Huang Bei saw the content on the screen, and her originally gentle expression turned cold again. "It's that bitch again. She'll seduce any man she can find."
Wen Shili's popularity is so immense that even a tiny bit of it would make an ordinary person feel flattered. At every concert, there are always people posing as fans to try and get a share of the profits. And this is also a staple of her repertoire every year.
Over the past year, her account's traffic has been declining. She had planned ahead, and if she handled it properly, she might be able to attract traffic that would break into new circles.
She specially bought front-row tickets, carefully selected clothes, designed her look, and started polishing the script a month in advance, trying to guess the fans' wishes and shooting what she thought was a perfect video.
As soon as the video was released, many fans were already checking in, with comments like "Double Fan Delight," "I knew Beibei would watch it too," and "Most Beautiful Fan" refreshing every second.
As she suppressed her joy and pondered how to reply in a way that would maximize her favor, discordant voices began to appear in the comments section.
"The most beautiful fan? I'm sorry, but I can't agree."
"This is obviously staged. Go check out the trending topics and cleanse your eyes."
"I've never eaten anything good before; it's nowhere near as good as Sheng Yi."
"Although I like Beibei very much, I have to say that there is still a gap in appearance."
The surge in traffic suddenly stopped, and the fans and passersby who had come after hearing the news acted as if they had never been there, rushing towards another person instead.
Sheng Yi. Huang Bei murmured this name, her heart aching as if it were bleeding.
Especially when she saw the woman with the delicate and innocent look in the photos that netizens had unearthed. Both were trying to gain attention, but why did she manage to project an image of innocence like a pure, innocent lotus flower?
No wonder she felt something was off the moment she saw her. Perhaps this person was her natural nemesis.
With both old and new grudges, Huang Bei now gets a surge of anger whenever she hears Sheng Yi's name.
Amy, oblivious to her expression, continued talking to herself, "Did I tell you that yesterday's magazine shoot was with her?"
"It's a pity she's so unphotogenic. She's at least twice as good-looking in person, no, ten times better."
"Besides, I've overheard the staff talking about it privately, and they all seem to really like her."
"I wonder if her relationship with Shi Li is real."
When she heard that name, she naturally thought of another figure deep in her mind, and her voice unconsciously lowered.
She knew her friends didn't want to see her like this. Huang Bei had always been a strong-willed person and couldn't bear to see herself in such a humble and pathetic state in front of men.
But at this moment, Huang Bei had no mind to argue with her about these things.
Seeing Sheng Yi's name seen and mentioned again and again, her heart felt like it was being squeezed together, leaving her feeling suffocated and stifled. She murmured, "Why?"
Why is it that what I can't get even with all my efforts is so easily obtained by her?
Amy finally noticed that something was wrong with her. Seeing her staring intently at the screen, she suddenly remembered what Huang Bei had told her about the mix-up at the concert.
She quickly reassured her friend, "This is obviously fake news. They've already restricted the activity's permissions, and the trending topic has been removed. If it were really related, Brother Shi wouldn't care."
"Moreover, I heard from Ah Hao that Brother Shi Li hates those shameless hype stories the most, so this grand gesture will be exposed sooner or later."
Huang Bei, who had been silent, finally reacted, "Really?"
A smile played on her lips. Yes, how could she not have thought of that? Although Wen Shili's scandals were a mix of truth and falsehood, no woman had ever dared to repeatedly try and create hype around him. And this Sheng Yi, didn't she only dare to make such a small move every now and then?
Why not give her a final push and let her fully experience the joy of being surrounded by online traffic?
-
After dinner, Feng Shu escorted Sheng Yi downstairs. It was only after she changed her clothes that she realized she had been trending on social media again.
The reason it's described as "over" is because she didn't witness the spectacle of her name trending at the top of the search results; she only saw Fu Xiaodan's account.
And once again, due to her carelessness, she had mistakenly linked her name with Wen Shili's.
Sheng Yi immediately deleted the post from her Moments, found Cao Jun's WeChat account, and left him a message: "Sorry, I just saw the message."
"I'm sorry to have dragged you into this again. Did you get scolded?"
Cao Jun, who hadn't been scolded, looked at his WeChat and thought it would have been better if he had been scolded directly. Seeing the good-natured person suddenly turn cold was a bit frightening.
However, since he himself hadn't handled things well, he couldn't shift the blame to the girl. He casually replied to Sheng Yi, "Just be alive."
Sheng saw that he still had the energy to joke, and the trending topic had completely faded away, so he didn't think too much about it.
Unexpectedly, a marginal figure in the industry like herself could have her post on WeChat Moments become a trending topic. She dug out her old, unused alternate account and sent it to Cao Jun, saying, "This is my alternate account. You can add it for backup."
Cao Jun looked at the business card that Sheng Yi had sent him in the chat box, hesitated for two seconds, and was about to add it when he saw Wen Shili push open the door and stand in front of him.
As if by reflex, he confessed without being asked, shaking his head like a rattle drum, "I won't add it, I won't add it."
"?" Wen Shili had no idea what he was up to.
Cao Jun thoughtfully held out the phone, raising the screen to eye level with him. "She gave it to me herself, and I don't know what she's trying to do."
Two seconds, maybe three seconds later, Wen Shili casually looked away and went back to his room.
Here, Sheng Yi shared her alternate account with a few close friends, intending to make it her last sanctuary.
A new notification appeared, and she went to verify it.
He is a male.
Cao Jun.
She sincerely apologized again for causing this trouble to others in just a few days, saying, "I'm sorry, it's my fault."
"He didn't deduct any money from your salary or anything, did he? I'll never pay him randomly again."
Cao Jun remained silent.
But Sheng Yi still couldn't quite understand it. "Logically speaking, since it was photos of the two of us that were exposed, even the most gossipy person should say we're a couple."
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