Chapter 50: An Unexpected Incident.
In early December, filming wrapped up.
Before leaving, she met with Zeng Shaoguang alone. He slurred his words and asked her if they could still be friends.
"Of course, you can contact me if you need anything in S City in the future."
The drunk Zeng Shaoguang was much quieter than usual. Hearing this, he just stared at her with his eyes wide open, which made Sheng Yi sigh softly.
Strictly speaking, it was she who broke her promise.
With filming nearing completion, how to maintain the relationship after parting ways is an unavoidable real-world issue.
Old Qian suggested that the two could meet occasionally or create topics of conversation, at least to maintain the current news buzz. If necessary, they could also resort to some extreme measures.
Sheng Yi wanted to nod, but when everything was written down in black and white and listed in the plan, she realized that her mental preparation was still not enough.
Old Qian had no choice, and Zeng Shaoguang didn't force him.
He took her to the airport. Before she got out of the car, Zeng Shaoguang reached out and hugged her. Sheng Yi patted his shoulder and smiled, "Teacher Zeng, let's cheer each other on!"
Having finally been able to sleep in, Sheng Yi originally planned to stay home for two days before starting work, but unexpectedly, Xiao You dragged her out the door on the second day.
Seeing her sleepy-eyed and exhausted appearance, Xiaoyou stepped on the gas and drove straight to the beauty salon.
Over the next period of time, Sheng Yi received a full-body care and maintenance treatment from head to toe. The beautician's technique was so skillful that she almost fell asleep again.
After all the work was done, I felt like I had transformed from a salted fish waiting to be slaughtered into a carefully pampered pet, with every pore screaming for comfort.
The room lights had already been adjusted to a suitable brightness, and wisps of fragrance permeated the air, easily dismantling the hard outer shell of the body.
Sheng Yi stared at the ceiling, Xiao You's sweet voice ringing in her ears, and the words slipped out unconsciously, "How are things between you and President Lin?"
Xiao You never expected that Lin Hao's name would suddenly come out of her mouth under such circumstances.
Perhaps out of fear of hurting her self-esteem, aside from initially warning her that she might have met the wrong person, their subsequent interactions did not involve any so-called "emotional" element.
She didn't ask any questions, nor did she have the intention of showing Lin Hao around. This ambiguity has persisted until now.
Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility of some deliberate intentional considerations.
Having known each other for so long, there's nothing we can't talk about. She glanced at Sheng Yi discreetly, pondering how to bring it up.
Just then, Sheng Yi turned over and looked at her with clear eyes. He didn't say anything, but she noticed Sheng Yi glancing away guiltily. Realizing what was happening, she pretended to be calm and looked back.
Sheng Yi blinked her eyelashes and looked back innocently, "What, do you need me to make one up right now?" By the end of her sentence, the corners of her mouth had turned up really high.
"Oh, what?" Xiao You breathed a long sigh of relief, snuggled up to her, hooked her arm around hers, and said in a soft, coquettish voice, "I didn't mean to hide it from you."
Sheng Yi believed this. In fact, from the beginning, Xiao You had never clearly defined what her relationship with Lin Hao was like; it was all in her imagination.
"It's not what you think about him and me." Xiaoyou bit her lip, intending to be honest. "He actually..."
"Alright, I understand." Sheng Yi stopped her from saying anything more. "You don't need to tell me anything else. I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself if I have a powerful figure by my side."
Startled, Xiaoyou sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes wide. "How did you know?"
How did I know? I stumbled upon it by chance. The legendary womanizer, Kobayashi, was always busy with a woman, clearly head over heels in love.
Xiao You clearly recognized the other person, and upon hearing this, she scoffed, "She's still not giving up." She then reached for her phone, "No, I need to call Sister Chenchen and ask..."
Sheng Yi felt like she'd been unwittingly fed a juicy piece of gossip. Xiao You, halfway through her actions, suddenly realized that revealing Lin Hao's secrets in front of a third person was ultimately inappropriate. After all, he was a true "white moonlight" (ideal love). When he went crazy, probably only Shi Li could barely keep him in check.
Thinking of this, he had no choice but to give up awkwardly, "Are you busy at the end of the month? How about we go to Shili's concert together?"
That turn was a bit sharp.
Wen Shili's concert is at the end of the month; I am aware of his great intentions.
Although I can hear his new song everywhere I go lately, the last time the two of them contacted each other was when she was in the group and saw his post on WeChat Moments, and sent him a private message to congratulate him.
The other party replied very late, and they talked about when she would finish filming. Sheng Yi wasn't sure, so she told him it might be more than a week away. Wen Shili replied that they would talk about it then.
If Xiaoyou hadn't brought it up, she would have almost forgotten about it and wouldn't have known what he wanted to say.
Tickets for Wen Shili's concert are extremely hard to come by, but judging from Xiao You's appearance, she obviously doesn't have to worry about getting a ticket. It's a pity that she has to work from now on.
The period drama in which Sheng Yi had a cameo role is set to premiere at the beginning of the year, and the production team is about to launch its promotional campaign, currently focusing on scheduling the actors' availability. However, for Sheng Yi, there's another advantage: she can once again meet with Wu Simin at company expense.
The cover of the year-end issue I shot a while ago was released at the end of November. After everyone was shocked, they forwarded and discussed it, and realized that the completion of fashion really does depend on the face.
Recently, Lao Qian received two more magazine offers. Originally, he was supposed to choose one to shoot for, but since he declined the subsequent publicity associated with Zeng Shaoguang, Lao Qian decided to do both.
"It's a good idea to gain recognition through your work, but your main project hasn't been released yet, so you need to maintain exposure. You don't want to do variety shows, and if this continues, you'll starve before you even make a name for yourself."
Old Qian meticulously calculated the expenses for her, saying, "If it weren't for the circumstances, I would definitely ask them to let me take over."
Sheng Yi's ears were practically calloused from all the nagging, so she just gave up on the spot, "Aren't our schedules still open at the beginning of the year? You figure it out."
"Really?" Without waiting for her to confirm, Lao Qian hung up the phone directly. "No, I have to go and pick some out for you."
With December more than halfway over, major platforms have begun announcing their lineups for New Year's Eve concerts, and netizens are scrambling around, comparing celebrities, data, and the order of announcements, engaging in daily back-and-forth battles.
Amidst the escalating tensions, Sheng Yi also officially announced her attendance at K brand's year-end event. Unexpectedly, this backfired.
Initially, marketing accounts caught wind of the news and started making up stories, claiming that she was in deep contact with the brand and that an official announcement of her title was expected.
Someone started stirring up trouble in the comments section, and the back-and-forth gradually turned it into a battleground for fans and haters to fight. In the end, all that was left were Sheng Yi's fans and Xu Jiayi's fans exchanging punches.
Although Sheng Yi has recently gained a new wave of fans, Xu Jiayi's fan base is several times larger than hers. To be precise, Sheng Yi was unilaterally humiliated.
When Jingjing saw it, she was so angry that she didn't even eat lunch and started a new account to attack relentlessly.
"Ugh, I'm so angry! I hope you never get a seasoning packet when you eat instant noodles!"
Sheng Yi watched as she indignantly typed out sentence after sentence that was utterly harmless, and it took her a long time to hold back her laughter. "Alright, stop watching. Let's just have instant noodles for dinner tonight, the kind with the seasoning packet."
For the rest of the afternoon, Jingjing didn't even have a chance to touch the phone, and it wasn't until after dinner that it was returned to its owner.
As soon as she got her phone, she couldn't wait to log onto Weibo, only to find that the online landscape had changed again.
Someone dug up the embarrassing video of the previous airport pickup incident and screenshots of it are circulating online.
At the arrival gate, fans held up banners and shouted wildly at the people coming out.
When Sheng Yi watched the video, she realized how dazed she had been.
"Hahaha, is this really funny? I've listened to it three times already."
"Listen carefully, at the 56-second mark, after that person called out 'Mom,' Sheng Yi was completely stunned."
Some have sharply criticized this, saying, "He hasn't seen enough of the world."
Sheng Yi admitted that, given her current psychological capacity, being called "husband" by female fans is already her limit. As for being called "mom" or similar titles, one wonders how Ms. Yu Ying would feel if she knew she had suddenly become a grandmother. She, for one, is finding it somewhat difficult to process.
However, this video should have been filmed by Xu Jiayi's fans, so how did it suddenly become a trending topic?
Jingjing had just been following this before. "It circulated on a small scale within their circle that day, and was later deleted after being advised by fans."
They were all completely covered up, and they came out of the same exit, so it's normal to mistake one for the other. It's just that the comments section was full of praise; once you realize you've mistaken someone for another, looking back is incredibly awkward.
For example, the shouts of fans in the video are being typed out word by word and turned into weapons of attack, and the thread is quickly being built up on the forum.
"Would you admit your own wife's mistakes?"
"My wife is so beautiful, she has such a great figure... Oh my god, I'm about to have this embarrassing moment."
"Do they really have no idea what their idol is like? Just looking at her face, the person opposite her could easily beat her several times over."
Seeing herself being used as a raft, Sheng Yi lost interest in continuing to browse. "Can you delete these things?"
Jingjing held the phone and whispered, returning her earlier words verbatim, "Sister, where would we get the money?"
Most of the day had passed, and the trending topic showed no sign of declining. Fans from both sides were locked in a fierce battle, with escalating tensions and eventually turning their attacks on Sheng Yi. Accusations included sucking up to endorsements, being a "resource-backed" celebrity, and only knowing how to outshine others. Sheng Yi was stunned when she heard these accusations, asking, "Do I really have those titles?"
Jingjing couldn't understand their thought process either. "If only they could help us talk to someone."
This farce finally came to an end on the second day.
When Jingjing woke up, the square was spotless. The fierce battle that had taken place yesterday had vanished without a trace. When Jingjing searched again, she only saw people vaguely mentioning that Shengyi had the backing of the company.
Jingjing couldn't help but doubt her own understanding after seeing this, "When did Lao Qian become so rich?" Then she denied the guess herself, "It's too hard."
Amidst the online uproar, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning these things at the magazine photoshoot.
"Look at the camera."
"Very good, lift your chin a little higher."
In the photography studio, the only sound was the clicking of camera shutters. After finishing one set of photos, Sheng Yi went to change clothes again.
"Huh? No way?" Halfway through my makeup, I heard someone outside suddenly raise their voice, followed by a short commotion and then quickly falling silent.
When Sheng Yi left, everyone was busy with their own things, but the smiles on their faces looked a little stiff. They exchanged glances discreetly as she came out.
Sheng Yi pretended not to realize that something was wrong with them and proceeded step by step to complete the photoshoot of the five planned looks.
The moment the photographer called "call it a day," her hand was grabbed.
She was the youngest girl in charge of costumes. Looking at her, her eyes were filled with tears.
In that instant, many guesses flashed through her mind, but it was too short a time, and before she could sort them out in order, the other person had already gripped her hand tightly, their voice trembling, "Sister, can you contact Brother Shili?"
Brother Shili?
The other person's expression was so bad that Sheng Yi felt her head buzz for a moment, but she quickly calmed down and held her hand to comfort her, "What's wrong? Tell me slowly."
The other person nodded, tears streaming down their face with each movement, their voice already trembling with sobs before they even opened their mouth.
The enthusiasm was something I heard from other people.
"Teacher Wen has been taken to the hospital. I don't know what happened. I heard she was taken away directly from the rehearsal site."
"Don't you have his contact information? Could you help me ask him?"
"Yes, yes, at least let them know you're safe."
Someone took a blurry picture of Cao Jun standing next to the ambulance, looking anxious.
"Right now it's just being spread within a small group within the industry, but it'll probably trend on social media later."
"Could you please ask what happened? I'm so worried."
"I hope you're alright."
Everyone chattered amongst themselves, trying their best to control their tone and suppress their anxiety. But the tension and unease clearly shone in their eyes as they looked at Sheng Yi.
More than two hours have passed since we learned of the news, and no official channels have released accurate information.
Cao Jun's phone was constantly busy; he tried calling again, but still no one answered. Sheng Yi tried calling Wen Shili again, again and again, but all she heard was a hollow sound, a drawn-out, extremely unsettling signal.
The expressions on everyone's faces changed from tense to disappointed, and then to numb calm.
Sheng Yi put away her phone and gave everyone a reassuring look. "Sorry, I can't reach you right now. Please keep each other informed if you have any news."
He quickly changed his clothes, hailed a taxi at the door, and tried to contact Xiaoyou again.
I had just found Xiaoyou's contact information when I heard the driver say in my ear, "Where to?"
This question truly stumped Sheng Yi.
With so many hospitals in S City, no one knows where Wen Shili is in the city at this moment.
She paused for a moment, then quickly resumed, "Let's keep driving forward."
The driver was clearly used to all sorts of people; upon hearing this, he immediately started the car without any further probing.
Just as I was about to call Xiaoyou, my phone suddenly started vibrating wildly.
The neat and tidy notes, carrying an overwhelming warmth, bring a touch of warmth to the desolate early winter.
Sheng Yi answered the call.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end was very soft. It was a clear and melodious voice, never before had it sounded so pleasant.
Sheng Yi took a breath and asked, "Where are you?" Only after asking the question did she realize that she had unknowingly been influenced by other people's emotions.
Regardless, peace is a blessing.
She suppressed the question that was about to come out, and an eerie silence came from the other end of the receiver. The difference was that, in the silent waiting, there seemed to be faint breaths flowing through the network and past her ear.
Wen Shili was at a loss for words, and of course, he had no idea what kind of silent tsunami had swept through the outside world in just a few hours, engulfing many friends and colleagues who were worried about him beneath the calm surface.
So, he maintained his calm tone, acting as if nothing was wrong, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Seeing his reaction, Sheng Yi naturally knew that the rumors were exaggerated. Her tone remained normal as she offered a casual question, "I heard you were injured. Is it serious?"
What on earth is Cao Jun doing? Wen Shili quickly realized that something had gone wrong, frowned, but said gently, "It's nothing, just a minor problem."
"Brother, you can go now." Cao Jun returned after completing the formalities and saw Wen Shili standing there thoughtfully, repeating in a daze, "The doctor just said it's best to observe him for another night."
"Yes," he nodded, thinking to himself, "but what can I do when I encounter some people who can't even be delayed for a day?"
Before he could think any further, the person who had just been vehemently refusing to be hospitalized said, "Then stay for one night."
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