Chapter 36 "I have to apologize to Gu Mingyan in public..."
Ye Jinyan has been in a real bind lately.
The company's key project suddenly and unexpectedly broke its funding chain. Before he could come up with a solution, he received a call from Meng Xian, who said that her impersonation of the national school beauty had been discovered.
Ye Jinyan comforted her for a few moments and prepared to use the supplementary card given to him by Gu Mingyan to hire online trolls and remove trending topics.
Just as he was about to make a payment, he discovered that even his supplementary card had been frozen.
He refused to believe it, opened WeChat, found the person he hadn't contacted in a long time, and quickly typed a question:
[Gu Mingyan, what do you mean? Why did you freeze the card you sent me?]
The message was sent, but a glaring red exclamation mark appeared in front of it.
—You are not yet friends with the other party.
Ye Jinyan then dialed her number, only to find that her phone number was also blacklisted.
He was completely stunned.
Gu Mingyan, who used to chase after him with eyes full of love and admiration, nodding no matter what he said, and still throwing herself at him even when he treated her coldly, would actually block him so decisively?
"No wonder Gu Mingyan hasn't clarified the rumors about her plastic surgery face. It turns out she wanted to use this free publicity to promote her transformation MV." Meng Xian already knew that she had been used by Gu Mingyan, and she couldn't help but cry even more aggrievedly.
Unable to get through to Gu Mingyan on the phone, Ye Jinyan could only direct his anger at Cai Chengyun, the agent he had planted next to her.
He dialed Cai Chengyun's number on a landline. As soon as the other party answered, he asked with a gloomy face:
"Was Gu Mingyan's recent tactic of using this opportunity to promote her MV your idea? Did you teach her how to go against me and Xianxian?"
Cai Chengyun quickly protested his innocence: "Young Master Ye! It's absolutely not me! I haven't even seen Miss Gu recently. She arranges her own schedule, and I have no say in it at all!"
He thought for a moment, then quickly added, "As you know, Miss Gu's personality has changed quite a bit since she joined that variety show..."
Cai Chengyun's tone was so humble and respectful that it didn't sound like he was faking it.
Ye Jinyan pinched his brow in frustration, knowing that questioning Cai Chengyun would be pointless.
Meng Xian was still sobbing on the other end of the video call: "Jin Yan, I'm really heartbroken. Gu Mingyan is so cruel. She and Yun Qingqing deliberately set a trap for me, using my dirty laundry to pave the way for her own publicity. How could she do this to me..."
She became more and more upset as she spoke, and tears streamed down her face.
Normally, Ye Jinyan would have been heartbroken and tried every means to comfort him gently.
But at this moment, as he listened to Meng Xian's repeated sobs and thought about his precarious cash flow and the frozen supplementary card, an indescribable anger suddenly surged into his heart.
"Stop crying!" Ye Jinyan roared suddenly. "Isn't this all your own fault for being so vain?! If you hadn't been so blinded by greed and impersonated someone else in that photo, would you have been caught red-handed today?!"
Meng Xian's crying stopped abruptly. She stared wide-eyed at Ye Jinyan on the other end of the phone screen in disbelief, as if she didn't recognize him.
Over the years, even when Ye Jinyan was impatient, he had never yelled at her in such a harsh tone.
How could she not know that her current situation was the result of her vanity back then? But if it weren't for the halo of being the "national school beauty," Meng Xian wouldn't have been able to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry so easily.
Now that her affair has come to light, she is being ridiculed and insulted by the entire internet. Instead of offering any comfort, Ye Jinyan harshly rebuked her.
Meng Xian's lips trembled, but she couldn't make a sound. Only large tears rolled down her cheeks silently, making her seem even more aggrieved and pitiful than when she had just sobbed.
After Ye Jinyan finished yelling, he was also stunned. Seeing Meng Xian's deeply affected and shaky appearance, the nameless anger in his heart was quickly replaced by annoyance.
He raised his hand and rubbed his temples: "...I'm sorry, Xianxian, I didn't mean to get angry at you. It's just that I've had too many upsetting things lately, and I lost control a bit."
Meng Xian sniffed, still feeling a little wronged.
But she knew that now was not the time to throw a tantrum.
The Meng family is just a nouveau riche family that got rich by luck. They can't help her at all in a place like the entertainment industry. If she wants to continue to develop in the industry, she still has to rely on Ye Jinyan.
She quickly blinked and said considerately, "I know you've been under a lot of pressure lately, and things at work must be really tough. It's my fault; I shouldn't have just been thinking about how bad things were for myself and adding to your troubles."
Her humble and understanding attitude calmed down Ye Jinyan's irritation considerably.
"Yes, I've run into some trouble." His tone softened. "Don't worry too much. The internet has no memory. As long as you maintain a proper attitude, those rumors online will be forgotten after a while."
As for Gu Mingyan—
In Ye Jinyan's mind, freezing her bank card and blocking her contact information was simply because Gu Mingyan had discovered his intention to stop her from dancing and was throwing a tantrum.
Anyway, Gu Mingyan loves him so much. After a while, when she calms down, Ye Jinyan can go over and apologize in person, treat her to a meal, and say some sweet words to coax her.
Ye Jinyan whispered to the air, "Trying to prove how important you are by cutting off my funding? How laughable."
"Jin Yan, what did you say?" Meng Xian didn't hear clearly and asked again.
"It's nothing." Ye Jinyan quickly composed himself, his tone returning to normal. "I was just thinking about how to handle your current situation."
Mentioning this, Meng Xian's voice became tearful again: "Now everyone is calling me a fake, and the brand just came to question me... Jin Yan, I don't know what to do."
Ye Jinyan remained silent for a moment.
With public opinion fermenting to this point, the photographer has already definitively proven that Meng Xian is an imposter. Any further blurring of the focus will only provoke ridicule.
After much deliberation, Ye Jinyan seemed to have made up his mind, even though he felt somewhat aggrieved by the decision.
"The only way to quickly salvage their reputation now is probably to issue a public apology."
"Apologize?" Meng Xian's face turned pale as she confirmed in disbelief, "You want me to apologize to Gu Mingyan in public?!"
*
The following morning, the live broadcast of "Best Partners" started as usual, but viewers noticed that Meng Xian did not appear on camera.
The director briefly explained in the live broadcast: "Ms. Meng Xian is not feeling well and will be unable to participate in the recording today. Let's wish her a speedy recovery."
[Feeling unwell? I think you're just too embarrassed to show your face!]
[Hilarious! Yesterday she was all lively and innocent on the show, but today the truth about the "national school beauty" is revealed and she's suddenly sick?]
This illness came at just the right time.
Meng Xian's absence did not affect the progress of the program.
At nine o'clock in the morning, all the guests were gathered in the open space outside the tent. The director, holding a megaphone, announced that a wilderness survival exercise would last for more than half a month.
"The production team will only provide the most basic safety guarantees and very limited start-up supplies. Food, water, and accommodation will all need to be solved by the teachers and their partners."
Gu Mingyan's face immediately fell: "I don't want to! There are so many bugs here, and there's no hot water for showers. How can anyone live here!"
Although Ding Manni didn't say anything, her face was full of resistance.
Amidst protests, the impartial director assigned the first task: to start a fire and boil a pot of water before sunset, using a small pot and limited water provided by the production team.
It sounds easy, but it's quite a challenge for these celebrities who are used to city life.
Gu Mingyan had been pouting and complaining, but after witnessing Yun Qingqing and Nan Xu work together to start a fire, she suddenly became very interested in this outdoor activity and even took the initiative to go to the nearby woods to collect firewood.
Yun Qingqing looked at her eager expression and smiled as she reminded her, "There's a cedar forest behind you. You can pick up the fallen branches and burn them. But the leaves of this cedar are thorny, so be careful not to prick your hands."
Gu Mingyan turned around and smiled at her, "I know, don't worry."
She walked briskly into the cedar forest.
The forest was quiet, and the air was filled with the unique, crisp scent of cedar wood. Sure enough, the ground was covered with a thick layer of dry, withered branches.
She squatted down and carefully selected the branches that looked clean and had a relatively pleasing shape, and soon gathered a fairly large pile.
Looking at the spoils on the ground, Gu Mingyan was wondering how to carry them back without getting pricked.
A hand with distinct knuckles suddenly reached out to her: "Let me do it."
Gu Mingyan looked up and met Jiang Mingqian's complex and indescribable gaze.
His eyes held a lingering shock, an awkward embarrassment, and a hint of barely perceptible regret.
"No need. Who do you think you are?"
Gu Mingyan haughtily raised her chin at him, pulled down her coat sleeves as far as she could, used the fabric of the cuffs to pad the pile of cedar branches in front of her chest, and walked past Jiang Mingqian without looking to the side.
Jiang Mingqian's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and it took him a long time to slowly retract it.
He stood there, watching her receding figure as she walked away.
The wind in the mountains ruffled her hair and the hem of her clothes. She carried the bundle of firewood, walking unsteadily, but never stopping.
After Yun gently revealed the truth yesterday, he didn't sleep well all night.
He never expected that Gu Mingyan, whom he had prejudicially labeled as "all looks and no substance" and "shallow inside," was actually the real female protagonist in that photo.
He had so firmly defended Meng Xian and refuted Yun Qingqing's accusations with absolute certainty. Now, looking back, every word he uttered felt like a resounding slap in the face.
Prejudice blinded him, making him a ridiculous and pathetic accomplice.
Jiang Mingqian spent the rest of the day in a daze.
Whether it's a group task or a collective activity, his reaction is always a beat slow, and his gaze always unconsciously drifts towards Gu Mingyan's direction.
Watching her excitedly try to start a fire by rubbing sticks together, gently examining the small pot with Yun, or wrinkling her nose and complaining about the wood ash on her hands, every vivid expression and movement was incredibly lifelike.
In the evening, Jiang Mingqian called out to Yun Qingqing, who was going to wash her hands by the river.
"Yun Qingqing, wait a moment."
Yun Qingqing turned around upon hearing the voice and saw that it was Jiang Mingqian, and immediately became alert.
She frantically shouted at the system in her mind: "System, why do you think he called me? Could it be because I exposed Meng Xian's secrets yesterday, and he wants to beat me up when no one's around?"
The system reassured her helplessly: "Don't worry, host, he doesn't look like he's about to hit anyone."
“That’s true.” Yun Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief. “I forgot that they were still broadcasting a variety show over there. No matter what, he wouldn’t dare to cause trouble in front of the camera.”
She composed herself, turned around, and asked, "Teacher Jiang, is something the matter?"
Jiang Mingqian licked his slightly dry lips, as if he had made up his mind, and asked, "Yun Qingqing, do you really like money?"
Yun Qingqing: "...?"
Is it common knowledge now that she loves money?
Jiang Mingqian assumed she had tacitly agreed and quickly added, "I didn't mean anything by it, I just want to make a deal with you. I'll give you 300,000 yuan, can you put in a good word for me with Gu Mingyan and get her to forgive my previous slip of the tongue?"
Without a second thought, Yun Qingqing refused without hesitation: "No."
Jiang Mingqian was taken aback, seemingly not expecting such a direct rejection.
He instinctively pressed further, "Is it because you don't have enough money? Five hundred thousand? Or you can name your price?"
“It’s not about the money.” Yun interrupted him gently. “Teacher Jiang, I do love money, but I won’t interfere with my friend’s likes and dislikes for money, much less act as your advocate.”
Jiang Mingqian was speechless, a hint of embarrassment and annoyance flashing across his face.
He was indeed desperate and grasping at straws.
Seeing his stunned expression, Yun Qingqing couldn't help but roll her eyes and said, "I'm telling you, instead of spending money to have me act as a middleman, you should apologize to Mingyan yourself. Knowing her as I do, she's not the kind of person who holds grudges against others."
"Really?" Jiang Mingqian's eyes lit up with hope.
Yun hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth: "Because you have never been an important person to Mingyan. So your sarcasm or your attempts to befriend her are irrelevant to her."
Jiang Mingqian stood frozen in place, his heart filled with a mixture of emotions.
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