Chapter 9: The corporate slave evolved into a pristine white lotus...
The leader of the group of fans felt uneasy under Yun Qingqing's burning gaze. She abruptly shoved Yun Qingqing's face away from her, which was almost touching her hand, and shrieked:
"Are you crazy?! Don't come any closer!"
After saying that, he retreated as if avoiding a plague, quickly shrinking back to his companions.
"Don't go, friend!" Yun Qingqing pleaded, trying to stop him from leaving after receiving the money that had been delivered to his door. "Let's discuss it some more? We don't need double compensation, some depreciation fee will do!"
She followed closely behind the leading fan.
As soon as Da Fen turned her head, she saw her approaching and was immediately terrified, screaming as she tried to disappear into the crowd.
Seeing Yun Qingqing's frantic, desperate search for a push notification, the other fans, fearing they would be ruined if they got involved with her, scattered to the sides as if avoiding a snake.
As the clouds gently passed by, the crowd parted swiftly, like Moses parting the sea, and everyone desperately tried to back away, afraid of making even the slightest physical contact with her.
In the chaos, someone suddenly stepped back, their heel slamming hard onto Meng Xian's foot, who was watching from the sidelines.
"Ah!" Meng Xian screamed in pain, her face contorted in agony.
Because the scene was so comical, no one in the live chat noticed Meng Xian; they were all laughing hysterically.
[Hahahaha, I'm laughing my head off! Yun Qingqing, look how scared you've made that big fan, her face is practically white.]
[Using magic to defeat magic, how interesting.]
Yun Qingqing just wanted to earn some pocket money; what could she have done wrong?
[As expected, truly talented people never miss a business opportunity. I understand now, Master Yun.]
After this commotion, the fans no longer had the mind to criticize Gu Mingyan. They were all frightened by Yun Qingqing's determined attempt to extort money, and they all backed down and retreated quickly, even faster than when they came.
Yun Qingqing lamented earnestly, "Sigh, the double compensation that was within my grasp has vanished... These young people these days are far too timid."
The system remained silent, deeply worried about the host's dwindling moral integrity.
The farce subsided, and order was finally restored at the scene.
Despite the pain in her foot, Meng Xian limped over to Gu Mingyan and said, "Mingyan, are you alright? I'm so sorry. My fans are all young and impulsive. I apologize on their behalf. Please don't hold it against them."
Her strategic retreat instantly won her another wave of sympathy from her fans.
[Xianxian is so kind; she apologized on behalf of her fans even after being wronged herself.]
She's just too kind. Even though her own feet were swollen from being stepped on, she still chose to worry about whether Gu Mingyan was alright first.
[It's all Gu Mingyan's fault for stealing the endorsement deal; otherwise, why would we fans be so angry!]
[Yes, the root of the problem is Gu Mingyan stealing resources! Why should those with abundant resources be able to do whatever they want?]
[However, the brand has indeed clarified that there was no such thing as vying for the endorsement in the first place. Isn't it too hasty to say that Gu Mingyan is a "resource-backed" actress?]
[Why are you pretending to be a rational observer upstairs? The brand received a bribe, so naturally they're speaking up for Gu Mingyan. Can you trust what they say?]
[Gu Gou stole someone else's things and is still so self-righteous, it's truly an eye-opener.]
At the scene, Meng Xian, with tears in her eyes, spoke to the camera: "Please don't argue about me anymore. Let's just let this matter pass. It must be that I didn't do something well enough, which made the brand have other considerations... It's okay, I will continue to work hard and improve myself."
Her forbearance and consideration for the greater good immediately became unbearable for the straightforward Ding Manni.
"Xianxian, what are you saying! How is it that you're not good enough?" Ding Manni stomped her foot angrily. "It's clearly someone who takes advantage of their family background to do whatever they want, stealing other people's things and still acting so self-righteous!"
The other guests, unaware of the situation, refrained from interjecting and could only remain awkwardly silent.
Gu Mingyan, however, was not one to swallow her pride, and retorted without hesitation: "The brand's official Weibo account already issued a statement clarifying that there was absolutely no such thing as stealing the endorsement! You pretend not to see the facts right in front of you, you idiots!"
Her words were direct and blunt, a stark contrast to Meng Xian, who was on the verge of tears beside her. To those unaware of the truth, Gu Mingyan appeared exceptionally arrogant and aggressive at that moment.
Jiang Mingqian was originally a fan of Meng Xian. Seeing that Gu Mingyan not only showed no remorse but also spoke ill of him, he immediately stood up to support her and mock her: "Miss Gu is so agitated because she was hit where it hurts, right? Only a guilty person would be so angry and speak so recklessly."
"I feel guilty? I think you're all blind and stupid!" Gu Mingyan was so angry she almost laughed.
Meng Xian gently smoothed things over, saying, "Everyone, please stop talking... Mingyan probably didn't mean it. Let's leave it at that. Don't let my grievances affect everyone's mood."
Gu Mingyan watched her sarcastic remarks with a cold eye, feeling utterly powerless.
She was clearly the one who was slandered and wronged, so why did it all seem to be her fault in the end?
Gu Mingyan wanted to defend herself, but found that her words were so pale and powerless in the face of such deep-rooted prejudice and manipulative tactics.
Just as Jiang Mingqian was about to say something more, a clear voice suddenly interrupted:
"Mingyan, I also have to say a few words to you about this."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Yun Qingqing had wandered back at some point, standing with her arms crossed, looking at Gu Mingyan with disapproval.
Gu Mingyan suddenly looked at Yun Qingqing, and a hint of disbelief and hurt flashed in her beautiful eyes.
Ding Manni criticized her, Jiang Mingqian mocked her; although she was angry, she felt more that these people were unreasonable. But for some reason, seeing Yun Qingqing also stand against her, Gu Mingyan suddenly felt a sharp pang of sadness.
She bit her lower lip and stubbornly turned her head away, not wanting the other person to see her suddenly reddened eyes.
When Meng Xian saw Yun Qingqing suddenly turn her gun towards Gu Mingyan, she felt no joy at all; instead, she subconsciously frowned.
For some reason, she couldn't like Yun Qingqing from the very first time they met. She always felt that this person was unconventional and didn't play by the rules, and had a strange air about her.
Regardless of what others thought, Yun Qingqing began to berate them: "If you ask me, Mingyan, what you did was really unfair. The brand had already officially announced Teacher Meng as their spokesperson, how could you interfere and steal the endorsement?"
Gu Mingyan was stunned by this outrageous accusation and immediately forgot about feeling wronged.
She turned back to Yun Qingqing in astonishment: "Officially announced Meng Xian? Are you mistaken? The brand has never officially announced her as the spokesperson!"
"Huh?" Yun Qingqing scratched her head in confusion, looking completely innocent. "But I saw all the buzz online, and Teacher Meng's fans were celebrating. I thought it was a done deal! Turns out it hasn't been officially announced yet?"
Looking at her bewildered expression, Gu Mingyan explained earnestly, "From beginning to end, the brand has only officially announced me as the sole person."
"Is that so..." Yun Qingqing was even more puzzled. She turned to Meng Xian and asked innocently, "Teacher Meng, if I may ask, before the brand officially announced Mingyan, did you sign an endorsement contract with the brand? Or, did the brand have a clear communication with your agent to confirm that you were the spokesperson?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's attention turned to Meng Xian.
Such matters involving business cooperation can be easily verified by checking written agreements or formal procedures; there's no way to fake them.
Meng Xian dared not lie, and could only grit her teeth and squeeze out two words: "...No."
"No contract, no official announcement, no agent involved." Yun Qingqing spread her hands in confusion. "Then this endorsement wasn't Teacher Meng's at all from beginning to end!"
Her gesture made everyone suddenly realize what was happening.
yes!
Since there is no contract and no official confirmation, how can it be considered Meng Xian's endorsement based solely on fans' words?
Since it wasn't hers, and Gu Mingyan obtained the endorsement through legitimate channels, how could it be considered "stealing"?
Ji Sihan bluntly said, "Damn, Gu Mingyan is really unlucky. She's been scolded for so long for no reason. She's just an innocent victim."
Gu Mingyan tilted her head and listened to Yun Qingqing's long-winded rambling, her expression blank.
The injustice that no one believed no matter how much she tried to clarify was actually dismantled by Yun Qingqing in just a few words, without her uttering a single cry of injustice or defense.
The tone of the comments shifted dramatically:
[Yun Qingqing's words were truly a wake-up call; the brand has never said that Meng Xian is the spokesperson! It's all been her fans and marketing accounts hyping her up!]
[I knew it! I never saw the official Weibo account tagging Meng Xian from beginning to end, so how did it become Gu Mingyan stealing the endorsement?]
[Upon reflection, I realized that I had always been prejudiced against Gu Mingyan because of the negative information circulating online, so I readily believed the negative rumors about her.]
Sigh, I'll have to use my brain when I read gossip from now on.
So who was Meng Xian trying to impress with that act of suffering and enduring humiliation? Why are you putting on such a show if it's not yours?
Meng Xian had actually been keeping an eye on the live stream on her phone the whole time. Seeing the public opinion take a sharp turn for the worse, she quickly tried to defend herself: "I don't know how things got like this. Maybe some fans like me so much that they believed some uncertain news online."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened again, and she looked at everyone pitifully, "I really never said that this endorsement was mine, please don't misunderstand."
Yun nodded firmly in agreement: "Indeed, indeed, this really can't be blamed on Teacher Meng."
Meng Xian's eyelids twitched immediately.
Yun gently shook her head and sighed, "Teacher Meng is just too kind. She couldn't bear to go against her fans' wishes, so she didn't strongly stop the rumors online, right? She definitely didn't intentionally let the rumors spread or incite fans to cyberbully!"
As soon as she said that, the audience realized something was off.
Well, if Meng Xian really didn't want to be misunderstood, wouldn't it have been better to issue a statement sooner? Why wait until now, when she's been exposed to her face, to try and defend herself?
...Isn't this condoning and tolerating cyberbullying by fans?
Meng Xian sensed something was wrong and hurriedly tried to retort, "I..."
Yun Qingqing didn't give her a chance to speak, and slapped her thigh in exasperation: "Actually, the blame lies with our Mingyan, her mental fortitude is just too poor."
"She was only cyberbullied for a little while, but Teacher Meng lost an endorsement that never belonged to her! Thinking about it this way, isn't Teacher Meng also a victim?"
Meng Xian was so choked by Yun Qingqing's barbed and sarcastic remarks that she almost fainted.
She understood.
She finally understood why she had felt uncomfortable from the very first moment she saw Yun Qingqing!
This woman is a pure and beautiful lotus flower that has cultivated itself into a spirit. Not only do we share the same approach, but she is also more skilled than me!
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