Chapter 44 Who is the third party?
The hashtag related to Ye Jinyan and Meng Xian ignoring advice and causing trouble selfishly, ultimately leading to Yun Qingqing's injury, remained on the trending search list for several days.
The longer the topic trended on social media, the longer Ye Jinyan remained irritable.
After learning that he had embarrassed himself and gone viral, Old Master Ye even called him and gave him a good scolding.
Finally, after Ye Jinyan hesitantly hung up the phone with the old man, he came up with a solution.
It's better to guide than to block, and better to encourage than to suppress.
If you want something to completely fade into the background, isn't the best way to divert public attention by using something more eye-catching and controversial?
Soon, "Zhiweishuo," a female-focused blogger with millions of followers, received a submission suggestion from an anonymous account.
In its early years, Zhiwei Shuo used its sharp insights and fluent writing style to analyze countless real-life cases of women's plight, giving voice to vulnerable girls and teaching them to be clear-headed, self-loving, and courageous in defending their rights, gradually building up a huge fan base.
However, after accumulating a certain number of fans, "Zhiweishuo" gradually deviated from its original intention after tasting the sweetness of traffic.
She astutely observed that creating conflict is far more effective than rational and objective analysis.
Zhiwei said that he has gradually become the kind of person he once criticized—using topics, stirring up emotions, and reaping traffic.
Late at night, Wang Wei, the blogger behind "Zhiwei Says," who had just finished a day of live streaming recording, was worried about the relatively weak data on her account recently.
Her recent tactics of "exposing fake independent women" and "exposing scumbag men" have received lukewarm responses, and she urgently needs to find a new hot topic.
The anonymous email in the background, labeled "Exposé of Gu Mingyan's involvement as a mistress," caught her eye at that moment.
Wang Wei's eyes lit up after just a couple of casual glances.
The email was extremely detailed, showing evidence such as Gu Mingyan giving gifts to Ye Jinyan and chasing him downstairs at his company. It accused Gu Mingyan of knowing that Ye Jinyan had a girlfriend but still trying to become his mistress and repeatedly belittling Meng Xian in public.
After carefully reading the manuscript from beginning to end, Wang Wei immediately sensed the new secret to generating traffic.
Having long since strayed from her original intentions, she didn't even bother to verify the authenticity of the submitted content, and began writing the outline of the article overnight.
The following morning, a highly provocative long article titled "Love Has No Right or Wrong, But It Has Bottom Line: A Review of the Female Competition and Misogynistic Tactics of a Certain Heiress Surnamed Gu" was simultaneously published on various platforms of "Zhiwei Says".
The article begins with "speaking out for all girls who have been hurt in relationships," vividly describing how Gu Mingyan has been relentlessly pursuing Ye Jinyan for years, attempting to usurp his place, and bullying Meng Xian in every way by abusing her privileges.
The article cleverly avoids the legal red line of defamation, using phrases such as "it is said," "it is rumored," "the contributor claims," and "it makes one wonder" throughout, firmly attaching highly insulting and suggestive labels such as "misogynistic," "addicted to female rivalry," and "a mistress who destroys other people's relationships" to Gu Mingyan.
Within ten minutes of its release, the article generated a huge response across various platforms.
The majority of Zhiwei's followers are people with a strong sense of justice and a high capacity for empathy, but they lack the ability to think independently and distinguish right from wrong, and are easily led by their emotions.
Soon, the public's anger was stirred up:
[I'm sick of seeing this, seriously! The internet really has no memory. Wasn't Gu Mingyan universally hated online because of all this mess? But she got a makeover after appearing on a variety show, and nobody remembers her being a mistress anymore.]
I don't understand why some netizens would like a morally corrupt person just because she's good-looking and rich? Have our values become so dependent on physical appearance these days?
Although Meng Xian isn't a good person, Gu Mingyan isn't a good person either. I unconditionally support the main wife this time, okay?
Everyone says there's no true love in wealthy families, but I think Ye Shao's love for Meng Xian is genuine. Even after Gu Mingyan has been trying to steal her away for so many years, he hasn't been moved.
[Hahaha, Gu Mingyan must be furious! She's filming a variety show with Ye Shao, and he completely ignores her.]
In just two hours, hashtags such as #GuMingyanKnowsSheIsAThirdPartyConfirmed#, #GuMingyanCompetesWithHatesOnWomen#, and #GuMingyanBullysMengXian# spread like wildfire, quickly occupying the top three spots on the trending topics lists of major social media platforms.
However, the recording of the variety show was eerily calm.
The signal was already weak at the filming location in the mountains, and the guests wouldn't have time to use their phones while they were busy with their tasks.
Apart from Ye Jinyan, who had some foresight regarding online public opinion, everyone else was completely unaware of it.
He wasn't worried that Gu Mingyan would find out about the trending topic.
In any case, Gu Mingyan's caring messages, the gifts she sent during the holidays, and her repeated attempts to intercept him are all undeniable facts.
Ye Jinyan's response to her was always distant and indifferent.
Even if the two sides are in a one-on-one confrontation, others will only think that Gu Mingyan is being persistent and eager to please.
Yun Qingqing seemed to sense something and glanced in his direction.
I don't know why, but I always felt that Ye Jinyan's gaze was a bit lewd and indescribably obnoxious.
The program's live stream cameras were on the whole time, and netizens, whose emotions had been stirred up online, flooded the live stream. Whenever Gu Mingyan appeared on screen, there was an overwhelming barrage of curses:
[I'm so anxious! Why are they still slowly doing their tasks?! I really want Gu Mingyan to look at her phone.]
It's a pity their filming location was a bit remote, otherwise I would have spat at them in front of Gu Mingyan a couple of times.
I can't wait to see Gu Mingyan's expression when she discovers the trending topic.
...
Finally, it was time to wrap up work in the evening.
Because her injuries had not yet healed, Yun Qingqing moved more slowly than others.
Gu Mingyan and Gu Xubai naturally slowed their pace, one on each side of her, and the three of them gradually fell to the back of the group.
Most of the staff and other guests had already returned to their accommodations, making the mountain path exceptionally quiet.
As they passed a patch of tall, dense grass, Yun glanced over there unconsciously and then frowned.
A thin, metallic glint flashed through the gaps in the branches and leaves.
There are people there!
Yun suddenly realized something and pointed at the bushes, shouting.
The moment the four words were uttered, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes.
The person hiding inside clearly hadn't expected to be discovered and immediately parted the bushes to rush down the slope.
But no matter how fast she moved, she couldn't outrun Gu Xubai.
Almost the instant Yun spoke, he had already pounced into the bushes.
The man hadn't run two steps when Gu Xubai caught up from the side and behind, grabbed the back of his neck, and pressed him down—
"Ah!" The other person let out a short scream.
The man was firmly pressed to the ground by Gu Xubai, his face almost buried in the dirt, and the things in his arms rolled out of his hands.
Yun Qingqing and Gu Mingyan immediately recognized it as a professional camera.
"Let go! What are you doing! Let me go!" The person pinned to the ground struggled fiercely; the voice sounded like that of a young woman.
"Who are you? What are you doing hiding here?" Gu Xubai asked coldly.
The woman on the ground struggled a few times, but when she realized it was all in vain, she stopped her pointless writhing.
She tilted her neck to the side with difficulty and said coldly, "What can I do? I'm just here to expose Miss Gu's true colors."
"Me?" Gu Mingyan pointed to herself, feeling both amused and surprised.
"Of course it's you!" The other person lay on the ground, their eyes gleaming with a fanatical, self-righteous light. "Gu Mingyan, do you dare say you didn't relentlessly pursue Ye Jinyan? Didn't you eagerly become a mistress and bully his official girlfriend? I just wanted more people to see your true colors... Ahhh!"
Before the woman could finish speaking, a foot wearing a sneaker suddenly stepped on her fingers.
She looked up angrily, only to meet Yun Qingqing's slightly innocent face.
"Sorry, my injuries haven't fully healed yet, and I'm a little unsteady on my feet. I accidentally stepped on you." Yun gently picked at her ear, then asked, "What did you say you came here for?"
The woman on the ground was in so much pain that she was sweating profusely. Looking at Yun Qingqing's feet still hanging in the air, she had no choice but to honestly change her story: "I, I am the blogger 'Zhiwei Says'. Actually, I just came here to do some research and let everyone see Gu Mingyan's real behavior after the broadcast."
Yun Qingqing then realized that she was still tightly clutching a phone in her hand. The phone screen was lit up and displayed a live stream interface with more than 100,000 viewers.
Holy crap, the blogger was discovered just like that.
Although I wasn't there in person, I actually felt a little nervous and excited.
Since we've already bumped into each other, Miss Gu might as well explain why she's so eager to become a mistress.
Gu Mingyan glanced at the comments and roughly guessed that she might be caught in some kind of public opinion crisis again.
She skillfully took out her phone, opened Weibo, and sure enough, saw a series of trending topics hanging high on the hot search list.
Gu Mingyan curled her lips in disgust: "Can you please not associate me with that scumbag couple? Just thinking about it makes me sick."
【A pair of adulterers? Who are you talking about? Ye Shao and Meng Xian?】
For some reason, I feel like I'm getting a sense of a plot twist.
[Everyone, please calm down and don't let online rumors get to you. I used to be one of Gu Mingyan's haters, but after watching the variety show for so long, I feel I have a better understanding of her character. She doesn't seem like the type to knowingly become a mistress.]
Yun glanced at the comments and suddenly chuckled.
“Since everyone is so curious,” she said, “it’s no fun hiding and spreading rumors. Why don’t we just invite Ye Jinyan over here and have him stand here so everyone can find out the truth? Wouldn’t that be better?”
Gu Mingyan tilted her head to look at her, and quickly grasped the deeper meaning in her words.
Looking at Zhiwei, who was staring at her with righteous indignation, and at the rapidly scrolling comments in the live stream, she took a deep breath.
“That’s true,” Gu Mingyan said with a forced smile, “It’s time to make a clean break.”
The wait wasn't long; a moment later, footsteps approached from afar.
Ye Jinyan remained as aloof and arrogant as ever. He casually glanced at Gu Mingyan, who was standing alone by the bushes, and his gaze lingered on her somewhat frail figure.
"You were looking for me?"
Gu Mingyan didn't look at him; instead, her gaze went past his shoulder and landed on the slender figure that had followed him not far behind.
"Why did Miss Meng come here too?" Gu Mingyan's voice was emotionless. "I have some things I only want to say to Brother Jin Yan alone."
Meng Xian had already learned about the trending topic before she arrived, and she was delighted.
She never considered herself an interloper, especially after Ye Jinyan and Gu Mingyan had completely broken up, which made her even more fearless.
At this moment, meeting Gu Mingyan's gaze, she not only did not let go, but instead tightened her grip on Ye Jinyan's arm: "Jinyan is my boyfriend. I'm naturally worried about him coming alone."
Boy friend.
The three words were pronounced heavily and deliberately.
Gu Mingyan looked at their intertwined arms, bit her lower lip, and glanced at Ye Jinyan.
A layer of moisture quickly welled up in those usually bright and flamboyant eyes.
Ye Jinyan felt much more at ease, and even felt a secret sense of pleasure.
Sure enough, this was the Gu Mingyan he knew.
All that talk of independence and clarity, of being cool and decisive, it's all an act!
In less than a month, she revealed her true colors and couldn't help but come crying to beg for her return.
Although he really wanted to get the financial support from Gu Mingyan immediately, he wanted even more to see this once proud and arrogant woman bow her head and admit her mistakes in front of him.
"Just say what's on your mind here. Xianxian isn't an outsider."
Gu Mingyan's eyelashes trembled violently, as if she had been stung by those words.
She sniffed hard and said, "Brother Jin Yan, when I said we should break up last time, it was just something I said out of spite. Can we...can we get back together?"
She lowered her posture to an extreme degree, all traces of her usual arrogant young lady demeanor vanished, leaving only pleading and vulnerability in her eyes, as if she could collapse instantly if Ye Jinyan uttered a single word of no.
Ye Jinyan looked down at her, feeling a surge of pleasure.
"Gu Mingyan, do you think this is child's play? You can't just break up like that, and then get back together like that?"
Gu Mingyan's tears finally welled up: "I... I know I was wrong... I'm just unhappy, unhappy that you and Meng Xian are getting so close! Now a lot of people online are calling me a homewrecker, but actually Meng Xian is the homewrecker."
Ye Jinyan looked at her tearful appearance with indifference, unmoved.
Meng Xian was more meticulous than Ye Jinyan.
She squinted, a faint doubt flashing through her mind—
At a time when Gu Mingyan is being condemned by the entire internet for being a homewrecker, it's a bit too coincidental that she comes to Ye Jinyan seeking reconciliation.
However, this doubt was quickly dispelled by a sense of triumph.
She looked down at Gu Mingyan's humble demeanor and attributed the reason to the fact that Gu Mingyan might have been provoked by the online comments saying that she, Meng Xian, and Ye Jinyan were a perfect match and could not hold back any longer, so she came to curry favor.
Meng Xian sighed softly, saying with a sense of superiority, "Mingyan, I think you've never understood the situation. Actually, Jin Yan and I have been together since high school. Strictly speaking, you're the one who came between us, aren't you?"
"But when I met Brother Jin Yan, you two had already broken up!" Gu Mingyan coldly wiped away her tears.
Meng Xian felt even more smug: "But the person in Jin Yan's heart has always been me. To tell you the truth, the reason Jin Yan chose you as his girlfriend is because you look like me."
Gu Mingyan turned her head sharply to look at Ye Jinyan, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The man was stung by the sudden dimming of the light in her eyes, but since Meng Xian had already made things clear, he was too lazy to weave a more elaborate lie. He simply shrugged indifferently, remaining noncommittal.
"Impossible..." Gu Mingyan felt as if the sky had fallen, and she staggered back a small step. "You all lied to me... If it were really as you said, when you returned to the country, Brother Jin Yan should have abandoned me to go find you immediately. How could he still be by my side?!"
She concluded, "Brother Jin Yan has me in his heart."
Meng Xian sighed gently, her words piercingly cutting: "Mingyan, stop deceiving yourself. Not long after I returned to the country, I got back together with Jin Yan. The only reason he continues to maintain his relationship with you is because the funds you provide are very important to him."
These words were so blunt that Ye Jinyan couldn't help but frown.
It wasn't that he was afraid of hurting Gu Mingyan's feelings, but he felt that Meng Xian had spoken so definitively and left no room for negotiation. How could he then use a conciliatory approach to extract benefits from Gu Mingyan in the future?
He was about to speak, using his usual vague and ambiguous words to smooth things over and calm Gu Mingyan down—
But as soon as he looked up, he saw Gu Mingyan suddenly smile, and the tear stains on her face disappeared completely.
She casually wiped her eyes and said in a nonchalant tone, "Alright, now that you've heard this, I think everyone understands, right?"
Ye Jinyan was taken aback by her sudden change: "What?"
Meng Xian, who was standing to the side, suddenly snapped out of her dazed sense of victory and remembered the details she had overlooked.
Where is Yun Qingqing?
Where did Yun Qingqing go?
Yun Qingqing was still injured, and Gu Mingyan would never abandon her alone and come here to stage such a "seeking reconciliation" act while her injuries were not yet healed.
Meng Xian's scalp tingled instantly. She gripped Ye Jinyan's arm tightly, her body stiff as she slowly turned her head—
Hidden in the bushes, a dark camera was silently pointed at them.
The high-definition camera faithfully recorded every expression and every line of dialogue of the three people.
The entire live stream room erupted in an uproar.
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