Ji Huan didn't need to say it; Xia Weiliang knew how the company would handle it.
After her statement, she had stopped responding to any gossip related to the Xia family.
Xia Yiran's intention to pull her down was too obvious. Engaging would only embolden the other party. She'd rather use her time to improve herself!
But this didn't mean she could just passively accept the smear campaigns thrown at her, one after another!
Reports started coming in, all with a clear agenda, as if they had conspired. Accusations of "arrogance," "evasion," "subtle mockery," and "resentment" were all piled onto her.
"Ah! This is outrageous!"
Backstage at "Challenge Us!", Xiao Nuomi was banging on the table. "I knew they were playing dirty, but now they're throwing ethics out the window too?"
Xia Weiliang, while getting her makeup done, glanced at her. "Since they have no morals, let's not bother with 'playing dirty' either!"
Nuomi's eyes lit up. This was exactly what she had been waiting for!
"Contact A Mao and Deputy Director Wang. We'll need his reposts and cooperation then."
Xia Weiliang looked at her in the mirror and smiled. "Everyone has their own specialty. Don't waste these professionals' talents."
Nuomi understood instantly and immediately went to contact the two.
"Brother Mao, it's Nuomi."
Upon hearing there was a video, A Mao nearly jumped out of his chair!
"What did I say? When this happens to others, it's a PR crisis! But when it happens to Niang Niang, it's *their* PR crisis!"
"Sister Wei Liang thought of you first when this happened, Brother Mao."
A Mao was deeply touched. "Niang Niang really cares about me!"
This was a win-win.
Empress Xia needed a voice, and A Mao needed breaking news. A Mao, considering himself the top cat breeder, had risen quickly in just a few months, partly thanks to the exclusive scoops she'd given him!
In short, aligning with Empress Niang Niang meant tying yourself to trending topics!
Everyone in the industry knew A Mao was Xia Weiliang's guy, and they were all incredibly envious!
A Mao patted his chest. "Leave this to me! Either we're controlled by media opinion, or we control the media! Your Brother Mao is someone who likes dancing on the edge of a cliff!"
Within half an hour, Brother Mao's studio made its move. Without any preamble, they released a video with a watermark.
On the other end, Deputy Director Wang immediately reposted it, accompanying it with a lengthy essay of five hundred words.
"Sitting at home, and a deluge of melodramatic trash comes my way!!"
"Poor Niang Niang, she was just out for an interview, being careful and cautious the whole time, but what was the result? She was still attacked!!"
"I implore all my colleagues, where did these readers come from? Clearly, they haven't reached maturity, they've only just taken human form!"
"Friend from Anshi Platform, you should go interview your Sister Fei, alright?"
"My Big Bowl Brother here can churn out a sack of these paid articles in a morning, guaranteed quality and quantity. Next time, dear blackmailer dads, please look here. Honesty and fair prices!"
With his intervention, other veterans like "Tianxia Entertainment," "Ninth Brother Has News," "I'm Not a Paparazzo, I'm Your Second Uncle," and "Be Vain, Be Clear About Eating Melon" also resurfaced.
The essays they wrote, if the entertainment reporters were taking the college entrance exam, they would all be admitted to Tsinghua and Peking University!
With video evidence and a collective follow-up from various official accounts, it was hard not to turn the situation around.
Seizing the moment, Ji Huan personally wrote an article: "Little Liang, Don't Be Afraid! You Have Us."
It was a risky move for an agent to step into the fray personally; even a slight misstep could implicate the artist, lead to fan backlash, or become a failed case, impacting their career.
This showed that Ji Huan was taking a gamble.
Within an hour, Ji Huan's article had over ten thousand reposts and quickly topped the charts.
Her objective was clear: the reporters who were clearly paid were easy to deal with, but Mrs. Xia's Weibo post was the fuse!
Therefore, after careful consideration, she abandoned the company's public relations strategy and wrote an article herself.
She wanted to tell everyone that just as Xia Yiran had her parents and family backing her, so did Xia Weiliang!
Xia Weiliang wasn't aware of Ji Huan's Weibo post, as she was pre-recording the Qixi special episode of "Challenge Us!".
Su Yu Xi was among the guests, and naturally, the handsome and beautiful were paired up, engaging in games on the show.
During a break, Director Song came over mysteriously, his eyes darting towards Xia Weiliang, wanting to look but afraid to, and finally lowering his head and turning his back.
He first called Cheng Ge and went somewhere else, then Sister Hua, then Rui Rui...
But he didn't approach Xia Weiliang.
Although she had used her rebirth cheat code when participating in this show, her relationships with the crew and guests were genuine. So, even though she understood everyone's desire to avoid suspicion, Xia Weiliang still felt a bit hurt.
"Weiliang," Su Yu Xi walked over and handed her a bottle of water.
"Thank you."
Xia Weiliang recomposed herself, her face beaming with a bright smile again.
She had no reason to burden others with her negativity.
He sat beside her, his profile handsome, his eyelashes slightly lowered, showing a hint of hesitation. "There's a question I've actually wanted to ask you for a while."
"Okay, ask away."
She considered Su Yu Xi a friend, and she was always honest with her friends.
Su Yu Xi turned to look at her, his eyes filled with a certain eagerness. "You... you and Xiao Yi, are you... together?"
"（⊙o⊙）"
What was this guy saying?!
"Misunderstanding! Rumor! Gossip!"
She didn't care about herself, but this was about the film emperor's reputation!
This was a disaster!
It was one thing for outsiders to misunderstand, but how could her colleagues be misled too?
"Little Su, please don't misunderstand! I don't know where you heard this, but it's completely untrue! You mustn't believe it!"
Su Yu Xi, for some reason, seeing her eagerness to explain, actually smiled happily.
"Why are you smiling?" Xia Weiliang's tone changed.
"You... care about my thoughts?"
"?"
Xia Weiliang thought for a moment. "Of course! You're my person, how can you believe outsiders' talk!"
Her intention was that anyone who was her friend was on her side, and they had to be her people!
Su Yu Xi suddenly lowered his head, an irrepressible smile spreading across his lips, his earlobes visibly reddening.
"Mhm, I... I understand."
Understand what?
That rumors shouldn't be believed, spread, or propagated?
She asked cautiously, "So, you believe me?"
His smiling clear eyes gazed at her, seemingly with a different kind of emotion.
"I do," he said.
"Phew~ That's good." Xia Weiliang patted her chest and then reminded him, "If anyone asks about this in the future, you have to help me explain!"
"Okay."
Su Yu Xi suddenly became very compliant, so obedient that he completely bewildered the person involved. She immediately looked around nervously, checking if there were witnesses. She hadn't coerced him, had she?
—
After a long night shoot, she still had scenes in the morning. Xiao Yi didn't return to the hotel but slept directly in his van.
Outside the van, Yan Zhi was complaining to Da Yang.
"Da Yang, tell me, after raising a daughter for over twenty years, she just turns her back on them like that!"
"Exactly! After seeing Weibo this morning, our Su soda fans are all furious!"
"Oh, so she says she understands Xia Yiran's character, which means our Niang Niang has poor character?"
"Hmph! Even someone as shrewd as me can see that's exactly what she means!"
"Shh, keep your voice down. Brother Zhan was shooting all night..."
The van door suddenly opened.
The two men squatting by the van door jumped in fright. They turned around to see Xiao Yi rubbing his temples, leaning against the door. "What happened to her again?"