Chapter 58

Jiang Sisi: “I remember Youth Tour hasn’t had any promotional push yet?”

Tan Ya: “No, your schedule has been quite tight, and we couldn’t find the time.”

Jiang Sisi asked again, “How many reporters have come this time?”

Tan Ya: “Basically all the digital media outlets have sent someone. They all want to get first-hand news.”

Jiang Sisi found herself admiring Song Limo’s drawing power.

Jiang Sisi: “Let’s hold a press conference tomorrow. Go and prepare for it.”

Jiang Sisi smiled slightly. “Since they want first-hand news, instead of letting them take secret photos and make wild guesses, I might as well give it to them directly. It saves them the trouble of throwing a bucket of filth over us.”

The last time the topic #Jiang Sisi and Leng Xiang at Odds# trended, Jiang Sisi hadn’t taken it seriously and ignored it. It wasn’t until Leng Xiang misunderstood, thinking she was doing it for hype, that she stepped in to deal with the people from Star Path Entertainment.

This time, it was better to settle things early.

She still remembered receiving the completed “homework” Leng Xiang had sent her on the last day of the annual leave. It was a thick stack of over a hundred pages of manuscript paper, densely packed with words. The twelve books had been returned as well.

The package was heavy. When Jiang Sisi opened it, a small note fluttered out.

It was very inspiring, thank you.

P.S. For seven days and nights, except for that one evening, I didn’t even step out the door. Truly, thank you.

At the end was a drawing of a little devil holding a small pointed pitchfork.

Jiang Sisi rubbed the note between her fingers and smiled.

See? She is so good. Why should others be allowed to talk about her like that?

…

Leng Xiang had no scenes that day, so she retired early. That evening, she sat in her hotel room scrolling through Weibo, looking down at her phone in silence.

Pei Shuang was away filming night scenes and wasn’t in the hotel.

Leng Xiang flipped through the comments, her finger sliding down the screen as she read them one by one.

When a few photos from the Luxury Goods crew had leaked online previously, rumors of their discord had already surfaced. At the time, she was focused on filming and ignored them; Jiang Sisi didn’t seem to care much either, and the matter died down naturally after a few days.

But this time, Leng Xiang hadn’t expected things to ferment to this extent. The Weibo comments were absolutely chilling.

“Your little goddess Xiangxiang is seriously unyielding. She’s the King of the Unbending, truly hardcore beyond measure.”

“I didn’t believe it last time when they said those two were at odds—I thought two photos didn’t prove anything. Now that the video is out, I have no choice but to believe it.”

“Seriously, who is she putting on that face for? Jiang Sisi? Jiang Sisi is practically her mentor. Song Limo? Song Limo is a huge senior to her.”

“Watching this makes me so cringed out. I wish I could teleport to the scene and push her head down to make her apologize.”

“Don’t say that, it’s just a video. Maybe they were just talking…”

“To the person above: do you use that kind of face when you talk to people?”

“She really acts like a massive diva. She looks like someone you definitely shouldn’t mess with.”

“No wonder she could pick a fight with Jiang Sisi on that variety show years ago. Turns out she’s been used to acting like a big shot since she was a kid.”

“A while ago I watched that episode of Welcome to Star and thought Leng Xiang was so cute as a child. Now… barf.”

“It’s not just regular affectation; it’s the attitude of a ‘Princess Syndrome’ rich girl who can’t handle a single critical word.”

“Her public persona is collapsing faster than a tornado.”

“Knowing Jiang Sisi’s temper, she might actually replace the lead actress.”

“Replacing the lead is impossible, right? The money’s been paid and filming is almost done. No matter how much money Jiang Sisi has, she wouldn’t be that reckless.”

“Of the tens of millions invested in the film, more than half came from Director Jiang herself. The rest came from investors who fought each other to throw money at the crew once they heard Song Limo was doing a guest appearance.”

“Speaking of which, I’m crying bitter tears again. How is Jiang Sisi so rich?”

“Let’s wait for more tea; maybe Jiang Sisi really will swap the lead hhhhhhh.”

Diva, Princess Syndrome, replace the lead.

The discussion kept circling back to those few keywords.

Seeing Leng Xiang lost in thought, Wang Linlin timidly stole a glance at her phone, which was still displaying the Weibo page. She thought: Oh no, is Sister Xiang too shocked by this? What should I do?

Suddenly, Wang Linlin reached out and snatched the phone from Leng Xiang’s hand while she wasn’t paying attention.

“Sister Xiang, stop looking,” she said. “You’ve been reading this all night. There’s nothing worth seeing. Do you want me to go for a walk with you?”

Leng Xiang looked at her anxious expression, smiled slightly, and said, “Give me back the phone. I’m fine.”

She was used to being cursed at online; she was no longer the person she was years ago who would explode at the slightest spark. The insults were always the same: bad temper, acting like a diva, and so on. She might be dragged through the mud again after finishing this movie, returning to a state of obscurity or having no work to film.

But that was no longer her main concern.

Leng Xiang seemed quite calm. She had played that video more than once, carefully examining her own expression—the one netizens described as “dark and greenish, looking like she’s looking for a fight.”

Her expression had been quite ugly at the time. But how could it not be? She liked Jiang Sisi, yet Jiang Sisi was avoiding her like the plague. How could she look happy?

Speaking of which, thinking back on it now, something felt off. Why did Jiang Sisi react that way? Why was she hiding from her?

Jiang Sisi had indeed been very unnatural lately, not acting like her usual self at all. In the past, she liked to tease her from time to time. Now, forget teasing—she barely said a word to her. That day at the KTV, from the moment she returned from the restroom, Jiang Sisi had almost not said a word to her.

Why? And when exactly did things start going wrong?

Leng Xiang calmed down and carefully retraced when Jiang Sisi’s behavior had shifted.

The first time she felt something was slightly off was likely after Li Guchuan told her about Jiang Sisi’s past. The second time was at the KTV. When Jiang Sisi called her earlier, her tone was normal. But once she arrived and Song Limo mentioned Xiao Yue, Jiang Sisi became strange again.

She seemed to be running away from something. And based on Jiang Sisi’s reaction, she was specifically avoiding her.

Why? Was it because Xiao Yue was mentioned? Did Xiao Yue make Jiang Sisi act this way? But if it was because of Xiao Yue, why did Jiang Sisi suddenly become so uncomfortable around her? What exactly was Jiang Sisi thinking?

…

Suddenly, a notification popped up on Leng Xiang’s screen. Snapping out of her thoughts, she clicked into WeChat. It was from that “Fake” Black Pool Boss.

Black Pool Boss: You there?

Black Pool Boss: I saw what they’re saying on Weibo. Are you okay?

Leng Xiang frowned. After playing a prank on her that day, this Black Pool Boss had come back the next day to apologize as if nothing had happened, saying it was just a whim and she just wanted to tease her. It was very annoying—frivolous and suspicious. Maybe Black Pool Bar really had changed to a male owner.

Over the next few days of the holiday, the Black Pool Boss reported to her WeChat every day, telling her about everything from what happened at Black Pool Bar to what she had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She had asked if Black Pool Bar was under new management. The “typing” status stayed up for a long time before the person sent a speechless emoji, then explained it had always been her and the bar had never changed owners.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t had time to visit Black Pool Bar lately. Leng Xiang typed a reply.

Leng Xiang: I’m fine. I’m used to it.

Black Pool Boss: I was worried you might do something drastic.

Leng Xiang: I’m not that fragile. I’ve been attacked before, it’s nothing.

Leng Xiang’s fingers paused for a moment before she looked down and typed again.

Leng Xiang: It’s just that in the future, maybe no one will ask me to act anymore. I won’t earn money, won’t be able to buy a house. That’s a bit of a pity.

On the other side of the screen, Jiang Sisi stared at the phone for a long time, sensing something was wrong. She remembered that Leng Xiang had been famous for five or six years back in the day. She should have made plenty of money then. Even if her career had declined, her family foundation should still be there. How could she not even own a house?

Black Pool Boss: You’ve been in the entertainment industry for so many years. Why don’t you have a house?

Leng Xiang: Something happened a few years ago. I sold it.

Black Pool Boss: What happened?

Leng Xiang frowned; this was getting a bit too personal. She shouldn’t be telling these things to a stranger. She didn’t even know what the Black Pool Boss looked like. But she always felt a strange sense of familiarity in this person’s tone, which made her want to talk to the Black Pool Boss more.

Whatever, it didn’t matter. It was just a stranger she’d never met. These things had been kept secret for years; no one knew. She had suppressed them for so long that saying a little bit wouldn’t hurt.

Leng Xiang: My family situation is complicated. I sold the house to pay off debts.

After sending that sentence, she felt a sudden wave of relief. They say venting is the best way to relieve stress for a reason. She felt so lightened that she even joked with the Black Pool Boss.

Leng Xiang: If no one really asks me to act in the future, are you guys hiring?

Black Pool Boss: …

Black Pool Boss: Don’t think like that. It’s not like no one will find you. Believe me. You are very good.

Leng Xiang couldn’t help but smile. Who is this person? She had only been to Black Pool Bar twice in the past few months, meaning they’d only “met” twice. How could they say such things?

Leng Xiang: You talk like you know me so well.

Leng Xiang: I’m done. Going to sleep.

After typing this, she turned off her phone. Wang Linlin was still sitting beside her, noticing that the expression on Leng Xiang’s face had relaxed significantly. Who was she chatting with? Was she that happy?

Seeing that Leng Xiang seemed fine and was preparing for bed, Wang Linlin quickly stood up.

“Sister Xiang, are you going to sleep?”

Leng Xiang replied, “Yeah, it’s late. You should go back and sleep too.”

Wang Linlin had only come to check on her out of worry. Hearing this, she nodded and prepared to leave. She turned back and saw Leng Xiang reach for her phone again, opening it as if looking for something. She thought: Having such a bucket of filth dumped on her… she says it’s fine, but it must still bother her.

After Wang Linlin left, Leng Xiang opened Weibo again. She had turned off all notifications for her account; otherwise, the noise would have been unbearable. She scrolled for a while. The overhead light was still on, stinging her eyes. She stubbornly refused to put the phone down, constantly refreshing her feed.

She felt that this matter wouldn’t end like this. She had a feeling that Jiang Sisi wouldn’t just stay out of it. Even if Jiang Sisi felt uncomfortable seeing her, or wanted to hide far away… she wouldn’t just let this matter end.

Leng Xiang just had this inexplicable gut feeling. And according to Jiang Sisi’s temperament, she would never do things quietly. It would be a grand gesture, using whatever method was most effective. But she wasn’t sure exactly what Jiang Sisi would do.

So she waited.

At five past ten in the evening, she heard hurried footsteps in the hotel. It was likely the staff from the night shoot getting off work. She listened to the movement outside half-heartedly, then gave her phone another casual swipe.

There it was.

Jiang Sisi V: Tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 PM, A District Conference Hall, everyone is welcome. [Image.jpg]

The attached image had a few words written on it:

The rumors are baseless. If you have something to say, say it to my face.

Jiang Sisi was holding a press conference.

…

The next morning, starting at 8:00 AM, this remote filming area began to see a steady stream of reporters carrying cameras. The crew was prepared. Having received notice from Jiang Sisi, they took the morning off. The set was empty, without a ghost in sight.

Usually, once Jiang Sisi went into seclusion to film, she never saw guests. Not even Father Jiang could interfere with her filming. This was the first time she had invited the media for a press conference during a shoot.

At 2:00 PM, the press conference went live simultaneously on major video websites—a nationwide livestream. Friends who had been waiting for the drama were instantly electrified.

A nationwide livestream! What did that mean? It meant this was fresh, first-hand tea being sold by the parties involved themselves!

The synchronized livestream of the conference began without any prior warning. Jiang Sisi hadn’t even mentioned it beforehand, yet within half an hour, the viewership surpassed 8.3 million and was racing toward 10 million.