Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
She had met Xu Jiayang the previous day.
Sitting by his side was someone with chestnut-colored hair and wearing a suit, but he was as furious as a roaring lion.
Leng Yan, Hongtu’s CEO and also her boss, was a little shabby but nonetheless handsome and intimidating.
There was also Sister Tong, who was just over 40 years old, with neatly bunned hair and was dressed in a black business suit.
Beside her was the head of Hongtu’s public relations department, Lu Gang.
The moment that Xia Weibao appeared, all four of them in the office were momentarily stunned. After such a huge situation, they had expected to see a haggard Xia Weibao. But she was completely unaffected.
It was as though the main character of the whole saga was not her.
Seeing such a calm and detached Xia Weibao, Leng Yan was stunned. He finally understood why Xu Jiayang had decided to support her. This aura was incomparable to any female star within the entertainment industry. If she were not riddled with scandals, he would willingly support her with his whole fortune…
It was only then that Xia Weibao realised that she had become the female lead of “Fallen City”. This surprised her a little.
Although she had guessed that Xu Jiayang would give her a role, she had not expected that he would give her the role of the female lead!
Unsurprisingly, Xia Weibao felt moved. Because of Xu Jiayang’s faith in her, she would definitely not let him down!
Everyone present faced a huge struggle. It was common for artistes to be put down. But to be put down to the extent of Xia Weibao, there was really no precedent.
Leng Yan suppressed the anger within him. At the moment, the company was already mortgaged to the bank. Other than pressing on, he had no other choice.
He looked at Lu Gang. “Manager Lu, what solution does the PR department have?”
Lu Gang’s head felt heavy. He really wanted to yell out that he quit.
“CEO Leng. In such a situation, there is nothing the PR department can do…”
He had never seen any artistes being put down so terrifyingly.
The entertainment industry was full of rumours and it was common for artistes to be snubbed. It was only a matter of time before the matter would die down. However, unfortunately for Xia Weibao, having her three-year-old history be dug out and then humiliated, and even increasingly menacingly. It was really a first!
Leng Yan kicked the coffee table aggressively. “F*ck! Who spread the news about the change in female lead?”
He had originally wanted to call Xia Weibao over to discuss how to make this news public.
He had not expected someone else to do it first, catching him off guard.
Xia Weibao narrowed her eyes slightly. “Other than all of you, who else knows about the change in the female lead?”
Xu Jiayang’s face went pale. “Lin Mier.”
The office fell into a strange silence again.
“Hurry and go online. Lin Mier is doing an interview.”
Sister Tong looked at her phone and her expression immediately changed.
Xia Weibao quickly took out her mobile phone that was still unfamiliar to her. A video immediately popped up on the internet.
In the video, Lin Mier looked haggard. In front of her was a throng of reporters fighting to ask her questions.
“Mier, is it true that Xia Weibao stole your role?”
Lin Mier looked at the reporter who had raised the question with teary eyes and sadness. “Yes, it’s true.”
Wow!
The reporters were exhilarated.
“Miss Lin, I heard that Xia Weibao slept with Xu Jiayang to snatch your role. Is that true?”
Lin Mier wavered slightly, obviously having taken a huge blow. She bit her lip and held back her tears, as though she had been bullied and was seeking sympathy.
“I’m not sure about this matter. I was suddenly informed this morning that “Fallen City” is changing its female lead. In the past, I believed that Senior Xia was innocent. Seeing her as someone’s mistress, and being forced into the mental hospital made me heartbroken. I have always been waiting for her return. But, but…”
At this point, Lin Mier was too sad to go on. She turned around and repeatedly wiped away her tears.
When she was able to keep her emotions under control, she turned back to face the camera.
“But yesterday, I just helped her get a role as a stunt double. Who knew…”
She was saying that she believed in Xia Weibao, but was dragging out all of Xia Weibao’s past scandals at the same time.
She had not only painted herself as a pure and virtuous lady, but she had also aggressively smeared Xia Weibao’s name. She hinted that Xia Weibao had a history of such underhanded acts. So it was not surprising at all that she would sleep with Xu Jiayang.
When the reporters heard that, they knew that they had caught onto something.
“Miss Lin, according to you, Xia Weibao got into a relationship with Xu Jiayang because of you but she didn’t want to replace you. Is that true?”
“Miss Lin…”
Lin Mier looked up with tears in her eyes. You could see stubbornness written on her face, along with extreme disappointment.
“Because of my outstanding appearance, I’ve always been known at Little Weibao since my debut. This nickname was once an honour, because that was my idol! But now, Senior Xia is really a disappointment and I’m ashamed of that nickname! From now on, I will not be anyone’s shadow! I am who I am — my own unique Lin Mier!”
Her loud declaration brought about a standing ovation.
Very quickly, the topic #UngratefulXiaWeibao shot to the top of the hot topics.
Lin Mier, who was already sitting in her van, felt a little relief upon seeing the sympathetic comments on her Weibao and the malicious ones on Xia Weibao’s Weibo.
“Since you dare to snatch my role away, let’s see how you’ll die!”
Her face was grim, with a sense of revenge.
She thought she could make a comeback by stealing my role?
No way! She thought.
“Mier, your earlier performance was great. If you let the media know that your role was taken from you because you were not as good as Xia Weibao, then all your efforts over the years will go to waste. Now that you fought back, the one affected is Xia Weibao.”
Lin Mier laughed coldly. “Who does Xia Weibao think she is? She’s nothing but an out-of-fashion movie queen. And she still wants to make a comeback? Just wait and see how I’ll torture her!”
“Although we have the initial advantage now, you can’t let your guard down. This is a critical period for you. You have to play your role of a pitiful character well and make use of those enraged fans to chase Xia Weibao out of the entertainment industry!”
Lin Mier eyed her manager with a squint. “I don’t need you to tell me that.”
…
Xu Jiayang quietly took out a bottle of essential oil from the drawer. He had to calm down. Lu Gang and Sister Tong were both silent. Neither of them were able to rectify the situation at this point.
Too many rumours had been spread about Xia Weibao. Worse still, Xu Jiayang’s dark history was added to it.
No matter what they said, it would simply be dismissed.
Xia Weibao finally expressed her thoughts.
“Since I can’t be made innocent, let’s just run with whatever they say.”
Several dumbfounded gazes immediately shot towards her.
Leng Yan flared up and tugged violently on his tie. “Don’t prove you’re innocent? Do you know how much impact you’re bringing upon the company with such a situation?”
My whole life’s blood, sweat and tears have been wasted on you and you still dare to say that! He thought.
Xia Weibao raised her eyebrow. Her boss did not have a good temper. At first sight of her, he was already furious.
“Do you have a solution?”
Leng Yan swallowed his saliva. I really want to throw you out and let you be mobbed by those fans, he thought.
Xia Weibao placed her hands out. “The more you say, the more mistakes you make. Why bother saying so much?”
Lu Gang frowned. “But that shouldn’t be the way either. It’ll have too great an impact. The set has already been besieged by an angry mob. They can’t even film.”
“Then film the outdoor scenes first. There’s something that will seal everyone’s mouths shut.”
“What?” Everyone looked towards Xia Weibao.
The empress arrogantly smiled. “Skills.”
Everyone: “…”
“You are very confident.” Leng Yan was annoyed. Seeing Xia Weibao’s confidence made him want to take a dig at her.
“Do you want to make a bet?”
Xia Weibao smirked. Xu Jiayang did not have a good feeling about it and wanted to stop Leng Yan.