Chapter 25 Part 2

[Heh, Shen Qingqing is still the loser I remember. Her painting looks worse than my three-year-old nephew’s. How did she get first place?]

[The production team probably didn’t want to offend the sponsor because Shen Qingqing’s husband is rich.]

[Yeah, I heard Shen Qingqing’s husband was present at the recording. That makes it obvious.]

[Disgusting. I saw a post about Shen Qingqing’s husband earlier today and thought he was good-looking. I didn’t expect him to be this shameless.]

[Among these paintings, even a blind person can tell Shen Linyan’s is the best. I feel bad for her.]

[It’s not a serious competition, but still, rigging the results is disgusting.]

[Shen Qingqing should just quit. She always relies on connections to get her way.]

[Have you seen the guests’ dinner comparisons? Shen Qingqing’s meal was amazing, while the others barely got anything. Xie Bing and her son only had two cold steamed buns.]

[The production team is disgusting. They act like they care about fairness, but in the end, they bow to money.]

Seeing netizens’ anger, Shen Linyan felt very pleased.

After finishing dinner, she returned to Zhuangyuan Mansion. She told Liang Tianyi to study in the bedroom and went into the bathroom under the pretense of washing up. Once inside, she contacted an internet troll company.

The marketing accounts and internet trolls behind this situation were, of course, arranged by her.

As the second-place winner, her dinner was actually pretty good. But when she saw Shen Qingqing’s meal—and the outstanding man by her side—she couldn’t stand it.

Shen Linyan immediately thought of her own husband, who was far away abroad. Liang Hongyu was excellent, but he was only the prince of the Liang family, which meant his status and power were far below Zhou Yexuan’s. The Liang family’s influence also didn’t compare to the Zhou family’s.

Most importantly, she always felt that Liang Hongyu was indifferent to her, as if he had a secret love in his heart.

Fortunately, she knew Shen Qingqing had used some means to marry Zhou Yexuan and that he didn’t truly love her. That thought made her feel better.

This wasn’t her first time using dark PR against Shen Qingqing. In the past, she had guided public opinion against her subtly.

For example, when Shen Qingqing was caught looking cold toward her stepson, it was just a still image taken at the wrong moment. But since she already had a bad reputation, it was easy to make people believe she was heartless.

She thought she had done everything secretly, and no ordinary celebrity team could track it back to her. Of course, if the Zhou family wanted to, they could easily find out.

At first, she worried about Zhou Yexuan retaliating, but after several times with no response from him, she relaxed.

She assumed Zhou Yexuan didn’t care about Shen Qingqing and might even want her reputation ruined so he could divorce her.

Though a little nervous this time, she reassured herself by recalling her past successes.

However, just as she was feeling smug, public opinion on the internet suddenly shifted.

Shen Qingqing didn’t have hardcore fans like other celebrities, but she had gained many casual supporters and mothers who liked her stepson, Zhou Jiayan.

So, when these people saw the accusations online, they got angry. Those who had watched the full live broadcast knew the truth.

One of them, a big influencer with over a million followers, quickly gathered evidence and posted a clarification.

@CrazyBunny: As Jiayan’s internet mom, I can’t stand people spreading lies. Yes, Shen Qingqing has a bad reputation, her professional skills are terrible, and her painting skills are weak. But she won because she was smart and lucky. Thankfully, as Jiayan’s internet mom, I recorded the entire live broadcast so I could rewatch it. I edited the full voting process into a video. Just watch it, and you’ll see the competition was fair and open.

Although this group of supporters wasn’t large, they were organized. They quickly pushed the clarification post to trending, and soon, it spread widely online.

[I watched the competition. Shen Qingqing’s painting was bad, but she won over the judges.]

[I think she was clever. She analyzed the judges’ tastes and catered to them.]

[After watching everything, I believe it wasn’t scripted. Even the production team seemed surprised by the result, or they wouldn’t have emphasized fairness.]

[Did Shen Qingqing just turn the tables? I respect her. Even though she can’t paint, she stayed calm, analyzed the situation, and made the best of it. Luck helped, but she was still impressive.]

[The influencer who stirred up drama earlier is disgusting. Why didn’t they mention that the judges were kids? Kids like bright colors, and Peppa Pig always wins their hearts.]

[My daughter’s schoolbag and pencil case are all decorated with Peppa Pig. I think if she were to choose, she would probably vote for Shen Qingqing.]

[Sure enough, I was right not to take sides before. The Internet can really change its stance in just a few hours.]

[Everyone should wait and choose sides in the future. Don’t just listen to one person’s opinion—this has happened many times before.]

At the same time, after knowing the truth, many netizens began to focus on other things.

[I saw Mr. Zhou flash by in the video. Damn, he is so handsome.]

[I was never interested in parenting variety shows before, but I didn’t expect to see such a good-looking one. The way Shen Qingqing and Mr. Zhou looked at each other was so sweet I cried. This is the best dating variety show of the year!]

[They are a real couple, of course, they are sweet. Dating shows are all staged.]

[Fans of dating variety shows are rushing over. I hope Mr. Zhou can appear more often in the future.]

The netizens who realized they had been misled reposted the first Weibo post and started attacking the celebrity who spread the false claims.

[Even though Shen Qingqing has a bad reputation, spreading false rumors about her is unnecessary.]

[You really know how to manipulate the Internet. Twisting facts out of context is your specialty.]

[I’m starting to wonder if Shen Qingqing was unfairly criticized before. After watching the variety show, she just seems straightforward, not a bad person.]

[@Shen Qingqing Studio, I suggest you take legal action immediately. The legal team has already been contacted.]

[This is just a spam marketing account. I unfollowed and blocked it.]

Under attack from netizens, the influencer who initially spread the rumors wanted to keep defending herself because she was paid for it. For her, even being scolded was a way to gain popularity.

But then she noticed her follower count was dropping fast. Although she lost only tens of thousands, those were her active followers!

She claimed to have millions of fans, but she knew that many were fake. Getting scolded was one thing, but losing real followers was a serious problem. Finally, she deleted the Weibo post and told the PR company that hired her, “I can’t do this anymore. This job is costing me my career.”

Seeing how things unfolded, Shen Linyan was shocked. Some netizens actually defended Shen Qingqing, and most still supported her?

Why did things turn out like this? Shen Linyan was confused. Before, Shen Qingqing was always the target of online outrage. No matter the situation, netizens would scold Shen Qingqing first.

After thinking for a long time, Shen Linyan had no choice but to accept defeat. She messaged the PR company, “It’s fine, just withdraw for now. We can work together again later.”

After dropping Shen Qingqing and Zhou Jiayan off at Zhuangyuan Mansion, Zhou Yexuan returned to his hotel.

As an Almighty assistant, Ma Li naturally kept an eye on online discussions about Shen Qingqing and the young master. He was well aware of the Weibo drama that night.

So, when Zhou Yexuan returned to the hotel, Ma Li immediately reported the situation to him.

After hearing the details, Zhou Yexuan said, “This issue is clear and fair. Shen Qingqing won honestly and has nothing to be ashamed of. Contact Zhou’s PR department and ask them to clarify the matter.”

Using Zhou’s PR department to handle an entertainment industry matter? Ma Li was surprised. In the past, President Zhou had left PR matters to Shen Qingqing’s agency, and Zhou Corporation never got involved in her scandals.

However, Shen Qingqing’s abilities in handling PR were limited, and she sometimes made mistakes. Because of this, her reputation online was poor. There was even a time when hashtags like #ShenQingqingGetOutOfTheEntertainmentIndustry trended daily.

Ma Li recalled the countless PR firms he had contacted just to remove negative posts, leaving a deep impression on him.

Thinking about what happened on Weibo earlier, it felt like things were changing.

Ma Li smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Zhou. The matter has already been clarified. Some netizens even spoke up for my wife. I haven’t even had time to contact her PR team yet. Many netizens are actually reasonable, and thanks to the variety show, my wife’s online reputation has improved a lot. Though some negative comments still exist, things are much better than before.”

Hearing Ma Li’s words, Zhou Yexuan felt reassured. Then, he thought about Shen Qingqing’s performance in the live broadcast. So many people were taken in by her?

A small smile appeared on Zhou Yexuan’s face—one he didn’t even notice. Should he compliment Shen Qingqing for being smart and knowing how to win people’s hearts? She had only been on the show for a few days and already managed to turn public opinion around.

However, Zhou Yexuan was rational. He quickly realized something was off. “Why would someone suddenly accuse the show of being rigged? No one would think that just by watching. Someone must have planned this attack in advance.”

Ma Li was impressed by his boss’s sharpness and immediately replied, “You’re absolutely right, Mr. Zhou. Although the situation has calmed down, I had someone investigate. The first people to spread the rumors all had the same IP address. This was clearly premeditated. I suspect someone has been deliberately spreading rumors about my wife for a long time.”

Zhou Yexuan wasn’t surprised that Shen Qingqing’s bold personality made her a target.

Previously, he believed Shen Qingqing brought the negativity upon herself. It was a lesson society had to teach her so she wouldn’t cause even bigger problems in the future.

But this time was different. Shen Qingqing had been framed and deliberately targeted. And since she was someone under his protection, how could he allow her to be bullied?

Tapping his fingers on the table, he made a decision. “Find out who’s behind this. If necessary, I don’t mind retaliating tenfold or even a hundredfold. Understood?”

The situation was resolved so quickly that by the time Shen Qingqing heard about it, everything was already over. She looked up the events online and instantly knew it was Shen Linyan’s doing.

Too bad it was another wasted effort.

Shen Qingqing stroked her chin and thought, I didn’t expect to be this popular now. These netizens are really smart—I didn’t even have to do anything, and the truth came out so quickly.

And since Shen Linyan works so hard, I have to try even harder to find some fault with her. Otherwise, I’d feel guilty for her so-called “deep friendship.”

After saying goodbye to his father, Zhou Jiayan followed Shen Qingqing back to the Zhuangyuan Mansion. He was in a great mood. Not only had he won first place today, but his father had also shown up and even had dinner with him.

So, while taking a bath, Zhou Jiayan started singing: “Facing danger with a smile, dreams will come true soon. Take up your courage and move forward firmly, and miracles will surely happen…”

As Shen Qingqing walked past the bathroom, she heard the child’s out-of-tune singing. If she had seen Ultraman Tiga, she would have recognized this as its theme song. Unfortunately, she hadn’t, so she just assumed it was the child humming a random tune.

She called out, “Yanyan, if you can’t sing, then don’t force it. My ears are about to break.”

Hearing this in the bedroom, Zhou Jiayan became anxious. How could Tiga’s song be sung carelessly?

He quickly finished his bath, put on his animal pajamas, and rushed out. Seeing Shen Qingqing already lying on the bed in her pajamas, he said, “This is Tiga’s song! You haven’t even heard it, so how can you dislike it?”

Tiga’s song?

Shen Qingqing raised an eyebrow, took out her phone, searched for the song, and played it. Soon, she heard the same lyrics the child had sung.

However, while the lyrics were the same, the tune was completely different. She sighed and said, “Yanyan, listen carefully. Is this the way you sang it? I think people should recognize their strengths and weaknesses and focus on what they’re good at.”

Zhou Jiayan’s face turned red. He already knew he was tone-deaf. This had been confirmed when he was never chosen to sing at his kindergarten’s art performances.

Normally, he wouldn’t sing in front of others, but he was happy today, so he had made an exception. He hadn’t expected his stepmother to hear him—and criticize him.

Frustrated, he climbed into bed, pulled the quilt over himself, and turned to face the edge of the bed.

Humph, I’m not going to talk to my stepmother anymore.

Shen Qingqing found his reaction amusing but also realized she might have hurt his feelings.

After a few minutes, she poked him on the back and said, “Okay, okay, everyone has flaws, and I’m not an outsider. Singing out of tune in front of family isn’t embarrassing. I’ll take you to KTV ^[1]refers to karaoke bars where people sing in private rooms. when we get home, okay?”

Zhou Jiayan still didn’t move. Just when Shen Qingqing thought he had fallen asleep, he turned around with an awkward look and asked, “Are you serious?”

Seeing his expression, Shen Qingqing felt amused. What a strange kid. She was feeling sleepy herself and yawned. “Of course. I never lie.”

Zhou Jiayan hesitated for a while, then finally said, “Alright, then I’ll reluctantly forgive you.”

As the room darkened, the two gradually fell asleep.

At the last moment before drifting off, Zhou Jiayan thought that he wanted to trust his stepmother again. Hopefully, she wouldn’t break her promise this time.