Chapter 130 – Live Broadcast

Entertainment Gossip was the first to release the news. However, except for the fans of both parties and some onlookers who were keen on eating melons, most people treated it as a fart.

The relationship between Qin Chen and Xu Jian was met with skepticism; some even sarcastically suggested that it would be more believable if they claimed red rain was falling from the sky.

At the same time, some people also commented:

[Blogger, your account is dead. Spreading rumors about Qin Chen? Get ready for the lawyer’s letter.]

No one took Xu Jian and Qin Chen’s relationship seriously. However, fueled by this Weibo post, some water army started insinuating darkly about Xu Jian’s rapid rise in the past two years, suggesting there might be undisclosed secrets behind it.

Among the many orchestrated comments, some remarked that Xu Jian had only been signed with Leyu for less than two years. From being a 108-line small^[1]Pretty much insignificant. company to now, his resources have only been getting better. Even if Leyu has good resources, why don’t other artists in the company receive the same treatment? Who would believe there isn’t something shady going on behind the scenes?

Thus, the previous rumors from anti-fans and rivals surfaced again, alleging Xu Jian’s connection with a bald beer-bellied benefactor and insinuating involvement in unsavory transactions.

Back in the spotlight were Xu Jian and Qin Chen, who were currently in a meeting room.

The moment their affair was exposed, they received a call from Pan Min, instructing them to attend an emergency meeting at the company.

Apart from Qin Chen, Xu Jian, Pan Min, and Xiao Nan, most of the company’s PR team was present. One of the men in a formal suit projected the Weibo post from Entertainment Gossip and the comments onto a screen, addressing the group:

“We’ve received information, and these images are all the evidence this blogger has collected. He doesn’t have any other proof of your relationship, so for now, we suspect it might be a blind spy.”

“This time, he just wants to drag Xu Jian into the water. Choosing such a topic is likely to grab attention, with the main goal of tarnishing Xu Jian’s image in the eyes of the public.”

Xu Jian frowned upon hearing this, “Did I get in his way? Or was he bribed?”

Another person in the PR team adjusted their glasses and said, “Two days ago, there was a significant amount deposited into his personal account. Upon investigation, the payer was Ling Fei’s agent.”

Everyone present understood the implication–It was evident that someone was paying to tarnish someone else’s reputation. Qin Chen looked at Xu Jian and asked, “Ling Fei? The guy with explosive performance in that variety show we recorded together last time?”

From the moment Xu Jian heard the name Ling Fei, he was dumbfounded. It took Qin Chen’s words to snap him out of it. He furrowed his brows tightly and nodded.

“It’s him, but why would he do this?”

Knowing that their relationship wasn’t good, but also recognizing that their interests didn’t clash, Xu Jian never expected the other party to dislike him enough to spend a significant amount of money to hire a water army to smear his name.

Having seen it all in the industry, Pan Min, upon hearing this, looked at him and remarked, “A tall tree attracts the wind^[2]Prominent figure attracts attention, and those afflicted with jealousy harbor resentment toward those more outstanding than themselves. Where’s the need for a reason?”

While Ling Fei and Xu Jian were both from the same company, their current situations were vastly different.

Xu Jian was a highly sought-after actor, while Ling Fei was still a member of the lesser-known male idol group. In a recent variety show, he and his teammates competed fiercely, participating in all sorts of games for the sake of the camera, only to find that their screen time in the final cut was disappointingly limited.

Moreover, during their time at Degu, while Ling Fei might not have been in the spotlight, he could still secure occasional commercial deals, a better situation than Xu Jian’s.

Given this comparison, Ling Fei couldn’t reconcile his feelings, making his act of purchasing water army to smear Xu Jian not entirely surprising.

The man with glasses, who had spoken earlier, scrolled through the computer with a mouse and continued, “It’s not just Ling Fei; several other studios have also orchestrated online campaigns. However, the latter ones haven’t focused on fabricating relationship rumors but have started making up some fictitious black histories.”

After he finished speaking, the screen changed, and Xu Jian and Qin Chen squinted to take a look. It displayed several screenshots, with the most trending one hinting at Xu Jian being financially supported by someone.

The second most trending post was a lengthy one, meticulously listing examples to support the claim that Xu Jian’s public image was crumbling:

During his time at his previous company, Xu Jian had conflicts with his agent. After breaking ties with the former company and joining Leyu, he allegedly sought revenge by suppressing his former agent. In the end, his former agent, Shang-jie, was forced to leave the industry. Several higher-ups at Degu also faced suspension, leading to the dissolution of the Degu Company.

In his days in Degu, Xu Jian was rumored to have an improper relationship with a certain tycoon. Despite not having graduated, he signed with Degu, stayed in the most luxurious dorm comparable to a presidential suite, and enjoyed better treatment than senior colleagues who had been in the industry for years. Upon entering the company, he immediately landed the male lead role in a popular MV for a well-known singer.

Xu Jian not only targeted his former agent but he also didn’t spare his previous colleague, He Jia. Every time he joined the set where He Jia was working, issues arose, leading to He Jia’s removal. Despite being a cornerstone at Degu, He Jia is now seemingly frozen by the company, with no updates available.

Xu Jian had originally intended to sideline He Jia and take on the role of the second male lead in “The Slayer.” However, Shen Xi unexpectedly appeared and, unable to compete with Shen Xi, Xu Jian had to compromise by playing the antagonist, Xu Feng. The original actor set to portray Xu Feng was also manipulated out of the role by Xu Jian’s tactics.

Xu Jian’s widespread marketing and good relationship with Qin Chen were portrayed not only as an attempt to align himself with marketing but also as an early acknowledgment of Qin Chen’s formidable background. The accusation claimed that his blood-sucking drama was boldly displayed, while he maintained a facade of gentleness and an attitude of wanting nothing more than to focus on acting, presenting a shameless image.

…………

In the lengthy Weibo post, spanning over a thousand words, Xu Jian was painted as a devious individual with despicable tactics, seeking revenge against those around him, causing one disaster after another, ultimately leading to the collapse of Degu Company.

Xu Jian, who finished reading the content of Weibo: “…”

His mood was complicated.

In this lengthy Weibo post, he was depicted as a heinous criminal. If he weren’t the person involved, the blogger’s confident tone might have convinced him.

After everyone had roughly read through the lengthy Weibo post, Pan Min spoke with a stern expression, “The other party has gathered a lot of information about you. These fabricated stories are so vividly detailed, they are obviously prepared in advance.”

Someone in the PR team nodded, “Yes, and these fabrications are quite misleading. Even if we clarify, the negative impression has already been left, and many people will subconsciously believe it to be true.”

Qin Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the conference table, a habitual gesture when he was deep in thought. Then he looked at Pan Min, “So, you’re saying that the other party targeted Xu Jian this time, and the cohabitation story is just a smokescreen.”

Pan Min nodded, “It seems that way now. We have several response plans, and today’s meeting is about deciding which one to use.”

Upon hearing Pan Min’s words, Xu Jian couldn’t help but cast a look of astonishment and admiration at them—It hasn’t been long since the incident happened, and several solutions have been thought of.

Then, Xiao Nan distributed a document to everyone. Xu Jian took a look and saw printed plans.

There were several response plans, but there were only two main directions. One was for Qin Chen and Xu Jian to come out as a couple, riding the wave of the situation. The second was to deny the allegations, treating them as baseless rumors.

The plan for coming out included a breakdown of details on how to announce the news and what to do afterward.

Xu Jian noticed a particular line suggesting that Qin Chen should take this opportunity to officially announce a semi-retirement or full retirement, shifting his focus to their own company to alleviate some of the pressure.

Upon seeing the suggestion for Qin Chen to consider retiring or semi-retiring, Xu Jian felt a sudden jump in his temple. Instinctively, he glanced at Qin Chen.

Deep down, Xu Jian didn’t want Qin Chen to change the original plan and retire because of their situation.

Qin Chen, who received the proposal, remained expressionless, leaving Xu Jian unable to gauge his thoughts.

…………

Once the meeting on the public relations plan concluded, everyone from the public relations team went back to make preparations. However, Pan Min stopped Qin Chen and Xu Jian.

Seeing Pan Min’s expression suggesting that she had something to discuss, Zhu Liang signaled to Xiao Nan, and the two of them left first.

Once the large meeting room was left with just the three of them, Pan Min looked serious and asked them, “Have you really thought this through?”

After hearing this, Qin Chen smiled and replied with a question, “If I say I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, jie, would you hit me?”

Before Pan Min could respond, Xu Jian tugged at his sleeve, frantically signaling with his eyes–

Don’t anger Pan-jie.

Sensing Xu Jian’s actions, Qin Chen turned to look at him, innocently blinking his eyes, “Why are you pulling me? Don’t you want us to go public?”

Xu Jian: “…” Not at all, I just want to remind you to be polite.

Having noticed all of Xu Jian’s subtle moves, Pan Min felt both amused and exasperated. She looked at them and said, “Alright, Xiao Jian, you don’t need to worry. I know what kind of person Qin Chen is.”

After saying this, Pan Min waved her hand dismissively, “Forget it, forget it. You two go and do whatever you need to do.”

Having a well-thought-out announcement is better than being caught off guard by some news these two might create.

Upon hearing Pan Min’s words, Xu Jian grabbed Qin Chen and walked away from her, out of earshot.

On their way back home from the company, Qin Chen showed Xu Jian the edited Weibo post. If he had no objections, they would go ahead and publish it.

Xu Jian leaned in with a serious expression to take a look, and after two seconds: “…”

As his gaze shifted away from the phone screen, Xu Jian chuckled while looking at Qin Chen: “How did I not know you were so narcissistic before?”

Raising his hand, he tousled his hair. Qin Chen raised an eyebrow, his tone unhurried, “It’s not too late for you to know now.”

While saying that, Qin Chen’s fingers continued to work, and he hit the “post” button to publish the Weibo post.

Just as comments from Xu Jian’s messages were flooding all over the place, Qin Chen’s and Xu Jian’s fans who already entered the state of first-level alert were busy countering the anti-fans, Qin Chen suddenly forwarded a Weibo.

Originally, fans and onlookers who thought Qin Chen was clarifying the situation clicked on the post. To their surprise, it was a repost of a Weibo from an anti-fan, claiming that Xu Jian had surrendered to a bald, beer-bellied, greasy sugar daddy.

Qin Chen V: His boyfriend has a good hairline, and his abs and V-line are on point. Where are you livestreaming? [Picture] //XJ, did you mess up today? Speaking of reason, with the speed Xu Jian became popular, doesn’t everyone realize something is off? If he doesn’t have a sugar daddy, I’ll livestream myself eating sh*t.

Fans: ???

Passersby eating melon: ???

Boyfriend?!

Qin Chen also attached a picture. Everyone was already shocked just by reading the reposted content. Upon clicking, they found a screenshot of a chat history.

The chat history dated a few months ago, roughly involved Qin Chen asking Xu Jian when he would finish work and return home since dinner was getting cold. Xu Jian mentioned that some unexpected matters delayed him a bit, telling Qin Chen to go ahead and eat without waiting for him.

Moreover, the avatars for both were a cat and a dog, clearly indicating a couple avatars.

The chat content revealed quite a bit of information, but what astonished everyone was the nickname Qin Chen used for Xu Jian in the screenshot—

Little Ancestor.

Shocked would be an understatement for the current state of everyone’s emotions. Before people could fully react, Xu Jian forwarded Qin Chen’s Weibo post with the caption:

I also want to watch the live broadcast.

Fans and passersby eating melons: “W***!”

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Jie Jie: Surprise, surprise! Double update! We’re only one chapter away before the Main Text ends, after that will be Extras.

I plan to update every Saturday & Sunday for this novel but something came up yesterday so I wasn’t able to. Hence, the double update.

Hopefully, I can follow my schedule as it’s been a way looooong overdue project of mine.

Still, thanks for your patience!^^