Chapter 22: Trending Again – Get Out of the Entertainment Industry

What a coincidence—Qiguang Media’s new office was located right across the street from the Yuntian Building.

Su Mingzhu had leased the entire 11th floor. It had already been cleaned twice in the past few days, and though it now looked bright and tidy, the lack of staff made the space feel a little desolate.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows on the 11th floor, one could see the bustling scene inside Yuntian Entertainment just across the way—a stark contrast.

Wu Zhirong greeted her with a smile, “Xiaoyang, this office is for you.”

Zhong Yang snapped out of her thoughts and quickly walked into the semi-glass conference room. As soon as she entered, she saw Su Mingzhu sitting at the head of the table, brows furrowed as she scrolled through her phone. Several unfamiliar faces wore equally grim expressions.

Zhong Yang asked, “Everyone… what’s going on?”

Su Mingzhu’s expression eased slightly. “You’re here. Have a seat first.”

Wu Zhirong, however, was more straightforward, his tone calm as he explained, “You’re trending at number one again. The headline’s a bit harsh—‘Zhong Yang, Get Out of the Entertainment Industry.’”

Here we go again.

Her mind buzzed with static, and a familiar wave of panic and helplessness surged up from her chest.

This was exactly how it had happened a year ago. Just after she landed a lead role, a trending scandal destroyed everything. What followed was a tidal wave of slander and abuse.

Unlike the time she trended for fighting with Lake—when she had nothing left to lose and didn’t care how badly she was scolded—this time was different.

She hadn’t even officially signed her contract with Wusu yet. Her reputation was already poor, and if things blew up again at this critical juncture, wouldn’t history just repeat itself?

Zhong Yang didn’t have the confidence to believe that Director Jasper’s team would still choose her despite the storm.

And as it turned out, she wasn’t wrong.

Right now, Pei Shize was indeed feeling the pressure from all sides.

Ever since the auditions, and even after confirming Zhong Yang as the female lead, the Wusu casting director, head of publicity, and assistant director had all raised concerns—saying she was too risky and, if possible, should be avoided.

Wusu was a passion project for the team. The role of Jibuchuhe was the heart of the film. They couldn’t risk ruining three years of work based on a gamble.

Pei Shize thought long and hard. He repeatedly asked his older brother and Su Mingzhu about Zhong Yang’s background, and combed through every report and dossier about her.

He spent several sleepless nights rewatching every actor’s audition tapes, trying to find a better option.

But in the end, he still chose Zhong Yang.

First, because he trusted his brother—trusted his judgment and ability. If there was evidence that could clear Zhong Yang’s name, his brother would find it. It was only a matter of time.

Second, there really was no better actress. Zhong Yang’s talent and performance ability were unmatched. He couldn’t convince himself to choose anyone else.

Having made the decision, Pei Shize went against the team’s objections, presenting her audition tapes and reports again and again until he finally won them over.

But no sooner had they wrapped the celebratory dinner yesterday than this blew up today.

With the trending topic spreading, the casting director came knocking again, suggesting they reconsider the lead. The contract hadn’t been finalized—there was still time to back out.

Pei Shize sighed deeply and called Su Mingzhu. “President Su, I’d like to confirm your promotional strategy for Zhong Yang moving forward.”

His tone was diplomatic, but his meaning was clear: Can you clean this up? And how fast?

Su Mingzhu’s answer was firm. “To fully clear her name, we’ll need concrete evidence. But I can promise that tonight, Zhong Yang’s online buzz will be completely suppressed. By tomorrow morning at the latest, I’ll have Wusu trending instead.”

Her voice was powerful and convincing. Once she hung up, silence fell over the office.

This trending scandal had resurfaced past controversies—claiming that everything about her, from bartending to being harassed to riding the subway, was just a calculated ploy to gain sympathy.

Clearly, it was the work of old enemies. The same familiar gossip accounts posted misleading screenshots, painting Zhong Yang as a pitiful clown who had failed at self-rebranding.

The comment section was full of mocking netizens:

[LOL, this chick is so embarrassing.]
[She’s got zero works but somehow always manages to trend. Maybe she planned this too, just chasing clout.]
[Negative fame is still fame, but this is way too negative.]
[First time seeing someone burn all their savings to hire PR and still get exposed. Hilarious!]
[She must be dumb as hell. Crown her the village idiot of all Tang artists.]
[Funniest female celeb of the year, hands down.]
[Anyone who liked her back then must be regretting it for the next ten years. LOL!]
[Stop, I’m losing it. I used to be a fan of her looks. Now I can’t even say she’s pretty. Cringe!]
[Just get out of the industry already. No talent, no character.]
[Zhong the Third, get out of entertainment!!]

No matter how she explained it, she would be wrong. Whatever she said, netizens would slap on a damning label.

Paying to shut it down? Qiguang Media was just getting started—it would look terrible for Su Mingzhu, the CEO, to go begging Pei Yunzhe for money this early on.

The promise Su Mingzhu had made to stabilize the film crew now seemed nearly impossible under their limited budget.

Zhong Yang’s fingers trembled unconsciously on the table, her voice filled with guilt. “…Sorry, this is all my fault.”

Wu Zhirong shook his head firmly. “This has nothing to do with you. Now that we’re a team, we face things together. If the enemy comes, we block them. If the water rises, we build a dam. Don’t talk like that again, Xiaoyang. We’re counting on you to make us rich one day.”

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“Yes, Brother Wu is absolutely right.” Su Mingzhu’s expression was serious. “The company’s current first-phase plan is—”

Following the direction of her pointing finger, everyone turned to look across at Yuntian Entertainment.

“Defeat He Muya and bring down Yuntian Entertainment.”

Wu Zhirong smiled in approval. “President Su has ambition. Now that’s interesting. We can’t always be playing easy games.”

“Exactly. Only then can we show our true strength.”

“Let’s go! Let’s crush it!”

“You have our support!”

Even Zhong Yang was affected by the atmosphere in the room, feeling an unexpected sense of calm settle in her heart.

Seeing morale restored, Su Mingzhu continued, “First, we need to suppress our artist’s exposure by tonight. I suggest we buy a low-ranking trending spot with the tag ‘He Muya’s relationship’. Have the marketing accounts spread the word and guide netizens to send blessings. The accompanying photo shouldn’t show the man’s face—this way we won’t damage her reputation but will still encourage wild speculation and stir up discussion. That way, we can drown out Xiaoyang’s trending topic.”

“Second, we need to hype Wusu onto the trending list by tomorrow morning. We can ride on today’s buzz about He Muya and include the tag ‘Jasper’s new film starring He Muya’ in the comments under her relationship post. If things go smoothly, we’ll make the trending list tonight. If not, we’ll spend some money in the morning. Anyone have other thoughts?”

The team lead in charge of publicity raised a question. “Aren’t we supposed to defeat He Muya? Why do both of these trending topics feel like we’re promoting her instead?”

Su Mingzhu curved her lips meaningfully. “The higher she climbs, the harder she’ll fall. I want everyone to first accept her being in a relationship, then boost her career. Let the netizens praise He Muya to the skies right now.”

“That way, when the scandals break—her being a homewrecker, getting roles through backdoor deals, etc.—the backlash will hit even harder. Don’t be impatient. We’re playing the long game, fishing with a long line.”

“So that’s the strategy, huh?”

“Good, good, I think she’s doomed for sure now.”

“666.” (Note: Internet slang in China meaning ‘awesome’ or ‘nice move’)

Su Mingzhu continued the meeting, “Now let’s get to the original topic for today: the future publicity strategy for our artist. Brother Wu, you handle this part.”

Wu Zhirong adjusted his glasses and said, “To be honest, Xiaoyang’s current situation is this—no works, no reputation, and no public goodwill. Am I right?”

The words were blunt. Everyone looked at each other awkwardly and said nothing, until Zhong Yang herself spoke up: “That’s true. Brother Wu is right. My situation is pretty bad.”

“But I actually think this could be our biggest advantage.” Wu Zhirong explained, “Just like black ink stands out on white paper, white stands out even more on black. Right now, we’re going to play the ‘genuine personality’ card. We’ll market her as a real person in the entertainment industry. Let Xiaoyang post whatever she wants, say whatever she feels—if she wants to clap back at someone, let her do it. This’ll lay the groundwork for now, and we can pivot later.”

…That simple? Just be herself and post whatever she wants?

Zhong Yang didn’t fully get it, but she’d obediently follow instructions.

That evening, the trending tags “He Muya’s relationship” and “Jasper’s new film starring He Muya” were prominently featured at the top of the trending list. Anything about Zhong Yang had long since been buried.

You could say it was lucky—everything had gone exactly according to plan.

After all, gossip-hungry netizens couldn’t care less about the survival of a C-list actress.

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Online comments:

OMG! Our girl has a boyfriend! Why is it just the back view? Can’t the paparazzi do better?

YaYa deserves happiness, sob sob sob! Who is this guy??

My wife became someone else’s wife. Heartbroken…

Wishing her the best—love and career both thriving! YaYa is the most amazing and talented actress to me. I’ll support her no matter what~

I give up. The WenCi CP is over, sob sob. That back view definitely isn’t the male lead. So it was fake all along. CP fans are shattered!

The guy’s silhouette looks kind of handsome. Is he an outsider or a celeb?

Okay, netizens, it’s our time to shine!

Respect female celebs’ private lives. Whoever YaYa is with is her choice. Fans should just focus on her work—no cursing, no over-discussing~

Protect the freedom of female celebs to love! As long as the guy’s a good person, it’s fine.

In the comments of both trending topics, the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious. Many of He Muya’s fans were managing the narrative, and casual users expressed support for her relationship and excitement for her new film.

This director is super talented. Three blockbusters in a row. And our YaYa actually landed a role in his new film. Sob sob, my daughter’s grown up, I’m so proud!

YaYa’s way ahead of the other rising actresses—she’s already won Best Newcomer and Best Actress. Now she’s entering film. As a fan, I feel so reassured.

My gorgeous wife is the best!

Can’t wait to see YaYa’s big screen performance!

Don’t get ahead of yourselves. Unless it’s officially confirmed, take it easy. It might be fake news.

Let’s wait for studio confirmation. You can’t trust marketing accounts.

Soon, information about Director Jasper and his newly launched film Wusu was also dug up. The registered production companies were Qiguang Media and Pei Group.

No one had heard of Qiguang before, but Pei Group was a household name!

With such a powerful investor backing it, fans of He Muya were overjoyed and spread the news, too excited to verify its authenticity.

What they didn’t know was that, at this very moment, the supposedly perfect and accomplished He Muya they idolized…

Was lying completely naked in a man’s arms.

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