【My goodness, is this woman crazy?! Men have become such a vulnerable group, getting hit and scolded by women at the slightest provocation. Lighting candles for the bros!】

【Upstairs, don’t jump to conclusions so quickly. The blogger just posted a few clips. The truth hasn’t been determined yet. I suggest you hold back a bit to avoid reversal.】

【Swap the gender. Comments will definitely exceed hundreds of thousands.】

【Huh? My focus is different from yours. Does anyone else think this girl looks familiar? Her figure and posture are just like someone……】

The eyes of netizens are as sharp as X-rays. After the big v’s followers noticed the girl looked familiar, the rest of them practically wanted to use a magnifying glass to scrutinize every detail in the pictures. Soon, some netizens figured it out, saying the girl bears a resemblance to Meng Zhen from certain angles.

As soon as that statement was made, it was like throwing water into a hot oil pan— the comment section immediately exploded.

【Damn! Could it really be Meng Zhen? I’ve always said she’s not a good person. On one hand, she’s building a public image to win fans’ love, and on the other hand, she’s bullying her fellow artists on set. Honestly, I used to feel sorry for the children in orphanages, but now seeing Meng Zhen, I think their upbringing must be flawed. One shouldn’t be so vain and shallow in life, or they’ll definitely turn out crooked!】

【+1 I’ve never seen anyone as scary as Meng Zhen. Does she have a violent tendency? People can change their environment but not their nature. It’s bad enough she’s violent on set, but now she’s beating innocent citizens in a supermarket. I want to see how the police handle this. Do celebrities have special privileges? Can they evade legal consequences?】

【Meng Zhen, get out of the entertainment industry!!!】

【Meng Zhen dare to hit my sister. Lingling has been in the industry for several years, always acting diligently. She’s even a senior compared to a small star who got in with money, but she was still hit. The entertainment industry is really dark!】

The ancient costume drama that Meng Zhen participated in earlier was called 《Phoenix Arrives in Splendor》. Due to its low budget, there was very little publicity and promotion funds available, so the director chose Meng Zhen, who had just debuted that year.

Young artists might lack acting skills, but the traffic brought by their fans could compensate for it.

In this way, Meng Zhen ended up with a role similar in size to the female lead, Ji Xiaoling. How could Ji Xiaoling’s fans possibly be happy about it?

After the clip of Meng Zhen slapping her colleague was exposed, the first to cyberbully Meng Zhen were fans of Ji Xiaoling.

There’s a tech geek who was a big fan of Ji Xiaoling and had been following her since her debut, showing unwavering loyalty to her.

He hacked into the orphanage’s system and posted all the orphans’ information online, disregarding their privacy completely. This action drew criticism, but he still achieved his goal— destroying Meng Zhen’s baifumei persona created by Yunlai Entertainment.

As the criticism grew louder, most of Meng Zhen’s fans turned away or turned against her. Only a few continued to believe in their idol. Young artists often lack a voice. Sometimes, even their social media accounts were controlled by their companies. Regardless of how Yunlai Entertainment tried to market her, Meng Zhen had no room to resist.

Since the incident occurred, Meng Zhen hadn’t even made a single post.

Fans felt sorry for their idol and did their best to defend her against the backlash. A young girl was so upset that she cried all night. However, those who attacked Meng Zhen and the paid commenters were irrational, driven solely by money. They seemed determined to bury Meng Zhen and ensure she could never recover.

At this moment, Yunlai Entertainment’s official account released a statement, roughly stating their intention to freeze Meng Zhen’s activities.

Once the news was released, it struck the Hazelnuts^[1]Meng Zhen’s fandom name like a heavy hammer, hitting them right in the heart.

They couldn’t believe it and refused to accept this reality. They flooded the comment section, questioning why the company wasn’t helping their idol clarify things and why they were adding insult to injury at such a critical moment.

Meng Zhen had just debuted half a year ago, and her fans were at their most fervent period. Thousands upon thousands of questions made it difficult for the employees managing the Yunlai Entertainment account to handle. One of the employees glanced nervously at the continuously refreshing comments, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a tissue, and finally dialed his supervisor’s number.

“Sister Linda, Meng Zhen’s fans are like they’ve been injected with chicken blood^[2]to suddenly become hyperactive, high-spirited, or aggressive. The comments are getting out of control. Should we respond?”

The woman referred to as Sister Linda chuckled coldly, took a leisurely drag from her cigarette, and replied, “She’s just a small star. Her current popularity is all thanks to the company’s promotion. How long can those crazy fans make noise? It won’t even last a week. Those fools will disperse soon enough.”

Linda looked down on the fans, but she was also smart enough not to show her disdain openly.

Upon hearing that, the employee felt reassured and decided to no longer pay attention to the comments.

Meng Zhen didn’t pay much attention to the storm online. After briefly glancing at Weibo when she got home, she put down her phone, placed the toiletries in the bathroom, and then meticulously cleaned the apartment.

The other Meng Zhen had a good physical condition. When she was a trainee, she knew she wasn’t as good at dancing as the others, so she trained tirelessly, often waking up early and staying up late to practice. Sometimes, she would even fall asleep in the dance studio from exhaustion.

After training like that for half a year, her dancing skills weren’t top-notch, but her physical fitness was quite good.

After tidying up the apartment, Meng Zhen processed the medicinal herbs for Qibai Gao based on her memory.

The herbs in pharmacies are usually pre-processed. Meng Zhen wrapped the kitchen knife with gauze and used the back of the knife to pound the herbs, such as angelica dahurica root and wild ginger, into powder. She then cracked an egg into a bowl, separating the egg white and setting it aside.

Ordinary people use purified water to prepare Qibai Gao, but the imperial concubine from the previous dynasty used egg whites from native eggs. Over the years, despite aging, her skin remained as delicate and fair as a young girl’s, earning her continued favor from the emperor.

In her previous life, Meng Zhen had used Qibai Gao for skincare for a full decade, so she knew its effects better than anyone else. Despite the high cost of some of the medicinal ingredients, Meng Zhen purchased enough of them. After taking a shower, she evenly applied the paste all over her body, then wrapped herself in plastic wrap and applied heat for a full half hour before rinsing it off with clean water.

Being buried meant no work, so Meng Zhen took the opportunity to revive her past opera skills. Her main daily task was to practice physical conditioning, with legwork being the most crucial aspect.

Although the other Meng Zhen was diligent, she had started learning dance at an older age, with her bones already close to those of an adult and not as flexible as a child’s. To solidify her foundation, Meng Zhen had to train herself with the same intense effort she had put in during her previous life, pushing herself to the utmost limit.

The height of the apartment’s windowsill was just right, so Meng Zhen used it to stretch her legs— doing front splits, side splits, and cross splits.

The key to stretching the legs was to keep them straight while pressing the upper body down. It should be like a tightly strung bowstring. If the tension wasn’t maintained, the stretch wouldn’t be effective, and the effort would be wasted.

Meng Zhen practiced her basic skills, her cheeks flushed slightly from the exercise. Her youthful, plump skin complemented her delicate features, making her look like a begonia flower kissed by dew, exuding an indescribable beauty.

Suddenly, her phone on the table rang. Meng Zhen rubbed the back of her neck and saw that it was a video call from her good friend, Lei Yin.

Lei Yin grew up with the other Meng Zhen. Born with only nine fingers, she had been abandoned by her biological parents at the entrance of Hongxin Orphanage, where the director took her in.

As soon as Meng Zhen pressed the answer button, the girl’s tearful voice came through, “Sister Zhenzhen, the trolls online are just too awful. They jump to conclusions without knowing the truth. These keyboard warriors really think of themselves as messengers of justice!”

Due to a long-term lack of funding, Hongxin Orphanage’s financial situation wasn’t good. It could only ensure the children completed nine years of compulsory education, with very few going on to finish high school.

Lei Yin was two years younger than the other Meng Zhen and was like a little sister. The other Meng Zhen didn’t want her to drop out of school, so she used the money she earned as a trainee to support Lei Yin’s education. The two girls relied on each other like family.

“Don’t cry, Xiao Yin. Their insults won’t hurt me. Just ignore them. You have a heavy workload with your studies now, so rest early, okay?”

She had witnessed the entire life of the other Meng Zhen and knew Lei Yin very well. This child was kind-hearted and had a simple personality. When others spoke ill of the other Meng Zhen when they were young, Lei Yin would rush up and fight without considering if the other party was several years older or much bigger than her.

“I just can’t stand it. You’re so nice, Sister Zhenzhen. What right did those people have to criticize you?” Lei Yin muttered softly, then seeming to recall something, her tone carried a hint of hopefulness, “Sister Zhenzhen, tomorrow is Friday. After school, can I come to see you?”

In the past, Meng Zhen lived in Yunlai Entertainment’s dormitory which only housed trainees, so outsiders weren’t allowed to enter. Therefore, Lei Yin couldn’t visit Meng Zhen there.

Now that Meng Zhen had moved out, there was no reason to refuse. She gave her new address to Lei Yin.

“Sister Zhenzhen, why did you move?”

“I had a falling out with the company, so I had to move out of the dormitory. I’m now renting a place of my own so you can come stay here over the weekend.”

Upon hearing those words, the girl became extremely excited that she wished time would pass quickly so she could come over.

———pr

The next afternoon, Lei Yin stood in front of the security door of the apartment, carrying a heavy backpack on her back.

Seeing Meng Zhen in a white T-shirt and jeans, her skin smooth like fine porcelain, lips as red as cinnabar, and clear bright eyes that seemed to penetrate one’s soul, Lei Yin couldn’t help but scream out loud, “Sister Zhenzhen, it’s only been a few days since we last met, how come you’ve become so beautiful?!”

“I’m dead! I’m dead! Sister’s beauty has slain me!”

Meng Zhen wasn’t very familiar with these fan jargon. She only smiled gently, revealing faint dimples on her cheek. She patted Lei Yin’s head and led the girl into the apartment, saying softly, “Put your things down first. I’ll take you back to school on Sunday.”

Lei Yin nodded vigorously, feeling happy as long as she could be with her Sister Zhenzhen.

Lei Yin dropped her backpack and stuck to Meng Zhen like a little tail. Wherever Meng Zhen went— whether it was the kitchen or the bathroom— Lei Yin followed closely. Her face was flushed red, clearly overwhelmed with excitement.

“Sister Zhenzhen, your waist is so thin. Have you lost weight again? Even actresses need to eat. Being too skinny doesn’t look good on camera……”