Lei Yin kept talking all night, and after the two finished their meal, Meng Zhen started to practice basic skills again.

Today, she was practicing the Huadan stance. Both hands rested on her waist in a phoenix fist position. Her arms swayed gently, complementing the light steps beneath her feet, resembling a rose swaying in the wind.

Lei Yin had no idea how she managed to walk like that. Meng Zhen resembled those ancient ladies longing for their husbands, with furrowed brows and almond eyes that conveyed a pitiable sentiment. Sometimes she lowered her head, sometimes she raised it. Even without a single line of dialogue, one could sense her deep longing through her every expression.

Lei Yin’s eyes darted around, then hurriedly picked up her phone to record Meng Zhen’s movements.

Despite missing one finger, her pinky didn’t hinder the flexibility of her palm. Moreover, being a girl with good taste, she captured ninety percent of Meng Zhen’s agility in her footsteps which were no less impressive than experienced opera actors and actresses on television.

When Meng Zhen first participated in the talent show, Lei Yin immediately joined her fan club. Recently, she had been feeling extremely distressed seeing members leave and others unfollowing Meng Zhen.

After recording a short video, Lei Yin opened the messaging app on her phone and noticed that there were hundreds of new messages in the fan group.

Her heart skipped a beat, fearing that there might be more unfavorable news about her Sister Zhenzhen online. Frantically clicking into the group, Lei Yin’s face turned even uglier than the bottom of a pot.

The reason there were so many unread messages was because the female lead of 《Phoenix Arrives in Splendor》, Ji Xiaoling, reposted an article about moral integrity and even liked a post of a netizen mocking Meng Zhen’s acting skills.

Although the studio’s response attributed it to Ji Xiaoling’s finger accidently slipping, people in the entertainment industry weren’t fools, and fans couldn’t be easily fooled either. How could they not understand the implicit meaning behind Ji Xiaoling’s actions? Clearly, she was trying to take a jab at Meng Zhen.

Fck!

Is Ji Xiaoling sick or something?

Sister Zhenzhen never really hit her, yet she’s actually playing drama on Weibo? Is she an attention-seeker?

Lei Yin was furious, however, she dared not tell Meng Zhen about it for fear of upsetting her. Lei Yin could only grit her teeth and suppress the surging anger in her heart. Instead, she posted some cute emojis in the fan club group to comfort the dwindling number of fans.

Despite this, there were still a few clamoring to unfollow Meng Zhen, loudly proclaiming they still held onto their basic principles and wouldn’t support a morally flawed star.

———pr

《Phoenix Arrives in Splendor》 drama crew.

Because they were doing reshoots of promotional photos, Ji Xiaoling sat in the makeup room. Her dedicated makeup artist was simultaneously applying makeup to her while speaking in a flattering tone, “Sister Xiaoling, your skin condition is really excellent. It’s miles better than that person called Meng Zhen’s. Just a newbie from a talent show, yet she dares to act like a big shot with you. She should take a good look in the mirror and see if she’s even worthy. There are truly more bad people in a small circle.”

Ji Xiaoling had a delicate and sweet appearance, with fine and light eyebrows and a smooth, gentle face shape. She often appeared soft and delicate, but her personality was completely opposite to her quiet exterior. She was fiercely competitive and couldn’t stand others doing better than her.

Ji Xiaoling had always disliked Meng Zhen from the start. She saw Meng Zhen as just a talent show contestant, with a strong sense of poverty in her bones. The only thing going for her was her face. She parachuted into the crew just because she had a few fans, and her role was almost overshadowing the female lead. Were those fans blind or something?

Fortunately, Meng Zhen’s reputation had taken a hit. By the time 《Phoenix Arrives in Splendor》 aired on video streaming sites, perhaps the audience would have already forgotten about her.

At the thought of this possibility, Ji Xiaoling pursed her lips and smiled.

She scrolled through the comments on her Weibo and found that most fans were praising her beauty and professionalism, while a minority were insulting Meng Zhen with extremely harsh words. Ji Xiaoling merely raised an eyebrow without any intention to restrain her fans.

“Don’t compare me to someone who barely went to school.” The young woman’s tone carried a strong sense of superiority.

Upon hearing that remark, the makeup artist quickly nodded in agreement.

Ji Xiaoling was rumored to be the victim of bullying by Meng Zhen, and this victim status attracted a lot of sympathy from bystanders, increasing her fanbase from three million to eight million. The 《Phoenix Arrives in Splendor》 web drama became popular even before its release, delighting both the director and the investors.

“Seems like Meng Zhen is being the talk of the town these days. What’s she up to now?”

Ji Xiaoling’s makeup became increasingly heavy. She was portraying a renowned artist from a past era, and to embody the elegance of traditional opera, the crew had even hired a teacher for her. She juggled filming and learning opera techniques simultaneously.

Unfortunately, Ji Xiaoling had never been exposed to opera in her over 20 years of life. She thought it was an outdated thing and harbored resistance in her heart. Naturally, she slacked off on her studies, and after several months of struggling, there was little progress. The production’s budget was almost stretched to its limit.

Faced with no other choice, the director could only find a stand-in for Ji Xiaoling. When heavy makeup and singing were required, a young woman from the traditional opera academy would appear. Ji Xiaoling would only step in for close-ups. The lead actress would lip-sync, and later a professional opera singer would dub her voice.

After all, 《Phoenix Arrives in Splendor》 was just a web drama, without the high demands of prime-time television, so viewers wouldn’t nitpick too much.

The makeup artist pressed a beauty blender against Ji Xiaoling’s forehead and chuckled, “I checked Weibo just now. It seems Meng Zhen got into a fight at a supermarket. Sister Xiaoling, do you think she’s been under too much pressure and developed a mental illness? Otherwise, why would she do something like that?”

“Who knows what’s going on with her? If she’s got mental issues, she shouldn’t continue in the industry. Fortunately, Yunlai Entertainment terminated her contract. With an artist like that, the company’s reputation would be ruined.”

Ji Xiaoling had lipstick on, making it inconvenient for her to drink water, so her assistant quickly placed a straw in front of her mouth, fearing any delay might provoke Ji Xiaoling’s temper.

After finishing her makeup, Ji Xiaoling changed into meticulously crafted opera attire. Surrounded by assistants and crew members, she hurried to the set to take photos. But since she had never studied or even listened much to opera, despite wearing a costume, she lacked the classical charm and seemed somewhat out of place.

Luckily, her face was pretty, so overall she could still pass muster.

After the photographer took several sets of photos from different angles, Ji Xiaoling complained of a headache and called it a day earlier than planned.

She got into the nanny van and went back to the hotel. When she saw that her assistant’s face looked unpleasant, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on? Who are you showing that ugly face for?”

The assistant gritted her teeth silently and handed her phone directly to Ji Xiaoling. A netizen with the ID ‘Dearest Rabbit Eater’ made a post clarifying things for Meng Zhen.

【The other day while I was in line at the supermarket, a pervert tried to take upskirt photos of me. Luckily, a sister stopped him. I reported it to the police but didn’t get the chance to thank the other party properly. I didn’t expect that she was actually a celebrity. Thank you, Sister, you’re truly kind-hearted and beautiful [Image]】

The user’s post included a blurred screenshot of the police report. Initially, some people questioned whether Dearest Rabbit Eater was a hired poster Meng Zhen hired to try to clear her name.

Comments related to these speculations were pushed to the top, and many netizens found them convincing. After all, the entertainment industry employs various marketing tactics, and there were quite a few celebrities who would do anything for attention. Now that Meng Zhen was in a slump, it was natural for her to try everything to turn things around.

Fortunately, the City Daily promptly released a news article addressing the issue of taking sneaky photos in public places and confirming the authenticity of Dearest Rabbit Eater’s Weibo post. This helped quell the attacks from the antis.

While there were some irrational individuals online, the majority of netizens were rational citizens. Given the extent to which Meng Zhen had been criticized across the internet, it’s hard to believe she could have the capability to persuade official media to clear her name.

The current situation indicated that Meng Zhen wasn’t mentally unstable or attacking ordinary people recklessly. Instead, she was a good citizen who stood up against a pervert.

Passersby’s perception of Meng Zhen had improved significantly, and her fanbase which was once shrouded in gloom, seemed to have received a boost of morale.

【I knew Zhenzhen wouldn’t act high and mighty like that. Ji Xiaoling even took a dig at Zhenzhen on Weibo. With hands as slippery as Ji Xiaoling’s, how much hand cream did she use?】

【Comrades, I suspect Ji Xiaoling is lying. The clip that surfaced earlier shows a woman dressed in traditional bridal attire, clearly from a wedding scene. I reread the novel version of 《Phoenix Arrives in Splendor》 these past few days and found that in the original story, the female supporting character indeed slaps the female protagonist on her wedding day. It’s clearly part of the script. How can it be considered bullying?】

The novel was published over ten years ago and wasn’t particularly popular at the time. The remaining book fans couldn’t recall all the details, so when that clip surfaced online and was manipulated by spam accounts, it led to netizens overwhelmingly accusing Meng Zhen of bullying Ji Xiaoling.

Someone took a photo of the slapping scene in the novel and posted it in the fan group. After everyone saw the content, the members fell silent for a long time. Then, the chat was flooded with messages.

【Seriously? Poor sister!】

【Ji Xiaoling is so malicious. Sister just debuted and is only eighteen years old. What does she gain from inciting fans to cyberbully a young girl?】

【You don’t get it, do you? Sister is prettier than her and also more popular. Ji Xiaoling must be afraid that after the web drama airs, the lead actress’s spotlight will be overshadowed by the supporting actress.】

【Sisters, I’m going to post the photos in the Super Topic and aim to make it trending. Remember to help me repost and like!】

It was quite peculiar indeed. Meng Zhen was undeniably a stunning beauty, yet most of her fans were women. They range from young schoolgirls to successful businesswomen across various age groups and professions. At this moment, they were determined to help their idol clarify things, which quickly sparked significant attention.

The slapping incident trended on Weibo for a long time, and now Meng Zhen’s fans have once again made it a hot topic. Many celebrity followers and casual observers saw the new post. The novel version’s text brought back memories from the depths of their minds. Some even repurchased the novel to read related content.

After reading it, netizens were shocked. Could Meng Zhen be the victim rather than the aggressor?