Chapter 33: Absolutely Not, Absolutely Not – I’m Shipping Them
Chen Ke was an ordinary fan girl, a severe visual enthusiast, especially fond of female celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry. Her last idol had a scandal involving infidelity in marriage, leaving her heartbroken. She declared to her friends that she wouldn’t be following any celebrities for at least three months.
But the very next day, she saw the promotional material for “A Mysterious Person’s Funeral” and was immediately captivated by the female lead on the poster.
She quickly collected pictures, joined the fandom, followed the official accounts, joined online forums, reposted trending topics, the whole nine yards. It was a pity the actress was a newcomer, so there weren’t many past works to explore.
Chen Ke felt that newcomers wouldn’t have scandals so easily, and happily praised her new idol to her friends, while lamenting the lack of pictures. She eagerly awaited the movie’s release. While waiting, she saw a behind-the-scenes clip and was charmed by her idol’s androgynous look, and also saw a kissing scene. Although it was emphasized that camera angles were used, Chen Ke didn’t care whether it was a real kiss or not.
The most enjoyable thing in the world was looking at beautiful women! Even more enjoyable than looking at beautiful women was watching two beautiful women kiss!
But Chen Ke didn’t expect that after a night’s sleep, while she was revising something according to her client’s requirements, her friend sent her a message saying that the house she had just built was about to collapse. Chen Ke clicked on the link and almost had a mental breakdown from that picture, but she quickly realized something was wrong.
As a seasoned fan, she wasn’t easily fooled. This smear campaign was too obvious, and all those “supposedly” and “according to sources,” starting with a picture and then just making up the rest?
Chen Ke immediately wrote a long post in the online forum, trying to reassure the few fans they had. They were mostly fans of her looks. Such fans weren’t necessarily loyal, they could switch allegiances at any time, and had little fighting power, but they could also be very dedicated, as long as their idol’s looks held up and there wasn’t absolute, irrefutable evidence, they mostly wouldn’t leave, and some wouldn’t leave even with evidence.
And the company’s PR response was very quick, which Chen Ke appreciated. Canghai Entertainment, a small company, was even faster than some big companies and studios, which also indirectly indicated that the accusations were most likely false, otherwise they wouldn’t be so confident in their clarification.
As a seasoned gossip consumer, Chen Ke knew that this kind of news couldn’t be allowed to ferment. There weren’t many situations like in novels where things were left to develop for a few days and then there was a reversal, it was impossible. Not responding within an hour would lead to speculation, not responding within three days would be taken as an admission of guilt, and even if there were explanations afterwards, the damage would be done in many people’s minds.
Chen Ke kept refreshing Weibo until 9 pm, watching the public opinion fluctuate.
Some bloggers made accusations, Canghai Entertainment issued a clarification and threatened legal action, then the bloggers claimed that everything they said was true, that they could swear on their household registration, then Canghai Entertainment sent a lawyer’s letter to the bloggers’ homes, and the bloggers posted videos of themselves, sincerely saying they didn’t want the entertainment industry to become increasingly chaotic.
It was a constant back-and-forth. Ten minutes after the bloggers posted their videos, most people were on their side.
Chen Ke was waiting to see how Canghai Entertainment would respond. This day’s events had pushed Song Mingzhi into the spotlight. Originally just a newcomer making her film debut, she now had the same level of recognition as a second-tier star.
Ding dong, a notification alerted Chen Ke that Canghai Entertainment, whom she had set as a special follow, had posted on Weibo.
@CanghaiEntertainment: My boss is angry.
A video was attached, and Chen Ke clicked on it eagerly.
It seemed to be filmed directly in the company, the background was an office, a woman in a gown was sitting on the sofa, her hair loose, her eyes sharp.
The beauty asked: “Is it recording?”
The person filming replied: “Yes.”
“Hello everyone, I am Dong Ling, CEO of Canghai Entertainment. Since that gentleman who made the accusations has posted a video, I will also respond with a video. Although Canghai isn’t a big company in the industry, we’re not to be trifled with. The misleading posts he made are all false, even that picture isn’t of Song Mingzhi. We’ve already clarified this point, so I won’t elaborate further, we will be taking legal action.”
“Now, a comment that represents only my personal opinion, not Canghai Entertainment or Song Mingzhi: Are you swearing on your household registration because you’re the only person listed on it? So you’re an orphan, no wonder. And protecting the environment of the entertainment industry? You’re the toxic waste in this environment. Song Mingzhi is my artist, and if you’re going to make up rumors about her sugar daddy being some unknown man, you might as well say it’s me.”
The video ended with the beauty’s cold smile. Chen Ke was stunned after watching it.
She believed it! She absolutely believed Canghai!
Even when angry, the beauty was so beautiful! The beauty cursing was so cool! And that last sentence, she was shipping them so hard!
She quickly reposted it with trending hashtags, and found that many people were as excited as she was.
It was destined to be a lively night.
After filming the video, Dong Ling’s anger subsided somewhat.
She wasn’t usually this impulsive, but seeing others attacking and slandering Song Mingzhi made her furious.
“It’s been up for a while now, what’s the current public opinion?”
Yuki handed her phone to Dong Ling with a strange expression: “Boss, see for yourself…”
Dong Ling took the phone and was dumbfounded by the top comments.
@ThunderShattersDarkness: I’m definitely on Canghai’s side, I believe everything CEO Dong says, CEO Dong, are you interested in entering the entertainment industry? This industry needs more beautiful women like you to purify the environment!
@AllThingsAreDreams: Sister, you’re so cool, I love you, using your beauty as a weapon, let’s see who believes those rumors and makes our beautiful CEO angry!
@EastBottleWestMirror: May I ask timidly, is anyone else shipping them?
Dong Ling opened the replies to the third comment and found that many people were saying the same thing.
“Yuki, what does ‘kdl’ mean? Is it a new term?”
And what did “kswl” mean?
Just as Yuki was about to explain, Dong Ling’s phone buzzed, showing that Song Mingzhi, whom she had set as a special follow, had reposted the company’s Weibo post.
@SongMingzhi: Boss, calm down.
Dong Ling’s own phone also rang at this moment. The caller ID was Song Mingzhi.
Dong Ling returned Yuki’s phone and answered the call.
“Are you still at the company?”
Song Mingzhi’s voice came through the phone. She seemed to be in a car, the environment very quiet, Dong Ling could even hear her soft breathing.
“Yes.”
Dong Ling had just vented her anger and was now feeling listless and tired.
Song Mingzhi was silent for a moment, then asked softly: “Can I come pick you up? I hope you’ll do me the honor of accompanying me somewhere.”
“Huh?” Dong Ling perked up and said, “Okay, I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there.”
Dong Ling stood up, put her phone in her bag, and closed her laptop.
As she walked out, she instructed Yuki: “Keep an eye on the situation, coordinate with the PR department and Zuo Zhen, see if there are any further developments from the other side, and inform me immediately.”
Yuki, who hadn’t had a chance to explain the abbreviations to her boss, swallowed her words and nodded to Dong Ling.
Dong Ling put on her coat, she was wearing a gown because she had just returned from a business dinner, and received Yuki’s call on the way, so she went straight back to the company to understand the situation and curse some people.
Although it was early spring, the nights were still chilly.
A black sedan stopped discreetly by the roadside. Dong Ling opened the door and got into the passenger seat.
“Where are you taking me?”
Dong Ling asked excitedly. As for the online public opinion, since Song Mingzhi had reposted the Weibo post, it meant she knew what was happening, so there was no need to say more.
“It’s a secret.”
The corners of Song Mingzhi’s eyes crinkled with amusement. Seeing the slit in Dong Ling’s gown and the faint glimpse of skin beneath, she turned up the heating slightly.
Since it was a secret, Dong Ling didn’t ask further.
She looked down at her phone, letting Song Mingzhi take her wherever.
The Weibo post from the company had over 30,000 reposts in ten minutes, exceeding Dong Ling’s expectations.
The comments were all praising her beauty and her way of cursing people. Dong Ling suddenly regretted showing her face, these people were focusing on the wrong thing.
She opened Song Mingzhi’s Weibo, and the top comments made her very relieved. They were all comforting and encouraging Song Mingzhi, saying that she was being envied and slandered because she was too outstanding, and some said they would go watch the movie to support her.
But why were the comments further down getting off track??
@ILoveBeauties: Baby, can you ask CEO Dong to open a personal Weibo account? I couldn’t find her, so I can only leave a message here, so pathetic.
@LingXiIsSoCool: Sobbing, I’m shipping them so hard, I’ve been imagining a domineering CEO and a beautiful canary all night, this is Jinjiang yuri literature come to life, I declare you two locked together, in a way, CEO Dong is indeed a sugar daddy!
@ShippingExpert: Who wouldn’t be charmed by this? I swear I can sense the doting from these simple words, I’m laughing so hard people ten miles away can’t hear anything even with hearing aids.
@ImComing: I’m healed, I’m healed. I couldn’t even look at her after seeing that greasy picture this afternoon, but now my mind is filled with CEO Dong’s stunning beauty, I can only hehe when I think about it.
Dong Ling was filled with exasperation, wanting to shake these netizens one by one, look at Song Mingzhi! Pay attention to Song Mingzhi! Follow her! Did they need her to teach them how to be fans?!
And without even needing to search on Baidu, Dong Ling vaguely understood what “kswl” meant, and even found the corresponding phrase for “kdl” in the comments. It turned out they weren’t English abbreviations, but Chinese pinyin initials.
Dong Ling went to the blogger’s Weibo page and saw that although many still believed the blogger, there were different voices in the top comments, which was a good sign.
Although she hadn’t found out who was behind this yet, it was only a matter of time.
Her phone buzzed, and Dong Ling saw what Yuki sent her.
@TongguanWanliLu: I’m so full from eating melon today, I won’t comment on this matter without knowing the inside story, but I have to share this picture, a candid shot from the premiere of “A Mysterious Person’s Funeral.”
The picture was the one taken outside the venue that day, when Dong Ling and Song Mingzhi got out of the car together, and Dong Ling offered a strand of her hair to Song Mingzhi for her to feel its texture.
From the paparazzi’s angle, it looked as if Song Mingzhi was holding a strand of Dong Ling’s hair, their eyes locked.
Top comment: @GiveMeAChance: This CP isn’t just sweet, it’s sweet enough to send me to my grave.
Dong Ling glanced at Song Mingzhi’s profile, feeling a little guilty, she seemed to have… caused a misunderstanding.
“kdl” (ke dao le) is ‘net slang for “I just saw / heard / read something cryptic that proves how sweet-in-love my ship is, omfg!”
“KSWL”(kē sǐ wǒle”) is a Chinese slang term that means “awww” or “so cute that it could kill you”
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