Chapter 68 p1
The traffic was surprisingly light, and they reached the studio ahead of schedule. As soon as they arrived, Xinxin hurried over, phone in hand, excitedly recounting the latest developments on Weibo.
Shen Shu went to get her makeup done, and Tong Jia took the phone.
Several hashtags were trending:
#SelfShippingIsTheBest
#XiaChunWeibo
#NanShuSuperTopic
#ShengXiaSuperTopic
“Xia Chun reposted it?” Tong Jia asked, opening Xia Chun’s Weibo. She had reposted the pinned giveaway post from the “NanShu” super topic, even tagging Shen Shu.
Xia Chun’s immense popularity meant the post quickly gained traction, the comments section exploding.
Chun Chun is such a goddess! So kind and gentle!
Poor thing, dragged into this mess, and now she has to help clarify things.
This feels like shipping best friends…
They must be close friends. They seemed to get along well before.
Blink twice if you’re being held hostage.
While the effect wasn’t as impactful as it could have been, it was still a gesture of support.
Before the makeup artist arrived, Tong Jia lowered her voice. “I’m feeling conflicted. Should I thank her? She waited two days to do this. But then again, she did repost it. What do you think?” Xia Chun had reposted the giveaway before Tong Jia had given her the information about the “Sheng Xia” super topic, so it had been a deliberate act of support.
“Let’s focus on our own work,” Shen Shu replied. She just wanted to act.
Tong Jia nodded. “Then check this out. You and CEO Xu are trending too. She must be making a killing off this publicity.” She chuckled. “Time for CEO Xu to treat us to dinner.”
Shen Shu took out her phone, glancing at Xia Chun’s repost before scrolling through the trending topics.
EntertainmentGossip: #NanShuSuperTopic CPs are so hot right now! Checked out this super topic, and the giveaway amount is insane! Joining the hype train! Everyone, come get your free money!
It was the most popular post, reposted by several other bloggers.
NotAnInfluencer: #NanShuSuperTopic Never followed this before, but after watching that live stream, who can forget that epic takedown? CEO Xu’s kick was legendary. (If you haven’t seen it, check out my previous post! Go watch it!)
The comments below:
The way she told that bitch to turn off the live stream was so badass!
For those who don’t understand, here’s a recap: Shen Shu protected her agent and got hit (not sure where, because they cut the feed), then CEO Xu, defending her wife, told the cheater to turn off the live stream… It was so hot! I was smitten!
They’re both amazing! Relationship goals! Shen Shu is truly a goddess. Check out the video of her greeting her fans.
A perfect match! I’m obsessed!
Intrigued, Shen Shu clicked on the link to the blogger’s previous post, a short video of Xu Jinnan kicking Qiao Rui when she tried to grab the phone.
As she finished watching, her finger accidentally brushed against the like button, and she paused, watching as it turned red, then decided not to unlike it.
—
It was lunchtime.
Shen Shu was eating the low-fat meal Xu Jinnan had ordered for her when a shadow fell over her, blocking the sunlight.
Tong Jia, who had been organizing some props, saw who it was and hurried over. “Xia Chun,” she said.
“I saw the information. I wanted to explain something to you in person,” Xia Chun said, glancing at Tong Jia, then turning to Shen Shu. “I knew about the super topic, and I admit I had ulterior motives, but I didn’t know it was someone from my studio who created the giveaway.” Her candid admission surprised Tong Jia.
She smiled faintly, glancing around, then handed Shen Shu a script, as if she had come to discuss the scene.
Shen Shu took the script, understanding the gesture. She stood up. “I see. Thank you for telling me, and thank you for the repost,” she said, her tone polite and professional.
“Ah Shu, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Xia Chun said, her voice sincere. “I’ve been struggling these past few days. Seeing those comments about you… it hurt me more than it hurt you. I’m sorry I didn’t defend you sooner.”
Shen Shu paused, then shook her head. “You didn’t have to do that. You don’t have to apologize. Really.” Her voice was polite, almost distant, simply acknowledging Xia Chun’s words. She didn’t care if Xia Chun had been aware of the rumors, or what her true intentions were.
Xia Chun’s heart ached, a heavy feeling in her chest.
Tong Jia, sensing the tension, and afraid Xia Chun would say something inappropriate, like at the hospital, quickly interrupted. “Xia Chun, thank you for clarifying things. We believe you. We didn’t mean anything by sending you that information…”
“I know,” Xia Chun said, looking away. “It was from CEO Xu. I understand her message. You don’t have to tell me what to do.” Her mood was dark, her voice colder than usual.
Shen Shu’s indifference, her distance, filled her with a sense of dread she had never felt before, worse even than during the years they had been apart.
As if she knew, deep down, that she had lost Shen Shu forever.
Just as Tong Jia was about to speak, Tan Jie’s voice interrupted them.
“What are you guys talking about? Sounds interesting!”
She and her assistant walked over, smiling. “Discussing the script? Mind if I join you?” Her features were striking, her makeup enhancing her already glamorous appearance.
With three actresses gathered together, they naturally attracted attention.
Initially, everyone’s gaze was on Xia Chun, but after Tan Jie arrived, their attention shifted, glancing back and forth between the three women, then realizing, with surprise, that Shen Shu, despite being a newcomer, held her own against the Best Actress and the established star.
Like a Roman vase, her beauty was both striking and subtly elegant, revealing more with each glance.
“Just discussing a few lines,” Xia Chun said. “But we’re done now.” She exchanged a brief look with Shen Shu, then excused herself and left.
With Xia Chun gone, there was nothing more to say.
After a few polite exchanges, Tan Jie also left.
“Sis, why do you even bother with them?” her assistant asked as they walked away. Tan Jie had been fuming for days after the green tea pastry incident.
“What do you know?” Tan Jie retorted, glancing at her assistant. “If I didn’t talk to them, people would think we’re not on good terms.”
The assistant nodded, understanding. “You’re so thoughtful, sis. But it’s not fair to you, and besides…” Shen Shu clearly disliked her… Trying to steal her wife, what did she expect?
She kept her thoughts to herself, her words carefully chosen.
“Sis, with your looks and talent, you can have any Alpha you want. A married woman isn’t worthy of you,” she said.
Tan Jie stopped.
“I’m just not willing to give up,” she said, her voice low.
“Give up on what?” her assistant asked.
Tan Jie took a deep breath, then didn’t reply, her thoughts elsewhere.
—
After lunch in the North District, Viola drove Xu Jinnan back to the office.
Having been busy all morning, she finally had time to check her phone. Tong Jia had tagged her in the “No PDA Allowed” group chat.
Cai Ying had added her yesterday.
Tong Jia: [@Xu Jinnan CEO Xu, have you seen the trending topics? With all this publicity, the money’s rolling in! Time for another celebratory dinner!]
Cai Ying: [Seconded! I’ve been craving Australian lobster, but the restaurants here are mediocre. Xu Jinnan, cook for us!]
The rest of the messages were just their usual banter.
Xu Jinnan: [Am I your personal chef? No.]
She opened Weibo and checked the two super topics.
The giveaway post on the “Sheng Xia” super topic had been deleted, and several users, clearly there only for the free money, were complaining.
The follower count was steadily declining.
Besides the deleted giveaway, Xia Chun’s repost had also shattered their CP dreams.
In contrast, the “NanShu” super topic was thriving.
The outcome was as she had expected. After discovering that someone from Xia Chun’s studio had created the “Sheng Xia” giveaway, she had known it would end this way.
What she hadn’t expected was Xia Chun’s unprompted repost, before even seeing the information Xu Jinnan had sent her.
As for why she had initially been uncooperative, then suddenly changed her mind, only Xia Chun knew.
She had several unread private messages on Weibo, but she ignored them, a new notification from Cai Ying popping up.
Cai Ying: [@Xu Jinnan Shu Shu wants to eat too! What do you say?]
Xu Jinnan scrolled up—
Cai Ying: [@Shen Shu Shu Shu, want some shrimp?]
Tong Jia: [@Shen Shu Shu Shu, want some shrimp?]
Shen Shu: [Yes.]
Xu Jinnan chuckled, looking at the messages. [@Shen Shu Okay.]
Cai Ying: […Gross.]
Tong Jia: […Gross.]
—
Half an hour later, Xu Jinnan arrived at the office.
As she stepped out of the elevator, she didn’t see Shen Shu, but Tong Jia, seeing her through the glass wall, waved.
Then, she gestured towards someone beside her.
Viola smiled at Xu Jinnan.
“You two seem to be getting along well,” Xu Jinnan commented to Viola as she entered the office.
“We’ve chatted a couple of times. Miss Tong is quite interesting,” Viola replied.
Just then, Xu Jinnan’s phone vibrated, interrupting their conversation.
It was a call from an unknown number.
She usually didn’t answer calls from unknown numbers, but for some reason, she felt compelled to answer this one. She put the phone to her ear, not speaking.
Viola opened her office door for her.
“Is this Xu Jinnan?” a woman’s voice asked.
As Xu Jinnan closed the door behind her, muffling the sounds from outside, the woman’s voice, slightly distorted by the phone’s speaker, became clearer.
It was a young voice, soft and hesitant, the background even quieter than Xu Jinnan’s office. The silence after she spoke reminded Xu Jinnan of a frightened rabbit hiding in the bushes, its heart pounding.
Xu Jinnan stopped at the doorway. “Yes, who’s this?”
“I…”
“Where is she? Where did she go?” another voice, harsher and more demanding, interrupted.
Then, the line went dead.
Even though the first voice had been brief, Xu Jinnan recognized the second one – Xu Lian.
She walked over to her desk and sat down, her phone still in her hand.
She didn’t call back; she had a pretty good idea who it was.
Xu Lian had no children of her own, so the only person Xu Jinnan could think of was Li Laijia.
But she couldn’t be sure.
She saved the number as “Unknown.”
If it was Li Laijia, she would call again.
This call was both unexpected and a welcome surprise.
While she had already asked Chen Yue to investigate Li Laijia, there was no guarantee he would find anything useful. If Li Laijia contacted her directly, it would save a lot of trouble.
—
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