Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Zhang Xueyong had already booked a hotel in the neighboring province's capital. As soon as Ning Yuyi and Xie Yezhou landed, they headed straight there.

Most of the actors had arrived. However, scanning the room, Ning Yuyi couldn't spot Zhang Yang.

"He's been blacklisted by Director Zhang," the leading actress remarked as she handed him a cup of coffee, "It's sugar-free. Drink without worries; it won't make you gain weight."

Ning Yuyi was about to sip through the straw when he heard it was sugar-free. He paused and just held the coffee in his hand.

"Not a coffee drinker?" Sheng Nianzhi was surprised to see him put down the coffee after her reassurance. Her smile faltered, "You've made this awkward."

"No, it's just too bitter. I'm not a fan of sugar-free," Ning Yuyi replied, taking a small sip, only to be overwhelmed by its bitterness.

"You don't avoid sugar?" Sheng Nianzhi sized him up, then expressed her envy, "Must be nice, eating sugar and not gaining weight."

"I do gain weight," Ning Yuyi whispered, "I eat it in secret, away from my manager's eyes."

Sheng Nianzhi chuckled, "You're genuinely adorable. It's a shame I was filming elsewhere and didn't get to share scenes with you."

During the shooting of "Sword Way," two different sets were arranged in the film city. Ning Yuyi, Xie Yezhou, and the lead actress were on separate ones, so despite the long shoot, Ning had seldom seen Sheng Nianzhi.

"I saw the stills from the set and knew instantly you'd make it big," Sheng Nianzhi said, swirling her coffee, "But I didn't expect you to rise so fast."

Ning Yuyi: "Am I that famous now?"

Sheng Nianzhi: "Aren't you?"

Ning Yuyi: "I believe my cat's the star."

Sheng Nianzhi looked him up and down, noticing his sincerity, and remarked, "You really are popular. Maybe not A-list yet, but your fan base is on par with B-list celebrities."

"Have some self-awareness, will you?"

Ning Yuyi spent his days at home eating, sleeping, or gaming. Initially, Zhou Erhe would update him on his growing fanbase, but eventually stopped. As for Xie Yezhou, with tens of millions of fans, he felt his younger brother was still not 'there' yet and often wanted to give Ning more exposure.

Sheng Nianzhi sighed, "You have amazing resources. You wouldn't know how those who aren't famous stress about getting exposure."

"But then again, why would the Xie family lack resources?"

Ning Yuyi had been staring at his coffee, half-listening to Sheng Nianzhi's rambling.

But her last comment caught his attention, and he looked up at her.

"Curious how I figured it out?" Sheng Nianzhi looked around gracefully, "I've met Mrs. Xie. You look a lot like her."

"Plus, the way Xie Yezhou treated you from the first meeting, it wasn't hard to guess."

"I just never expected such a novel-like story to occur in real life."

Ning Yuyi thought sarcastically.

What "novel-like story"? This is a novel, and you're just a side character in it.

Most of the actors had gathered in the hotel lobby, but Ning Yuyi looked around and couldn't spot Zhang Xueyong.

"He's already been blacklisted by Director Zhang," the lead actress approached, handing him a cup of coffee, "It's sugar-free. Don't worry, it won't add pounds."

Ning Yuyi was about to take a sip when he heard it was sugar-free. He paused and held the cup contemplatively.

"Not into coffee?" Sheng Nianzhi was surprised when he set the coffee down after her reassurance. Her smile froze, "This is awkward."

"No, it's just too bitter without sugar," Ning Yuyi explained, taking a tentative sip and grimacing.

"You're not on a sugar-free diet?" Sheng Nianzhi eyed Ning Yuyi enviously, "Must be nice to indulge without gaining weight."

"I do gain weight," Ning Yuyi murmured, "I sneak treats when my manager isn't looking."

Sheng Nianzhi laughed, "You really are charming. It's a pity we didn't have scenes together earlier."

During the filming of "Sword Way," two separate sets were used. As a result, Ning Yuyi seldom ran into Sheng Nianzhi.

"When I saw the production stills, I knew instantly you'd be a sensation," she remarked, stirring her coffee, "But I didn't foresee your rise being so swift."

Ning Yuyi: "Am I really that popular?"

Sheng Nianzhi: "Aren't you?"

Ning Yuyi: "Perhaps it's my cat stealing the spotlight."

Sheng Nianzhi surveyed Ning Yuyi from head to toe, noting his sincerity, "You genuinely are. Maybe not top-tier yet, but you're certainly on the rise."

"Recognize your own worth, okay?"

Between eating, sleeping, and gaming, Ning Yuyi paid little attention to his rising stardom, leaving that to Zhou Erhe and Xie Yezhou.

Sheng Nianzhi sighed, "Those with ample resources can't fathom the struggle of the less fortunate."

"Then again, why would a member of the Xie family lack opportunities?"

Absorbed in his coffee, Ning Yuyi was only half-listening to Sheng Nianzhi.

Her last remark caught his attention.

"Curious how I figured it out?" she glanced around, "You bear a striking resemblance to Mrs. Xie."

"Plus, the way Xie Yezhou treated you, it wasn't hard to guess."

"Never thought such a clichéd story would play out in real life."

Ning Yuyi couldn't help but mentally retort.

Which clichéd story? This is the plot, and you're but a side character.

By the time Xie Yezhou saw the video, things had already blown up in the super chat.

Some fans were already discontented that Ning Yuyi's name was constantly tied to Xie Yezhou. But since it was mainly Xie Yezhou initiating things, their grievances had no real outlet.

This video, however, was the last straw.

"The fans have moved from their own super chat to Ning Ning's," Yao Yao expressed with deep concern, "You know your fans’ zeal. Ning Ning can't withstand this."

"We need to clarify things," said a visibly tired Xie Yezhou, who'd been at a promotional event all day. "I'll contact Director Zhang for the complete video; you try to calm the fans in the meantime."

"Understood."

Yao Yao has her own Weibo account, serving as the sole link between the company and the fans. Among Xie Yezhou's fans, she's a highly regarded influencer.

She logged onto her Weibo account, first clarifying the situation at hand, then urging her fans to remain calm, hoping to prevent any loss of favor from the general public.

However, Yao Yao's post only fueled her fans' anger further.

[Are you even a fan of Zhouzhou? Have you switched to being a 'couple ship' fan now? If you're shipping the couple, leave Zhouzhou's fan forum now.]

[The evidence is in the video. This newcomer clearly disrespected Brother Xie. Yet, you're not siding with him? I once thought you admired Brother Xie, given how often you'd post HD pictures of him.]

[I was the one who filmed that video. I was on the scene. You claimed to be there too, but all of us who were present had a small group chat. Identify yourself. Or were you with the 'couple ship' fans? Or did you climb over the wall to see?]

After the original video was discussed in the comments of Yao Yao's post, the backlash against her intensified.

It even escalated from insults to calls for Yao Yao to leave the fan forum.

……

Xie Yiezhou obtained the unedited footage from the director, sent it to the agency, and then headed to Ning Yuyi's room, hoping to extract the part where he yielded his position.

Fearing that Ning Yuyi would be upset about the uproar in the forum, Xie Yiezhou even went downstairs to get some snacks as a peace offering. However, after knocking for quite some time, no one answered.

Assuming Ning Yuyi had fallen asleep, Xie Yiezhou, with snacks in hand, returned to his own room, only to find Yao Yao's pale face.

"Brother Xie..." Yao Yao looked up, tears streaming down her face.

Xie Yiezhou placed the snacks in front of her and then checked her phone to gauge the current situation.

"Someone's stirring the pot," Yao Yao commented after a bite of the sweet snack, her mood lifting slightly. "This 'Yi Yie Qingzhou' who posted the video seems to be trying to lure fans with a certain agenda."

Xie Yiezhou also noted something suspicious about that account.

"The agency is already handling it. Get some rest," Xie Yiezhou handed back the phone.

"Thank you, Brother Xie," Yao Yao sniffled, holding the snacks as she prepared to leave.

As she reached the door, she turned back and thanked Xie Yiezhou, "Thanks for these sweets, brother."

"... Those were for Ningning," Xie Yiezhou admitted honestly, "but it seems he's fallen asleep."

Yao Yao: "Wait, what?"

Ning Yuyi wasn't asleep.

Zhou Tuesday had promptly informed him of the online debacle. At the moment, he was hopping between forums enjoying the drama, so he didn't hear the knock on his door.

After all, he didn't expect Xie Yiezhou to knock instead of using the doorbell.

The editing marks on this video are quite evident. One can immediately tell that it's been tampered with.

However, at this moment, Xie Yezhou's fans don't care whether the video was edited or not. They just need an outlet to vent, giving them a seemingly valid reason to blame Ning Yuyi.

This video is the perfect venting channel.

Many fans from our own forum have started clashing with Xie Yezhou's fans. But given that Xie Yezhou has been a top celebrity for years, his fans' zealotry is something our side simply can't match.

In less than half an hour, Ning Yuyi's forum was entirely overwhelmed.

The dispute on the forum escalated dramatically, with some fans even aiming to trend Ning Yuyi in a negative light on social media.

At this point, the user "Yi Yie Qingzhou," who initially shared the video, spoke up again, claiming that certain fans were being too ostentatious at the scene, causing Xie Yezhou to get upset. They further criticized Ning Yuyi for exploiting the situation.

Ning Yuyi, who was previously feeling drowsy from browsing, suddenly became alert upon seeing the comments berating her fans.

Zhou Erhe received another message from Ning Yuyi while he was stressed out dealing with the forum issues.

Ning Yuyi: "Has the situation been resolved?"

Zhou Erhe: "Not yet, but soon. We have the original video and are currently adding subtitles before releasing it."

Zhou Erhe: "Why the sudden urgency?"

Ning Yuyi: "[Screenshot]"

Ning Yuyi: "Criticizing me is acceptable, but attacking my fans isn't."

Zhou Erhe: "Understood. That's quite assertive of you." (Attached: ThumbsUpCat.JPG)

Author's Note: Criticize me if you must, but not my dear readers!

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Not feeling my best today, so there's only one update.

I'll write more for you all tomorrow.