Chapter 43

Chapter 43: A Major Change in Public Opinion

The corners of An Wen’s lips curled into a smile as Chu Qichen finished speaking. Then, she asked, “Mister Chu, you didn’t meddle in my affairs when I first moved into the entertainment industry, why bother trying to get me out now?”

“Are you thinking of staying in the industry, despite your current situation?”

“Why not?” An Wen looked him in the eyes, an uncommon sight as she usually avoided eye contact with him.

Chu Qichen was rather surprised. The young girl standing in front of him used to be soft-spoken and introverted. However, she was behaving completely out of character right now, as though she was a completely different person.

“What’re you going to do about the current situation if you want to stay?” asked Chu Qichen.

“Mister Chu, who do you think you are to raise this question? You’re merely my brother’s friend. You’re only asked to keep an eye on me when he’s not around. As long as I’m healthy and fine, nothing else should be of your bother, am I wrong?” An Wen looked right into his eyes as she spoke, “Therefore, Mister Chu, you shouldn’t trouble yourself with these matters.”

“An Wen, the entertainment industry is not a bed of roses. This difficult situation you’ve encountered is just the tip of the iceberg, you’ll regret it if you decide to stay longer,” urged Chu Qichen.

“Thanks for your kindness, Mister Chu. But, I have my own plans,” said An Wen.

“I’ll inform your brother about this if you continue to be disobedient. That way, I’ll not be held accountable when something happens to you in the future.”

An Wen was angered by that and raised her voice when she spoke again, “If you dare tell my brother about this, I’ll tell him that I like you so much that I’ll die if I don’t marry you!”

Chu Qichen was taken aback, but An Wen had already left the study before he could react.

His lips curled into a helpless smile. “Heartless gal,” he murmured softly.

An Wen stopped covering up since she had already let her thinking be known. She invited Jiang Shiyu out of the room to have dinner together. However, Chu Qichen did not leave the study until a long time later. An Wen did not give it much thought, retiring to her room rather early that evening.

Chu Qichen left early the next morning for the office. An Wen was having her breakfast at the dining table when Jiang Shiyu, still in her pajamas, abruptly burst out of her room.

“Look, An Wen!” She exclaimed as she passed her phone over.

The keyword “An Wen Sophomore” was ranked number one on the trending searches. She clicked into it, finding out that someone had revealed the fact that An Wen was only a 15-year-old sophomore in Di City No. 1 High School.

Someone also posted a photo of the honor students of Di City No. 1 High School. It showed An Wen being ranked first on the list.

The comment that received the most attention sounded like it had been left by a fellow student from Di City No. 1 High School. The person wrote, “An Wen has always been on the top of the honor roll of this school. Her schooling schedule for the second term of sophomore year was interrupted due to filming reasons, but she still managed to score the highest for the final year examination. Her family’s affluent, she’s really beautiful, and her exam results are always the greatest among her peers. She wouldn’t have gone into acting if Director Ye had not doted on her. Please, keyboard warriors, give her a break!”

“No wonder. Judging from those photos on Reuter and the video posted when they finished filming, I thought Xia Wei and the rest took great care of her. It must be because she’s only so young.”

“Ranking first in Di City No. 1 High School, one of the four elite schools, means that she’s an academic overachiever who’s already one step ahead in getting into Qing University.”

“I feel sorry for this young lady, having to experience this at such a young age. I hope it doesn’t affect her too much.”

…

Immediately, the public opinion had turned on its head.

“Was it you who exposed this to the media?” questioned An Wen.

Surprised, Jiang Shiyu replied, “I thought you did!”

“There’s no way this information would have created such a heated discussion even if it had been leaked. Lu Maner’s company would definitely try to suppress it as well. There are numerous marketing accounts that are promoting you on trending searches, too. My guess is that someone’s helping you in the dark. But, who’ll it be?” Jiang Shiyu wondered.

The image of a stern man popped into An Wen’s face. Connecting two and two together, she immediately knew who the person behind this was.

“Since someone else has already done it for us, we should just continue doing what we’re supposed to do,” An Wen said helplessly.

“Why do I hear a hint of disappointment in your voice?” asked Jiang Shiyu.

“How could I not be? I should’ve done it myself.”