CH 20

Wen Li looked at Song Yan with an unpleasant expression.

"Someone added you on WeChat. Why don't you accept it?" she asked.

Song Yan didn't seem to care much about it and handed his phone to her, "Since she's your junior, you handle it."

Wen Li said mockingly, "You want me to handle it? I'll give her a scolding and make her cry. Are you sure you want me to handle it?"

Song Yan chuckled and looked at her, "When did Teacher Wen need to report to me how she scolds someone?"

Wen Li's tone became complicated as she complained about what happened today.

"I initially wanted to settle the score, but the problem is, I'm not sure who supports her. Even the program's director has to give in to her demands? What if my uncle gets involved? If I confront her, my uncle would immediately have an excuse to take me home and lock me up."

She was concerned about getting involved with someone powerful from outside the entertainment circle, which would then give her uncle an excuse to take her home for "education".

"Don't worry, her support is not from outside the circle. It's Director Guo," Song Yan said, "She is Director Guo's newly adopted goddaughter."

People in the industry initially thought she was no different from the ones Director Guo had previously taken in, but it seemed that Director Guo had become more focused on her.

To win the favor of this goddaughter, he even gave Song Yan's personal WeChat contact to her. Wen Li had to swallow her anger when facing Xu Xingyue today, most likely because Director Guo had made prior arrangements, maybe even proposing some conditions to the director of the program.

After some thought, Wen Li probably guessed why Xu Xingyue dared to change the script on the stage.

Xu Xingyue was young, talented, and now had a backer. In just one year, she had reached a height that most artists couldn't achieve in their lifetime. Wen Li, as a top artist at Jiarui, had the best business resources. As her ambition grew, Wen Li naturally became a stumbling block.

And on top of that, there was Xu Xingyue's special interest in Song Yan...

At this moment, Wen Li suddenly remembered that whenever Xu Xingyue come to her to chat, they often ended up talking about Song Yan.

At that time, Wen Li and Song Yan were still in a long-distance relationship, in a purely contractual marriage and business partnership, so she didn't think much of it.

Going by reason, she should have rejected the friend request directly, but Wen Li went ahead and accepted it.

She pressed the [Agree] button.

Immediately, a message came through.

Star Rabbit: 「Hello, Teacher Song!」

Star Rabbit: 「Cute cat.jpg」

Star Rabbit: 「Did I disturb your rest? >.<」

Star Rabbit: 「I didn't expect to add Teacher Song. I'm so excited. Sorry for being talkative. I hope Teacher Song doesn't dislike me. TAT」

Star Rabbit: 「Well, about that fantasy movie, Director Guo said that you were unwilling to take the role. Can I ask why? I've been attending acting classes for the past few months and really, really look forward to working with Teacher Song!」

Wen Li: "..."

Why does she use so many cutesy expressions, where did she get them from?

Why are all her emojis so snarky and sassy?

Wen Li couldn't be bothered playing word games with her and directly sent a voice call invitation.

There was an obvious pause on the other end. Xu Xingyue didn't expect the other party to make a call. After several seconds, she finally answered. Her voice was cautious, soft, and trembling uncontrollably, "Teacher Song..."

That "Teacher Song" sounded so incredibly charming.

Wen Li spoke calmly, "Xu Xingyue, it's me."

"..."

Xu Xingyue didn't speak for a long time.

"You've found a backer, and yet, you're still Jiarui's artist. Unless you ask President Zhang if she's willing to promote you to the position of Jiarui's top artist and ask those responsible for business endorsements if they're willing to give up my endorsements for you--"

"Sister," Xu Xingyue smiled, her tone somewhat innocent, "I didn't mean that."

"Whether you have or not, you know in your heart. Do you think that just because I don't have a backer, you can step on me? You're walking through a back door, but don't treat it as a means to show off. Society hasn't fully accepted using connections in that way."

"Sister, please don't make baseless accusations without evidence."

Song Yan interjected, "Does what I say count as evidence?"

Xu Xingyue suddenly fell silent.

"I won't take the movie, but since I owe Director Guo a favor, I can't openly reject him. It's convenient for you to convey the message for me."

"...I'm sorry for disturbing you. I'll hang up now."

Just as Song Yan was about to hang up, Wen Li remembered one more thing and hastily took the phone, "Wait--"

"Do you know that adding my husband on WeChat late at night disturbs our intimate moments as a couple?" Wen Li glanced at Song Yan beside her with a meaningful look, "And aren't you afraid of making Director Guo angry?"

Xu Xingyue couldn't maintain her composed politeness any longer and hung up the call directly.

Wen Li didn't waste any time and promptly blocked her.

"Here's your phone."

Song Yan took the phone, casually tossed it aside, and grabbed his pajamas to leave, "I'm going to take a shower and get ready."

Wen Li was bewildered, "Get ready for what?"

"For our intimate moments as a couple."

"..."

He actually went to take a shower, while Wen Li felt a bit tired. 

While Song Yan was in the shower, Wen Li sent several WeChat messages to Lu Dan in the middle of the night. Luckily, Lu Dan was still awake and responded quickly.

「I understand. I will talk to President Zhang.」

Wen Li found it strange. Why wasn't Sister Dan advising her to calm down first, like she usually did?

Being straightforward, she asked directly:

「Why didn't you try to calm me down like you usually do?」

「She's not comparable to Zheng Xue; there's no need to. Zheng Xue has been in the industry for many years, with so many loyal fans. If it weren't for the incident with the fake painting last time, her likability among the general public would actually be quite good. When fans from both sides start arguing, even if you have the upper hand, there will still be fans who pretend to be deaf and dumb on her side. The reason things were resolved so smoothly last time was, partly, because when her fans attacked you, they also insulted Song Yan. I don't need to explain how big Song Yan's fan base is among the public, right? With both sides attacking, she can only lie low.」

「Xu Xingyue has risen too quickly in the past year and can't see the path clearly. President Zhang mentioned this to me before. I didn't expect her to be so bold today when I wasn't at the recording site.」

Lu Dan typed a long string of words. Perhaps finding it troublesome, she finally invited Wen Li to a voice call.

"What did President Zhang tell you? Does she know that Xu Xingyue is planning something?" Wen Li asked.

Lu Dan replied with an "En". Then continued, "You remember the next month's fashion magazine charity gala, right?"

"I remember. They call it a charity gala, but it's actually a gathering of artists. Almost everyone in the industry, regardless of their popularity level, who had exposure, works, or news this year, will be invited to boost the event," said Wen Li.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The haute couture dress from the C brand that was imported from France, the one you tried on in the store earlier, she also took people to the store later, saying she wanted to try that dress," Lu Dan said.

Wen Li's voice involuntarily raised a bit, "What?"

"Don't worry. The brand rejected her on the spot because of this incident. That's why President Zhang mentioned her to me," Lu Dan reassured her.

"..."

"It's fine. I'll have someone handle it. Today we recorded the first episode, there should be a lot of footage for tomorrow's release. You don't have to worry about it. You didn't fall into her trap, so it will be much easier to write the press release," Lu Dan said.

Wen Li acknowledged and said, "Make my dance skills sound impressive."

Lu Dan couldn't help but smile, "Got it."

After hanging up the phone, Wen Li buried her head in the blanket and fell asleep again before Song Yan returned.

When Song Yan finished showering and returned to the bedroom, Wen Li was already sound asleep, with her mouth slightly open.

The man let out an almost imperceptible sigh, feeling that this girl was really irresponsible.

It seemed that she was still thinking about what happened today in her dream. She pursed her lips, disdainfully saying, "So what if you have a backer..."

Song Yan had occasionally heard her muttering in her sleep before, but he had never been able to make out the words clearly. Today, he finally heard it clearly and quietly leaned closer.

"Tomorrow, I'll go find my uncle and have him blacklist you..."

Indeed, it was just a dream. She wouldn't actually go to her uncle for help, her uncle wouldn't intervene either.

In her dream, Wen Li seemed to realize that it was unlikely to ask her uncle for help and said, "I'll find Brother Bai Sen and have him blacklist you..."

Song Yan furrowed his brows, reached out, and pinched her nose. Wen Li's breath was obstructed and her dream talk finally stopped.

But the dream continued.

She dreamt that her name was prefixed with the surname Wen, but she had a falling out with her uncle because he disagreed with her pursuit of her dreams. When she just debuted, she had nothing, but Lu Dan took her to the filming site for variety shows. Acting in dramas was fine, except for occasional instances when temporary actors stole her scenes or when directors scolded her, she didn't suffer much. But filming variety shows was interesting, with all kinds of malicious editing and cherry-picking of clips. Netizens didn't hesitate to criticize her.

However, this was a path that many artists had to go through, and she made it on her own without relying on any background. She didn't feel particularly wronged along the way, instead, she still felt quite proud and honorable.

But then, she was sabotaged by someone with a background.

Wen Li also dreamt about Song Yan. But in her dream, she remembered that her relationship with Song Yan was merely a cooperative agreement on paper. After struggling for a long time, she still didn't have the courage to ask him for help.

This dream continued with ups and downs until it ended abruptly.

——

The production team knew in advance that once the program started recording, it would be impossible to keep it a secret with so many contestants and staff on-site. So, they decided not to hide it anymore and directly leaked the information to the marketing accounts, adding fuel to the fire for the first episode.

Compared to the marketing accounts that were still hesitant and using abbreviations on the day of recording, they now had the confidence to talk about Wen Li's name on Weibo.

Entertainment Ba Ge: 「The rumor is confirmed. Wen Li is the chief judge of [For You To Debut]. The first episode has already been recorded. Everyone, stay tuned for the show.」

Accompanied by a photo taken on-site, the perspective was distant, making the figures on stage appear somewhat blurry.

But even though it was blurry, some people immediately recognized Wen Li.

As expected, once this rumor came out, the online response was just as the production team had anticipated. The discussion skyrocketed, proving that withholding all information and keeping it under wraps before the recording was the right marketing strategy.

「I thought it was another fake rumor that day, but it turned out to be true?」

「Oh my god, it's really her.」

「Are there Wen Li's fans here? Did she really train as a trainee before her debut?」

Someone in the forum replied:「Wen Li's fan here. Yes, she really trained before, it was mentioned in her biography.」

「So how is her skill level now?」

「She's not a mentor, so she doesn't have to train the contestants in dancing. She just sits there and comments a few times while showing her face, right?」

Entertainment Ba Ge replied: 「The on-site staff leaked that she performed a dance. It wasn't in the script, but some mentor cued her to do it.」

「Which mentor would be so audacious?」

「Hahaha, knowing that Wen Li is a full-time actress, yet cueing her to dance? This mentor is quite wicked.」

「Oh my, Wen Li's fans have never seen her dance. This mentor is really helping the public.」

Since no one had seen Wen Li dance, the leaked information from the marketing accounts was limited. So far, all they knew was that Wen Li was cued to dance. As for how well she danced, apart from those present at the scene, no one knew.

Someone posted this rumor on an online forum for people to guess which mentor made the on-site script change and cued Wen Li to dance.

There were only four mentors in total. Yan Jun was well-known in the industry for being polite and courteous. Icy, being a professional rapper, had a unique cool, and stylish aura. Besides participating in programs, he rarely interacted with other artists in the industry. So, logically, these two male artists were unlikely candidates.

That left the two female mentors, and in the forum, people were guessing and speculating about both.

Some said it was Qi Sihan, but others objected, pointing out that Qi Sihan was actually a big fan of Wen Li. Last year, when Wen Li was starring in a TV drama, she watched and commented on the drama in real time on Weibo. Wen Li and Qi Sihan even followed each other during that time.

Some said it was Xu Xingyue, but there were also objections. The two of them were from the same company and had a Senior-Junior relationship. It didn't make sense for Xu Xingyue to do such a thing.

Both sides had reasonable analyses, and as the discussion grew, the post was shared on Weibo. It eventually reached the eyes of Wen Li's fans.

Wen Li's fan club received permission from her management team and directly mentioned the fan clubs of Qi Sihan and Xu Xingyue on their official account, asking them to provide an explanation.

Qi Sihan's fan club was very efficient and responded within half an hour, providing various evidence that Qi Sihan was indeed a fan of Wen Li.

「Han Han is just a small artist and doesn't have the power to change the script process directly bypassing the director. Han Han has always admired Teacher Wen, so she must be very happy to be able to record the show with Teacher Wen. Please refrain from speculating.」

The response from Xu Xingyue's fan club was delayed for over an hour. The reason was that the prominent members of the fan club went to inquire with the management team. However, the response from the management team was vague and did not directly deny it. As a result, the fan club quickly realized that their idol was the mentor who changed the script and cued Wen Li to dance.

The management team initially contacted the production team, intending to cut the part where Wen Li was cued to dance and pretend as if nothing happened. However, the leaked information spread much faster than their negotiation with the director. Now, even before the first episode aired, anyone interested in this matter could understand that Wen Li was cued to dance on the show. Furthermore, even the fans haven't seen her dance before. Many people are eagerly waiting for the first episode to be aired, making it a hot topic. The production team cannot cut it.

After receiving a clear response from the production team, the fan club issued an apology statement on Weibo one hour later.

Wen Li's fan club accepted the apology in an official tone. However, the comments from fans under the Weibo post were not as polite.

「Our Sanli has a good temperament and treats juniors kindly. We also hope that juniors treat our Sanli kindly.」

「Damn! Fortunately, our Sanli was a trainee before. Thank goodness! I can't even imagine how many people would mock her if she hadn't learned to dance. That certain junior deserves to be condemned. 」

「Well done, fan club. By the way, I'm looking forward to Sanli's first stage.」

「The photo of Sanli on that stage is really blurry. I'm already imagining the beautiful appearance of my wife in an idol's makeup. 」

It is unknown how much of the leaked information and the subsequent apology were spontaneous actions by fans and how much was orchestrated by the artist's public relations team.

This time, Lu Dan acted swiftly, leaving hardly any opportunity for Xu Xingyue to respond. It was mainly because President Zhang felt that Xu Xingyue was too arrogant and dared to scheme against her senior in the same company, so she deserved a wake-up call.

At this time, Wen Li visited the boutique and tried on the high-end dress that she was about to wear at the charity gala. After trying it on, she took a photo of herself in front of the mirror. However, this time she didn't send it to Song Yan but instead sent it to Xu Xingyue, who had been lying dormant in her WeChat friends' list for a year.

She intentionally asked: 「Is it beautiful?」

Without waiting for Xu Xingyue's response, she immediately added Xu Xingyue to her blacklist in one fell swoop.