Chapter 13

Guo Yixi's veiled accusations on Weibo had already been interpreted by fans as Kong Xiyan stealing the role. After all, there had been rumors that Guo Yixi would play the second female lead, and there was even a photo of her having dinner with Director Sun, hinting at a collaboration.

As a result, Kong Xiyan was being viciously attacked on Weibo. From the official account of "Breaking the Cocoon" to Kong Xiyan's private messages, everything was filled with abuse. It wasn't just Guo Yixi's fans; many book fans took the opportunity to lash out as well.

—Please ask Ms. Kong to leave the entertainment industry!

—Please don't let the homewrecker Kong play my Chu Qian!!!

—A thousand signatures, begging Kong Xiyan to leave the crew.

—The above is not one person, but ten thousand!

The incident fermented for a whole morning and quickly hit the hot search. Kong Xiyan stayed in the crew, quietly filming. During this time, Xiao Cheng tried several times to console her, but she changed the subject every time.

She didn't need comfort.

She had thought all this through before she decided to re-enter the entertainment industry. She had endured worse insults than these, so this was nothing.

Tong Yue called her, telling her not to make a sound for now, and that she would take down the hot search. Kong Xiyan responded lightly, while Fu Qiu was running around in a flurry.

Lunch was eaten at the filming location. Fu Qiu went to get the boxed meals, while Kong Xiyan stood at the entrance of the rest area. Xiao Cheng approached, still in costume, looking exceptionally handsome. He asked with concern, "Sister Kong, are you alright?"

Kong Xiyan nodded slightly. "Thank you, I'm fine."

Xiao Cheng lowered his gaze and said in a deep voice, "Sister Guo really went too far this time. The fans online are just angry, so don't take it to heart. How about after we finish filming this afternoon, I take you out to relax?"

His words were sincere, but just as Kong Xiyan was about to reply, her phone rang. She smiled at Xiao Cheng and said, "Sorry, I need to take this call."

Xiao Cheng nodded and watched her walk inside, his expression immediately turning grim.

It was Chi Wanzhao calling. She asked directly, "Miss Kong, did you forget something?"

Kong Xiyan was momentarily stunned before recognizing Chi Wanzhao's voice. She hesitated and asked, "What?"

Chi Wanzhao chuckled. "It seems Miss Kong is truly forgetful. Last night, you agreed on the bed to report your schedule to me."

She emphasized the words "on the bed" heavily. Kong Xiyan felt her face heat up inexplicably and coughed lightly. "Sorry, I was too busy this morning and forgot."

Chi Wanzhao didn't dwell on her apology but asked, "When will you finish?"

Kong Xiyan said, "Around three or so."

Given their filming progress, they could wrap up by then.

Chi Wanzhao thought for a moment and said, "We're running low on groceries at home. After work, take Yanyan to the small supermarket nearby and buy some."

Kong Xiyan replied, "Okay."

After that, there was a long silence. Neither of them said goodbye, nor did they hang up. Kong Xiyan bit her lip and asked, "CEO Chi, when can I have the photos?"

Chi Wanzhao's gaze fell on the photo on her desk. Her jaw tightened, and her lips pressed into a thin line. "No rush. It's not time yet."

Kong Xiyan lowered her head. "Alright, then I'll hang up if there's nothing else."

She hung up. Chi Wanzhao put down her phone, and shortly after, the office door was knocked.

"Come in."

Seeing the visitor was Zhou Sheng, she frowned. "What is Tong Yue doing? Do I need to teach her myself? Or should Assistant Zhou teach her personally?"

Zhou Sheng stepped forward under the reprimand. "Tong Yue has just taken down the hot search and hired some paid trolls to stir up confusion. As for the drama, filming continues as usual."

Chi Wanzhao glanced at him, her eyes icy.

Zhou Sheng instinctively bowed his head. "CEO Chi, this matter is temporarily suppressed, but I'm worried Guo Yixi will cause more trouble. Should we put some pressure on Director Sun?"

After all, without Director Sun's backing, Guo Yixi wouldn't dare openly challenge Kong Xiyan. Now that Kong Xiyan was with Jingyan, Guo Yixi's actions were a direct confrontation with the company. Without that old fox Director Sun behind her, she wouldn't have the guts.

Zhou Sheng's words made sense. Chi Wanzhao nodded and said, "I'll consider it. As for Tong Yue, tell her I hope this doesn't happen again."

"Yes, CEO Chi."

Zhou Sheng turned to leave, then thought for a moment and turned back. "Also, regarding the lady, should we release the photos directly?"

Chi Wanzhao looked down at the photo of a man and woman on the desk. "No. The photo isn't enough. Since we've decided to fight this battle, we need to win it beautifully, so he can never turn things around!"

Zhou Sheng had always respected her judgment and believed in her decisions. If she said the time wasn't right, then it wasn't. Wei Yan had only just started making moves, so perhaps it was better to wait.

After leaving the office, Zhou Sheng directly dialed Tong Yue's number and said, "Miss Tong, let's meet."

Tong Yue frowned, handed her current tasks to her assistant, and headed upstairs.

The first and second floors of Jingyan were training rooms, the third and fourth floors were for meetings, and above that were the offices of the senior executives. Tong Yue pressed the elevator button for the eighth floor. As the doors opened, she took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and walked down the corridor in her small leather shoes, her back perfectly straight.

Zhou Sheng's office was next to Chi Wanzhao's. He was a special assistant who had been with Chi Wanzhao since they were abroad, and after the CEO, he held the most authority in the company.

Tong Yue stood on the eighth floor. The front desk girl recognized her and asked with a smile, "Miss Tong, are you here to see the CEO?"

"I'm looking for Assistant Zhou."

The front desk girl immediately called and assured Tong Yue, "Alright, one moment, I'll call Assistant Zhou."

Only after receiving Zhou Sheng's clear instructions did the girl let Tong Yue in. Both sides of the corridor were lined with offices. There were two secretaries and three assistants, but at that moment, Zhou Sheng was standing at the door of his office with his arms crossed, staring at Tong Yue. "Miss Tong, please come in."

Tong Yue followed him with long strides.

She had a good idea why Zhou Sheng had called her—it was about Kong Xiyan. But the incident had been sudden. Guo Yixi had posted those ambiguous remarks online, and with Kong Xiyan's past scandal, the situation had room to escalate.

Hearing her explanation, Zhou Sheng smiled. "So, by that logic, Miss Tong, am I making things difficult by entrusting her to you?"

Tong Yue looked up. Zhou Sheng wore gold-rimmed glasses, which didn't make him look old but gave him the air of a refined villain in a drama. However, his usual cold face and eyes, combined with the glasses, made him appear even more aloof. Especially when he looked at someone, a chill would rise from the soles of your feet.

Tong Yue lowered her head. "Assistant Zhou, you're putting words in my mouth. I didn't mean that."

Zhou Sheng curled his lips into a smile. "Miss Tong, I'll give you until tonight to handle this. I don't care how you do it. From tomorrow, I don't want to see any more discussions about role changes online."

"Also, you don't need to guess my attitude toward Miss Kong or my relationship with her. You only need to know that she is related to your future position in the entertainment industry."

"Miss Tong is smart. You must understand what I'm saying."

Zhou Sheng's eyes were full of wisdom. The lady had suffered this loss because she had only been in the entertainment industry for two years and didn't understand all the ins and outs. But Tong Yue couldn't claim ignorance. She had allowed Guo Yixi to spread those rumors without responding immediately.

On one hand, she hadn't taken the lady seriously. On the other, she was testing where the lady stood with him.

The lady had been handed to Tong Yue, but he hadn't explicitly instructed her at the time. Tong Yue, being shrewd, was waiting for him to clarify his stance.

If he hadn't approached Tong Yue today, she would likely never have taken the lady seriously in the future. There were no idiots in this circle, and Tong Yue, having survived this long, knew that. By using this incident to make his stance clear, he linked the lady's status to Tong Yue's future in the industry.

Only then would Tong Yue take her seriously.

Tong Yue met Zhou Sheng's gaze, seeing the implication clearly. She lowered her eyes. "I understand."

Indeed, as Zhou Sheng had said, she hadn't completely taken Kong Xiyan to heart. From the very beginning, at the gathering at the hotel, she had given others the impression that she was reluctantly bringing Kong Xiyan along.

If not for that, Director Sun and Guo Yixi would never have dared to act against her.

Now that Zhou Sheng had made his stance clear, she knew what to do. At least, the person behind Kong Xiyan, even if not Zhou Sheng, was someone Zhou Sheng feared. In the entire domestic entertainment industry, there were few who could intimidate him.

And among those few, none were people she could afford to offend.

Tong Yue went downstairs deep in thought. Her assistant was working on public relations, drafting statements. When Tong Yue came down, she sat in her chair and turned to her assistant. "Call Director Sun and tell him I'll treat him to dinner tonight."

"Also... have him bring Guo Yixi."

The assistant was confused for a moment, then asked, "Should we bring Miss Kong too?"

Tong Yue stared at her with a cold, piercing gaze. "Do you think we're going there for a pleasant chat?"

The assistant's face turned pale and then red, muttering quietly as she continued working online.

Tong Yue took out her phone, thought for a moment, and called Kong Xiyan.

Fu Qiu answered, and after a moment, the phone was handed to Kong Xiyan.

"Sister Tong."

Kong Xiyan's voice came through, still light and indifferent. Tong Yue hummed and asked, "Are you done?"

"Just finished, haven't taken off my makeup yet."

Tong Yue said, "Mm, from tomorrow, I'll be accompanying you on set."

Kong Xiyan was taken aback. "No need, Sister Tong. I think Xiao Qiu is fine. You're busy too, so there's no need."

Tong Yue paused. "There have been many things lately, and I haven't been able to give you proper attention. I'm sorry. For the next period, I've arranged everything, so I'll be with you on set."

Before Kong Xiyan could refuse, Tong Yue added, "It's settled then. I'll hang up now. If there's anything, message me."

Kong Xiyan pursed her lips. "Okay."

After hanging up, Tong Yue's assistant had also just finished a call and turned to her. "Sister Tong, it's arranged. At Jinhuai Grand Hotel, seven o'clock."

Tong Yue rubbed her forehead. "Is the hot search down?"

"Yes."

Tong Yue: "What about the direction of public opinion?"

"It's still spreading. Can't control it. Too much."

Tong Yue sighed in frustration. "Understood. Prepare for the dinner."