Chapter 52

Guo Yixi's so-called exposé turned out to be nothing but thunder with a tiny raindrop. After two days of negotiations with Jiang Yuan, she leaked what she claimed to know online—all of it baseless, fabricated rumors.

Netizens scolded her, then gradually drifted away.

The divorce topic she had stirred up slowly cooled down. Wei Yan was completely relieved; he had been prepared to confront Guo Yixi personally, but it seemed that wouldn't be necessary.

This incident only deepened his trust in Jiang Yuan.

With the casting for "Dawn" imminent, he stopped paying attention to online matters, focusing instead on reading scripts and studying the film, leaving all the trivial details to Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan handled everything without batting an eye, managing it all seamlessly.

A few days later, the storm had fully subsided. Weibo trends were dominated by some young heartthrob's romance scandal or a big star's breakup, and even the buzz around "Breaking the Cocoon" was heating up again.

Ratings had also improved considerably.

Kong Xiyan remained indifferent, shuttling between the set and her apartment, never giving Guo Yixi a second thought.

She had known all along that the situation would be suppressed.

Three years ago, Wei Yan and He Wei had mastered the art of twisting truth into falsehood, and now their skills were only more refined. If they were so easy to topple, Guo Yixi wouldn't have been the one to try—they would have been brought down long ago.

Fu Qiu felt a sense of relief that Guo Yixi's plot had been quashed. At least it hadn't dragged in Sister Kong. Watching her sister, who had just managed to stand back up, Fu Qiu would have been heartbroken if everything had come crashing down.

No matter how much a person's exterior changes, their core remains the same. Sister Kong's calm detachment toward the incident three years ago gave Fu Qiu an illusion—that perhaps Sister Kong hadn't done that thing at all.

But she didn't have the courage to ask.

If she inadvertently struck a wound, that would be the last thing she wanted. So she simply stayed quietly by her side.

On set, the waves from that incident also gradually receded. Few people paid attention to Guo Yixi anymore; she had been branded a lunatic, her hysterical outbursts truly ugly.

It seemed everyone's lives were returning to normal.

The ratings for "Breaking the Cocoon" were steadily climbing back up.

The newly aired two episodes were well-received, especially the one depicting the daily interactions between Chu Qian and the Crown Prince. Fans captured screenshots, turning them into adorable emoji packs, and even edited sweet video cuts set to popular songs, promoting them widely across Weibo and forums.

The day after they were released, many fans flocked to the official Weibo account to comment.

—Holy crap, this is the real "Breaking the Cocoon" plot!

—I'm hoisting the Crown Prince and Chu Qian banner high, and I won't waver!

—These two got the wrong scripts; this is clearly the male and female leads' story!

—Exactly, I've licked my screen raw. This editing is insane—kudos to all the talented creators!

—The one who licked their screen raw, wait for me! I'm convinced. Not long ago, I was saying Chu Qian wasn't even that good-looking, and now I'm slapping myself in the face.

—My face is swollen too. Chu Qian and the Crown Prince's CP in these two episodes is so sweet it rots your teeth!!

—I beg all the talented creators to cut more of these; I'm running out of material!

—Me too, me too!!

No matter which topic about "Breaking the Cocoon" Kong Xiyan clicked on, she found such comments, as if an army of paid posters had suddenly appeared overnight, massively promoting the Chu Qian and Crown Prince CP.

Fu Qiu even sent her a message saying that her and the Crown Prince's emoji packs were now the hottest thing, circulating in every group.

The buzz around "Breaking the Cocoon" had hit an all-time high.

Kong Xiyan's Weibo had gained a wave of new followers—all drama fans. They flooded her Weibo, waiting every day for her to post even just a photo.

But aside from a single promotional poster for "Breaking the Cocoon," her Weibo had nothing else. So the fans frantically controlled the comments, burying the previous abuse from trolls and lifting only declarations of love to the top.

Kong Xiyan had no time to deal with these matters; she was fully focused on preparing for the upcoming show.

"Meet on Friday."

Besides her, the guests included Xiao Cheng, Gu Ling, Wu Qing, and the Crown Prince.

The actor playing the Crown Prince was a newcomer named Ling Yu. He came from a well-off family with his own social circle, and it was said he got into acting on a whim, without any professional training.

On set, he rarely interacted with Kong Xiyan or the others; he was quiet by nature.

Kong Xiyan thought he was quite talented. At first, when they started rehearsing scenes, he wasn't fully open, often overwhelmed by her presence. Now, acting opposite him came easily, and he slipped into character smoothly.

Occasionally, Ling Yu would ask Kong Xiyan a question or two. The two would study the script together, and she would nod and smile softly from time to time. The atmosphere between them was harmonious, like old friends.

The official Weibo account would capture these moments in behind-the-scenes clips.

This fueled the Crown Prince and Chu Qian CP even further.

In fact, a growing number of fans began shipping the real-life pair, boldly tagging Kong Xiyan and Ling Yu, asking when they were getting together.

Although such comments were quickly pushed down by the crowd, any spark once ignited could spread like wildfire.

On the night following the airing of the two new episodes of "Breaking the Cocoon," the Yu Yan CP was born.

And it was trending on the hot search list.

When Fu Qiu learned of this, she didn't disturb Kong Xiyan immediately. Instead, she contacted Tong Yue, briefly explaining the situation online and asking what they should do.

Tong Yue didn't answer her question but let out a light laugh: "Why did you think to ask me now?"

Fu Qiu was caught off guard and replied with a dazed "Huh?"

Then it hit her—she had never consulted Tong Yue about anything before, whether it was major or minor events online. She always notified Sister Kong first.

Sometimes, when she should have been the one handling things, she merely watched the situation unfold without taking any action.

Fu Qiu lowered her head, speaking with a hint of guilt: "I'm sorry, Sister Tong."

Tong Yue cast her eyes down.

In truth, Fu Qiu was someone Tong Yue had arranged for Kong Xiyan. At the time, she hadn't understood why Zhou Sheng had suddenly shoved Kong Xiyan into her hands, and so she had been negligent, even choosing the youngest and most inexperienced assistant for her.

Later, busy dealing with other online matters for Kong Xiyan, she had neglected Fu Qiu.

After Zhou Sheng had talked to her, she had intended to replace Fu Qiu, but Xiyan had stopped her.

She had said, "Sister Tong, do you know? Seeing Xiao Qiu reminds me of the place I lived before—simple and honest, without all the scheming. This kid, she's good."

And so Fu Qiu stayed.

Only now did Tong Yue realize that Fu Qiu had grown.

Indeed, in this chaotic circle, if you didn't grow, you'd be devoured.

"Sister Tong?"

Seeing that Tong Yue had been silent for a long time, Fu Qiu asked softly, "Sister Tong, do we need to clarify things on Weibo?"

Tong Yue snapped back to attention: "I'll handle it."

Fu Qiu felt relieved: "Okay."

After hanging up, Tong Yue opened her computer. Shipping CPs is a common tactic in the entertainment industry, the best way to gain fans. In a drama, if three CPs could be successfully promoted, it was considered a success.

After "Breaking the Cocoon" aired, she had deliberated between Kong Xiyan and Xiao Cheng, or Ling Yu. But later, worried that Assistant Zhou might get angry, she had dropped the idea.

She never expected a Yu Yan CP to pop up on its own.

Tong Yue didn't act on her own; instead, she called Zhou Sheng to ask.

Zhou Sheng was accompanying Chi Wanzhao in a meeting. Seeing that it was Tong Yue calling, he turned aside to take the call, listened to what she said, and replied with an "Mm, I'll get back to you." He hung up.

It wasn't until the meeting ended and Chi Wanzhao returned to her office that he followed behind her and said, "CEO Chi, there's a CP gaining traction online right now."

Chi Wanzhao's expression remained calm; she didn't even pause, her high heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. Her voice was cool: "Is there a problem?"

Assistant Zhou lowered his head: "It's, it's madam and Ling Yu."

Chi Wanzhao's heel pressed down hard, and she nearly stumbled. She tilted her head to glance at Zhou Sheng, then pressed her lips together and walked into the office.

Behind her, Zhou Sheng pushed up his glasses with a fingertip, following her in with a resigned expression.

Five minutes later.

The two in the office were both staring at the computer, expressions as solemn as if they were discussing major company affairs.

The comments kept scrolling—These two are a match made in heaven!!!

—Finally found someone who pairs with my Ling Yu!

—I'm into this couple too!

—I can't do anything else all day but drool over them!

The rest was an endless flood of emoji packs, made from Ling Yu and Kong Xiyan's images, paired with currently trendy phrases—they matched perfectly with everything.

Chi Wanzhao pointed at the man in the video: "Ling Yu?"

Zhou Sheng nodded: "The youngest child of the Ling family."

Chi Wanzhao's gaze deepened.

The Ling family had deep roots in City B. However, they had always developed in business and politics, never stepping into the entertainment industry. She had met the old Mr. Ling once—a very rigid old man who referred to people in the entertainment circle as "actors" with a dismissive tone.

In his eyes, they didn't belong on the grand stage.

The Ling family held a prominent position, so it was natural for him to think that way. But Chi Wanzhao hadn't expected that such a stubborn old man would allow Ling Yu to enter the entertainment world.

Seeing her remain silent, Zhou Sheng spoke softly: "CEO Chi, perhaps we should hold off on issuing a statement for now. Madam is about to appear on a show, and her momentum is strong. Maybe we..."

"Clarify."

Chi Wanzhao parted her thin lips, closed the computer, tilted her head to look at Zhou Sheng, and coldly left two words: "Clarify."

Zhou Sheng's thick brows furrowed: "But clarifying now would definitely upset many fans, and some might even take the chance to smear madam."

Chi Wanzhao's expression remained calm, her bright eyes profound: "Zhou Sheng, I have no intention of keeping our marriage a secret."

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If they rode this CP wave to prominence now, once their marriage was exposed, it would surely be used against them as a stain.

Zhou Sheng glanced at her, understanding her reasoning: "I know what to do."

Chi Wanzhao hummed in acknowledgment. Just as Zhou Sheng was about to leave the office, she asked in a cold voice: "Are they really a good match?"

Zhou Sheng was taken aback for a second but quickly replied, "Not at all."

"It's madam and CEO Chi who are the perfect match."

Chi Wanzhao's darkened expression finally eased.