Chapter 62

In the end, the necklace was never returned to Kong Xiyan. Chi Wanzhao dismissed her with a single remark—once given, a gift cannot be taken back—but she didn't wear it around her neck either.

Kong Xiyan watched Chi Wanzhao put it in its box and go upstairs. When she came back, there was no necklace around her neck.

Kong Xiyan lowered her eyes, wondering if Chi Wanzhao simply didn't like it.

During dinner, she felt listless, gloomy, eating only a few bites before retreating upstairs.

Chi Wanzhao assumed she was troubled by the online news, so after the meal, she called Zhou Sheng.

She said bluntly, "Zhou Sheng, you're becoming more efficient."

Zhou Sheng was baffled, his fingers touching the glasses on his nose. "CEO Chi, what's wrong?"

Chi Wanzhao said, "I've given you everything. Do I need to teach you step by step how to do your job?"

Zhou Sheng understood. "CEO Chi, online public opinion takes time to brew. We can't rush out all our cards. I think..."

Chi Wanzhao interrupted ominously, "So you're teaching me how to handle things?"

Zhou Sheng quickly said, "I wouldn't dare."

Chi Wanzhao gave a cold, ambiguous snort and hung up.

She sat at the table, sighed at the barely touched meal, silently cleaned up the dishes, and returned to her room.

The box with the necklace Kong Xiyan gifted her was on the nightstand. Sitting on the bed, she picked up the box and examined it carefully.

Yanyan hopped onto the bed, lay on her thigh, and meowed twice, obediently seeking a scratch. Chi Wanzhao rubbed the white fur on her head, and thinking of the gentle smile when the other had given her the necklace, she couldn't help but soften her gaze.

In the next room, Kong Xiyan lay face-down on the big bed.

Frustrated, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Thinking of going to the set tomorrow, she sat up, grabbed her phone from the nightstand, and opened WeChat to Fu Qiu: "Xiao Qiu."

Within a minute, Fu Qiu replied: "Sister Kong, what's up?"

Kong Xiyan hadn't visited her in a couple of days. She thought for a moment and asked: "Feeling better?"

Fu Qiu: "Totally fine!! The doctor said I can even go back to work【Smile】."

Kong Xiyan saw the emoji and her brows slightly relaxed. Then her fingers tapped on the screen.

She asked: "Xiao Qiu, what do you do if you have a cat obsession?"

Fu Qiu grabbed her own cat, hugged it and tousled it, then replied: "Sister Kong, that's a disease, no cure!"

Kong Xiyan: "..."

She tossed the phone onto the nightstand, rolled over several times before falling asleep. The next morning, she woke with faint dark circles under her eyes, her face gloomy, which quieted her new assistant into silence.

The trending topic about her upcoming reveal was still on Weibo, even near the top. Yesterday it had only ten thousand discussions; overnight, the comments had surpassed a million, mostly from passerby netizens actively debating what the inside story might be.

Her Weibo had also surpassed ten million followers overnight.

Wei Yan's and He Wei's fans still insisted she was just riding on their coattails.

Everyone knew that He Wei and Wei Yan were about to star in Dawn, a film of undeniable significance. Now that Kong Xiyan was bringing up three years ago, it looked like pure opportunism.

They claimed it with such confidence that not only did they convince themselves, they also convinced their followers.

Thus, three camps formed online: one for He Wei and Wei Yan's fans, one for Kong Xiyan's fans, and one for the neutral onlookers.

The neutrals hadn't taken a side, waiting for the reveal so they could unleash their keyboard prowess.

Approaching the set, Kong Xiyan noticed that Tong Yue had posted a second Weibo post on her behalf.

"—It's come to this. Seems Mr. Wei and Miss He don't intend to restrain their fans. Fine. A friend of mine recently sent me a file, and I'll share it with all of you now.【Video】"

Kong Xiyan clicked play. It showed Wei Yan talking to a woman.

"Really?"

"Aren't you going too far?"

Wei Yan's voice was indifferent: "It can't be helped. We're paid to do a job. Besides, I'm thinking of us."

"Wei Yan, you're so wonderful."

The video was short, less than two minutes, but the moment it came out, it exploded.

Because of the recording time.

It was exactly three years ago, when Wei Yan and He Wei were still married. Netizen detectives all flocked, examining the video from every angle. Many claimed it was edited, or fabricated, and that Kong Xiyan should prepare for a lawsuit.

Others believed it was authentic—no trace of editing—just too low-resolution to identify the woman's face clearly, and even Wei Yan was blurry.

But no matter how blurry, the woman called Wei Yan by name, impossible to deny!

Eager netizens flocked to Wei Yan's Weibo for confirmation, asking if it was true. His fans refused to believe it, hurling curses under Kong Xiyan's video, drawing mockery from countless onlookers.

—Shameless homewrecker, prepare for a lawsuit! Slandering a celebrity without cause, if you want to make up rumors, pick someone without influence. Isn't Ling Yu available? Why not target him?

—What do you mean? Mind your own manners! Are Wei Yan's fans all like you?

—Who's making up rumors? Open your eyes, the video isn't fake! If it were, wouldn't Wei Yan send a legal notice? Would he allow Kong Xiyan to slander him like this? How many hours have passed since last night? Your precious Wei Yan hasn't even dared to squeak—what does that mean? He's guilty!

—Why argue with these delusional fans? Their brains got swapped with their hearts when they were born, otherwise they wouldn't engage in such brainless defense!

—Exactly.

Wei Yan's fans would jump in, only to be attacked. But they were like unkillable cockroaches, darting around under Kong Xiyan's Weibo, seizing any chance to smear her.

Netizens weren't pushovers either; they wouldn't let Wei Yan's fans distort reality, constantly demanding evidence.

But Wei Yan himself didn't dare to step forward, so evidence from the fans was impossible.

So the entire morning passed in endless arguments and fights.

As for He Wei, she stayed calm.

Fans even left messages to comfort her.

Some antis tried to stir the pot, asking if she knew about Wei Yan's actions from three years ago.

Of course, her fans shut those down, saying they were just feeding on tragedy, that Wei Wei was already devastated and they were just rubbing salt in the wound, undeserving to even be on that Weibo page.

Kong Xiyan hadn't paid much attention to Weibo since arriving on set. With Tong Yue managing things, she focused on filming.

When lunch break came, the new assistant brought her a boxed meal and a hot drink. Kong Xiyan sat on a stool, about to eat, when she saw someone sit across from her. She looked up—it was Gu Ling.

Gu Ling's expression was stiff: "So... on Weibo, they're saying that about three years ago..."

Kong Xiyan cut her off: "Eat first. Don't talk about that."

Gu Ling pursed her lips and lowered her head to eat.

Because of the Meet on Friday accident, Breaking the Cocoon was forced to add a segment of plot. Director Sun had Wu Qing's character disfigured while saving Gu Ling, and from then on, the character would wear a mask; Gu Ling's character, having injured her legs in the incident, would be in a wheelchair for a while.

Filming went fairly smoothly.

The actress replacing Wu Qing wasn't a newbie but a veteran, having played female leads in several dramas. Her acting was solid, so they usually got it in one take.

No time was wasted.

Kong Xiyan and Gu Ling sat opposite each other, eating. The phone on the table vibrated insistently. She picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number.

She lowered her gaze for a moment, then answered: "Hello."

"Meet me."

She recognized the voice the moment he spoke—Wei Yan.

Kong Xiyan stared at the white rice in front of her, poking at it with her chopsticks, tone casual: "Why should I?"

Wei Yan, pressured by online opinion, couldn't help but snap, "What exactly are you trying to do? Three years have passed, why dig it up now? What's the point?"

Kong Xiyan leisurely picked up a few grains of rice and put them in her mouth, replying lightly, "Whether it's meaningful isn't for you to decide."

Wei Yan tried to control his anger: "What do you want? Money?"

Kong Xiyan let out a cold laugh but didn't respond.

Wei Yan paced, then said, "Meet me. If there's a problem, let's discuss it face to face."

Kong Xiyan: "We'll definitely meet, don't worry. It'll happen soon."

"Mr. Wei, you stood on the castle I built, gazing at the world. Did you ever think that one day, I'd come back and tear it down?"

Wei Yan's face turned ugly. He gritted his teeth: "Kong Xiyan, don't say I didn't warn you. Going against us now is like an egg against a stone. Weigh your position carefully. A falling-out would hurt everyone!"

Besides, he didn't think that new video would affect him much.

At worst, he'd gain a playboy reputation.

Not a big deal.

Kong Xiyan listened, her demeanor calm, but her gaze turned cold as she said softly, "Is that so? Then let's wait and see."

Wei Yan heard the click of the call ending, and in a fury, threw his phone onto the coffee table with a clatter. He clutched his head for a moment, then went to his room, contacted Jiang Yuan via computer: "Send Kong Xiyan a legal notice, and also contact her agent."

Jiang Yuan gave a brief acknowledgement, then said, "Mr. Wei, her agent is Tong Yue."

Wei Yan frowned instantly. Tong Yue.

Another hard bone to crack!

He said, frustrated, "Send it anyway! Also, get some paid posters to dig up dirt on Kong Xiyan and bury her expose!"

Jiang Yuan: "Dirt? But we don't have any dirt on Miss Kong right now."

Wei Yan raised his voice: "Then make something up! Can you do that?"

"As long as we suppress this, it'll be fine."

"It'll be fine."

He muttered to himself, as if to reassure himself.

Suppress it.

In a couple of days, people would forget.

He could tolerate others calling him a womanizing scumbag, but he couldn't tolerate his past deeds being exposed.

Then his entire life would be over.