My Queen, My Rules - Chapter 61

Chapter 61

In fact, by the time Cen Sen called Ji Mingshu, members of both the Cen and Ji families had already received the news and taken action. Less than two hours after the trending topic appeared, it—and all related subjects—vanished without a trace in a single instant.

The staff of the Designer production team had been monitoring the real-time public sentiment, watching as the actual conversion rate soared. Everyone was feeling delighted, but the next second, the trending search was suddenly gone. Furthermore, on major forums, many discussion threads related to the show were "disappearing" at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The production staff, bewildered, immediately contacted the marketing company they were collaborating with.

The marketing company replied, "We aren't sure why it was pulled either. Weibo hasn't provided an answer, and the various forums have only given official responses—either saying the posts didn't comply with regulations or that they were reported... However, we will further contact the top management of the major forums and notify you as soon as we have news."

The PR representative from this marketing company had a voice that was sweet yet sharp, polite and gentle, and seemingly very cordial.

The staff member who made the call was a greenhorn. Led along by this sweet talk, they just kept nodding and saying, "Okay, okay, okay."

After the call ended, the producer asked, "What did they say?"

The staff member paused, only then realizing in hindsight that although the PR lady had said a whole lot, she had actually said nothing at all.

They didn't know why the search was pulled, why the posts were deleted, or when an accurate answer would be forthcoming.

The producer, already frazzled, paced back and forth in the office. Unable to help himself, he put his hands on his hips and cursed, "Are you a pig? I’m asking you, are you a pig? Why don't you hurry up and call again to press them!"

The staff member shrunk their shoulders, feeling guilty. When they tried calling again, the phone went, as expected, to a "no answer" status.

Several of the program's leaders couldn't fathom the situation. They were terrified that this was like last season’s broadcast, where they happened to collide with some new directive from above and were unluckily caught in the crossfire.

They threw ideas back and forth, but after a long time, they still hadn't reached any conclusion.

In the end, someone tentatively voiced a guess that everyone had in the back of their minds but was unwilling to dwell on: "Could it be... that Ji Mingshu found someone to pull it herself?"

The air remained silent for four or five seconds before a voice responded, "Surely... not, right? She’s just a designer, and she didn’t even have any works to her name before this."

"I think so too... It seems she was introduced by Meng Xiaowei. Meng Xiaowei did that to disentangle herself from Li Che, and she didn't ask a single follow-up question after sending her over. She doesn't seem to have any extraordinary capability or background..."

Even as they said this, they looked at one another, their voices growing quieter and their confidence feeling increasingly fragile.

Because they suddenly realized—the possibility that Ji Mingshu had a powerful background seemed far higher than them being unluckily caught by a new directive from above.

The producer, without hesitation, used every possible means to contact Meng Xiaowei, who was currently in seclusion filming.

Meng Xiaowei was a clever girl. Once she gained popularity, she was determined to transition and focus on her craft. She had been holed up in the deep mountains for the past few months and rarely went online; she was completely unaware of this incident until the producer called.

Moreover, her own understanding of Ji Mingshu was very limited. After telling the producer what she knew, she grew increasingly afraid that this matter would implicate her. She hurriedly sent a message to apologize to Ji Mingshu.

She sensed something was wrong immediately. The producer had only told her part of the story, and if trouble had arisen, they were surely the ones who had acted unfairly first.

Regardless of the cause and effect, and regardless of whether Ji Mingshu had a background, apologizing to her was definitely the right move.

After apologizing, Meng Xiaowei contacted Gu Kaiyang, hoping to probe her for information.

Gu Kaiyang, who usually treated this rising star quite warmly, answered the phone tonight with a coldness that was not difficult to detect.

Meng Xiaowei didn't want to be a nuisance, so she cut straight to the point.

Gu Kaiyang didn't answer directly, saying only dismissively, "The matter has already happened, and whether you've offended someone or not, you've already offended them. What’s the use of saying all this now... Oh, right, dear, I heard you have to film in Heshan for another two months, right? That solo cover after the New Year was originally reserved for you, but the magazine did an estimation, and the schedule might not align. So, let’s wait until you finish filming to arrange it."

Meng Xiaowei opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Gu Kaiyang cut her off: "It’s getting late, dear. Filming is hard work, so get some rest early. I still have some work to finish, so let’s not chat today."

The intent to vent her anger was so obvious that if Meng Xiaowei didn't understand, she would have been wasting her time in the entertainment industry.

Furthermore, even though Gu Kaiyang didn't answer directly, her words essentially confirmed that the removal of the trending topics and the deletion of the posts were indeed related to Ji Mingshu. Listening to Gu Kaiyang’s tone, Ji Mingshu likely had a background that truly couldn't be offended.

After all, she was the one who had introduced her. If things went wrong, she would offend both parties. While reporting back to the producer, she asked her assistant to organize the ins and outs of this incident to see if there was any room for her to make amends.

Actually, the cause and effect of this incident were quite simple; those who often walk in the circle could understand it at a glance—the production team had likely cooperated with Yan Yuexing’s side, using a non-celebrity as a stepping stone to stir up buzz.

Before the show aired tonight, the Designer production team had prepared many press releases to build momentum on major forums.

Once everyone was enticed to watch the show, a new batch of releases was dropped, providing in-depth analysis of the latest episode from different angles. During this time, a steady stream of real onlookers and fans joined the fray, and the heat began to rise within a small circle.

Just then, Yan Yuexing suddenly posted a Weibo status with only a "smile" emoji, which she immediately deleted.

Yan Yuexing was, after all, the only named "ace" in a struggling small girl group. As a teenage idol with nearly ten million followers on Weibo, while her fan base couldn't compare to top-tier traffic, they were very loyal. Usually, they were like adrenaline junkies, going wherever their "sister" pointed. Anything she did, even posting a photo or something trivial, could be blindly praised to the heavens.

As soon as this post with its obvious suggestive meaning appeared, the public sentiment was instantly pushed to a new level.

Fans were frantically protective. Even fans who had initially thought it was just a publicity stunt by the production team and were watching from the sidelines began to join in. Exuding a fierce aura—"whoever bullies our Xingxing must die" and "I can suffer, but our Xingxing absolutely cannot"—they went to war.

However, in major forums, there were quite a few fans of her teammates and rivals who disliked Yan Yuexing. Not everyone was willing to swallow the narrative set by paid posters and fans.

Many fans of other celebrities who frequented fan circles predicted early on: Ji Mingshu was likely the victim of malicious editing.

She was an outsider; she couldn't possibly have criticized Yan Yuexing for no reason. Why didn't she criticize Feng Yan or Pei Xiyan?

Moreover, Ji Mingshu in the show was extremely impatient with Yan Yuexing, while Yan Yuexing acted like a soft, long-suffering punching bag. It was all too fake and surreal.

Some anti-fans quickly finished the episode and threw out a GIF of Yan Yuexing from years ago, rolling her eyes and acting like a diva, posting with mockery: [Laughing to death, how does YYX even have the face to go on a show and play the 'kindly, long-suffering' character? Do you think everyone has amnesia? I suggest everyone take a look at this image to sober up and feel the aura of a world-class diva. By the way, I’m loving the designer for 1 second. I’m a fan of her looks; if there's a plan to fund her debut, I’m willing to contribute one hundred yuan.]

The back-and-forth online could be called a war without smoke. Before the trending search was pulled and the discussion threads were deleted, the situation online was roughly a three-way stalemate:

A portion of Yan Yuexing's fans were responsible for cursing Ji Mingshu, while another portion focused on controlling the narrative on Weibo, forums, and Baidu Tieba;

Weibo casuals mainly read the trending PR articles, with the majority feeling pity for Yan Yuexing and attacking Ji Mingshu, while a small portion who saw the fan abuse were calling for an end to cyberbullying against non-celebrities;

The forums had more veteran gossipers and people familiar with fan culture, who held a wait-and-see attitude toward the show's drama. Their analysis and interpretation of the show's clips were more diverse, and some people's thinking went in such strange directions that they actually thought Ji Mingshu was beautiful and cool when she dissed Yan Yuexing.

—But all of this only happened before the trending search was pulled and the discussion threads were deleted.

The people from the Cen and Ji families really didn't know much about these entertainment industry matters. Cursing their way onto a trending search? Then pull it. Opening threads to keep cursing? Then delete them.

Ji Mingshu's second uncle was a typical superior; his methods for dealing with public opinion were very brute-force.

When the matter reached his ears late at night, he not only pulled the trending search and deleted the posts, but also took a "one-size-fits-all" approach, thinking he could cleanly and permanently eliminate the problem.

But this simple, brutal approach shocked the "gossip goddesses" who hadn't had any new drama to chew on for a long time.

[Holy crap, that's boss. What is that designer's background?! After pulling the trending search and deleting the posts, now the search results don't even display? Is that for real?]

[Honestly, I never expected that I could eat this much drama from a struggling show using fighting to stir up buzz. Respect.]

[So, does this mean the designer really has a solid foundation, which is why she shredded a certain ace on the show? Also, didn't the production team know? How could they be so straightforward about airing the show? Man, why do I get the feeling that both the production team and Yan Yuexing are about to be in deep trouble?]

[I only just wrote my thesis proposal and I’ve already missed so much! Wuu wuu wuu, seeking a class representative to catch me up!]

Late at night, the night owls were still active on various forums. The casual onlookers no longer cared about who was being catty on this pathetic show; everyone only cared about what Ji Mingshu’s background actually was.

Forum users truly were capable. Among the many chaotic, mysterious, and unbelievable leaks, someone in the know actually revealed Ji Mingshu's real background, half-true and half-false.

[I am genuinely shocked by how this whole thing played out... Is Xingcheng such a small place that it has no internet? Xingcheng TV is truly crazy. I have a friend who knows this young lady (only unilaterally, because this young lady's circle is way too high-end). This young lady is a fan of Pei Xiyan, and she probably only participated in this show because of him.]

[My friend’s family runs mines; she drove a Ferrari to school when she was eighteen. Then she told me quite earnestly that someone like her is just an "average" family in their circle. This young lady is what you call a "white, rich, and beautiful" socialite; her background carries the "Capital" (Beijing) prestige, and her husband's family is also a "Capital" family—truly a hidden giant of wealth.]

[Adding a bit more: this young lady attended the Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris when she was fifteen—the ball that only top-tier socialites can attend. When she goes to Fashion Week, it's at the level where the presidents of luxury brands invite her to dinner... Yeah... anyway, it's the kind of series where poverty limits your imagination. I really don't understand how this whole thing happened, but that's all I'm saying.]

These leaks looked dazzling and exciting to the onlookers, but they were very eyesore and heartbreaking for Yan Yuexing’s fans.

"Our Xingxing worked so hard to get to where she is today. Just because you have a background, does that mean you can give our Xingxing a cold shoulder on the show whenever you want?!"

Late at night, emotions were easily stirred. Fan leaders appealed with bloody tears in their group chats, saying they absolutely could not let their "Xingxing" be brought down by power. They had to protect the girl they loved most!

Young girls in their teens were also incited. Late at night, skipping homework and not showering, they were willing to drain their vitality to defend their idol, using phones and computers to "blood-wash" Ji Mingshu’s Weibo comment section.

When Ji Mingshu woke up, she realized that after pulling the trending searches and deleting the posts, the situation had actually become even more uncontrollable.

There were even fans of Yan Yuexing tagging various official media under her Weibo, saying that Ji Mingshu was acting recklessly because she had a background, and demanding an investigation into whether her family’s money was earned cleanly.

On the other side, Yan Yuexing hadn't slept all night. After finally figuring out Ji Mingshu’s background, her team communicated with the production team overnight, and the PR department was working overtime to come up with a plan.

At this moment, she had only one wish: she hoped her fans would shut their mouths.