Chapter 8 - Chapter 8Paid internet trolls

After the walk, Ye Jialan leaned lazily on Lu Shihuan's shoulder and acted coquettishly, "Liuliu, I'm tired. Will you carry me?""Sure!"Lu Shihuan bent down and squatted halfway, making it easier for Ye Jialan to wrap her arms around his neck. His strong hands lifted her firm buttocks, and he strode steadily toward the villa.The night sky in the suburbs was far bluer than that in the city. Countless bright stars twinkled across the vast velvet dome, with a jade-like bright full moon hanging right in the center."Liuliu, this feels just like when we were kids!"Ye Jialan was only four years old when she followed Lu Shihuan to America, and he himself was merely twelve at that time.Back then, she didn't understand why her parents wanted her to go abroad with a boy she'd only met a few times. All she knew was that when she woke up after a nap, she was already in a completely foreign country.No one there spoke Chinese, and she couldn't understand a single word of what they said.The little girl had no choice but to cling tightly to Lu Shihuan's small hand—he became her entire world.Gradually, she got used to life in America, but she had to start learning English with a tutor who was extremely strict, holding classes late into the night every day.By the time the lessons ended, it was already past ten o'clock in the evening, and the cook at home had long since left for the day.Her stomach would be growling with hunger, and Lu Shihuan, worried that cold food would upset her stomach, would take her hand and sneak out to a 24-hour KFC nearby, where they'd feast on fried chicken, hamburgers, and French fries.Every time she stuffed herself full, she would pat her round belly and playfully refuse to walk, clinging to Lu Shihuan.And every single time, Lu Shihuan would squat down, let her lie on his shoulders, and carry her back to their place.Lu Shihuan's thoughts drifted back to that year when he was twelve, as Ye Jialan's words stirred up memories. A pleasant smile tugged at the corner of his lips, unconsciously."Yeah, I carried you home just like this back then."As soon as he finished speaking, the steady sound of Ye Jialan's breathing reached his ears. Lu Shihuan couldn't help but laugh softly."You little piggy!"While Ye Jialan slept soundly in his arms, a storm was brewing online.In Room 702, Building 3, Hanhai Garden, Beijing, Tang Qichen had just finished a call with Director Ji An. He was about to dial Ye Jialan's number when he caught sight of the trending topics popping up in his phone's notification bar.One glance was all it took. Even the even-tempered Tang Qichen couldn't help but swear loudly, "Damn it! Trending on Xunlu's homepage! Trending on Baidu's homepage..."Xunlu Network was the most influential entertainment website in the country, home to countless forums big and small. In recent years, almost every major scandal and gossip in the entertainment industry had first broken on Xunlu.As a result, the site's regular visitors included not just movie fans and followers, but also numerous entertainment journalists, and even staff from celebrity studios and entertainment companies—testament to Xunlu's enormous influence.Tang Qichen scanned the headlines briefly, and his face darkened instantly.A powerful army of paid internet trolls had already flooded the site, well-versed in crafting clickbait titles that grabbed people's attention.By the time Tang Qichen saw them, the headlines had morphed into something like this:Let's Expose the Actresses in Showbiz—Where Talent Matters Less Than Looks, and Looks Matter Less Than Bedroom Skills!Reliable Source: A Certain Rising Starlet Is Soft, Delicate, and Easy to Seduce—Acting Skills Are Irrelevant!...Reading through these headlines, anyone with half a brain could figure out who they were targeting.It was no wonder so many people were gossiping about Ye Jialan. For a complete newcomer to land a role as important as the second female lead in a film directed by Ji An, jealousy ran rampant among a large portion of actresses in the industry.But Ye Jialan possessed a magical charm—she seemed born to act. She slipped into roles effortlessly, had a sharp understanding of characters, and most importantly, her performances were incredibly compelling.Even when she played a fool, standing there quietly and blankly, she was enough to stir the hearts of the audience.A talent like Ye Jialan was destined for stardom!The content on the forums grew more and more explicit by the minute. Whether the rumors were true or not, Tang Qichen knew he couldn't let this spiral any further.He closed the webpage, found a contact in his address book, and pressed the dial button.The phone rang three times before a drowsy voice answered on the other end."Hello? Who's this?""It's me. I'll give you ten minutes—hack Xunlu's trending list and take those posts down."The young man on the line grunted in response, followed by the sound of shallow breathing."Hey, Q! Wake up! You can sleep later.""Ugh, you're so noisy... Oh, right! Forgot to tell you—someone called two minutes before you did. So sorry, you're too late."Click, click... "Hello? Hello! Q!"Tang Qichen tried to say more, but the line had already gone dead. What did he mean by someone called two minutes earlier?Could there be someone else out there helping Ye Jialan?Suddenly, a thought struck Tang Qichen like a bolt of lightning, and he let out a sigh of relief involuntarily."It's him! It must be him!" There was no doubt about it. Even though he had never laid eyes on the man's true face, judging by Ye Jialan's daily outfits and the way she carried herself, he knew the man behind her must have an extremely powerful background.Sure enough, less than five minutes later, Tang Qichen checked Xunlu again—and the trending topics had switched to a celebrity couple who'd been mired in a scandal not long ago.Tang Qichen finally relaxed, so much so that he completely forgot about the audition he was supposed to take Ye Jialan to the day after tomorrow.He poured himself a leisurely glass of red wine, then turned and headed back to his bedroom.Meanwhile, in her apartment at Imperial View Manor, Bai Xiuwen was jumping up and down on the sofa in excitement as she watched the flood of negative headlines attacking Ye Jialan on Xunlu.Just a rookie, trying to steal her thunder as a Best Actress? Over her dead body!Her good mood sparked an appetite. She closed the Xunlu webpage, opened a food delivery app, and ordered her favorite crystal shrimp dumplings, a slice of cheesecake, and a fruit salad.With the order placed, Bai Xiuwen turned on the stereo in the living room in high spirits and did ten minutes of yoga.Ding-dong...The doorbell rang. Bai Xiuwen stopped her workout, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with a towel, and walked to the door. She checked the peephole and saw the delivery guy standing outside.She swung the door open."Miss, your delivery... Wow! You—you're—you're..."Bai Xiuwen's heart skipped a beat with delight, a triumphant smile spreading across her face as she took the delivery bag and nodded proudly, "That's right! I'm Bai...""You're the woman who stole Xiaoxiao's beloved man in Little Tenderness!"Pfft!Bai Xiuwen's smile froze, her face alternating between red and green with embarrassment. She signed the delivery slip awkwardly, then slammed the door shut as fast as she could."Hey, miss! Don't forget to leave a five-star review!"The delivery guy called out as he walked away. Inside the apartment, Bai Xiuwen felt like she was about to vomit blood from anger.She glared at the fragrant takeout bag in her hand and cursed under her breath, "Damn it! Bastards! All of them are blind idiots!"After venting her frustration, her appetite vanished completely. The thought that the delivery guy was actually a fan of that woman Ye Jialan made her see red with rage.In a fit of anger, she tossed the takeout bag straight into the trash can by the door.