Against the Light - Chapter 17
Chapter 17: A Test
"Um… Sister, what do you plan to do with this video?" The newly appointed assistant was already responsibly starting to worry for her boss.
"What do you suggest?"
"Well… from what I've observed, Luo Bing's fans are jumping around everywhere, promoting her left and right. It's actually starting to hurt her public appeal. And there are definitely a lot of people who are jealous of her overnight fame. If we release this video, plenty of people will probably take the opportunity to fish in troubled waters and pull Luo Bing down. But right now, doing that is very dangerous."
"Oh?"
"To be honest, your popularity right now really can't compare to Luo Bing's. Plus, with your past behavior, even if we release this video, people will just assume you're deliberately trying to smear her. They'll be able to spin the black into white. Even if you manage to take Luo Bing down, you'll be completely finished too. You'd just be paving the way for someone else."
"Mm."
"So I think the most urgent thing is for you to boost your own popularity, your number of fans, and your public appeal. Public appeal is the most important! Because the general public are your potential fans!"
"This is a trump card. If we play it now, it might not be enough to take her down. It's better to wait for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow!"
Her thoughts coincided with Gu Xinran's. Gu Xinran nodded, her appreciation for the girl growing. "I didn't realize you were so scheming."
"No way! I'm super innocent!"
"Sister, can I ask a question?"
"Hm?"
"In this video, what did Luo Bing say to you?" Fang Jinghai's face was full of curiosity. She had watched the video over and over, even trying to read their lips, but couldn't figure it out.
Gu Xinran looked at the video, a cold glint flashing in her eyes that made her little assistant jump. "Sorry, I won't ask!"
"Uh, Sister, why don't you rest first? I'll go find the director and resign?"
"Go ahead."
"Alrighty~ Oh, right, Sister, can I get a picture with you~"
"Hm?"
"Ah, my niece is a huge fan of yours. I want to take a picture with you to show her, just to make her mad~"
And she called that not being scheming?
Gu Xinran chuckled lightly. "Sure. Make me look pretty."
"Of course!"
Fang Jinghai adjusted the angle, took a photo, and then gleefully sent it to her little niece.
"How old is your niece?" Gu Xinran was a little surprised. She had young fans?
"Twenty-four. Two years older than me." Fang Jinghai was busy fiddling with her phone.
"???"
"Oh, well, even though she's older than me, our family seniority is what it is. My mom had me late. We grew up together~"
Gu Xinran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Fair enough.
"Is she also that 'expensive'?"
Fang Jinghai rolled her eyes. It seemed the joke about her name would never die!
"She's not expensive, but her seniority is high."
"High seniority?"
"Yeah. When people say her name, it sounds like they're calling her 'Auntie,' so no one around her likes to hang out with her. They feel like they're being taken advantage of." Fang Jinghai finished with a smile, only to realize her boss was completely stunned.
"Sister Ran?"
"Fang… Yi?" Gu Xinran asked tentatively.
"Huh? How did you know?"
Gu Xinran took a moment to calm herself, an unconscious smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Her heart began to pound for no reason. When she saw Jiang Boyan, she had wondered if there might be another Fang Yi in this world, just as there was another Jiang Boyan. She never expected…
"Do you have a picture?"
"Not on me. I'll go back and ask her for one. If I tell her you want to see it, she'll definitely give it to me! She looks a lot like me, just thinner, and she has this cool, aloof vibe."
"Okay." Gu Xinran studied Fang Jinghai's features again and was now almost certain that the niece she spoke of was this world's Fang Yi. Her eyes and brows were fifty percent similar to Fang Yi's. The first time she saw Fang Jinghai, she had found the young camerawoman somewhat familiar. She just never imagined fate would be so kind!
"Well, Sister Ran, you get some rest!"
"Okay, you can go."
After Fang Jinghai left, Gu Xinran propped her chin on her hand and gazed out the window. This world was wonderful. Not only was her lover here, but her best friend was too. She just wondered what this world's Fang Yi's personality was like.
After thinking for a while, she took out her phone and scrolled through Weibo. She suddenly noticed that the hashtag 【Treasure Girl Gu Xinran】 was trending. Clicking on it, she saw it was full of clips from her time on 【Escape from Death】 and the song she had sung.
Gu Xinran was a little surprised. Was her image being rehabilitated this quickly?
But one look at the comments brought her back to reality.
The top ten comments were all cursing her and the production team, saying she had paid them off to help whitewash her reputation. Although there were some voices defending her, they couldn't make any waves. The comments were also full of haters attacking Luo Bing, trying to stir up conflict and set a rhythm.
Still, seeing that some people were defending her was a great comfort.
She then went to check Luo Bing's Weibo page. It was a sea of encouragement, cheers, and praise for "Luo Luo." The occasional negative comment was long buried under the flood of positive ones from her fans.
It seemed Fang Jinghai was right. Luo Bing's popularity was still very high. To take her down, she had to quickly build herself up and wait for a chance to deliver a fatal blow. Becoming stronger herself was the biggest blow she could deal to her opponent.
After a while, she rubbed her temples, setting aside the matter of Luo Bing for the time being. She searched on Weibo for the full story of the original host's divorce. She learned from a gossip account that the so-called cheating wasn't just a baseless rumor! According to this account, the original host had shared a bed with a certain Y-surnamed female star, and someone had even sent a photo of them in bed to her wife!
Gu Xinran was shocked. At the same time, when she saw the word "cheating," a wave of revulsion rose from the bottom of her heart. She could feel the original host's resistance, which made her realize there must be more to this story!
What she couldn't tolerate was that the bed photo had been sent to Yilan! Yilan had loved the original host so much; how desperate must she have felt upon seeing that picture?!
For the entire day, Gu Xinran immersed herself in all sorts of gossip. There were many versions of her cheating scandal, but without exception, they all featured a mysterious Y-surnamed female star. She felt she had to figure out who this Y-surnamed star was. She needed to find a photo of her, or see her in person, to see if it would trigger any relevant memories.
Netizens seemed to have all sorts of guesses about this Y-surnamed star—Yang XX, Ye XX, Yan XX… there were too many, with no clear target.
"What are you doing?" When Qu Qi came in, she saw Gu Xinran sitting cross-legged on the bed like an old monk in meditation, hands on her knees, eyes closed in thought.
Gu Xinran turned to look at her and asked with sincere curiosity, "Do you know which Y-surnamed star I slept with?"
"?????"
"That's… not really an appropriate question to ask me, is it??" Qu Qi looked as if she'd seen a ghost.
True.
"When can I be discharged?"
"Tomorrow, probably. Get a good rest today."
"Are there any work arrangements?"
"There's a script I'm trying to get for you. You might not get the lead role, but at least it's an opportunity." Qu Qi looked gratified. Although 【Escape from Death】 was a relatively niche variety show, Xinran's outstanding performance had won her some chances. Participating in the show hadn't been a waste!
"Okay." Gu Xinran nodded, then mentioned her idea of making Fang Jinghai her assistant. Qu Qi had no objections. After all, her previous assistant had jumped ship without hesitation the moment she fell from grace. It was indeed inconvenient for her to be without anyone by her side, but she would still need to vet this candidate.
"Alright, I'm leaving then. You rest well. Don't overthink things for now. I'll handle the work."
"Okay, thank you."
After Qu Qi left, Gu Xinran put her phone down and lay on the bed to rest, closing her eyes. She glanced at the sky; it was already completely dark.
She remembered Fang Jinghai saying that Yilan had stayed here and watched over her for the entire night yesterday. A small flicker of anticipation was unavoidable. Would she come again today?
No, it was better if she didn't. Not sleeping at night was too damaging to one's health. Even if her constitution was good in this life, she couldn't withstand that kind of strain.
Meanwhile, at the nurses' station outside the hospital room.
Bai Yilan was asking a nurse about Gu Xinran's condition. When she learned that Gu Xinran hadn't cried out in pain or even frowned during her dressing change today, Yilan's thin lips pressed together slightly. She nodded with a placid expression, said thank you, and then headed straight for the room.
As she reached the door, she glanced down at the food container in her hand and pushed the door open.
When Gu Xinran heard the door open, she was visibly startled, then immediately closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Bai Yilan walked to the bedside. Seeing her slightly fluttering eyelashes, she said flatly, "Stop pretending."
Hearing her voice, Gu Xinran slowly opened her eyes. A layer of mist instantly clouded her clear pupils.
This was the first sentence Yilan had spoken to her since she arrived in this world, and the first time she had seen her from such a close distance. She had dreamed of this scene, of her Yilan standing before her, safe and sound, looking at her with tender affection.
"Time to eat." Yilan placed the food container on the table.
Gu Xinran was still having trouble processing it.
Yilan… actually came to bring her food???
She sat up in a daze. Under Yilan's intense gaze, she picked up the container. Opening it, she saw it was celery stir-fried with meat. It must have been made by Yilan herself. Tears of emotion almost fell from her eyes, and she had to take a deep breath to hold them back.
As she picked up the chopsticks, she frowned slightly and touched her wrist.
Yilan saw this. After a moment of silence, she sat down across from her, took the chopsticks from her hand, and skillfully picked up a piece of celery, bringing it to her lips.
Gu Xinran's eyes widened. She was stunned by the unexpected favor!
Staring at Yilan for a long moment, she suddenly realized that Yilan was expressing concern for the original host.
After a moment's hesitation, she felt she had no right to accept this affection on the original host's behalf. She raised her hand. "I can do it myself."
Yilan glanced at her, then handed the chopsticks back. She watched as Gu Xinran ate with large mouthfuls, a look of satisfaction on her face as she ate the celery she hated most.
Soon, Xinran finished her meal and was about to wash the container when Yilan stopped her.
"Was it good?" Yilan asked softly.
"Delicious!"
"When did you start liking celery? Didn't you used to feel sick just smelling it since you were a child?"
"???" Xinran was shocked. The joy she had felt moments ago was instantly washed away. No wonder Yilan's actions had felt so abnormal. It turned out she was here to… test her? Had she already started to suspect her?
"Be… because you made it." Xinran's scalp tingled. She met Yilan's gaze and gave her a radiant smile, trying to imitate the way the original host would act cute in front of her.
However, all she received in return was Yilan's gradually deepening gaze.
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