Married in a Daze - Chapter 51
Chapter 51
After leaving Lu Ruyun's apartment, Qin Zhenzhen went straight to the company to find Meng Xin. If she returned to her own place right now, a whole pack of paparazzi would undoubtedly be lying in wait for her.
Ji Lu, who came to pick her up, watched her expression carefully and scratched her head. "Zhenzhen, don't worry too much. Sister Meng will handle it."
Qin Zhenzhen thought for a moment and said to her, "I'll go to the company. You go to the mall and buy some clothes to keep in the car."
Ji Lu looked at her, puzzled. "Buy clothes?"
Qin Zhenzhen hummed in affirmation and nodded.
If she went back now, she would definitely be photographed by reporters, and then it would be hard to explain. Thinking of this, she asked Ji Lu to bring out a notepad, tore off a piece of paper, scribbled a few things on it, and handed it to Ji Lu. "Just buy these."
Ji Lu looked at the list in her hand, ranging from daily necessities to cosmetics to clothing and bags, and was momentarily dumbfounded. "Zhenzhen..."
Qin Zhenzhen tilted her head to look out the car window. "I'm moving in to live with Teacher Lu."
Ji Lu's eyes widened, her pretty face blank for a few seconds. She swallowed upon realizing what was said and replied, "Okay."
The driver took Qin Zhenzhen to the entertainment company. After seeing her upstairs, Ji Lu left. Qin Zhenzhen mustered up the courage to face a possible scolding and knocked on Meng Xin's office door.
"Come in."
Thinking it was an assistant delivering documents, Meng Xin called out coldly. The incident that had just occurred completely erased her good mood from the morning. Not to mention, after receiving Director Yu's message, she was even more furious.
Those who leaked the news really knew how to pick their timing.
After she called out without looking up, she heard the sound of high heels tapping their way in. Qin Zhenzhen stood in front of her desk and called out, "Sister Meng."
Meng Xin quickly looked up, frowning. "Why are you here? Weren't you in the hospital?"
Seeing her tired expression, Qin Zhenzhen lowered her head. "She was discharged this morning."
Meng Xin paused. A little assistant from outside came in with two cups of coffee and placed them on the tea table. Meng Xin pointed to the sofa. "Sit."
Qin Zhenzhen walked over and sat down on the sofa. The assistant stood respectfully to the side. Meng Xin tapped on the keyboard as she asked, "Has the statement been released?"
The assistant nodded. "It has, but the online controversy is still huge."
That was to be expected. Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun's sudden marriage after their initial friction had already attracted all sorts of speculation. However, their interactions on Star Showdown really didn't seem fake and were more like a genuine newlywed couple, which had temporarily prevented people from digging deeper.
Now that this so-called ironclad evidence of a marriage of convenience had surfaced, it immediately caused an uproar. It wasn't surprising at all.
To quell this, a mere statement wouldn't be enough to suppress it.
Meng Xin obviously knew this too. She looked up at the assistant. "Do your best to suppress it. Even if it can't be fully suppressed, you must suppress it. Also, have you found out who posted it?"
The little assistant shook her head with a troubled expression. "Not yet."
Meng Xin let out a breath. "Hurry up and investigate."
She needed to get this matter resolved within the next two days.
Otherwise, Director Yu's resource might really slip away.
The little assistant lowered her head. "Then I'll go out first."
Meng Xin waved her hand, signaling her to leave. The office was now just Qin Zhenzhen and Meng Xin. Qin Zhenzhen stirred the spoon in her coffee cup; the spoon clinked crisply against the rim. She said with some apology, "Sister Meng, I'm causing you trouble again."
Meng Xin looked at the top of her head, stood up, and walked over to her with an exasperated expression. "Alright, enough with the formalities now. The best outcome is if we can find out who posted it before tomorrow, then we'll have the best explanation."
"I'm just afraid if we still can't find out by tomorrow night, then..."
Qin Zhenzhen was all too aware of the intricacies involved. She lowered her eyes, lost in thought.
Meng Xin sat down beside her, picked up her coffee cup, and asked, "Any suspects?"
Suspects?
Qin Zhenzhen shook her head.
When this exposé came out, she had thought about it, but she couldn't figure out who it could be. Lu Ruyun's personality meant she rarely offended people, so the problem likely stemmed from her own side.
And on her side, the only person she had offended before was Tang Ya.
But Tang Ya was someone she had just met a few days ago. Even if she knew about the fake marriage, she couldn't have taken those photos in advance. Those photos were clearly from a couple of months ago. Tang Ya couldn't possibly have foreseen the future, and besides, at that time, Qin Zhenzhen hadn't even attended Director Yu's audition yet, so they weren't even enemies.
She lowered her eyes in deep thought. Meng Xin pursed her lips. "Do you think... might be Zheng Shaoyuan?"
Actually, when Meng Xin saw that exposé post, her first suspect was Zheng Shaoyuan.
After all, Zhenzhen had offended Zheng Shaoyuan before, even offending the investors behind him. If they wanted to mess with her, fabricating this kind of false information was entirely possible.
Moreover, Zheng Shaoyuan was always well-informed. He must have gotten the news about Zhenzhen signing with Director Yu this time. He had been targeting Zhenzhen before; how could he stand idly by now?
Meng Xin's question stumped Qin Zhenzhen. Silence fell in the office for a moment. Both took a shallow sip of coffee. Meng Xin placed her cup on the tea table, returned to her desk to pick up her phone. "If by tomorrow afternoon we still can't find the poster, we'll have to settle for the second-best option."
As she spoke, she handed her phone to Qin Zhenzhen. Qin Zhenzhen flipped through a few photos in the album and looked up in surprise. "When were these taken?"
Meng Xin: "A few days ago."
Qin Zhenzhen remembered what Meng Xin had said earlier about giving Director Zheng a "gift." So this was it. Holding the phone, she understood Meng Xin's plan. After this news broke, they could just pin the blame for the marriage of convenience exposé on Zheng Shaoyuan. Netizens eating the melon wouldn't care about the so-called truth; they just liked drama—the messier, the better.
As for Zheng Shaoyuan, he would just have to swallow this bitter pill. Whether it was him or not, he'd have to bear the blame.
Serves him right for always using Wei An to tie her up in promotional hype before.
Seeing her expression, Meng Xin patted her shoulder. "Don't overthink it. Leave this matter to me to handle. At the latest by tomorrow, I'll definitely give Director Yu a response."
Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "Okay."
Before she could get up, her phone rang from her bag. She took it out to look; it was her mom calling.
Qin Zhenzhen's expression twisted. This matter had blown up so big; her parents must have heard the news too.
She blinked. Meng Xin nudged her shoulder. "Answer the call."
Qin Zhenzhen lowered her head and answered the phone.
"Hello, Mom..."
Hearing her address, Meng Xin stood up to give her some private space. She walked over to the computer. The pages for Weibo and various major forums were still open. The statement just released and the photos of their marriage certificate were still posted, but the comments below were a complete mess.
—What's fake? Just a few photos and you're saying they have a marriage of convenience? What, do they need to sleep in front of you to prove they're married?
—Yeah, I think some people are meddling too much. Mind your own business. Blowing with the wind, swaying with the tide—do you have any opinions of your own? I'm really worried you'll end up slapping your own faces.
—Tsk, to be honest, if Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun are just in a marriage of convenience, that's whatever. The key is building a persona, okay! You brain-dead fans, chewing on fake sugar while saying how sweet it is, it's really disgusting.
—The entertainment industry is ruined by these irresponsible artists! Any bird can be a star now, speechless. The day you build a persona is the day you should think about the consequences of it collapsing!
—Qin Zhenzhen is really on the hot searches every other day, a veritable 'Hot Search Queen.' I'm starting to suspect if she's paying for it. Even a fart could make it up there. Serves her right this time, shooting herself in the foot.
Meng Xin took in all these comments. Resting her chin on her hand, her long hair covering half her profile, her gaze occasionally flicked to her phone as if she was hesitating about something.
Qin Zhenzhen hung up the phone and let out a long sigh. She turned to Meng Xin and said, "Sister Meng, I'm leaving first."
Meng Xin stood up and nodded. "Don't go out these next couple of days. Stay in the apartment. If there's any news from Director Yu, I'll notify you immediately."
Qin Zhenzhen forced a slight smile. "Okay."
After leaving the company, Ji Lu hadn't finished buying the things yet. Qin Zhenzhen sat in the car waiting for her to return. She opened Weibo. The hot search about her and Lu Ruyun's marriage of convenience had already been taken down. Even though it was removed, the top spot on the trending list was still that post reposted from Tianya. Qin Zhenzhen scrolled down a bit; three spots on the list were related to their marriage of convenience.
Many people had already started asking: Where's Qin Zhenzhen's hot search? Wasn't it just there?
—Qin Zhenzhen took down the hot search? Wow, that's a classic case of 'protesting too much,' meaning the exposé is true?
—If it weren't true, would they dare to expose it like this? Aren't they afraid of being sued?
—Where are her fans? Her brain-dead fans? Come out and clean up the mess! Your Qin Zhenzhen took down the Weibo!
Her eyes scanned from top to bottom when the car door suddenly opened. Ji Lu stood at the door, panting, arms full of stuff. "Zhenzhen, I bought everything."
Qin Zhenzhen made some space. After Ji Lu put the things in the car, she climbed in. Seeing Qin Zhenzhen's phone still on the Weibo page, she tried to lighten the mood. "Zhenzhen, don't pay attention to those people on Weibo. They're all talking nonsense. They're just jealous of you. The more popular you are, the more haters you have."
Qin Zhenzhen smiled faintly and shook her head. "I'm fine."
Ji Lu relaxed a bit, but didn't forget to take a box from the bag behind her and hand it to Qin Zhenzhen.
Puzzled, Qin Zhenzhen opened it and saw a cup of milk tea inside, still warm. She placed her hand on the cup, feeling warmth spread through her heart as well.
She took a satisfying sip. The bitter taste of coffee lingering on her tongue was instantly covered. A sweetness rose in her throat, easing some of her gloomy mood considerably.
The van sped along towards Lu Ruyun's apartment. Qin Zhenzhen held the milk tea, looking out the window. Withered yellow leaves occasionally brushed past her window, giving off a somewhat desolate feeling.
Ji Lu was lowering her head, organizing the things, when a message notification sounded from her phone in the bag. She absentmindedly picked it up to look, then immediately furrowed her brows and quickly clicked on a link someone had sent her.
Qin Zhenzhen noticed her troubled expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ji Lu handed her the phone, biting her lip, saying nothing.
Qin Zhenzhen took the phone and her expression turned cold upon seeing the content on the screen.
@Zheng Shaoyuan: Seeing the recent news about a certain artist's marriage of convenience, I suddenly remembered not long ago when a female star came to me for a screen test. A test is a test, I thought. Considering my new film still needed a female lead, and she had decent basics, I let her directly get on stage to perform a scene for me. Who knew she would then turn around and hand me a hotel room key? It was truly laughable and pitiable. I hope artists in the industry take fewer of these shortcuts, engage in less hype, think more about how to improve their acting skills, and be down-to-earth in becoming proper actors—that's the right path.
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