"This gem is so beautiful!" the makeup artist exclaimed as she picked out lipstick the same color as the gem on the necklace for Xia Qingtian.
"Thank you, I like it very much too," Xia Qingtian also loved the diamond choker and had worn it without a second thought this time.
That evening at the awards ceremony, Xia Qingtian's appearance garnered the highest praise.
The synchronized live broadcast online also sparked the most fervent discussion.
[To be fair, Xia Qingtian's face is exactly my type!]
[She's so beautiful! The epitome of a wealthy beauty!]
[Damn, that diamond choker is too gorgeous! Does anyone know the brand?]
[Stop putting on an act, can you? A necklace can be worth a fortune? It's just a dupe from Taobao.]
[Are you blind? Would a Taobao dupe have this luster, this effect? If you're so capable, go buy it! I'll buy as many as you can! My family has been in the gemstone business for three generations; I can tell at a glance that this gem is absolutely precious!]
[I don't know about gems, but Xia Qingtian's handbag is a limited edition Hermès Birkin! One bag is the down payment for a house in the city center!]
[Is that true? What's Xia Qingtian's background? She's inexplicably popular, and she seems quite wealthy...]
[People like her must have a sugar daddy; someone is deliberately promoting her.]
[That makes sense. Without a sugar daddy, it's strange. She has no works but is always trending. I just checked, and her diamond choker is trending again.]
[You're all enough. There's no evidence at all, just baseless rumors!]
[Exactly, Xia Qingtian has been awarded by the government as one of the top ten youths. What are you guys? Besides banging on keyboards, what else can you do?]
[Getting defensive, huh? Your idol hasn't said anything, but you're barking so fiercely! She's in the entertainment industry and earns money by taking abuse.]
[I hate these crazy fan followings the most.]
[Holy crap, did you guys see the trending search? Someone said this diamond choker is one of a kind globally and belongs to Madame Camille. Someone posted a picture; Madame Camille wore it years ago, and it's exactly the same!]
[This Xia Qingtian is utterly disgusting. It wasn't enough to shamelessly court Madame Camille in Paris, but she deliberately got a fake from Taobao to show off? What a disgrace! Go away, you attention seeker!]
[I hate this kind of attention-seeking the most. It's embarrassing, even on an international level.]
[Why is it all about her? Disgusting! Xia Qingtian, get out of the entertainment industry!]
...
The hateful comments piled up layer by layer, something the on-site Xia Qingtian was completely unaware of.
Since she was there to receive an award and get paid, Xia Qingtian was very professional.
Throughout the entire awards ceremony, Xia Qingtian maintained a polite smile and sat up straight, except for when she received her award and gave her speech, attending the entire event.
It was only after Xia Qingtian finished attending the awards ceremony that she learned about the heated online debate surrounding her ruby choker.
Some people believed Xia Qingtian was addicted to seeking attention, having deliberately courted Madame Camille at a Paris banquet before, and now shamelessly copying Madame Camille's accessory.
Others argued that it was just a necklace, and what was wrong with buying a similar one if there was no patent proof.
This led to a new issue.
Xia Qingtian's style, both in her attire and previous magazine shoots, had been that of a "wealthy beauty." How could a "wealthy beauty" buy dupes from Taobao?
It was disrespectful to the original creator and the awards ceremony. Some even called for the organizers to revoke Xia Qingtian's award.
That evening, some people who enjoyed stirring up trouble went to Cheng Feiran's rare live stream and asked if she had seen Xia Qingtian at Madame Camille's banquet.
"Xia Qingtian? Who?" Cheng Feiran feigned surprise, then said with apparent embarrassment, "There were many people at Madame Camille's banquet. Perhaps I didn't notice her. I'm sorry."
This response clearly indicated that she hadn't seen Xia Qingtian at Madame Camille's banquet.
It wasn't strange for Cheng Feiran, with her status, to be invited to Madame Camille's banquet.
Furthermore, the previous day, a French fashion brand had tagged Cheng Feiran on its official account, suggesting a potential collaboration.
This opportunity had been secured for Cheng Feiran by Yu Linwan at the banquet.
This directly solidified the fact that Cheng Feiran was invited, while Xia Qingtian was merely seeking attention.
In an instant, with the malicious promotion by paid commenters, all sorts of abuse surged like a tide.
"There's no value in looking at this kind of thing." On the way back, Wen Ning took Xia Qingtian's phone and said, "Don't overthink it. Just get a good night's sleep tonight, and we'll hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss solutions."
"Okay..." Xia Qingtian responded, lowering her head slightly.
She had known for a long time that the internet wasn't always sunshine and rainbows. Her rapid rise to fame was even surprising to herself.
Jealousy, disgust, and hatred were inevitable.
However, facing such blatant malice still made Xia Qingtian feel uncomfortable.
"Do I need to release a statement?" Xia Qingtian asked Wen Ning.
"Not for now. The company will handle it. We'll inform you if a statement is needed," Wen Ning had encountered such situations before.
The current situation was clearly someone maliciously muddying the waters, intending to smear Xia Qingtian. Anything she said now would be twisted.
It was better to adopt a cold approach for the time being and decide after the meeting.
"Alright," Xia Qingtian replied. That evening, Wen Ning personally drove Xia Qingtian home.
At her doorstep, Xia Qingtian discovered her home had been vandalized with red ink, and many abusive words were scrawled on it.
The last time she had seen such a scene was at Li Mengxiao's doorstep.
Seeing this, Wen Ning was also taken aback. She hadn't expected someone to go as far as vandalizing Xia Qingtian's home.
"You can't stay here. Give me twenty minutes to pack your things," Wen Ning said immediately.
"Uh... okay." Xia Qingtian, snapping back to reality, hurried inside to pack.
Wen Ning stood at the door and dialed Mr. Gu's number, reporting the situation with Xia Qingtian. Finally, she added, "I'll take her back to my place tonight."
"No need," Mr. Gu said. "Take her to Building 1, Unit 2702, Xiaoyao Pavilion, Binhai Road."
"Isn't that..." Wen Ning blinked in surprise.
"Is there a problem?" Mr. Gu asked.
"N-no," Wen Ning's heart skipped a beat, but she dared not ask further. She waited until Mr. Gu hung up.
At this moment, Xia Qingtian had finished packing and walked out. Seeing Wen Ning's complicated expression, she blinked and asked, "Ning Jie? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Let's go." Wen Ning didn't explain much. After Xia Qingtian locked the door, she drove her to Building 1, Unit 2702, Xiaoyao Pavilion, Binhai Road.
Mr. Gu's home – the opposite unit.