"So, the culprits are those anti-fans?" Xia Qingtian rubbed her temples, which were also aching slightly. "Someone posted this set of photos online, and then gathered here to distribute flyers?"
"Yes," Li Mengxiao replied. "Sister Ning said she's already trying to suppress it online, and the filming has ended. We'll go home and lay low for a couple of days until the storm passes before continuing with our work. Think of it as a vacation for you."
"But school is starting soon, and these people finally stirred up trouble. They don't look like they'll give up easily," Xia Qingtian propped her chin with one hand and took Li Mengxiao's phone to look at the so-called photos and the offensive comments online.
It was inevitable, after all, to encounter all sorts of rumors when working in the entertainment industry.
Truth and falsehood were normal.
But Xia Qingtian had never imagined that rumors could be so outrageous.
The photos were quite high-definition, but the accompanying text was truly embarrassing. The most crucial part was that everyone seemed to be acting as if they "knew it all along."
Knew what, for crying out loud!
"Qingtian..." Li Mengxiao bit her lower lip, appearing very worried about Xia Qingtian.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Xia Qingtian handed the phone back to Li Mengxiao and casually patted her head.
Just then, Wen Ning's call came through. "How do you want to resolve this? Should we directly refute the rumors?"
"I need to go home first and think about it," Xia Qingtian said. "Sorry, Ning Jie, for causing you trouble."
"This has nothing to do with you. I had heard rumors that the anti-fans were planning something, but I didn't expect..." Wen Ning also sounded troubled. "We're already suppressing comments online."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Xia Qingtian replied briefly, hung up the phone, and fell into thought.
Seeing Xia Qingtian like this, Li Mengxiao dared not disturb her and could only quietly stay by her side.
Upon returning to the Xia family home, Xia Qingtian found that everyone except Xia Shang had returned before her.
Xia Honglang's expression was particularly grim, and Aunt Liu and Xia Qingyu also wore expressions of helplessness, as if caught in a sudden disaster.
"What delicious food are we having for dinner? I'm hungry~" Xia Qingtian asked.
"Let's talk about dinner later," Xia Honglang looked at Xia Qingtian and said, "I already told you that the entertainment industry isn't a good place. They can turn white into black!"
"It's just that I was photographed when I went to pick you up at Xiaoyao Pavilion before the new year," Xia Qingtian shrugged indifferently. "It's not like I was photographed doing anything with someone else, so it's not a big deal. It's just..."
Xia Qingtian looked at Xia Honglang. This matter would depend on him.
Given Xia Honglang's previous strong opposition to her entering the entertainment industry, refuting the rumors would essentially force him to approve and let everyone know that the Xia family's eldest daughter had entered the entertainment industry and become an entertainment star.
Although Xia Qingtian didn't think much of it, in Xia Honglang's social circle, entertainment stars weren't considered particularly glorious professions.
Xia Honglang was in a bad mood. He truly felt like he had lifted a rock only to drop it on his own foot.
How could he have known that the explosive revelation the anti-fans spoke of, which would force Xia Qingtian to quit the industry, was just a photo of him picking her up?
At the time, he didn't want to get too involved, for fear that Xia Qingtian would fall out with him if she knew, so he only provided financial support.
Now, not only had he spent a hundred thousand yuan, but he had also gotten himself involved, directly pushing the Xia Corporation into the trending searches.
Good heavens, one moment it was "Xia Corporation becomes new partner of Gu Corporation Entertainment," "Xia Corporation stock soars by ten percent," "Xia Corporation expected to transition into a new darling of scientific research"...
The next moment, it became "Xia Qingtian's sugar daddy exposed!", "Xia Corporation CEO cheats with rising traffic actress!", "Xia Qingtian Anti-Fan Committee's big scoop!"...
Most importantly, a bunch of people were tagging the "Xia Qingtian Anti-Fan Committee Chairman" and shouting "awesome."
Awesome, my foot!
Xia Honglang truly felt like a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to express his suffering.
"In this situation, we should still refute the rumors," Aunt Liu said. "Qingtian's career has just started to gain momentum..."
"What career is that?" Xia Honglang grumbled, his brow furrowed.
"If we don't refute it, it won't be very good for the Xia Corporation either," Xia Qingyu immediately identified the crux of the problem. "The market closed today, and tomorrow and the day after are holidays. If we don't refute it before the day after tomorrow, Xia Corporation's stock will also be in danger."
Hearing Xia Qingyu say this, Xia Honglang's mouth twitched.
As expected, one shouldn't do bad things.
For the first time in his life, he had entertained a tiny bit of mischievous thought, wanting to drive Xia Qingtian out of the entertainment industry and back to the Xia Corporation, only to find himself in this dilemma.
Refuting the rumors = publicly acknowledging Xia Qingtian's career.
Not refuting the rumors = new impact on Xia Corporation, stock market fluctuations, company crisis.
In his heart, his daughter and the company were practically interchangeable.
His head ached, his heart ached, and his stomach ached too...
Seeing Xia Honglang like this, Xia Qingtian sighed and said, "Dad's stomach isn't well, let's eat first. After the meal, there's something important I need to announce."
Hearing Xia Qingtian say this, Aunt Liu could only instruct the kitchen to start serving the food.
Today, to celebrate the Xia Corporation reaching a new milestone, Aunt Liu had specifically asked the kitchen to prepare a grand feast, and she herself had personally cooked an entire Boston lobster.
Xia Shang hadn't returned yet, so Aunt Liu asked the kitchen to set aside a portion for him. The Xia family then began their meal.
Despite the sumptuous dishes, the Xia family found the food tasteless, as if chewing on wax.
After the main course, Aunt Liu brought out the small puddings she had chilled earlier as dessert.
"Sister, what important thing did you say you were going to announce earlier?" Xia Qingyu asked Xia Qingtian, holding her pudding.
"Mhm," Xia Qingtian finally said, "I'm planning to retire from the industry."
This was a decision Xia Qingtian had thought about for a long time.
She had initially wanted to enter the entertainment industry to make up for the regrets of her past life.
Now that she had truly entered the industry, although she enjoyed working with Li Mengxiao and Wen Ning, her initial obsession had disappeared. Upon re-evaluating this career, Xia Qingtian felt it had become her comfort zone.
If she could stay, Xia Qingtian believed she would still be very successful, especially with the Xia Corporation and Gu Corporation behind her.
Although she had previously considered whether Mr. Gu might sideline her due to personal feelings, her interactions with Mr. Gu over the past couple of days, along with Wen Ning's attitude today, made Xia Qingtian feel that Mr. Gu wouldn't do such a thing.
Therefore, after Xia Honglang refuted the rumors, she would have a very smooth career in the entertainment industry.
Working for another year or two, she might even win some prestigious awards, release her own album, and collaborate with her idols.
It would be comfortable and smooth.
However, she also knew that there was still that "Golden Button Organization" lurking in the shadows, having almost taken her life several times.
Song Junhan, who held a high position in an entertainment company in L City, was a member of this organization in her previous life.
The person who got him out of prison in this life might just be that "Golden Button Organization."
Therefore, Xia Qingtian knew that if she wanted to throw Song Junhan into hell, she needed to switch to a battlefield that would better facilitate her consolidation of power.
Even without this incident, Xia Qingtian had already prepared herself.
Of course, she would properly complete the work she had already accepted.
She wouldn't shirk the breach of contract penalties and would bid farewell to her former work partners properly. She would also...
She would also bid a proper farewell to Mr. Gu, her former close friend.