Following last night, the name Xia Wei Liang exploded across the internet.
As her national recognition and discussion increased, more and more people paid attention to her work.
"Beautiful vase," "Variety show goddess," "Film Emperor's rumored partner"… none of these labels could prove her actual abilities.
Therefore, in today's era of de-prioritizing traffic, for every person who liked her, there was someone who disliked her.
Xia Wei Liang stumbled upon several prominent public figures who dug up her previous web series, dissecting everything from dialogue to acting. Even she herself felt so embarrassed that her toes curled into castles.
Yet, these critiques were from a professional standpoint, making it impossible for her to refute them!
Xia Wei Liang was aware of her shortcomings. Instead of getting angry, she instructed Nuo Mi to keep her fans steady, stating that she would accept any constructive criticism.
Thus, after the program team and her celebrity friends showed their support, Xia Wei Liang once again trended on hot searches for her awkward acting. Memes of her contorted expressions were all over the internet.
"This doesn't feel right!" Ji Huan stared at the computer. "This pattern is too familiar."
Opposite him was Director Du.
"Heh, of course it's familiar! I had someone investigate earlier. It's the masterpiece of 'Sun Xing Studio'."
"Sun Xing?"
Ji Huan suddenly understood. No wonder it felt familiar.
Sun Xing appeared to be a self-media studio, but later ventured into work similar to paparazzi. As long as the money was right, destroying a competitor was a matter of minutes. A certain traffic star had fallen because of them before.
Sun Xing, as the name suggested, was quite fitting.
What made them most formidable was their reliance on facts. The premise for being slandered was always that you had more than enough flaws to exploit. If you weren't perfect, why wouldn't they target you?
Take Xia Wei Liang, for instance. Her poor acting was universally acknowledged; there was no need to exaggerate. Sun Xing merely compiled these instances and disseminated them in various forms to create memorable impressions. Whenever the public saw her, they would recall those memes of her distorted expressions.
Once prejudice takes root and becomes ingrained, it would affect her immersion in future roles.
In short, it was psychological warfare, nothing less.
"I'll go contact the person in charge!"
Director Du, sipping ginseng and goji berry tea, waved his hand. "It's useless. I've already tried to contact them through an intermediary, but they refused."
"What kind of deep-seated hatred is this!" Ji Huan said indignantly. "Who exactly has such a grudge against Xiao Liang! Don't let me find out!"
"The intermediary just told me it wasn't someone from the industry," Director Du looked at her meaningfully. "They must have been paid handsomely for Sun Xing to be so unyielding. There aren't many people who can afford that."
Ji Huan suddenly realized, "It's the Xia family!"
She slapped the table with a bang, making the cups on it tremble. Director Du clutched his heart in alarm. "Impulsive! Too impulsive!"
"Is this entire family sick?! Just because Xiao Men Pai isn't their biological daughter, they want to destroy her?!"
"Oh, if only our Liang'er hadn't inconvenienced them, but then there's still Xia Yiran."
"So, because Xia Yiran didn't perform well on the show and was scolded, this blame has to be placed on Xiao Liang?"
"Mhm~ At least that's how the Xia family sees it."
Director Du looked at her and whispered, "I heard… someone issued a ban. All of Xia Yiran's announcements have been suspended."
"Oh, a savior has appeared? Who is acting as a knight in shining armor?"
Ji Huan was quite amused by this news.
Director Du couldn't afford to be amused. "I don't know who it is, but it's clear the Xia family is also attributing this matter to Xiao Liang."
He stood up, holding his thermos, and walked towards the door. "Alright, you weigh this carefully. This matter is now in your hands. If it's not handled well, it will be your personal action, unrelated to the company!"
As he pushed the door open and left, Ji Huan picked up a pen from the table, intending to throw it at him.
Considering it was quite expensive, she put it back down.
***
Xia Wei Liang, wearing a hat and glasses, hands in her pockets, strolled towards the entrance of her residential compound.
She used to be at most a third-tier celebrity, without the awareness of a rising star. Moreover, she was quite familiar with the compound's staff and neighbors, so she hadn't thought of concealing herself.
However, as soon as she reached the entrance, she was dumbfounded.
Security guard Xiao Liu waved at her frantically, "Sister Liang, the outside is full of reporters!"
"Look quickly! It's Xia Wei Liang!"
"Niang Niang, here, look here!"
The flashing lights on the opposite side were relentless.
Xia Wei Liang quickly regained her composure. Retreating now was impossible.
Thus, she immediately deployed her signature smile, waving her small hand as if campaigning for Miss Hong Kong, "Hello, friends from the press~"
Upon seeing this, Xiao Liu turned to his colleague and said, "Look at our Sister Liang's aura. This is the demeanor of a superstar now!"
"Niang Niang, they all say you have no acting skills. What are your thoughts on this issue?"
"Sister Wei Liang, the Film Emperor's studio has issued a statement clarifying the rumors about you. Do you have anything to say?"
"It's rumored that Xia Yiran's being frozen by her company is related to you…"
These questions were quite explosive, coming one after another!
Xia Wei Liang stood at the entrance generously, borrowing a small flag from the security booth. "Come, come, the questions you want to ask must be in line… No cutting in, no interrupting. Be civilized and polite. Think about your question. Each person gets 30 seconds. When the time is up, please rejoin the queue at the end."
Saying this, she looked at Xiao Liu, "Xiao Liu, please help time me."
"Alright!"
Xiao Liu stood beside her, stopwatch in hand. "30-second countdown, begin!"
Outside the Shangcheng Apartment, a private car slowly approached.
The old man looked out the car window, then slowly closed his eyes, asking indifferently, "Is it her?"
"Yes, Grandpa Xiao," Lin Sui Xiang replied obediently.
"A celebrity?"
The old man was disdainful. "Is this his taste?"
Lin Sui Xiang tactfully said, "Miss Xia is very beautiful, a recognized beauty."
"What's the use of beauty? He needs a woman whose family background matches his, not a pretty vase!"
"But… A Lie seems to like her very much…"
"What use is liking her! As long as he's still a member of the Chu family, he must obey!"
The old man didn't want to say more and gestured for the car to drive on.
As they passed the main entrance, he glanced at Xia Wei Liang and frowned slightly.
He felt this woman was somewhat familiar, but couldn't recall where he had seen her for a moment.
Then he thought, after all, she's a celebrity; it's not surprising that he might have seen her.
Meanwhile, Xia Wei Liang was maintaining order very well, educating them while accepting interviews.
"This is how interviews should be conducted in the future, without pressuring the person involved or causing trouble for those around them… Even children know how to queue, so why do adults forget? Is the world changing, or are we becoming more complicated?"
What Xia Wei Liang didn't expect was that a blogger from a certain video platform was live-streaming the scene with their phone.
"Hahahaha, babies, I'm dying of laughter! Have you ever seen a celebrity accept interviews while also maintaining order and opening your soul? Today, let me show you something eye-opening!"
The number of viewers in his livestream was rapidly increasing, all for the sake of witnessing Niang Niang's bizarre approach.
Strangely enough, if this happened to anyone else, it would be considered showboating, but when Niang Niang did it, it was just another day!