After I Transmigrated into the Novel, I made the Heroine Fall for Me - Chapter 39

“Did you see it?”

After nodding, Fang Qingying lifted her lashes, her gaze shifting subtly as she looked at Gu Shengxiao. It was as if she was trying to discern something from her expression.

But unfortunately, Gu Shengxiao’s ability to control her expressions had always been impeccable, leaving Fang Qingying completely unaware that the other woman was currently drowning in a vat of vinegar.

“Yes, I was very worried about you,” Gu Shengxiao replied with a composed nod.

Though the moment she saw the trending topic, she had felt as if she were submerged in vinegar and even now, she hadn’t quite resurfaced.

Gu Shengxiao had immediately video-called Fang Qingying. There wasn’t much else she could do at the moment. She could only see her like this and secretly investigate who was trying to sabotage Fang Qingying.

Upon seeing that trending post, Gu Shengxiao’s first instinct was to wonder why no one had flooded the internet with talk about her and Fang Qingying when she had carried her to the hospital.

Yet now, just because a manager escorted an artist home to rest, it was suddenly framed as some kind of illicit arrangement? What if they simply lived in the same apartment complex?

It had to be said Gu Shengxiao was particularly jealous of Shen Lixie.

She was so jealous it burned.

But more than anything, she was worried about how this scandal might affect Fang Qingying.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Brother Xie will handle it,” Fang Qingying waved her hand dismissively, her tone laced with reliance.

Gu Shengxiao looked at her, her eyes darkening a shade. Fine. Now she was jealous again.

Fang Qingying felt a little unsettled under Gu Shengxiao’s gaze. She glanced at the drawing tablet beside her, her eyes curving into crescents as a smile tugged at her lips.

“Xiao Xiao, look at this!”

As she spoke, she held the tablet up to the camera for Gu Shengxiao to see.

“I’ve been learning how to draw lately.”

Gu Shengxiao paused for three seconds, then glanced down at the finance materials on her desk. “Aren’t your finals coming up?”

“Can I say I forgot?” Fang Qingying’s face twisted into an awkward expression. It wasn’t just that she had forgotten she hadn’t even remembered in the first place.

Or perhaps, she had assumed her major was still the same as before, and she had bought the drawing tablet thinking she needed it for her final project.

But now, Gu Shengxiao’s words jolted her awake.

Her major wasn’t the one she was familiar with, it had been swapped for the dreaded subject of finance.

“I’ll get to it right now!” Fang Qingying clenched her fists with a pained expression, reluctantly setting aside her drawing tablet before turning to the bookshelf.

Staring at the textbooks that were both familiar and foreign, she fell silent.

This was the perfect illustration of the saying: It knows me, but I don’t know it.

“Want me to teach you?” Gu Shengxiao asked, seeing Fang Qingying’s troubled expression. It just so happened that her old professor had taught her quite a bit now it could finally come in handy.

“Yes, yes!” Fang Qingying nodded eagerly, quickly flipping through the study materials her classmates had recently sent her.

The coursework for junior year wasn’t overwhelming, but the practical aspects were the main challenge.

Fang Qingying wasn’t sure whether the original owner of her body had completed the school’s required internships, but what she did know was that the original owner had been relentlessly dragged through the mud in the entertainment industry.

Gu Shengxiao’s question pulled her out of her thoughts. “Where did you leave off in class?”

Fang Qingying shook her head. “I don’t remember.”

The original owner’s textbooks were so pristine they looked untouched, making it impossible for Fang Qingying to even guess where they were in the syllabus.

Gu Shengxiao: “It’s alright, starting from this one.”

Opening the first page of the textbook, Gu Shengxiao passed on the key knowledge taught by her old professor to Fang Qingying exactly as she had learned it.

She was grateful that when the old professor had tutored her, he had skipped over the content he deemed unnecessary, focusing only on the essential points since she lacked foundational knowledge.

The two conducted their online lesson via video call one truly daring to teach, the other truly daring to learn.

As time passed, the online storm grew increasingly fierce, with enthusiastic netizens successfully uncovering Shen Lixie’s identity in its entirety.

A CEO of an entertainment company, a wealthy bachelor, and most notably Fang Qingying’s agent.

Shen Lixie had been an agent for so long that every artist he managed had either become a film queen or a television king. Yet Fang Qingying, in contrast, had earned the nickname “Queen of Blacklisted Gossip.”

Under the trending hashtag, comments poured in:

Does this agent have some kind of grudge against FQY? He’s managed so many stars, but she’s the only one who’s infamous?

Maybe he tried to pull some shady casting couch move, but she refused, so he’s letting her get dragged through the mud?

The agent’s identity is already out there. A rich guy like him can get anything he wants, why would he need to force FQY? Y’all must be jealous.

Filthy minds see filth everywhere!

Qingqing, come out and explain already! Don’t let those haters keep running wild!

Shen Lixie scrolled through the comments, currently sitting in Fang Qingying’s home. The photos he had sent people to track down still hadn’t surfaced.

Even if he wanted to clarify things, if those photos were leaked, it might only make the situation worse.

But that didn’t mean he was powerless.

“Send legal notices in the company’s name to all those gossip accounts and public pages spreading rumors about me ‘keeping’ Fang Qingying,” Shen Lixie ordered over the phone to the PR department.

His entertainment company had plenty of lawyers each a heavyweight in the industry. If he didn’t put them to work now, he’d feel like he was wasting the salaries he paid them every year.

The company acted swiftly. Before long, the online storm shifted direction.

Netizens eagerly watched as Starlight Entertainment publicly called out every gossip account and public page that had spread the “sugar daddy” rumors about Shen Lixie and Fang Qingying.

@StarlightEntOfficial: The following accounts have disseminated defamatory statements regarding our agent Shen Lixie and artist Fang Qingying. You are hereby ordered to delete the false claims and issue a public apology by the end of today. Failure to comply will result in legal action to protect the reputations of our agent @ShenLixie and artist @FangQingying.

The official post tagged a long list of gossip accounts and public pages, attaching a legal notice as a warning.

Starlight’s got backbone! Does this mean the sugar daddy rumors are fake?

Sniffles. I knew our Qingqing was innocent! There’s nothing going on with her agent!

Standing with Qingqing, standing with Starlight!

By evening, Shen Lixie watched as the heated discussions gradually cooled. He closed his laptop just as his phone buzzed incessantly over a dozen photos had just come in.

“Looks like we’ve got them,” he murmured, his long, well-defined fingers picking up the phone from the desk. His thumb swiped across the screen to unlock it.

He tapped open the messages. Sure enough, there were photos of him standing on the balcony making a call along with several candid shots.

If these photos were leaked, there’d truly be no way to clear his name.

Of course, this premise holds no danger as long as Fang Qingying is willing to reveal her identity. One would think Shen Lixie wouldn’t understand why Fang Qingying would hide her identity to enter the entertainment industry.

Private Message

Shen Lixie: Are you sure you’ve retrieved all the photos? Have the backups been deleted?

Assistant Lin: Don’t worry, boss. I’ve handled it thoroughly.

Shen Lixie: Good. Your bonus is doubled.

Assistant Lin: You’re too generous, boss!

After sending the message, Shen Lixie slipped his phone into his pocket and headed toward the fridge.

At this hour, shouldn’t Fang Qingying have come out already?

As he took ingredients from the fridge, Shen Lixie kept glancing toward the study.

He sent Fang Qingying a message before carrying the ingredients into the kitchen.

Originally, Shen Lixie didn’t know how to cook, but he couldn’t resist the demands of a certain little princess who constantly craved midnight snacks.

Most of the servants hired by the Fang family worked fixed hours, except for the long-time staff brought over from the main residence, who lived in another Fang-owned property.

Thus, during his years living with the Fang family, the skill Shen Lixie mastered the fastest was competing with Fang Qingyu for the kitchen.

The two of them truly lived up to being siblings every time they entered the kitchen, it was like bandits raiding a village, leaving the place in utter chaos.

The problem was, young Fang Qingying was always hungry, often looking as if she hadn’t slept enough, as though she’d stayed up all night arguing with someone.

After a hospital checkup, the doctor simply said it was due to lack of sleep, so they didn’t suspect much. At most, they’d check on the little girl to see if she was asleep, and if not, they’d coax her to bed.

Shen Lixie finished stir-frying the last dish and set it on the table. He was wearing a pink Hello Kitty apron that made him look oddly youthful.

This apron was a gift from Fang Qingyu to Fang Qingying, though Shen Lixie couldn’t fathom why he’d give an apron to someone who never cooked.

Back then, he didn’t understand. Now, he did this apron was clearly meant for him all along. Fang Qingyu really had a twisted sense of humor.

So what if a grown man wore a pink Hello Kitty apron? Shen Lixie thought he could pull it off.

Unbeknownst to him, as he walked and pondered, he completely forgot to take off the apron.

He knocked on the study door, but when no sound came from inside, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately grabbed his phone and called Fang Qingying, only to hear not her voice, but a familiar, icy female tone.

“Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off.”

That voice sent a wave of panic through Shen Lixie.

Without another thought, he twisted the doorknob, expecting it to be locked but it wasn’t.

His momentum carried him forward, pushing the study door open, only to find Fang Qingying diligently studying.

Shen Lixie: “???”

What was he seeing?

The little princess studying of her own accord?

She must’ve been provoked by the trending scandal, right?

Shen Lixie would sooner believe Fang Qingying wasn’t studying than accept that she actually was.

Hearing the door open, Fang Qingying stood up from her chair and asked, “Xie-ge, what are you?” doing?

A white dress shirt, suit pants, paired with a Hello Kitty apron.

How was this not jarring?

“Why didn’t you answer my call?” Shen Lixie didn’t notice Fang Qingying’s stunned expression. Instead, he strode over to her and demanded an explanation.

Before opening the door, he had nearly been scared into cardiac arrest. If Fang Qingying had encountered another accident, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life.

“My phone!” Fang Qingying blinked in confusion. She picked up her phone to unlock the screen but found it completely unresponsive. “It seems to have run out of battery and shut down?”

She had been so absorbed in studying that she forgot her phone was out of power.

“Don’t let it run out of battery again.” A few more scares like this, and he might end up in the hospital.

Before Fang Qingying could respond, another voice chimed in, “Hello, Manager Shen.”

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