The Movie Queen is Flirtatious and Doting - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The director ordered everyone to keep the incident under wraps, but film crews are hotbeds of gossip, and the news eventually leaked. An internet storm was brewing.

Uninformed netizens claimed that Ye Yansheng was playing the “arrogant veteran,” bullying a newcomer on set and resorting to violence. Initially, people didn’t know who the victim was, but once word got out that it was Xu Feifan, his massive fanbase lost their minds. Who did Ye Yansheng think she was, bullying their “precious idol”? “Hateful old woman!” His fans felt wronged on his behalf and swarmed Ye Yansheng’s Weibo account in droves to hurl abuse.

Driven by Xu Feifan’s enormous fandom, Ye Yansheng was dragged onto the trending searches list. As the situation escalated, the public narrative leaned heavily toward “the veteran bullying the rookie.” Public opinion was one-sided; countless keyboard warriors joined the crusade, digging up old scandals to “prove” that Ye Yansheng had a terrible character. Her reputation was on the verge of being completely ruined.

Ye Yansheng’s agency, Xinghua Media, tried desperately to suppress the news and distract the audience with other topics, but their efforts yielded little results. Ye Yansheng’s own fans were watching closely: some staunchly refused to believe their idol would do such a thing, some remained non-committal observers, and others “turned” on her, claiming they never expected her to be this kind of person. A massive debate erupted among her followers regarding “what kind of person Ye Yansheng really is,” quickly landing her on the trending list yet again.

The executives at Xinghua Media were plagued by headaches. A Best Actress they had spent years building up was about to fall from grace. Filming was suspended, and the executives summoned Ye Yansheng and her manager back to the company to demand an explanation.

Ye Yansheng didn’t want to involve Gu Yinglian, so she kept her mouth shut and ignored Weibo, letting the public outcry fester. Her manager had been at the scene and saw her hit him, but he didn’t know why. Seeing Ye Yansheng remain silent, he didn’t feel it was his place to speak.

“What exactly happened? Have you both gone mute?” An executive looked at them with displeasure.

“It’s exactly what it looks like. I hit him. There’s nothing more to say,” Ye Yansheng offered.

“So, you really were playing the arrogant veteran and bullying a newcomer?” The executive sneered. “You’ve got quite the nerve. Do you know how much effort the company put into grooming you? You don’t cherish your reputation at all! To make such a low-level mistake as bullying a rookie… Ye Yansheng, is your brain full of mush?”

Seeing the boss’s fury, the manager hurriedly cut in, “There… there might be some misunderstanding? I believe Xiao Ye wouldn’t hit someone for no reason. There must be a misunderstanding…”

“Misunderstanding?” the executive barked. “What misunderstanding?”

The manager looked at Ye Yansheng. She was fiddling with her nails, silent.

The manager could only say, “You’d have to ask the parties involved.”

Unable to vent his full rage on Ye Yansheng, the executive turned on the manager. “What do we pay you for? Weren’t you following her? Why did she hit him? You don’t know?”

The manager stammered, “I can’t watch her every second. One lapse in attention and…”

Losing her patience, Ye Yansheng stood up and said, “Let’s leave it at that for now. I’m going home to rest.” Without waiting for a response, she walked out.

While Ye Yansheng ignored the chaos, Gu Yinglian was obsessed with it. Seeing Ye Yansheng’s name repeatedly on the trending lists accompanied by a sea of insults, Gu Yinglian felt she had ruined her. She tried to defend Ye Yansheng in the comments, but her voice was immediately buried. With filming suspended, she spent her days at home, restless and anxious.

She replayed that day in her mind—the harassment from Xu Feifan. If Ye Yansheng hadn’t stepped in, she would have… honestly, others had seen it, but they chose to look away. It was Ye Yansheng who, regardless of her own reputation, stood up for her. To be honest, Gu Yinglian was both grateful and moved. She had heard the entertainment industry was a shark tank, and now she was seeing it firsthand. How could someone like her ever survive in a place like this?

Now, her very first acting gig had turned into this disaster. Would she ever get another chance?

Gu Yinglian sat on her sofa in a daze. How was Ye Yansheng doing? She wanted to call, but feared she’d be annoying if Ye Yansheng was in a foul mood. She typed a few words on WeChat, then deleted them. She regretted deleting them and typed them again, only to find them inappropriate. Should she thank her for the help or apologize for the trouble? Nothing felt right. From what position could she even comfort her? One was a superstar, the other a tiny shrimp. But saying nothing felt ungrateful.

Just as she was hesitating, Ye Yansheng called. Startled, Gu Yinglian answered nervously, “Hello, Sister Ye.”

“Mm,” Ye Yansheng chuckled softly. “How are you doing?”

Gu Yinglian said, “I’m fine, really. It’s just… you…”

Ye Yansheng said, “Don’t worry. This will blow over soon.”

Gu Yinglian protested, “But…”

Ye Yansheng sighed, “There was no other way. That kid was just too punchable.”

Gu Yinglian said, “Sister Ye, thank you for helping me. I never expected him to do that in front of everyone. If I had known, I would have stayed far away from him. I’m sorry, it’s all because of me that you’re in this mess…”

Ye Yansheng replied, “It’s fine. The industry is like this—not as simple as you think. It’s better if you stay… innocent.”

Gu Yinglian whispered, “Maybe the entertainment industry really isn’t for me… this was my first role, and I wanted to do my best. I never thought this would happen…”

Ye Yansheng teased, “Weren’t you supposed to be comforting me? Why am I comforting you instead? I’m the one being torn apart online right now.”

Gu Yinglian said, “What if I tell the truth? They can’t just keep smearing your name like this…”

“Don’t,” Ye Yansheng explicitly stopped her. “Do not do anything right now. It will only make things look more suspicious. Those people are just bored and looking for a drama to feast on. No one will have the logic to listen to you. It’s fine; the truth will surface sooner or later.”

The agency managed to suppress some of the noise, but then Xu Feifan posted a photo of his bandaged hand with the caption: At the hospital. It reignited the flames. His fans were livid—Ye Yansheng had hurt their idol and hadn’t even issued an apology! They called her the most shameless woman ever. “Xu Feifan’s injured hand” trended, followed immediately by “Why won’t Ye Yansheng apologize?”

Xinghua’s executives had finally learned the truth and were preparing a public relations apology statement, but they weren’t fast enough. Netizens were back on the warpath. Not only was Ye Yansheng’s Weibo flooded with hate, but they also tracked down the company’s official account, making the comments impossible to moderate.

Some impulsive fans found the company’s address and staged a stakeout. Though her activities were suspended, Ye Yansheng still had to visit the office. When the fans saw her car, they pelted it with rotten eggs. They recorded videos and took photos. When security chased them off, they simply ran and hid.

The news of Ye Yansheng being egged was posted online almost immediately. Her reputation was now as “rotten” as those eggs. The company decided to “put her in cold storage” (shelve her). They suggested she go abroad or find something else to do for a while—staying out of the public eye until the heat died down.

Meanwhile, the director of the new drama was in a bind. The conflict between the leads had halted production. To avoid massive financial loss, the director summoned the investors and the scriptwriters to discuss a way to salvage the project.