The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 16

Wen Mian was stunned for a second before saying, “Nothing happened to me. I’m perfectly fine.”

Xu Qing was speechless and slapped her own forehead. “It’s online! Someone leaked claims that you’ve been harassing Gu Man and disrespecting staff members. It’s spreading fast, I’m certain it’s premeditated.”

Wen Mian opened her phone to check her personal social media accounts. They were filled with comforting messages from fans.

• [Mianmian, don’t be sad! We Little Cottons will always believe in you!]
• [Exactly! Mianmian is clearly not that kind of person!]
• [Fly high with peace of mind, Mianmian. The Little Cottons will follow you forever!]

As Wen Mian scrolled through, her fingers tapped out a reply: I’m okay. You guys stay safe and trust me.

Addressing Xu Qing, she said, “I know who is spreading this.”

“Ah!” Xu Qing froze in disbelief. “You know who it is? Then how are you so calm? Don’t you know this could ruin your reputation if you’re not careful?!”

Wen Mian lowered her eyes to look at the restless fans. The messages were refreshing non-stop, filled with their heartfelt support. Suppressing the stir of emotion in her heart, she said softly, “I know. But the enemy is in the dark while I am in the light. Rather than living in constant fear, it’s better to let her release it all.”

Xu Qing paused. “That makes sense. But you said you know who it is?”

Wen Mian nodded with certainty. “Song Xue, the one filming the show with me.”

Xu Qing was puzzled. “Song Xue? Why did you provoke her? I’ve heard she has a bad temper, but I didn’t think she’d go this far.”

Scrolling through her phone, Wen Mian replied, “More or less. She likes Gu Man, but Gu Man ignored her.”

Xu Qing immediately flared up. “What does Gu Man ignoring her have to do with you? Is she insane?!”

Then, remembering her own artist’s past “harassment” of Gu Man, Xu Qing’s shouting stopped. She asked cautiously, “Speaking of which… you haven’t actually been pestering Gu Man these past few days, have you?”

Wen Mian felt a speechless urge to laugh. “If you’re worried, why don’t you just watch the livestream?”

Xu Qing scratched her head awkwardly. “I’ve been a bit busy these last two days. Besides, I was afraid that if I saw you pestering Gu Man, my blood pressure would spike and I’d faint.”

Wen Mian helplessly accepted this reasoning. There was no helping it, that was the mess the original owner of this body had left behind.

She said, “Rest assured, I haven’t. I’ve been minding my own business!”

Xu Qing felt relieved, and her anger surged again. “Since you didn’t do it, then what is she acting crazy for! Honestly!”

Hearing her grumbling, Wen Mian took the initiative. “Let her keep buying marketing accounts. The hotter the fire burns, the more effective the reversal will be when the tide turns.”

Her voice was low and raspy, carrying a convincing weight. Xu Qing couldn’t help but ask, “What’s your plan?”

Wen Mian glanced at the camera in the corner that appeared to have no signal. “We’ll do this…”

Behind the cameras, the staff member was startled and quickly shouted, “Director, Wen Mian seems to have noticed us!”

Wang Qiang exhaled a puff of smoke and waved a hand. “So what if she knows? What’s there to worry about!”

The staff member was still panicked. “But… do you think she’ll come to us for the footage?”

Wang Qiang straightened up, stubbing out his cigarette. His eyes held a shrewd glint. “Come to us? That depends on what she has to offer in exchange.”

The staff member glanced at Wang Qiang, then thought of Wen Mian’s calm and composed expression. An uneasy premonition bubbled up, why did he feel like the Director was the one who was going to lose out?

He quickly shook his head to dispel the thought. What am I thinking? How could the Director lose!

After washing up, Wen Mian lay in bed, quietly reflecting on the situation.

To her, this wasn’t actually a huge deal at worst, she would just quit the industry. But thinking of those lovely fans, she felt a bit of reluctance. At the very least… she couldn’t betray their affection.

Getting the video from Wang Qiang was simple enough; their interests were tied together, and Wang Qiang should understand who could bring in more traffic.

However, releasing it was a problem. She couldn’t expose the production crew, and the footage would only reveal the mastermind, it wouldn’t necessarily debunk the rumors themselves.

In conclusion, the video alone was almost useless.

As for the “disrespecting staff” claim…

Thinking of Xu Qing’s attitude, Wen Mian felt there must be a misunderstanding. She could pay to have that investigated.

Finally, the “harassing Gu Man” part… Wen Mian rolled over, feeling helpless. Should I talk to Gu Man?

But that part was technically a historical fact. It would be better to prove herself through actual behavior.

Amidst a thousand thoughts, Wen Mian picked up her phone and transferred 100,000 yuan to Xu Qing.

This money came from her recent stock trading, she hadn’t expected to use it so soon.

Xu Qing replied instantly, her shock evident in her text: Why did you transfer money to me?!

Wen Mian replied calmly: To investigate the video.

Xu Qing typed back rapidly: It doesn’t cost this much! Besides, the company will pay for it.

Wen Mian paused: The company will pay?

Xu Qing was confused: Yeah, this is your family’s company. Of course they’ll pay for you.

A photo flashed in Wen Mian’s mind, the people in it looking incredibly happy.

She thought for a moment and replied: Then just take it as a bonus for your hard work.

Looking at the string of zeros, Xu Qing clutched her heart. A bonus? Rich people really are extravagant!

After hesitating for a while, Xu Qing finally accepted it, thinking she could always return it to Wen Mian if she ever left the job.

Xu Qing: Alright then, I’ll take it for now. Don’t overthink things, get some rest.

Wen Mian: Mm.

The conversation ended calmly, but in reality, Wen Mian had already “died” inside for a moment. She buried herself under the covers, her fake tears flowing like a river.

If I knew the company was paying, I wouldn’t have given so much! My hard-earned savings!

While she was having a breakdown, in the adjacent room, Gu Man sat under a warm-toned light. The glow made her burgundy shirt look lazy and natural.

Her hair was tied up loosely, with a few stray strands brushing her neck. Gold thin-framed glasses rested on the bridge of her nose. Her right hand was curled slightly against her lips as she frowned slightly, her gaze fixed on her laptop, seemingly in deep thought.

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a jarring ringtone. Gu Man’s brow furrowed deeper as she picked up the phone.

“Manman, do you know about Wen Mian’s situation?” her manager, Wang Fei, asked in a low voice.

Gu Man’s gaze shifted instantly from the computer to the phone. Her voice was deep. “What happened to her?”

Wang Fei sighed internally. It looks like she’s truly fallen for her. Are pheromones really that powerful?

She quickly replied, “Someone maliciously leaked claims that she disrespected staff and was… pestering you.”

A trace of disgust appeared in Gu Man’s usually calm eyes. “Who did it?”

Wang Fei was prepared and said quickly, “Song Xue.”

“Song Xue? Who?” Gu Man pressed.

Wang Fei explained helplessly, “The one filming the show with you.”

Gu Man retrieved Song Xue from her memory, her fingertip lightly tapping the desk. “I see.”

With that, she hung up and dialed a number.

A steady voice answered from the other end. “President Gu.”

Gu Man’s voice was cold and clear. “I’ve sent the details to you. Fix it.”

“Understood, President Gu.”

She opened her personal social media account. Her phoenix-like eyes half-lidded, eyelashes casting faint shadows, she began to type word by word.