Chapter 23: Why Are You Angry Again

“Bro, are the prices 299 and 2999 really appropriate? I’m worried my little broken shop can’t match such high specifications…”

Kevin, the pub owner wearing an English style plaid vest, stared at the Weibo post he had just published. Feeling a prick of conscience, he couldn’t help but confirm again with the very handsome man beside him.

The handsome man was sitting on a high stool in front of the bar. If Kevin sat there, he could swing his feet that couldn’t touch the ground to feign innocence, but this man’s legs were so long that not only did his feet touch the floor, they were actually bent at the knee!

Hmph, is having long legs a big deal?

“Appropriate,” Sheng Shaoyan replied simply, showing little interest in conversation.

Kevin felt intimidated for some reason, getting the strange feeling that the other party was the boss and he was the employee. He boldly pressed on: “Won’t the price be set too high?”

Sheng Shaoyan lifted his eyes: “299 is a consumption price, and 2999 matches Wen Yage’s star power. If you only had 299, fans would consider it an insult.”

Kevin suddenly understood. Whether anyone ordered it or not, it just needed to be on the menu!

Sui County was truly a very small county town, with few young people. His shop was also in a slightly remote location and had been on the verge of closing down.

After this man explained his intentions and struck the nerve of his desperate financial situation with a series of cash bombs, Kevin was a little skeptical that the promise the ‘big boss’ drew up for him was too grand to be real while editing the Weibo post under the man’s direction.

When he watched, dumbfounded, as the comments and shares on his Weibo post surged, and the topic #BestActressSolo299Package# actually nudged the edge of the hot search list, the hand holding his phone was trembling!

Mom, he was about to get rich!

In his mind, he immediately heard the background music of “The God of Wealth is knocking on my door,” accompanied by the crisp sound of countless coins falling into a pocket.

Kevin was highly engrossed in surfing the web and diligently reported the situation from the front lines to the big boss.

“Big Boss, someone is saying that Wen Yage was drinking at the pub all night, and Shen Xici was knocking on the door for nothing. Others are saying I’m Shen Xici’s dummy account, and the male homewrecker is guilty but won’t admit it, telling me to release the evidence if I have the guts, or apologize to Xuesen and write a confession if I don’t.” Kevin finished reading, his tone exaggerated, “Wow, how did she know I have evidence? Watch me throw the evidence in her face!”

Sheng Shaoyan spoke: “Wait before you throw it.”

“Okay, listening to the command center! This is the first time I’ve been this close to the entertainment industry!” Kevin felt he had joined Shen Xici’s camp and asked curiously, “Big Boss, are you Shen Xici’s agent? Are all your agents this handsome?”

Having been mistaken for an agent by people visiting the set before, Sheng Shaoyan accepted the title without any psychological burden: “Mhm, I’m his agent.”

Kevin gave a thumbs-up: “Big Boss, you are truly professional!”

---

“The person helping Shen Xici behind the scenes is very professional, definitely an experienced hand.” In Jiarui Media’s office, Ye Mei flipped through the received data analysis report and asked her assistant, “Did Shen Xici really not sign with any company? Are there any companies he’s currently in talks with?”

The little assistant placed two cups of coffee on the table: “No, confirmed. General Manager Cui’s side got definitive news. Everyone who approached Shen Xici was rejected, which is why he even started contacting him.”

After the assistant left the office, Cheng Ningyu took a sip of coffee and analyzed: “Could it be Cui Yunwei who made a move?”

“No,” Ye Mei, wearing a black business suit, crossed her legs diagonally. “Based on Cui Yunwei’s methods, even if he guessed this scandal was my doing, he wouldn’t interfere immediately.”

Cheng Ningyu came to Jiarui immediately after landing and relied on coffee to perk up: “Is he waiting for Shen Xici to be unable to withstand the pressure of public opinion and come to him for help?”

Ye Mei: “Exactly. He wouldn’t miss out on such a huge favor. Moreover, the contract terms would be very different if he approached Shen Xici for a contract versus Shen Xici begging him to sign. Logically speaking, no one should be helping Shen Xici at this moment.”

Cheng Ningyu: “Is it possible it’s not someone from the same industry?”

Ye Mei tapped the bottom of her cup with a small spoon. “Impossible. You captured Shen Xici in your live stream perfectly. This 299 package advertisement was also incredibly natural, without any hint of being deliberate.”

“In the comments section, initially, only Wen Yage’s fans commented and shared, praising the photo quality. After that, the public relations company began to work, imitating Lin Xuesen’s fans vividly. Once the argument started, the comment section immediately became a battlefield, and the more they argued, the higher the popularity rose. Finally, it turned into a chaotic fight between passersby and several fan groups, with the internet army withdrawing without a trace.”

Ye Mei sneered: “I won’t believe this isn’t the work of someone from the industry.”

Cheng Ningyu had accidentally discovered that the surveillance cameras in the hallway were all off. She initially thought that with the footage of Shen Xici knocking in the early morning, he definitely wouldn’t be able to recover. The stigma of being a male homewrecker trying to sleep his way up was cemented.

It was as easy as stepping on an ant to crush a newcomer who had no works to his name.

She hadn’t expected the situation to turn out this way.

She lamented: “Is there anything else we can do?”

Ye Mei also regretted: “Jiarui invested a lot of money into this movie. I can’t do anything too extreme, and Cui Yunwei is watching me, always looking for a chance to report me.”

---

At eight o’clock in the evening, the official Weibo account for the movie “Mountain Range Line” updated with an official statement.

“Regarding the recent online discussions about ‘inappropriate late-night behavior by a cast member,’ the crew has conducted a thorough investigation and issues the following serious statement:

I. Timeline Restoration: According to the pub’s surveillance records and the pub owner’s testimony, the female lead, Wen Yage, was at the pub from 23:00 that night until 06:00 the next morning and never left. The person involved was not present during the time of the alleged ‘knocking incident.’

II. Testimonies: According to the testimonies of the director, assistant director, screenwriters, and others, Shen Xici was in the director’s room collaborating on script revisions from 23:00 the night before until 05:30 this morning.

III. …

The crew will never tolerate any actions that utilize public opinion to smear the work or harm the actors. Let us collectively safeguard the purity of art.”

“—Wow, wow, wow, where are Lin Xuesen’s fans? Honestly, I’m tired of seeing you all strutting around smugly. Did you hit a brick wall? Does your head hurt? You said such nasty things about Shen Xici. Write your confession before you write your homework!”

“—Is Sister Wen still drunk and not awake yet? Does she know the place she goes to unwind at midnight has been exposed? Can I still catch her if I go stake out that pub now?”

“—Thank you to the boss who came to advertise! Otherwise, no one would believe Shen Xici, no matter what he said [crying] “

“—Super quiet voice, does anyone else think that Sister Wen and Shen Xici make a great match… I only started shipping them for half a day, and the ship has already sunk. Is this the karma for shipping a wild pairing?”

A great match? How are they a great match?

Sheng Shaoyan immediately reported that comment.

Shen Xici was currently on the phone thanking Director Wan Shan. He looked at the person sitting in his custom-made wooden chair with his laptop on his lap, doing who knows what, and replied into the phone, “Thank you, Director, for being willing to speak up for me. Otherwise, there was no way I could have cleared myself of suspicion.”

“You also came up with a way to break the deadlock yourself,” Director Wan Shan instructed, “Focus on your acting. We all have high hopes for the Mute Youth character.”

After a few more polite thank-yous, Shen Xici hung up the phone.

To be honest, he never expected Sheng Shaoyan to handle it this way.

Find the pub owner to run an advertisement, then use an internet army to build momentum, letting netizens discover the doubts and inconsistencies themselves and actively search for clues to compare the timeline.

People are always more inclined to believe that the answers they find themselves are correct. This was much more convincing than them simply releasing the evidence.

After the public discussion had simmered enough, contact the crew and issue a statement for the final word, directly turning the negative gossip into exposure. It was evident from the tens of thousands of followers he gained in a short period that Sheng Shaoyan’s every step was perfectly timed.

Sitting down on the sofa, Shen Xici asked: “A’shao, how did you convince the bar owner Kevin to help?”

“His pub was on the verge of closing down. Business was very bad. He just needed to post two Weibo updates. I gave him traffic and got him on the hot search. Now, everyone traveling to this area will have a chance to go to his pub to check in and take photos. It’s a guaranteed profit, so he had no reason to refuse.” Sheng Shaoyan’s tone was flat, not thinking much of what he had done.

Shen Xici’s nerve for poverty was suddenly touched: “Where did you get so much money?”

Sheng Shaoyan avoided the direct question: “The last hot search was paid for by the crew.”

“What about before that? The 299 hot search, and the internet army!”

Every single comment posted costs money. It added up to a huge sum!

“Profits from stocks and futures these past few days.”

Sheng Shaoyan had spent most of the money he earned before today. He needed to hurry up and make more money. Shen Xici’s profession was unique, and his exposure would only increase in the future. This required the house they would rent after returning to Ningcheng to have good security and high privacy.

“When I get my salary, I’ll pay you back.” Shen Xici couldn’t even imagine how much money Sheng Shaoyan had earned from compounding interest these past few days! This man was suffering from amnesia, yet his ability to make money was still this terrifying!

But fortunately, Sheng Shaoyan was here. Otherwise, even if he had gotten the surveillance footage and cleared the rumors, it wouldn’t have had such a great effect.

“Let’s talk about it later,” Sheng Shaoyan shifted his gaze from the screen to Shen Xici. “I’ve also spent a lot of your money.”

The cost of food, accommodation, and travel over the last half a month? Even if added all together, it was just pocket change compared to the money Sheng Shaoyan spent on the public relations company this time.

Shen Xici insisted: “That’s not how you calculate the debt.”

The dark blue in Sheng Shaoyan’s eyes seemed to hold anger. His voice was taut as he retorted: “Then how should we calculate it? You don’t count what I owe you at all. But what you owe me, you insist on paying back every single penny?”

Shen Xici was a bit confused. Why was he suddenly angry?

It’s natural to repay a debt. Why is he angry that I want to repay the money?

Seeing Shen Xici remain silent, Sheng Shaoyan looked away. After a long moment, his tone softened: “Shen Xici, we don’t need to keep such a distance.”

What kind of logic is that? Is he angry because I’m being too distant and separating the money too clearly?

Shen Xici attempted to compromise: “Then I won’t pay it back for now?”

The pressure around Sheng Shaoyan eased: “Good.”

Shen Xici thought to himself that once he saved up enough money, he would quietly transfer it to Sheng Shaoyan. The string of numbers in Sheng Shaoyan’s account balance was so long that an extra hundred thousand or a hundred thousand less wouldn’t even be noticeable.