After Being Blackened All Over the Internet, I Ruled the Military Variety Shows
Chapter 323: Stepping Stone, It Must Be Fake

Chapter 323: Chapter 323: Stepping Stone, It Must Be Fake

A few minutes later.

Xu Ling’an, with a still visible red mark on his face, kept a straight face while scanning through the comments.

When he saw fans of Jing Huai calling his sister names for supposedly social climbing, he couldn’t help but type back in defense. It was only when he saw more rational comments that his frown relaxed slightly.

He seemed to have completely forgotten the tension from the day’s upcoming paternity test results.

Until a familiar hand covered the phone screen.

Jiang Lingxi took away three phones in succession, "Breakfast is here, eat first!"

The three people seated on the couch had no choice but to look up as their phones were taken away, only to see that breakfast had already been placed on the table.

Tong Yue let out a breath, "I’m so angry I can’t even eat. But you’re handling it like nothing’s happened."

"When the soldiers come, the general blocks them; when the water comes, the earth covers it." Jiang Lingxi said, setting down the phone and handing out chopsticks, "Let’s fill our stomachs first."

Emotions can be influenced. Seeing the person in the eye of the trending storm so calm, their own moods became noticeably steadier.

After the meal, Tong Yue personally brought over the dress to be worn, "Are we going with the most formal one today?"

After wiping her hands, Jiang Lingxi touched the embroidery on the dress and nodded, "Yes."

Even though this wasn’t the first time seeing her client in that dress, Tong Yue still couldn’t help being amazed once more.

"It’s good that we saved this one for the last day. Let’s just show Xu Qingmei that despite her efforts to stir up a trending topic, it amounts to nothing. Our Little Xixi remains unfazed by it all. We’re going out fully dressed, with the attitude that I don’t care about anyone!"

Lu Zhengzheng and Xu Ling’an were both amused to laughter, and after it subsided, they nodded repeatedly.

"Sister Xixi, let’s channel your Emperor Yuan Zhao presence from the set today. Once the Empress takes over, we’ll see who dares come near you!"

Jiang Lingxi: "..."

All that could be said was, you’ve got it!

*

The room was sealed with heavy curtains, allowing not a single ray of light to penetrate.

Jing Huai clutched the tablet, which was starting to warm up, watching the rapidly refreshing comments as he closed his aching eyes.

The cold glow from the tablet reflected on his face, revealing a hint of madness.

Jing Huai’s assistant encountered Xu Qingmei’s assistant in the hallway while carrying breakfast. Instinctively, he was about to greet her as usual, but then recalled the morning trending topics, leading to a complex change in his expression.

He really hadn’t thought Xu Qingmei would handle things so ruthlessly. In just one night, the issue linking Huai and Jiang Lingxi nearly exploded online, while she distanced herself cleanly.

Is it true that the higher you climb, the more ruthless you need to be? If you’re not heartless enough, you can’t make it to the top?

"What’s with your expression?" The other person turned upon hearing footsteps and spoke as if nothing had happened last night, "Are you standing up for your Master Huai?"

Jing Huai’s assistant couldn’t hold back, "Don’t you think what you all did was a bit too much this time? Do you know how many live followers Huai lost overnight?"

This complaint made the other person chuckle, "I say, little brother, before you stand up for your master, did you ever ask for his opinion?"

"Is there even a need to ask?"

"What if your master himself is willing to stir up such drama?"

"Impossible!"

Despite saying this, when he placed the food in front of Jing Huai, the phrase ’what if’ with a hint of sarcasm lingered in his mind, prompting him to hesitantly speak, "Huai Ge."

Jing Huai removed his gaze from the tablet and reached for the offered chopsticks, "What’s the matter?"

"Xu Qingmei fabricated that you and Jiang Lingxi are a couple. I’ve just checked your homepage, and you’ve lost nearly ten thousand followers already. These are all real fans, some even long-term ones. Isn’t what they did a bit too much? Besides, it’s not like you..."

"Okay, stop talking," Jing Huai interrupted, frowning, his fingers gripping the chopsticks turning slightly pale, "Do you think I could have stopped Xu Qingmei from doing what she wanted?"

"But now you’ve been harmed by her..."

"In a way, this might not entirely be a bad thing."

The assistant’s shock was apparent on his face.

Jing Huai squinted at him and said, "This thing indeed has its downsides for me, but there are upsides too. Don’t forget, my initial purpose for being on this show. Given my performance over the past two days, I probably don’t stand much chance anymore, but Jiang Lingxi is on good terms with Mr. Shi and Mr. Li. If I can confirm I’m dating Jiang Lingxi, maybe I can achieve my aim through her."

As if thinking of some beautiful prospect, a smile appeared on his face, "Once I land the opportunity to act in Shi Changrui’s movie, I can become a real powerhouse. The fans I attract then would be much more high-quality compared to the brainless followers I’m losing now. Jiang Lingxi is just a stepping stone for me!"

The assistant was at a loss for words for a moment.

Listening to his artist, the plan seemed feasible in theory.

It’s despicable, but in this industry, who wouldn’t stop at nothing to climb up?

But when it came to Jiang Lingxi, whom he had recently seen and found drastically different compared to before, he couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.

However, he didn’t dare to say anything discouraging, as otherwise, he’d surely be met with Huai Ge’s slipper.

Forget it; the situation had come to this. Better to take things as they come!

*

The last day of recording began with a gathering in the makeup room.

Lu Zhengzheng walked ahead and pushed open the slightly ajar door, while Jiang Lingxi was right behind her and before stepping in, they noticed the lively makeup room suddenly fell silent.

Immediately, several eyes turned simultaneously toward the doorway.

Instinctively, Lu Zhengzheng wanted to shield her from these inscrutable glances, but before she could act, an arm reached out, halting her step outside.

With a composed expression, Jiang Lingxi greeted everyone’s gaze as she calmly walked into the makeup room and seated herself at the spot where she’d had her makeup done the past two days. Then she glanced indifferently at the makeup artist who had styled her previously.

The makeup artist shivered under her gaze, then noticed Jiang Lingxi’s outfit, much grander than the previous days, and quickly perked up, "Ms. Jiang, your dress is stunning today, and it carries such a presence."

"Thank you, then please give me a makeup look that complements this dress."

"Certainly, certainly. Just you wait and see."

Seeing Jiang Lingxi and her two assistants acting as if nothing had happened, the other people in the makeup room exchanged glances and dared not look over again. Finding nothing, they turned their attention back to their own tasks.

Though the timid retreated, there was still one who was bold.

Specifically, Qian Yaya, who had just entered from outside.

Upon seeing Jiang Lingxi already seated in the makeup room, she changed her direction like a nimble cat and sidled over.

"Sister Jiang, how did you and Mr. Jing..."

Those around paused in their actions, silently giving Qian Yaya a thumbs up in their hearts while quietly perking up their ears.

"Saw the trending topic?"

"Ah, yes, first thing this morning when I got my phone, it gave me quite the shock. I was just thinking you and Mr. Jing didn’t seem close in private, yet the people on the trending topic discussed it so vividly. I’m really curious to know the truth!"

She was dying of curiosity!

"Qian Yaya, are you brainless? Can you believe anything said online? You’re uncertain, is this something that even needs thinking?"

"Exactly, there’s no need to think about it at all, it must be fake."

Qian Yaya turned her head to see Lu Sen and Shen Huchen both glaring at her unkindly.