Caught in Affairs with Superstar
Chapter 104: The Beginning of the Scandal

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: The Beginning of the Scandal

Unsurprisingly, the variety show "After the Scandal" garnered a lot of attention as soon as it was officially announced.

Song Chi’s fans were the least able to accept it.

His fans just couldn’t stomach the constant rumors linking Song Chi and Zhou Yun, and even after Song Chi declared they were just friends, they still harbored hostility towards Zhou Yun. They wished nothing more than for Zhou Yun to stay away from Song Chi, better yet, disappear from his world altogether.

The reveal of this variety show was like a slap in the face for Song Chi’s fans.

They were furious and dissatisfied, causing a ruckus under the official Weibo account of Song Chi’s management company, accusing the company of being money-crazy, while several big fan accounts also announced they would boycott the show.

These actions stirred up quite a commotion online, almost making it seem like a public event.

Zhou Yun also got caught up in the mayhem. But this was something that both Zhou Yun and Zhou Lan had anticipated early on, and they had prepared a public relations contingency plan accordingly. Faced with the expected uproar, Zhou Yun stayed offline, silent, calmly getting on with her own schedule.

In reality, the online noise gives people an illusion as if these clamors have whipped up a sandstorm in the real world. But once you put down your phone, step out into the sunlight, or in the pouring rain, the sounds of the real world make you realize, that’s all they are—just a bit of annoying noise.

Zhou Yun chose to cover her ears.

The PR department of the company didn’t do much else but monitor online public opinion concerning Zhou Yun.

Issuing warnings when needed, controlling comments where necessary, and sending lawyer’s letters directly when required.

As long as Zhou Yun wasn’t being slandered, let Song Chi’s fans make noise however they wanted.

"Think about it, it’s kind of sad for Song Chi. Even though he’s not a traffic-seeking celebrity, he still has the popularity and attention. The slightest dissatisfaction from the fans, and they’re out there pointing fingers," Zhou Lan said.

Zhou Yun replied, "Although he doesn’t chase after the traffic, it has brought him a lot of opportunities and resources. Don’t pity him, he’s not pitiful at all. How do you know he doesn’t need this buzz?"

Zhou Yun knew a bit about Song Chi’s situation. Song Chi was planning to produce "Heart Inquiry". If it were just a small indie project with a minimal budget, that would have been one thing. But it involved a huge investment, with major production companies like Zuo Jing and Yuehai involved. Once Director Kang joined the project, his company would inevitably come aboard as well, along with several other parties such as the backing investors for the female lead, Su Yan—even if their investments weren’t as substantial as Zuo Jing’s and Yuehai’s, they were still significant. For Song Chi to ensure that the project proceeded exactly as he envisioned and that investments were received on schedule, he needed to reassure these investors by constantly strengthening their confidence.

"After the Scandal" turned out to be a timely blessing.

The male lead, secondary female character—two highly popular stars brought continuous buzz and unparalleled attention.

This wasn’t for the fans but for the investors, the sponsors and advertisers, as well as the shareholders behind these investors and the stock market.

"’Heart Inquiry’ hasn’t been officially announced yet. Once the cast is revealed, you can expect to be grilled by Song Chi’s fans," Zhou Lan said.

"If grilling is what it takes, just hire me some extra bodyguards if things get too intense," Zhou Yun said.

"Have you talked to Zheng Xiaowen and Wen Xi about joining ’After the Scandal’?" Zhou Lan asked.

Zhou Yun said, "I mentioned it to Sister Xiaowen, and she agreed, but Wen Xi has her own management team. She said she would ask her team first; if the timing works out, then President Huang can go and coordinate with them."

"Wen Xi rarely appears on variety shows. You may not realize it, but even though she isn’t as popular as you celebrities, she’s quite a figure in the fashion industry and earns no less than you guys," Zhou Lan commented. "If you can cultivate a good relationship with her, her connections in the fashion circle and with the brands could be a great help to you."

"Sister Lan, don’t meddle with my personal friendships. You know I dislike making friends with ulterior motives, unless I really need someone’s help and have to push for it. It feels too utilitarian."

"It’s utilitarian, but the benefits are real."

"Stop always talking to me about this stuff."

"Okay, if you really don’t want to hear it, I won’t mention it anymore," Zhou Lan suddenly remembered something. "But I need to tell you about one thing so you aren’t unaware and end up saying something incorrect that offends someone."

"What is it?"

"Wen Xi is divorced. She found out her ex-husband cheated on her."

"That’s it? What wrong thing would I possibly say about that?"

"Just don’t take it lightly and inadvertently say something thoughtless, like suggesting only married women are happy. One of her rivals deliberately said something about marital bliss in an interview to needle her."

"Damn, that’s going too far, poking right at where it hurts."

"So I’m warning you to be careful, lest you speak without intention, but it hits a nerve with her."

"Got it, I’ll be cautious."

Two days later, Zhou Yun received a call from an unknown number. To her surprise, it was Wen Xi on the other end.

Zhou Yun was taken aback, not expecting it.

"Wen Xi? How do you have my number?"

"Xiaowen gave it to me. She said you have a variety show you want to invite me and her to be guests on?" Wen Xi’s voice sounded somewhat aloof over the phone.

"Yes, it’s the newly announced ’After the Scandal’. This variety show wants to film the real work and life situations between Song Chi and me, and the production team said we could invite some friends to join the filming. I’ve just started out in the industry, so I don’t really have many friends or much interaction, not sure if you’d be interested?"

Zhou Yun felt unexplainably anxious.

She didn’t know how Wen Xi would respond.

Wen Xi said, "I’ll be going abroad for work soon, for a month, and won’t be back until the end of July. Will that time work for you?"

"After the Scandal" was due to continue filming until the end of August, or even early September.

"It works, thank you."

"You’re welcome, I like you," Wen Xi said with a cool tone, then hung up the phone.

Her tone was so icy that Zhou Yun almost thought she had heard it wrong—what she heard wasn’t "I like you," but rather "I dislike you."

Zhou Yun excitedly told Zhou Lan, "Wen Xi agreed to join!"

Zhou Lan immediately said, "I’ll tell President Huang to reach out to Wen Xi’s team."

"Mm," Zhou Yun thought for a moment, then told Zhou Lan, "Wen Xi just said she really likes me."

"Saying that is nothing, it’s not like she’s going to say she dislikes you." Zhou Lan didn’t think too much of it.

However, Zhou Yun felt differently: "I think she really does like me."