Caught in Affairs with Superstar
Chapter 159 - 135: The Beginning of the Scandal

Chapter 159: Chapter 135: The Beginning of the Scandal

In mid-August, the latest episode of "After the Scandal" aired, and it blew up across the internet.

The content focused on Zhou Yun. In June, Zhou Yun was embroiled in a scandal with Zhao Qin, just as the filming had started. The internet was full of voices criticizing Zhou Yun.

In the episode, Zhou Yun sat on the sofa, lost in thought, when suddenly she received a call from Song Chi. As she saw the caller ID, a tear fell instantly.

Zhou Yun answered the phone.

The camera then switched to Song Chi, who actually looked a bit nervous, but his tone was playfully relaxed as he asked, "You...you’re not crying, are you?"

Zhou Yun, her eyes red, suppressed her crying and said defiantly, "You’re the one crying, not me. Even if you cry, I won’t."

On screen, Song Chi couldn’t see Zhou Yun’s reddened eyes, and he sighed with relief, feeling unburdened. "That’s the spirit. I saw your Weibo comments are a mess, so I wanted to check on you, see if they’ve affected you."

"Weibo comments? I hardly read them; I rarely go on Weibo," Zhou Yun said. "You should too, stay off the internet a bit. Don’t become an internet addict."

They chatted some more.

Suddenly, Song Chi looked guilty and said, "I...couldn’t help myself; I supported you on Weibo just now and, sure enough, I got attacked too."

He burst into laughter.

Zhou Yun looked self-reproachful: "Are you an idiot? I told you not to support me."

Song Chi laughed, "Couldn’t help it, got impulsive."

The more self-blaming Zhou Yun felt, the more annoyed she became: "Bro, didn’t you debut way before me? Weren’t you the one who warned me not to be reckless? Can’t you lead by example?"

"I knew you’d lose your temper. I’m hanging up now; my apology is done, bye."

The call ended.

This segment was aired exactly as it happened.

This segment was wildly shared by all entertainment marketing accounts and stirred up heated discussions across the internet.

They had once firmly denied that they were dating or together.

But now, no one is willing to believe that their relationship is purely platonic.

A popular influencer on Weibo firmly stated, "To say there isn’t something going on between these two, I absolutely disagree!"

This assertive attitude won the support of the vast majority.

And compared to the initial speculations about them, the attitude shifted more towards—

I’m locking in this couple!

A Weibo post about it quickly hit ten thousand shares—

She cries saying she hasn’t cried; he laughs saying he too was attacked; she, full of self-reproach, calls him an idiot; he, all smiles, seeks forgiveness. Tell me, if this isn’t love, then what is it?

"After the Scandal" surged to the top with absolute popularity.

This time, even Song Chi’s fans, who did not want to see him in a relationship, couldn’t stop it.

In this world, the most overwhelming force is always the bystanders.

In just three days, Zhou Yun’s fan count increased by a million. This was a terrifying speed. Two months later, Zhou Yun topped the popularity charts again, even more famous than before the scandal. Because she had genuine fans, real fans, fans who liked her, fans who supported her. This was different from just traffic and temporary popularity.

Liu Pinran personally visited the film crew to take Zhou Yun out for a meal and gifted her an exorbitantly priced ladies’ watch.

Zhou Lan told Zhou Yun that, conservatively estimated, at least ten brands wanted to place advertisements in "After the Scandal".

They specifically requested to have Zhou Yun’s character deliver the ad lines.

Liu Pinran personally brought the supplemental agreement to Zhou Yun’s company, offering her an additional payment, just to get her to agree to these product placements.

Zhou Yun actually didn’t want to.

Because the script had to be altered again, some scenes had to be reshot, just for the sake of product placements.

The hardship of reshooting was secondary; after the advertisements were inserted, the plot became disjointed. Zhou Yun was dissatisfied, raised protests, and He Yong personally called her, trying to persuade her.

After several back and forths, ultimately Zhou Yun insisted on removing the abrupt ad lines from the dialogue, only agreeing to include product placement shots, which had to blend naturally into the storyline.

This was the best Zhou Yun could do.

Liu Pinran was thrilled, "Eighth Heartbeat" hadn’t even premiered yet, but the return on investment had already ranked among the top few of Yuehai Network’s producer-owned dramas this year. Once the show airs, with the tail funds coming in, and if the broadcast performs even better, as per the contract, they could receive higher advertisement fees. Undoubtedly, this would be his most profitable project in years. It’s worth mentioning, Yuehai’s stock price had risen because of Zhou Yun, because of "Eighth Heartbeat", and everyone was satisfied.

At this point, Liu Pinran no longer underestimated Zhou Yun. He clearly understood that he had previously offended Zhou Yun, so he started frequently visiting the film crew to meet Zhou Yun, chat, and every now and then invite her for meals or give her gifts. Zhou Yun didn’t want to accept, and would return them, Liu Pinran would send them back, Zhou Yun would return them again, and Liu Pinran simply left the items at the door of Zhou Yun’s room.

Zhou Yun’s work had increased.

She was incredibly busy, unable to leave the set, with commercial livestreams scheduled one after another.

She kept busy until the end of August, when Zhen Xiaoxiao and several other actors wrapped up their filming and left the set, followed by Yu Yhan and then Yin Zhou.

Actually, Yin Zhou hadn’t finished shooting some of his scenes, but another film he had previously signed up for had started, and they couldn’t keep waiting for him; he had to go shoot on that side.

In September, Gu Huaichun, Yin Zhou, and Yu Yhan also appeared in "After the Scandal" due to Zhou Yun.

Several of them surprisingly gained attention from extensive program fans due to certain scenes, like Yu Yhan realizing she was on camera without makeup, and turning to flee, which resonated with many girls. Or the numerous GIFs of Yin Zhou playing badminton with Zhou Yun, labeled with phrases like "barely seen abs," attracting a group of fans, or Gu Huaichun...

Gu Huaichun’s cold and sarcastic demeanor was initially criticized by many until his true personality gradually emerged, winning over more and more people.

Compared to them, Yuk Chu’s visit to the set to accompany Zhou Yun for two episodes didn’t make much of a splash; the audience’s attention was still focused on Zhou Yun.

In September, Zhou Yun signed a brand partnership with VX, officially announcing the collaboration.

VX also formally claimed sponsorship of Zhou Yun’s wardrobe in "Eighth Heartbeat" on their official Weibo.

On the 12th, Zhou Yun took leave from the crew, flew to Beijing to join Zheng Xiaowen and Wen Xi in recording a "Fashion Special" to understand the development of the fashion industry in China, VX’s design philosophy, visited many historical sites in Beijing, enjoyed afternoon tea, and finally, shot a cover for a major fashion magazine with Wen Xi, unlocking her first-ever fashion magazine cover as a VX brand ambassador.