Chapter 83
Chapter 83
“A few small favors and you think you can win someone over?”
Fu Zhi let out a disdainful snort, his eyes filled with mockery.
The combined price of those seven outfits likely didn’t even amount to one percent of the dress Ning Xi was currently wearing.
Xie Lanchen merely cast a fleeting glance at Fu Zhi, seemingly not taking his words to heart at all.
It left Fu Zhi with the frustrating sensation of punching a bale of cotton.
He curled his lip, then sat down casually on the sofa, crossing his legs as he checked his phone.
Ever since the Program Team announced that private messaging via WeChat was allowed, the activity in the “Youai” group chat had decreased significantly.
However, some friends who hadn’t added each other yet still chatted exclusively in the group.
Sleep Safe and Sound: “@Don’t Let the Dishonest Off @Don’t Be a Sycophant ??? Who are you guys again?”
Sleep Safe and Sound: “@Boss Xie Is that you, Feynman?”
Jiang Sheshe had originally wanted to tag Ning Xi in the group, but after scrolling through, she couldn’t determine which one was her.
In the end, she managed to lock onto Ning Xi’s WeChat by spotting her massive profile picture-a giant character for “Strong.”
Sleep Safe and Sound: “@Don’t Let the Dishonest Off How is your relationship with Qin Se?”
Don’t Be a Sycophant: “Why are you suddenly asking about Qin Se?”
Fu Zhi had some recollection of Qin Se.
She was the runner-up from Ning Xi’s former idol group. There had been many press releases and leaks claiming she and Ning Xi didn’t get along within the group.
But when he had asked Ning Xi about it, she said it was all fake and that there was no conflict between her and Qin Se.
Sleep Safe and Sound: “Check the trending searches.”
Fu Zhi frowned and opened Weibo, where he saw the trending topic: #Qin Se Accidentally Likes Ning Xi Post#.
It turned out that Qin Se had, for some reason, liked a post by a marketing account containing malicious rumors about Ning Xi’s performance on You Are My Blessing.
Although she unliked it quickly, people had already taken screenshots, and it climbed the trending charts.
[Holy crap, what year is it? That group has been disbanded for almost two years, yet Qin Se is still paying this much attention to Ning Xi?]
[Liking hate posts about Ning Xi… hmm. As expected, those old leaks were true. Qin Se and Ning Xi really don’t get along.]
[Ahhh, am I the only one curious why Qin Se was searching for Ning Xi in the first place? That marketing account’s post had very few comments and wasn’t even on the trending list. Qin Se would have had to specifically search for Ning Xi to see that post.]
[Who knows? Hasn’t Qin Se been working as an actress for the past two years? Ning Xi is still a singer. Their career paths are completely different now.]
Under this topic, besides people explaining the history between Ning Xi and Qin Se, there were also anti-fans fishing in troubled waters to smear Ning Xi’s reputation.
Fu Zhi didn’t take it seriously at first. After all, in the years Ning Xi had been in the entertainment industry, she had dealt with plenty of ridiculous rumors.
As long as the company noticed, it would be handled quickly.
However, after waiting a while, the topic’s popularity only grew, and more malicious posts about Ning Xi surfaced. Fu Zhi couldn’t help but take a screenshot and send it to Ning Xi’s manager.
[Why hasn’t this smear campaign been handled yet?]
[Of course, Young Master Fu. I’ll go urge the legal department right away.]
Before long, the heat surrounding the topic died down, and the malicious posts about Ning Xi were scrubbed clean.
Fu Zhi raised an eyebrow, looking very satisfied.
On the other side.
Ren Jijing, Ning Xi’s original manager, looked at Fu Zhi’s message with a massive headache.
She had noticed the smear campaign long ago but hadn’t dealt with it because she wanted to generate buzz for You Are My Blessing.
That way, netizens drawn in by the drama surrounding Ning Xi would notice Ning Mingyue on the variety show.
Ning Xi, of course, was kept in the dark about these little schemes.
But Ren Jijing hadn’t expected that the eldest young master of the Fu Family, Fu Zhi, would actually pay attention to such a trivial matter.
Ren Jijing was nursing a headache over how she would keep this from Fu Zhi and Shen Yibai in the future.
Having been Ning Xi’s manager for five years, she naturally knew how close the Ning Family’s adopted daughter was to the two young masters of the Fu and Shen families.
Every year, they would go on vacation abroad together. During Ning Xi’s concerts, those two were basically present at every single show. Even if they couldn’t make it due to business, they would have their assistants personally deliver gifts.
They would even specifically contact her to ask for Ning Xi’s New Year calendar.
…All these things made Ren Jijing start to worry. If Fu Zhi and Shen Yibai ever found out she had followed President Ning’s instructions to use Ning Xi’s popularity to boost Ning Mingyue, the resulting fallout would be nothing short of apocalyptic.
The livestream was buzzing.
After changing her clothes, Ning Xi put her hands behind her back, intending to head back out to continue her shopping and eating spree.
However, Xie Lanchen handed her a light brown baseball cap.
“Try this hat on.”
Ning Xi didn’t even need to try it to see that the hat’s shape and color were a perfect match for her outfit.
She hadn’t expected Xie Lanchen to have such good taste…
[Good heavens, is Xie Lanchen playing a real-life version of Miracle Ningning?]
[A man who will go shopping with his girlfriend and has his own sense of style is the best dowry a man can have. Spread the word.]
Ning Xi was very satisfied with the hat.
“When someone says nothing is perfect-”
Ning Xi pointed at Xie Lanchen. “I say: look at Xiao Xie.”
He knew how to pick clothes and how to style them. He was simply the GOAT!
As Ning Xi looked in the mirror, she suddenly felt a chill down her spine, as if someone was watching her from the shadows.
She turned around sharply.
Then, she saw Fu Zhi staring at her with a dark, brooding expression.
[Fu Zhi: I will watch you forever. Forever.]
Ning Xi smacked Fu Zhi on the head. “You scared me!”
Fu Zhi looked at Ning Xi’s clothes and hat, scoffing with petty sarcasm. “How long have you even known him? And yet you’re already taking his clothes and hats.”
And they were all cheap stuff too.
Ning Xi hadn’t expected that Fu Zhi still hadn’t guessed this was Xie Lanchen’s mission.
She stared at Fu Zhi’s head, deep in thought. “Strange. It’s not like your brains were eaten by zombies, so why does it feel like there’s nothing in there?”
Fu Zhi: “…”
He was still indignant. “If he gives you something, you just take it! You can refuse, or you can throw it away!”
Ning Xi was getting annoyed and didn’t want to keep going in circles with him. “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll take him too!”
Fu Zhi was speechless and decisively shut his mouth.
Because he felt that this dead girl, Ning Xi, might actually be capable of doing it.
“Alright.”
Just then, Xie Lanchen’s lazy voice rang out.
Ning Xi, who had only said it to spite Fu Zhi: “…I spoke too soon.”
She thought it would take Xie Lanchen a long time to check out, which was why she had been so reckless with her words in front of Fu Zhi.
Who could have guessed he would be so fast!
“Did you take a fancy to another piece of clothing?” Xie Lanchen asked with a faint smile.
Ning Xi was dazed. “Huh?”
“I just heard you say you wanted something. Is there another outfit you liked?”
Xie Lanchen leaned in, looking at the clothes in the store from Ning Xi’s perspective, seemingly trying to find which one she had her eye on.
Ning Xi’s soul, which had been gloomily crawling through the cracks in the floor, finally returned to her body.
Good, good. Xiao Xie hadn’t heard her wild declaration.
“No, no, I was just talking to Fu Zhi about something else,” Ning Xi said hurriedly.
Xie Lanchen nodded thoughtfully, appearing to believe her.
At that moment, all three of their phones rang simultaneously.
[Youai Village Chief: A new guest is about to arrive on “Youai.” All seven guests, please come to Room 2.]