After a brief silence, Su Yanyi's voice sounded somewhat uncertain, "You, are you mocking me?"
Su Yanyi didn't want to speculate about the meaning behind Qin Jiran's smile, because if that was really the case, she couldn't be sure that she would still persist in completing the tasks required by the System!
Otherwise, did she have to embarrass herself ten times and let Qin Jiran laugh at her for each one? That was simply a joke!
Qin Jiran put away his smile with some embarrassment, but his eyes still twinkled with humor as he explained, "Of course not, it was just a joke. You've been acting strange these past few days."
"Hmph!" Su Yanyi snorted coldly, and, giving him the benefit of the doubt for that extra point, decided not to take his comment to heart.
After this incident, the atmosphere between the two of them changed, becoming more harmonious. Both Qin Jiran and Su Yanyi appeared softer in their demeanor, and there was a sense of camaraderie similar to that between ordinary friends.
Neither of them were particularly chatty, but together, they found common topics to discuss—about work, about scripts, about the trends in the entertainment industry. Both had unique insights and their own opinions. Over the course of the meal, they gained a deeper understanding of one another.
Qin Jiran had always admired Su Yanyi, but he realized he still didn't know her well enough. Even though they had been married for three years and shared a house, he had never seen this side of Su Yanyi's life before, where they could just eat and chat together, and time would slip away unnoticed.
After lunch, they returned to the company together. The sight of the handsome man and beautiful woman entering and exiting together was impossible to ignore, and it sparked a flurry of gossip. Thanks to the publicity over lunch, nearly everyone in the company knew about President Su Yanyi and newly crowned Best Actor Qin Jiran having lunch together. A number of versions of rumors about their romance circulated, each more exasperating and amusing than the last.
That very afternoon, Su Yanyi received a call from Su's Mother.
"Yanyi, are you and Jiran thinking of going public with your relationship? I've received two photos of you two together already. Why don't you take this opportunity to go public? Then I won't have to help you block the news anymore." If Su Yanyi was the Queen of the entertainment industry, then Mother Su was the Empress of the media. What could and could not be reported was all up to her.
The reason why Su Yanyi and Qin Jiran's marriage had remained a secret for three years was largely thanks to Mother Su's manipulation from behind the scenes. However, this was not Mother Su's intention, but rather Su Yanyi's request. She had never acknowledged the marriage, so naturally, she had no intention of making it public.
Mother Su understood Su Yanyi's heart well, but Su Yanyi's attitude had clearly changed in the past two days, which made Mother Su somewhat uncertain about the status of their relationship.
"Is there any benefit to going public?" Su Yanyi, who had previously disliked the idea of going public, now had a different view. She wasn't averse to it, but neither did she approve.
"There are pros and cons. It all depends on what you want," Su's Mother replied.
"Let's keep it under wraps for now. We can talk about it later," Su Yanyi said, unable to find any compelling reason to make their relationship public. With Qin Jiran being a celebrity, going public would be even less beneficial.
Under Mother Su's influence, no media outlet dared to report the scandal involving Qin Jiran and Su Yanyi. But in this era of advanced networking, the two of them walking together so openly no longer remained a secret.
That very afternoon, photos of Qin Jiran walking with Su Yanyi went viral online.
Su Yanyi had always been low-key. Although she was extremely famous within the circle, she was not well known outside of it and had never been involved in any scandals. But this time, basking in the limelight with Qin Jiran, she became significantly famous. In just one afternoon, Su Yanyi's name was remembered by many.
[Who is this woman? Why is she with our Best Actor Qin? Though she isn't ugly, Best Actor Qin belongs to us, and no one is allowed to take him away!]
[Best Actor Qin's Latest Romance Scandal with Splendid Entertainment Queen Su Yanyi!]
[On the Relationship between the Best Actor and the Queen: True Love or Publicity Stunt?]
[Best Actor Qin's Official Website Confession: True Love is the Queen of the Entertainment Industry!]
All sorts of eye-catching headlines made the rounds in Su Yanyi's office, making her feel a bit dizzy from the overstimulation.
"Kang Zhong, have our people guide the direction of the public opinion, and make sure unnecessary rumors don't spread." Although there wasn't anything too outrageous in the public discourse yet, it was only the beginning, and Yanyi knew all too well the various changes and tactics in the entertainment industry. She had to be cautious.
"Yes, I understand."
Not long after, it proved that Su Yanyi's concerns were not unfounded. Just as Kang Zhong was manipulating the paid posters to steer the public opinion in a normal direction, a sudden surge of negative comments about Qin Jiran flooded the internet.
[Shocking! Best Actor Qin Kept by a Sponsor, and the Sponsor is none other than a Queen of the Entertainment Industry!]
[Discussing Qin Jiran's Many Romantic Rumors Post-Debut: A Real Casanova!]
[Rumors: Qin Jiran's Public Confession Gets Shut Down by the Company, Secretly Meets with the CEO!]
[The Mystery Behind Best Actor Qin's Smooth Career, Rumors of High-Level Support!]
These comments appeared very close in time, almost simultaneously on various forums. If not for Kang Zhong's vigilant monitoring, the consequences would have been unimaginable. In an era where public opinion can kill a star, success or failure can sometimes hinge on just these simple things.
"President Su, this tactic is too obvious—it's definitely someone trying to stir up trouble. Do you need me to investigate further?" With Kang Zhong's manipulation, these comments were deleted the moment they appeared, but such tactics were distasteful to Kang Zhong, and seeing the look on Yanyi's face, he thought President Su was probably even more displeased. And if President Su was displeased, then certainly, more people would be as well.
"Investigate! Don't let anyone who dares to target Qin Jiran off the hook!" Su Yanyi commanded without hesitation. Qin Jiran was someone she protected, and she absolutely wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him.
Kang Zhong acted quickly, tracing through various channels. The source of the social media and forum accounts behind the leaks was soon uncovered.
"It's the doing of the higher-ups at Star King Entertainment, looking into who it is specifically. As for the motives, they seem to be solely targeting Mr. Qin," Kang Zhong reported as he analyzed the data he had gathered.
"Wang Zhilin!" Hearing the name of Star King Entertainment, Su Yanyi was already certain of the culprit. However, she was somewhat surprised by the opponent's method.
Star King Entertainment was owned by the Wang Family, with Wang Zhilin serving as the vice president. Although both companies appeared to not interfere with each other on the surface, there were inevitable skirmishes behind the scenes. But a brazen attack on Qin Jiran like this was a first, yet after some thought, Yanyi understood the key to it all.
Qin Jiran's official website confession obviously hit a nerve with Wang Zhilin, prompting her to take this opportunity to suppress Qin Jiran. It gave her a chance to test the relationship between the two, to warn Qin Jiran, and even take advantage of the situation to suppress Splendid Entertainment in the process, killing several birds with one stone.
…