The trending topic on social media had only taken about an hour to reach its peak. Stories need to unfold gradually to capture attention, but an accident only takes a moment to set off a storm of reactions.
Zoe fell from the high platform during the recording and lost consciousness. The incident quickly became the talk of the internet, much like past accidents involving celebrities such as Andy Lau's horse-riding fall or He Jiong's collapse. Though Zoe had gained significant exposure in the past couple of months, she was still relatively unknown in real life—few people would recognize her off-screen. But that was enough to stir up a frenzy online.
Zoe was rushed from the TV station to the hospital in an ambulance.
Lan, accompanied by Zheng Xiaoju, followed the ambulance all the way to the hospital. Lan's phone hadn't stopped ringing—calls from the company, collaborators, familiar media outlets, and even other celebrities. She kept talking on the phone during the ride, only muting it once they arrived at the hospital. After helping Zoe through the various tests and formalities, she waited until Zoe was settled into her hospital room, then spoke with the doctors and finally let out a breath of relief.
"Thank goodness, it's just a mild concussion. Xiaoju, stay here with her for a while. I need to handle some work. Remember, no one but the doctors and nurses are allowed to enter the room," Lan instructed Zheng Xiaoju seriously.
Xiaoju nodded. "Got it, Lan Jie."
Lan then took her phone and left the room to handle the aftermath of Zoe's fall.
The program's producer who was assigned to accompany Zoe came rushing over after paying the bills. When he saw Lan, he immediately asked, "Lan Jie, how's Zoe? What did the doctors say?"
Lan looked at him and frowned. "The doctors said they need to do more tests."
"Don't worry, Lan Jie. We'll take full responsibility. We'll make sure to deal with the person in charge of the wirework. Also, we'll cover Zoe's medical expenses," the producer promised earnestly.
"That's obvious," Lan snapped, clearly not in the mood. "How do you even do your job? If something serious had happened—if Zoe had suffered a brain hemorrhage, or worse, become a vegetable—how would you compensate for that? You didn't even properly check the equipment for the wire work. This is about the safety of the artist!"
The producer repeatedly apologized, bowing as he did so, but Lan wasn't paying much attention to him. She knew he was just sent by the TV station to smooth things over. Her words were meant to be a statement for the higher-ups—this major oversight couldn't be brushed aside. Though the doctor had confirmed it was only a mild concussion, it didn't change the fact that the TV station had failed to ensure the safety of their equipment.
After dealing with the producer, Lan called He Yong back.
Without asking why she hadn't answered earlier, He Yong immediately asked, "How is Zoe? What's her condition?"
"The doctors have examined her, and there's nothing serious—just a mild concussion," Lan replied. "But the program crew was incredibly irresponsible. They outsourced the wire work to a third-party company, and the problem happened because they didn't check the equipment properly, which caused the wire to disconnect. That's why Zoe fell."
He Yong sighed in relief. "Thank goodness she wasn't hurt badly."
Lan thought for a moment that he was genuinely concerned about Zoe's health, but then he asked, "When will Zoe wake up? The doctor said anything about her recovery? Will this affect the upcoming work?"
At that moment, Lan couldn't suppress her sarcasm. Of course, He Yong would be more concerned about the schedule than Zoe's health.
"It depends on when Zoe wakes up. Once she's awake, we'll have the doctor check again. If there are no further issues, she can be discharged," Lan said.
"Good. You stay on top of things at the hospital. Don't worry about the TV station; I'll arrange for someone to handle it."
"Okay," Lan replied.
"And since Zoe is fine, please log into her Weibo and have her post something to let her fans know she's okay," He Yong added.
Lan replied, "Mr. He, Zoe manages her own Weibo account. We don't have the password."
Actually, Lan did have the password, but she didn't want He Yong to know that. She also didn't want to take over Zoe's social media, especially not for something like a health update. She thought it might be better to keep the TV station in suspense for a while so they'd feel more pressure to compensate properly.
"Mr. He, I think we can hold off on posting the 'I'm fine' message for now. I haven't told the TV station that Zoe's injuries are just a mild concussion. Let them worry a little. They messed up so badly this time, almost causing irreparable damage. They need to pay for this!"
He Yong simply said, "I'll handle it."
However, Lan didn't expect that half an hour later, Cheng Tian Entertainment's official Weibo account would post a message reporting that Zoe was in the hospital for checks but that she was fine and recovering, urging everyone not to worry.
Lan was stunned when she saw this post. Something about it didn't sit right with her. She went to ask her colleagues in the PR department, and they informed her that the post hadn't been written by them but had been ordered by higher-ups.
Higher-ups?
Could it have been Hong Chen? No, that didn't make sense. Hong Chen was usually cautious in handling matters, and there was no way he'd know the details of Zoe's condition so quickly.
Was it He Yong's idea?
...
Zoe didn't wake up until later in the evening. By then, news of her accident had already been trending for the whole day. It was a storm of opinions—what started as concern for Zoe's well-being quickly shifted to criticism of the program team. Then, a prominent influencer came out criticizing the excessive attention given to Zoe's fall, questioning why so much focus was on a celebrity when so many dangerous jobs went unrecognized. The online debates were heated, with a variety of opinions clashing in all directions, making the situation even messier.
When Zoe woke up, Lan was discussing with the company's PR team, asking them to monitor online comments and ensure the quarrels didn't reflect badly on Zoe.
"Lan Jie," Zoe called out softly.
"You're awake!" Lan looked up, relieved. "You've finally woken up!"
Zoe looked around, disoriented. "Am I in the hospital?"
"Yes, you fell from the height during the recording. Do you remember anything?" Lan asked gently.
Zoe remembered the fall, but her head hurt. "It's so awful."
"You're lucky it wasn't worse. Just a mild concussion," Lan reassured her. "For caution's sake, you'll stay overnight at the hospital. Tomorrow we'll have another check-up and make sure everything's okay."
"Hmm." Zoe nodded. "What time is it?"
Lan checked her watch. "It's 7 PM. You've been out for quite a while. Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?"
Just then, there was a knock at the door.