Chapter 27: Delivering Headlines to the Newspaper
Xia Yangyang instantly understood. The turbulent crowd—they must be Shen Manbing's fans. She never imagined she would be attacked by a celebrity's fans. She could handle three or five people, but this crowd charged at her like a crazed mob, hurling water bottles and promotional boards. Xia Yangyang fled, chased all the way to an office building where she sought refuge.
The fans almost caught her, but the sheer number alerted security guards, who stopped them at the entrance. Recognizing the building as the Cherry News Agency, where she'd interned, Xia Yangyang felt a pang of nostalgia and took the elevator upstairs.
Old Bai was surprised to see her, and soon almost everyone in the office, including Editor-in-Chief Old Yuan, greeted her. "Yangyang, long time no see! I didn't expect our intern paparazzo to become a famous star," Old Yuan said, smiling.
Xia Yangyang blushed. "Actually, I've always wanted to thank you for lending me twenty thousand yuan." She explained that she'd needed the money—half a year's salary—after an accident involving Shen Shichuan's car, and only later learned Old Yuan had used his own money, breaking company precedent. Though she'd repaid him immediately after receiving her Cinderella film payment, she remained deeply grateful.
Old Yuan chuckled. "It was nothing. But Yangyang, now that you're in the entertainment industry, if you get a scoop, let us know first."
"Isn't that why I'm here?" Xia Yangyang replied, pointing to the window. Looking down, they saw a chaotic crowd shouting, "Xia Yangyang get out of the entertainment industry!"
Old Yuan turned back. "Yangyang, are you sure about this headline? This is a declaration of war on a diva. With her fan base, this could get messy."
"I want to declare war," Xia Yangyang said. "Run it. Make it attention-grabbing. I'll take responsibility for the consequences."
Old Yuan, knowing the dispute between the rising starlet and established diva was already dominating headlines, readily agreed. They needed fresh material.
The next day, Cherry Entertainment's front-page headline screamed: "Who is the Real Home-Wrecker When the Empress Indulges Her Fans in Creating Trouble?"
The report ignited the entertainment industry. Xia Yangyang and Shen Manbing trended on all platforms. Fan groups and forums exploded.
When Xia Yangyang checked Weibo in the morning, the comments were a whirlwind:
"Divine Shen went too far! That's violence!"
"Xia Yangyang is the other woman; her fans are just Heaven's agents!"
"Are you bullying Yangyang because she doesn't have fans? All Xia Yangyang stans, unite! Our Yangyang isn't one to be messed with!"
"Neutral party here. Xia Yangyang and Gu Qichen are married. Shen Manbing should avoid suspicion; who the mistress is is questionable."
"Xia Yangyang is the mistress! Get out of the entertainment industry! Forever Empress!"
The comments, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, were a torrent of opinions.