Against the Light - Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Framed
In the office, Gu Xinran rubbed her forehead. She had just gotten home and fallen asleep yesterday when her phone was bombarded by Qu Qi. Before she could even fully wake up, Qu Qi told her she was already waiting downstairs. By the time she came to her senses, she was already sitting, bewildered, in Qu Qi's office, without the faintest idea of what had happened. To her surprise, Fang Jinghai was there too.
"Sisters, after thinking this over and over, Luo Bing is the most likely suspect," Fang Jinghai said, pushing up a pair of non-existent glasses.
Qu Qi glanced at her. "Even you can see that Luo Bing is the prime suspect, so don't you think her team would have thought of that? Besides, at the end of the day, we're all from the same company. I know what Su Cen is like. Even if she wants to push me out, she wouldn't go so far as to publicly slander an artist from her own company. You can tell from the fact that she never made a public fuss about all the outrageous things Xinran did to Luo Bing before."
"Then… I can't think of anyone else."
"You're still a rookie. You have a lot to learn." Qu Qi pointed at her, then took out her phone and opened Weibo. "The most puzzling thing about this is, look, they've already released the bed photos of the two of them. Although their faces are pixelated, even I can recognize that it's Yang Xue. How has Yang Xue's team not done anything? It's been a full two hours since this post went up!"
Gu Xinran froze, taking Qu Qi's phone to have a look. It was just as she said. The bombshell post included a very sensational, pixelated photo. In the picture, two women were lying in bed, with only the parts from their shoulders up visible. Gu Xinran was lying on her side, facing left. Her face wasn't pixelated, and her perfect side profile was highly recognizable. The other woman's face was censored, but her eyes were visible, and a small mole on her collarbone perfectly exposed her identity.
Immediately, someone in the comments posted a photo of the actress Yang Xue. The eye shape was the same, and crucially, the mole on her collarbone was in the exact same spot. It was undeniable proof.
Gu Xinran immediately searched for this Yang Xue. The moment she saw her photo, her mind buzzed, her vision went dark, and a sudden, inexplicable rage surged through her heart!
She closed her eyes and carefully recalled. The original host had few interactions with Yang Xue; their only connection was having worked on a drama together once. Oh! And one other time! The last time, at a cocktail party, they had only briefly exchanged greetings.
It was after that party. The original host had drunk too much and was resting in a room. When she woke up the next day, she found a photo just like this on her phone! And the sender of that photo was none other than Yang Xue! The original host had tried repeatedly to contact Yang Xue, but to no avail.
Then, on Yilan's birthday, someone sent this photo to Yilan as a birthday gift. That was the day the two of them had a huge fight. Yilan was so angry she slapped the original host and stormed off.
Gu Xinran was filled with indignation. She now clearly realized that the original host had been framed. She had never betrayed Yilan! She had never cheated! It was only because she was too impetuous and immature, easily manipulated by others, that she had made such a mess of things. She was completely innocent, yet she was being crushed by one so-called piece of hard evidence after another, with no way to clear her name!
What infuriated her even more was that Yang Xue had sent such a photo to Yilan on her birthday as a gift! She loved Xinran so much; how must she have felt upon receiving a photo like that?!
"Did you really… you know… with this Yang Xue?" Qu Qi asked.
"No," Gu Xinran said coldly.
"Sister Ran, I believe you!"
"It's useless if you believe her. The netizens won't. Now we have to see what Yang Xue says. She's the one with the most power to speak on this."
"If she admits to being a victim, then Xinran will never be able to clear her name in this lifetime. If she denies it, well… she's still a victim, an innocent girl dragged into this by Xinran," Qu Qi analyzed seriously, propping her chin on her hand.
"Who the hell is behind this? These tactics are too damn dirty! Could it be that Yang Xue orchestrated this herself?"
Qu Qi's head ached with anger. Just as she finished complaining, she heard a knock on the door.
The office door was pushed open, and Su Cen stood at the entrance, looking at Qu Qi with a faint smile. "I think I heard someone cursing up a storm."
"…You clearly misheard."
Su Cen smiled and walked away with a flourish.
Qu Qi was so annoyed she rolled her eyes.
"It must have been her!" Fang Jinghai declared.
"No," Qu Qi said with unusual certainty.
"Why?"
"If it were her, would she come over so brazenly to mock me? She's waiting for me to go beg her for help."
"…Aren't you two enemies? Would she help you?"
"Of course not. She wants to ridicule me thoroughly when I go ask her for help!" Qu Qi's eyes widened as she shot an irritated glance at the door.
"Speaking of which, Xinran, what are your thoughts?"
"Wait." Gu Xinran thought it over carefully. It was just as Qu Qi said; no matter how she tried to defend herself now, no one would believe her. The power to control the narrative lay with Yang Xue. With the situation blown up this big, Yang Xue's team had to respond somehow—either by publicly refuting the rumor or by taking a bite out of her.
She had just reviewed the original host's memories. The original host had never had any conflict with Yang Xue, nor had she ever heard that Yang Xue liked Yilan. So why would Yang Xue frame the original host? Why take such a photo? And why send it to Yilan to drive a wedge between them? It was too strange, wasn't it? Was it just to ride her coattails and generate buzz?
By the afternoon, there was still no response from Yang Xue's side. They just let that Weibo post dominate the top trending spot for a full twelve hours.
"What the hell is this? I can't figure out what this Yang Xue is trying to do! No clarification, no refutation, no statement…" Fang Jinghai looked bewildered. "She's not tacitly admitting it, is she??"
"I think I get it now." Qu Qi's expression was grave as she took a deep breath.
"What is it?"
"This Yang Xue has been lukewarm ever since her debut. It's been ten years now, so she's basically a retread. Seeing that she's about to be pushed aside by the new generation of idols, she probably wants to create some buzz to stage a comeback."
"A comeback?"
"Yes. I asked a friend to look into her recent work schedule. She's about to be on a variety show, and this show is packed with big names. If she doesn't stir up some controversy and fame, who's going to remember who she is?" Qu Qi sneered.
"But isn't this kind of buzz too negative?"
"Negative? No matter how you look at it, she's an innocent victim. If people are going to curse someone, it'll only be this one." Qu Qi glanced helplessly at Gu Xinran, who was resting with her eyes closed.
"Then… that's too despicable! Wait, a variety show packed with big names? Could it be…"
"Uh-huh. The phenomenal variety show, 【A Good Show】."
"Holy crap! No way! Yang Xue? With her level of fame and acting skills, what right does she have to be on the most professional acting variety show in the country?!"
"That's what I'm wondering too. Could it be that the show is already running out of steam in its third season and can't get any big stars, so they're starting to rely on hype to generate heat?"
"No way, that would ruin the show! I used to stay up all night to watch it, just to see those veteran actors, those old drama bones, go head-to-head. I really hope they don't water it down this season!"
"Sigh, you're a rookie. Long hair, short on experience. Once a variety show gains a certain level of fame, there's always some nepotism involved. The investors aren't fools."
"Ah…" Fang Jinghai looked dejected, as if her soul had been sucked out.
While the two were chatting, Gu Xinran took the opportunity to learn about the variety show they were discussing.
As Fang Jinghai had said, it was a professional acting variety show tailor-made for professional actors, a true test of their skills. The show also had two broadcast formats: online and offline.
The online mode referred to the actors competing head-to-head on stage in designated scenarios, with the winner chosen by the judges and audience votes to advance to the next round.
The offline mode would, in addition to the acting competitions, take the audience into the actors' lives off-camera, offering an in-depth look at how they rehearsed, practiced, sought inspiration, and honed their skills behind the scenes.
Because the guests invited each season were all top talents in the industry, every episode was a visual feast. Coupled with the chance to get a closer look at the off-screen lives of their favorite actors, the show had been incredibly popular since it first aired two years ago, even becoming a phenomenal, nationally acclaimed variety show that garnered immense attention.
"Hey, if even Yang Xue can get on that show, can Sister Ran?"
"Pfft-cough, cough, cough…" Qu Qi nearly choked on her water.
"Her? You think just because she can climb trees to shoot birds and dive into the sea to catch turtles, she can go toe-to-toe with old drama bones?"
"…"
"I just think Sister Ran is amazing. She's a very affectionate person, and people with rich inner emotions can't be bad at acting. Plus, her tears come on command!" Fang Jinghai said with the goofy smile of a devoted fan.
"Don't be ridiculous. She used to rely entirely on eye drops for crying scenes. You want her to cry for me? Let's see it," Qu Qi shot her a look.
Gu Xinran frowned in thought. Hearing this, a flash of inspiration struck her. "If I can cry, can you get me on this show?"
"Ha, if you can do it, I'll risk my old life to get you on…"
Before Qu Qi could finish her sentence, two crystalline teardrops hit the table with a soft pat, pat.
Qu Qi was dumbfounded—no, she was utterly flabbergasted as she stared at Gu Xinran. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her brows clouded with a deep sorrow. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and two clear tear tracks stained her cheeks. As she blinked, two more lines of tears fell!
"Whoa…" Fang Jinghai said she had been staring at Xinran the whole time but hadn't even seen how her eyes had suddenly filled with tears. In a word: badass!
"You-you-you, cut it out! Where did you hide the eye drops?!" Qu Qi… was losing her mind.
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