CSGM - Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Hate Magnet
Zhao Shiqing looked incredibly wronged. She kept her head down, her voice choked with sobs, a clear sign of her inner suffering.
The reason seemed easy to trace. After all, the audience had just seen Chu Xi and Ren Zhi return by car, while she had walked back down the mountain on her own. The disparity between the two was bound to make people feel it was unfair.
Now, with her crying and emotional outburst, it directly became the fuse that ignited a heated discussion.
【Why do I get the feeling Zhao Shiqing isn't happy on this show?】
【Is this a case of 'the kind get bullied'? The one trying to save the restaurant money has to walk back miserably, while the one who doesn't care about the team's survival gets to ride back in style.】
【Zhao Shiqing's grievance is written all over her face. Chu Xi, can you turn around and see what you've done? You made the flying guest cry!】
【And people are still praising Chu Xi for not causing internal friction? She's an ungrateful wolf, okay? Zhao wanted to save the restaurant money, and she still snapped at her... Putting myself in Zhao's shoes, if I had a teammate like her, I'd be furious!】
【Zhao, a flying guest, is trying to be frugal for the restaurant, but Chu, a regular cast member, is a spendthrift. It's completely normal for Zhao to be angered to tears.】
【Zhao Shiqing wasn't wrong. Taking a car up the mountain is one thing, but they could have totally walked down. They weren't in a hurry anymore. But Chu Xi was so cold and sarcastic to her. Who wouldn't feel wronged in that situation?】
Even casual viewers felt that Chu Xi had gone too far today.
Zhao Shiqing was still a young woman, yet Chu Xi showed no consideration for others' feelings, did whatever she wanted, and had a bad tone and attitude, making a guest on the show feel so wronged she cried.
The audience had witnessed the argument between Chu Xi and Zhao Shiqing. Although Zhao Shiqing's defenses had crumbled so easily, making her seem overly sensitive, it was still wrong for Chu Xi to make her cry.
Throughout the entire live stream, Chu Xi hadn't been gentle with Zhao Shiqing for even a second.
She didn't even hold back when speaking to Zhao Shiqing.
In contrast, everything Zhao Shiqing said today was for the restaurant's benefit.
With this comparison, the pitifully wronged Zhao Shiqing was someone you couldn't help but feel sorry for, while the ice-cold Chu Xi looked like an inhuman villain.
Zhao Shiqing's die-hard fans furiously pounded their keyboards, aggressively venting on behalf of their idol.
【Singer-dancer Zhao Shiqing is here as a flying guest, not to suffer! Production team, please protect your artists!】
【Wuwuwuwu, Little Jelly, don't cry, Mommy's heart aches for you TvT】
【Chu Xi, you really deserve to die!!!!】
【With a regular like Chu Xi, I suggest no flying guests come in the future. Shiqing is a cautionary tale!!!】
【So regular cast members can bully flying guests, is that it? Chu Xi, you'd better have an explanation!】
【What did Little Jelly do wrong to be snapped at by Chu Xi like that?? Chu Xi, can you crawl out of whatever hole you're in and see what you've done!】
Some even said—
【That scene of Chu Xi pulling Ren Zhi into the car was like 'holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles.'】
【She knows how to latch onto someone powerful. If even Ren Zhi got in the car, the others would be too embarrassed to say anything else.】
The wronged Zhao Shiqing, the innocent Ren Zhi, Xiao Han and Luo Yangtian who were angry but dared not speak, and Li Xiling who was outside the incident the whole time—none of them were the targets of the audience's attacks.
Only Chu Xi, who had been stubborn and disregarded others' feelings today, was the target.
Everything was Chu Xi's fault!
Besides, Chu Xi didn't have many fans. The few new ones who saw the bullet comments and wanted to speak up for her were scared into silence by the aggressive crusaders.
The Milkshakes thought: Forget it. Our idol's combat power is much stronger than ours. She punches directors and kicks her peers. We'll just be the women behind Chu Xi!
Go, Xixi!
Compared to the weak and timid little squad of Milkshakes, the combat power of Zhao Shiqing's Little Jelly army was an overwhelming victory.
Zhao Shiqing alone had established six fan groups. Coupled with her usual skillful management and knowledge of how to cultivate a fanbase, even if the total number wasn't large, each member was an elite, loyal to her like a rabid dog.
She was now hiding in her tent, all alone. Tearing off her pretense of being wronged, she opened a side account and watched the live bullet comments with shrewd eyes.
Yes, yes, just like this.
The more the audience hated Chu Xi, the more successful she was.
Curse Chu Xi, all of you.
Chu Xi, oh Chu Xi, if you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being too impulsive today.
Zhao Shiqing actually hadn't expected Chu Xi to be so much easier to deal with than she'd imagined.
She didn't even need to put in the effort to frame her. Chu Xi's own arrogant personality was a fatal flaw that attracted hate!
She only needed to go with the flow and pretend to be wronged to make the audience dislike Chu Xi.
Chu Xi didn't know how to pander to the audience or her fans. Her personality was too cold and straightforward; it was impossible to survive long in the entertainment industry like that.
Zhao Shiqing had never encountered such an easy target to step on for a boost.
She couldn't help but feel that heaven was too good to her, giving her a perfect stepping stone.
Just then, a message came from Hu Lan: 【Good performance today. I'll buy some trending topics and contact the water army. Consider it your reward.】
Zhao Shiqing: 【Thank you, Auntie Lan/ [Rose]】
Hu Lan added another meaningful reminder: 【I've given you the platform. If you want to get famous, you still have to rely on yourself.】
Of course, Hu Lan was eager to build momentum and use the opportunity for hype, making Chu Xi's public perception worse and worse.
At the same time, of course, she could also use this chance to promote another artist under her and bring herself more profit in the future.
Killing two birds with one stone.
Both she and Hu Lan saw Chu Xi as a soft persimmon.
Even Yu Yixue, the agent tasked with poaching Chu Xi, felt the same. Watching the live stream, no matter how she looked at it, she felt Chu Xi was a hate magnet who couldn't be successfully promoted.
Why were the company's higher-ups so insistent on signing her?
They even treated her like a treasure, telling her that this person was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
In the past, Qingyou Agency was famous for its sharp eye in signing talent, but this time, Yu Yixue felt the executives had truly misjudged.
Sigh, I really don't get it. Where on earth did the boss see this "starlight" in Chu Xi he mentioned on the phone...
Half an hour later, Zhao Shiqing emerged from her tent and returned to the RV restaurant.
She apologized to everyone weakly, "I'm sorry, I was a bit emotional just now. I hope I didn't cause any trouble for you all. I'm here to help..."
After speaking, she composed herself and rejoined the restaurant's work.
Meanwhile, some things she had just "air-dropped" into her fan group had already been screenshotted and spread, causing fans and netizens to explode with anger and curse Chu Xi.
Zhao Shiqing: 【I just wanted to save the restaurant some money. Brother Han said the income these past two days hasn't been good.】
Zhao Shiqing: 【I don't know why Sister Xi is so hostile towards me...】
Zhao Shiqing: 【It seems like she's disliked me since the first day I arrived.】
Zhao Shiqing: 【Maybe I offended her somehow, otherwise I wouldn't be getting ostracized.】
Zhao Shiqing: 【Forget it, forget it. It was my fault for voicing a different opinion today. I should have just shut up when she glared at me...】
In just a few short sentences, the image of Chu Xi bullying Zhao Shiqing was vividly painted.
It's too much!
Isn't this a clear-cut case of a regular cast member bullying a new flying guest?
The more pitiful Zhao Shiqing sounded, the more wrong Chu Xi seemed.
Not considering the flying guest's feelings, speaking bluntly, and acting stubbornly—it was all wrong.
This was a group management show. Who plays like Chu Xi does?
Instigated, Zhao Shiqing's fans went everywhere fanning the flames, spreading topics about Chu Xi being a bully, not being a team player, ostracizing teammates... and so on. They were just short of holding a public denunciation rally.
All to voice injustice for Zhao Shiqing.
#ZhaoShiqingCriedFromGrievance#
#ChuXiIsStubborn#
#ISayWeTakeTheCarWeTakeTheCar#
#ChuXiAreYourLegsBroken#
#ChuXiGoesTooFar#
#ZhaoShiqingIsSoPitiful#
...
After spamming a bunch of topics, one finally made it to the hot search list.
#ChuXiAreYourLegsBroken# climbed to number eight on Weibo's hot search list. With the exposure, a steady stream of casual onlookers came to watch the drama.
Zhao Shiqing's fans and the water army hired by Hu Lan locked onto their target and poured all their efforts into this topic.
They all cursed Chu Xi, asking if there was something wrong with her legs. If not, why act so high and mighty? Would walking down the mountain kill her?
She's really acting like an elite coming to experience the life of commoners, isn't she?
The money the restaurant earned in a day wasn't even enough to cover the car fare, yet she refused to listen to anyone and even bullied the diligent flying guest!
【I'm speechless. If you're so high and mighty, don't come on a variety show.】
【Yuck! Just wants to lie down and make money!】
【If you really didn't want to walk, couldn't you have been more polite to the others? I mean, Zhao Shiqing just got here, it's not like she offended you or anything.....】
At this moment, aside from Zhao Shiqing who had secretly checked her phone, none of the other cast members had noticed that the buzz around Chu Xi's personal topic had once again surpassed the show itself on Weibo, leaving everything else in the dust.
But it was a negative hot search, and comments cursing Chu Xi had been floating around all day.
When Chu Xi left the kitchen camera's view, the Director suddenly called her cameraman back, then gave his assistant a look, silently mouthing: Go.
The assistant nodded, carefully avoiding the other camera angles, and pulled Chu Xi aside to relay the Director's reminder.
"Teacher Chu, would you like to check Weibo and post a clarification? The public opinion right now isn't good for you. The Director said he can give you a half-hour break, we'll just say you went to the restroom."
"Oh?" Chu Xi looked at the assistant's cautious expression and raised an eyebrow. "Is someone cursing me?"
"Mhm... no, it should be a misunderstanding." The assistant nodded, then quickly corrected himself.
The Director had said Teacher Chu wasn't a bad person.
Chu Xi's thin lips moved slightly. "Foolish."
The assistant: "Huh?" Who is she talking about?
Chu Xi gave him a calm look. "No need. Right and wrong lie with oneself; praise and slander are up to others."
The assistant: "You mean...?"
Chu Xi put it more colloquially: "What the hell does it have to do with me?"
Let them curse if they want. A bunch of low-IQ creatures.
She wouldn't waste her time lecturing a group of low-IQ people.
The assistant was silent: "..."
Teacher Chu, can you not be so arrogant? At least spend two minutes contacting a PR person, right?
Chu Xi told him, "Go back."
Alright...
The assistant could only take her answer back to the Director.
She didn't care at all what was being said online!
No matter how many words the keyboard warriors furiously typed, Chu Xi remained completely impervious.
This mentality was something else.
The Director couldn't help but admire Chu Xi even more.
His treasured artist!
Dinnertime.
The sparse business was within expectations.
The tables and chairs of the RV restaurant were sparsely occupied. By six-thirty, there were only five tables of customers.
At one table with a child, a little boy wearing a headscarf swung his legs on his chair, happily playing with his Digital Huarong Road puzzle. His short, chubby fingers pushed the wooden blocks, sliding them back and forth.
"Xiao Abu, hurry up and eat."
"Xiao Abu, it's time to eat."
...
"Grandpa's going to get angry!"
Amidst the elders' urging, the smile on the boy named Xiao Abu gradually faded, and he grew more and more irritable. Suddenly, he started crying out, "Waaah!"
I can't solve it, I just can't solve it!
A kid who hasn't beaten the game is in no mood to eat! What do moms and dads know!
"I'm not eating!" the eight-year-old shouted. He huffily jumped off his chair and ran to the sister who looked the prettiest and gentlest, holding up the magnetic board to Ren Zhi.
"Sister, Sister, help me put it back together!" he said in a childish voice, his chubby little hand grabbing the corner of Ren Zhi's clothes.
Just then.
In the kitchen, Chu Xi suddenly heard the sound of the System coming back from the dead.
"Ding! Special environment detected. Issuing a limited-time mission now: Host, please teach the female star Ren Zhi the universal solution and principles of Digital Huarong Road within thirty minutes. Mission reward: one 'Expert' talent of your choice!"
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