MQSP - Chapter 58
Chapter 58
After dinner, Baiye chatted distractedly with Jiang Boyan, turning her head from time to time to look out the window. The sky had already gone completely dark. She glanced at her watch; it was only eight o'clock. Auntie Lin should be fine, right?
"Here," Jiang Boyan said, having gone to the bedroom at some point to retrieve a phone, which she now handed to Baiye. "If you're worried, just give her a call."
Baiye smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you, Auntie Jiang!"
She took the phone, wanting to dial Auntie Lin's number, but she was afraid of disturbing her. Instead, she entered Xia Xiaozi's number.
"Hello, Auntie?"
"Calling again? Miss me that much?"
"Huh? Auntie Lin? I was calling for Auntie…"
"What? Weren't you calling for me?"
"…Of course not! Give the phone to Auntie!" Baiye insisted stubbornly. How did she know…
"It's for you." Auntie Lin's voice turned cold, seemingly very reluctant.
When Xia Xiaozi took the phone, she was still snickering. "Hey, Xiao Ye, what's up? Did you miss your Auntie?"
"…"
"You're deliberately provoking Auntie Lin again."
"Heh, alright, what's up?"
"Um, it's nothing much. I just wanted to see how you guys are doing. Have those people come back to harass you?"
"Uh… your Auntie Lin, she's actually afraid they won't come…"
"Huh?"
"Right now, she's sitting by the entrance like a door god, with the front door wide open, just waiting for those people to come looking for trouble."
"What? You have to talk her out of it! That's so dangerous!"
"I can't persuade her."
"But…"
"Don't worry, she's not stupid. There are a dozen bodyguards hiding in the stairwell. If those people dare to come, they'll be brought… to… justice… right on the spot. She's just afraid they won't show up!"
Baiye was stunned. You can do that?
"Then tell Auntie Lin to be extremely careful. Don't get into a physical fight with them. Be careful… not to throw out her old back!" Baiye's warning started out serious but suddenly changed its tone. As expected, the moment the words left her mouth, she heard a soft grumble from the other side.
"Little brat!"
Hmph, I knew she was eavesdropping!
"Pfft, okay, I know. How are you over there? Is Auntie Jiang easy to get along with?"
"She's great to be around! I'm very comfortable here, so you don't have to worry about me. Auntie Jiang is very good to me. And Auntie Jiang is so good-tempered and gentle, not at all like a certain someone."
"Hang up on her!" Auntie Lin on the other end sounded rather exasperated.
Baiye couldn't help but press her lips together and snicker.
"Alright, I'll pass that along to 'a certain someone' for you."
"Let her stay there. Don't come back. There are no good-tempered and gentle aunties here."
Baiye was delighted. Her Auntie Lin really got her feathers ruffled so easily.
"If you say that, I might just take you seriously," Jiang Boyan chimed in from the side, giving Xiao Ye a wink.
"Xiao Zi, please pack up Xiao Ye's things. I'll send someone to move them over tomorrow. From now on, Xiao Ye will live here with me permanently."
"You dare!" Lin Yuqing seemed to have snatched the phone. "I'm telling you, Jiang Boyan, don't you get any ideas about her!"
"Oh? Why not?"
"Because she…"
"She… can't sleep in unfamiliar beds."
Jiang Boyan chuckled. "Then we'll just move the bed over too."
"You!"
Baiye almost choked with laughter listening to them. Her Auntie Lin… how did she suddenly seem so adorably dense?
"Alright, Auntie Jiang, please stop teasing her. She's taking it seriously."
"Who's taking it seriously? You think I can't tell you two are ganging up on me?" Auntie Lin said, trying to regain her dignity.
"Yes, yes, you figured it out, you figured it out," Baiye said with a laugh.
"Auntie Lin, be careful and protect yourself, okay?" Baiye's smile faded as she gave a serious reminder.
"I know. Once I catch those people, you can get your butt back here."
"Okay!"
Hanging up the phone, Baiye let out a breath and smiled to herself. Mhm, her Auntie Lin is getting cuter and cuter! Her flustered expression was just unbearably endearing. Looks like I'll have to tease her more often in the future~
"Yuqing never used to be this talkative, and you definitely couldn't joke with her. She can be very single-minded and would take any joke seriously."
"Really?"
"The way she is now, she's much more adorable."
"She is!" Baiye nodded.
"She's also become more likable to girls," Jiang Boyan added, giving Baiye a meaningful look.
Baiye was about to nod. "Is… is that so?"
Jiang Boyan smiled and said no more.
Meanwhile, back at Lin Yuqing's place, she was doing exactly as Xia Xiaozi had described: sitting on a chair by the entrance, door wide open, waiting for someone to come looking for trouble.
"Look, boss," Xia Xiaozi said, "you're sitting here like the god of plagues. Even if they show up, you'll just scare them off. Besides, even if we catch them, we need proof that they were intimidating us. Otherwise, if we hand them over to the police, they could just countersue you. They'd slap you with a charge of instigating a brawl, and you'd be in the headlines again."
Xia Xiaozi felt helpless. Ever since sending Xiao Ye away, Lin Yuqing had been fixated on how to catch that group of people and vent her fury—not just for herself, but for Yilan, too. It was the existence of people like them that had destroyed a family that should have been happy.
"Let's close the door and pretend we're scared, hiding inside and not daring to go out. Anyway, Fang Yi has already installed cameras outside. If they dare to come, it'll be perfect evidence. We can wait until they make a move, then have the bodyguards take them down. Wouldn't that be ironclad proof? We wouldn't even have to show our faces, just watch the monitors from inside," Xia Xiaozi suggested.
Lin Yuqing didn't respond, sitting steadily.
It was already late at night. Lin Yuqing stretched and glanced at the time. It was past midnight. Around this time yesterday, they were already pounding on the door. Were they really not coming today? Or did they know she was lying in wait for them?
Xia Xiaozi had already taken several naps on the sofa; she was certainly carefree.
It was so quiet now, with only Xia Xiaozi's soft snores. Even though she had slept all day, Lin Yuqing couldn't help but start feeling drowsy.
To wake herself up, she took out her phone and glanced at Weibo. Her sexual orientation had become a trending topic!
Lin Yuqing really wanted to laugh. She had worked hard for so many years and never trended, yet she easily made it to the top for something like this. Wasn't it ironic?
She glanced at her own homepage. Strangely, her follower count hadn't dropped; instead, it had increased by over a million.
She rarely posted on Weibo herself; Xia Xiaozi mostly managed the account. She would post some updates to interact with fans during holidays, but the rest of the time was basically for promoting new dramas.
Her most recent post was about the start of filming for her new drama. It had already garnered hundreds of thousands of comments. Aside from the ones cursing her out, the rest were basically discussions about her sexual orientation. Some people believed there was nothing wrong with being gay and expressed their support, only to be immediately besieged the moment they commented. The screen was filled with all sorts of vile language.
Only a small portion supported same-sex relationships; the majority were still critical. Her own fans were unusually silent. Some people even forged chat logs with her, claiming to have received her personal confirmation that she wasn't a lesbian. Lin Yuqing could understand their desire to clear her name, but…
Lin Yuqing sighed. At least now, it wasn't a completely one-sided situation. She thought about Xinran back then—blacklisted across the entire internet, attacked by the whole nation. How had she faced that immense pressure?
She glanced back at the sleeping Xia Xiaozi. She had worried a lot about this matter these past few days. She had told Lin Yuqing to hide, not to say anything, and just wait it out. In a few days, the hype would die down, and the matter would be over.
But some things… you just can't run away from.
Just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Baiye rolled over and fumbled on the bed for her phone. She only felt at ease once it was clutched in her hand. Rubbing her eyes, she remembered waiting up late last night but not daring to call Auntie Lin for fear of disturbing her. Eventually, she had fallen asleep without realizing it.
Just as she was wondering whether to call Auntie Lin and ask about the situation, her phone rang. It was Fang Yi.
Baiye froze for a moment, then answered.
"Hello, Boyan? Things have blown up. I don't know what wire got crossed in Lin Yuqing's head, but she came out on Weibo. Her house is surrounded by media from all over. I don't dare show my face, and I don't know what's going on inside. Also, Xiao…"
"What!" Baiye was shocked and shot up in bed.
"Xiao Ye? Why are you… Give the phone to Auntie Jiang first."
"Okay!" Baiye replied and rushed to open the door. Auntie Jiang's room was right outside hers. Seemingly hearing the door open, Jiang Boyan lifted her eyelids.
"Aun-Auntie Jiang?"
"Mm, what's wrong?" Jiang Boyan rubbed her eyes and sat up against the headboard. Seeing Baiye standing barefoot on the floor, she said, "Come onto the bed," and patted the space beside her.
"Auntie Jiang, something's happened to Auntie Lin!" Baiye quickly handed her the phone. Jiang Boyan frowned, glanced at it, and took the call.
"It's me."
Fang Yi repeated what she had just said.
"Her place is swarmed with people downstairs right now. The property management is trying to disperse them, but we still don't know what the situation is inside. There are a lot of people in the hallway too—not just reporters, but some of her fans as well. It's getting really chaotic."
"I understand. Hold on a moment." Jiang Boyan got out of bed, sat at the computer desk, opened her laptop, and went to Weibo to look at the so-called "coming out" post Lin Yuqing had made.
It was a screenshot of a chat log with a fan. The general content was her confiding in the fan that she was not a lesbian and that she had been very troubled by this issue plaguing her for the past few days.
The Weibo post itself was very short, just a few words: 【Thank you. Sorry to disappoint you.】 along with that chat log screenshot.
Baiye anxiously craned her neck from the side. "Did Auntie Lin post that? But she's not that impulsive! She has no reason to do this!"
Jiang Boyan's mind raced. She scrolled through all of Lin Yuqing's previous Weibo posts. They were basically all routine—either promotions or standard greetings. This post… it was actually possible she hadn't been the one to post it.
"Could her account have been hacked?" she asked Fang Yi on the other end of the line.
"I don't know. I can't get in touch with her at all right now. Xia Xiaozi's phone is also constantly busy. I have no idea what the exact situation is. And also…"
"Yes?"
"Xiao Ye, she…" Fang Yi's voice dropped.
Jiang Boyan glanced at Baiye and turned her head slightly, deliberately avoiding her. "What is it?"
"Someone leaked Xiao Ye's information online. Her photo, school, class—everything's been exposed."
Jiang Boyan was stunned. Xiao Ye wasn't famous at all, and the photos leaked during the Lin Yuqing incident didn't show her face. Moreover, Jiang Boyan had taken measures to protect her immediately. For her information to still have been leaked… it was obvious someone was targeting Xiao Ye.
"Whatever you do, don't let her show her face in public. Under no circumstances!!" Fang Yi stressed.
"I know."
"I remember you said someone under Xue Yuexian was targeting her at every turn?"
"Yes, I thought of that too. I've already asked Xue Yuexian to investigate."
"Okay. Try to get in touch with Xia Xiaozi again. This Weibo post can easily be framed as a malicious hack intended to slander her. As long as they issue a statement, and if necessary, I can arrange a press conference and get our own people to help clear her name."
"Alright, I'll try to figure something out."
"Okay, that's all for now." Hanging up, Jiang Boyan sighed. She turned her head and saw the little one standing obediently at a distance. Her earlier action of turning away while on the phone must have made her aware, so she had moved farther away to avoid accidentally overhearing.
"Auntie Jiang, what's going on?"
Jiang Boyan beckoned her over, took her hand, and led her toward her bedroom.
"Auntie Jiang?"
"Put on your shoes first. The floor is cold."
"Auntie Jiang, Auntie Lin, she…"
"She's fine," Jiang Boyan said, patting her shoulder reassuringly.
"Auntie Jiang, I trust you very much. You can't lie to me!" Baiye said, looking seriously into her eyes.
Jiang Boyan met her gaze for a moment. "I won't lie to you. Trust me, okay?"
"Did she post that on Weibo?"
Jiang Boyan was in a difficult position. She truly didn't know.
"Xiao Ye, don't worry. Regardless of whether she posted it or not, as long as she's willing to come forward and make a statement, I'm confident I can help her get through this crisis."
"Really?"
"Yes. Trust me."
"Heart Entertainment and MG Entertainment, the two giants of the entertainment industry, are both backing her. What are you still worried about?"
Baiye pressed her lips together and nodded vaguely. Even though Auntie Jiang said that, she was still worried. Incessantly worried.
"Auntie Jiang, I want to go back."
"You can't." Jiang Boyan's refusal was exceptionally firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
"But I…"
"Xiao Ye, be good. Don't make everyone worry about you again, okay?"
"I have to go to the company in a bit to handle this. I can't stay home with you today. You stay here and be good. Don't run off, do you hear me?"
"Mhm."
Before leaving, Jiang Boyan left her another new phone for easy contact. Baiye tried calling Auntie Lin's number, but it was turned off. Her aunt's phone was still busy; they must be swamped.
In the empty house, only a few housekeepers were busy with their own tasks.
Baiye looked around. She just couldn't put her mind at ease, especially after hearing on Fang Yi's call that morning that they couldn't reach Auntie Lin at all and had no idea what was happening at her house. Baiye was terrified that Auntie Lin might do something foolish, just like her own mother had.
After sitting for a while longer, she couldn't stand it anymore. She went back to her room, changed into some inconspicuous clothes, and headed straight for the front door.
When she tried to open the door, Baiye froze. She pulled and pulled, but no matter how hard she tried, the door wouldn't open. She asked the housekeepers for help, but they completely ignored her. Baiye was dumbfounded. She went out to the garden through the balcony and walked around its perimeter, but there was no way out. She… was she trapped?
Even using all her strength, she couldn't open the main door. Baiye slumped weakly against it. She wanted to see Auntie Lin, to hear her voice. She wanted to so, so badly…
After calming down a little, she sent a text to her aunt asking if they were okay. Then she sat by the door, hugging her phone and constantly refreshing Weibo, trying to get the latest updates on Auntie Lin.
In the afternoon, Jiang Boyan returned. As soon as she entered, she saw the food on the table, completely untouched.
She asked the housekeeper about the situation, and it was more or less as she had expected. Good thing she had prepared in advance; she knew this one wouldn't listen obediently.
The moment she opened the bedroom door, Baiye came out from the inner room.
"Auntie Jiang, you're back! How are things?" Just as Baiye finished asking, she noticed that Auntie Jiang's expression was off. Unlike her usual warm smile, she now looked clearly a little angry.
"Auntie Jiang, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing. You eat first. I'll tell you the details after you've eaten."
"But…"
"Eat first." Jiang Boyan's tone turned cold and left no room for argument.
Baiye nodded in meek compliance.
Jiang Boyan had the housekeeper reheat the food and sat at the table watching Baiye eat. Seeing her distracted state, Jiang Boyan finally relented.
"Your Auntie Lin is very smart. She would never put herself in a dangerous situation."
"Hm?"
"She already called the police this morning. Not long after Fang Yi called me, the police went over and drove away all the media camped out downstairs. She's physically fine. Fang Yi has gone to be with her. The tricky part now isn't her personal safety, but the public opinion online."
"This whole thing has blown up. Although she's not being attacked by the entire internet, the voices supporting her are too faint. Or rather, the voices opposing her are too strong. She has two choices now. First, issue a statement and personally clarify her orientation. She might be able to clear her name. Second, retire from the entertainment industry, leave this business, and live a quiet life. Dragging this out won't do her any good."
"All she has to do is come forward and clarify?"
"Yes. She needs to appear in person for things to move forward. No one can do that for her."
"So what did she say?"
Jiang Boyan shook her head. "I had Fang Yi ask. No reply yet."
Hearing this, Baiye put down her bowl and chopsticks. "What on earth is Auntie Lin thinking? All she has to do is make an appearance!"
"Eat."
"Oh." Learning that there was a solution, Baiye felt a little more at ease.
"By the way, besides Ye Jingwen, have you made any other enemies? Or has anyone else targeted you?"
Baiye frowned. "Wu Mengmeng."
"Who's that?"
Baiye then told her about how Wu Mengmeng had deliberately targeted her over trying to steal her role.
Jiang Boyan nodded.
"Auntie Jiang, what does this have to do with them?"
She had gone to Lin Yuqing's place this morning to understand the situation, then immediately rushed over to Xue Yuexian's. Only then did she learn the whole story. In fact, this entire incident, starting from the rumor that Lin Yuqing was keeping a female university student, the target of the person pulling the strings from behind was Baiye!
It was just that because Lin Yuqing had just won the Movie Queen award and her fame was at its peak, the media's attention naturally wouldn't fall on an ordinary university student. All eyes were focused on Lin Yuqing. In reality, Lin Yuqing was just taking the fall for this.
And the person causing trouble from behind the scenes was Ye Jingwen.
Remember when Xue Yuexian first heard about Baiye, she thought Baiye was a student being kept by Lin Yuqing? Ye Jingwen was present at the time and heard everything clearly. Add to that the incident at school, where Xue Yuexian forced her to clarify things for Baiye, she was naturally resentful and had been looking for a chance to retaliate, which led to this whole drama.
However, her original intention was probably to incite Lin Yuqing's fans to denounce Baiye, but she never expected to accidentally drag Lin Yuqing down with her.
When Xue Yuexian found all this out, she was about to explode with rage. She slapped Ye Jingwen several times in a row, swelling her face, and directly ordered her to get lost, blacklisting her completely and ensuring she would never have another chance to make it.
Jiang Boyan didn't tell Baiye any of this. She was afraid Baiye would blame herself, realizing that she was the one who had implicated Lin Yuqing, and she didn't know what foolish thing Baiye might do then.
"Auntie Jiang, I can't get in touch with Auntie Lin right now. Do you have a way to contact her?"
"About that, I'm also waiting for Fang Yi's reply. Just eat first, don't worry about it. I still haven't settled the score with you for trying to sneak out today."
"I… I was just really worried…"
"I know, but do you know the saying 'caring too much leads to chaos'? Even if you don't trust us, you should trust your Auntie Lin. Is she that useless?"
"I… Yes, I trust her, and I trust you all. I trust…"
"Good. Now eat."
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