Chapter 32: Instead of striving yourself, is it better to disparage others?
“Brothers, any news about that guy?”
“Same question, really want to know!”
“Anyone from River City, give us some info!”
“...”
Online, countless people were still searching for any trace of Su Chen, but there was nothing.
“Jiang Yan still hasn’t responded. Looks like it’s been confirmed!”
“Heh, if it weren’t true, she’d have come out to clarify right away—no way she’d wait this long.”
“Exactly! You see how some celebrities immediately confront rumors head-on as soon as they appear.”
“It’s called a clear conscience fears no shadow.”
“Jiang Yan is obviously guilty!”
“...”
In less than a day, this incident took the top spot on the trending list of the Weave platform.
At the same time, the Weave officials published a complete timeline of the event as a sequence of dates:
On July 9th at 18:02, the independent media account “Xuanxuan Vlog” released a video on Weave showing Jiang Yan spending the night at a man’s home.
On July 9th at 21:09, “Xuanxuan Vlog” posted a second video on Weave, capturing Jiang Yan leaving the apartment building.
On July 10th at 7:35, Weave influencer “Entertainment Speaks” broke the story that Jiang Yan had secretly registered her marriage with an older executive from a major group.
The total number of views on the incident exceeded 200 million, with over 150,000 comments.
Online emotions reached a fever pitch.
Among Jiang Yan’s fans, some were defending her, while others were venting their disappointment and heartache.
And for the general public, most were simply there for the spectacle.
Because to the average onlooker, it didn’t matter who was right or wrong. As long as there was gossip to consume, the rest was irrelevant.
After all, the entertainment circle was a cesspool—a place where ambiguous affairs were all too common.
By the evening of July 10th, news of Jiang Yan’s secret marriage to an older executive from a major group shot to the second spot on the trending list.
The accompanying article beneath the trending topic spun an elaborate tale of Jiang Yan’s pre-fame relationship with the group’s executive, directly suggesting that her rise to fame was thanks to him.
A few sockpuppet accounts joined in the act under the article, echoing and responding to each other, making the story seem even more authentic.
Everyone within the industry immediately sensed that something was off.
They were sensitive to these things.
Normally, the main drama in Jiang Yan’s situation would be among her fans. Frankly, the rest of the world wouldn’t care much.
But even among fans, there would be a degree of restraint—for example, they wouldn’t attack their own idol. At most, they’d want to teach that man a lesson.
Moreover, industry insiders sometimes had ties to internet trolls when it came to boosting popularity charts.
So, they instantly recognized what was really going on.
Celebrity group chat.
[Luo Zhe: @Jiang Yan, what’s happening? Feels like someone’s deliberately trying to smear you!]
[Ji Xiangyang: I get that feeling too. No way fans would say things that harsh.]
[Jiang Jing: No need to guess—it’s definitely someone pulling strings behind the scenes. @Jiang Yan, do you know who?]
[Jiang Jing: Need any help?]
Reading the messages in the group, Jiang Yan’s brow furrowed.
From July 10th onward, the public opinion had shifted dramatically.
If earlier there was only disappointment and regret, now it was pure character assassination, outright denying all her achievements since her debut.
“Hong, do you think there really is someone behind all this?” Jiang Yan asked quietly.
“No question about it—absolutely,” Zhou Hong replied with conviction. “But there’s no point dwelling on it now. We need to focus on how to handle the situation.”
“If my guess is right, it’s probably those people,” Zhou Hong continued, pointing in a particular direction.
Jiang Yan paused, momentarily stunned.
“You mean Dynasty Entertainment?”
“Xi Siyuan?”
With a sneer, Zhou Hong replied, “Who else could it be but her?”
Jiang Yan inhaled deeply. This Xi Siyuan had tangled with her more than once.
She had always ignored her, but Xi Siyuan had grown bolder and more intrusive.
Given her status, Xi Siyuan didn’t even deserve to challenge her. But perhaps, backed by the support and resources of their respective companies, she had been led to believe she was up to the task.
What a laughable woman.
Jiang Yan had heard the stories—Xi Siyuan would stop at nothing for resources. The rumors about her in their circles were hardly groundless.
For someone so unscrupulous, who’d clawed her way up by shortcuts, to try to compete with Jiang Yan was simply beneath her.
---
Capital City, a car speeding along the Fifth Ring Road.
Zhou Yuyan scrolled through the news on her phone, a pleased smile spreading across her face.
“Siyuan, it’s working! The trolls have started attacking Jiang Yan’s Weave account. Tons of people are flooding her posts with insults.”
“Heh, the so-called goddess of otaku men, acting pure for ten years, undone in a single night!”
Sitting beside her, Xi Siyuan showed no sign of delight. She merely remarked coolly, “This is just causing her some minor trouble. It won’t do any real damage.”
“In a while—maybe three months, maybe less—everyone will have forgotten.”
Zhou Yuyan sounded a little disappointed. “A pity. But as long as this lasts three months, it’ll give us the upper hand when the new album drops.”
Xi Siyuan nodded. That much was true.
While Jiang Yan was under the spotlight, her new album’s sales would definitely take a hit.
It was just a shame they had no solid evidence. If they did, Xi Siyuan was confident she could destroy Jiang Yan completely, stepping over her to take her place.
“Did you get in touch with the first person who posted the video—‘Xuanxuan Vlog’?” Xi Siyuan asked, not dwelling on the matter.
“We did. He’s just a small-time content creator, not even a proper influencer. He usually just posts daily vlogs online.”
“He only captured the footage by chance—he was filming life clips outside, happened to see someone who looked like Jiang Yan, and started recording. He waited outside the building all night and only got that three-second clip of her leaving. Not a professional entertainment reporter—he couldn’t get any solid evidence.”
Xi Siyuan felt it was a missed opportunity, but also sneered, “So she’s a goddess in public, but in private, she’s no different from anyone else.”
“But this works too. Since the man’s face isn’t clear, we can use that to our advantage. Say whatever we like—if we can’t prove it, she can’t disprove it either.”
“All we need to do is keep this hot, let it ferment, and the impact will only grow.”
Zhou Yuyan nodded, delighted.
If Su Chen had been there, he would surely have remarked, “What a pair of fakes.”
What was this, really?
Instead of working hard themselves, they’d rather drag others down.
Ignoring their own albums to trip up someone else—how could anything good come of that?