Although he didn't take the system's teasing to heart, after dealing with his biggest worry, Li Jianmei, he really should consider how to dethrone Hong Xinran from Shao Qibin's position as his girlfriend.
Shao Qile had a thousand and one plans in mind, but he couldn't make up his mind immediately. This was because Hong Xinran's series of swift and decisive actions, taking advantage of the situation, had made Shao Qile wary. This Hong Xinran didn't seem like someone to be trifled with.
Despite the mudslinging thrown at her, Hong Xinran was surprisingly capable of uniting the men who appeared vaguely in the photo but were identified by numerous netizens to issue a public statement.
The statement meticulously listed the specific date and time when Hong Xinran, due to a work assignment or film contract, met with a certain man at a certain location to discuss work details. It also included some blurry details from photos circulating online, indicating that other staff members were present when these photos were taken.
Not to mention the sheer scale of the evidence presented, the fact that these people, who are used to muddying the waters and protecting themselves in the entertainment industry, or even those business tycoons, were willing to cooperate with Shao Qile to sue the media outlet that first published the photo scandal is truly a testament to Hong Xinran's capabilities.
In this world, interpersonal relationships are the most important asset. In this rapidly changing globalized world, no one can guarantee they'll stay at the top forever. As the saying goes, nothing lasts forever. Perhaps someone you look down on today will be someone you need to look up to in a few years. Or perhaps you're in a high position today, but there's no guarantee that nothing unexpected will happen in the future.
Regardless, if it weren't for Li Jianmei's intervention this time, which allowed Shao Qile to see the vast network of connections hidden behind Hong Xinran, his hasty planning might have backfired and resulted in a net loss.
Looking at the lawsuit and the subsequent statement, the mudslinging surrounding Hong Xinran not only failed to affect her career in the slightest, but her assertive actions actually attracted even more attention from her fan base. It was as if overnight, the click rate on Hong Xinran's website skyrocketed, almost causing the system to crash. This clearly demonstrates the benefits that this public relations crisis management brought to Hong Xinran.
After this dramatic turn of events, Hong Xinran's management company immediately regretted their decision. Had they known Hong Xinran was so capable, they would have sided with her much earlier. But by then, it was too late for them to remedy the situation.
Hong Xinran was known for her strong temper. Since her transmigration, aside from the initial hardships caused by some family troubles, she had enjoyed a smooth and successful career in the entertainment industry. Now, she had suddenly suffered a major setback. Her agency, which she had always treated kindly out of gratitude for her initial success, was now sabotaging her at this crucial moment. This was simply intolerable!
Hung Sin-ran sent a letter to her agency through her personal lawyer, requesting the termination of her contract.
The fact that she didn't go through the process with the agent assigned to her by her agency shows how determined Hong Xinran was.
This time, Hong Xinran's ability to make such a grand arrangement was truly thanks to Shao Qibin. She had long known of her man's capabilities, but this incident allowed her to glimpse the tip of the iceberg of power beneath his refined exterior. Regarding those men in the same photo who appeared intimate with her, Hong Xinran initially only intended to have a few close friends issue a statement. However, she merely hinted at this intention to Shao Qibin. In the blink of an eye, within just two days, those men with whom she had only collaborated a few times on business and with whom she had little real acquaintance suddenly expressed their shared hatred and indignation.
Hong Xinran would not believe that Shao Qibin's significant contribution was not involved.
Because of Shao Qibin's heroic rescue, done so discreetly and without fanfare, Hong Xinran truly witnessed the methods of a so-called "princeling of Beijing." Her initial feelings for Shao Qibin, which had been only seventy percent, blossomed into ninety-nine percent of passionate love. That remaining ten percent was merely a woman's instinctive self-protection in love. But this fragile rationality, given time, would naturally be completely conquered by Shao Qibin.
The strongest evidence to prove that Hong Xinran and Shao Qibin's relationship progressed rapidly is that, despite having a full schedule, Hong Xinran secretly flew to T City just to see Shao Qibin up close.
And the result of this glance was naturally a raging fire, burning incredibly hot!
Shao Qile learned of Shao Qibin's involvement behind Hong Xinran's incident through her own intelligence, and genuinely considered Hong Xinran a thorn in her side. She considered going to T City, but then thought of how Hong Xinran, thanks to Shao Qibin's influence, had managed to avoid media attention and quietly resolve her contract issues with her original agency. Her new studio was also already in preparation.
The first thing they prepared was to invest in and shoot an art-house, lighthearted film. After learning about the film's title, "You Are the Apple of My Eye," Shao Qile raised an eyebrow and curled the corner of his mouth.
It's unclear whether it was because she had glimpsed the power behind Shao Qibin, or perhaps Shao Qile had deliberately planted a rumor in Hong Xinran's ear that being a daughter-in-law of a wealthy family wasn't easy, especially being the granddaughter-in-law of a legitimate third-generation revolutionary. It seems Hong Xinran is determined to increase her own value. Not only has she credited herself as the screenwriter for this film, but she's also keenly planning to direct it. Naturally, as a currently highly regarded national goddess, playing the charming female lead in this low-budget film is practically a given.
The news immediately brought immense attention and exposure to the newly established Hong Xinran Studio. The film, written, directed, and starring Hong Xinran herself, has already garnered significant attention even before filming has officially begun. Some actors who have previously worked with Hong Xinran have even jokingly told the media in interviews to let them know if there are any good roles available, clearly demonstrating their strong support for her. This highlights the extensive network of connections Hong Xinran has built within the industry over the years.
Unfortunately, just as Hong Xinran was riding high, another piece of news caused another uproar!
However, before Hong Xinran's script was even submitted to the state for approval, her ambitions had already been revealed by directly sending the information out. As for the script itself, it had not yet gone through the formal procedures for protecting its rights.
However, this script, titled "You Are the Apple of My Eye," has more than 80% of its plot similarities to a script called "Youth" that was registered in the patent section a year ago.
This is now a confirmed "plagiarism" scandal!
This incident has caused quite a stir!
Looking at Hong Xinran, who was once again in a state of utter chaos, Shao Qile was actually grateful for the advanced patent system in this world that protected the rights of writers and authors, which allowed her to exploit a loophole. In the previous world, this might have truly become a messy affair.
Furthermore, this whole affair was entirely orchestrated by Li Jianmei, who was simply waiting for one plan to fail before devising another. There's no way she could be implicated. Aside from the initial script for "Youth," which was premeditated, that was done by someone else. It's impossible to trace it back to her.
Speaking of this incident, it was actually thanks to the system reward of being able to see the future plot that Shao Qile was able to seize the opportunity.
Now let's see how Hong Xinran will deal with this.
As long as Hung Yan-yin is preoccupied with her own problems, then it's time for her to unleash another bombshell she's been preparing.
42 Li Jianmei went abroad
Chapter 41: Li Jianmei Goes Abroad
Every spring, there are always many things to do in the municipal sector. No matter what you're busy with, there's a Chinese saying that goes, "The year's plan starts in spring." Just the annual planning, quarterly and monthly planning, and the meetings, big and small, are enough to keep you busy.
Shao Qibin only learned about the plagiarism scandal that was making headlines in the entertainment section after finishing a series of high-intensity meetings. He made a few calls to his childhood friends in Beijing, asking them to look after Hong Xinran. After thinking about it, he also found some work for Li Jianmei. For families like theirs, going abroad to gain experience was a common path. And Shao Qibin happened to know that T University had an exchange student program this spring. Originally, one of the selection criteria for this program was that the students be second-year students who would study abroad for two years and return just in time to prepare for their graduation defense. However, now he could change that requirement, so that Li Jianmei could leave earlier and avoid unnecessary trouble caused by staying in China.
Shao Qibin has an idea, and naturally, people will follow suit.
Li Jianmei rushed home almost immediately after receiving the news. She had never considered going abroad at this time; she had to stay in China, as she had many things to do. But as she rushed in to confront her mother about this sudden decision, she abruptly stopped.
Before she was overwhelmed by her emotions, a name suddenly came to mind—Shao Qibin.
She stopped abruptly, locking herself in her room. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes, once brimming with pride and disbelief, were now tinged with the bitter gloom of defeat. Almost instantly, she recalled her past life's predicament: how she had so passionately devoted herself to Shao Qibin, relentlessly eliminating everyone around him. But Zhang Mengxin, whom she had so desperately tried to defeat in her past life, had been defeated early in this battle, and now, out of nowhere, this Hong Xinran had appeared.
Logically speaking, she couldn't possibly be completely unaware of such a young actress. And given the exceptions of herself and Wu Xinyu, it's hard to say that Hong Xinran might also be some kind of time-traveling truant. Faced with these women surrounding Shao Qibin, each one so unique, Li Jianmei, who initially thought herself special, couldn't help but feel tense and anxious, instinctively following her nature and making retaliatory moves.
Finding Hong Xinran's information was naturally easy for her. Looking at Hong Xinran's impeccable resume and the list of people who had connections with her, Li Jianmei realized Hong Xinran's good fortune. If it weren't for the many benefactors who had helped her along the way—and these benefactors who genuinely valued Hong Xinran's talent and weren't two-faced—it wouldn't have been possible for Hong Xinran to soar to such heights.
Judging from the fact that Hong Xinran would never know about their circle of friends and that her relationship with Shao Qibin was an unexpected event, Li Jianmei took action.
To avoid arousing Shao Qibin's suspicion, she even waited until the end of the semester and returned to Beijing before making her move. She believed that this time she hadn't left too many traces. But perhaps, this was just wishful thinking on her part; her two actions might have already given her away. That's why she suddenly received the idea from home to become an exchange student. And coincidentally, the school happened to have such a program, even going so far as to call home before the winter break was over to ask if she was interested.
Who else besides Shao Qibin has the ability to do all this behind the scenes?
Her fate in her past life was still vivid in her mind; she was simply stubborn and thought that as long as she cleared away the frivolous women around Shao Qibin, she could achieve her goals. Isn't this exchange student drama a warning from Shao Qibin?
After being summoned for a talk by Old Master Li, Li Jianmei felt her mind was filled with too much information. She locked herself in her room and thought about it a lot. In the middle of the night, she bought a plane ticket to T City, but when she arrived at Shao Qibin's apartment, she hesitated to go in.
A person stands in the shadows, wanting to approach but hesitant and uncertain. All the hesitation and uncertainty crumble when they meet the graceful figure hurrying out of Shao Qibin's apartment in the early hours of the morning.
At this moment, Hong Xinran appeared wearing a dark scarf and hugged Shao Qibin. Seeing how gentle and intimate Shao Qibin's embrace of Hong Xinran was, another image of an embrace unexpectedly surfaced in Li Jianmei's mind.
Why is it that the person who is treated gently is never myself?
She was clearly the one who loved him the most.