The moment the phone connected, before Lin Qinghe could speak, Yang Tianlin's voice came through, "Qinghe, why are you calling me so early in the morning? Is it about the trending topic? Don't worry, you don't need to thank me. Just focus on your filming in the crew, leave other things to me, I'll give you..."
"Brother Yang! I don't want to see the team deliberately buying trending topics to slander others. This trending topic needs to be taken down immediately."
Yang Tianlin on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, failing to comprehend. "What? Qinghe, what are you saying? What's wrong with the trending topic? Your popularity today is so high, and the online opinion about you is all positive. It's perfect to overshadow the news about your bad temper during the high-end fashion shoot. What's wrong with that?"
Lin Qinghe felt a headache coming on, unsure where to begin explaining to Yang Tianlin.
She couldn't possibly tell Yang Tianlin directly that she wasn't the original Lin Qinghe, and now she had to curry favor with You Rong and improve his favorability points. A trending topic that slandered others would only skyrocket You Rong's hatred value.
Lin Qinghe took a deep breath and said seriously, "I just don't want to slander others. Brother Yang, I want to be a truly good actor, not someone who relies on hype and feuds. I want to let my work speak for itself and gain more attention! So... please, take this trending topic down. I will focus on my acting from now on."
Lin Qinghe's earnest words surprised Yang Tianlin. He found it strange. He had initially tried to guide Lin Qinghe towards becoming a skilled actor, but she never listened. He was forced to resort to various methods to generate hype for her. Now, she was suddenly firm about becoming a skilled actor, which was perplexing.
However, overall, as long as Lin Qinghe didn't cause trouble, her requests weren't impossible to consider.
Yang Tianlin pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you. I'll contact people immediately to take down today's trending topic. But you have to remember, focus on your acting from now on and don't throw tantrums or go on strike anymore."
"Brother Yang, don't worry, I will."
After receiving Yang Tianlin's affirmation and hanging up, Lin Qinghe's furrowed brow didn't relax.
The trending topic was already live. Even if they took it down now, it wouldn't erase the damage done to You Rong. They could only minimize it as much as possible.
Lin Qinghe thought about it and, seeing the trending topic was going down, she took her phone, logged into her Weibo account, and posted a Weibo with a picture found online, vaguely suggesting that rumors were unreliable and that today's trending topic was a rumor.
Less than ten minutes after Lin Qinghe posted her Weibo, not many people believed her. People had a preconceived notion, and especially her fans were adamant that she didn't want to affect the crew, so she posted a clarification. They were certain that You Rong was ungrateful and had given her a cold shoulder.
Lin Qinghe scrolled back and forth, feeling increasingly upset. She decided to stop looking, knowing that explaining was impossible; some things only got worse the more you tried to clarify.
Yuan Xiaoai saw Lin Qinghe frowning and sighing continuously. She felt uneasy and whispered, "Sister Qinghe, I was the one who filmed the video and sent it to Brother Yang. Did I... did I do something wrong? I apologize to you! Please don't be angry, but I really didn't expect Brother Yang to use the video to buy trending topics and create buzz..."
Lin Qinghe frowned slightly, and said with a hint of helplessness, "I'm not angry, but from now on, if you need to tell Brother Yang something, it's best to ask me first. Remember, you are my assistant, not Brother Yang's assistant."
Yuan Xiaoai nodded vigorously, "Sister Qinghe, I understand! I will from now on!"
"Okay, that's all. Let's eat breakfast quickly, and after breakfast, we'll head to the filming set."
"Okay! Sister Qinghe!"
On the way from the hotel to the filming set, Lin Qinghe's mood was anxious. The trending topic was already live, and You Rong would definitely see it. The medicine she sent yesterday was for nothing; You Rong probably thought she had ulterior motives and had planned it all out.
When she arrived at the filming set and got out of the car, many people came up to greet Lin Qinghe, including Shen Feilang.
Lin Qinghe absently exchanged a few pleasantries with him, her eyes subtly scanning the entire set, but she couldn't find You Rong.
Lin Qinghe couldn't help but frown.
That's strange. She remembered that You Rong had scenes scheduled for today, and his was the first one. Why wasn't he here?
Lin Qinghe thought for a moment and walked towards the makeup room. As she reached the entrance of the makeup room, she bumped into You Rong. You Rong's expression was as cold as ever; he didn't even look at her and walked past.
Lin Qinghe sighed inwardly. It seemed You Rong had seen the trending topic and also believed she had ill intentions.
Lin Qinghe hurried two steps to catch up to You Rong, blocking his path, her face full of apology. "You Rong, I'm sorry. You must know about the trending topic... I apologize. My agent bought the trending topic without my consent; it wasn't my intention. I've already asked them to take it down. Although the negative impact on you cannot be erased... I'm sorry! I'm truly sorry!"
You Rong looked at Lin Qinghe with a calm expression and said coldly, "Where is the person who took the candid shot hiding?"
Lin Qinghe immediately understood what You Rong was thinking and quickly explained, "I didn't have anyone taking candid shots! Please don't misunderstand, really! Today's trending topic was an accident. I promise you, it will absolutely never happen again!"
You Rong scoffed, unmoved, his words laced with sarcasm. "Lin Qinghe, two years have passed, and your methods are still as disgusting. You'll do anything to hype yourself up, no... you're even more disgusting than you were two years ago! Yesterday, Shen Feilang's face was injured; you did that on purpose, didn't you, just to create today's trending topic."
Lin Qinghe was stunned for a moment.
He knew she had deliberately injured Shen Feilang yesterday?
But she hadn't done it to create today's trending topic; she had done it to vent his anger! To teach Shen Feilang a small lesson!
Just as Lin Qinghe was about to explain, You Rong coldly spoke first, "You deliberately switched the ring from your left hand to your right hand. Do you really think no one saw it?"
Lin Qinghe's face showed surprise.
He saw it?!
You Rong withdrew his gaze, full of disgust. "I don't want to be involved in your publicity stunts anymore. Moreover, I'm completely not on your level now. If you want to create hype, find someone else. I just want to focus on my acting."
After speaking, You Rong walked past Lin Qinghe and left without looking back.
Lin Qinghe stood rooted to the spot, feeling wronged and unable to explain herself.
She had clearly done it to help him, but in the end, it turned out that she was manipulative and scheming, all for the sake of her own publicity.
Lin Qinghe felt an indescribable sense of frustration, but she couldn't blame anyone. She could only blame herself.
Lin Qinghe took several deep breaths, shaking off her dejected mood, and rallied her spirits to continue her mission of conquering You Rong.
She would keep extending goodwill. She didn't believe she couldn't melt this iceberg of a man!