Chapter Ninety-Five: Midnight Scandal

It was already one in the morning, and Bai Chenxi was still awake. Actually, she wasn't awake by choice—her manager had dragged her out of bed.

Because she'd made it onto the trending searches yet again. At least in the past, the news could wait until she woke up. But now, did reporters even let people get a good night's sleep anymore?

Releasing news in the dead of night—didn't they have to consider the publicity factor? Clearly, she had underestimated the modern youth's ability to stay up late. Even at one in the morning, she'd been sent to the trending searches, and the buzz didn't look small either.

She had also underestimated netizens' enthusiasm for gossip. Quite a few had been fast asleep and rushed over upon hearing the news. Even Bai Chenxi, who considered herself a "seasoned gossip enthusiast," felt humbled.

An insider claimed that Bai Chenxi and Meng Ling had gotten into an argument at the hotel, and that Bai Chenxi had thrown a basin of water at Meng Ling. A video was attached as evidence.

In the video, Meng Ling was drenched from head to toe, while Bai Chenxi stood there completely unharmed, with a basin placed beside her. It was obvious that Bai Chenxi was the one who had thrown the water.

On one side was a sopping wet Meng Ling, looking pitiful and vulnerable. On the other was a perfectly fine Bai Chenxi, standing there with an air of arrogance. The contrast was striking, and the visual impact was overwhelming.

For a moment, Meng Ling's fans went berserk, attacking Bai Chenxi all over the internet. Quite a few passersby who happened to come across the posts were swept up in the wave.

What piqued people's curiosity even more was a fleeting dark figure captured in some of the videos. Though his face couldn't be made out, it was clearly a man.

Bai Chenxi, Meng Ling, and an unidentified man. The configuration reeked of juicy gossip.

After digging around for a long time, everyone finally settled on Jiang Jize among the many candidates. Similar in build, and having been linked to Bai Chenxi in a scandal before—not to mention, he was Meng Ling's boss.

Adding that to the fact that Bai Chenxi and Jiang Jize had just been rumored, and the next day she entered the production unit with rumors of feuding with Meng Ling—how could the timing not make people's imaginations run wild?

[I smell a hint of gossip...]

[Whoa! Is it what I think it is?]

[Actually throwing water on someone? That's way too much!]

[If your boyfriend had a mistress, you'd probably do worse.]

[What's this about boyfriends and mistresses? As if Bai Chenxi is any saint. Who knows how many people she's seduced. Who the mistress is remains to be seen!]

[I'm more curious about who's the official girlfriend.]

[Whether it's the official girlfriend tearing apart the mistress, or the mistress launching an aggressive challenge, the drama of the year—stay tuned!]

Someone posted anonymously online: Stop guessing, you're all wrong. I saw it with my own eyes—that person was Chu Muyun.

Once it was posted, some didn't believe it, some asked for photos. Naturally, there were no photos, so many dismissed it. Before long, Chu Muyun's army of fans stormed in.

[Gossiping and it hits home? Who'd believe something this absurd?]

[My idol was still filming an afternoon show. How could he possibly have made it to the film studio by evening?]

[Exactly. How could we not know our idol's schedule?]

Thinking of their idol, who loved to vanish into obscurity, a strange pang of guilt accompanied that last message.

[He's using him for publicity—where's the limit? Is there no end to this? What now?]

[No more words. Bai Chenxi is a lifelong black mark for me!]

And just like that, the truth was overlooked by the public.

Watching the conflicting opinions online, Bai Chenxi took a deep breath and murmured, "Don't get angry, don't get angry." She even silently recited "Don't Get Angry."

Wang Ling had her people release news online, claiming that the attacks on Bai Chenxi by fans were orchestrated by Meng Ling. This cast Bai Chenxi as the victim, using it to build momentum in the court of public opinion.

Although this news effectively meant an all-out falling-out between Bai Chenxi and Meng Ling, some things could only be handled behind the scenes, not brought into the open.

They were both in the same drama. A minor spat that brought attention to the show was fine. But if it blew up and affected the production, no one would be pleased.

Meng Ling still hadn't said anything publicly, but she'd been plenty busy behind the scenes.

First, she hired internet trolls to trash Bai Chenxi in every way possible, then she clung to the water-throwing incident and wouldn't let go. In short, both sides were playing the victim while vilifying the other.

Bai Chenxi had been warned by Wang Ling for a long time—no posting nonsense online, no casually liking things. There was nothing Bai Chenxi could do but watch and fume. Eventually, she just turned off her phone and buried her head in her pillow to sleep.

Meng Ling, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. The more she thought about it, the more unjust it felt, so she called Wang Xiaoya to talk about what had happened.

Whatever Wang Xiaoya said on the other end of the line made Meng Ling laugh: "I understand. Thank you, Xiaoya. I always knew Xiaoya was the best to me."

In front of Wang Xiaoya, Meng Ling rarely showed her girlish side, asking coquettishly, "Xiaoya, when are you coming back? I miss you."

"Xiaoya, I'll wait for you to come back. It's been years since we last met." Toward the end, there was a trace of affectionate complaint mixed in.

Meng Ling hung up the phone, thinking: If Muyun ever has a girlfriend, it can only be Xiaoya. Bai Chenxi, you don't deserve him.

The next day, Bai Chenxi arrived at the production unit, and sure enough, she was met with "care and concern" from the crew.

Meng Ling hadn't come to the set today. She'd asked for the day off first thing in the morning and posted a Weibo update—though she didn't mention last night's incident at all, she did reveal that she'd caught a cold and had a fever.

How had she caught a cold? A moment's thought made it clear it was because of the basin of water last night. Meng Ling's fans latched onto this and kept attacking Bai Chenxi.

Then news surfaced that Bai Chenxi, after being maliciously attacked by fans, had been badly shaken, and had even developed a fever that night.

But she'd still come to the set the next day, insisting on filming. In comparison, Meng Ling seemed immature.

Reading all sorts of news, Bai Chenxi was utterly confused: Huh? I have a fever? How is it that I don't even know that myself?

Just as Bai Chenxi sat down, Xia Yan came over. He sat down right beside her and asked bluntly, "What was that news yesterday about? I thought you went home. How did you end up fighting with Meng Ling again?"

Bai Chenxi looked annoyed. "Ugh, it's a long story! A friend of mine showed up unexpectedly yesterday, and I went to meet him. Who would've thought I'd run into Meng Ling, and I also happened to find out that she was the one who threw water on me last time. I got angry in the moment, so... I threw a basin of water at her."

Xia Yan looked at Bai Chenxi. "Throwing water in public. What were you thinking?"

There were so many ways to handle this, and she had to pick the most direct—and the dumbest—one.

Though it was a bit impulsive, Bai Chenxi didn't regret it one bit. Some people just needed to be taught a lesson.

"I didn't do it on set. I was already being generous."

The two of them were chatting away, but Xia Yan's assistant, Lu Tao's, heart was sinking. The moment he'd seen Bai Chenxi, Xia Yan had wanted to go over. There was no stopping him.

The manager had stressed again and again that he should keep his distance from Bai Chenxi. If the manager found out about this, Lu Tao could already imagine his fate.

Lu Tao stood alone in the distance, terrified the whole time, keeping watch for anyone taking photos.

In the distance, Lu Tao muttered to himself in complaint, "Yan-ge, can we wrap this up? Can you not see everyone around staring at us?"

Just then, Xiao Yu suddenly walked over, glanced at Xia Yan, and, after a brief moment of thought, said, "Chenxi-jie, someone just delivered milk tea and breakfast, saying you're treating the staff."

Bai Chenxi said in confusion, "I didn't do that!"

Xiao Yu also thought it was unlikely. If Chenxi were treating everyone, she would've notified Xiao Yu to prepare. So when the people delivered the food, to be safe, Xiao Yu came to ask first.

"Then who sent all that breakfast?"