Chapter 694


    “What''s this? Why did you even go to a ce like that? Since when did you like partying?” Cheng


    Xiangyun asked.


    “I don''t like partying. I was there with Lu Jingyuan to look for someone. I didn''t expect people to capture


    that on camera.”


    “Were you there to look for that prick? Did Lu Jingyuan bring you to see him?”


    “Yeah. We went to settle some stuff, not to have fun.”


    Cheng Xiangyun was worried sick. “What should we do now? They have it on camera that you were


    with them and are even saying you''re seeing that guy.”


    Ning Ran was equally anxious, but she could do nothing because she did not foresee that someone


    would tail her and take photos.


    Suddenly, Cheng Xiangyun''s phone rang, adding to her anxiousness. “It''s Wang Xiaoou.”


    Ning Ran was also aware that the call meant thepany had found out about that news.


    After talking to Wang Xiaoou, Cheng Xiangyun informed Ning Ran, “Ou asked you to go straight home


    after you finish shooting and refrain from answering any questions if the reporters get to you. We don''t


    know the real situation now, so don''t make any statement.”


    “Noted.”


    The rest of the day continued as usual with the shooting for Ning Ran, but for the first time in her


    career, Ning Ran had to do a few retakes because she was disturbed by the news that morning.


    It was not until she forced herself to calm down that she could get herself to perform as usual.


    During lunchtime, Cheng Xiangyun went over to inform Ning Ran that the news about her had be


    a trending topic online, but on the bright side, it was just the sixth most heated topic discussed


    domestically.


    The news appeared simultaneously across numerous gossip columns with catchy headlines that read:


    Breaking news! A star has the hots for a roughie!


    Jarring news. Ning Ran bullies her way to the top.


    You won''t believe where Ning Ran is getting her support from...


    Thest headline ended in an ellipsis, just as most clickbait headlines did.


    Apparently, those headlines'' priority was to attract attention and traffic instead of producing good


    content.


    Ning Ran''s heart was a mess as she read the news.


    “Seriously? Those people are making up lies about you. I can''t—”


    “It''s okay. Let''s not talk about this. I should''ve known better. I should''ve seen thising. Now that I


    think about it, it must not have been easy to spot me given how dark the setting was, so someone must


    have followed me to the disco and snapped that picture, but the question is: who was it? Why did that


    person follow me?” Ning Ran asked, shaking her head in distress.


    “I have a feeling that someone is trying to sabotage you. Look at those news outlets. They are all public


    ounts where writers write about and hype up anything for a fee. They have also left scathing


    comments about you in thements section, so I''m sure someone must have hired professional


    keyboard warriors to target you online,” Cheng Xiangyun exined.


    “Did I offend anyely, though? Why do they keep targeting me?”


    “Well, I don''t know. But, now that you said it, someone came to my mind,” Cheng Xiangyun replied.


    “Who?”


    Cheng Xiangyun shot Ning Ran a mysterious gaze and leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “Ms. Lu.”


    “Lu Jingyuan?”


    Cheng Xiangyun nodded and lowered her voice. “Yeah. You said she was the one who brought you


    there. So this might well be a trap she set.”


    “This cannot be. She''s not like that,” Ning Ran negated the conjecture outright, but Cheng Xiangyun


    begged to differ.


    “Hey, it''s not like you know her that well. Do you even know what kind of a person she is like? Don''t


    forget that she is the one who solved your problem thest time you ran into one.”


    Ning Ran was unperturbed. “You''re right, but what about that? She solved my problem, but that doesn''t


    mean she would create one for me after that. How does that logic even work?”


    “What if all this is bait to bring you closer to her and ensnare you?” Cheng Xiangyun suggested,


    suddenly feeling like she was a wise strategist who could see through every plot.


    “Enough with your conspiracy theories. Don''t speak ill of Lu Jingyuan. I don''t think she would do


    something like that,” Ning Ran said.


    Cheng Xiangyun shook her head, sighing. “I knew it. You must have fallen for her lies. Tell me, then.


    Who can it be if it is not her?”


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    “I have no idea, but I believe she would not do something like that—she would never,” Ning Ran replied


    firmly.


    Seeing that there was no possibility of convincing Ning Ran, Cheng Xiangyun shook her head and


    sighed again.


    “You know what—you should still watch out for her. I might not have any proof that she is bad, but


    neither have you any proof that she is a good person.”


    Ning Ran did not answer, for her mind was elsewhere, devising a n to circumvent the issue.


    Meanwhile, over at Nan Chen''s office in Flower City, Jiang Zhe stood beside the desk as he waited for


    his boss to finish reading the news online.


    The assistant had braced himself to catch the phone in case Nan Chen threw it away in a fit of anger


    after reading the news, but unlike what he expected, not only did Nan Chen not do that, but he also


    returned the phone to him calmly.


    “It must be the ghostwriters.”


    “It is. These are all public ounts.”


    “Investigate and see whichpany they belong to. Tell them I want all these taken down in an hour,”


    Nan Chen ordered.


    “I did some digging. These ounts belong to Wave Technology, a social mediapany. They have


    as many as a hundred Weibo and WeChat ounts. Once they have a topic they want to blow up,


    they will mobilize all these public ounts to harp on it to make a big fuss out of it,” Jiang Zhe


    described.


    Nan Chen was pleased with Jiang Zhe''s efficiency since the assistant had done all the research before


    Nan Chen even gave him explicit instructions.


    “Is this the onlypany involved?”


    “No. There are otherpanies as well. They are all major yers within the ghostwriting industry.”


    Nan Chen nodded at the information. “So, someone is spending tonnes of money to tarnish Ning Ran''s


    reputation.”


    “Or they might just want some negative publicity for ''I Am You,'' but at the moment, it seems like they


    are targeting both the film and Ning Ran.”


    “Then just let it slide for now,” Nan Chen suddenly said.


    “Let it slide?” Jiang Zhe was not following.


    “Just let them do their thing for now,” Nan Chen replied, waving his hand.


    “This might snowball into something more consequential if we let them be, though. It would be toote


    to deny anything by then,” Jiang Zhe reminded.


    “I know,” Nan Chen answered coldly.


    On second thought, Jiang Zhe felt he might have said too much, for Nan Chen would definitely have


    thought about that if even an assistant like him could figure that out.


    “Then do you mean to say that negative publicity is also a form of publicity?” Jiang Zhe inquired


    humbly.


    “I think online discussions about an unreleased film during its shooting can really leave an impression


    onizens. Besides, there is no point in clearing the air now that everyone is hellbent on shaming


    Ning Ran, so we might as well just go with the flow for now.”