The removal of Shen Xiaoyu's trending topics still caused a stir online.
Su Huan and Tang Tang's fans, as well as the CP fans of the two, thought Shen Xiaoyu was afraid and began celebrating their victory in this crusade.
But onlookers spotted the issue and flooded into Shen Xiaoyu's Weibo, leaving comments under her latest post.
[Sister is my only acquaintance in the entertainment industry, can you reveal a bit more?]
[If Huan-Tang is just marketing, then Shen Xiaoyu's previous statements have deeper meaning]
The person saying this dug up Shen Xiaoyu's previous Weibo posts, specifically highlighting certain statements to prove their point.
Shen Xiaoyu read through it once; it was just over-interpretation.
Although she had previously disagreed with Su Huan hyping CPs, she had never spoken publicly about CP marketing regarding her career.
The content published on Weibo was always related to Su Huan, but absolutely never included Tang Tang.
Shen Xiaoyu touched her chin, thinking that perhaps her published content did contain these implications, though she herself hadn't realized it.
But now wasn't the time to think about this. The countdown in her mind from the system was nearing its end.
Shen Xiaoyu lay on the bed, waiting for the electric current to spread throughout her body, then curled up in pain.
Perhaps as punishment for her negligence, this time the current came with overwhelming force.
Shen Xiaoyu's hand, which had been clutching a flyer, fell limply. Her eyelids grew increasingly heavy until she finally passed out in the electric current.
Shen Xiaoyu thought she would die in this electric shock, but when she saw the morning sun the next day, she was momentarily bewildered.
How nice, she had survived another day of this miserable life.
By the time Shen Xiaoyu got ready and went to the set, Shi Qiubai's scenes for the day had already begun filming.
To her surprise, she saw Su Huan at the set. Even with makeup, her slightly pale complexion was visible.
The director seemed to be inquiring about her health. As Shen Xiaoyu got closer, she could hear Su Huan's voice.
"Don't worry, Director, I'm fine. The doctors approved my discharge."
Hearing this, the director's concern eased somewhat, but he still said caringly, "Then we'll proceed according to the original plan, but if you can't keep going, let me know in advance. Don't push yourself too hard."
"I understand." After speaking with the director, Su Huan looked up at Shen Xiaoyu.
Her eyes brightened slightly, as if she had something to say, but when she met Shen Xiaoyu's cold gaze, she swallowed all her words.
Su Huan's eyes immediately dimmed, and she sat in the camp chair like a wronged wife, occasionally glancing in Shen Xiaoyu's direction, trying to attract her attention.
But Shen Xiaoyu didn't even give her a single look. After organizing Shi Qiubai's things, she went to get a cup of warm water and waited for Shi Qiubai.
After preparing everything, Shen Xiaoyu sat in a chair watching Shi Qiubai film, and began editing the videos she had recorded in Shi Qiubai's room the previous night.
To climb the ladder step by step, exposure was essential.
The company hadn't prepared a team for Shi Qiubai, so she had to do everything herself. Fortunately, she had previous experience and was now quite adept at these tasks.
"You declined to be Su Huan's personal assistant because you wanted to be Shi Qiubai's assistant?"
While deeply absorbed in editing, a familiar voice suddenly came from above.
Shen Xiaoyu saved the video before looking up at the newcomer. "Sister Qin is so interested in my artist? Do you want me to give Qiubai to you too?"
She clicked her tongue, her tone impatient, "Why are you always looking for ready-made things? Could it be that you don't know how to develop new talent, so you're always trying to grab others' achievements?"
Shen Xiaoyu's words were not at all polite, practically having "get lost" written all over her face.
Qin Miao was grinding her teeth in anger, yet still forced a smile, "I never realized you were so sharp-tongued before. Have you started going crazy just because you lost one artist? The entertainment industry is like this. If you can't manage your emotions, you'd better leave the circle early. That would be better for everyone."
Shen Xiaoyu listened with a frown, seeming somewhat confused, "You're so eager for me to leave the circle. Could it be that my existence is blocking your path? Or are you worried I'll steal your artists?"
Seeing the slight change in the other's expression, she knew she had guessed correctly.
Shen Xiaoyu picked up her tea and took a sip, saying indifferently, "Rest assured, I'm not like you. I prefer gold."
Qin Miao followed her gaze and met Shi Qiubai's eyes. Shi Qiubai was lifting her skirt and quickly walking toward them.
In the next second, Qin Miao's face instantly darkened, like storm clouds gathering for a downpour.
"I don't have a hobby of collecting garbage, nor do I consider when garbage might belong to me."
What did she mean by that? Was she calling her a garbage can who likes to collect garbage?
Qin Miao glared with wolf-like eyes, her whole body trembling, as if she was about to devour someone.
Shen Xiaoyu acted as if she hadn't seen this, stood up on her own, and handed the water cup to Shi Qiubai. "Drink just a little, just enough to moisten your throat. These costumes make it difficult to use the bathroom, and holding it for too long isn't good for your body."
Shi Qiubai nodded obediently, took a small sip, and stared with wide eyes at Qin Miao.
"Sister Qin, you're visiting the set too?" she exclaimed in a small voice. "With an award-winning actress and a popular rising star, I thought you'd be so busy you wouldn't even have time to eat. I didn't realize you were so free."
The last sentence was spoken very softly, but the two people close to her heard it all.
Qin Miao's tightly clenched fingers were already showing blue veins, her expression furious and bloodthirsty, as if she might explode at any moment.
Shen Xiaoyu, worried she might vent her anger on Shi Qiubai, stuffed the script into her arms and pushed her away.
"Alright, take a look at the script, the next scene is crucial. Also, your makeup seems a bit smudged. Go find the makeup artist for a touch-up."
Shi Qiubai obediently turned to find the makeup artist.
Left behind, Shen Xiaoyu gave an embarrassed smile to Qin Miao, "Sister Qin, you're magnanimous. Surely you won't take offense at a straightforward new artist."
Qin Miao stared at her, the fury in her eyes seeming like it might burn her to ashes.
Acting as if she hadn't noticed, Shen Xiaoyu continued on her own, "You definitely won't hold a grudge against a newcomer. This child, really, says whatever comes to mind. Don't take offense. I'll properly discipline her when we get back."
After saying this, she smiled at Qin Miao and walked in Shi Qiubai's direction.
Qin Miao watched her retreating figure, closed her eyes tightly, took deep breaths, and suppressed all her rage.
What was going on with this woman lately?
It was as if she had eaten gunpowder. In the past, she definitely wouldn't have dared to talk back like this. It seemed...
Qin Miao rubbed her chin thoughtfully. It seemed she had changed after handing Su Huan over to her.
And then there was Su Huan...
Qin Miao looked toward Su Huan. The makeup artist was still touching up her face, making her complexion look better.
Her eyes flickered, a smile returned to her face, and she quickly walked toward Su Huan.
"Huan Huan, feeling okay? The doctor is waiting in the rest area. If you feel unwell, call him over anytime."
Su Huan merely gave her a faint glance, "Aren't you very clear about my health condition? The examination results before leaving should be on your phone, right?"
Qin Miao nodded, "The results are out. A cold is not a small matter. You still need to take medication."
As she spoke, she casually glanced in Shen Xiaoyu's direction, "Xiaoyu is doing so well. She takes care of every aspect for Qiubai. Just now she was even personally changing Qiubai's shoes."
"For a manager to go to such lengths, no wonder you keep wanting her by your side."
Su Huan's expression faltered. She raised her eyes to look in Shen Xiaoyu's direction, just in time to see Shen Xiaoyu crouching in front of Shi Qiubai. Through the many figures in between, she couldn't see clearly what they were doing, but from Shi Qiubai's furrowed brows, it seemed they were engaged in something.
Shen Xiaoyu was indeed an excellent manager, handling everything personally without delegating.
She had been like this when taking care of her before, and now as Shi Qiubai's manager, she was the same.
Su Huan lowered her eyelashes, concealing the coldness in her eyes, but the increasingly icy aura around her was still detected by Qin Miao.
Qin Miao's lips curled slightly. Catching something in her peripheral vision, she turned and called out, "Tang Tang, over here."
Tang Tang's eyes brightened, and she immediately walked toward them. "Why are you standing here? Senior Su, are you feeling better? Why don't you rest a bit more?"
Su Huan didn't respond to her, her eyes fixed intently on Shen Xiaoyu, making it obvious to everyone where her attention was focused.
Qin Miao moved over to Tang Tang's side and, while adjusting her headdress, gave her a meaningful look, glancing in Su Huan's direction.
Tang Tang understood and smiled as she moved closer to Su Huan. "Senior Su, the next scene has us acting together. Why don't we go through our lines first?"
With this prompting, Su Huan came back to her senses and made an effort to shift her attention to the script, looking down at the scene they were about to perform.
All emotions were hidden when the director called for the start.
This "start" lasted all morning. By the time they took a break, it was already two in the afternoon.
Since Shi Qiubai was on a diet, Shen Xiaoyu had ordered a low-calorie meal delivered to her—vegetables and beef, but with little oil and salt, so bland that Shi Qiubai nearly cried.
Before Shen Xiaoyu could comfort her, she had already convinced herself to mechanically stuff the salad into her mouth, occasionally muttering.
"Once filming is over, I'm definitely going to have hot pot three times a day! No! Five times! Plus fried chicken and barbecue! I'll eat until I burst!"
Shen Xiaoyu laughed, "You don't have to wait until filming is over. When we finish this segment, I'll reward you with a hot pot meal, okay?"
Shi Qiubai's eyes lit up as she clung to Shen Xiaoyu's arm and coaxed, "Thank you, Sister. I knew you were the best!"
"Alright, eat your meal now."
Shi Qiubai immediately lost her animosity toward vegetables and chomped on cabbage as if it were meat, eating with obvious delight.
Not far from them, Su Huan and Tang Tang sat under a sun umbrella. On the small table was the carefully prepared lunch by Qin Miao—small portions but numerous dishes, looking quite sumptuous.
However, Su Huan had no appetite at all, her attention fixed on the two people nearby who were impossible to ignore.