After finishing the program, Xia Wei Liang received a call from her adoptive mother, Su Hui.
"Wei Liang, it's Mom."
Xia Wei Liang got out of the car and leaned against the door, not going upstairs immediately.
"Mm."
She hadn't called her "Mom" like before, which made Su Hui feel very upset.
"The video... your father and I both saw it. I just wanted to tell you that I've contacted Mr. Liu and given him some money..."
Xia Wei Liang's expression changed, and her voice cooled slightly, "Why did you give him money?"
"Because your father said that if they continued making a scene like this, everyone's reputation would be affected, especially since Yi Ran is just starting her career..."
"Heh."
Xia Wei Liang chuckled.
"You, you're laughing? Are you blaming Mom for not discussing it with you beforehand?"
"I understand. This money wasn't given for me."
"Wei Liang, you've misunderstood! Of course, we did it for you..."
Xia Wei Liang took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
The night spread around her like a creeping chill, causing her to tremble. She hadn't felt this distressed even when facing Liu Cheng Quan.
She spoke word by word into the phone, "Madam Xia must have heard all the insults directed at me outside. After this money is transferred, it will solidify the fact that I abandoned my responsibilities. Madam Xia can't possibly not think of that!"
"I..."
Su Hui's voice on the other end was hesitant, with a hint of a sob.
At this moment, the phone was snatched away, and an angry voice came from the receiver, "How can you be so ungrateful? You caused trouble, and we're cleaning up after you, yet you don't even say thank you, and you even blame us? We've raised you for so many years, is this how you repay us?!"
"Honey, don't say that..."
"Get out of the way! I'm going to say it all today! Hah, it's true that like father, like son, and like mother, like daughter! We don't have such cold-blooded and greedy offspring!" Danmei Novel Network.
*Bang—*
The phone hit the ground, shattering into pieces.
"Wh-what happened, Wei Wei Jie?"
Xiao Nuo Mi came out of the car, startled.
Xia Wei Liang's eyes were red, and her whole body trembled, but she gritted her teeth, holding back her tears.
"It's nothing."
"But..."
Xiao Nuo Mi was about to say more when Song Yuan stopped her, "Let her have some quiet time alone."
"Oh."
Song Yuan pulled Xiao Nuo Mi upstairs.
Xia Wei Liang tilted her head up, trying her best not to let her tears fall.
What's the big deal?
Having lived two lives, what hadn't she seen?
She sniffled and, as if in defiance, wiped away a tear that had escaped and trickled down her eye.
Not far away, in a van.
*Click—*
*Click—*
The camera captured several high-definition shots continuously.
A reporter from a certain website, nicknamed Mao, sighed as he took photos, "Actually, Xia Wei Liang is quite pitiable."
His colleague scoffed, "Pitiable? Celebrities can easily earn enough for us to live on for a lifetime with just one role. Instead of pitying them, we'd be better off thinking about how to catch someone cheating to boost our performance!"
Xia Wei Liang went upstairs after stabilizing her emotions.
As she pushed the door open, she heard Xiao Nuo Mi on the phone with Huan Jie.
"The Weibo posts have been leaked! And the money came from the Xia family? Isn't that slapping our Wei Wei Jie in the face?!"
"Why can't they choose to believe our Wei Wei Jie?"
"Is it okay to treat someone like this just because they aren't biologically related?!"
Xiao Nuo Mi was usually a gentle girl, and it was rare to see her angry. This time, she was truly infuriated, standing on the balcony, stomping her feet in flip-flops.
Song Yuan came out of the kitchen holding a bowl of vegetable salad. She sat down and said unhurriedly, "The Xia family only called to inform you, and then 'insiders' leaked it online. Xia Yi Ran is really riding on good buzz!"
Xia Wei Liang picked up a fork and scooped some of her salad. "If she doesn't ride the wave, I won't be happy!"
Xiao Nuo Mi, who had just come in, widened her eyes when she heard this. "Wei Wei Jie! What's wrong? You need to pull yourself together! Show the same spirit you had a few days ago, and fight back and counterattack!!"
Seeing how anxious the young girl was, Xia Wei Liang smiled and patted her unruly little head. "What did Huan Jie say?"
"The manager called her back to the company, and they're having a meeting to discuss it. But knowing Huan Jie's personality, she'll probably be slamming the table at everyone in the room again."
Recalling the scene, Xia Wei Liang let out a chuckle and said with emotion, "It's truly wonderful to have you all by my side!"
Song Yuan glanced at her. "Don't get sentimental, it's cheesy."
Xiao Nuo Mi said with frustration, "Wei Wei Jie, can you put some effort into this?"
"Okay, okay, I'll put my heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys into it!"
Seeing that she wasn't worried or agitated, Xiao Nuo Mi quietly sent a WeChat message to Huan Jie: "Huan Jie, help! Wei Wei Jie has been severely stimulated this time!!"
Public opinion was escalating.
The next day, the matter of the Xia parents fulfilling their filial duty to Xia Wei Liang was confirmed, effectively proving her poor character. Eighteen keyboard warriors united and attacked with full force, achieving a remarkable feat of no one daring to respond.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, the scolding is quite vicious."
Song Yuan was scrolling through Weibo and glanced at the actress opposite her, who was eating spicy hot pot.
Honestly, to be beautiful enough that even eating spicy hot pot looked like a movie scene, Xia Wei Liang was what people called blessed by heaven with talent, provided she didn't self-destruct.
Xiao Nuo Mi had completely given up, lowering her head and fiddling with her phone.
Song Yuan glanced over. She was diligently searching on Baidu: "What jobs are suitable for women who are beautiful but not intelligent?"
Song Yuan: "..."
Your Wei Wei Jie feels offended.
"All done!"
Seeing Xia Wei Liang put down her chopsticks with satisfaction, Xiao Nuo Mi shook her head helplessly, adding "and extremely carefree" to her Baidu search keywords...
"Yuan Ge, is it done?"
Xia Wei Liang asked a question without preamble.
Song Yuan didn't answer but made an "OK" sign with her hand.
Xiao Nuo Mi didn't understand and squinted at them. "Wei Wei Jie, Yuan Ge, are you hiding something from me?"
Suddenly, the phone rang.
Xiao Nuo Mi answered listlessly, "Hello... Interview? Uh... excuse me, just a moment, I have an incoming call."
She picked up again, and it was still an interview!
Xiao Nuo Mi became a little flustered, while Xia Wei Liang smiled at her, saying four words: "Refuse them all."
"Oh..."
Before long, Xiao Nuo Mi's phone was almost ringing off the hook, and Xia Wei Liang's phone was also ringing incessantly.
She glanced at the screen and saw that both Su Hui and Xia Chengye had called. She decisively turned off her phone.
Ji Huan called Xiao Nuo Mi and Xia Wei Liang, but one line was busy, and the other was off. Finally, she called Song Yuan directly. Her voice was a little hoarse but couldn't hide her excitement, "What's going on with the video and the recording? Did you arrange it? You're really capable! You had the complete version of the video, why didn't you tell me earlier? You made me yell myself hoarse yesterday!"
Song Yuan replied, "Your female star says this is called 'putting oneself in a desperate situation to achieve a breakthrough'."
On the other side, Xiao Nuo Mi was no longer answering anyone's calls and was staring intently at her phone.
It was the complete backstage video from "Jin Fei," which had only been released for about ten minutes. The hashtag #MajorTurnaround! Complete Backstage Video of "Jin Fei Xi Bi" Exposed# immediately topped the trending searches!
"...You used your 'parents' status to slander and defame me on the program, completely disregarding my image and the negative impact on fans who trust me! Do you really think I won't use the weapon of law to protect myself?"
"So what if we defamed you? You were born to us, and we can do whatever we want! Don't talk about you being a big star; even if you were God, you'd have to do whatever we told you!"
"My remuneration is the income from my labor, and it's distributed by my agency. I can support my parents and fulfill my filial duties, but I cannot hand it over to you."
"...Doesn't everyone know how easy it is for you stars to make money? Just taking on an endorsement or shooting a commercial can bring in tens of millions, especially for young and beautiful ones. Having meals and dancing with some big boss or director can also put a lot of money in your pocket!"
"Stars and artists are also professions; they're not as vile as you think!"
"From now on, give me... give me one million in filial support every month! Not a penny less! Otherwise, don't blame me for going on programs and interviews to call you an unfilial daughter!!"
Listening to the recording, Xia Wei Liang's expression remained unchanged, but Song Yuan noticed her slightly trembling hands.
Xiao Nuo Mi jumped up excitedly on the other end. "Ahhh! This wave is solid! Solid! Woo woo... Wei Wei Jie, we've finally cleared our name!"