Chapter 25

This was how it happened.
Xia Xi had originally arranged with an entertainment weekly to release her negative news alongside major scandals, such as the drug allegations against Actor Liang, the affair of Actress Bai, and the plagiarism accusations against Singer Fang, to downplay her own exposure. She had thought it was a clever plan, but she never expected that her scandals would be leaked prematurely by the media.
Overnight, Xia Xi dominated Weibo's hot search list, and every trending topic was negative: "Xia Xi Throws Her Weight Around," "Xia Xi's Poor Acting Skills," "Xia Xi's Questionable Character," "Xia Xi Supported by a Sugar Daddy," "Xia Xi's Powerful Backing," and other labels took over the entertainment headlines.
The buzz around Xia Xi far surpassed the popularity of Lin Wei and Luo Chu'an's relationship news, securing the top spot on Weibo's hot search list.
What an achievement, and what a headache,
Not only were these negative rumors about Xia Xi gaining traction, but a well-known paparazzo, known for his cryptic Weibo revelations, suddenly exposed the news that Xia Xi and Fang Zichen would be performing on the same stage.
The timing of this leak was like adding fuel to the fire, making everyone even more convinced that Xia Xi indeed had powerful backing and that she had obtained her resources through dubious means.
It was likely that someone was deliberately fanning the flames. Numerous influential Weibo accounts immediately reposted and commented on the news, expressing sympathy for Fang Zichen while mocking Xia Xi for overestimating herself.
As a result, this bombshell news, interpreted in various ways, sent Fang Zichen's fans into an uproar. They felt that having their idol share the stage with an untalented actress like Xia Xi was nothing short of an insult. In a show of remarkable unity, they flocked to Xia Xi's Weibo page, attacking her with the most malicious language to vent their displeasure.
Moreover, someone like Xia Xi, who lacked talent yet could freely access top-tier resources thanks to powerful connections, instantly became a magnet for public resentment. Many people, upon learning about her past actions, felt a sense of injustice: How could someone who had never worked hard be handed the best opportunities? What gave her the right?
Thus, some criticized Xia Xi out of loyalty to their idol, some out of envy toward the wealthy and privileged, and others simply because they disliked her. Though their reasons differed, their goal was the same. In an eerie display of unity, the internet had collectively turned against Xia Xi.
They all flooded Xia Xi's Weibo, attacking her with the most malicious language, as if she were some irredeemably evil villain. Everyone was condemning her in the name of justice.
After hearing Song Yuan's description, Xia Xi silently swallowed. Even without checking her Weibo, she could imagine how terrifying the situation must be. She thought it might be karma, after all, she had just been enjoying the drama surrounding Luo Chu'an and Lin Wei not long ago, and now it was her turn.
How depressing.
Originally, Xia Xi had thought her plan was quite clever. She intended to use the opportunity Luo Chu'an provided to reveal some of the scandals she had been hiding. Although it would bring some negative attention, the impact wouldn't be too severe. Compared to others' scandals, hers were relatively minor in terms of both her status and the content.
But unexpectedly, only her scandals had been exposed. What a, pleasant surprise.
Xia Xi rubbed her throbbing head. The current situation was indeed troublesome and not easy to resolve, but she remained calm. Frowning, she sat in her chair and began to carefully piece together the events, trying to sort out the cause and effect.
Who was scheming against her?
At first, Xia Xi suspected Fang Zichen, as he was the only one who knew her plan and all the details of the scandals. It would have been the simplest thing for him to do. But she quickly dismissed that idea.
From a strategic standpoint, Fang Zichen had nothing to gain from doing this. In simple terms, it would harm others without benefiting himself.
So, who would benefit from this? At this thought, Xia Xi narrowed her eyes slightly and unconsciously tapped her fingers lightly on the table.
Lin Wei was undoubtedly the most suspicious. With this situation unfolding, Xia Xi had clearly diverted some of the criticism away from Lin Wei, giving her a much-needed breather.
Next were the others Luo Chu'an had intended to expose. They might have learned of his plan to reduce the heat around his own relationship scandal and deliberately fanned the flames, redirecting the fire toward Xia Xi to ensure their own safety.
Alternatively, it was also possible that Luo Chu'an had changed his mind at the last minute and only exposed her scandals.
In that moment, Xia Xi came up with many hypotheses, but each one told her that this matter was far from simple. It likely involved complex relationships and far-reaching implications.
At this thought, Xia Xi pursed her lips unconsciously. She suddenly remembered Ye Xin, who had just come to gloat in front of her. She wondered what role Ye Xin was playing in all this.
But if she was panicked, Xia Xi wasn't really. When she made that decision, she had already anticipated the consequences. She just hadn't mentioned it to Da He, fearing that if he knew the situation might escalate like this, he would strongly oppose it.
Besides, since the problem had already arisen, they could all work together to find a solution.
In reality, when celebrity gossip surfaces online, most netizens are merely spectators. They treat such matters as entertainment and move on, as it has little to do with them. The majority remain rational, neither believing, spreading, nor fabricating rumors. Only those idle keyboard warriors, seeking a sense of existence online, would make extreme remarks and condemn others to flaunt their own righteousness.
However, these keyboard warriors make up only a small fraction of netizens. Many of the inappropriate comments found under celebrities' Weibo posts are actually deliberate attempts to steer public opinion, hired trolls paid to smear a particular star.
Xia Xi pursed her lips and continued to speculate about how the person scheming against her had orchestrated it all.
First, this person released negative news about Xia Xi, her diva behavior and poor acting skills, then deliberately bought a large number of trending searches to let the matter slowly ferment, further worsening the public's already poor impression of her.
Once everyone had formed an extremely negative stereotype of Xia Xi, this person then had influential Weibo influencers leak the news of Fang Zichen and Xia Xi performing together on the same stage. They manipulated the narrative, making people imagine that Xia Xi had used her power to force Fang Zichen into performing with her, leaving him with no choice but to comply.
At this point, the more talented Fang Zichen appeared, the more he would highlight how despicable Xia Xi was.
By this stage, the online situation would spiral out of control. Once Fang Zichen's fans found out, they would undoubtedly be furious. For the sake of their idol, they would swarm Xia Xi's Weibo with malicious attacks without distinguishing right from wrong.
Only then would the matter truly blow up.
So, the earlier negative revelations were merely meant to prove how untalented Xia Xi was, thereby igniting the anger of Fang Zichen's fans and drawing his massive fanbase into the fray. In this way, Xia Xi was bound to suffer greatly.
Xia Xi narrowed her eyes. Although this person was scheming against her, she couldn't help but admit it was a well-laid plan.