Chapter 27

Da He hadn’t expected Xia Xi to suddenly ask him about this and was momentarily stunned. But he quickly regained his composure. Though he found her focus a bit odd, he still explained dutifully, "We have special channels for inquiries, so it’s naturally faster to look into these things. Besides, you gave me a direction to follow, so one night was more than enough."
"Is that so?" Xia Xi narrowed her eyes, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips. "Then hurry up and dig deeper into Bai Yinghou, Fang Yingdi, and the others’ scandals. I want all the details, the causes, consequences, and developments, preferably with solid, undeniable evidence. We’re preparing to strike back. Since they’ve schemed against me like this, I’m not one to take things lying down. Why not muddy the waters and make sure no one gets off easy?"
"What about Lin Wei and Ye Xin? Are we just letting them off the hook?"
Hearing Da He’s question, Xia Xi chuckled lightly and replied calmly, "Da He, do I strike you as the kind of person who repays evil with kindness?"
"It’s just that, based on what Lin Wei and Ye Xin have done so far, exposing them now probably won’t be enough to finish them off. As the saying goes, 'Revenge is a dish best served cold.' What’s the rush? Sooner or later, there will come a day when they regret ever crossing us." Though Xia Xi’s tone remained even as she spoke, the words carried an unmistakable threat.
"Xia Xi, look at you now, learning to fight back!" Da He’s voice on the other end of the line was clearly pleased, and his tone sounded more energetic than before. "Don’t worry, I’ll arrange everything right away. These people think they can scheme against you and get away with it? They’ll soon find out what a terrible mistake they’ve made by offending you. As for Fang Zichen’s fans, no need to worry. I’ll have him post a Weibo message supporting you, letting his fans know he willingly performed on stage with you. That should shut the haters up."
"No rush on that," Xia Xi considered Da He’s suggestion for a moment before responding. "If we release it a bit later, it might have a better impact."
Xia Xi and Da He chatted on the phone for quite a while, sorting out some tricky matters. By the time Da He hung up, his mood had clearly improved, and he had gained some clarity on the issue of Xia Xi being deliberately slandered on Weibo.
Ah, this is really worrying.
After hanging up, Xia Xi sighed silently. She wasn’t as calm and composed as Da He thought; instead, her heart felt heavy. Xia Xi finally understood why the original protagonist in "Pampered" had suffered so badly from public opinion, her PR team had zero experience. When problems arose, they were completely clueless, leaving her constantly on the defensive.
So, this time, Xia Xi truly realized that Da He might really have been sent by her brother to act as her bodyguard.

"President Wang, are you really insisting on replacing Xia Xi? Removing her will seriously disrupt the filming schedule. Her scenes are supposed to wrap up in two days. Replacing her now and having the other actors reshoot would be too troublesome." When Li Wen saw Wang Tao, the general manager of Jiaxing Entertainment, storming onto the set of "Fate of Immortals," he had a bad feeling. Sure enough, Wang Tao intended to replace Xia Xi.
To be honest, Li Wen had initially been more than happy to see Xia Xi leave. First, her acting was poor, and second, her reputation was terrible. Having her in "Fate of Immortals" carried too many uncertainties and risks of failure.
But later, after witnessing Xia Xi’s completely transformed acting skills, that thought gradually faded. Li Wen felt that Xia Xi was performing exceptionally well. Even if someone else were brought in, they probably couldn’t portray such a heart-wrenching and poignant Yang Yue. So why insist on removing her?
Director Li Wen glanced at Wang Tao’s angry expression and hesitated. He weighed the consequences of offending the CEO of Jiaxing Entertainment in his mind, pursed his lips, and finally spoke up for Xia Xi one last time. "President Wang, it’s best not to replace Xia Xi. Removing her won’t just disrupt the filming schedule, it’ll waste time, effort, and money. Moreover, the acting skills of any replacement likely won’t match hers, so,"
"Are you trying to fool me? Are you telling me no one can outperform Xia Xi’s acting?" Wang Tao cut off Li Wen’s next words, his face showing clear impatience. "That’s the biggest joke I’ve ever heard. Others might not know how Xia Xi got into the crew, but you and I know perfectly well, she was forced in by Xiluo Entertainment solely because of Luo Chu’an’s influence. Now that Luo Chu’an has publicly announced his relationship with Lin Wei, what is there to fear from a college student like Xia Xi who hasn’t even graduated yet?"
Seeing that Li Wen still seemed hesitant, Wang Tao played his trump card. "If you really don’t want to replace her, fine. Jiaxing Entertainment will simply withdraw our investment. After all, there’s no reason for us to invest in a TV series that might end up losing everything."
Li Wen wasn’t exactly pleased about Wang Tao storming in and threatening to pull funding just to force Xia Xi out of "Fate of Immortals." But he also felt it wasn’t worth offending Jiaxing Entertainment over one actress like Xia Xi.
After all, Xia Xi was a newcomer actress with no backing, so taking such a step would hardly be worth the trouble. After wrestling with the decision for just a few minutes, he agreed to Wang Tao’s proposal and prepared to have Xia Xi leave the crew. As for what Xia Xi might face after leaving the set, that was not something Li Wen needed to concern himself with, it had nothing to do with him.
He just didn’t know whether Xiluo Entertainment would help Xia Xi, Without Luo Chu'an’s protection, did Xia Xi truly have no ability to fight back?
A strange worry lingered in the director’s heart. He couldn’t shake the feeling that offending Xia Xi might not end well, but given the current circumstances, he had no choice but to agree.
Speaking of the novel Fate of Immortals, it had faced its share of difficulties, both during the author’s writing process and now, as it was being adapted into a TV drama.
Initially, because Fate of Immortals was immensely popular online, the moment the author announced plans to sell the TV adaptation rights, Weibo erupted into a frenzy. Opinions were divided, some were excited, others skeptical, and the debates raged on.
Entertainment companies that caught wind of the news kept a close watch on this highly sought-after project, eager to secure the rights as quickly as possible.
Unexpectedly, the adaptation rights for Fate of Immortals weren’t acquired by just one entertainment company, but three: Tangren Entertainment, Jiaxing Entertainment, and Xiluo Entertainment. And surprisingly, the relatively unknown Xiluo Entertainment ended up playing the most crucial role in the deal.
Tangren Entertainment and Jiaxing Entertainment had long been industry leaders, so it wasn’t surprising to see them share a piece of the Fate of Immortals pie. What caught everyone off guard, however, was how Xiluo Entertainment, a company few had heard of, managed to outshine many established, well-known entertainment giants and emerge as the final winner in securing the rights.
Although Xiluo Entertainment had only risen to prominence in the entertainment industry in recent years, rumors suggested its owner had powerful connections. They could effortlessly obtain resources that others wouldn’t even dare to dream of. The company was both formidable and shrouded in mystery.