As the conversation went on, Sister Chen suddenly blurted out to Jiang Li, "Are you still considering setting up your own studio?"
Jiang Li fell silent.
Sister Chen thought she had changed her mind, so she tried a different approach. "I've got the resources of several new talents in hand. They're not in a hurry to sign with a company. If you've given up on the idea of starting a studio, I'll just have them sign with Jiang Entertainment."
Jiang Li replied quickly, "I'm still going to set up the studio. As for those new talents, it's up to them to decide."
It would be a great opportunity for the new talents to sign with Jiang Entertainment.
As for Jiang Li, she had been thinking about leaving this place every minute of every day, and her resolve had never wavered.
Sister Chen understood. "Okay, then I'll handle it as I see fit."
"Thank you, Sister Chen." Jiang Li held the phone and glanced at the time. "I'm about to start filming. I'll hang up now."
After hanging up the phone, the director was already calling everyone over.
This was the first scene of the new year, and she was extremely dedicated, showing not the slightest bit of laziness or slack.
Once she started filming, Jiang Li would immerse herself completely, oblivious to everything around her. All external matters seemed to have nothing to do with her.
It wasn't until the one - week filming was over that she turned on her phone, which she had switched off a week ago, in the car on her way out of the filming location.
It would have been better if she hadn't turned it on. The moment she did, she almost thought she was seeing things.
"Shocking! Jiang Li and Chen Siqi, the heir of the Chen Group, have had an affair. They've been secretly in touch for a long time!"
The moment she saw this headline, Jiang Li's head buzzed, and her scalp went numb.
This was supposed to be the press release prepared by the public relations department of Jiang Entertainment before, but it should have been scrapped.
But it wasn't.
It skyrocketed to the top of the trending list at an astonishing speed, accompanied by various analyses and comments from media bigwigs, staying at the forefront.
At this moment, Jiang Li felt her legs go weak.
She didn't even dare to click on it.
There was only one question in her mind—
Why did Xiao Yanzhi break his promise?
She thought she had done nothing wrong. Even before joining the filming crew, she had been obedient and cautious towards him. Why did he go back on his word?
Was it because she refused to sleep with him?
She barely managed to hold back the welling up of tears in her eyes. She sniffed hard and was about to call Xiao Yanzhi to get an explanation.
Just then, Sister Chen came over, looking extremely delighted.
"Jiang Li, you're trending!"
Jiang Li quickly suppressed the moisture in her eyes and looked puzzled. "Trending? As in negative news?"
In her mind, such negative news would be the end of her acting career.
"No. Haven't you read the comments?" Sister Chen gave her a strange look. "I was so shocked when this news broke out early this morning that I almost had a heart attack."
Jiang Li could understand.
After all, she had felt dizzy when she first saw the news.
While Sister Chen was still rambling on, Jiang Li lowered her head and turned on her phone screen. She clicked on the topic about herself that she had been too afraid to click on before.
Unexpectedly, it wasn't a barrage of scolding as she had imagined.
"Oh my god, Baby Li is finally in a relationship. This mother - fan is so touched that I'm crying..."
"My partner and I are actually lovers. This plot is so sweet. I demand to see this drama right away!"
"Whoever spread the rumor that our Li Li and President Xiao had an improper relationship, stand up right now. The parties involved have already refuted the rumor!"
"..."
Jiang Li's eyes widened.
This turn of events was so strange!
She had thought there would be nothing but scolding, but instead, netizens were not only not insulting her but also starting to ship her with Chen Siqi.
Netizens even dug out a business photo from many years ago and claimed that the two of them had made eye contact at that time, and that look was full of tender love.
...What the hell love.
Jiang Li took a look at the photo. It was just that during a business banquet, she had been daydreaming absent - mindedly and happened to see Chen Siqi.
At that time, she didn't even know who Chen Siqi was.
The netizens' imaginations were truly out of this world.
Sister Chen analyzed calmly, "We can't rule out the possibility that someone paid to control the comments, but at least the trend is positive, and no scandals have been leaked."
Jiang Li sat in the car, and her body temperature, which had dropped suddenly, gradually returned to normal.
Thank goodness. Her acting career was saved.
After this false alarm, before Jiang Li could figure out who had spread this kind of rumor, her phone rang again.
Looking at Chen Siqi's name on the screen, Jiang Li hesitated for a moment. Then, she took a deep breath and answered the call.
"Hello, President Chen." Her tone was very business - like, not willing to show the slightest bit of emotion.
Chen Siqi's voice came through the phone. His tone was gentle but solemn. "Miss Jiang, regarding the current rumor on the Internet, I think I deserve an explanation."
"Coincidentally, I also need an explanation." Jiang Li was a bit exhausted. After a week of filming, all she wanted was to rest. "I've been in the filming crew this whole week and know nothing about the outside world."
She really meant what she said.
"Then we should find a place to talk."
Chen Siqi said calmly, "To be honest with Miss Jiang, I was the one who controlled the comment trend this time. I just wanted to minimize the negative impact and didn't want to cause too much trouble for Miss Jiang."
Hearing this, Jiang Li's initial aversion to Chen Siqi lessened a bit.
Anyway, he had really helped her this time, turning a crisis into a non - issue.
"By the way, I know who leaked this rumor. Maybe we should sit down and discuss a solution."
...
Xiao Yanzhi was the last to know about this rumor.
The aura around the man was so intimidating that no one dared to make a sound for a moment.
Especially when he saw the netizens' speculations and comments, the veins on the back of his hand bulged, and he was clearly exerting force.
Sweet?
Two people who had nothing to do with each other. Where was the sweetness? Where was the lover relationship?
It was simply nonsense!
Xiao Yanzhi was expressionless and coldly spat out three words, "Who did this?"
He was asking about the person who had exposed this rumor.
A week ago, he had already told the person in charge of the public relations department to get rid of this press release and not to continue hyping up any rumors about Jiang Li.
Xue An didn't know how to report. His heart was pounding nervously.
"President Xiao, it's... it's Miss Qin."
Hearing this answer, Xiao Yanzhi's eyes darkened silently. His jaw tightened as he gritted his teeth, and his lips were pursed into a straight line.
He was on the verge of anger.
Xiao Yanzhi didn't say a word, and Xue An didn't dare to move an inch.
After a long silence, Xiao Yanzhi finally gave an order, "Send me Jiang Li's current location."
Xue An looked embarrassed. "I just called Sister Chen. Right now, Sister Jiang Li is with..."
Xiao Yanzhi showed no extra emotion. His tone was flat, cold, and calm.
"Just say it quickly."