The public opinion gradually reversed, and the popularity of *The Embroidery Lady* not only remained undiminished but also soared. It even climbed to the top of the daily most - popular movie rankings.
Hearing these news, Xiao Yanzhi let out a sigh of relief. He turned his gaze back to Jiang Li, who was sitting on the bed in the bedroom. After accepting his proposal, she was so excited that she simply couldn't fall asleep.
From time to time, she would raise her hand to look at the diamond ring on it and giggle to herself with her head down. Her eyes blinked continuously, looking as cute as a young girl.
Xiao Yanzhi shook his head with a smile. He took out his phone and answered Sister Chen's call, roughly getting to know the current direction of the public opinion.
Sister Chen said on the other end of the phone, "The negative public opinion has been brought under control for now. The movie has also been well - promoted, so the box office should be stable."
Xiao Yanzhi pursed his lips and replied in a deep voice, "Okay. Have all the materials you were asked to prepare been readied?"
Sister Chen paused for a second and quickly answered, "Everything is ready and can be released at any time. But, are you sure you want to make the official announcement now?"
Xiao Yanzhi said calmly, "I just proposed to her, and she accepted."
"Really? Congratulations, Mr. Xiao. May your happy event be just around the corner," Sister Chen blurted out the compliment instinctively. It was only at that moment that she realized what Xiao Yanzhi meant was that his proposal had been successful.
Who else could he have proposed to?
Suddenly, her palms started to sweat. She asked uncertainly, "You proposed to Jiang Li..."
"Yes," Xiao Yanzhi said casually. "So, you know what to do."
He didn't want to keep it a secret.
He wanted everyone to know. He wanted it to be a grand and overwhelming event.
He wanted everyone to know that Jiang Li was his fiancée, the love of his life, the beginning and the end of everything for him.
So—
The "Litchi Gummy" hashtag, which had once been suppressed at a high cost, was once again occupied by online trolls. People in the industry could tell that someone had bought traffic in an attempt to make this topic popular again.
Accounts began to spread the details of Xiao Yanzhi and Jiang Li's relationship one after another, leaving no detail unturned:
The two held hands at the dinner of the Vienna Golden Theatre Festival and then boarded a cruise ship parked by the Seine River late at night to witness a spectacular fireworks show. They kissed under the moonlight and hugged in the snow. They admired paintings in an art museum in Lyon and shared a cup of hot mulled wine in a night market full of colorful lights.
Each photo and every scene recorded their love.
The most significant one was their question - and - answer session at the premiere in Lyon, which was regarded as the most textbook - like dialogue during the roadshow.
"He didn't ask other questions. He only asked about the preparations she had made for this movie. He really knows how to promote LiLi," someone commented.
"If it weren't for Mr. Xiao, I wouldn't have known that LiLi even learned embroidery to make this movie well. She's such a dedicated actress. I love her so much," another said.
"So sweet! Is this the so - called intellectual love? Both of them are so intelligent and charming. I'm totally into their relationship!"
"The young couple even secretly went abroad for a date. Next time, they should date openly in the country. I'd love to see that!"
"Is this the real - life love story between a famous actress and a wealthy heir? It's like a novel coming to life. It's so romantic. Who can resist it!"
Soon, someone corrected, "What do you mean by the love between a famous actress and a wealthy heir? This is clearly the love between two wealthy families. They're well - matched, deeply in love, and a perfect couple!"
"Wow! I got so carried away with the sweet news that I almost forgot about Sister Li's real identity. Is this the life of a female protagonist with multiple identities? It's so exhilarating!"
"She deserves it! Our LiLi deserves the best!"
The netizens' frenzy of "eating the litchi gummy" reached its peak when Xiao Yanzhi himself posted a Weibo.
He first created an account with his own name as the nickname and then posted a single photo.
He was standing in front of a huge photo wall. The photos showed countless images of Jiang Li, including those of her receiving an award, dancing, acting, smiling, and crying...
All these images of her were pieced together according to their colors to form a huge colorful rose, vividly and boldly displayed on the canvas.
He had carefully recorded every moment of her and collected them in an album.
He was looking up, his deep, mist - like eyes fixed intently on this unique painting, not shifting his gaze for a single moment.
The caption of this photo read: Waiting for the flowers to bloom.
There was a highly - upvoted comment below, asking him, "Does Mr. Xiao also pursue the famous actress he likes fanatically like an ordinary person?"
And below this comment was an even more classic reply:
"I've already won her heart. She's my fiancée now."
...
Jiang Li never expected that in just one night, the whole world would know about her family background and the fact that she had accepted Xiao Yanzhi's proposal.
She was so excited last night that she couldn't fall asleep for a long time while holding the diamond ring. Finally, she fell asleep in Xiao Yanzhi's arms and was woken up by the noisy firecrackers the next morning.
She woke up groggily and reached for her phone. Only then did she remember that she hadn't turned it on the previous day. So, she rubbed her eyes and leaned against the headboard, waiting for the phone to boot up.
The moment the screen lit up, Jiang Li saw countless 99+ notifications and fell into deep self - doubt.
How could there be so many messages after just one night without being connected to the Internet? Had the end of the world come?
Before she could open any of them, a call came in. She quickly answered it.
Jing Yi: "Sister Jiang Li, congratulations on becoming a bride - to - be!"
Jiang Li: ".... How do you know?"
"Is this a secret?" Jing Yi counter - questioned her, with a hint of accusation in her tone. "Or were you planning to keep it from us?"
Jiang Li said sheepishly, "It's not really a secret... I just haven't told anyone about it yet. Did Xiao Yanzhi tell you?"
"Yes," Jing Yi replied simply, with an innocent naivete. "He not only told me but also posted a Weibo saying that you accepted his proposal and that you're his fiancée now."
"Now everyone knows that you're going to be his bride," she said cheerfully, but Jiang Li felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
"You mean... he posted a Weibo?" Jiang Li couldn't believe it. Her mind was still hazy, and she thought she must still be dreaming. "How could he post a Weibo?"
He wasn't the kind of person who liked to make his private affairs public, nor did he want others to discuss him.
"If you don't believe it, you can check it yourself. It's the number - one trending topic. They're all saying that Mr. Xiao is 'the abstinent CEO has come down to earth for love' and 'the male peacock has finally shown his feathers'."
"What a cheesy description," Jiang Li murmured under her breath. After hanging up Jing Yi's call, she skillfully opened the social platform.
The moment she saw the words "Litchi Gummy" at the top of the trending list, her temple throbbed uncontrollably.
This term was a CP name given by fans who shipped her and Xiao Yanzhi. However, at that time, Jiang Entertainment had spent money to suppress it. Whenever the popularity got too high, it would be blocked, so the fans could only secretly follow their sweet news.
Now that she saw this term at the top of the trending list, she was almost certain that what Jing Yi had just said was true.