Xu Qingqing merely glanced at Weibo before closing the app directly. She couldn't be bothered with the sarcastic comments from Bai Youlan's fans. She contacted her aunt's assistant and had the company's legal department take over the matter.
Just as she was about to reach out to someone, she suddenly received a message from the director she had collaborated with before. He said he wanted to report on the profits and revenue share from the previously invested film crew.
Generally, such official matters were handled by Xu Qingqing's assistant. Xu Qingqing guessed the director probably had something else to discuss.
Sure enough, after some small talk, the portly director cautiously asked, "Miss Xu, do you know about Miss Bai's recent situation?"
This program director had practically become Xu Qingqing's informant, always able to reveal some inside information. Last time, relying on his tip, Xu Qingqing had managed to intercept several movie projects from Bai Youlan.
Hearing his question, Xu Qingqing recalled the dating reality show clip she had just seen on her phone and guessed what he was referring to.
She called him directly and got straight to the point: "Can you get in touch with that production team?"
Bai Youlan appeared so flawless on the show only because she was a good actress and because all her unfavorable aspects had been edited out. Therefore, breaking through via the production team to obtain internal leaks would be ideal.
However, the director hesitated, revealing, "Well, yes... but I heard Miss Bai also invested in that variety show. She's one of the behind-the-scenes investors." Since she was a backstage investor, the production team naturally wouldn't betray her.
It was just as Xu Qingqing had suspected. She had wondered why the entire reality show seemed tailor-made for Bai Youlan, almost perfectly showcasing her "true, kind, and beautiful" side, and why its airing time just happened to follow the red carpet incident.
For Bai Youlan to have a whole variety show cooperate in her whitewashing campaign, even writing a script specifically for her, she must have invested a fortune this time.
Xu Qingqing guessed this was also a ripple effect from the recent turmoil stirred up when Xu Changshan came to the Xu family demanding shares.
Xu Changshan was generous to Bai Yaxiu and her daughter, even wanting to secure shares for them. Bai Youlan, probably emboldened after getting the money and fearing Xu Qingqing might again use her wealth to intercept resources midway, simply followed suit and became an investor herself.
From self-promotion to investing in a show with a custom script, to guiding online public opinion, it was clear how much preparation Bai Youlan had done in private for this redemption battle.
But after doing all that, why did she have to fabricate those stories on the show, using tactics that put others down to elevate herself?
Xu Qingqing had known Bai Youlan for over a decade and clearly knew the other girl couldn't play the piano at all.
Although she didn't know what method Bai Youlan used to achieve her current level of piano skill in such a short time, a lie was still a lie. Any falsehood was bound to have flaws.
Did Bai Youlan really think, with such confidence, that the lies she fabricated on the show would never be exposed?
The director on the phone was still reporting on the dating show, saying, "Actually, we could start with the other guests participating in the show with Miss Bai..." Meaning, getting these people to come forward with revelations.
If Xu Qingqing were unaware of the inside story, she might have chosen the same method.
Bribing guests or production crew to release damaging information about Bai Youlan, mixing truth with falsehood, could at least tarnish her reputation by half. Even if she regained popularity, she would carry uncleared stains.
But that wasn't the effect Xu Qingqing wanted. Since she was going to deal with her, she intended to nail her thoroughly to the pillar of shame, leaving no chance for a comeback.
She thought for a moment and instructed, "No need."
"During this time, help me inquire: in all her years in your industry, has Bai Youlan ever auditioned for any roles related to music or the arts?"
Bai Youlan had been in the business for so many years; Xu Qingqing could only have industry insiders search for information. Although puzzled, the director agreed.
Xu Qingqing thought again and asked, "Weren't you saying last time you wanted to make a movie?"
On the other end of the phone, the director slapped his thigh, thinking finally! He had waited so long, gone to great lengths to connect with Xu Qingqing's network, all for this day!
Fresh out of school, he had dreamed of making movies. But making movies required connections and money. After going around in circles for years, he was still stuck in variety shows. Having waited so long, the opportunity had finally knocked.
Xu Qingqing said directly, "I'll have my assistant contact you tomorrow. Bring your proposal." Snakes have their paths, mice have their tunnels. To make someone work hard, sufficient incentives were necessary.
Over the years, Bai Youlan had countless auditions, variety shows, and advertisements, some successful and some not. Gathering this kind of information required sifting through a large amount of data and inquiring about internal news. Having her own company's secretary investigate might not even be effective.
She and this director had cooperated for a long time. His proactive offer to send a message of allegiance this time, mentioning finding guests for the exposure, suggested he probably had real connections to dare take on this delicate task.
Besides, making movies also requires a certain approach. Whether it turns into a bad film or a big production, whether the budget is a meager few hundred thousand or ample enough to exceed a hundred million, depends on this person's own capabilities.
After hanging up with the director, Xu Qingqing called Zhou Chenyu and asked, "Do you know anyone from the affiliated middle school of C University?"
She remembered Zhou Chenyu's grandfather had close ties with this school; his family had even donated a building to it. Bai Youlan had attended the international class of this very high school.
Zhou Chenyu was recently abroad on a business trip and wasn't aware of the Weibo incident. He asked casually, "Hmm, why?"
Xu Qingqing said concisely, "Help me contact them. Translate the student archives, find Bai Youlan's art exam video and interview form from back then."
Xu Qingqing remembered clearly. Bai Youlan's grades were poor; she got into the affiliated middle school through special admission as an exception. Later, during school, she often took leave to film TV dramas and attend schedules.
The director's side might not yield results, so she needed to prepare on both fronts.
Hearing her mention Bai Youlan, Zhou Chenyu couldn't help but frown. "What happened?"
Xu Qingqing told him about Bai Youlan participating in the variety show. She wasn't even angry anymore, finding it rather absurd. "If she has such talent in piano, why doesn't she enter international competitions instead of fabricating stories on a variety show?"
Xu Qingqing found it somewhat laughable.
Clearly, Bai Youlan had been visiting the Xu household since very early on and later even lived there. Logically, growing up in a wealthy, elite environment should have broadened her horizons and mindset. Yet, she always exuded a certain air of being unsophisticated and petty.
Zhou Chenyu's expression turned somber. "Do you really believe she has talent in piano? Back when we practiced together, how badly she played—don't you remember?"
He thought for a moment and advised Xu Qingqing, "Don't get directly involved in this matter. Go find Xie Lianqing and let him handle it for you."
For some reason, he always felt there was something slightly sinister about that woman, Bai Youlan.
When they were children, Xu Qingqing brought Bai Youlan to her house to play hide-and-seek with him.
At that time, Zhou Chenyu, feeling bored, went to find them. He saw Xu Qingqing hiding behind the railing next to the staircase, with Bai Youlan standing right behind her. The look in Bai Youlan's eyes as she watched Xu Qingqing seemed off.
Although Bai Youlan immediately composed herself and returned to normal the moment she saw him appear, Zhou Chenyu has never been able to forget the expression on her face that day. It was definitely not a look a child should have.
For a moment, Zhou Chenyu was even afraid that Bai Youlan would push Xu Qingqing down the stairs.
Later, before he could figure out how to tell Xu Qingqing to stop playing with Bai Youlan, he went abroad for a vacation for several months due to his grandfather. When he returned, he learned that a misfortune had occurred in Xu Qingqing's family.
His warning was no longer of any use.
From then on, Zhou Chenyu never dared to easily let Xu Qingqing out of his sight. He always inexplicably felt that if he had spoken up earlier back then, without delaying those few months, perhaps the later misfortune in Xu Qingqing's family wouldn't have happened.
Later, Zhou Chenyu brought this matter up and proactively told Xu Qingqing that he should have told her sooner back then.
At that time, Zhou Chenyu was even prepared, thinking Xu Qingqing would fly into a rage upon learning the truth and cut off ties with him.
However, after he spoke, Xu Qingqing, who was usually so dramatic and demanding, just fell silent for a while and even tried hard to comfort him.
She told Zhou Chenyu that Xu Changshan was scum, and it was only a matter of time before a scumbag cheated. Moreover, based on the timeline, Xu Changshan had probably already been with Bai Yaxiu several months prior.
So even if Zhou Chenyu had told her back then, it wouldn't have changed anything.
Having received Xu Qingqing's understanding, Zhou Chenyu still couldn't let this matter go. He always wanted to make it up to her.
And this time, while he was on a business trip abroad, when Xu Qingqing chatted with him about this matter, he immediately recalled that afternoon, the look in Bai Youlan's eyes behind Xu Qingqing on the staircase.
He couldn't help but urge, "Don't try to tough it out when things happen. I'll have someone send the documents to you tonight. Go find Xie Lianqing and let him step in to help you handle it."
If he weren't tied up with a project abroad that he couldn't get away from, Zhou Chenyu would have wanted to return to the country himself.
Xu Qingqing didn't quite know why he was so wary of Bai Youlan, but she could understand his desire to protect her.
However, Zhou Chenyu didn't know about the system and missions on Bai Youlan, nor did he know about their fates in the original book.
Xu Qingqing knew. That's why she couldn't let Bai Youlan off, nor could she run away.
Besides, she had already done enough to cut off Bai Youlan's resources in the entertainment industry some time ago and had been offending her and drawing her hatred since they were kids.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Qingqing slowly let out a breath.
Because of the plot development in the book, Xu Qingqing, who knew she would die on the eve of her wedding, would absolutely not marry Xie Lianqing. She and he would inevitably break up sooner or later.
So she couldn't hide behind Xie Lianqing every time something happened.
Throughout the day, Bai Youlan's popularity remained high. Some discussed her former alcoholic biological father, some discussed Bai Yaxiu and Xu Changshan, while others camped under Xu Qingqing's Weibo, waiting for her to drop revelations and counterattacks.
Xu Qingqing, of course, wouldn't foolishly argue and trade keyboard blows with netizens like last time. She had only casually replied in anger last time, never expecting Xu Changshan would later pull that stunt, causing even that random comment of hers to be singled out for criticism.
Xu Qingqing didn't respond. Bai Youlan's fans, thinking she was guilty and afraid to reply, grew increasingly bold and arrogant.
Miss Xu was showing off her wealth in live streams before, but now it seems she really is just an empty-headed airhead.
Xu Qingqing's fans all hype up her peerless beauty, but looking now, isn't she just left with a passable face?
We hope you know your place and stop trying to ride on our Youlan's coattails. She works very hard; you're not worthy.
Bai Youlan's fans had also been holding in their frustration for months. After all, they had suffered a Waterloo at Xu Qingqing's hands before, and Xie Lianqing's moves had resulted in many of them not only receiving lawyer's letters but also being mocked all over the internet.
Now that Bai Youlan had finally turned things around and become popular again, they naturally couldn't resist running to Xu Qingqing's Weibo to gloat and vent their pent-up feelings.
Xu Qingqing's Weibo comments were gradually taken over by these people. Her own fans did try hard to fight back and argue. Unfortunately, Xu Qingqing hadn't logged into Weibo or engaged with fans for a long time. Not only had she lost a significant number of fans during this period, but even those remaining couldn't compare to Bai Youlan's current following.
Moreover, due to the dating show and her own resilient, self-reliant persona, Bai Youlan's previous scandals were instantly glossed over—a truly impressive PR strategy. Only a few people still held a grudge against her status as the daughter of a mistress, but such comments were quickly shot down by others as soon as they appeared.
But Xu Qingqing wasn't paying attention to the developments online. At the moment, a file of information about Bai Youlan's biological father was placed on her desk.
This ex-husband of Bai Yaxiu was also pitiful—his wife cheated, his daughter disowned him. After divorcing Bai Yaxiu, he hadn't been able to see his daughter for many years.
Bai Youlan entered the Xu family with her mother, considered herself a part of the Xu family, and called Xu Changshan "Dad" with great ease. It seemed she had long forgotten that her own biological father was still alive in the world, eagerly waiting for her.
Unfortunately, sometimes good people get no good reward. Xu Qingqing's mother, Lin Jiangxue, was like this—betrayed by her husband and best friend, she died depressed. This ex-husband of Bai Yaxiu was the same.
When he divorced Bai Yaxiu, he originally wanted to fight for custody of Bai Youlan, but she said Bai Youlan could get better resources and education in the Xu family, so he gave up. Later, for the sake of his only daughter, he swallowed his pride and didn't make a big fuss about his wife's affair with the president of the Xu Group.
All these years, he never remarried, silently missing his daughter. Little did he expect he would become material for her to fabricate a backstory to gain sympathy.
An honest, hardworking man was inexplicably turned into a drunken, gambling good-for-nothing in Bai Youlan's narrative. Bai Youlan used her biological father as an excuse to whitewash her mother and stepfather's affair.
Seeing the contents compiled in the documents, Xu Qingqing let out a cold laugh.
As a member of the Xu family, Xu Qingqing didn't know much about Bai Youlan's father, only that he had taken Xu Changshan's compensation and left back then.
She had thought he was a spineless person. Thinking about it now, he truly had a father's heart for his daughter.
Xu Qingqing suddenly found it very interesting. It seemed Bai Youlan wasn't lacking in love. Her biological father loved her very much, but she didn't want it. She wanted Xu Qingqing's father.
Some people are just really rotten.
Xu Qingqing stopped dwelling on it. She was someone who liked to do good deeds. Bai Yaxiu's ex-husband had been unlucky once over a decade ago—losing his wife and child. Then, over a decade later, he was inexplicously hit by a pot falling from the sky again. That was just too unjust.
Xu Qingqing decided to see this good deed through to the end—help Bai Yaxiu's ex-husband clear his name and, in the process, help Bai Youlan recall her childhood experiences.
Forgetting what happened in her childhood? No problem, she would help her remember.
The real memories.
Wasn't she always making excuses, saying that her mother being a mistress didn't mean she was at fault, and proclaiming her own innocence?
But she was materialistic. For over a decade, she never once reached out to her biological father, whom she and her mother had both betrayed, instead despising him and spreading rumors. Now, she probably shouldn't claim innocence anymore.
The next day, a complete dossier on Bai Youlan was compiled and made public.
It was meticulously categorized and organized with exceptional neatness. At the very top was Bai Youlan's background, specifically the investigation into her biological father.
It contained details of Bai Youlan's father's career, his resume, and even included years of evaluations from neighbors and colleagues.
Most importantly, Bai Youlan's father was a professional driver. He had never left his post all these years and had even received awards as a top employee. How could such a man possibly be a hopeless drunk?
Bai Youlan's own father did not come forward to be interviewed by the people sent by Xu Qingqing. He still loved his child, and despite his disappointment, he hadn't considered pushing her over the edge.
However, Xu Qingqing found his superiors, colleagues, and neighbors to persuade him. Due to work considerations, he ultimately did not block the release of the report.
After all, he hadn't seen his daughter in over a decade, living alone all this time. The company and his neighbors had treated him well. Moreover, as his boss pointed out, with the internet being so pervasive, if he remained silent, netizens would eventually find him and the company, questioning their driving safety.
He was a veteran employee of several decades. The company had treated him well; he even held a small amount of shares and received dividends. He couldn't implicate his colleagues.
The dossier started with such explosive revelations. Bai Youlan had claimed on a show that her biological father was an alcoholic and even suspected of gambling.
Yet now it appeared that he had maintained an excellent reputation among his neighbors for decades, widely regarded as a genuinely good man. Many even knew the truth about Bai Yaxiu's divorce back then and volunteered an even more explosive piece of information: Bai Yaxiu had also committed adultery during the marriage.
Based on the timeline, Bai Youlan should have been aware of her mother's betrayal of her father back then. However, on the show, she never mentioned it and instead slandered her father, all to whitewash Xu Changshan's image.
Having followed the drama this far, netizens were in an uproar.
This was truly a case of "whoever has money is the real dad"!
Is Bai Youlan crazy? She even said her dad was a drunk and their family situation was bad. None of this was actually true? I actually felt happy for her before, thinking she had overcome her circumstances!
OMG, the neighbors interviewed said Bai Youlan's father had been waiting for her to come home all along, hadn't remarried in over a decade, and had collected a lot of Bai Youlan's debut merchandise and posters over the years.
A colleague from his company also said Bai Youlan's father specifically learned to use the internet like young people, going on Weibo to vote for Bai Youlan in polls. He couldn't type pinyin, so he used Wubi input method every time.
I went to check Bai Youlan's super topic, it's true, holy crap! That account named something like "Quiet Years" is full of reposts and support votes for Bai Youlan's Weibo posts, for years!
When Bai Youlan's father reposts, it's all him talking to himself, encouraging Bai Youlan to keep going, saying things like "Dad misses you so much."
Just a bystander here, no particular dislike or fondness for Bai Youlan. But after reading this, I'm honestly about to cry. What kind of monster is Bai Youlan? Abandoning her own father like that, is someone else's dad really that much better?
This dossier of interviews directly ignited public sentiment. Bai Youlan's popularity surged to a peak, even surpassing the previous period, with the vast majority now calling her a pathological liar.
However, it wasn't over yet. Amidst the public fury, videos of Bai Youlan's art school entrance exams and auditions leaked. Even her student files and the application form she submitted to her middle school were backed up and surfaced.
The scene from her art school interview was crystal clear. Bai Youlan repeatedly claimed she had loved playing the piano since childhood and was passionate about it. Yet, the "special skills" section on her application form only listed acting and orchestral music, with no mention of piano at all.
Also circulating online was internal footage from Bai Youlan's audition for a music-related drama. In the footage, her piano fingering was completely wrong, and the sound was unpleasant to hear, utterly different from her current persona.
After the video leaked, Bai Youlan immediately became the target of public criticism. Given her previous lies about her biological father, public perception of her had already hit rock bottom.
After seeing these documents and videos, people were almost unanimously convinced that Bai Youlan was lying again. She lied about her father being a drunkard, and she lied about loving and practicing piano since childhood.
This caused a huge uproar. Seeing Bai Youlan's reputation in tatters, many established figures in the music world came forward to debunk her claims. Some were just chasing clout, while others were genuinely curious.
"An insider's comment: the fingering of a certain Ms. Bai in the footage is incorrect. She even messed up a few notes in such a simple piece, as if she's a different person from before."
Another person was more scathing: "The piano piece Ms. Bai played on that dating show would be nearly impossible to achieve without decades of arduous practice and exceptional talent."
"I wanted to say this when watching the show: a certain female celebrity surnamed Bai looked and fingered the piano very awkwardly, yet the music flowed flawlessly, almost identical to the original recording!"
Some suspected Bai Youlan had used a body double for the playing, others suspected the show of fabrication. Bai Youlan's PR team scrambled for solutions, frantically contacting others from the show to prove Bai Youlan hadn't faked it and planning a live stream where she would play again to prove herself.
However, right at that moment, the direction of public opinion suddenly shifted. The focus moved from whether Bai Youlan really played to why she lied.
She lies so much, who knows how many lies she's told.
I rewatched the show segment where Bai Youlan talked about her childhood experiences. Her expression was so natural. I was genuinely moved by her back then, never imagining it was all an act, not a single word of truth!
Agree with the above! Bai Youlan's acting is so good here, why is it so terrible in her usual dramas? Just hearing her name makes me sick now.
Just finished reading that interview about Bai Youlan's father, my eyes are swollen from crying. How could she be so cruel?
She abandoned her own biological father who loved her so much and slandered him. What wouldn't such trash be capable of?
Can Bai Youlan just get out of the entertainment industry? A materialistic, lying fraud!
Through a few dossiers and several videos, Bai Youlan's image in the public eye transformed from a pure, gentle girl to a backstabbing, deceitful liar.
Using the same method, the same tactics Bai Youlan had employed to whitewash herself—shifting the focus to secondary conflicts—Xu Qingqing successfully exposed and condemned her.
By this point, Bai Youlan's PR team was finally powerless to turn the tide. They even realized that the other side had likely intentionally used the same method they had employed, to mock them.
Even if they immediately went to re-interview Bai Youlan's father now, asking him to come forward and explain, or to go live and prove that Bai Youlan could play the piano, it would still be impossible to reverse the audience's impression of her.
While all this was happening, Bai Youlan was in discussions with a famous director about a potential collaboration.
This director held significant prestige domestically. The career paths of actresses who had collaborated with him were generally very smooth. Currently, Bai Youlan was simply not at a level to work with someone like him.
The director expressed great interest in Bai Youlan's childhood experiences, particularly the period where she practiced piano, and wanted to use it as inspiration to create an award-contending film.
When Bai Youlan heard this, she was incredibly excited.
She had previously mapped out her future very meticulously. She planned to spend a couple of years navigating the entertainment industry, hone her acting skills, then unveil her identity as the daughter of the Xu family. After that, she would focus solely on acting in films, aiming for awards to become the youngest Best Actress among the new generation of starlets.
As for variety shows, she could appear on one or two occasionally, but not too many, as that would lower her perceived stature. Most celebrities liked taking variety shows for the quick popularity and money. But in Bai Youlan's plan, with the halo of being the daughter of the Xu Group, she naturally wouldn't lack attention or heat.
And money was the last thing she needed to worry about. After completing her tasks, she would possess billions in assets, so why would she care about such small sums?
However, she never expected her meticulously designed plans to go completely awry. Xu Qingqing had successively cut off several promising TV and film projects she had her eye on. Now, to rapidly increase her luck points, she could only appear on a large number of variety shows to curry favor with fans and gain their affection.
Ever since the relationship between Xu Changshan and Bai Yaxiu was exposed, Bai Youlan had been constantly on the defensive. She hadn't even had much patience or time to film proper works and let time gradually change the audience's opinion of her.
But this time, with her carefully planned redemption a success, she had not only recovered a significant amount of luck points but could also re-implement her original career plan in the entertainment industry.
Suppressing the excitement in her heart, she smiled and looked at the script in front of her, discussing potential character modifications with the director.
Just as their discussion was going well, Bai Youlan's expression suddenly froze.
Luck points decreased by 7. Current luck points: 26. Host, please quickly gain the affection of others to reclaim your luck points.
"What does this mean? Why did the luck points drop again?" Bai Youlan was in the middle of talking with the director, struggling to maintain a polite expression on her face, while gritting her teeth to question the system in her mind.
The host's use of a skill item has been discovered by the audience. Currently, most people online believe you are a fraud and a liar.
The system's voice remained cold and mechanical, repeating: Please host quickly turn around your image in the hearts of fans and the audience, and regain their affection.
Bai Youlan said in shock, "What do you mean the props were discovered? Didn't you say the items from the system mall wouldn't be discovered by people in this world?"
She had always thought the system's offerings were omnipotent, and the people in this world were merely paper-thin characters from a book, existing in a different dimension from her, which was why she rarely considered others in her actions. And now the system was telling her that items from the mall could be discovered?
The system's tone showed no change: "The prop itself will not be discovered. It is because the host was not careful enough when using the prop, which aroused suspicion from others."
Neither in her past life nor in this one could Bai Youlan play the piano. She had simply seized on a plausible excuse while participating in the variety show to regain the luck points she had lost.
Some time ago at the Xu family's old residence, her luck points had dropped a full five points. Even her mission progress had severely regressed.
That was also the first time Bai Youlan learned that if mission progress regressed, the host would actually have to endure an electric shock as punishment!
After being warned and punished by the system, an indignant Bai Youlan decided to spend two luck points to purchase a skill item from the system mall, allowing her to play beautiful piano pieces without ever having learned.
Whether it was beauty-enhancing items, curse dolls, or skill props, the products from the system mall had never let her down.
While playing the piano, Bai Youlan basked in the admiring and respectful gazes of everyone. She knew that the level of piano she could now play couldn't possibly be that of a beginner, so she casually fabricated a story about her childhood piano-playing experiences, selling a tale of hardship to attract the audience's sympathy.
While fabricating the story, Bai Youlan also thought about the time she had spent learning the piano after arriving in this world. Remembering that Xu Qingqing could also play the piano, she had a sudden inspiration and half-truthfully incorporated the other girl into her story as well.
The more people who disliked Xu Qingqing, the more luck points she would gain. It was a move that served multiple purposes, and Bai Youlan had been using this tactic for years. It had never failed her before.
How could the system now be telling her that she had been exposed?
It couldn't be! Could someone be claiming she faked it? But the guests present at the time could all vouch for her!
Just as Bai Youlan was confronting the system in her mind, the director's assistant hurried in. The way the assistant looked at her was off. After a hurried farewell, the assistant left.
And by the time the assistant's figure had disappeared down the corridor outside the private room, Bai Youlan had finally learned what had happened online. She was instantly stunned, her mind filled with only one thought: she was finished!
