Chapter 77: Personally Crafting a Pair of Plastic Sisters

Being suspected of being a paparazzo didn’t surprise either Zhang Yang or Yang Mi.

However, Zhao Liying’s comment “such a waste” seemed rather too blunt.

Recalling the content of the video, Yang Mi now understood why Zhao Liying had posted that Weibo.

From this perspective, Zeng Jia might have mistakenly accused Zhao Liying.

If I were in her shoes, I’d struggle not to lose my temper too, thought Yang Mi.

“It’s not true, I’m not a paparazzo,” Zhang Yang said with a soft laugh.

“I just knew it!” Zhao Liying said, showing a shy smile.

Zhang Yang had a good figure, handsome looks, and a sophisticated demeanor - all assets that suggested a more promising career in the entertainment industry than being a paparazzo.

“Then how did you come across these videos?” Zhao Liying asked curiously.

Yang Mi’s eyes flickered slightly as she also perked up to listen.

During their previous encounter when Zhang Yang approached her, she had been equally intrigued about the source of his footage.

This access to information could be quite powerful, potentially opening up numerous opportunities within the industry.

“It’s a trade secret,” Zhang Yang shook his head, indicating he couldn’t reveal the source.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that,” Zhao Liying apologized promptly.

As she spoke, she bowed slightly, her attitude genuinely sincere.

In truth, as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her oversight.

Her tongue was perpetually ahead of her brain—a habit he found more irritating than ever.

“Save it,” Zhang Yang said, waving off her apology. He lifted his coffee cup and looked at Yang Mi. “Sis Yang, what do you make of this video?”

Yang Mi rolled her eyes inwardly, maintaining a cool expression. “I can understand why Zhao Liying posted that Weibo. Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against her.”

Hearing this, Zhao Liying shot Zhang Yang a grateful glance. She wasn’t particularly skilled at social interactions; if she could, she’d prefer to focus solely on her acting. But she knew she had to handle the matter entrusted to her by He Ru—wavering One Percenters could be unpredictable, and offending Yang Mi would do her no good.

She hadn’t anticipated Zhang Yang would step in so decisively, resolving the issue for her.

“Sis Yang, it seems you haven’t grasped the gravity of the situation.”

Yang Mi’s nonchalant response made Zhang Yang shake his head. “Have you not considered what would happen if someone uploaded this video to the internet?”

“What could possibly happen?” Yang Mi frowned slightly. “People would understand why Zhao Liying posted that Weibo. They wouldn’t misunderstand her anymore, and my fans wouldn’t continue attacking her either.”

She never saw this as a serious matter, especially since it seemed unrelated to her.

“Miss Mi, you’re already a top-tier celebrity. How can you be so naive?” Zhang Yang sipped his coffee and said mildly, “Right now, people don’t know the full situation, so they’re not saying much.”

“But if these videos make it online, everyone will sympathize with Miss Li and think her Weibo post was entirely reasonable.”

“At that point, your fans’ insults and taunts towards her will make you look incredibly bad.”

“When a celebrity has to pay for their fans’ behavior, do you think bystanders and the public will be forgiving?”

Yang Mi pondered this briefly and nodded slightly. “There’s a possibility they wouldn’t be.”

But it’s only a possibility, she thought.

After all, her alter ego, Big Mimi, had garnered countless real and fake scandals. Because her fans got involved in gossip, so what? Even negative attention was still attention!

“It’s not just a possibility. There will definitely be consequences.”

Seeing Yang Mi still wearing her carefree expression, Zhang Yang moved to pull up a few photos on his computer.

“These people here are your fans, Miss Mi. They visit the Ming-Qing Palace every day, waiting for you to finish filming.”

“But instead, they call out ‘Yang Mi’ to Miss Li, clearly trying to stir up trouble.”

“Even your devoted fans can’t recognize you, or intentionally call others by your name, leading them to seek autographs and photos with Liying-jiejie. Does that sound alright to you?”

Yang Mi’s expression instantly turned grotesque.

If it were all a coincidence, Zhao Liying’s Weibo post would be understandable. Yang Mi wouldn’t be angry, nor would she feel indebted.

Even if her fans’ words were a bit harsh, it was to protect her. Didn’t it also bring attention to Zhao Liying?

As long as the truth eventually comes out and Zhao Liying isn’t wrongly accused, it’s hard to say who truly came out on top or bottom.

But if it was all a malicious plot hatched by her fans, and now they’re not clarifying the situation but instead orchestrating a large-scale smear campaign… Then Zhao Liying would truly be the pitiable one, and Yang Mi’s reputation would undoubtedly suffer.

“There’s more.”

Zhang Yang took out his phone again, logged in to QQ, and sent Yang Mi several chat records.

He had joined a Yang Mi fan group once, and these were some “little surprises” he stumbled upon while lurking.

Fan: This actress is the one who played Qing’er, right? She’s been gaining popularity lately. I threw them off by calling her Yang Mi; tons of visitors fell for it! They were all over her for autographs and photos—cracked me up!

Other Fans: LOL! That’s hilarious! ;D

The group had erupted in mocking comments.

There were more comments in line with this:

To be called Yang Mi, that’s her lucky break.

Yang Mi read these chat records and felt her face flush.

But Zhang Yang wasn’t done with her, sending over more photos.

One of Yang Mi’s fans had noticed Zhao Liying’s Weibo post and immediately sent a screenshot to the group.

Then the whole group erupted, demanding to give Zhao Liying a unforgettable lesson.

Some fans remembered discussions from earlier, where someone said this kind of behavior wasn’t right.

Those people were promptly “kicked” out of the group.

“In our group, all we need to do is defend Yang Mi.”
“She was only called wrong a few times. Being called Yang Mi is actually a complement. The Weibo posts are clearly just trying to get attention.”
“We just mentioned her a bit, and she actually started thinking she’s a big shot.”
“Let’s all roast her together; she’s just an insignificant nobody.”
“Got a tiny bit of fame from playing Qing Gege and now thinks she can ignore her seniors.”

Reading through these morally depraved, fact-twisting, and venomous remarks, Yang Mi broke out in cold sweat.

If these chat records were ever released, things would be far worse for her.

“Your promotion to first-tier star hasn’t been long lasting, and your position isn’t secure,” Zhang Yang reminded her. “If any of this gets out and triggers an online backlash, you’ll have to answer for your fans’ actions.”

Yang Mi took a deep breath. “A-Yang, I’ll pay you. I’ll buy all of this information from you.”

“Miss Yang, I’m not some paparazzo,” Zhang Yang shook his head. “I’m not asking you to buy this information from me. I’m simply here to let you know about it.”

“Even if I delete everything right now, there’s no guarantee that others don’t have copies of these videos and chat records.”

“If your rivals—someone like Miss K—got a hold of this stuff, do you really think it’d be easy to smooth things over? How much would it cost to make it go away?”

Yang Mi was speechless; she knew Zhang Yang was right.

She was completely at the mercy of the situation, trapped by a landmine planted by her own fans.

If this bomb went off, she might not be completely destroyed—but it would certainly leave her scarred for life.

“So what do you think we should do about this?” Yang Mi humbly sought Zhang Yang’s advice.

This situation needed to be handled with care; otherwise, it could turn into a public relations nightmare for her.

Once word got out, her rivals would be like sharks smelling blood in the water, swarming in for the attack.

Fortunately, Zhang Yang had uncovered the issue early and come forward to warn her, giving her a chance to take control of the situation. Now, she owed him yet another enormous favor.

What she didn’t know was that unless Zhang Yang deliberately set out to ruin her, these incriminating materials would never see the light of day.

This whole affair wasn’t an actual PR crisis at all; it was all part of Zhang Yang’s plan.

He didn’t want to rush over and help Zhao Liying, but he did want some perks. So, he deliberately exaggerated the severity of the situation.

Now, Zhao Liying and Yang Mi, thinking they’d received his assistance, would owe him a favor.

But what had he given up?

Just taking some videos each day, then today having a meal with two beautiful women and chatting casually, that’s all.

“Resolving this matter is quite simple.”

Seeing Yang Mi fall for his trap—ah, I mean, get on the right track—Zhang Yang revealed a smile. “I’ll take a group photo of us, and then you two can post it on Weibo together, acting like you’re close sisters.”

“Come to think of it, you both had roles in the new Dream of Red Mansions. You can say you’ve been friends since then.”

“Everything will turn into interactions between friends, playful banter between close girlfriends.”

Yang Mi was speechless.

Just like that, I have a new confidante?

She turned to look at Zhao Liying, only to see her focused intently on a piece of cake.

After finishing it, Zhao Liying, still craving more, licked her lips. She looked at Yang Mi with a playful grin. “I’m in.”

Yang Mi remained silent.