Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 268 Official Announcement
The top trending topic was: "1. Hu Ge, Yang Mi, and Liu Shishi, suspected of a love triangle."

Liu Shishi understood what was going on instantly, without even having to think about it.

It must be because of that little thing that happened between Lao Hu and his good friend Yang Mi this afternoon, which was secretly filmed and exposed online by the crew of "Beauty's Rival in Palace". He was an innocent victim, caught in the crossfire.

Suppressing my anger, I clicked into the trending topics and carefully browsed the related issues to see what kind of blunder it was.

A blogger posted several photos. Although the photos were not very clear, netizens could still recognize the three people in the photos at a glance as the three main actors of the currently popular TV series "Chinese Paladin 3".

Among the photos, the scenes are quite "narrative," clearly showing that Hu Ge and Yang Mi were standing together, their postures and expressions suggesting an argument.

Afterwards, Liu Shishi left in a huff, looking aggrieved. Hu Ge then abandoned Yang Mi to chase after Liu Shishi.

Judging from the photos alone, coupled with the blogger's embellished and speculative descriptions, it does indeed seem like a complicated love triangle, making one's imagination run wild.

With the current popularity of "Chinese Paladin 3", the three main characters have become incredibly famous, and the topic of celebrity romances has become a hot one, especially with the melodramatic love triangle plot.

The news immediately trended on Weibo, and millions of netizens, who love to gossip, were like they were on steroids, leaving comments like crazy.

"So, in the drama, she chooses Xuejian, but in real life, she's Shishi? This plot is much more exciting than 'Chinese Paladin 3'."

"Breaking news! Hu Ge has a happy problem: two big stars are fighting over him."

"Can someone help me sort this out? What exactly is the relationship between the three of them? I'm a bit confused."

"Upstairs, I think it was Yang Mi who interfered in Hu Ge and Liu Shishi's relationship, so in the end Hu Ge abandoned Yang Mi to chase after Liu Shishi."

"I think it's quite the opposite. You can tell from the variety shows a while ago that Hu Ge and Yang Mi are obviously interested in each other. The way they look at each other is so intense. They should be a couple."

"Jing Tian is foolish! How could he abandon Xue Jian and leave like this!"

"Don't drag TV dramas into reality. Liu Shishi looks like the type of virtuous wife and loving mother. If you were to marry a wife, you would definitely choose Liu Shishi."

. . .

The topic's popularity continues to soar, with countless new comments emerging with each refresh.

Seeing the increasingly outrageous speculations from netizens, Liu Shishi gritted her teeth and said, "It's all nonsense."

She is a woman who is engaged. Even if Mr. Song knows the whole story and doesn't care about this matter, what will her future in-laws think when they see it trending on social media!
"what happens?"

Her fiancé's gentle voice came through the speakerphone, bringing Ms. Liu back to her senses from her anger.

For some reason, Liu Shishi felt inexplicably flustered when she was involved in a scandal for the first time: "It's nothing, darling, I'll handle it right away."

Song Ci didn't ask any further questions, but simply said with concern, "If there's nothing else, get some rest."

"Okay, you should get some rest too. Goodnight, honey," Ms. Liu replied sweetly.

Although she didn't know if Mr. Song had seen the trending topic, she had to deal with this matter as soon as possible.

The woman stared intently at her phone screen, her brow furrowed, her mind in turmoil.

They initially wanted to reveal the truth all at once, but considering that Lao Hu and Mimi hadn't gone public with their relationship, exposing it directly would put them in the eye of the storm, potentially impacting their careers and relationship.

She could make up a reason to fool netizens, but she couldn't come up with one in a short time. The few stories she came up with on the spot were illogical and would definitely be exposed by netizens in a second.

"Ahhhh, I'm so annoyed!"

Looking at the fans and netizens constantly asking about the truth of the matter on her Weibo homepage, Liu Shishi irritably tugged at her black hair, looking distressed.

My fingers mechanically tapped on the phone screen, writing and deleting repeatedly as I prepared to post a status update, carefully choosing each word, yet I was never satisfied.

And so, with Sister Yi considering her two friends and feeling conflicted, an hour quickly passed. Midway through, Cai Yi-nong even called to inquire about the situation.

Looking at Hu Ge and Yang Mi's Weibo pages, neither of them has updated their Weibo, as if the top trending topics have nothing to do with them.

So much time has passed, and the two real protagonists have neither come out to clarify nor called Liu Shishi, the innocent victim, to discuss countermeasures. This makes Liu Shishi increasingly angry.

She didn't believe that the two of them would be resting so early and unaware of how things were developing. These days, which celebrity doesn't follow Weibo? Even if they are resting, their assistants or agents are closely monitoring the situation and will notify them promptly if anything happens.

The two men's passive attitude made Liu Shishi very unhappy. She felt resentful and thought, "I have always thought of you, but have you ever thought of me?"
They dragged me into this scandal, and I know how much trouble it will cause me. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Why should anyone in this tiny entertainment industry make me suffer?

With this thought in mind, the top influencer no longer hesitated and chose to lay her cards on the table, immediately posting a new update.

Liu Shishi v: I was just trying to mediate, why am I getting all this attitude?! You two should handle your own mess, don't drag me into it. @HuGev @YangMiv
The moment this message was released, the fans who had been eagerly awaiting it were overjoyed.

"I knew it! How could Shishi be a third party! It turns out that Hu Ge and Yang Mi were arguing, and Liu Shishi was trying to mediate."

“I’ve already said that Shishi has a boyfriend, and it’s not Hu Ge, but unfortunately no one believes me.”

"That's all for now, time to sleep. We'll continue eating Hu Ge and Yang Mi's gossip tomorrow."

Although netizens were skeptical, Liu Shishi's words were quite blunt, clearly showing her dissatisfaction with Hu Ge and Yang Mi, so it's unlikely to be fabricated.

Just then, a netizen posted in the comments section: "Everyone, go check Yang Mi and Hu Ge's Weibo! They both updated at the same time, they must have broken up!"

Following this netizen's notification, other netizens flocked to check Yang Mi and Hu Ge's Weibo accounts.

Even Liu Shishi couldn't resist her curiosity and clicked on her best friend and Lao Hu's Weibo accounts from her following list to find out what was going on.

Five minutes earlier, just a few minutes after Liu Shishi updated her Weibo, Yang Mi updated her status, and less than a minute later, Hu Ge also updated her Weibo status.

Yang Mi v: With just two hands, how much can you hold?

Hu Ge v: When they met, she said she regretted not meeting him sooner; when they parted, he said he regretted not falling in love sooner.

Liu Shishi was slightly startled, feeling that the two seemed to have really broken up. At this critical moment when they were trending on social media, they made such meaningful remarks, which was no different from an official breakup announcement.

"Old Hu and Mimi can't be that serious. They broke up over something that happened this afternoon. They're treating their relationship like a joke."

Ding-dong! A WeChat message notification suddenly rang out, startling Liu Shishi.

"Shishi, is it a convenient time to talk?"

Upon seeing that it was a message from Lao Hu, Liu Shishi hesitated for a moment before replying, "Convenient."

A moment later, Hu Ge called.

"Shishi, I'm sorry to bother you so late."

Hearing her senior's slightly tired voice, and remembering that he had just broken up, Liu Shishi's heart softened instantly, and the resentment in her heart vanished without a trace. Her tone softened slightly: "It's nothing, I haven't gone to sleep yet. Lao Hu, did you need me?"

Hu Ge sighed: "I apologize for dragging you into this. We're really sorry. We didn't mean to delay and let it go. We just had a long talk with Mimi before we had a chance to talk."

Hearing Lao Hu explain the reason, Sister Yi felt much relieved. Driven by curiosity, she cautiously asked, "Did you and Mimi really break up?"

"We broke up. It's better to end it quickly than to suffer for a long time. We parted amicably. There's no right or wrong, we were just not compatible."

"It feels a bit sudden. I was all excited this morning about visiting the set, sigh!"

"After filming for 'Chinese Paladin 3' wrapped up, we saw each other less and less. I've been trying my best to maintain the relationship, but how can such a relationship last?"

I have my career, and Mimi is also very career-oriented, determined to climb the ladder. Neither of us could find a balance between our relationship and our careers, so breaking up became inevitable.

Today's events were simply the inevitable result of pent-up conflicts. This breakup has also made me realize that if I want to get married in the future, it's better to find someone outside the entertainment industry, like you and President Song—they'd be a perfect match.

Old Hu had just broken up with his girlfriend, and Liu Shishi patiently listened to his complaints: "It's best if you can think positively. As for whether to find a partner from within or outside the entertainment industry, I don't have much experience and can't give you any advice."

On the other end of the phone, Hu Ge remained silent for a long time before continuing, "I just spoke a little too much because I was feeling emotional. Thank you for listening to my rambling."

Liu Shishi smiled nonchalantly, "It's okay! Since you've broken up, don't think too much about it. Lao Hu, adjust your mindset and get some rest."

After ending the call, Sister Yi noticed that Yang Mi had also sent her a WeChat message: "Shishi, I can't reach you by phone right now. I can only apologize to you via WeChat."

Looking at the message from her best friend, Liu Shishi was filled with mixed emotions. Jing Tian and Xue Jian, this perfect couple, still couldn't be together.

"Who can really explain the nature of love! Right now, Lao Hu is looking to date someone outside the entertainment industry. But who knows, maybe he'll fall in love with some female celebrity he likes in a few days."

She shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. "I can't worry about all that now. As long as Mr. Song and I are happy together, that's all that matters. This is finally over. Time for bed!"

Liu Shishi stretched, put her phone on silent, snuggled into bed, and silently prayed that tomorrow would be a new day, full of sunshine and beauty.

At this moment, at her home in Jingyuan, Beiping, Song Ci was still awake and browsing Weibo in her study.

Watching his fiancée's assertive remarks and how she swiftly and decisively resolved the matter, he couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. His daughter, Liu, had grown considerably and already possessed the demeanor of a true leading lady of Tangren Media.

Time quietly slipped to midnight, and August 2009 had arrived, the height of summer.

Song Ci looked at her phone. At the very moment midnight, WeChat simultaneously released an update notification, officially launching the voice function.

After quickly updating her WeChat, Song Ci skillfully opened the voice function, gently tapped the "Press and hold to speak" button, held the phone to her mouth, thought for a moment, and sent a voice message to Liu Shishi.

"On the first day of August, you smile gently and are as fresh as you. Good morning, Shi Bao."

Soon, the loving voice message was successfully sent. This was the first WeChat voice message that Song Ci sent to his fiancée, Liu Shishi, and it was also the world's first WeChat voice message.

The next morning, bright sunlight streamed into the dormitory through the curtains. Liu Shishi slowly opened her eyes, yawned, and looked lazy and content.

I picked up my phone from the bedside table and saw that it was only eight o'clock. I thought to myself, "I don't have to film today, I don't have to get up early to do my makeup, I can sleep until I naturally wake up, that's great."

Suddenly, she noticed a bright red dot on WeChat and wondered who had sent her the message at night.

Upon opening it, she discovered that it was a message sent to her by Mr. Song around 12:00 AM. However, this message was somewhat unusual, featuring a small phonetic symbol with the number 8 seconds next to it.

Filled with curiosity, she reached out her slender finger and touched it. Instantly, her fiancé's gentle voice rang in her ears, flowing into her heart like a babbling brook.

The unexpected surprise made the woman beam with joy, and she played her fiancé's voice message over and over again.

After listening to it more than a dozen times, I was finally satisfied and began to explore the new features of WeChat.

After updating and fiddling around for a while, Liu Shishi figured out the new way to use WeChat: she could send voice messages that were no more than 60 seconds long at a time, which was quite interesting.

Good morning, darling!

"Yi Yi, this new feature on WeChat is really fun."

. . .

Like receiving a long-awaited new toy, Liu Shishi couldn't resist sending Song Ci more than twenty voice messages in one go, having a great time.

Song Ci was very cooperative, replying with several messages: "I'm in a meeting right away, I'll contact you again at noon."

On the first day of August, Liu Shishi was full of energy and refreshed. When she went downstairs to find Cai Yinong, her staff members all showed her a certain respect.

In the past, the general impression of the eldest sister was that she was gentle and kind. Perhaps those who knew her well knew that she was forthright and cheerful. In short, she had a very mild temper.

However, the commotion on Weibo last night allowed the staff of Tangren Media to see the domineering side of their leading lady.

She showed no fear amidst the scandals, and didn't even give face to the top boss when angered. Her actions immediately demonstrated her status in the company.

She went straight to Cai Yinong's office and said, "Good morning, Sister K."

"Old Hu, you're here too!" Liu Shishi looked Hu Ge up and down and saw that he looked normal and not at all dejected. She smiled and said, "Old Hu, you're much stronger than I thought."

Seeing the first sister grinning, Hu Ge rolled her eyes, pouted, and didn't want to talk to her.

"You guys are really something, telling me you can handle it properly! Just make an official announcement, is that how you're going to handle it?"

"Sister K, this has nothing to do with me," Liu Shishi quickly said, trying to distance herself from the situation.

"How can it not concern you? Your words yesterday were too rude. Check Weibo later; Hu Ge and Yang Mi's fans are all cursing you and fighting fiercely with your 'Little Lion' online."

"And you too!" Cai Yinong turned his gaze to the top star: "You act so impulsively. Do you know how much influence celebrity relationships have? Not to mention the fans, even the brands came to ask me about the situation this morning."

"I'm sorry, Ms. K, I've caused you and the company trouble."

Cai Yinong rubbed his temples: "I must have owed you guys something in my past life. In a few days, you two should go to the set to lay low for a while. I'll handle the rest."

"Sister K, you still haven't told me what role I play in 'The Myth'?"

Upon hearing the question from the eldest sister, Cai Yinong slapped his forehead, pulled a script from the table, and handed it over.

"I'm so busy every day that I'm dizzy. Shishi, you played this role very well. It's the kind of role that's hard to forget, like a white moonlight."

Liu Shishi took the script with great anticipation, glanced at it briefly, and then softly uttered the character's name: "Lü Su!"

(End of this chapter)