Chapter 6: Socially Anxious Star 06
The room’s soundproofing was very good. Once the door was closed, her ears returned to complete peace and quiet.
Jiang Yi thoroughly enjoyed her solitary bliss, remaining lazily in bed until the alarm prompted her, only then getting up to pack her luggage.
Jiang Kong came to find Jiang Yi ten minutes early. After entering the room, he first took her on a walk through every corner, pointing out all the camera locations, blind spots, and quick tricks for covering or switching off the cameras. Once Jiang Yi had memorized everything, the two of them headed down to the dining room five minutes early.
About half the seats in the dining room were occupied.
Aside from the newly arrived Jiang Yi and her brother, only Luo Jiajin and Chang Ximing had yet to show up.
Shen Ping was chatting with Pei Wusi. Seeing Jiang Yi and her brother arrive, he cast a cold glance over, then quickly retracted his gaze.
“Unwelcome” was practically written across his face.
In contrast, Shen Xiangcheng and Pei Wusi both greeted the two of them.
Jiang Yi slowed her pace, instinctively hesitating.
Normally speaking, her brother would definitely want to sit next to Pei Wusi, but the spot Pei Wusi occupied was very close to the center.
Should she… sit by herself?
Just as she was scanning around for a good spot on the perimeter, she saw Jiang Kong tug her gently and sit straight down in a quiet little corner.
Jiang Yi looked over in surprise, only to meet Jiang Kong’s face full of bright smiles.
She pursed her lips, refraining from asking why.
Shen Ping was secretly keeping an eye on Jiang Kong’s movements. Seeing him sit down in the corner far away from himself, his brows immediately unknit, and his mood brightened considerably.
Before long, everyone else arrived in succession, and dinner officially began.
The dinner provided by the production crew was quite sumptuous, filled with various local delicacies of Beicheng that Jiang Yi had rarely tasted.
Having traveled all over the country for work, Jiang Kong had tried most of them, so he quietly introduced each dish to Jiang Yi while eating.
Shen Ping shot glance after glance at him out of the corner of his eye, constantly on guard against Jiang Kong barging into his conversation.
He was fully prepared to instantly scold him with a cold face the moment Jiang Kong chimed in.
To his surprise, Jiang Kong didn’t make eye contact with him through the entire meal, nor did he even look over in his direction much. He simply conversed in low tones with his older sister beside him.
As dinner neared its end, Jiang Kong voluntarily left the table to escort his sister back to her room.
Shen Ping knitted his brows, unable to help feeling bewildered: Jiang Kong actually didn’t butt in?
Recalling how Jiang Kong had been continuously picking up food throughout the meal, he swept a glance across the tabletop and felt puzzled: Is this food really that delicious?
He had spent all his energy watching Jiang Kong and chatting, barely lifting his chopsticks at all.
Yet right now, only leftovers remained on the table. Nevertheless, the clean plates indirectly proved his internal thoughts.
Noticing Shen Ping’s gaze, Shen Xiangcheng took the initiative to strike up a topic: “Today’s food tasted pretty good, especially that fish—spicy, numbing, savory, and not fishy at all.”
Too bad he couldn’t eat much of it, having to stop at a mere taste.
“I know,” Shen Ping replied with a cold face. Even though nothing had happened, an inexplicable wave of annoyance and suffocation welled up in his heart for some reason.
After returning to her room, Jiang Yi’s happiness index shot up rapidly.
She waved her hand at Jiang Kong and signaled, “I’m good now, you can go.”
She knew Jiang Kong probably still needed to chat and bond with Pei Wusi.
Jiang Kong didn’t linger either. After offering a few brief instructions, he left directly.
Upon going downstairs, the group had already moved from the dining room to the living room, where the television was turned on, broadcasting a program.
Jiang Kong found a seat beside Pei Wusi. After listening silently for a short while, he naturally joined their conversation.
Shen Ping was feeling irritable at the moment and belatedly felt a bit hungry, so he didn’t bother targeting Jiang Kong.
When the TV program ran until nine o’clock, the topic in the room had shifted twice.
Shen Ping secretly used the excuse of having something to do to return to his room and grab a bite to eat. Only after regaining his energy did he rejoin the chat.
“Would everyone like to play some games together to draw closer?” he proposed at 9:30 PM, just as the atmosphere was gradually cooling down.
Quiet fell over the living room.
Shen Ping continued asking, “Is everyone here? If anyone’s missing, let’s call them out so we can get acquainted together.”
Two people were absent from the scene—one was Jiang Yi, who had retreated back to her room right after dinner, and the other was Luo Xia, who had gone outside a dozen minutes ago to take a phone call.
Jiang Kong tapped his phone screen to check the time; it was currently 9:42 PM.
“I’m fine either way, but it’s almost my sister’s bedtime, so I won’t call her,” he spoke up, breaking the silence.
The eyes of everyone around immediately gathered on him.
Shen Ping looked at Jiang Kong, instantly wanting to refute him, when he heard Luo Jiajin follow up:
“I’m out too, it’s almost my bedtime as well.”
Immediately following was Chang Ximing.
“I’m getting old, I need my sleep, and I’m feeling a bit groggy now too.”
Then Shen Xiangcheng also spoke in a low voice:
“Dad… I also have plans for tonight.”
Out of eight people, half were suddenly gone.
Shen Ping paused for a few seconds before looking at Jiang Kong, who had spoken first.
“Then let’s forget it.”
His voice maintained its composure, but the sullen dark look on his face was hard to conceal. The dislike laced in his gaze toward Jiang Kong grew even stronger.
Indeed an uncultured person.
Jiang Kong calmly shifted his gaze away. Upon hearing him say that, he immediately bade farewell to the others and left the living room together with Luo Jiajin.
On their very first night arriving at Different, the group parted on essentially unpleasant terms.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yi—obediently curled up in her room and already lying in bed—was completely oblivious to the commotion downstairs.
After deleting three scrapped drafts in a row, she couldn’t help setting Following the Wind aside and starting to aimlessly scroll through her phone.
Habitually opening Weibo and tapping on the trending topics, Jiang Yi was surprised to see the name of the show sitting at the very top of the list.
#TheStrikinglyDifferentUs Test Broadcast#
Test broadcast?
Did they livestream this afternoon?
Jiang Yi’s heart skipped a beat. Clicking inside, sure enough, various edited video clips popped up.
The clip with the highest traction was the segment where Pei Wusi made his initial appearance, with bullet comments so dense they practically covered the entire screen.
Only after Jiang Yi blocked the bullet comments could she clearly see the edited video content and accurately spot her own silhouette in the blurry, out-of-focus corners.
It was… a complicated feeling.
With a slip of her hand, Jiang Yi pressed back, and the system automatically popped up real-time Weibo posts from netizens.
@GetRichGetRichGetRich: AAAAAAH, white-haired Hubby is so ridiculously handsome, and he looks so playboy-ish HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, even more of a playboy than Song Yan! Younger brother Jiang Kong is super handsome too!!!! Two completely different styles, but I’m head over heels for both!
@PrincessFragrant: I am literally in love with this production crew, there’s not a single ugly person. Following for sure!
@CUTE: Production crew, you have no heart!!!!!!! You actually cut the livestream just like that! What on earth happened afterward, AAAAAAH? How was the room Jiang Kong chose in the end?
@PlayingMyself: Is there anything my distinguished VIP membership can’t watch? Hard to get, huh? Production crew @TheStrikinglyDifferentUs Official Weibo, I’ll remember you.
…
It seems like almost no one is paying attention to me.
The comments about my brother aren’t too bad either.
Jiang Yi let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to leave the real-time Weibo feed, several posts with high likes and reposts popped up on her screen.
@PikaPika: No, wait, does no one else feel like something’s wrong? Isn’t Jiang Kong being a bit too arbitrary? I remember he isn’t even close with Pei Wusi, so why did he directly interfere with someone else’s decision? And as for which room his sister chose, he made all the decisions by himself too.
@WaterCupDoesn’tSleep: Hehe… I honestly can’t fathom why anyone would fan Jiang Kong. Pushed straight up to top-tier status relying solely on a face? Zero respectable works, zero respectable endorsements—literally the floppiest top-tier in history. If that were all, it’d be fine, but the key issue is his terrible character.
@YunnanWhite: His sister isn’t entirely innocent either, okay? You never heard Jiang Kong mention having an older sister before, yet he suddenly brought her along to a variety show this time. She sat right beside Film King Pei at the start and was smiling at Film King Pei later on—her intentions were obvious from a mile away.
@WaterVapor: Two peas in a pod, I guess. Jiang Kong and his sister—does anyone actually think they can stay on this show peacefully and smoothly? Anyone who knows even a little bit about Jiang Kong wouldn’t hold such beautiful illusions.
Facing a live smear campaign for the very first time, Jiang Yi was a bit stunned, though her mood didn’t fluctuate too wildly.
She clicked into those Weibo accounts to examine them carefully, then opened her laptop, created a document, and took screenshots to record them one by one.
These Weibo accounts were all commonly used entertainment gossip handles.
Some had a few hundred followers, while others had thirty to forty thousand, but their IP addresses all shared the exact same location: City C.
According to the knowledge Jiang Kong had shared with her a while back, these should belong to water army accounts specifically cultivated by someone…
Once Jiang Yi saved the document and entered the relevant hashtag topic again, the narrative direction had rapidly shifted, and the hashtag #JiangKongPeiWusi# had even been pushed onto the tail end of Weibo’s trending topics.
@ThermosCup: How long have Jiang Kong and Pei Wusi even known each other? Yet he’s already interfering with other people’s decisions. It’s hard to imagine what kind of chaos Jiang Kong will stir up later on.
@Fuling: This is genuinely driving me insane, AAAAAAH! Who on earth does Jiang Kong think he is? Why did the production crew even invite Jiang Kong? To be completely real, with Old Pei around, clout is never an issue at all.
@DoYouKnow: Jiang Kong’s sister… Is Jiang Kong not satisfied raking in money by himself that he has to bring his family along to cash in too? Speechless.
@ZhangFromArticle: I heard from someone that Jiang Kong got into trouble. That unexpected absence from the red carpet gala last time was because he got into trouble, so now his company wants to grab hold of his clout to bring along newbies. Sister… Whether she’s a real sister or a fake sister isn’t even certain yet.
@SparklingEyes: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Jiang Kong is finally going to flop! What a joyous occasion for everyone!
…
There were also fans speaking up for Jiang Kong.
@CloudsAreSoft: Kongkong didn’t really do anything though, he just offered a suggestion. Regarding the previous screen-time hogging incident, Song He didn’t come out to say anything, yet netizens have been smearing Kongkong non-stop. Same thing this time—Pei Wusi was completely free not to listen to Kongkong!
Netizens replied underneath right away—
【Little girl, have you even finished middle school? Spend less time chasing stars】
There were also marketing accounts keeping up with real-time events, instantly adding an option to an online poll they created:
[Among the variety shows scheduled to air this year, which one are you least optimistic about?]
[A. XXXXXX]
[B. XXXX]
…
[F. The Strikingly Different Us]
Even though it was added last, The Strikingly Different Us was immediately elected first place by an overwhelming margin of votes, topping the list of most unanticipated shows.
【With Jiang Kong acting like a total troublemaker, no variety show with him around is worth looking forward to.】
【I really don’t want to see him, ugh. Since he’s like this, bad company corrupts good character—his sister definitely isn’t any better.】
【Seeing the edited video clips, all I can say is: can Jiang Kong and his sister stay far away from Old Pei? Please don’t just target Old Pei alone to leech off of, okay?】
【Mixed feelings, honestly. I was looking forward to this variety show the most after the official announcement, but now, it’s just… Can Jiang Kong’s group please withdraw from the show!!!】
【So annoying. Boycott Jiang Kong and his sister participating in this variety show! Please swap them out for someone else, okay? It’s not easy for our Old Pei to join a variety show.】
…
No matter how good-natured Jiang Yi was, seeing the overwhelming malice still made her feel angry.
She weighed her words carefully, preparing to post a statement in defense of Jiang Kong.
Just then, a “knock, knock, knock” sounded at her door—
“Sis!”
Jiang Kong poked his head in. Seeing Jiang Yi holding her phone with her brows furrowed, he immediately took large strides over to her side.
“You looked at Weibo?”
Jiang Yi nodded. Looking up to meet his gaze, her anger—which was initially at six or seven out of ten—instantly spiked to a full ten.
“They’re smearing you on Weibo.”
Jiang Kong caught sight of her document interface with the clipped Weibo posts, reached out, took Jiang Yi’s phone away, exited the app, and set it aside.
“Don’t pay them any mind, and don’t bother posting on Weibo to argue with them.”
“Leave it to me, I can handle it.”
Jiang Yi looked at him in silence—
After a dozen seconds, Jiang Kong took a step back, “…How about this: hire a legal team for me.”
“A legal team?”
Jiang Yi asked in confusion.
Jiang Kong nodded, “Yes. Whoever says something nasty, send them a lawyer’s letter.”
It can be done like that?
Jiang Yi’s eyes lit up, “Okay! Hired!”
Anything that could be solved with money was a minor issue.
Jiang Kong let out a sigh of relief and smiled along, “Exactly. To deal with these people, just hire lawyers. Using legal means is much more effective than speaking up yourself.”
Watching his sister nod, Jiang Kong added with residual concern, “I don’t care about these comments at all, so don’t care about them either.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Yi agreed without hesitation.
After leaving Jiang Yi’s room and returning to his own, Jiang Kong finally called back his manager.
“Couldn’t find who’s behind it,” his manager, Brother Wen, let out a sigh.
Their agency wasn’t large, and Jiang Kong was the biggest cash cow in the entire company. Although they wanted to shower all resources on Jiang Kong alone, they didn’t possess huge backing or capability.
“This time…”
Brother Wen couldn’t help sighing once more, “Director Shen seems to dislike you quite a bit. How about you stay low-key and avoid interacting with him?”
“If we can’t afford to mess with him, can’t we at least steer clear?”
Jiang Kong blinked. Thinking back to what happened this afternoon and evening, he answered with a straight face, “Okay.”
In his opinion, he had been quite low-key and well-behaved this time.
“Ever since your debut, you haven’t offended anyone, right? Who on earth is smearing you, and why are they smearing you?”
Brother Wen was utterly baffled.
Aside from having a large fan base, Jiang Kong was currently in the early stages of his career, without even a single respectable endorsement to his name.
Jiang Kong didn’t reply.
Looking out the window at the night sky, Brother Wen thought about the agency and felt a slight sense of guilt toward Jiang Kong.
“Tomorrow I’ll go urge the company’s legal department to issue a lawyer’s letter. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll pay out of my own pocket to hire a lawyer for you.”
“No need.”
As soon as his voice fell, Jiang Kong’s voice came through with a chuckle.
“In a bit, I’ll share a contact with you. Just reach out to him regarding the lawyer’s letter.”
Feeling completely bewildered, Brother Wen hung up the call. A moment later, he received a shared contact card on WeChat.
Ji Ze, Jinghe Law Firm.
Jing… Jinghe?
The top-ranked law firm in the country?
Leave a Reply