After Becoming a Film Queen, She Dumped Her Financial Sponsor - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Do They Want This “Blessing”?

Listening to the voice on the other end of the call, Zhou Qi’s face grew darker and darker—so dark it could be described as the bottom of a pot.

Qiao Sijin thought it might be something work-related, so she kept quiet.

At this moment, she felt she should at least maintain the proper demeanor of a lady—stay calm and quiet.

“Sijin… it’s for you.”

With a sigh, Zhou Qi handed her phone over. Her expression made Qiao Sijin feel slightly uneasy, unsure of what to say. She could only reach out and take the phone Zhou Qi passed her.

She felt a slight pang of guilt in her chest.

Could it be that because her phone was on silent and Tao Yi couldn’t reach her, she called Zhou Qi instead?

“Hello…”

She hadn’t even finished the word when a familiar voice on the other end immediately jumped in, giving her no time to react.

“Sijin, I know you’re busy right now, but you can’t just ignore calls completely. Also, go check the major media and social media accounts—it’s all about you.”

“Have you finished your meal? If so, get back to the office quickly. We’ve got a ton of things to handle.”

Wait—what happened?

As she listened, Qiao Sijin reached for her phone. As soon as she unlocked it, a flood of messages popped up.

Most of them were from Li Ke, all filled with tragic memes.

“I got it. I’ll head back now… I’ll call you back from my own phone in a bit. But… Tao-jie, can you tell me exactly what’s going on?”

She couldn’t be kept in the dark forever.

“Did one of my business deals fall through? Or did someone replace me in a film? I need to know so I can prepare a proper handover.”

Qiao Sijin still hadn’t considered the situation as something serious. She just assumed that the first thing Fu Qingyun would do after taking charge was cancel all her endorsements and contracts.

Just like in the past—how Fu Qingyun could help her rise to stardom effortlessly.

“Are you out of your mind or what? What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Clearly you haven’t looked at the trending topics. Just get Li Ke to drive you back to the office. We need to discuss how to handle this.”

Tao Yi had no interest in explaining further to someone still completely clueless. Let her see for herself in the car.

Only when she reads through all the comments and realizes the whole country now knows her little secrets will she finally feel embarrassed!

“Jeez… why so fierce?”

“It’s not like it’s a termination, no need to freak out this much.”

Staring at the call ended screen, Qiao Sijin handed Zhou Qi her phone back and finally unlocked her own.

She was dying to know what on earth had happened—what kind of “dirt” the reporters could possibly have on her. It’s not like she secretly got married or had a child.

She always believed in living upright and honest—no shameful secrets, nothing to fear even if a ghost knocked on her door at midnight.

“You really sure you want to read it here?”

“Because if you do… I’d recommend sitting a bit further away from the table.”

Just in case she flew into a rage and started smashing plates and bowls.

That look Zhou Qi gave her—it was rare for her to look at her like that. A bit late to sense the danger, Qiao Sijin finally opened the trending topics. And… well.

“%*@… what the… I… I… I…”

After several failed attempts to form a sentence, she finally got the words out. She felt her chest heaving, but couldn’t find a single thing to argue with in the comments.

Because her so-called “first love” wasn’t actually dead.

She was very much alive in this world.

And now that her sneaky little lies had been exposed, Qiao Sijin just wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.

If only she had known… she would never have made all those bold statements.

“Anyway, what’s done is done. You’d better get back and talk to your agent.”

Tao Yi had mentioned it briefly during the call: everything blowing up right now was tied to Fu Qingyun, which explained the urgency in contacting Qiao Sijin.

“Sorry about this. Once again, I didn’t finish a meal with you. I’ll treat you next time.”

Qiao Sijin grabbed her bag and dashed out of the restaurant. As expected, she saw Li Ke standing outside the private room, unable to get in.

Sometimes, being too discreet isn’t a good thing!

“Boss, finally! You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting. I’m like a grieving widow waiting for her man—seriously, this job is killing me.”

“What’s the situation online now? Are people bashing me?”

She had only skimmed the comments earlier. They all seemed to be marveling at the beauty of her first love, aka that damn woman Fu Qingyun.

Nothing worth worrying about, really.

But what she wanted to know now was the overall tone of the public opinion.

She felt guilty that her stubbornness had created such a mess for the entire PR team.

“Boss, are you absolutely sure you want to hear it?”

Li Ke asked cautiously, testing the waters.

“Of course I want to hear it! Why else would I ask you, huh?”

Thankfully, the car wasn’t parked too far away. Qiao Sijin quickly got into the front passenger seat, and Li Ke slipped into the driver’s seat.

Hands on the steering wheel.

She answered truthfully.

“The public sentiment hasn’t turned negative.”

Okay, at least the first line was something Qiao Sijin liked to hear.

She began to buckle her seatbelt—but then came Li Ke’s second sentence.

“Everyone’s just jealous of you because your first love is President Fu.”

Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous!

That line stunned Qiao Sijin into silence. She nearly missed the seatbelt buckle entirely. She closed her eyes and tried to regulate her breathing.

Stay calm.

Click—a loud, crisp sound.

It sounded more like an outburst as she aggressively snapped the seatbelt into place.

“Do they want this blessing? They can have it!”

Li Ke had expected this exact reaction, so she quickly offered comfort:

“Boss, I know it’s not the most ideal situation… but it’s still better than being dragged by the entire internet.”

“Do I need this kind of attention? Do I care?”

Why was all the buzz focusing on how amazing Fu Qingyun was? To Qiao Sijin, that was more infuriating than being cursed out.

“Boss, what’s done is done.”

“The priority now is to shift the public’s attention. It’s better they talk about President Fu than turn their guns on you.”

Realizing what she said, Li Ke nervously covered her mouth.

Crap, she might’ve said too much.

Sure enough, the words hit home. Qiao Sijin fell silent, clearly unsettled.

Was it because of what she said, carelessly dragging Fu Qingyun into this mess?

Whether the netizens praised or criticized her, Qiao Sijin realized—she never should’ve involved Fu Qingyun in the first place.