Got a Happy Ending With My Ex’s Sister? (GL) - Chapter 20: Marketing

Chapter 20: Marketing

Even if Tang Yiqiu took it back, Shi Huan had completely seen that sentence. She didn’t quite understand what Tang Yiqiu meant by “we.” Was it referring to her team, or to the two of them?

Shi Huan sent a question mark.

Tang Yiqiu: [Our team won’t let you take the blame. Ye Rong has already contacted your agent. You just need to wait for the results.]

Shi Huan replied with an “oh.” Tang Yiqiu reminded her not to look at her phone. Only then did Shi Huan hand her phone to Wen Jing.

Wen Jing noticed her bad expression and asked considerately, “How about I stay here with you? We can stay up all night watching a movie. I know a few recent ones that are pretty good.”

“Okay.” With such a big issue, Shi Huan would indeed feel bored staying alone, and she might overthink things. Having Wen Jing with her would be better, especially since she could quickly know if any updates came through.

Wen Jing put Shi Huan’s phone in her pocket, asked hotel service to bring up some food, and played a newly released movie.

To be honest, what she did really helped. That night, Shi Huan couldn’t sleep at all, constantly worrying that Liang Junli and Tang Yiqiu’s team wouldn’t reach an agreement, which would make things awkward for both sides.

She stayed up until the next morning, having watched three movies. She immediately shook Wen Jing awake beside her. “Jingjing, quick, give me my phone. Let me check what’s happening online.”

Wen Jing, who had stayed up with her all night and only just fallen asleep, rubbed her face. While helping to turn on the phone, she comforted her, “Some people online just have nasty mouths. If you see those words, just pretend you didn’t.”

When they logged into Weibo, both were a bit stunned. Several marketing accounts that had been fiercely attacking before suddenly changed topics. They were now rationally analyzing the past events between Shi Huan and Tao Ziyan. The remaining few stubborn, cursing troll bloggers were still Tao Ziyan’s fans.

[A passerby fan says I watched the entire fight between Tao Ziyan and Shi Huan. Back then, Shi Huan’s evidence was more solid, with timestamps earlier than Tao Ziyan’s. But Shi Huan had no team, and the company clearly favored Tao Ziyan. So Shi Huan went from being the official girlfriend to the mistress. Tragic.]

[Tao Ziyan’s fans have really ugly mouths. Back then, Shi Huan posted a screen recording of chat logs. Your idol only posted pictures. Now you’re twisting the truth, saying the screen recording was fake. If a screen recording can be faked, how much must your idol’s pictures be edited? @Yizhong Entertainment, you guys are doomed sooner or later.]

[Wasn’t it Yizhong Entertainment’s investigation statement that buried Shi Huan back then? Honestly, that statement was obviously biased! I just want to see some face-slapping now. After all, Tao Ziyan hit the trending list twenty times, each time stepping on Shi Huan, and even filmed a drama cursing Shi Huan.]

[Am I the only one confused? I remember yesterday on Weibo, everyone was tearing into Tang Yiqiu and Shi Huan like a bloodbath. How did I wake up after a nap, and Weibo feels like a different world?]

The last post disappeared when Shi Huan refreshed, probably restricted. Wen Jing sighed, “Teacher Tang’s PR is really impressive. Next, they’re probably going to clear your name, right?”

Shi Huan’s tense heart relaxed a little. She went back to check WeChat. Surprisingly, it had been quiet all night—she hadn’t received a single message. She asked, “Teacher Tang didn’t return to the hotel, did she?”

“No, it’s not good for you two to stay in the same hotel right now. She’s probably at another one,” Wen Jing said. “Go wash up first. I’ll order food. Don’t you have a scene this morning?”

Shi Huan nodded and sent a message to Sister Li. After getting ready, she went straight to the set in the nanny van, unsure if the online mess would affect the crew.

The drama *Prejudice* had been kept tightly under wraps from the start. Not only was it not publicized externally, but few in the industry even knew about it.

Now, with the online uproar, paparazzi would surely swarm. *Prejudice* would definitely be all over Weibo. For other genres, this would be welcome—other crews would love the buzz. But not *Prejudice*. It wasn’t just a queer-themed project; it was a yuri-themed one, the coldest of queer genres.

When Shi Huan arrived at the set, only the crew was setting up the scene for the day. The others were in a meeting, and it seemed Tang Yiqiu was there too.

She squatted by the door, wanting to go in and listen, but the meeting room door stayed closed. Wen Jing handed her a soy milk she’d bought. “Don’t worry. We’ve basically done free promotion for the movie. Director Chen probably won’t have any issues.”

“But this is negative publicity,” Shi Huan said, quite scared. If fans boycotted and higher-ups pressured them, the movie might not get released at all. What then?

Wen Jing added, “Did you forget? Director Chen’s assistant personally brought the script to you for this role. Before they approached you, you were already heavily criticized online. They definitely won’t worry about this.”

Shi Huan hadn’t remembered until she mentioned it. Back when she was being attacked by the whole internet, endorsements and small scripts avoided her like the plague. But at that time, Chen Ling sent her the script and cast her as the lead.

Liang Junli had said it was a low-budget production with a niche, freezing-cold theme. Chen Ling required actors not to take other roles during filming, so naturally, no popular stars would vanish for six months to shoot such a niche project. That’s why they found her. Liang Junli also said that if Shi Huan hadn’t been so heavily criticized, she wouldn’t have let her take this script.

But when Shi Huan arrived on set, she realized it was nothing like what Liang Junli described. This wasn’t a low-budget production. Liang Junli had not only brought in veteran actors and invited popular stars for cameos but also cast Tang Yiqiu as the lead. At the time, Shi Huan had one thought: after being attacked for so long, her luck was finally turning. She’d been hit with a delicious pie.

Now she was starting to doubt. Was this pie because her bad luck had turned to good, or had someone deliberately sent it her way?

Wen Jing said, “Don’t overthink it. Just focus on clearing your name.”

Shi Huan sighed and muttered softly, “What’s the use of clearing my name? If I clear it, can I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Teacher Tang? If so, I’d clear my name every day.”

As soon as she said it, she felt a chill on her neck. Turning around, she saw that everyone had come out of the meeting room at some point.

Dozens of eyes were on her—some gossipy, some surprised, some shocked, and Tang Yiqiu’s warning gaze.

Shi Huan’s legs went weak, nearly dropping to her knees. She quickly clutched her phone, seriously tapping the screen. “Nonsense! It’s all nonsense. What’s wrong with these netizens, randomly speculating about others?”

Her acting was convincing, and people slowly looked away. Only Tang Yiqiu glanced at her. “Stop looking at messy online comments.”

Shi Huan nodded vigorously, stuffing her phone back. “I usually don’t look. It’s just that what they said was so infuriating, so I looked a bit more.”

“Infuriating, and you still look?” Chen Ling came out of the meeting room last, his expression sour but not angry. His tone was just a bit sharp. “What are you all standing around for? No need to shoot the morning scenes?”

The crowd at the door quickly dispersed. Shi Huan politely greeted Chen Ling. He grunted, acting as if he hadn’t seen the online mess, and talked about the scene. “Study today’s scenes well. Don’t mix up the newly revised plot with the old one. Think carefully about the emotions.”

“I know. I’ll go over it carefully later,” Shi Huan said, a bit guilty. The incident had happened suddenly, and she hadn’t studied the script thoroughly yet.

Once Chen Ling left, only she and Tang Yiqiu remained. Tang Yiqiu stood on the steps. “Has your agent contacted you?”

“No, probably still talking with Sister Rong. Did Sister Ye Rong tell you anything? Do you know how their talk went?” Shi Huan asked.

Tang Yiqiu said, “Don’t think too much. Focus on filming. You’ve got half an hour. Rest for a bit.”

Her words were formal, like a reminder to “study hard,” which surprised Shi Huan. Looking at her, the earlier excitement faded, replaced by some confusion. She couldn’t quite figure out Tang Yiqiu’s attitude toward her.

It felt distant, yet she showed more care than others. It seemed special, but Tang Yiqiu would coldly reject her. As for liking or not, Tang Yiqiu’s attitude always left her unclear.

She followed Tang Yiqiu to the lounge door. Just as she was about to enter, she worried about causing trouble for her and stepped back. “I’m going back.”

Tang Yiqiu’s gaze was deep, but she didn’t speak.

It wasn’t until around 8 a.m. that Liang Junli called. Her voice sounded delighted. “I finished talking with them.”

Shi Huan was in the middle of makeup. Hearing this, she sat up straight, smearing lipstick onto her cheek. “How did it go? What’s the result?”

Liang Junli was in a good mood, teasing her. “Guess.”

“I can’t guess. Please, tell me!” Shi Huan was panicked. In the few hours she’d been waiting, the online narrative had flipped back and forth, and she couldn’t follow the PR direction at all.

Liang Junli said, “I’m telling you, if this collaboration works out, it’ll clear your name. Tao Ziyan won’t matter anymore.”

Shi Huan got anxious. “Hurry up and tell me, how are we going to do it?”

Liang Junli laughed, her voice excited. “Huanhuan, this is a huge pie! Their team decided to have Tang Yiqiu promote a CP with you!”