The office of Anxing Entertainment was still brightly lit in the late night.
"The production team intends to sue you," Xu Mingchuan turned his head after staring at the screen for a while and said to Qin Wei, who was sitting on the couch drinking juice.
His tone was calm, merely stating the fact without any blame.
"I understand," Qin Wei nodded, seemingly prepared.
"The payment for the variety show 'Time Will Tell You' has already been received. It's enough to cover the damages, so I'm not worried."
The remuneration for the show was prepared by Teacher Qiao as compensation for her. She had called it her "backing." Qin Wei didn't think much of it at the time, but now that the production team was suing her, she realized that she wasn't afraid at all.
Even if she lost, she could easily handle the money in her account.
Moreover...
Qin Wei continued, "And we might not necessarily lose. Before the competition, I asked Hayden, and he consulted a lawyer. The production team changing the rules last minute theoretically requires mutual agreement."
"You don't have to worry about winning or losing. I'll take care of it. Qin Wei, as long as you're with Anxing, Anxing will protect you. After all..."
Xu Mingchuan paused.
"After all, during this period, you have indeed made a lot of money for Anxing.
It's just... for you, the competition has already ended. It's a real pity that we won't be able to see your performance on the night of the group formation."
"Isn't it the same for Qiao Sixiao? It's no surprise that she will securely debut in the center position..."
Qin Wei stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
It was already midnight, and outside the window, the city was still bustling with traffic. It seemed like the capital never truly slept...
The last time she looked at the night sky like this was when she was with Qiao Sixiao...
But outside the window, it was desolate, even a bit frightening...
...
"Are you really going to withdraw from the competition?"
At that time, the two of them were staying in a hotel in the film and television city. Qin Wei revealed her thoughts to Qiao Sixiao, who although had anticipated this possibility, was still surprised.
Qin Wei nodded and told her it was because she was certain that Qiao Sixiao wasn't just a roommate but a trusted friend.
Qiao Sixiao walked to the window.
After a long silence, she said to Qin Wei, "If you don't want to get hurt, don't be yourself. When you stand in front of the camera, the more sincere you are, the easier it is to get hurt. But what they want is never really you..."
"They?"
Qin Wei walked up to her.
"Do you mean... the fans?"
Qiao Sixiao didn't deny it.
"What they want is not you, but the image of you. They want you to be omnipotent, your actions always consistent with your personality, kind, absolutely faithful and reliable, pure, eternally wise, capable of discerning the past, present, and future."
"They want you to be real, but it must be the kind of real they desire..."
Qin Wei remained silent, feeling a bit cold, even though the temperature in the room was just right.
Qiao Sixiao looked at Qin Wei's reflection in the glass.
"Little did they know, they are the gods. They look down on you, seeing through your past and future. They come in admiration, but when they see your foolishness, weakness, and ignorance, they can abandon you at any time. If they don't trample on you in return, that's already mercy."
"You are all strangers, taking what you need from each other. Will you dare to gamble?"
Qin Wei shook her head.
"I cannot make any other decisions, but I can only be certain that if I accept their unlimited demands, I may have insomnia every night."
Qiao Sixiao smiled and curled his lips.
"It's up to you. I'm a child destined to have no achievements. I'm exhausted today, so I'll go take a shower first. You can make a call to order food."
...
Looking back now, Teacher Qiao probably doesn't have much of a future either...
"Qiao Sixiao's contract is different from yours. To put it mildly, He Hong is not someone their program team can casually offend."
Xu Mingchuan naturally didn't know what she was thinking and continued her words,
"But this is a bit of bullying. They blatantly think that Anxing Entertainment is easy to bully. Does Xu's Legal Department not exist?"
"If you don't want to inherit the family business, then don't use the power of your family."
Qin Wei advised him, turning her head to look at him,
"It's not worth compromising with my family for my sake."
"But..."
"There are no 'buts'."
Qin Wei interrupted him, not wanting to know what he was going to say next,
"It's getting late. I'm going home first. Mr. Xu, don't overthink things, and don't stay up too late. Staying up late can easily lead to sudden death."
Xu Mingchuan: "..."
"Li Yao, stop making phone calls. Let's go and take me home..."
...
From this night onwards, the internet was destined to be bustling. The program team also spent a lot of money on buying water armies and marketing accounts, exerting every effort to guide public opinion and create an image of the program team as innocent victims.
One hot search after another, causing a lot of commotion. Many things were blown out of proportion.
The situation looked great, and the program team appeared super innocent!
The station director praised the crisis PR of the "Against the Wind" program team, blaming Qin Wei for lacking contractual spirit and not blaming them for ignoring the friendship they once had.
The lawsuit was also put on the agenda, and the legal team at Lizhi Station was particularly skilled at this, not to be trifled with.
Meanwhile, the Weifeng Fan Club and the Weixiao CP Super Topic were both quiet. For these two days, they hardly made a sound, occasionally sharing some fan fiction or edited videos.
Everything was peaceful.
"Have you given up struggling?"
The director asked the assistant intern to pay attention to the fans' activities on both sides, but there was hardly anything interesting to see.
"But reading fan fiction... it's really addictive..."
For two whole days, getting paid to read fan fiction...
Silently joining the fan club, joining the group...
[Group rules: Recently, let's make rational comments online. If you can't handle it, please mute yourself. There's no need for everyone to speak out. Just wait quietly for the outcome. Little Qin reminds everyone, "Eat well, drink well, and don't forget to do your homework."]
Well, well. So that's how it is.
The assistant intern thought about it and decided not to tell the director about these things. Work shouldn't interfere with one's hobbies.
...
On the program team's side, they had prepared a lawyer's letter and were ready to release it on the internet at an opportune time, officially declaring war on their enemies. However, their own marketing accounts informed them,
"It seems like things have taken a slightly different turn..."
The director immediately opened the link sent by the other party.
#Tianshi Spokesperson Qin Wei#
【Tianshi Wristwatch: Carving Time, Naturally Perfect. Tianshi Wristwatch, featuring Qin Wei as the spokesperson, lets time reveal the truth.】
Below are the latest promotional photos, indicating that the recent schedule revolves around endorsements.
They were not influenced by online public opinion at all.
The director and the management team are getting a bit anxious.
In just the past five minutes, other brands endorsed by Qin Wei have also started promoting the variety show she participated in. Although it's presented as publicity, it actually signifies their stance.
"Time will tell you the truth..."
The station manager's expression gradually darkened:
"Don't worry, brands are opportunistic. As long as we win the lawsuit, they will abandon the artist faster than anyone."
Another five minutes passed...
【Southwest Release: Supporting Rural Revitalization, Consolidating Poverty Alleviation Achievements. Southwest Tangerines and Coffee Beans, together with Qin Wei, Southwest Countryside Revitalization Support Officer, let's explore the excellent products of the Southwest!】
【Southwest Tourism: Congratulations to Qin Wei for becoming the Southwest Local Products Recommendation Officer. You are also our charming goose. Looking forward to seeing both you and Qiao Sixiao, the image spokesperson, visiting the Southwest again!】
The management team at the station has started to hesitate. It's natural for them to support their own image spokesperson in "Southwest Tourism." But this "Southwest Release" is from the government news office. It seems they are not just going with the wind anymore...
