Chapter 43: A Dramatic Shift in Public Opinion

Chapter 43: A Dramatic Shift in Public Opinion

After listening to his words, An Wen smiled faintly and asked, "Mr. Chu, you didn’t interfere when I entered the entertainment industry back then. Why do you want to interfere now and make me leave?"

"Is this really the time you want to stay in it?"

"Why shouldn’t I?" An Wen met his gaze, her eyes no longer evasive as usual.

This took Chu Qichen by surprise. The girl before him, usually introverted and soft-spoken, seemed completely transformed, as if reborn.

"What exactly can you do by staying in this situation?" Chu Qichen asked.

"Mr. Chu, in what capacity are you asking me this question? You’re just my brother’s friend, looking after me on his behalf. As long as I’m unharmed and in one piece, it won’t affect you, right?" An Wen stared into his eyes. "So there’s no need for you to trouble yourself with these matters."

"An Wen, the entertainment industry isn’t as glamorous as you think. The malice you’ve seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg. If you insist on staying, you’ll regret it later," Chu Qichen warned.

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Chu, but I have my own plans," An Wen replied.

"If you’re going to be this stubborn, I’ll have to inform your brother. That way, if anything happens to you, I won’t be held responsible."

Hearing this, An Wen grew slightly angry. "If you dare tell my brother, I’ll tell him I’m in love with you and that I’ll die if I don’t marry you!"

Chu Qichen froze. Before he could react, An Wen had already left the study.

A helpless smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he murmured, "Ungrateful little thing."

Now that she had spoken her mind, An Wen no longer hid her feelings. She called Jiang Shiyu out for dinner. Chu Qichen remained in the study for a long time, but An Wen paid no mind and went to bed early.

The next morning, Chu Qichen had already left for the company. An Wen was eating breakfast at the dining table when Jiang Shiyu suddenly rushed out in her pajamas.

"An Wen, look!" Jiang Shiyu handed her the phone.

At the top of the Hot Search list was the trending topic [An Wen, Second Year of High School]. Clicking on it, they found that someone had exposed that An Wen was a second-year student at Di Cheng No. 1 High School and was only 15 years old this year.

Even more shocking, someone had posted a photo of Di Cheng No. 1 High School’s Red Honor Roll, with An Wen ranked first.

The top comment, written by someone claiming to be a student from Di Cheng No. 1 High School, read: [An Wen has always been at the top of the Red Honor Roll. Even though she missed a lot of school in the second semester of her first year due to filming, she still scored first in the final exams. She comes from a well-off family, is beautiful, and excels academically—if Director Ye hadn’t discovered her, why would she even act? Keyboard warriors, leave her alone!]

[No wonder the leaked set photos and wrap-up videos made it seem like Xia Jin and the others were so protective of her. It’s because she’s so young.]

[Ranking first at Di Cheng No. 1 High School, one of the top four prestigious schools, means she’s practically guaranteed admission to Tsinghua University. What a genius.]

[My heart aches for this girl. She’s so young and has already gone through so much. I hope this doesn’t affect her.]

...

In an instant, public opinion had shifted dramatically.

"Did you leak this?" An Wen asked.

Jiang Shiyu looked surprised. "I thought it was you!"

"Even if this kind of news got out, it wouldn’t have caused such a huge stir. Lu Man’er’s company would’ve suppressed it. But now, with so many marketing accounts jumping in and it trending on Hot Search, someone must be helping you. But who?" Jiang Shiyu pondered.

An Wen's mind flashed with the image of a stern face, and she suddenly understood, feeling a warmth in her heart.

"Since someone has already handled this matter for us, we can save ourselves the trouble and just focus on what we need to do," An Wen said.

"Why does your tone sound so unenthusiastic?" Jiang Shiyu asked.

"How could I be happy when it wasn't done by my own hands?"