Xu's official Weibo account quickly issued a clarification announcement: "Regarding the false rumors circulating online about our Chairman, Mr. Xu Hao, we hereby declare as follows: Ms. Xia Shuangshuang was originally the spokesperson for our new product. Yesterday, after discussions with relevant departments, it was decided to change the spokesperson. Ms. Xia Shuangshuang therefore approached our Chairman, Mr. Xu Hao, requesting a cooperation opportunity; that is all. Mr. Xu Hao and Ms. Xia Shuangshuang have no other personal relationship whatsoever. We urge netizens not to create or spread rumors."
The internet is not a lawless zone. Our company strongly condemns the fabrication of rumors about Mr. Xu Hao and other unfounded acts of spreading false information. Both our company and Mr. Xu Hao reserve the right to pursue legal action against those who disseminate or spread false information, in order to protect our legitimate rights and interests.
This is a standard PR clarification statement, no different from other celebrity crisis PR, but the key issues are clearly stated. Xia Shuangshuang and Xu Hao have no personal relationship. The picture shows Xia Shuangshuang entering Xu Hao's apartment and later grabbing him and crying, simply because Xu's company changed its spokesperson. This... seems to match the content of the photo quite well. Xia Shuangshuang was once Xu Zifan's girlfriend, so it's not surprising that she knows Xu Hao, and it's even less surprising that she would see Xu Hao to plead for him. It makes sense.
Fewer people are talking about Xu Hao, but more people are mocking Xia Shuangshuang.
[Where did that aloofness go when he threw ice water on Xu Shao? Why is he clinging to Chairman Xu's leg and crying? His image has completely collapsed.]
[Although Chairman Xu holds an endorsement contract, Young Master Xu also received a 30 million yuan breakup fee and a house. Why is Xia, this drama queen, treating me this way differently? Does she look down on Young Master Xu's breakup fee?]
[Uncle Xu, well done! You shouldn't have chosen her as the spokesperson in the first place. Choosing Kexin would have been perfect. Kexin is Mr. Xu's real girlfriend; we're family, so let's keep the good stuff in the family. Mr. Xu, please consider my Kexin!]
[Oh my god, why does Xia Shuangshuang look so ugly crying? Was her previous beauty all due to makeup? Makeup is truly one of the four great evil arts. As a fan of her looks, I can't accept this. I'm outta here!]
[The fans who initially liked her have stopped supporting her. They prefer genuine beauty and dislike fake looks. Xia Shuangshuang's bare face is simply unpresentable! Suddenly, she seems so fake—her personality is fake, and even her face is fake!]
Xia Shuangshuang returned home dejectedly, and seeing how things were developing online, she completely broke down!
"System! Why didn't you tell me about what happened online sooner?!"
[Host, before you go to see Xu Hao, you are ordered not to make a sound.]
Xia Shuangshuang was furious. "I told you not to interfere in my relationship with Xu Hao. Isn't something this serious an emergency? Can't you even analyze that?"
[Host, whether it's urgent or not is a matter of subjective feeling; the system cannot determine that.]
Xia Shuangshuang didn't want to say a word to it. She washed her face, picked up the mirror on the dressing table, and her heart sank. Netizens' dislike for her had increased, her fans were leaving in droves, and her popularity was declining again. Now she had a few freckles on her face, and her complexion was even worse. She couldn't help but angrily say, "Do you have to lower my appearance like this? Can't you punish me with something else?"
[Host, you previously chose appearance as the reward, so the punishment is correspondingly based on that. If you had chosen acting skills, the punishment now is your acting skills.]
Xia Shuangshuang was filled with regret. She checked her bank account again and felt even more devastated. One hundred and fifty million! With that money, she could live such a carefree life! But now, no. Her popularity was declining, and she would become increasingly ugly. She was only 25, in the prime of her youth. How could she accept becoming an ugly monster? Besides, apart from the entertainment industry, she had no other way to regain popularity. She was probably the only person in the world with hundreds of millions in assets who lived such a miserable life. But even if she wanted to turn things around, what could she do now?
Just then, the phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was her agent, Brother Li. She quickly answered. Brother Li's icy voice came through the receiver, "Xia Shuangshuang, I've repeatedly told you to behave yourself and not cause trouble. I just finished telling you and you're trending again? I've been scolded several times because of you! Alright, you've offended the wrong person and you've been blacklisted. Your contract with the company will automatically terminate when it expires. You'd better watch yourself from now on."
"What? Brother Li, who's blacklisting—Brother Li?" Xia Shuangshuang didn't even get a chance to speak before the other person hung up. She anxiously called back, only to find that Brother Li had already blocked her!
Xia Shuangshuang slumped onto the bed, clutching the phone, her eyes blank. A blacklist? Who had she offended? Had she angered Xu Hao by pleading with him? But could she really offend someone by asking for their help?
Xia Shuangshuang frantically tried to call Xu Hao, only to find that he had blocked her. She finally managed to contact Xu Hao's assistant, who coldly warned her to stop her underhanded tactics. Arranging for photos to be leaked had crossed Xu Hao's line; if she dared to do anything more, he would make sure she couldn't even stay in this city!
Xia Shuangshuang finally understood. Xu Hao had misunderstood that she had hired someone to take those photos, and that she had deliberately leaked them. But she hadn't. She desperately wanted to explain, but she couldn't contact anyone. Looking at her even more unsightly face in the mirror, she felt despair for the first time. Watching herself grow ugly and old was worse than death; being slowly cut with a dull knife was far more painful! But she didn't have the courage to commit suicide. What should she do? Was there any way to turn her life around?
Just then, she received an email containing a compilation of hotel surveillance footage, complete with timestamps—it showed the first time she seduced Xu Hao! Xia Shuangshuang asked the system, "Quickly check who sent this to me?"
After checking, the system regretfully replied: [Host, I cannot find out what methods the other party used.]
Xia Shuangshuang was stunned for a moment, panic gripped her heart. "Can't find it? Even the system can't find it? Then who is it? What does he want from sending me this video? To blackmail me? If this gets exposed..."
What will happen if it gets exposed? What else can happen? She's already reached this point; she's practically blacklisted online, if not completely. Even if she slowly gets more investment and roles, she might not become popular again. With so much negative press, it will take her at least a year or two to rebuild her image and get people to accept her again. During that time, she'll have no attention, her popularity will keep declining, and the system will make her look uglier. She doesn't have that much time! Most importantly, Xu Hao has blacklisted her. She can't become popular through normal means; no one will give her a chance. Unless she finds a backer even more powerful than Xu Hao, or… she'll just become famous through controversy!
Xia Shuangshuang stared at the video in the email, her eyes flickering. After a long while, she smiled. "Being infamous is still being famous. This society laughs at poverty but not prostitution. Even if someone is a femme fatale, as long as their persona is established, people will love them. I can charm those two uncles and nephews, so I don't believe no one else will like this kind of thing! System, be careful when you post the video. The more sensational the title, the better. Actually, even if people find out that I posted it myself, it doesn't matter. Xu Hao is ruthless. Am I not allowed to tell the truth? Maybe I can even play the victim and gain some fans!"
The system quickly posted the video online with the title: "First she was splashed with water and unwilling to break up, then she secretly met with her uncle at a hotel? Judging by the time, she's been rushing around non-stop! How does Xia Shuangshuang manage to navigate the relationship between the wealthy uncle and nephew?!"
Netizens were still criticizing Xia Shuangshuang, but they were stunned by this video! The Weibo post about Xia Shuangshuang splashing Xu Zifan with ice water is still there; the date and time—it's like she was rushing from one place to another, changing clothes and getting her hair done without a break, before heading to another city to see Xu Hao. What kind of crazy move is this? Didn't Xia Shuangshuang post a video after the breakup saying she was too emotional to splash water? Didn't she also say she had genuine feelings for Xu Zifan and couldn't let go, which is why she acted so impulsively? Turning around and sleeping with his uncle is considered genuine feelings?
And then there's Xu Hao. He just issued a clarification statement only to be severely humiliated. This once-proud business tycoon has lost face beyond belief! As Xu Zifan's uncle, why is he getting involved with Xia Shuangshuang? Is there really some kind of family feud between them?
[To be honest, Xu Zifan, you should take the company back quickly. It's never safe to leave it in someone else's hands. Didn't you see they even took your ex-girlfriend in?]
[That's incredibly fast! Did Xu Hao already know Xu Zifan and Xia Shuangshuang had broken up when they were having their secret meeting at the hotel? If he didn't know, then... does he have some kind of unusual fetish?]
[Even if they knew, they wouldn't do this, right? Even if it's true love, they wouldn't get back together right after breaking up, would they? It seems like Xu Hao and Xia Shuangshuang have been having an affair for a while, just keeping it from Fan Ge. Xu Zifan, hurry up and take the company back; you can't trust family unconditionally!]
[This is the biggest slap in the face I've ever seen, and it's the Xu family's face that's being slapped! Tsk tsk tsk, Xu Hao and Xia Shuangshuang are truly disgusting. Brother Fan is so capable, he should hurry up and take the company back!]
[Xia Shuangshuang's actions are common in novels, but why do they seem so disgusting in real life?]
[Because our Fan-ge isn't a sleazy jerk, why are Xia Shuangshuang and Xu Hao doing this?! It'll be satisfying to crush them both!]
[Am I the only one who thinks Xia Shuangshuang is amazing?! How did she manage to hook up with both Young Master Xu and Chairman Xu? That takes real skill!]
[Xia Shuangshuang is amazing! Why is it that only rich men are allowed to play with women, but women aren't allowed to play with rich men? Xia Shuangshuang slept with a business tycoon and even got a breakup fee; she's a total winner in life!]
When the video was first released, many people criticized Xu Hao and Xia Shuangshuang, but gradually, some people started to support Xia Shuangshuang. In particular, the anti-rich group, who already thought that no rich person was good, actually felt very satisfied seeing Xu Zifan being splashed with water and Xu Hao being slapped in the face, and strongly supported Xia Shuangshuang.
Xia Shuangshuang has succeeded in achieving her goal of gaining notoriety through controversy. People are starting to pay attention to her and become fans again. Her declining popularity has finally stabilized and is beginning to show signs of recovery.
Xu Zifan lay on the bed in the lounge, scrolling through public opinion on his tablet for a while. He then completely deleted the email he had sent earlier, including the one in Xia Shuangshuang's inbox. Xu Hao wanted to use Xia Shuangshuang to provoke him, but he could do the opposite and let them fight like dogs. People only speak recklessly and say anything when they are excited, crazy, or driven to desperation. He was looking forward to seeing how Xu Hao and Xia Shuangshuang would perform. Even if he returned to the Xu family, he would do so with dignity, standing on the moral high ground, and he would never bear the reputation of being an ingrate.