Xu Zifan glanced at the room again and continued, "I believe in your abilities, but I think your company is incompetent and will definitely hold you back. Moreover, in the long run, your company is just a small company, and your agent is not capable enough to accompany you on such a long journey."
Yao Kexin said blankly, "Brother Fan, are you suggesting I switch jobs? But I'm not famous enough yet, so it doesn't seem appropriate to switch to a big company. I never thought that far ahead before. I just thought that if I worked hard and became famous enough, I would consider opening a studio and affiliating with Huanyu. But now... Huanyu has plenty of big stars, they don't need me."
Xu Zifan pointed to himself and laughed, "Have you forgotten me? You can open a studio whenever you want, or affiliate with Huanyu if you want. It's no big deal. You need to learn how to make a profit, or you'll be at a disadvantage."
Yao Kexin pursed her lips, lowered her head and said, "I don't want to make our relationship so calculating, like it's just a transaction, a way to gain benefits, without any friendship at all." She thought of Xia Shuangshuang and quickly looked up at him to explain, "I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just very grateful to you and consider you a friend. If you don't consider me a friend, that's okay too. We agreed on that back then, and I remember."
Xu Zifan chuckled and ruffled her hair, then stood up and said, "What are you thinking? Of course I consider you a friend. You're different from Xia Shuangshuang." He put his hands in his pockets and walked to the window, saying, "You don't know it yourself, but you've actually helped me a lot. So don't overthink it. Just tell me if there's anything I can do, like opening a studio. I think the sooner I leave your company, the better. Being independent means having resources and freedom. There's no need for me to stay with people I don't feel comfortable with just to avoid trouble. From now on, let's treat these kinds of things as trivial matters and not take them too seriously. Just mention it if you need anything, okay?"
Yao Kexin kept looking at his broad and sturdy back until he turned around and looked at her questioningly. Then she took a deep breath, nodded and smiled, "I understand, Brother Fan."
Yao Kexin's company is of average strength, and her agent is a snob. After she refused a dinner invitation, the agent ignored her and made her handle everything herself. Now that she's about to become famous, the agent wants to use her as a cash cow—but such a thing is too good to be true. Yao Kexin herself is annoyed, but she hasn't gotten used to being under Xu Zifan's protection. Now that Xu Zifan has brought it up, she feels the sooner she leaves the company, the better, and she's even more grateful to Xu Zifan.
Xu Zifan turned around and leaned against the window, arms crossed, and smiled, "Well, I have one more thing. We've been pretending to be a couple for a while now. Before, you were always filming, so the timing wasn't right. Now that you've finished filming and are about to terminate your contract with the company, and we're about to go public with our relationship, I think it's time to move into living together. What do you think? How about you move in with me?"
Yao Kexin was stunned. Wasn't this supposed to be about the studio? How did it suddenly turn into cohabitation? Although she knew Xu Zifan meant for her to stay in the guest room, she still couldn't help but blush. She awkwardly tucked one side of her hair behind her ear and looked away, avoiding Xu Zifan's gaze. She even shifted her posture nervously, mentally preparing herself before nodding gently, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
She remembered that Xu Zifan had said he had a purpose in asking her to pretend to be his girlfriend. Xu Zifan had helped her a lot, and she wanted to do her best to cooperate and help him out, as they had agreed before.
Having finished speaking, Xu Zifan didn't linger. It wasn't appropriate for a lone man and woman to be alone together late at night. After saying goodbye to Yao Kexin, he told her to pack her things when she had time and that he would come help her move.
Yao Kexin stood behind the curtains watching Xu Zifan's car drive away, her heart filled with a mix of emotions—a little chaotic, a little excited. What was Fan-ge's home like? Was he the same at home as he was outside? What was it like when they spent every day together? Would they have a great time traveling abroad?
Without realizing it, Yao Kexin's lips curled into a smile. She lowered her head and fiddled with the curtains for a while, her mind blank, not thinking about anything, just feeling good. She didn't dare to think too much, removed her makeup, and quickly started packing her things, not going to sleep until the early hours of the morning.
Xu Zifan handed over the contract termination to Liang Fei, while he personally helped Yao Kexin move to a room diagonally opposite his bedroom, and then set off for a vacation abroad.
Liang Fei paid the termination fee readily, and considering Xu Zifan's connections and the Xu family's backing, the agency had no reason to offend her for a third-tier star who wasn't even famous yet. So, they released her without hesitation. Liang Fei immediately began setting up his studio. Aside from assistants and drivers—personal assistants—he didn't select any other staff; all other employees were top-tier industry professionals poached at high prices. The studio didn't sign anyone else; it was all dedicated to serving Yao Kexin. Even before Yao Kexin had met them, the team had already started releasing press releases and public relations to ensure she maintained a certain level of exposure even during her vacation.
After realizing she was free, Yao Kexin truly let go of everything and immersed herself in the beautiful scenery of the journey, enjoying the fun of traveling and the leisure of a vacation. Xu Zifan, a good eater and a fun-loving man, took her to many interesting places and took a lot of photos.
A college student studying abroad happened to see them and took several photos of them laughing and talking, which were then posted online, sparking another round of discussion. Previously, some people believed that Xu Zifan invested in "Xia Yi's Story" because Xia Shuangshuang was in that production; otherwise, why wouldn't he invest in something else? While they didn't understand Xu Zifan's intentions, some people imagined a rich second-generation heir falling for a female celebrity who wasn't tempted by money, and out of pride, deliberately investing in her film as a pretext to see her. There was even a group of fans who shipped Xu Zifan and Xia Shuangshuang as a couple, rushing to attack anyone who said Xu Zifan was a good match for Yao Kexin.
But now, Xu Zifan and Yao Kexin have gone out to play alone, showing no interest whatsoever in Xia Shuangshuang. As soon as Yao Kexin finished filming, Xu Zifan lost all interest in visiting the set! Does it even need to be said who he cares about? Even Xu Hao frowned upon seeing this news. Had he misjudged her? Was Xia Shuangshuang utterly worthless to Xu Zifan? Then what use was she to him?
Seeing the online messages, Xia Shuangshuang knew that it was only a matter of time before Xu Zifan and Yao Kexin went public with their relationship. No matter how unwilling she was, she had to accept the fact that Xu Zifan had changed a lot. She felt this was also an opportunity, so she asked the system to help polish a statement, using an "anonymous leak" to reveal that Yao Kexin had been the third party who interfered in Xu Zifan and Xia Shuangshuang's relationship.
There are many ways to create hype, and one way is to associate yourself with someone popular and release unfounded rumors. This kind of gossip doesn't even need evidence; many people are willing to believe it, especially since her behavior after the breakup seemed to fit the narrative. Netizens who enjoy speculating and drawing conclusions will definitely believe this gossip. Netizens love playing Sherlock Holmes, and in this situation, even Xu Zifan's investment in "Xia Yi's Story" and his support of Yao Kexin are taken as evidence that they had a prior relationship—otherwise, why would he invest so soon after the breakup? Xu Zifan's complete disregard for Xia Shuangshuang on set, his lack of consideration for her feelings, and his public displays of affection with his new love interest also become proof of his scumbag behavior.
Despite Xu Zifan's fans' various denials and attempts by rational bystanders to debunk the rumors, Xia Shuangshuang's fans, Xu Zifan and Xia Shuangshuang's shippers, Yao Kexin's haters, and others launched a frenzied attack on Xu Zifan, all in defense of Xia Shuangshuang. When Xu Zifan and Yao Kexin were abroad, Xia Shuangshuang was the most frequently asked question, but she remained silent whenever asked about them, prompting her staff to intervene and tell her not to ask those questions.
Her attitude infuriated those who felt sorry for her, accusing her of forcing a smile and enduring being bullied because Xu Zifan, a rich second-generation heir, could control everything. In short, this publicity stunt caused Xia Shuangshuang's fan base to skyrocket. Rational bystanders were stunned; was this really a way to gain followers? Was this a new way to play the victim? Was she trying to create a resentful, complaining persona?
However, many people bought into this narrative, firmly believing that Xia Shuangshuang was a victim. They defended her like warriors, angrily denouncing Xu Zifan and Yao Kexin, as if this demonstrated their righteousness. These people became Xia Shuangshuang's main supporters.
After being reborn for so long, Xia Shuangshuang finally gained a large number of fans and accumulated enough points to reach the first level of beauty filter, raising her appearance level by a whole tier! She was overjoyed; all the pent-up frustration of the past few months dissipated. Looking at her beautiful face in the mirror, she felt only happiness. This was her gain, the result of her cheat-like ability, and she was once again filled with boundless anticipation for the future.
Xia Shuangshuang had the system publish more articles praising her beauty, claiming she outshone various top actresses. And indeed, she had become more beautiful. She used a change in styling and makeup as a cover, so people couldn't see any signs of plastic surgery and naturally believed her. This earned her a large following of fans who admired her looks. Xu Hao initially intended to ignore her to see if she was still useful to his plans before making further decisions. But seeing her increasingly beautiful appearance, he changed his mind and started sending her to his house every three to five days to spend the night. He needed female companionship anyway, and having a sensible beauty as company was a win-win situation.
The internet was ablaze with arguments. Those who believed in Xu Zifan and Yao Kexin remained steadfast in their belief, while those who believed in the rumors remained unwavering in their conviction. Xu Zifan's fans and Xia Shuangshuang's fans, already harboring old grudges, were now locked in a daily battle, their relationship irreconcilable. When the matter first surfaced, Liang Fei had reported it to Xu Zifan, who, after consideration, told him to leave it alone for a few days. After all, they were abroad and couldn't bother them. The more convincingly false the story, the more humiliating it would be when it was exposed. He felt that Xia Shuangshuang had been suppressed for too long; continuing to suppress her might cause her to erupt in silence. It was better to use this opportunity to let her rise to the top, and then fall even harder!
As for those who believed those rumors, he was king in the online world. Xia Shuangshuang thought she had gotten away with sending those press releases through the system, but he simply manipulated the system a few times and found all the evidence. After a while, when those warriors who defended Xia Shuangshuang found out that this was all a publicity stunt she orchestrated, would they turn against her and try to destroy her? He waited and saw.