Chapter 27: Mysteriously Landing at Number One on the Hot Search List

Keke’s rapid-fire barrage of words left Ling Xiaoli completely bewildered.

“I haven’t done anything! I haven’t even left the house these past few days…”

“That doesn’t make sense. Wait there. I’ll look into it for you.”

Keke hung up almost immediately, leaving Ling Xiaoli even more confused.

She quickly opened Weibo.

The number-one trending topic was:

#Director Gu Has Fallen#

Everyone knew that there was currently no famous director in the industry with the surname Gu. Back then, Director Hu had accidentally been called “Gu Lei,” and the nickname “Director Gu” had stuck.

Ling Xiaoli hurriedly clicked on the topic.

[Rest in peace, Once-Only Bro. Secretly breaking the news—I live in Director Gu’s neighborhood. I was wondering why I ran into an influencer whose surname starts with L in the neighborhood the day before yesterday. So that’s what was going on.]

[Rest in peace, Once-Only Bro. I really didn’t expect Director Gu to play the casting-couch game too.]

[Keep the formation. Rest in peace, Once-Only Bro. We’re all men. LXL is so beautiful—even if she had plastic surgery, she’d still be worth it. Totally normal, totally normal.]

[Breaking formation. Take it easy, Once-Only Bro. Even an eyesore of an influencer can act in movies now. The world really has changed.]

[I can only laugh. LXL is acting in a movie? She can act like a bird!]

……

Ling Xiaoli scrolled through several pages before finally figuring out what had happened.

Someone with the username “This Account Will Only Be Used Once Today” claimed to be a member of the film crew and posted a tip-off.

The person claimed that Ling Xiaoli had offered herself to Director Hu for sexual favors in exchange for an important role in The God Who Split the Mountain.

They had even attached a photo of her at the audition.

Judging by the shooting angle, it really did look as though it had been taken by a staff member.

Then the account was deleted.

Ling Xiaoli let out a heavy sigh.

Last time, after she had caused such a huge stir, she had only reached number two on the hot search list. This time, she had done absolutely nothing, yet had inexplicably landed at number one.

For that, she had to thank either Su Xuan or Maoya Entertainment.

Hmm. Most likely, both had gotten involved.

First of all, the only person who knew she had auditioned and also had a grudge against her was Su Xuan.

Secondly, given the scale of the uproar, the likelihood Maoya Entertainment was involved was extremely high.

Oh, it was also possible that this had come from one of Director Hu’s rivals, but that possibility was relatively small.

The topic itself was about Director Gu’s downfall, but the obvious signs of paid posters deliberately dragging the discussion in a certain direction were unmistakable. Most of the comments were actually focused on her.

They had really gone to a lot of trouble!

Still, this move was genuinely vicious.

At present, the simplest way to resolve the matter would undoubtedly be for Director Hu to speak up and deny that Ling Xiaoli was appearing in the movie.

After all, she was only playing a minor role—dispensable and insignificant.

However, not long afterward, Director Hu called her.

“Ling Xiaoli, don’t worry. I’m determined to have you in this movie. I want to see who’s bold enough to cause trouble on my turf! Fucking hell!”

Ling Xiaoli shuddered.

Even through the phone, she could hear the fury blazing on the other end.

Of course, she knew that anger wasn’t directed at her.

Ling Xiaoli felt nothing but gratitude, appreciation, and thankfulness.

Well… in any case, that was the general idea.

……

Director Hu was furious, and the consequences were severe.

As a famous director, Hu Li’s influence was not to be underestimated.

He posted only one sentence:

“Please stop disgracing the entertainment industry!”

He then attached screenshots of his plane tickets and hotel bookings from the past few days, along with the cast list.

The plane tickets and hotel bookings were meant to show everyone that he had been so busy lately that he hadn’t even had time to return home. The claims about the casting couch were complete nonsense.

The cast list was the real proof.

Not only was Ling Xiaoli absent from the lists for the female lead, second female lead, and third female lead, she wasn’t even listed among the principal cast. Her name appeared only at the very end, under the list of supporting actors.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Various big names reposted the Weibo post, throwing their support behind Director Hu.

In an extremely short time, the number-one trending topic changed to Hu Li’s statement:

#Please Stop Disgracing the Entertainment Industry#

At the same time, Fengsu Media joined in on the publicity campaign, releasing more promotional materials for The God Who Split the Mountain and even announcing its release date directly.

#Director Hu’s 2020 New Year Blockbuster#

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, watch Yang Jian split the mountain and become a god!