Upon hearing this, Qin Shu’s face immediately turned cold, and he was about to speak when Song Ying pressed her hand against his.
“A Shu, I want to eat grapes.”
Her soft, gentle voice showed no trace of anger, as if she hadn’t even heard Zhou Ruoyu’s provocation.
Qin Shu looked into those sparrow-like eyes, and the coldness in his fox-like gaze melted into a shimmering warmth.
“Okay.”
He took two grapes from the coffee table, effortlessly peeled them, and brought them to Song Ying’s lips.
Her nimble tongue lightly caught the fruit, and as she savored the flesh, Song Ying smiled, her eyes narrowing. “So sweet.”
“If it’s sweet, have a few more.” Qin Shu’s voice softened.
One fed, the other ate, completely at ease as if no one else were around.
Zhou Ruoyu finally couldn’t hold back.
“Song Ying, who are you showing off your affection for here?”
“Showing off affection?”
After Song Ying finished the fruit, Qin Shu expertly placed his hand near her lips. Her cherry-like mouth spat out the grape seed, glistening with a moist sheen. “If eating grapes counts as showing off affection, Miss Zhou, how long has it been since you’ve tasted the sweetness of affection?”
These words felt like a knife twisting in Zhou Ruoyu’s heart after a day of arguing.
“Besides, isn’t this a dating show? If we’re not affectionate, should we be like the other variety shows, constantly arguing, threatening divorce, or breaking up?”
“Pfft—”
Sweet Bean couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
Zhou Ruoyu immediately shot her a glare, sharp enough to kill.
Sweet Bean quickly covered her mouth again, but her little face flushed red from holding back. It wasn’t her fault—Song Ying’s words were just too cutting.
“What’s wrong with Qiao Yu and me arguing? Who says couples can only be affectionate and never have disagreements? Even old married couples argue sometimes. At least it’s more genuine than you and Qin Shu pretending to be affectionate all day!”
Her chest heaved violently, betraying the intensity of her emotions. Zhou Ruoyu sneered at Song Ying, her words dripping with sarcasm.
“Not to mention you came back so late today, making everyone wait for you without even a word of apology. Just think about the things you and Qin Shu have done—are they really something to be proud of? Copying other people’s emotional experiences to build your own persona—anyone with a shred of decency wouldn’t stoop as low as you!”
“Being on the same show as someone like you makes me sick!”
“If Miss Zhou feels sick, you should probably see a doctor. If you get too worked up, the production team can’t afford the compensation.”
Song Ying lazily leaned back against the sofa, casually grabbing a cushion to hold in her arms.
Her chestnut-colored curls, like seaweed, cascaded over her shoulders, giving her a lazy, delicate appearance, but her words were anything but gentle.
“Besides, I already got the Director’s permission a long time ago to come back late, and I even said you could start dinner without me. I certainly didn’t keep Miss Zhou waiting here for me. Even though it’s my first day of filming, I know the rules—no guest can go off-air before midnight. Since I haven’t broken any rules or wasted Miss Zhou’s time, may I ask what I’ve done to offend you so much that you’re this outraged?”
“I…”
Zhou Ruoyu opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but she couldn’t find a single flaw.
The Director had indeed informed them that Song Ying would be returning late.
Moreover, Jiang Yuyao and Shen Linzhou had also just returned not long ago. If she continued to harp on this issue, she would likely offend Jiang Yuyao as well.
Zhou Ruoyu took a deep breath and suddenly smiled.”I’ve always been straightforward and outspoken. I only said a few words, Miss Song, why must you be so aggressive? Did I step on your tail, making you jump in a panic? Well, it’s understandable—with the hot search glaringly displayed, you’re backed into a corner, so it’s only natural you’d resort to desperate measures.”
“Straightforward and outspoken?”
Song Ying seemed to have heard a joke. “You come at me with sarcasm without even understanding the situation, then turn around and call yourself straightforward? Miss Zhou, you’ve truly mastered the art of hypocritical talk. If you’d just admit you’re targeting me, I’d respect you for being direct. But now, don’t tarnish those four words any further.”
After saying this, Song Ying took out her phone.
“As for the hot search you mentioned, I’m sorry, but I’ve been too busy enjoying myself this afternoon to check my phone more than a few times. If you’re just making baseless assumptions based on your own standards, I won’t accept it.”
“Song Ying, what are you playing at, pretending to be clueless when you know perfectly well!”
Zhou Ruoyu stood up in a rage, pointing at Song Ying as if about to charge forward.
“You plagiarized a popular blogger’s relationship experiences and even spun them into your own story during the interview. Now that netizens have exposed you, and it’s been trending at number one for almost an hour, why are you still pretending to be an innocent little white lotus?”
“Plagiarism?”
Song Ying paused while unlocking her phone. She looked up, her sparrow-like eyes turning cold. “I’m sorry, but I conduct myself with integrity and never plagiarize.”
“Never plagiarize?” Zhou Ruoyu burst into laughter. “That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard all year. You’d better keep up that tough talk later!”
“Ruoyu.”
Jiang Yuyao, who had been watching the drama unfold, finally spoke up. With a concerned expression, she tugged at Zhou Ruoyu’s sleeve and “whispered” loud enough for the audience to hear, “Don’t bring this up during the livestream. We’re all friends—don’t make things awkward for Song Ying.”
“Why can’t it be said?”
Zhou Ruoyu was too worked up, especially at this critical moment. Jiang Yuyao’s words didn’t quell her anger but instead fueled it further.
“Didn’t someone say during the interview this afternoon that there’s nothing they can’t speak openly about? If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be hard to address this openly in the livestream, right? Or is it that some people are too guilty to even confront it?”
“That’s still Song Ying’s own business.”
Jiang Yuyao continued to persuade, her face full of worry. “Ruoyu, what if it really is just a coincidence? Even though the possibility is slim, it could still happen. We’ll have to keep interacting with each other—think how embarrassing this would be for Song Ying…”
Song Ying raised an eyebrow, watching this pair of “good sisters” tag-teaming to accuse her of plagiarism, her expression full of amusement.
[Yuyao is truly beautiful and kind-hearted, unlike some hypocritical green tea bitches who only have looks.]
[Speaking of Song Ying’s face, I have a friend who was her high school classmate. They said she looked off even back then, and this face is most likely the result of plastic surgery. If you don’t believe me, look at this (image).]
[Damn, don’t post pictures, my friend. That hideous appearance is really disgusting me.]
[Even though Zhou Ruoyu’s words are harsh, it’s so satisfying to see a hypocritical, attention-seeking plagiarist get called out!]
[My childhood admiration for her is completely shattered. Song Ying, get out of the entertainment industry already!]
[Zhou Ruoyu, go at her!]”What if it really is a coincidence? Besides, Song Ying really didn’t use her phone this afternoon, so she’s probably unaware of this matter. Isn’t it a bit excessive for Zhou Ruoyu to insist that she’s pretending to be ignorant while fully aware?”
The barrage was overwhelmingly filled with insults directed at Song Ying.
As soon as a slightly more objective comment appeared, it quickly drew a swarm of attacks. People even tracked down the commenter’s account and mindlessly flooded it with hate.
“Song Ying, that green tea bitch, still has fans? If you don’t need your eyes, just donate them!”
“Spending all day defending Song Bitch, what a perfect servant’s fate!”
“Then I hope your boyfriend gets stolen by Song the Third, and all your work gets plagiarized by Song Dog. May you be stuck with that bitch forever!”
Additionally, many so-called people who had “crossed paths” with Song Ying came forward to fan the flames.
“Don’t be fooled by Song Ying’s ‘studied abroad’ persona. In reality, she stole someone else’s boyfriend back in China and couldn’t stay, so she found a way to go abroad and gild herself.”
“My friend knows Song Ying. Forget about her face—there’s not a single part of her body that hasn’t been altered. She’s just a silicone doll.”
Among them, there were even verified Weibo influencers.
“Bubu Today, Are You Prettier? V: I’m a good friend of Redamancy. We even met up before. She and her boyfriend are super loving. Many people online steal their photos, but I never expected a certain celebrity to jump on the bandwagon now. Anyway, I’ve already told Redamancy. Plagiarizing dog, see you in court!”
After fermenting all afternoon, the controversy surrounding Song Ying had already reached a fever pitch.
Many viewers had come to the livestream after seeing the trending topic, and the barrage in the livestream room was becoming increasingly outrageous.
“Ying-jie, look at what these people are saying…”
Sweet Bean handed her phone to Song Ying, her face full of concern. “Although the innocent will be cleared, I think it’s best for you to take advantage of today’s livestream to explain things clearly. If you miss this prime opportunity to clarify, who knows how much worse it’ll get later. What do you think?”
As a top-tier internet celebrity who built her fame on traffic, Sweet Bean understood the intricacies of such situations all too well.
Song Ying glanced at Sweet Bean’s screen, then opened her own phone and tapped into the trending topic. Suddenly, she clicked her tongue.
“To think that a small-time nobody like me has topped the trending list twice in just one week. This generation of netizens really thinks highly of me.”