The message he sent was simple, just a cute sticker of a little dog hugging its own paw.
Less than a second later, he withdrew it.
An Juexiao: ???
Gu Lucky Star: Sent it by mistake.
An Juexiao: ………………
President Gu, your acting skills are terrible!
Although she could not help teasing him in her mind, the corners of her lips lifted slightly. Because of his sudden, inexplicable message, her mood improved a lot.
An Juexiao: You saw the gossip on Weibo.
Gu Lucky Star: Mm.
An Juexiao: I didn’t expect President Gu to follow entertainment gossip too.
Recently, because of Peng Chenglang’s situation, many friends had come to ask her whether he was really as arrogant and unprofessional as rumored.
Because of that, An Juexiao subconsciously assumed Gu Zhanran was also asking her for inside information.
Gu Lucky Star: Peng Chenglang is a brand ambassador for our company. When something happens to him, the marketing department submits a report.
An Juexiao immediately understood. No wonder someone as busy as Gu Zhanran would know about such matters.
An Juexiao: Rumors are fiercer than tigers. They’re all fake, you must not believe them.
An Juexiao: Will this affect his career negatively?
She knew that brands cared deeply about their ambassadors’ public image. Contracts often included clauses stating that if the ambassador’s personal issues harmed the product’s reputation, the company had the right to terminate the contract and demand compensation.
Since those baseless scandals about Peng Chenglang broke out, rumors had spread that brands were terminating contracts with him and even seeking compensation.
She watched the “typing…” indicator linger for a long time. She thought Gu Zhanran was composing a long response, but in the end, he only sent six words: You care about him a lot?
An Juexiao was stunned. Did Gu Zhanran type that with his feet, it took so long for just six words.
An Juexiao: He’s my friend! Who would like seeing their friend get scolded?
Gu Keqing had once described An Juexiao as often clever but occasionally slow. Yet when she was slow, she was somehow protected by luck, managing to avoid trouble.
Just like now.
Gu Lucky Star: This situation isn’t that serious. It won’t reach the point of losing endorsements.
Gu Lucky Star: According to feedback from the marketing department, Peng Chenglang’s fan base has actually become more solid, and his exposure has increased, which has even boosted product sales.
An Juexiao: Is this what they call negative publicity still being publicity?
Gu Lucky Star: Yes.
Gu Lucky Star: His fans even increased purchases of the products he endorses to support him. The brands are probably happy about it, they might even want to celebrate.
An Juexiao: ………………
An Juexiao: The entertainment industry is really unbelievable.
Gu Lucky Star: If you want to stay in this industry, you need to care and not care at the same time.
Care and not care? An Juexiao murmured to herself, pondering the phrase. She half understood it, feeling like she was close to grasping its meaning, yet not quite there.
Gu Lucky Star: Care means holding on to your original intentions. Not caring means not paying too much attention to others’ opinions.
Enlightenment struck An Juexiao. It felt like walking through a long, dark tunnel and suddenly seeing a bright exit ahead. President Gu, you’re amazing! Thank you!
With those words from Gu Zhanran, An Juexiao felt much more at ease about the chaos and controversies in the entertainment industry.
Sometimes life is like that. A loss may turn out to be a blessing. Just when you think you’ve reached a dead end, another path might quietly appear beside you.
On the day of the interview, Su Lanxue, An Juexiao, and two male actors appeared together. It was An Juexiao’s first time facing so many media outlets, and it would be a lie to say she was not nervous.
Fortunately, among the four of them, she had the least fame. Although she had taken the “center position debut” spotlight before, she still lacked solid works to back her up, so the media remained unfamiliar with her. During the group interview, most of the attention was focused on the other three actors, especially Su Lanxue, and An Juexiao was sometimes even ignored.
She did not feel upset about this difference in treatment. Instead, she felt relieved. At her current stage, she truly could not handle the media as effortlessly as Su Lanxue did.
At the beginning, the media asked routine questions, such as when the movie would be released and what it was like working with Director Zhang.
Su Lanxue smiled gracefully and responded with ease, engaging cleverly with different outlets. More importantly, she was considerate of the other three actors. When answering questions, she would deliberately include all of them, which made An Juexiao admire her attentiveness.
“Is Peng Chenglang still filming with the crew? Have the recent online rumors affected him?”
Even though the agents and the production team had repeatedly instructed the media not to ask questions unrelated to the film, they were far more interested in Peng Chenglang’s gossip.
The two male actors immediately fell silent when they heard the question. They exchanged glances, knowing this issue was like a landmine, whoever touched it would get blown up.
Su Lanxue smiled and skillfully deflected, “This is the film set, let’s talk about Director Zhang’s movie instead.”
“Peng Chenglang is the male lead, so this is related to the movie too.”
Someone in the crowd suddenly said that, and it quickly gained agreement. “Exactly, tell us about it. How has Peng Chenglang been recently?”
While smiling, Su Lanxue signaled subtly to the agent and the crew staff.
“Alright, that’s all for today’s interview. Everyone has come from afar and worked hard, we’ve prepared refreshments and small gifts for you. Please head this way.”
Although the staff remained polite, the media were not so easily dismissed. Each of them seemed to grow extra arms, stretching forward to push microphones toward the four actors’ faces, pressing for answers with all kinds of tactics.
“Lanxue, say a few more words. What was your impression of Peng Chenglang during your time working together?”
“Why hasn’t Peng Chenglang come out for interviews? Is it true, as rumored, that he was kicked out by the director?”
“With no male lead, how will the filming continue? Will another actor replace him, or will the script be changed?”
In their scramble for breaking news, they pushed and shoved, and the scene quickly became chaotic. Zhang Xiaowan stepped forward with the staff to maintain order, but her main priority was protecting An Juexiao. She raised one hand in front of An Juexiao and called out loudly, “Please don’t crowd, be mindful of safety.”
Zhang Xiaowan lowered her voice. “Sis, let’s go.”
An Juexiao nodded.
“Is it true that Peng Chenglang likes to throw his weight around and bully other actors on set? Have you ever been bullied by him?”
A reporter shouted the question, thrusting a microphone right up to An Juexiao’s mouth.
An Juexiao paused, then turned her head and looked at the reporter coldly.
After a few seconds of silence, she took the microphone. The reporter who handed it to her could not hide their excitement, this was going to be a big scoop.
For some reason, An Juexiao recalled what Gu Zhanran had said to her. To care, would she be the kind of person who avoided a friend in trouble? Of course not.
An Juexiao said calmly, “Never.”
The other reporters had originally crowded around Su Lanxue, but when they noticed the commotion here, they quickly turned their microphones and surged toward An Juexiao like a tide.
“By ‘never,’ do you mean he has never acted arrogantly?”
“Are you saying all the online allegations are false?”
“Then who do you think those allegations are about?”
Each question sounded simple, but in truth, every one of them was like a blade. One misstep and An Juexiao would be riddled with wounds.
She took a deep breath and said, “The Peng Chenglang I’ve seen on set is a dedicated and serious actor. Even when injured, he continues filming without affecting the crew’s progress. His team has already released a statement explaining that during a water scene he nearly developed pneumonia, and combined with previous injuries from action scenes, he took a few days off to recover. There is no such thing as being removed from the production.”
Her gaze was steady and intense. “Also, I sincerely ask those who spread rumors to name names directly. Do not say ‘I heard from someone’ or ‘a friend told me,’ and do not hide behind initials.”
“If you’re going to say it, then say it openly. Don’t act evasively and then delete posts to cover it up. It only creates panic and suspicion among everyone, which is not good for the long-term development of the entertainment industry.”
Her words were firm and forceful, each one landing with weight.
When she finished, the scene fell silent.
The reporters were stunned. They had only intended to dig up some news, but instead uncovered something explosive. This was practically a declaration of war.
The two male actors stared at An Juexiao in shock. This situation was different from usual. The allegations had not come from the media but from insiders posting publicly on Weibo. By saying this, An Juexiao not only defended Peng Chenglang but also offended a large group of people.
As for Zhang Xiaowan, she reacted quickly. The moment An Juexiao took the microphone, she sensed trouble and immediately started a video call to Li Xi, giving him a live broadcast. What she did not know was that Li Xi happened to be in a company meeting, surrounded by a group of Yaohui’s senior executives.
After the group interview ended, the reporters packed up their equipment and left at unprecedented speed. They did not even bother taking the refreshments or small gifts, they rushed back to publish their stories.
After everyone dispersed, Su Lanxue’s agent remarked with feeling, “That An Juexiao is not to be underestimated.”
“Originally, you were supposed to be the focus of this group interview, but she used Peng Chenglang to grab attention. Today’s and tomorrow’s headlines will definitely be about her.”
Su Lanxue explained, “An Juexiao isn’t that kind of person. She genuinely spoke up for Peng Chenglang.”
Her agent let out a scoff. “There’s no such thing as sincerity in this world. Only利益 is real. Let me remind you, don’t let someone step on you to climb up. If she can use Peng Chenglang to hype herself today, she can use you tomorrow.”
“The competition is so intense now, and audiences are ruthless. Newcomers pop up every day like bamboo shoots after rain. You need to have a sense of crisis too, or you might end up being someone else’s stepping stone.” As Su Lanxue’s agent was speaking, she noticed several media outlets approaching Zhang Xiaowan to arrange exclusive interviews.
“Look at that. With just one move, An Juexiao has secured exclusive interviews. She’s rising faster than you, the female lead.”
Su Lanxue knew her agent’s words made sense, but sometimes hearing such “logic” only made her feel inexplicably irritated. She could only respond, “I understand.”
As she spoke, she looked toward An Juexiao, who was surrounded warmly by the media while scheduling exclusive interviews, and felt an indescribable emotion in her heart.