A thought flashed through her mind.
As a top actress in her previous world, she had seen these kinds of tactics so often that they were practically routine.
She tapped into the official account of Our Little Courtyard.
The latest post had been published three days ago and officially announced Jiang Nian as a cast member.
People were already asking questions in the comments:
[I heard Su Qinghe is joining too. Is that true?]
The official account didn’t reply.
But it didn’t deny it either.
Su Qinghe let out a cold laugh.
Well, well.
So the production team was teasing the audience?
First, they leaked the news to generate hype. Then, once public discussion reached a peak, they could either officially announce her participation or pretend nothing had happened and enjoy a free wave of traffic.
No matter which option they chose, she would be the one roasted over an open fire.
She continued scrolling.
The topic had already climbed to third place on the trending list.
Public opinion in the square had gradually shifted from “Is it true?” to “Su Qinghe is chasing clout again.”
People had even begun digging up her old scandals.
[Have you all forgotten the things Su Qinghe did while pursuing Lu Zhiheng? Waiting downstairs at his company, sending roses, hiring people to hold signs, what crazy thing hasn’t she done?]
[Now she’s claiming she’s distancing herself, but then she turns around and joins the same variety show. Who would believe her?]
[It’s obviously publicity. So disgusting.]
[As a Jiang Nian fan, I’m speechless. My sister is just trying to record a show peacefully. Why does she have to share the screen with a deranged woman like this?]
[As one of Lu Zhiheng’s admirers, I’m begging the production team to have some mercy and stop making my guy suffer.]
Reading the comments, Su Qinghe felt absolutely nothing.
If anything, she found them a little amusing.
She suddenly remembered something from her days as a top celebrity in her previous world.
Back then, she had been criticized every single day.
And she had learned one important lesson:
The more you explained, the more excited people became.
It was usually better to stay silent.
But this time was different.
This time, she had genuinely been wronged.
She had clearly rejected the invitation, yet the gossip accounts insisted she had confirmed her participation. The production team neither denied nor clarified anything, and somehow she ended up being cursed into the trending rankings.
She couldn’t swallow that frustration.
After some thought, Su Qinghe opened Weibo and began typing:
[Su Qinghe V: Just woke up and found myself getting criticized on the trending list again. Let me clarify: I have not confirmed my participation in Slow Life Courtyard. I’m only a small artist and not nearly important enough. Hopefully I’ll have the chance to work with Director Li in the future. Also, I’ve been editing my vlog lately. The first video is almost ready, so please come support it when it’s released. That’s all for now. Wishing everyone happiness every day.]
She hit send.
Two hours later, however, @OurLittleCourtyardOfficialWeibo commented directly beneath her post:
[We would like to invite you to participate in our variety show. May we ask whether you would be interested?]
The comment quickly received enough likes to become pinned at the top.
Su Qinghe had not expected the Our Little Courtyard production team to be so determined to get her onto the show. Their persistence was almost moving.
Originally, once she posted her clarification and the production team remained silent, the attention would eventually fade away.
Now things were different.
They had effectively put her on the spot.
If she refused now, people would say that a little D-list actress with such a tiny career was acting like a diva.
After thinking it over, Su Qinghe launched a poll.
She claimed she wanted to hear her fans’ opinions on whether they hoped she would join the variety show.
At the same time, she secretly placed an online order and arranged for paid commenters to vote against her participation.
Once that was done, she returned to editing her video.
After working for a while, she grew sleepy and ended up falling asleep on the sofa.
By the time she woke up, the voting results were out.
Su Qinghe was jolted awake by the vibration of her phone.
Not one or two vibrations.
It was a continuous barrage, like machine-gun fire.
Without opening her eyes fully, she reached for her phone and glanced at the screen through a narrow slit.
99+ private messages.
99+ comments.
99+ mentions.
Su Qinghe: “…………”
Slowly, she placed the phone back beside her pillow and closed her eyes again.
This had to be a dream.
Five more minutes of sleep and everything would be fine.
Her phone vibrated again.
This time, it was a call.
Sister Zhao’s name flashed across the screen with such intensity that Su Qinghe could practically hear her roaring through it.
Resigned to her fate, she answered.
“Su Qinghe!!!”
The shout nearly pierced her eardrums.
She held the phone farther away until the yelling subsided before bringing it back.
“I’m here, Sister Zhao. Go ahead.”
“You still have the nerve to say that?! Look at the mess you’ve created! Why did you make that poll?! Are you trying to attract more haters?! Do you know what’s trending right now? #SuQinghePoll#. Explain yourself!”
Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, Su Qinghe replied calmly,
“Sister Zhao, don’t get worked up. What’s wrong with a poll? I was just asking for opinions…”
“Opinions? What opinions? You don’t have fans!” Zhao Jing shouted, nearly out of breath. “Half your followers are random bystanders looking for entertainment, the other half are Lu Zhiheng’s admirers, and the rest are anti-fans! And you asked them to vote? Where was your brain?!”
Su Qinghe was silent for a moment.
“…Then what were the results?”
Zhao Jing went quiet for two seconds.
When she spoke again, her tone had become strangely complicated.
“See for yourself.”
The call ended.
Su Qinghe opened Weibo.
She entered her profile.
The voting results were displayed prominently beneath her latest post:
[Do you want Su Qinghe to join Our Little Courtyard?]
Yes: 89%
No: 11%
Participants: 370,000
Su Qinghe: “…………”
She rubbed her eyes and checked again.
Eighty-nine percent.
Three hundred and seventy thousand votes.
She was a tiny D-list celebrity with only eight hundred thousand followers. Under normal circumstances, even a few thousand interactions would be considered good.
And now thirty-seven thousand? No, three hundred and seventy thousand people had voted?
Who were they trying to fool?
She scrolled down to the comments.
The top comment read:
[LMAO! I voted yes because I want to watch the drama when she appears with Lu Zhiheng.]
Second place:
[Same. Who doesn’t love a battlefield of love and grudges? Fight! Fight!]
Third place:
[Su Qinghe, you absolutely have to go. I’ve already prepared my sunflower seeds and cola.]
Fourth place:
[As one of Lu Zhiheng’s admirers, I voted no. But why is the no side only eleven percent? Are you people demons?]
Fifth place, replying to the fourth:
[Because we’re here for entertainment. We just want to watch the chaos. Dog-head emoji]
After reading every comment, Su Qinghe fell silent for a very long time.
Then she put down her phone and let out a dramatic sigh toward the ceiling.
This world was truly filled with people who lived for entertainment.
Her original plan had been perfect.
Launch a poll, let everyone vote no, then post a Weibo update saying, “Respecting everyone’s opinions, I won’t be joining this time. Hopefully there will be opportunities to collaborate in the future.”
She could have exited gracefully and escaped unharmed.
But what happened instead?
Three hundred and seventy thousand votes.
Eighty-nine percent wanted her to go.
Were these people serious? Did they genuinely want to watch her embarrass herself?
Picking up her phone again, she checked the trending list.
#SuQinghePoll# had already climbed to seventh place.
Inside the topic, the atmosphere was filled with joy.
[Su Qinghe: I thought you’d vote no. Turns out you’re all here for the entertainment.]
[LMAO! This woman got stabbed in the back by her own fans, if they can even be called fans.]
[Not a fan. Just a random passerby who wants to watch the drama.]
[Same, I want to see her appear alongside Lu Zhiheng. It’ll definitely be entertaining.]
[Lu Zhiheng: What did I ever do to deserve this?]
[Jiang Nian: Then should I just leave?]
As Su Qinghe read the comments, she suddenly laughed.
Fine then!