Wen Shike noticed that An Ya’s name was essentially tethered to keywords like “donations” and “teaching in rural areas.”
These repetitive remarks appeared frequently though brief, they left an impression. For a passerby, hearing this several times would lead them to subconsciously associate An Ya with “charity” and “sacrifice,” further linking her to qualities like good character, kindness, and diligence.
Most casual viewers wouldn’t dig deeper, but they would develop a positive “public persona” (passerby affinity) for her.
Because of the argument, there wasn’t much time left for the livestream. Seizing the large audience, Wen Shike took her guitar and performed a song she had written in an hour a few days prior.
The song was titled “Good Morning.” It was a folk song with a light, upbeat, and positive style, expressing her bright hopes for the future alongside minor inner confusion and wanderlust. The difficulty wasn’t high and the lyrics were simple, but they paired perfectly with her voice to create a vivid sense of imagery.
Wen Shike’s voice was gentle, like a whisper in one’s ear. She told a story, and the listeners’ hearts calmed along with her melody.
She was an “image based” singer, she knew how to utilize her vocals. Even without a sound card and with mediocre recording equipment, the result was excellent. She was perfectly suited for this genre.
Of course, Lu Jingwei had yet to discover anything Wen Shike wasn’t good at.
Except for making the bed.
Lu Jingwei silently added that thought in her heart.
The audience in the livestream was gradually swayed by Wen Shike, and the broadcast eventually became her home turf. Many onlookers who came for the drama forgot to leave.
[Gossip Princess]: I always felt current idols were getting worse and worse, with only a few worth watching. I didn’t expect… this is actually good? But maybe it’s just a “tallest among the dwarves” situation.
[Star Not Grabbing Stars]: You call yourself a Gossip Princess? Get informed. Our Eldest Miss [Wen Shike] wrote the lyrics for “Radiance,” okay? She was the center for the initial stage, first place in the first performance, and ranked first overall!
[Wanting Happy Fat Water]: Didn’t they say Wen Shike was just here on a “royal inspection” for fun? She can actually compose? I feel like I’ve missed so much info.
“I wrote this song in an hour a few days ago. It’s not complete yet and has some flaws. I’ll continue to polish it when I have time,” Wen Shike said as she tidied her hair.
After a few more words, she ended the stream and returned the equipment to the staff.
“Miss Wen, do you need to contact Miss Qiu?”
“Yes.” Wen Shike nodded and glanced at Lu Jingwei. “I’ll go for a moment.”
“Okay,” Lu Jingwei replied. Since Wen Shike was gone, she didn’t linger and walked out of the dorm.
“Is everything okay?” Ming Wangxue asked immediately. She hadn’t dared to approach while Wen Shike was with the staff.
“It’s fine, she continued the stream normally. Where is Wei Rongrong?”
“I don’t know, the staff took her away.” Mentioning Wei Rongrong made Ming Wangxue’s anger flare again. “It’s too much. Who wouldn’t find this situation ridiculous? And that An Ya…”
“I’m so mad.” Ming Wangxue took a deep breath and stomped her feet. “Why cause so much trouble? Can’t they just compete normally? The Eldest Miss really suffered a disaster out of nowhere.”
“Where is Yang Simiao?” Lu Jingwei asked.
Ming Wangxue frowned and shook her head. “Haven’t seen her, but I heard she’s been in the dance studio practicing.”
“Wei Rongrong wasn’t supposed to stream today… where did her equipment come from?”
“She snatched it. She stole it from Wu Shuang. Wu Shuang has been crying for half an hour.”
Lu Jingwei: “…”
To be honest, she thought she had met some eccentric people in the past, but she never expected to encounter such bizarre behavior here.
“She’s like she’s gone mad,” Ming Wangxue complained. “Wu Shuang will do a make-up stream tomorrow, but… sigh, after this mess, the stream’s impact probably won’t be great.”
“Not necessarily,” Lu Jingwei countered. “If marketed well, Wu Shuang could attract a wave of fans. After all, she is the most innocent victim in this specific incident.”
Ming Wangxue nodded, understanding the logic.
Wen Shike went to the director’s area. Wei Rongrong was there, her eyes swollen from crying. Wen Shike didn’t give her a second look. She took her phone and called Qiu Yu, though she made sure to accept those few friend requests first.
“Hello,” Wen Shike stood in a corner without cameras.
“How do you want to handle this?” Qiu Yu asked.
“Legal channels. No need to demand she be kicked out of the competition ourselves, let the program handle that. Her actions likely breached her contract with the show. We don’t need to waste effort on that.”
“Mhm.” Qiu Yu was calm. “Your parents know about this too. They’ve called me several times.”
“I’ll call them in a bit.” Wen Shike looked out the window. “What’s the deal with An Ya?”
“When An Ya was in university, she went to the mountains to teach. She ignores no one and donates money to children there every year. Several kids made it to university because of her funding. Her team is using that for marketing right now,” Qiu Yu explained.
“If it’s true, she is doing a good deed. But they’ll likely step on me to boost her image.”
“They’ve already started. Your family donates so much every year, and you do charity yourself, so this kind of ‘comparison marketing’ isn’t hard to resolve.”
“Don’t worry about it for now,” Wen Shike said. “The specifics of the Yin and Wen families’ charities can be found online. The small amount I donate isn’t worth mentioning. Let’s wait for people to discover it on their own. Marketing my own donations feels like I’m losing the original intent of why I gave the money.”
“You’re quite particular,” Qiu Yu said, somewhat helpless.
“But we can’t do nothing. We can’t let them step on us for free.”
“Right. We won’t use your charity work as a talking point, but we need another way to respond.” Qiu Yu pondered for a moment. “I think I have an idea.”
“Help her with her marketing then,” Wen Shike laughed. “I don’t mind being ‘stepped on’ a bit harder for now.”
“We’re thinking the same thing. I’ll implement it.”
“Good.”
“Drink less milk tea,” Qiu Yu added. “I know you’re exercising a lot there, but it’s better not to overdo it.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Wen Shike replied dismissively as she hung up. She rubbed her neck, looked around, and found a more secluded spot to video call her parents.
Before she could speak, the two on the other side started talking a mile a minute.
“Keke! Are you okay? Those people are too much!”
“Exactly! I’ll have your brother find her company boss tomorrow for a talk….no, I’ll go myself!”
“You’ve lost weight. Is the food there bad?”
“Why participate in this? If you want to debut, just debut directly!”
“I’ve been on Weibo lately. So many people are spreading rumors. I’ve already had someone compile them to sue! It’s outrageous!”
“Mom, Dad, I’m really fine.” Wen Shike gave a big smile. “You know me. How could I let myself be bullied?”
“How could they dare? Saying such nonsense in front of so many people!”
For the next ten minutes, the two took turns giving her a lecture on “ideological education,” telling her to strike back when necessary and not fear offending anyone.
Wen Shike: I’m really not afraid.
When she returned the phone, her expression was helpless, but there was a faint trace of a smile in her eyes. Who wouldn’t enjoy being cared for?
Wei Rongrong tried to speak to her, but failed to say a single word because, from start to finish, Wen Shike had no intention of listening.
However, as Wen Shike was leaving, she remembered something.
When Lu Jingwei first told her about the situation, she mentioned that Wei Rongrong had been egging Yang Simiao on to go to the director. This meant Wei Rongrong wanted Yang Simiao to be the one to expose the truth. Yet, in the end, it was Wei Rongrong herself who did it…
What happened in between? If one were bold enough to guess, a picture began to form.
When Wen Shike returned, she found many people sitting in the small common room. They all looked up in unison when she walked in.
“Eldest Miss, if you want to cry, you can dive into my arms. I won’t mind the tears or snot,” Ming Wangxue said, opening her arms wide.
Wen Shike gave her a look of pure disgust. “Nothing to cry about. Thanks for the concern, I’m fine.”
“Will Wei Rongrong be disqualified?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t demand it; it’s up to the program,” Wen Shike said.
“Ah…” The others exchanged glances.
“Eldest Miss, you’re too forgiving.” Zhou Yueran looked at Wen Shike as if asking if she had turned into some kind of saint.
The people sitting there were all relatively close to Wen Shike, so they spoke without much filter. Wen Shike twitched the corner of her mouth but didn’t explain. If she forced the disqualification, she’d owe the program a favor. One shouldn’t owe too many favors.
Besides, Wei Rongrong’s disqualification was a foregone conclusion.
Wen Shike didn’t see Yang Simiao until the next morning.
As she and Lu Jingwei walked out of the dormitory building, they saw Yang Simiao standing on the path in the distance. Without any explanation, Wen Shike’s intuition told her this person was waiting for her.
She was right. Yang Simiao walked over and smiled at Wen Shike. “Eldest Miss, I have something I’d like to say to you.”
“Do you need me to step away?” Lu Jingwei asked.
“It would be best,” Yang Simiao’s smile didn’t change, it was the same smile she wore on stage, smelling of artificiality.
“I’ll head to the cafeteria first.” Lu Jingwei glanced at Wen Shike, seeking her approval.
“Okay.” Wen Shike nodded. Once Lu Jingwei left, she looked at Yang Simiao. “What do you want to say?”
“I want to explain the situation regarding Wei Rongrong. I don’t want to leave a bad impression on you, and I certainly don’t want to become your enemy.”
“Then speak.” Wen Shike pulled down her baseball cap and narrowed her eyes, her gaze suddenly carrying a heavy sense of pressure.