First Kiss Diary - Chapter 13

“What… what apology?” The producer pretended not to understand.

Ji Shiyu didn’t hesitate, his face unchanged as he said, “An apology for buying black hot searches for Jining.”

Jining finally put down his spoon, “I also wanted to ask about this matter. After all, dropping a topic into hot searches without benefiting anyone doesn’t sit well, even if we paid for it.”

The producer chuckled awkwardly and tried to distance himself, “Did we buy the hot searches? Wasn’t it your own…”

It wasn’t as if your own reputation wasn’t already bad, with plenty of people cursing you.

Of course, Ji Shiyu understood that the production team was banking on Jining’s popularity among haters, as people often preferred topics they could mock and vent their stress about over good news. But that wasn’t a reason for them to exploit her or manipulate the situation.

Seeing Ji Shiyu remain silent with a cold demeanor and no intention of speaking, and noticing that Jining, despite appearing soft, didn’t compromise on such matters, the producer sighed and began the essential skill in the industry – shifting blame and acting.

He glanced at the people around the table, “Why is everyone silent? Did we really buy the hot searches?”

A blond guy scratched the back of his head, thinking, ‘You approved it yourself, isn’t that enough? Why pretend now…’

The producer started scolding the staff below one by one, “I was just too busy with one episode to check, and now such a big mess has been made. What are you trying to do? Are you trying to drive me crazy!”

The room fell silent; everyone was just trying to make a living and naturally didn’t dare to oppose the boss at this moment.

Seeing that the act was almost done, the producer turned to Jining and Ji Shiyu with a serious expression, a look of “no leniency”: “Let me investigate further. I’ll find out who proposed this and make her apologize to Jining properly.”

“Okay.”

Ji Shiyu pulled the chair and got up.

The producer followed, “What about our cooperation…”

“Let’s talk after the apology. We also need to see if it’s sincere or not,” Ji Shiyu, who had no intention of agreeing, patted Jining’s chair back, signaling her to come along. “Let’s go.”

The two left the table like that, leaving the producer with a face devoid of light and enough anger to choke on. But hindered by Ji Shiyu’s status, he couldn’t erupt. He slammed the table and continued to vent his anger at the people below, “I’ve said it before, we shouldn’t buy them, but you insisted on taking the risk. Now, look what happened!”

Feeling half-dead with anger, he couldn’t calm down: “She’s been receiving hate for half a year, and buying some black hot searches for our show, what does it matter? Isn’t it just boosting her traffic?!”

A newcomer murmured softly in disagreement, “But it’s not quite right for the show’s team to use hate against her to create a buzz. She trusted us to come on the show, and now she’s being bitten back…”

“Now you know how to talk back?! Why didn’t you say this when the proposal was made?”

The producer impatiently threw his phone, “Send a thousand-word apology drafted by Fang Xing, and then immediately kick her out!”

—

Jining followed Ji Shiyu out of the hotel, expecting them to get in the car directly, as it was inconvenient for celebrities to linger outdoors.

But he kept walking with her for about ten minutes without stopping, clearly showing no intention of getting in the car and just walking around.

She adjusted her cap, took out a mask from her pocket, found another one in the other pocket, and handed it to him.

Ji Shiyu looked at her for a moment, “Don’t you have anything to say?”

She didn’t quite understand his meaning, glanced at him for two seconds, lowered her eyelashes, and her voice sounded very light in the night wind, “Um… thank you.”

Sure, here’s the text with spaces between dialogue for easier readability:

“I didn’t mean that.”

Ji Ning knew he was referring to what had just happened. There seemed to be many thoughts and feelings in his heart, but just before speaking, he suddenly felt empty, as if as before: “Used to it.”

Used to taking the blame for doing nothing, for the sake of others’ future and popularity; used to every word and action being magnified to find fault, and then being accused without evidence; used to unintentional actions being given meaning and maliciously interpreted. She opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound.

A part of what artists earn is criticism. She had prepared for it before entering the industry, but she never expected to face such massive and irrational cyberbullying. It seemed that just because she was Ji Ning, everything she did was wrong, and even what she didn’t do was wrong too.

Ji Shiyu sat down on a bench by the street. She felt a bit dazed, as if reality and detachment overlapped: “Are you just going to sit here?”

The man who had been expressionless suddenly smiled, “Or should I sit on the lamp?”

In that instant, on the extremely ordinary sidewalk, without cameras or spotlights, his image felt real for the first time, as if every step she took towards him was truly getting closer. The man raised his head, looked into the distance without much emotion, and squinted his eyes: “I’ve been through it before.”

He said, “Controversy, doubt, endless fabrications. Prejudice always runs faster than truth.”

He was only 16 at the time. The price of overnight fame was glamorous yet cruel. Behind the emergence of idol sensations, there was bound to be more surging filth to face. “For a while, I just wanted to lock myself away and felt nothing was meaningful.”

“But then I suddenly realized, being defeated is because one isn’t strong enough, being doubted is because one’s abilities aren’t impeccable,” he said lightly, “So, be stronger, work harder.”

These ten words could probably solve most of the world’s difficulties. He thought if she needed it, it would apply to her too. Wise people know when to stop. Ji Shiyu flicked her cap brim and stood up.

Ji Ning subconsciously raised her hand to touch her cap brim, watching him walk away with an empty mind. She didn’t expect him to be willing to share his experiences with her, although she knew all about them. He wasn’t talkative, especially in the first few years after joining the industry, suddenly hearing too many voices. So he became even more reticent, coupled with his habit of frowning. Fans jokingly and half-heartedly started a topic called #HasJiShiyuReconciledWithTheWorldToday#, with the hit song being “You Are Not Truly Happy.”

Then there was a slight improvement, but after transitioning to acting in serious films, he was too busy to participate in entertainment activities. Fans were hoping for him to show a genuine smile someday.

The two of them had walked far from their starting point. Ji Ning saw a familiar convenience store and suddenly said, “They have oden here.”

He liked eating oden from this store. Several times, he had been spotted by fans in convenience stores, becoming the center of attention along with his heavenly face, and also the oden box he always held in his hand. Oden became a rival to fans’ affections, and some changed their IDs to “Ji Shiyu’s Oden,” shamelessly claiming, “I am Ji Shiyu’s darling.” When fans found out someone had won a big prize or had their card drawn, they would sarcastically say, “Are you the legendary oden?” meaning the chosen one in the industry. Since oden was spotted, Ji Shiyu had no reason not to eat it. The man quickly made a decision: “Let’s take a break here then.”

Risking being recognized and still wanting to eat was true love. Ji Ning followed him into the convenience store. The aroma of food was enticing. She glanced at the snack shelves, telling herself that looking was as good as eating. After all, wide-angle lenses make you look fat. Female artists must be slim to look good on camera. If you can’t control your mouth, you’re basically out of luck in this industry. Some celebrities who sell themselves as foodies eat less in private than she does. She casually picked up a bottle of zero calorie, zero sugar, zero carbohydrate, and zero fat beverage to drink, so she wouldn’t be tempted to eat later.

While Ji Shiyu bought oden, she casually scrolled through Weibo.

―― Became a spokesperson for T Brand, confirmed as the female lead in “Starry Sky,” and officially announced to be in a CP with Ji Shiyu. Marketing accounts were about to start attacking her, as expected. After all, the better her resources, the more jealous the competition becomes. They don’t care whether their artists are popular or not. They just can’t wait to suppress her, hoping she won’t steal all the limelight. The floating marketing accounts all had the same message: [Ji Ning Studio and Fan Club recently cleared their Weibo accounts. People thought they were going to quit the industry 🤔 but quickly wished Shen Xingyu a happy birthday and even posted recruitment notices. Is this because they finished riding on Ji Shiyu and are now riding on Shen Xingyu? Does she have to piggyback on every popular person for attention? Just like fans follow idols, are their fan clubs also this stinky?]. One marketing account with the ID “Heavy Fei” was particularly active in spreading rumors. Ji Ning knew this person was her professional anti-fan. Their daily routine consisted of timely slander and insults, and their language was very harsh.

[You guys don’t understand a thing. Clearing Weibo means an official announcement: Everything before doesn’t count. We’re officially starting the journey of piggybacking + marketing!].

[Xingyu is so pitiful. Her birthday has become a tool used by @JiNing.].

[She has been caught multiple times spending the night with other men. What a little ear, what a little slut.].

The pictures were of Ji Ning filming, but that storyline never aired. Yet these people began spreading rumors using those images.

Each artist has their own haters, often coming up with derogatory nicknames based on homophones of their names. These haters spare no effort in their insults, such as changing a name to something disgusting like “Ning Ning.” When a celebrity like Sheng Xingyu receives congratulatory messages, it’s customary for fan clubs to extend wishes, even to friends they’ve collaborated with. Conversely, receiving well-wishes from the other party’s fan club is considered polite. However, the president of Ji Ning’s fan club had been inactive for several months, and the last congratulatory message was sent five months ago. Ji Ning, upon noticing the oversight, realized it coincided with Sheng Xingyu’s birthday. She quickly sent a congratulatory message, and Sheng Xingyu’s fans responded positively, fostering harmony.

Reflecting on past events, it’s clear how hard these marketing accounts work to smear her. Fans are understandably outraged, mocking these marketing accounts for being outdated.

Furthermore, considering Sheng Xingyu’s relationship with Sheng Qiannight, if she wanted to exploit it, she would have done so long ago. She shook her head, contemplating leaving Weibo when she received a message from Ji Shiyu.

Ji Ning instinctively glanced back and noticed him sitting nearby. She asked, “Did you message me?”

So close and still messaging?

“Yeah, I sent you a business card, a lawyer for reputation cases.” He put down his cup. “After you take legal action, these marketing accounts will fear spreading rumors about you recklessly.”

He must have seen the contents of her phone.

Actually, Ji Ning had considered this before but hadn’t found the right lawyer. Since she lacked experience in this area, she planned to observe for a while before taking action.

“I’ve heard of him, but isn’t he not taking private commissions anymore?”

“I talked to him,” Ji Shiyu said. “Rest assured.”

The lawyer acted swiftly. After confirming with Ji Ning, he issued a statement on the firm’s Weibo:

[…Based on the client’s feedback and our investigation, several Weibo users, including “Chong Fei” and “Human White Lotus Ji Ning,” have posted numerous insulting and defamatory remarks and images against the client, maliciously creating topics like #WhenWillJiNingDie#. The images are fabricated screenshots and deliberate distortions, leading the public to misunderstand the client, thus damaging her reputation…

We have taken notarized preservation measures against the above-mentioned infringement and will take further legal actions based on this foundation to vigorously pursue the legal responsibility of the infringers and defend the legitimate rights and interests of the client…

…]

The statement was two pages long and very formal. This lawsuit wasn’t just a declaration but a proper use of the law to protect her reputation. The day of victory would come, and those who thought they could hide behind the internet would have to apologize to every artist they had insulted, with their crimes recorded for life.

She would personally confront blacklisted accounts like “Chong Fei,” refuting every rumor they spread, proving to all those misled that Ji Ning had acted justly.

Ji Ning’s studio forwarded the statement, and she herself made a statement on Weibo. After the post, her fan club’s management team arrived first, followed by scattered passersby and sympathizers. However, there were still some who mocked, saying it was meaningless, just an insignificant attempt to gain attention.

But soon, Sheng Qiannight and Lin Luosang actively reposted “Support Rights Protection,” and Sheng Qiannight’s fans quickly came to support, while Pei Hanzhou, Lin Luosang’s husband under the Chengzhou Group, also spoke up.

Probably under her sister’s instruction, Sheng Xingyu arrived ten minutes later. As a popular male idol, his repost immediately attracted more attention.

Gradually, almost half of the entertainment industry came forward to repost, showing support for her and expressing their outrage at online violence. After all, every artist had faced attacks, it was just a matter of degree, and she was the typical victim.

For the first time, the online sentiment overwhelmingly favored her.

[Some of these haters are really vicious. Even I, a grown man, find it terrifying. I wonder how Ji Ning feels.]
[The internet is not lawless; don’t think you can act recklessly just because you’re hiding behind a screen.]
[The current online environment really needs to be regulated.]

What she didn’t know was that after the rights protection Weibo fermented for half an hour, Ji Shiyu also participated in a live broadcast for a certain endorsement.

As a top influencer, the barrage was so fast that specific comments were almost unreadable. Ji Shiyu sat in his chair, unpacking the endorsed products, and happened to glance at the comments.

Actually, many of the comments were related to Ji Ning, but most were along the lines of “Did you get kidnapped to accept the first kiss diary?” “Do you have anything to do with Ji Ning?” Some even said:

[It’s obvious he and Ji Ning are fake; Ji Ning is just throwing herself at him. So many people have forwarded Ji Ning’s Weibo, but he hasn’t. They definitely have no relationship; don’t let the blurred coffee shop get traffic.]

“Fake” and “throwing herself at him” were particularly glaring words. Ji Shiyu turned his ring uneasily. “I haven’t reposted Weibo because I forgot my password.”

He suddenly answered a barrage question, surprising and frightening everyone.

Didn’t they say he was aloof and rarely answered extra questions?

But the man calmly continued, “But her lawyer is mine, and I’ve participated in the rights protection.”