Jin Yi’s attempt to learn how twisted Zhuo Yuan was ended in disappointment.
His friend had gotten lucky seeing Zhuo Yuan at the club, but unlike the reckless rich kids they were used to, someone like Zhuo Yuan—with real power and ability—was impossible for Jin Yi to dig up news about.
Defeated, Jin Yi pulled out his phone again.
Not for any other reason, but mainly to see just how shameless Jing Yuan could get.
Opening Weibo, he was stunned.
Jing Yuan’s post had already hit number one on the trending list.
And that wasn’t all—scrolling through the comments…
If this wasn’t manipulation of opinion, then it was as close to credible as it could get.
“Hiss…”
Wait a second.
Jin Yi fell into thought.
Why was it that no one seemed to know about Zhuo Yuan’s little quirks?
Could it be… that he’s actually the one behind all this?
Fan Qing: “…”
He paused, unsure what exactly Jin Yi was thinking about—some oddly strange thing, clearly.
He decided not to push it. Judging by Jin Yi’s expression, it seemed he hadn’t gotten the answer he wanted anyway.
Meanwhile, online sentiment was shifting rapidly.
Any clear-eyed observer could see the signs: Jing Yuan was backed by capital.
The agent took the fall, the company passed the blame, and Jing Yuan played the victim to redeem himself.
This full-service whitewashing spectacle left many spectators in awe.
The general public, being naive, quickly fell under the sway of manipulated opinions, and new voices began to emerge.
“I don’t know much about Jing Yuan, but he seems sincere in admitting his mistakes. He doesn’t sound fake. After all, he’s just a regular artist—how could he control the company and the agent?”
“Jing Yuan does seem sincere. His apology looks heartfelt, and though he benefited from the agent’s misdeeds, he didn’t know. In some ways, he’s also a victim.”
“Ah… suddenly I feel sorry for Jing Yuan. He thought the resources were his own, but it turns out the agent stole them from Nie Luo. Now he has to take responsibility for the agent’s mistakes…”
Voices framing Jing Yuan as the innocent victim gradually emerged.
Fan Qing frowned slightly.
If this continued, public opinion would quickly turn against Nie Luo.
At that moment, a new Weibo post appeared—again about Jing Yuan.
It seemed Jing Yuan was quite favored by Mr. Zhuo.
The post was from a well-known domestic luxury watch brand—the kind Fan Qing had heard of before.
And who was the endorser?
Of course, none other than Jing Yuan, the one in the eye of the storm.
Fan Qing opened Jing Yuan’s Weibo, and sure enough, he had reposted the brand’s announcement.
Jing Yuan v: Actually, there’s a small surprise for my fans these three days. Also, I want to thank the company for trusting and recognizing my character. A brilliant life, inside and out. @BrilliantLuxuryWatch
This endorsement was essentially an announcement and pardon, declaring Jing Yuan blameless.
Almost instantly, Jing Yuan visibly recovered, and his popularity began to rise again.
…Mr. Zhuo was making a huge move.
Fan Qing clenched his hand around the thermos, barely restraining himself from a mental groan.
From the agent’s disappearance to Jing Yuan’s public statement, the company’s scapegoating, and now a luxury watch endorsement—this was just the beginning of the “sweeteners” Mr. Zhuo was giving him.
As long as Jing Yuan performed well on Mr. Zhuo’s side, these rewards would likely keep increasing.
Just then, Jin Yi suddenly rushed back.
“Damn! When will we ever make enough to buy out Weibo? I can’t read another word these people are saying about Lao Nie!”
“What is it?”
Fan Qing looked up.
How could he not know?
Jin Yi, fuming, slammed his phone down.
“Look at what they’re saying about Nie Luo.”
Even that wasn’t enough to vent his anger, so he grabbed the phone again and read aloud loudly.
“Jing Yuan apologized sincerely, so why hasn’t Nie Luo posted anything forgiving him? Isn’t this slander? It was the agent acting on his own, right?”
“God, forgive him? That’s nonsense! Jing Yuan’s apology isn’t an apology—it’s green tea in its purest form. Bragging would be closer to the truth!”
He scrolled to another comment.
“But, Nie Luo has been with the agent longer, right? Why did the agent give his resources to Jing Yuan? Maybe Nie Luo has no potential, or was cruel to the agent behind the scenes, so the agent did this.”
“Are you kidding me?! People like this could be donated to medical schools as cadavers—at least they’d be useful for something! Don’t make your mother regret giving birth to you instead of a roast pork bun!”
Jin Yi grew increasingly worked up.
He slammed the table in frustration, looking at Fan Qing with utter seriousness.
“I can’t take it anymore. Tell me—do we have a way to help Lao Nie?”
Finally, Fan Qing heard something useful.
He exhaled lightly.
“Of course. The company’s PR team is available to me, but you’ll have to be the one to act.”
“I’ll act, no problem. Everyone already knows I’m connected to Lao Nie anyway.”
Jin Yi waved casually.
As long as they could deal with that disgusting Jing Yuan, he didn’t care!
“You can use the company resources however you want. You’re the real behind-the-scenes boss, got it? A regent, understand?”
Jin Yi tossed a new term.
Apparently, he and Hua Zi had recently learned some old-school drama lingo.
Fan Qing was speechless.
From puppet emperor to now regent—Jin Yi seemed to enjoy historical dramas more than he looked.
But none of that mattered now.
Fan Qing stood quickly. Since he had decided to help Nie Luo, it was best to go down to the PR team and direct things in person.
But before that…
He dialed Nie Luo’s phone.
The call rang for a long moment before it was answered.
Nie Luo’s voice cut through the noisy background with a clarity and calm that made it stand out.
“What’s up?”
Fan Qing exhaled slowly, adjusting his tone.
“Busy?”
Nie Luo hummed lightly in response.
It wasn’t hard to hear someone on his end asking him questions. Nie Luo’s low voice answered them, and Fan Qing waited quietly.
After about three minutes, Nie Luo’s voice returned to the phone.
“Something’s up?”
He paused, then added, “I’m fine.”
Both of them knew exactly what “fine” really meant.
But even over the phone, with the chatter around him, Fan Qing could hear mentions of Jing Yuan and other situations. It was clear Nie Luo wasn’t completely fine.
Jing Yuan climbing into Mr. Zhuo’s favor had undoubtedly affected Nie Luo, yet he still made time to answer Fan Qing’s call.
Fan Qing felt the weight of Nie Luo’s consideration once again.
“So much for being fine.”
He muttered with a teasing undertone and quickly followed up in a softer voice.
“Can I help you?”
A subtle, almost flirtatious hum escaped his nose.
“Hmm?”
Nie Luo, who had been about to refuse, paused.
There was a hint of helplessness in him, but also a certain familiarity. After a moment, he murmured, almost in wonder:
“Why are you so spoiled?”
Fan Qing was momentarily speechless.
Was that what he had just done considered “spoiled”?
Nie Luo still agreed.
He briefly outlined his schedule to Fan Qing, giving him a clear picture of the situation.
“Got it. I understand.”
With everything in hand, Fan Qing waved to Jin Yi.
Even as a “tool,” Jin Yi had proven surprisingly useful.
On Weibo, as more voices demanded Nie Luo respond, his fans grew increasingly furious.
“So now people get to whitewash without evidence? I’m dying laughing. Previously, Nie Luo’s proof was supposedly selectively blind and selectively forgetful? And now, they just throw an agent under the bus and it’s fine? Oh, the company is innocent and whitewashing? And Nie Luo not getting resources lately—does that not count? Jing Yuan is even funnier. Doesn’t he know his own standing and what resources he’s entitled to? But now everyone’s supposed to indulge him?”
“Please, people saying Nie Luo should forgive, read carefully. Has Jing Yuan apologized? No. He just shifted all the blame onto his agent and even had time to talk about a new endorsement. Honestly, if I were supporting that agent, I’d be disgusted by him. That’s classic betrayal.”
“I’m so mad, really. Some people’s useless brains should just be donated to those in need. Jing Yuan didn’t know? He’s a victim too? And we’re supposed to forgive him? Oh, like when a mistress seduces your father and drains his money, then gets caught, and she claims it was your father giving it to her, and she’s also a victim because she invested her youth and feelings? So we’re supposed to forgive her?”
The last comment, with its vivid analogy, quickly went viral, topping the responses under every post demanding Nie Luo forgive Jing Yuan.
Even the more rational Jing Yuan fans, seeing the metaphor, felt a strange twist of unease.
It was too immersive; just a little empathy and they felt furious.
“…Fan Qing really is incredible,” someone muttered.
The PR teams on both sides watched in awe as public opinion again tilted heavily toward Nie Luo, quietly astonished.
As insiders, they knew this comment had been personally orchestrated by Fan Qing.
Admiration mixed with fear; his ability to manipulate public opinion was truly intimidating.
“Tch, you really are terrifying.”
A voice suddenly broke through the room.
The PR team turned to look at the speaker, impressed.
Who had the courage to say what everyone was thinking…
Ah, it was Jin Yi. Never mind…
Jin Yi’s expression cracked.
He slowly met all their gazes.
“…Damn, did I really say that out loud?”
The team nodded slowly.
Jin Yi: !!!