Chapter 171 Song Ni's Dominant Weibo Post
Song Ni was unconcerned about the trending topic, knowing that due to Tan Zheng's identity, he wouldn't be exposed. However, she underestimated the power of paparazzi and other capital forces. Lu Hao Ting's meteoric rise, his contrast between appearance and music, his lively personality, and his active engagement with online trends allowed him to quickly adapt to memes and jokes, fostering an exceptionally loyal fanbase. Beyond Lu's Entertainment, other companies and rising stars existed. Someone with such a strong fan base as Lu Hao Ting posed a significant threat. No one wanted to see him continuously succeed without any setbacks.
In the afternoon, people began digging into Lu Hao Ting's background, discovering he had no sister and that Lu Fang was his cousin. This led to marketing accounts spinning various narratives, claiming Lu Hao Ting's success was solely due to Lu Fang, and unearthing his early, somewhat juvenile, school performance videos, which were then maliciously portrayed by marketing accounts, questioning how someone with such mediocre talent could become popular. Some even attacked Lu Hao Ting's credibility as an original rapper, suggesting he had a production team behind him. Someone even dug up photos of Song Ni rushing to Yu Cheng airport that day. Marketing accounts, while claiming she was an actress from a certain drama, vehemently denied she was Lu Hao Ting's sister. When fans countered with photos of her being carried away by Tan Zheng, she was slandered as promiscuous.
Due to the involvement of other capital investors, the heat of the situation remained high. Even if Lu Fang had the ability to suppress the trending topics, other investors saw it as an opportunity to tarnish Lu Hao Ting's reputation, making his situation even worse.
Lu Hao Ting's agent, Zhou Ning, was not worried about attacks on Lu Hao Ting's original music, as Lu Hao Ting kept detailed notes and records of every song's creation. He also wasn't afraid of people investigating the circumstances of Lu Hao Ting's rise to fame. From the beginning, Lu Fang had disagreed with Lu Hao Ting entering the entertainment industry and would never have provided him with any special treatment. Lu Hao Ting had forged his own path, and only then did Lu Fang sign him. If there was any convenience Lu Fang, as his cousin, offered, it was only to have Zhou Ning manage him. However, this point alone wouldn't significantly impact Lu Hao Ting.
What worried Zhou Ning was Song Ni's situation. With the media digging deeper and the special nature of Tan Zheng's identity making them unable to find any leads, they were now focusing all their efforts on investigating Song Ni. If left unchecked, it was only a matter of time before Song Ni's identity was exposed. Everyone at Lu's Entertainment knew Song Ni's background was not simple. While Lu Fang had a solution that could completely distance Song Ni from the situation, it would negatively affect Lu Hao Ting, which Zhou Ning desperately wanted to avoid.
The biggest problem was that she hadn't confiscated Lu Hao Ting's Weibo access. Lu Hao Ting, still young and impatient, saw people on the internet slandering him and directly posted a furious retort. "Those who are cursing my sister, you all wait. The lawyer's letter will definitely reach your doorstep." "How disgusting are you to think like that?"
Upon discovering Lu Hao Ting's Weibo post, Zhou Ning immediately had him monitored. The internet was now in an uproar, with everyone trying to find out who this so-called sister of Lu Hao Ting was. Zhou Ning, at his wit's end, turned to Song Ni. "Miss Song, could you please talk to Mr. Lu for me? If he does that, Hao Ting's previous efforts will be in vain."
"What does Lu Fang want to do?"
"Directly suppress the trending topics and block the search terms."
Netizens today are incredibly adept. Song Ni herself had a following, and if others dug deeper, it wouldn't be impossible to uncover her connection to the Song family. Lu Fang's intention was simply to protect Song Ni's identity. Although he was a businessman, he had considered letting Song Ni continue her career in entertainment after this drama. However, he understood that prominent families valued reputation above all else. Song Ni's identity as the eldest daughter of the Song family could not be revealed. This approach, while costly and crude, was the most effective. However, Lu Hao Ting would undoubtedly be affected.
"It's not that complicated. I'll just post something on Weibo."
Zhou Ning seemed to agree. "However, people will then start digging into your identity, Miss Song."
Song Ni scoffed. "Let them try." What if they found out? Even if they did, it wouldn't be seen by everyone. Whether it was the Song family or the Tan family, as long as Song Ni didn't want it, her identity wouldn't be revealed to the public.
Song Ni directly logged onto Weibo and posted again. "Lu Hao Ting is the younger brother my husband grew up with, and he usually calls me 'sister-in-law.' But I think 'sister' sounds nicer, so I let him call me that. Don't even think about digging into my identity. My husband is not someone to be trifled with, so be careful about receiving lawyer's letters. Did you see the roses in the previous post? My husband has already appeased me."
Song Ni uploaded the selfie from that day along with her flight information. After posting, she didn't look at it again. A public relations team would handle the aftermath. She then called Lu Fang. "You're truly Hao Hao's brother. Aren't you afraid of hurting Hao Hao's feelings by doing that?"
Lu Fang, looking at Lu Hao Ting in his office, smiled and put the call on speakerphone. "He won't care about these things. He's the one who asked me to do this. He's worried about you."
Lu Hao Ting sounded dejected and muffled. "Sister-in-law, it's all my fault for not being careful."
Song Ni felt they were making a mountain out of a molehill. "This has nothing to do with you. I wanted to go and see it myself."
"But they insulted you, and their words were so nasty!"
Song Ni chuckled. "I'm filming and don't have time to look. Let them curse; I won't take it to heart."
"But I don't like it. How can they curse you!" He was indeed young, easily provoked by insults directed at Song Ni. However, it was precisely this that made Song Ni happy. Lu Hao Ting truly treated her as an elder sister. "You don't need to worry about it. I just posted on Weibo. Go and take a look."
Lu Fang, however, still disagreed with Song Ni's approach. "Sister-in-law, by doing this, you're clearly drawing all the fire towards yourself." Netizens would become even more curious about Song Ni's identity and pay more attention to her drama. If any flaws appeared, she would be subjected to even harsher criticism.
"If you had blocked everything, people would still be curious about my identity." She did this simply to prevent Lu Hao Ting's previous efforts from being in vain.
Lu Fang sighed deeply. "Brother Tan will skin me alive."
Song Ni raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Are you saying you did all this just to give Tan Zheng a good answer?"
Lu Fang: ...
"It would be better if I posted instead. I'm showing affection, and he'll be overjoyed. As for people digging into my identity, he'll handle it. This also saves you a lot of money."
It made sense. "Sister-in-law, could you also mention the South City Film and Television City project to Brother Tan?"
Song Ni smiled enigmatically.
Lu Fang, a shrewd individual, immediately understood Song Ni's intention. "What does Sister-in-law want?"
"I want an answer."
Lu Fang frowned. "What answer?"
"How did his left wrist get injured back then?"
Lu Fang: ... Can he take back what he just said?
(End of this chapter)