After Ye Meng left, the director asked for the management’s approval to let Ning Ran do the shooting first.
She was very cooperative while working with the professional team.
The raw video itself already looked spectacular before the editing. It was like a fashion blockbuster.
It was already late when the shoot ended. Exhausted, Ning Ran was about to head home and take a rest. Right then, Wang Xiaoou called her.
The call got through and she asked Ning Ran to come to the office for a meeting.
Despite her exhaustion, she agreed to it.
On the way to the office, Cheng Xiangyun broke down in tears all of a sudden.
Her reaction puzzled Ning Ran. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“There’s something I didn’t tell you because you were busy with the shooting, and I didn’t want to ruin your mood. I know why our company asks us to go back for a meeting,” Cheng Xiangyun said while wiping her tears.
“What happened? Just tell me already,” Ning Ran urged her anxiously.
“You and Ye Meng are trending on social media now.” Cheng Xiangyun handed over her phone.
Ning Ran took it and glanced at the treading topic. A Superstar Was Slapped By An Arrogant Starlet
The post came with a video of the incident that happened in the dressing room.
However, apparently, the video was incomplete and had been edited.
Not only did it not show the cause and effects of the incident, but it also highlighted the scenes in which Ning Ran slapped Ye Meng, and the latter shed tears of indignation pitifully.
Though Ye Meng’s popularity was going downhill these two years, she was still a superstar who was popular in China and throughout Asia.
Hence, she was someone whom Ning Ran could not afford to mess with. Yet, the latter not only offended her but slapped her as well.
Shortly after the video went viral, Ye Meng’s fans posted on various major online forums to reprimand Ning Ran. They started a movement to ask Star Entertainment to expel her and even demanded she quit the show business permanently.
In addition, some fans posted videos of themselves on media platforms, calling for Ning Ran to apologize and drop out.
Ning Ran felt her heart clench tightly, and her palms turned sweaty. Never had she expected that this issue would get so out of hand.
“Ran, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have provoked Ye Meng. Sorry to have dragged you into this mess,” Cheng Xiangyun said while sobbing.
“No, it’s not your fault. She was the one who slapped you first. Just ignore those irrational netizens. This isn’t the first time I got scolded or attacked by them. Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.”
Despite her calm voice while comforting Cheng Xiangyun, she was actually panicking on the inside.
After being in the show business for some time, she already knew how this industry worked.
The influence of scandals could be so massive that even the commercial she shot today might not be aired, and she would’ve to compensate for the loss.
Other than that, the viewership rating of Sound of Thunder 2 might be affected too.
It was a known fact that the netizens could get unreasonable at times, but such clamor on the Internet was more than enough to crush a person.
“Let me take the blame and shoulder all the responsibilities. Later when we arrive at the office, just tell them that I was the one who stirred up the fight and dragged you into this. Then I’ll make a video to apologize publicly, resign and leave the showbiz. I know my action may not have much effect, but these are all I can do. Hopefully, my apology will calm the netizens down and stop the situation from worsening,” Cheng Xiangyun said.
“No. You’ve done nothing wrong at all, so you don’t need to apologize. I’m the one who should do so, because I slapped her. Don’t say a word at the office later, I’ll bear the responsibility,” Ning Ran opposed her idea immediately.
Xiangyun got involved in the fight because Ye Meng humiliated me. Hence, I can put all the blame on Xiangyun when things turn ugly. After all, this is Ye Meng scheming against me, so making Xiangyun the scapegoat won’t solve the problem.
“What should we do now? Your career has just started to take off. We can’t allow this incident to ruin it. No, I’ll take the blame,” Cheng Xiangyun insisted.
“Xiangyun, you know how this incident started. Your resignation will only count for nothing, so it’ll be such a waste if you quit. We’ll see how it goes. In case Star Entertainment wants to terminate my contract, I’ll have no choice but to accept it. If worse comes to worst, I’ll go overseas then. There must be a place somewhere for me in this big world.”
Although Ning Ran felt dejected, she didn’t regret standing up for her friend.
When I was at rock bottom, Xiangyun was the one who took me in and allowed me to audition for Sound of Thunder 2. Only then I got to star in the drama as the female lead, which in turn brought me into the entanglement with the Nan family.
If it weren’t for Xiangyun, I would still be a wanderer in a foreign country. She’s my buddy. How could I do nothing when she got slapped until her nose bled?
“Let’s not be overly pessimistic. You have Sir Chen to back you up, but this time, I’m doomed for sure. I’m willing to take the fall. I really do. I’ll do whatever it takes to save your career, and I won’t regret it.”
Wiping her tears, Cheng Xiangyun spoke with a determined expression.
“Fret not, we’re of the same mind. Whatever comes our way, we’ll face it together.”
As they were discussing a solution, their car pulled over in front of Star Entertainment. Getting out of the car, they saw the director of the PR department having a phone call at the entrance.
His expression was stern when Ning Ran met his glare.
This doesn’t look good to me.
Wang Xiaoou had arrived as well. She was supposed to go on a business trip, but she had to cancel it after receiving the news at the airport.
As Ning Ran’s main talent agent, she was no doubt responsible for this incident too. Thus, her face was unusually grim.
In the meeting room, the CEO and most of the executives had turned up.
Ning Ran felt embarrassed to have troubled everyone. They were here to attend this emergency meeting at this late hour because of her.
“Ding Mi, tell us about the incident and describe everything in detail, as we need to write an article about it,” Wang Xiaoou said.
Standing up, Ning Ran began to fill them in on the incident while someone recorded and noted down her words.
“That’s all. This is how the incident came about. I only speak the truth!” With that said, she felt a sense of relief.
Whatever. Now that things turned out so badly, they can do anything they want.
The entire meeting room fell into pin-drop silence. Everyone was waiting for the CEO to speak.
“Ding Mi isn’t at fault because Ye Meng picked a fight with her. Obviously, she bore grudges as Ding Mi replaced her for the jewelry endorsement. But Ding Mi failed to control her own emotions. That’s why things have turned out this way,” the CEO concluded.
“It’s not Ding Mi’s fault but mine. I’m willing to take the blame.” Cheng Xiangyun stood up.
“What do you mean by ‘taking the blame’? How are you going to fix it? You were there too. Why didn’t you stop her? You’re her talent agent. Don’t you know the boundaries for a celebrity’s behavior? You should’ve held her back!” the director of the PR department yelled at her.
