Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
It was almost 10 p.m. when the party ended. Because of its many elements, the party lasted a full four hours.
After changing her clothes and getting into the car, Jiang Shining finally let out a deep sigh of relief.
I’m so tired. It’s definitely more comfortable to be a boss sitting in an office.
The car windows were all privacy-protected. Jing Yuan then took off his sunglasses, handed Jiang Shining a bottle of water, and looked at her with a complicated expression.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Shining took the water.
“How do you manage to have rumors with both men and women?” Jing Yuan said. “I really don’t know if you’re just too charming, or if those people on the internet have such wild imaginations.”
Jiang Shining knew what he meant. She leaned back in her chair and said listlessly, “You don’t understand. This is the trend now. Netizens are just joking. They just like beautiful things.”
The world was becoming increasingly advanced, and young people were far more virtuous than previous generations, but work was becoming increasingly demanding. Therefore, the entertainment era had arrived. Whether it was sharing memes or creating fanfiction pairings, it was all just a way for people to relax.
Many celebrities disliked fans creating fanfiction about them, but Jiang Shining found it quite cute that netizens drew various fanfictions simply because they were good-looking. She saw it as a simple and interesting behavior without any malice.
Once Jiang Shining got home and took a shower, she went online and found that the scene was even more lively than she had expected.
The trending topics list was completely dominated by tonight’s gala. There were just so many popular celebrities, making the list incredibly lively. Besides these stars, surprisingly, Lin Qingqing and Feng Fuman were also trending! One was a newcomer with no films yet released, and the other was a career-oriented actress; they usually couldn’t compete with the popular actresses, yet they had managed to outshine several younger actresses.
This was truly the power of netizens.
Jiang Shining looked up and could hardly believe that among so many popular celebrities, she was ranked second, and the entry was titled “Jiang Shining’s Love Triangle”.
Jiang Shining remained silent for a while before clicking to read it.
It contained videos and photos from various angles, with one of the most popular being a Weibo post from a popular entertainment account. The post had already been retweeted over 10,000 times in just one hour after the show ended.
Entertainment influencer: Am I the only one who thinks this is an absolutely gorgeous love triangle? Watching their interactions, I’ve already imagined a 10,000-word romance novel by a CEO.
Clicking in revealed a fairly complete video showing Feng Fuman’s arrival and departure. What’s even more outrageous was that the video was accompanied by subtitles depicting their inner thoughts.
Comment below: Can anyone tell me why Lin Qingqing’s eyes are so hostile? Did I somehow manage to get a real couple?
Comment 2: I wonder what Feng Fuman was thinking when she tapped Lin Qingqing’s forehead with her finger? It’s like a mature woman paired with an innocent girl?
Jiang Shining finished reading with a bewildered expression. Just as she exited, another trending topic appeared: “[Jiang Shining and Feng Fuman]”, with many people asking about their relationship. Because there had been previous rumors of Feng Fuman terminating her contract, some people suspected she had signed with Ninglu.
What’s toxic was that a popular blogger who was just promoting Jiang Shining and Lin Qingqing as a fairy-tale couple had now posted a screenshot of the two of them looking helplessly at Feng Fuman. She then asked: “I just want to know why Boss Jiang looks at Feng Fuman with such helplessness and doting. I think the mature and sophisticated couple is the real deal.”
Several keywords related to Jiang Shining were at the top of the search results. Moreover, apart from buying trending topics for Lin Qingqing’s personal keywords, Jiang Shining didn’t actually buy trending topics for herself. The powerful and bored netizens actually used their own power to make the three of their names surpass some celebrity trending topics.
At this moment, a celebrity agent who had spent money but was relegated to the front row was looking at Weibo and was furious.
“Ninglu Media is despicable!” she said angrily. “They actually made their artists create a romantic pairing with their own female boss?! Who came up with this dirty trick?!”
They managed to create a CP (couple pairing) without any negative news, and while everyone enjoyed it, no one took it seriously. It generated so much buzz, yet it didn’t tarnish the artists’ reputations or draw criticism from the other side’s fans. Ninglu Media actually pulled off something this good.
Furthermore, under the public eye, the biggest advantage for female celebrities was that when two male celebrities created a same-sex couple pairing, it disgusted some people who disliked them. However, when two beautiful women were paired up, it was welcomed and viewed more positively; people were more tolerant and even found it cute. Relationships between women were inherently closer; female best friends could hold hands and sleep together, but it seemed a bit strange for men, no matter how close they were, to do the same.
Regardless, this incident had truly set a new precedent. It was the first time the public had seen a female celebrity and a female boss engaging in publicity stunts together.
At 11 p.m., when the three of them were at the height of their popularity, Jiang Shining posted another Weibo.
Jiang Shining NL: No, I didn’t. [Tears]
The netizens started laughing hysterically.
A while later, Feng Fuman also posted a Weibo post with only one emoji: [eye roll].
The eye-rolling emoji on Weibo, while disdainful, also had a touch of cuteness, making everyone laugh again.
The next day at work, the employees looked at Jiang Shining with admiration. In less than a year, Ninglu Media had transformed from an unknown, obscure entertainment company into one of the top companies, and Jiang Shining had played an absolutely crucial role in that.
It seems that those who remain popular for a long time are all like this: they have an innate sense for trending topics and know how to maximize their popularity.
Everyone thought Jiang Shining was stunned. How could she have come up with such a powerful idea as having a scandal with a female celebrity? Little did they know that this was the only thing Jiang Shining had never anticipated.
It just goes to show how powerful netizens are; no one can predict what they like.
With only a week left until the Chinese New Year, the film and television and variety show departments of Ninglu Media had already started their holidays. The artist teams could only follow the rhythm of their own artists. 4T had been invited to record programs at various galas, and their teams could only work overtime and take shifts.
Ninglu Media wasn’t purely an artist management company, so it was okay. Companies that manage a large number of artists, big and small, rarely get a break during the Lunar New Year; everyone probably had to work overtime.
Jiang Shining had some free time now, so she stayed at home, went out to play with Guoguo, and tidied up the house with Chen Ruozhi. She was quite happy.
Jing Xuan’s situation was almost settled. He only needed to go for half a day each day. In the afternoon, he drove to Jing Yuan’s company to hang out.
The underlings Jing Yuan had in his previous life, after undergoing professional training, all became key personnel and instructors to train newly recruited individuals. As a member of the royal family, Jing Yuan was probably the only bodyguard boss who, in addition to requiring height and a healthy physique, also demanded that interviewees wear sunglasses and be handsome.
When he took his people out, even bodyguards, they must have the imposing presence of top-tier agents.
Jing Xuan was introduced as a ‘specially invited martial arts instructor’. He would occasionally give the newcomers some pointers on their movements and postures. Although he had never actually fought, the students didn’t dare to underestimate him because they saw how much the instructors respected him.
On the other hand, Chen Tanliang was actually quite depressed during the period after his return.
He had a hard time finding something he wanted to do.
He wanted to be a military officer, but unfortunately, he was serving in a foreign military, and no other country’s armed forces would accept him. As a second option, he wanted to be a policeman, but that also involved military service, so they wouldn’t accept him either.
But what else could he do besides leading troops into battle?
It must be said that his last year as a special agent in the United States was a very enjoyable one for him. Chen Tanliang was full of a sense of justice, and he felt that his personal value could only be realized by protecting his country and others. So, that year, he was able to catch bad guys and brave gunfire, and Chen Tanliang was actually quite happy.
Some people were born for danger and the battlefield, and he and Chu Jingyuan were such people.
However, although Chen Tanliang’s current life was somewhat depressing, he still comforted himself that his inability to be of any use was a kind of solace and a good thing. It showed that the world was at peace and that no ordinary people would suffer the loss of their families.
Although Chen Tanliang didn’t say anything, Jing Yuan could see the frustration in his heart.
After all, the two were too similar in some ways. Jing Yuan had also experienced the same things that once troubled Chen Tanliang.
“Would you like to come to my company for a visit?” Jing Yuan asked him one day. “Since you’re free, you could train some trainees and keep yourself busy.”
Chen Tanliang really didn’t expect Jing Yuan to take the initiative to invite him, because the relationship between the two could be described as ‘incompatible’.
Jing Yuan sighed.
“I know what’s bothering you, but there’s nothing I can do. Contentment is happiness,” he said. “You’re a commander, you’re better than me at training troops, so consider this a favor, okay?”
Jing Yuan invited him, and Chen Tanliang couldn’t possibly refuse. On the last day before the New Year holiday, Jing Yuan took Chen Tanliang to the factory.
Thus, the trainees who had previously thought Jing Yuan was strict realized their youthful naiveté. Compared to Chen Tanliang’s training, their previous hardships seemed insignificant.
They felt the fear of being ruled by the young marshal.
—This isn’t bodyguard training, it’s special forces training?!
That night, no trainees in the factory were able to sit up; everyone collapsed on the ground, too exhausted to get up.
As Chen Tanliang’s boots approached, the souls of the students who met him on the first day seemed to tremble.
Chen Tanliang gave a pleasant chuckle.
“See you after the New Year, friends,” he said. “Wishing you all a happy New Year.”
The trainees suddenly felt dizzy.
What kind of good New Year is this?
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