Mu Yanxi wasn’t a particularly thin-skinned person to begin with. Right now, she was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her fur standing on end, desperate to prove something to Yi Wulan.
She quickly pushed open the door, wanting to chase after Yi Wulan and argue her case.
She clearly wasn’t scared at all!
But she had spent too long deliberately climbing onto Yi Wulan just now. Not only was her back sore, but her own weight had also made her legs go numb. When she got out of the car, she wasn’t paying attention and pitched forward, tumbling right out the door.
Mu Yanxi subconsciously reached for the dirty ground, but before she could land, a cool hand suddenly clasped her wrist and pulled with a slight force.
Her sore and numb body was caught off guard and fell forward, crashing headfirst into a familiar, warm embrace.
“Ugh…”
Before she could say anything, the momentum of her legs carried her forward, knocking Yi Wulan down as well.
Mu Yanxi: …
At this moment, Mu Yanxi’s hair was disheveled, and the flush on her cheeks from her earlier actions had faded, making her look even paler. The lipstick on her lips seemed to be the only color left. She lifted her thick eyelashes and slowly blinked twice.
Then she found an excellent opportunity to clear her name.
Her slightly upturned fox-like eyes narrowed, and she sized up Yi Wulan with a gaze that was almost seductive.
She was a picture of vibrant, fragrant beauty.
Paired with the dark surroundings, she looked like a demoness who had come out at night to suck the life essence from humans.
Mu Yanxi stared straight into Yi Wulan’s eyes, silently parted her teeth, and licked her small canine teeth.
Just as she was about to bite down, Yi Wulan suddenly reached out and pinched her jaw.
Mu Yanxi’s cheeks hollowed, making her look like a puppy whose mouth was being held shut. She whimpered indignantly, “Mmph? Mmph mmph!”
Expressionless, Yi Wulan used her other hand to forcibly move Mu Yanxi off her. “Weren’t you in a hurry to go home and get something?”
For a moment, Mu Yanxi’s face was filled with confusion and innocence, which then gradually morphed into an expression of accusation.
An accusation against Yi Wulan for being so unromantic.
Even though Yi Wulan had already stood up, Mu Yanxi remained half-sitting on the ground. Ignoring the fact that her feet were still numb, she sat stubbornly on her own legs.
She muttered under her breath, “It’s not that urgent. It’s fine to let them argue online for a while longer.”
Yi Wulan extended a hand, her voice tinged with helplessness. “The ground is cold. Get up.”
Mu Yanxi looked at that hand, her beautiful eyes shimmering. She placed one hand on it and reluctantly used the support to stand up. “Fine.”
She deliberately dragged out the final ‘ba’ sound, her tone carrying the soft warmth common to southerners, like a little hook.
As soon as Yi Wulan’s hand retracted, she turned and walked away.
Mu Yanxi watched Yi Wulan walk a few steps away. Then, for some reason, as soon as she lifted her foot, another wave of weak, numb tingling shot through it.
She thought that since Yi Wulan was some distance away, she definitely wouldn’t be able to save her this time. She closed her eyes, preparing to fall flat.
But she felt the world spin.
Mu Yanxi’s body staggered, and a sense of weightlessness instantly washed over her.
When she opened her eyes again, she was in Yi Wulan’s arms.
Mu Yanxi: ???
The hems of her windbreaker and long dress flowed down gracefully. The crook of her knees was held steady by a forearm, and her toes, clad in high heels, curled anxiously in the air.
The successive falls had left Mu Yanxi feeling utterly hopeless. She frantically grabbed Yi Wulan’s shoulder. “Yi… Yi Wulan…”
But Yi Wulan acted as if she had just done the most ordinary thing, her eyes looking at her calmly.
“Aren’t your legs numb?”
Mu Yanxi: …
Mu Yanxi gave a dry laugh and struggled to be put down. “N-no need to trouble you. Our weights aren’t that different. Your leg just got a little better, don’t strain it.”
“It’s been two months since the surgery.” Yi Wulan walked out, still carrying her.
Mu Yanxi was dumbfounded. She subconsciously looked behind Yi Wulan and randomly came up with an excuse. “The garage key is still inside.”
Yi Wulan didn’t even glance back. She walked toward the other side of the garage, casually scanned her face, and entered the elevator. “We don’t need that.”
The elevator actually recognized her and opened.
Mu Yanxi: …
Mu Yanxi was completely stunned.
Seeing Yi Wulan act as if she were entering her own home, it was clear she had been here many times before.
But she couldn’t remember it at all.
Not even the netizens’ comments today had made Mu Yanxi feel this frustrated. She stared blankly at Yi Wulan’s neck, then turned her head, bit the collar of Yi Wulan’s shirt, and ground her sharp teeth against it fiercely.
It wasn’t until the elevator reached the first floor that Mu Yanxi was finally put down. Like a butterfly finally freed, she flew down in a hurry, yet she didn’t forget to turn back and check on Yi Wulan’s legs.
Yi Wulan noticed her gaze. “I’m really fine.”
Looking at Yi Wulan like this, Mu Yanxi felt increasingly strange.
Didn’t she just act all unromantic and reject her? Why did she then carry her all this way?
She mulled it over in her mind for a long time and finally figured it out.
Perhaps it was because a stunningly beautiful superstar like her had fallen to the ground, looking frail and unable to care for herself, that even someone as stubborn as Yi Wulan couldn’t keep up her pretense.
After all, Yi Wulan had once been deeply in love with her, a love that was unrequited.
After telling herself these lies so many times, even Mu Yanxi started to believe they were becoming more and more real.
Yes, that must be it.
Mu Yanxi expressed her profound understanding of the matter.
Although Yi Wulan could come and go from the villa freely, she didn’t overstep her bounds. She just stood quietly to the side, truly just there to accompany Mu Yanxi to get something.
Mu Yanxi couldn’t stand Yi Wulan’s newly aloof demeanor. She took Yi Wulan’s hand and secretly transferred a bit of her special ability to her.
She walked all the way to her bedroom door, and only after receiving feedback from her ability did she finally feel at ease about Yi Wulan’s legs.
Everything in the bedroom was just as Mu Yanxi remembered. After tossing her coat to Yi Wulan, she began to rummage through her drawers and cabinets alone.
After searching for a while, she said unhappily, “Yi Wulan, come over and help me look. There’s too much stuff, it’s a hassle for me to find it alone.”
Yi Wulan hesitated for a moment. “Find it yourself.”
“Aiya, it’s not like I have anything in here you can’t see.” Mu Yanxi held a thick stack of documents from one of the boxes. “There are too many. How troublesome is it for me to look alone?”
Yi Wulan ignored her and looked at her phone instead.
Who knew what she was looking at, but her expression was serious.
So serious that it made Mu Yanxi think Rongjia had another project worth hundreds of billions.
She had no choice but to not disturb Yi Wulan and continued searching on her own for a long time.
Until she suddenly found something and let out a surprised “ai.”
Whenever she made that sound, it was never a good thing.
Mu Yanxi carefully held two certificates in her hands and tiptoed quietly towards Yi Wulan.
The study attached to the bedroom was very small, and any slight movement could be heard clearly, let alone footsteps.
Yi Wulan was typing in a chat box on her phone. Without looking up, she asked, “Found your graduation certificate?”
Mu Yanxi froze. Deciding to go all in, she took two or three steps to stand in front of Yi Wulan and brandished the documents in her hand as if showing them off. “Look what I found.”
Yi Wulan finally tore her gaze away from her phone.
Mu Yanxi placed the acceptance letter in front of a few photos and gave Yi Wulan a brilliant smile. “Why is your acceptance letter from back then with me?”
Yi Wulan: …
Probably only someone as thick-skinned as Mu Yanxi could question her so righteously.
Who knows who was the one who insisted on snatching it away back then.
Seeing Yi Wulan remain silent, how could Mu Yanxi stay quiet?
She shamelessly started spouting nonsense. “Yi Wulan, who would have thought? Yanjing University’s Finance program. Back then, you could only rely on a diploma to prove your ability, and now you’re the great President of Rongjia.”
Yi Wulan ignored her, but Mu Yanxi could put on a one-woman show all by herself.
She gestured animatedly. “You realized I was too beautiful and popular, and you were worried I would forget you after you went to university, so you forcibly stuffed so many things on me, hoping I would remember you.”
Yi Wulan’s brow furrowed, and she finally put down her phone to look over.
Mu Yanxi then took out the photos hidden behind her back. Looking at the youthful, somewhat childish, yet surprisingly sunny Yi Wulan in them, she clicked her tongue twice.
Yi Wulan reached out and took the photo from Mu Yanxi’s hand. When she looked up, her face had reverted to that of a cold, unapproachable beauty. “It’s been so many years, and it’s been preserved well.”
Mu Yanxi was at a loss for words. She had intended to accuse Yi Wulan of seducing her when she was young and ignorant, but instead, the tables were turned, making it seem like she was the one who had been so careful.
Mu Yanxi lifted her chin, a proud smirk on her lips. “Because I just tossed it in a corner!”
Yi Wulan’s gaze went past Mu Yanxi to the box she had placed on the desk. “Tossed in a corner, yet you specifically used a box with a combination lock?”
As soon as these light words were spoken, the smile on Mu Yanxi’s lips froze. Her gorgeous face instantly became dejected and lonely, and even the stray hairs sticking up at her hairline seemed to droop.
Yi Wulan’s gaze returned to Mu Yanxi’s face.
Mu Yanxi was only flustered for a moment before she skillfully put on a smile. As practiced as ever, she wrapped her arms around Yi Wulan’s neck, grinning cheekily. “Aiya, you already know, don’t you? Do you really need me to spell it out?”
Yi Wulan pressed her lips together and, for once, said, “I want to hear the truth.”
Mu Yanxi lazily twirled a strand of Yi Wulan’s long hair around her fingertip, her tone casual, as if reciting lines from a script. “I’ve always been telling the truth. If you want to hear it, I can say it again.”
“A few years ago, I probably went to Yanjing for university, then messed around in the entertainment industry for two years, and finally grew up.”
After speaking, she let out an ‘ah’ and shifted slightly into a more comfortable position, leaning against Yi Wulan. “So, isn’t it that as soon as I saw you, I wanted to marry you…”
Yi Wulan had been listening with a straight face, but now she finally couldn’t help but rub Mu Yanxi’s head. “Alright, all you do all day is spout nonsense.”
Mu Yanxi’s lips parted, but no sound came out. She pressed her lips together slightly, as if trying to hide her guilt.
A breeze blew in from the open window, lifting the long skirt she wore underneath and making her already slender waist look even thinner and more alluring.
After a long moment, Mu Yanxi slowly raised her head. Her usually unrestrained gaze held a hint of depth and loneliness as she stared blankly at Yi Wulan’s sun-drenched profile. “…Yi Wulan.”
“Hm?”
“I’m sorry, I…” Just as she was considering how to explain to Yi Wulan, Yi Wulan’s fingertip pressed against her lips.
She clearly knew Mu Yanxi was talking about the past.
If anyone was at a disadvantage in that marriage arrangement back then, it was definitely Mu Yanxi.
At that time, Mu Yanxi was indeed too young.
She had just come of age and was hastily engaged because of a naive crush.
Some of the nonsense Mu Yanxi had fabricated for Mu Yanqing was actually true.
Mu Yanxi had always been the most pampered little princess of the Mu family. As for her, she held the title of the eldest daughter of the Yi family and had not yet fully taken control of Rongjia at the time. Although she didn’t rely on a marriage alliance to increase her own leverage, she was ultimately the one who benefited.
She could understand if Mu Yanxi felt dissatisfied after growing up a few years later.
If there was anyone to blame, perhaps it was only that this little peacock of hers was just too charming.
As if compromising with herself, Yi Wulan slowly leaned in and placed a fleeting, dragonfly-like kiss on Mu Yanxi’s forehead.
“I don’t blame you.”
On the way to the restaurant, Mu Yanxi opened Weibo. The hashtag #MuYanxiFakedHerDegree had already been taken down from the hot search list, replaced by #MuYanxiDeniesHerDegree.
Mu Yanxi stared strangely at the hashtag for a long time, feeling as if she had traveled through time and was dreaming.
She hadn’t even clarified anything yet, so how had it become a denial?
Mu Yanxi wasn’t so conceited as to think that just by posting a Weibo saying 【My degree was fake to begin with】, she could turn public opinion around.
She clicked on the hashtag and saw that the top post was a video of her from an interview a year ago where she denied her academic background. At the time, she had just finished filming a campus drama and was asked about her education during a promotional event. She had subconsciously denied graduating from Yuncheng Arts University.
Most of Mu Yanxi’s fans had never seen that video, mainly because she used to be so obscure—so obscure that calling her an eighteenth-tier internet celebrity would have been a compliment.
Therefore, when the fake degree was exposed, the fans she had gained from her recent trending topics over the past two months were all very angry.
Now, after seeing the video of Mu Yanxi’s denial, the tide began to turn. The anti-fans, as if showing off their superiority, replied to the comments of passersby one by one:
【My god, Mu Yanxi looks so pure in a school uniform. Which drama is this from? I want to watch it!】
【For those who want to watch the drama, I’ll point you to 《Poem of Youth》, but I advise you not to. I’m afraid you’ll be blinded by the little flower vase’s acting.】
【Since this video existed, why didn’t anyone mention it before? I almost turned into an anti-fan because of what the marketing accounts said.】
【To those who said they were turning into anti-fans, please don’t. It’s not that easy to be an anti-fan of the little flower vase. You’re not worthy.】
【You haven’t been with her through two years of storms, and you have the nerve to call yourself an anti-fan? @MuYanxi, for the sake of the two years of hype I’ve generated for you, hurry up and pay me. If it’s less than five figures, I’ll flame you to death.】
【This kind of profile card was never authoritative anyway. I stopped believing them eons ago after finding out a certain Best Actor added ten centimeters to his height.】
【+1 on profile cards being unreliable. You can apply for one if you want. You can really fill in whatever you want and no one cares, and you wouldn’t even know if it was changed.】
【If the marketing accounts have no more gossip to expose, can they just go get a factory job? This matter is clearly the management team’s negligence. What does it have to do with the artist?】
【Hahahahaha, I feel like the domestic entertainment industry is doomed. They’re even exposing such lame gossip. Is the bar for paparazzi this low now? Why don’t you all report your own academic qualifications?】
Mu Yanxi casually scanned a few comments. She was certain, yet somewhat uncertain. She sent a WeChat message to her manager: 【Have you gotten so rich lately that you can delete hashtags and buy hot searches?】
The manager’s message came back quickly: 【Didn’t you buy it yourself? (shocked soybean emoji)】
Almost instantly, Mu Yanxi figured it out. She whipped her head around to look at Yi Wulan, who was parking the car. “Did you do the thing on Weibo?”
Yi Wulan executed a beautiful turn, parking the car perfectly in the space. She casually acknowledged it and unbuckled her seatbelt. “Let’s get out. Time to eat.”
Her tone was relaxed, as if the thing that had been giving her manager a headache for so long was just a trivial matter, less important than having a meal.
But clearly, even her manager had forgotten that she had denied it in an interview…
Seeing Yi Wulan get out of the car, Mu Yanxi quickly chased after her. “Hey, wait for me. Did you really buy that hot search for me on Weibo?”
Yi Wulan subconsciously slowed her pace, but her tone was icy, suppressing her anger. “You went home, but I didn’t see you solve anything. Mu Yanxi, is your management team full of freeloaders?”
“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry.” Mu Yanxi smiled at her. “This public opinion storm blew up so fast, and the rhythm was too smooth. It’s obvious someone was pulling the strings from behind. Since he’s so eager to jump around, I had to let him be smug for a while before I presented my evidence.”
Yi Wulan glanced at Mu Yanxi’s face and subconsciously reached into her pocket, only to realize she had forgotten to get a replacement mask after giving one to Mu Yanxi in the office.
Mu Yanxi saw what Yi Wulan was thinking and winked at her. “You need a membership card to get in here. The paparazzi can’t take pictures.”
Yi Wulan’s expression was still grim. “If you get photographed, you can explain it yourself.”
Mu Yanxi suppressed a laugh. “You mean you don’t want to be photographed?”
Yi Wulan glanced at her, her face full of a ‘what’s in it for me if we get photographed’ kind of doubt.
Mu Yanxi instantly felt offended.
She held it in for two seconds before forcing out, with very little confidence, “I’m such a famous superstar. Shouldn’t you feel honored to ride on my coattails?”
Yi Wulan reached out and pinched Mu Yanxi’s cheek, completely ignoring her words, and handed her the menu. “Order.”
Mu Yanxi glared indignantly at Yi Wulan’s hand and pushed the menu back. “You order. I’m going to check the trends on Weibo again.”
Yi Wulan looked at Mu Yanxi’s downcast eyes, opened her mouth, but ultimately didn’t stop her.
Just now, Mu Yanxi had felt that the person behind the scenes was being a little too quiet. Sure enough, in just a few short minutes, seeing that the rhythm in the comments section and on the main feed was gradually shifting in her favor, the mastermind began to deploy their water army again, steering the conversation on the feed:
【This is hilarious. Profile cards can be changed, but didn’t Mu Yanxi write Yuncheng Arts University because her own degree is nothing to be proud of and she wanted to ride on its coattails?】
【Artists like her should be taught a lesson. Don’t think you can be a top student just because you know the Civil Code and got a few hints on a test. If you have the guts, reveal your own degree.】
【Just a neutral party eating melons. So which school is Mu Yanxi from? Why not just have that Jiang-something reveal his master’s degree too? Anyway, I don’t think either of them are good people.】
【Yeah, the entertainment industry is confusing me. Do they really think any random cat or dog can be a top student? I can’t even be bothered to give these celebrities the time of day.】
【So have those all-knowing marketing accounts figured out Mu Yanxi’s real academic background or not? Hurry up and tell us so I can laugh at her.】
Perhaps feeling that the power of this water army’s public opinion wasn’t strong enough, at this moment, Jiang Tong, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly posted a Weibo, pushing the entire incident to a climax:
Jiang Tong: 【The sunset and gentle breeze back then were always so soft (4 images attached)】
They were four photos of the iconic buildings of a certain Standing University abroad under the sunset. Jiang Tong was wearing a master’s gown, holding a diploma and a scroll, smiling brightly.
As soon as the Weibo was posted, the retweets, likes, and comments exceeded a thousand and were rapidly soaring towards ten thousand. Netizens from all over rushed to Jiang Tong’s Weibo.
Standing University wasn’t a well-known top-tier institution, but it was an old, established school in its region. A simple Baidu search would reveal its long history and rich cultural heritage. The fans in the comments were also very enthusiastic:
【You can always trust Jiang Tong. Jiang Jiang is amazing!】
【Jiang Jiang is really too low-key, sob sob sob. He didn’t want to use this to get attention before, but this time, being lumped together with Mu Yanxi, he finally couldn’t take it anymore. Jiang Jiang, I’ll love you forever!】
【Jiang Jiang has shown his degree. Why doesn’t Mu Yanxi dare to say anything? Is she really from some diploma mill, a school that can’t even be found?】
【Jiang Jiang’s graduation photo is the man of my dreams!】
This matter had been brewing since the live broadcast last night, lasting for the better part of a day. Those who needed to provide proof had more or less done so. Even Jiang Tong, the innocent victim, had come out to clarify because of the netizens’ comments.
But Mu Yanxi, who usually treated Weibo like her personal social media feed, had only clarified that she did not graduate from Yuncheng Arts University.
This directly sparked intense scrutiny from netizens.
Not from Yuncheng Arts University, and she didn’t dare to reveal her degree.
It was either that she graduated from some diploma mill, or even more ridiculously, that she had never even attended university. After all, such things were common in the entertainment industry.
For a time, netizens’ speculations about Mu Yanxi’s academic background were tinged with subjective malice. Even the PR team at Rongjia Entertainment, working overtime, was having trouble containing the situation.
The director of Rongjia Entertainment’s PR department asked Gu Yan for help, indirectly probing about Mu Yanxi’s real academic qualifications.
But how would Gu Yan know where Mu Yanxi went to school?
However, considering Mu Yanxi’s family background, even if she didn’t study at a university in China, she would likely have been sent abroad to get a diploma. So he ordered Rongjia Entertainment’s PR team to divert attention.
For the future of Rongjia Entertainment, the director steeled himself and arranged to release a story about one of the company’s newly crowned Best Actors being married, planning to use a roundabout strategy to save the day.
But before they could send out the press release, right at the height of the storm, Mu Yanxi posted a Weibo, also with a four-image grid: 【Lesson learned. There won’t be a next time (4 images attached)】
Image one was the front of the Yanjing University acceptance letter. Image two was the inside page, with words written in the center: 【Student Mu Yanxi: Our university has decided to admit you to the School of Economics to study Finance. Please report to the university on time on September 1, 2016, with this notice.】
Image three was the front of the Yanjing University graduation certificate. Image four was again the inside page, which clearly stated: 【Student Mu Yanxi, from September 2016 to June 2020, has completed all required courses in the Finance program at the School of Economics and Management and is hereby granted graduation upon passing the thesis defense.】
Both certificates bore the president’s signature and the official seal, making them impossible to fake. From admission to graduation, everything was laid out clearly and distinctly.
Mu Yanxi graduated from Yanjing University with a degree in Finance!
One must know that Yanjing University is not only the top university that all students in China dream of, but its Finance program is also famous for its high score requirements and small enrollment. Only one class of a dozen or so students is admitted each year, and nearly every graduate becomes a social elite!
But… such a graduate entered the entertainment industry???
And so, as soon as Mu Yanxi’s Weibo was posted, the comments section exploded!
Just moments ago, they had been looking at Jiang Tong’s degree with a verification mindset, with a sort of ‘oh, so you really did study abroad’ melon-eating attitude.
They took a look, and that was it.
But with Mu Yanxi, it was a direct explosion. The comments refreshed even faster than when they were cursing her out:
【??? So Mu Yanxi really graduated from Yanjing University?】
【Help, help… Although I knew there would be a reversal in Mu Yanxi’s case, I really didn’t expect this reversal.】
【A thousand words can be summed up in one sentence: the little flower vase never disappoints her daddy!】
【Damn, damn, damn, little flower vase, if you have this kind of degree, why don’t you show it off? Why do you show off your face all day?】
【The little flower vase’s world only cares about her beauty. What’s a degree? Isn’t it just a piece of paper I can’t get, sob sob sob.】
【Hahahaha, this is so satisfying. This bitch, the little flower vase, is definitely doing this on purpose. Look at the lighting in her photos. I don’t believe Yanjing University’s certificates are this good-looking, unless you let me touch one.】
【I’m fucking speechless. The last time I felt like this was when the selfish little flower vase jumped into the water to save someone.】
【The Ten Thousand Unsolved Mysteries of—Why would someone who got into Yanjing’s Finance program want to be in the entertainment industry!!! She could get a higher salary than her acting fees just by joining any investment bank, right?】
【I have a cousin who’s from Yanjing’s Finance program. According to her, only a minority of her classmates went into investment banking. The rest either had family connections or started their own businesses. You guys can ponder that.】
Just then, the Yanjing University Student Union even retweeted Mu Yanxi’s Weibo, completely cementing the authenticity of her degree: 【Let me see who’s doubting our school belle’s degree (doge head emoji)】
Although the Yanjing University Student Union’s Weibo wasn’t as authoritative as the official Yanjing University account, it had a huge following because the students running it were in charge of various campus activities, and students from all years followed it.
This retweet immediately drew in many Yanjing University students to claim her:
【Holy crap, holy crap, is this Mu Yanxi really that senior from the Finance department? I’ve seen her online several times but didn’t dare to recognize her.】
【To the person above, you’re not the only one who didn’t dare to recognize her. Graduates from Yanjing’s School of Arts have all gone on to further their studies; you almost never see them in the entertainment industry. But someone who studied Finance entered the entertainment industry? Who would dare to believe that!】
【My god, the DNA of the class of ’17 is stirring. At my matriculation ceremony, this senior was the student representative who gave the welcome speech. It was love at first sight.】
【Class of ’14 here to say, when this junior was doing her military training, the whole field exploded, okay? Never mind the School of Economics and Management, the entire university had people running over to watch. There were even people who made a special trip from the other campus on weekends. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the devils had entered the village (doge head emoji).】
【The Yanjing Finance department’s reputation for producing beauties is well-deserved. I remember a few classes before her also had a school belle.】
After being retweeted by the Yanjing University Student Union, Mu Yanxi’s Weibo shot to the top of the hot search list, with retweets, likes, and comments all exceeding ten thousand without a drop of fake engagement.
The melon-eating passersby had just consumed the gossip about Mu Yanxi’s degree being questioned in the morning, only to find the situation completely reversed by noon. Below, there were many comments about the previous gossip:
【Okay, I finally understand why Mu Yanxi looked so confused in that interview when she was mentioned as a graduate of Yuncheng Arts University. It’s because she’s a legitimate graduate of a top 1 university’s top 1 program.】
【Yanjing University, my dream school. I’d even be willing to study the most unpopular major, mortuary science.】
【By the way… did she really get in on her own merit? Could there be some… padding?】
【Hilarious, why don’t you try buying your way into Yanjing’s Finance program for me to see? Are anti-fans these days this brainless?】
【I’m getting the feeling that Mu Yanxi is here to do poverty relief for the entertainment industry. Yanjing Finance, ah, only a dozen or so people in the whole country each year. The case is now truly solved. The little flower vase solved that calculus problem herself.】
After this whole series of events, Mu Yanxi went completely viral. Major marketing accounts rushed to retweet and ride her coattails, sending her straight to the number one spot on the hot search list!
As a result, the long article that Rongjia Entertainment’s PR department had arranged to expose the Best Actor’s marriage was once again shelved, to be used another time.
After posting on Weibo and observing for a while, Mu Yanxi finally noticed the gaze fixed on her.
She immediately put down her phone, timidly picked up the menu, and pretended to browse through it.
“Finished posting?”
Mu Yanxi used the menu to cover half her face, revealing only a pair of eyes deliberately widened to look cute. Her upward gaze was very obvious, making her look extremely innocent. “Mhm.”
But before she could act cute for much longer, her manager’s call came through again.
Under Yi Wulan’s cold pressure, Mu Yanxi timidly answered the phone, “Hello?”
When Mu Yanxi’s hot search topic changed from faking her degree to denying her degree, her manager thought they had struck gold and was about to seize the opportunity for some PR. But then she received a notification that Mu Yanxi had posted on Weibo.
Remembering Mu Yanxi’s past behavior, the manager thought she was about to be forced out of the industry for good. But when she clicked on Mu Yanxi’s Weibo… the manager was so shocked she was speechless.
When Mu Yanxi answered the phone, the manager was still speaking haltingly, “You, you you you really graduated from Yanjing’s Fi-Fi-Finance program?”
“Yes,” Mu Yanxi replied calmly.
“Then why didn’t you tell me before?”
Hearing the sternness in the other’s tone, Mu Yanxi immediately retorted righteously, “But you wouldn’t have believed me even if I had told you!”
The manager was at a loss for words.
Indeed, let alone Yanjing’s Finance program, she probably wouldn’t have believed it even if it were a slightly better undergraduate degree.
Besides, when she first met Mu Yanxi, it was in a university town in Yuncheng. And as it happened, the other schools in that university town, based on academic scores alone, couldn’t compare to Yuncheng Arts University.
Who would have known that Mu Yanxi was really just strolling around there?
The manager reflected for a moment and realized she really didn’t know Mu Yanxi well enough. Initially, she had signed her because of her face and had dreamed of creating another A-list star.
But after two years together, she gradually discovered that Mu Yanxi’s personality wasn’t suited for the entertainment industry. The little ancestor always did as she pleased, never pandered, and showed no particular passion for advancing her career.
As a result, the manager had adopted a hands-off approach with her. As long as Mu Yanxi was happy, why drag everyone who entered the industry into this dye vat and change them beyond recognition?
The manager was filled with mixed emotions for a moment. After chatting with Mu Yanxi for a bit and realizing she was busy, she went back to monitoring the trends on Weibo.
The manager wasn’t the only one who saw the #MuYanxiYanjingFinance hot search. Jiang Tong’s team, who had started the trouble in the first place, also saw it. Like everyone else, they couldn’t believe Mu Yanxi’s academic background was so impressive.
When they were slinging mud at Mu Yanxi to divert attention, they had considered the worst-case scenario, which was Mu Yanxi producing a similarly padded degree and them both making a comeback together.
But the entertainment industry has always been a battle of public opinion. This time, Mu Yanxi had been labeled with academic fraud. After a while, when people forgot about it, they could use it as a reason to smear her again. A degree from an ordinary university would quickly disappear from public view.
But they never expected that Mu Yanxi’s degree was from Yanjing’s Finance program. This kind of degree, let alone in the entertainment industry, is top-tier in all of China. The speed at which it went viral was like a rocket, completely beyond anyone’s control.
At the same time, as if to compensate Mu Yanxi, her manager Ling Yi rarely spent a large sum of money to pay some marketing accounts to steer the narrative:
【First the forums, then Weibo. This whole process seems so familiar. Did Mu Yanxi offend someone?】
The seasoned melon-eating netizens quickly followed suit: 【After the 《Secret Room》 variety show last night, who was the one who messed up, and who was the one who just posted their degree to throw shade? I’ll just smile and say nothing (doge head emoji).】
【In 《Secret Room》, wasn’t Jiang Tong always at odds with Mu Yanxi? I saw him roll his eyes several times during the live broadcast.】
【WOC, the hashtags questioning Jiang Tong’s degree were all deleted. I smell gossip.】
【So here’s the question: Jiang Tong’s fans keep saying their idol graduated with a finance degree, so why can’t Jiang Tong do calculus? Does Standing’s finance program not require calculus? Are you kidding me?】
【Oh my god, so there’s another twist to this story?】
【Seriously, if there’s a problem with Jiang Tong’s degree, how did he dare to so blatantly market himself and sling mud at Mu Yanxi?】
【There are so many dumbasses who have messed up in the domestic entertainment industry, don’t you know?】
And so, a few minutes later, that marketing account’s Weibo was also pushed to the popular feed with the hashtag #WhyCantJiangTongDoCalculus. Thanks to the manager’s spending and the netizens’ enthusiasm, it jumped to the top fifteen on the hot search list.
However, as the views and attention on this Weibo post grew larger and larger, the post was directly deleted!
When netizens refreshed, even the hashtag on the hot search list had been completely wiped out, vanishing into thin air!
This deletion was like a bomb that set off a thousand waves, stunning countless netizens.
Such a guilty display made even the slowest netizens realize: something is definitely fishy!
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