Chapter 123

After dinner, Kong Xiyan called Tong Yue to say she'd take the commercial. Tong Yue told her not to force herself, and that it was fine if she didn't want to go.

Kong Xiyan chuckled and said she was fine.

She hadn't had any real conflict with Chai Yin, so why act like there was? It was just a commercial—a win-win collaboration. She had no reason to refuse.

Tong Yue's soft laughter came through the phone. "When I first got this commercial, I wanted to turn it down. The thing between you and Chai Yin is all over the internet, and I was worried it might affect you."

"But HG is a well-known brand, and who knows when the next opportunity will come. That's why I told you, so you could decide for yourself."

Kong Xiyan nodded. "I know."

Tong Yue was always reliable and capable. Even with a pile of bad resources, she could turn them into gold. But today, she hadn't dared to make the decision herself, probably because of Kong Xiyan's current status—no longer just the actress Kong Xiyan, but the wife of Jingyan's CEO.

Kong Xiyan took a deep breath. She wondered if that was also why HG had approached her. After all, she had made her comeback in October last year, and she didn't have a single completed drama to her name. Although her Weibo popularity was strong, she still had a long way to go before reaching the level of today's hottest actresses. At best, she was just a trending little star.

And yet, HG had broken precedent to ask someone like her to shoot their advertising campaign. That really made one think.

Kong Xiyan pondered, holding her phone, then looked up at Chi Wanzhao, who was reading the news. "Xiaowan."

Chi Wanzhao, holding Yanyan in her arms, turned her head. "What's up?"

Kong Xiyan raised her phone. "Remember the commercial I said I'd accepted before dinner?"

Chi Wanzhao: "Is there a problem?"

Kong Xiyan nodded. "It's for HG."

Chi Wanzhao frowned at the name.

Seeing this, Kong Xiyan asked, "You didn't know about this?"

Chi Wanzhao: "No. Want me to look into it for you?"

After all, everyone in the industry knew HG's reputation. Their sudden decision to use Xiyan for this year's advertising was indeed hard to explain.

Seeing that she genuinely didn't know, Kong Xiyan lowered her head. "No need; I've already asked Sister Tong to keep an eye on it."

Chi Wanzhao nodded, returning her gaze to the TV. "Alright."

Kong Xiyan stayed on the sofa with Yanyan for a while longer, then went upstairs to take a bath. When Chi Wanzhao heard the door close, she picked up her phone from the coffee table and glanced at it.

When she saw that HG's other collaborating actress was Chai Yin, she rubbed her fingertips and quickly made a call.

"Mom, why are you calling again?"

Chi Wanzhao paused, then said, "Chai Yin?"

Chai Yin's soft laughter came through. "Alright, alright, I know everything. I'll take care of myself, don't worry. I'm with Xiaoying right now."

Chi Wanzhao understood instantly and asked quietly, "What's going on with the HG commercial?"

Chai Yin's voice was still soft and sweet. "I know, I know—no drinking, I'll be back early. Mom, I'm a grown woman now, you don't need to worry. Oh, by the way, Xiaoying got me a commercial, so I'll be busy for the next few days. I won't come back home."

"Mm-hm..."

"Okay, I'll take care of myself."

Chai Yin's fragmented words came through the phone, and Chi Wanzhao listened in silence, picking up the information she needed from the vague hints.

So the HG commercial had something to do with Guan Xiaoying.

She set the phone back on the coffee table, stroked Yanyan's fluffy body, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes as her face tightened and her lips pressed thin, a chilly aura radiating from her.

The night was short, and dawn came quietly. The next morning, HG's official account posted a message, directly tagging Kong Xiyan and Chai Yin, announcing that this year's commercial would be a joint collaboration between the two. The news exploded online instantly.

Not just on Weibo—various news outlets and magazines also jumped in.

Chai Yin naturally deserved the commercial; her current value was sufficient. Although she had been developing abroad for nearly a year, her worth had been validated overseas. As for Kong Xiyan—opinions were mixed.

Kong Xiyan's fans were ecstatic. After she reposted the Weibo announcement, they flooded in with congratulations. But some of Chai Yin's fans were unhappy.

Just yesterday, they had been mocking Kong Xiyan on Chai Yin's Weibo, saying she wasn't qualified to shoot a commercial and could only get low-end advertisements. Today, they had been thoroughly slapped in the face.

How could they swallow that?

So various rumors began to spread online.

—Kong Xiyan just made her comeback. Is she even a hot actress? On what basis?

—How is she not? Remember when Chai Yin first debuted? She used to latch onto Yanyan for popularity, her fans calling themselves little Xiyans. Now Chai Yin can do an HG commercial, but Yanyan can't?

—Who said she can't? But sis, you have to get your facts straight. Even if that was the case, it was three years ago. Times have changed, understand? Go check how much Kong Xiyan gets per drama role compared to our Yin Yin.

—Sis upstairs, do you know how many awards Yin Yin has won? Count on your fingers how many times she's been nominated for the Golden Forest Award. What does your Kong Xiyan have to prove herself?

—The Golden Forest Award is just domestic. It's not a big deal. Besides, Chai Yin went abroad for over a year, and I don't see her winning any international awards.

—Tsk, she's just stuck like that.

—Pfft! Stuck like that? No matter how bad Chai Yin is, her position in the industry is still higher than Kong Xiyan's!

—Stop fighting, you idiots! They're not even in the same league. It's like comparing clouds to mud!

—Is Kong Xiyan trying to ride Chai Yin's coattails for publicity now?

—I think all she has left is publicity. Why didn't 【Dawn】 choose our Yin Yin as the female lead? She's got way higher status than Kong Xiyan. At this rate, who knows if they'll even make back their investment.

...

Countless other speculations followed. They had a talent for judging based on mere suspicion, and soon various versions of the story behind Kong Xiyan shooting the HG commercial were circulating—some said she wanted to use Chai Yin for hype, others said she used her status to squeeze in, and still others claimed she was targeting Chai Yin out of spite to suppress her.

After all, everyone knew about Chai Yin's rumored affair with President Chi.

The online controversy continued nonstop.

Of course, Kong Xiyan's fans were also fiercely refuting these baseless claims. More neutral bystanders took a middle-ground stance, criticizing some of Chai Yin's fans for being too fanatical, even going so far as to wish for Kong Xiyan and Chi Wanzhao to divorce soon.

It was utterly absurd.

Kong Xiyan ignored the internet chatter and handed everything over to Tong Yue. Around noon, Tong Yue called to say the commercial schedule was set—shooting would begin tomorrow, lasting three days, after which Kong Xiyan would need to join the 【Dawn】 crew.

After going over the schedule, Tong Yue still took the time to console Kong Xiyan, telling her not to let the online criticism bother her and to simply pretend she hadn't seen it.

Kong Xiyan knew this matter wasn't easy for Tong Yue to handle either. With the commercial imminent, if they issued a statement targeting Chai Yin's fans, it would be an open break with Chai Yin. Not to mention Chai Yin's fans, even neutral onlookers would condemn her for being petty and arguing with fans.

In the end, it would only stir up public outrage.

Not worth it.

That was also why Tong Yue had been hesitant to act.

Kong Xiyan understood Tong Yue's predicament and told her to set aside the online mess for now and focus on other tasks. Public opinion, without someone fanning the flames, would soon be drowned out by other news.

Tong Yue was silent for a moment, then replied with a single "Okay."

Kong Xiyan hung up, then lay down on the sofa with Yanyan in her arms.

Yanyan curled up on her. After the new year, its weight had been creeping up, and now, lying on her chest, it made it hard for her to breathe. Kong Xiyan turned to the side, gently placing Yanyan beside her, and absently stroked its little belly. It was plush and slightly fluffy, with a wonderful texture.

Before long, Yanyan nestled against her, purring. The whole apartment was quiet. Kong Xiyan stroked it for a while, felt drowsy, and fell asleep on the throw pillow.

Perhaps a little while passed, or maybe a long time. Kong Xiyan jolted awake from a dream, sitting up suddenly. Yanyan, lying beside her, raised its head too, its blue eyes full of confusion. "Meow!"

Hearing the sound, she looked down, then smiled weakly, her face pale. She wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.

No wonder people said thoughts by day become dreams by night.

That dream just now had really scared her.

Still uneasy after waking, she logged onto Weibo and wandered over to Chi Wanzhao's page, checking it several times. Only after confirming that Chi Wanzhao had posted only one Weibo, and that it was related to her, did she let out a breath.

Her mind was still a bit foggy. She stared at her phone for a long while before dialing Chi Wanzhao's number.

Chi Wanzhao had just stepped out of her office. Assistant Zhou walked over to her, phone in hand. "President Chi, it's your wife on the line."

She tilted her head to glance at Zhou Sheng, then took the phone.

"Xiyan."

Kong Xiyan's voice was hoarse from just waking, still lingering in the aftermath of the nightmare. She spoke softly, weakly. "Xiaowan, I just had a dream."

Chi Wanzhao stopped walking, raised a hand to signal Zhou Sheng to stay put, and moved to a spot by the window. She chuckled. "What kind of dream?"

Kong Xiyan took a deep breath. "I dreamed you told me you were only with me because I looked like Chai Yin, that you wanted a divorce, and you even showed off your affection in front of me!"

"You have no idea how terrifying you were—heartless and cold. Even when I begged you, you wouldn't turn back."

"And you even—"

She grew angrier as she spoke, completely forgetting that it was just a dream. Chi Wanzhao interrupted, "Xiyan, calm down. It's only a dream."

A stifled lump of anger lodged in Kong Xiyan's chest. She snapped back, "It wasn't a dream!"

Click!

The call ended.

Chi Wanzhao stared at the phone, bewildered.

She never imagined that their first argument after getting together would be over a dream.

Zhou Sheng, seeing her standing there blankly holding the phone, stepped forward. "President Chi, what's wrong?"

She frowned at him. "My wife had a nightmare."

"She's very upset."

"She just argued with me."

"Assistant Zhou, what do you think I should do?"

Zhou Sheng opened his mouth, then glanced at Chi Wanzhao's tense profile and drew in a breath.

"One moment, President Chi. I'll call Assistant Jiang over."

Chi Wanzhao: ...