Chapter 554: Chapter 554
Sheng Yan: "I arrived yesterday."
He Jinxia turned her head to glance at him, thinking he had only arrived this morning.
Mrs. He thought for a moment and said, "I would like to pay respects to Zhixiang alone. Both you and Jinxia are public figures, it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to come with me. I’ll go by myself tomorrow.
As celebrities frequently dealing with paparazzi in the entertainment circle, you two have your ways to handle them. If you want to go out and have fun, then go ahead."
He Jinxia became anxious, "Mom, I want to visit Dad too!"
Sitting beside her, Sheng Yan took her hand and, instead of siding with Jinxia, he supported Mrs. He’s view, "If Mother goes alone, the reporters won’t bother her much, but if you go with her, they will definitely swarm you."
It’s the same old story: celebrities are public figures, others are not.
If a star’s whereabouts are exposed by the paparazzi, even if the case goes to court, there’s no guarantee the court would convict the reporters; who’s to say you didn’t inform them yourself to gain more publicity?
But if an ordinary person is photographed by the paparazzi and takes it to court, the photographer is definitely breaking the law.
And Mrs. He isn’t part of the entertainment industry, besides, she’s getting on in years; photos of her alone aren’t useful to them. Their main target is He Jinxia.
Thinking of this, He Jinxia frowned.
Leaning close, Sheng Yan whispered in her ear, "It is still somewhat presumptuous for me to pay respects to my father this year. Next year I’ll go with you. This year, consider it as keeping me company for the New Year."
He Jinxia let out a light sigh, feeling somewhat dejectedly, "Okay, I understand."
And so it was decided. Mrs. He would visit the cemetery again tomorrow, while He Jinxia and Sheng Yan, seeing that it was getting dark outside but the reporters were still lurking around the hotel, had no desire to go out. They all decided to rest early.
Before bed, He Jinxia checked her phone’s dark screen, picked it up, then set it down, over and over again.
She hesitated internally, wanting to read the comments of netizens online, but afraid it would anger her and keep her from sleeping.
In the end, it was a video call from Sheng Yan that settled it for her, and she stopped fretting; she lay on the bed and chatted with Sheng Yan through video.
As they talked, the urge to check the comments faded greatly, and before she knew it, she fell asleep.
After He Jinxia had fallen asleep, Sheng Yan ended the video call and turned on his computer to check the comments on Weibo.
Since her transformation into an actress, He Jinxia’s rise to fame was meteorically fast, and she had certainly drawn the envy of many a star along the way.
If she continued to flourish that would be one thing, but should she falter, other celebrities would gladly take the opportunity to step on her, such as paying for public accounts to spread scandals about Jinxia.
Following the leak of the video, numerous marketing accounts took action, reporting the incident with exaggerated language.
Those who saw the video felt that He Hui’s family had gone too far, but the majority who lacked the patience to watch it only read the sensationalized reports from marketing accounts.
Some marketing accounts begrudgingly presented the real story, while others deliberately distorted the truth, using provocative language to tarnish Jinxia’s image.
Misled by these manipulated stories, the internet at once saw an influx of trolls and haters abusing He Jinxia with harsh words.
[Having made so much money off the common people, and she can’t even take care of her aunt in the end? Impressive!]
[Ptui! Call yourself a celebrity? No class whatsoever!]
[People too greedy for money won’t end well. This time we’ve seen the true colors of He Jinxia.]
While some hurled insults, there were also rational netizens replying:
"Even if you earn a lot of money, it’s earned through your own abilities. We’re all adults now. If you want money, earn it yourself. Why should I have to help you out just because you’re poor?"
"Did you even watch the video? For those who haven’t, shut up! He Jinxia’s mother already gave her aunt a free grocery store, and you still want them to be helped to what extent, to receive money every month for spending?"
"Come on, it’s not like they raised you from a child, they’re just a distant relative!"
"A bunch of ’holy’ hypocrites, you must be helping the poor every day, right? Just a little love from you all could make this world a better place [hands spread]"
Besides reprimanding and defending, some netizens had a curiously fresh and unusual interest; they weren’t curious about the truth of the matter but whether what He Hui said in the video was true.
"Honestly, after watching the video again, it still feels like a drama. In real life, let alone relatives, even with siblings or parents, it’s rare for anyone to give a grocery store to a relative for free, right?"
"The view of the person above is too shortsighted. In real life, there are many such people. For instance, there are plenty of parents who invest money in a business for their unsuccessful children or buy property for them in advance, ensuring they have no worries about food and clothing when they grow up."
"You said it’s about parents and children, but based on the relationship between Fat Emperor and her aunt, it’s impossible to reach that extent."
"Am I the only one curious if He Jinxia is really her biological child? [thinking]"
Seeing that the topic in the thread was getting more and more off track, Sheng Yan glanced at it and didn’t bother to continue, instead going back to the homepage of W-blog.
The top trending topic on the homepage was the incident involving Jinxia and her aunt.
The second trending topic was also related to He Jinxia.
The sixth, too, involved He Jinxia.
Just as Sheng Yan was about to shift his attention, suddenly, a new trending topic appeared, parachuting into the third spot.
Seeing this trending topic, Sheng Yan’s expression tightened slightly; the name of the trending topic was—
#HeHuiCriesInResponse#
"Cries in response?" Sheng Yan chewed over these words, smiling faintly, but his gaze was cold.
He didn’t click on the trending topic to read more, for as someone who sat on the throne of the Huaxia entertainment circle, he didn’t need to see it to know what it implied.
Some netizens curiously clicked to find out that it turned out to be a video of an interview with He Hui uploaded by a media outlet.
If either He Jinxia or Mrs. He saw it, they would recognize that the interview took place at the entrance of a police station.
In the video, He Hui emerged from the station, her eyes red and swollen, which combined with her almost entirely white hair, made her look like an aging old woman.
When the reporter interviewed her, she started crying again, looking very sad, as she said through snot and tears:
"I didn’t want things to turn out this way, I really had no choice. My son’s business has failed, and the grocery store is still losing money. I desperately need some money to save a life!"
Reporter: "Save a life, what money to save a life?" ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NoveI★Fire.net
He Hui: "I am ill and need money, but my family has none."
Reporter: "What illness, is it serious?"