Chapter 42: A Momentous Event

Mo Xiaobao, though not understanding what her mother and Aunt Xiaoling were discussing, sensibly chose not to ask. She set down her bowl and chopsticks and sat quietly to the side.

Xiaoling glanced at Mo Qi. “You really aren’t involved with Shen Yijue?”

“Do you think I could ever reach someone like Shen Yijue?” The smile faded from Mo Qi’s face as she replied, “But for some special reasons, I am indeed staying temporarily at Shen Yijue’s apartment.”

Xiaoling could see Mo Qi didn’t wish to elaborate, so she didn’t press further. “The competition will only air tonight, but plenty of viewers will have seen your performance and remembered you. If this news comes out tomorrow, you’ll be thrust into the center of showbiz gossip.”

For Mo Qi, a newcomer, being thrust into the limelight due to her association with Shen Yijue would do far more harm than good. It could even ruin her career in the entertainment world before it began. After all these years of pursuing her dream, such consequences were impossible for Mo Qi to accept.

Xiaoling hesitated, then said, “I’ll call Sheng Erdan and see if there’s any way to suppress this story.”

With that, Xiaoling took her phone and stepped out of the hospital room to make the call.

Mo Qi didn’t stop her, but she had little hope. In fact, she doubted there was any hope at all.

“Mom,” Mo Xiaobao looked at Mo Qi, his eyes brimming with worry.

“It’s alright, let’s eat.” Mo Qi ruffled Xiaobao’s hair, offered a faint smile, and picked up her bowl again.

Seeing how calm his mother was, Xiaobao’s worry lessened a little. He smiled too, picked up his chopsticks, and placed a slice of bamboo shoot in Mo Qi’s bowl. “Mom’s favorite green bamboo.”

“You eat some too. Drink more chicken soup. I haven’t seen you in days—looks like you’ve lost weight.” Mo Qi soothed Xiaobao, eating with him.

Mo Qi’s expression remained composed, but her thoughts raced.

Back when Shen Yijue first debuted, there were still occasional rumors about him, but in recent years, entertainment magazines only reported on his official appearances—nothing more. Partly, this was due to Shen Yijue’s upright behavior, but Mo Qi believed it was mostly because of his current status in the industry. No media outlet dared offend him. Even the reckless ones would have their stories killed before publication.

Yet this time, neither Shen Yijue nor his agency made any move. Mo Qi was sure they must have heard of it by now, given their status and connections. The fact that the reports would still appear the next morning meant they didn’t intend to intervene—or had tacitly approved it. At the very least, Shen Yijue had.

Mo Qi clenched her chopsticks. She had barely set foot in the entertainment world, with no connections or backing; if she lost Shen Yijue as her sole support, anyone with a bit of fame could easily erase her from the circle.

She paused. Was she, without realizing, starting to depend on Shen Yijue, rather than making use of the opportunity? This was definitely not a good sign.

Did Shen Yijue’s silence mean he meant to abandon her, or was he putting her to the test?

Lost in thought, Mo Qi looked up to see Mo Xiaobao staring at her with wide eyes.

“Mom.” Mo Xiaobao set down his bowl and chopsticks, crawled to Mo Qi’s side, and wrapped his little arms around her neck. “No matter what happens, I’ll always be with you.”

“If you’re not with me, who would you be with? Naughty boy.” Mo Qi’s heart melted as she hugged Xiaobao’s soft little body. She had just started—how could she let a mere scandal defeat her?

Xiaoling returned, phone in hand, and shook her head at Mo Qi with a sigh.

Mo Qi had expected this and wasn’t disappointed. “Don’t worry, Xiaoling, I’ll handle it myself.”

“How will you handle it?” Xiaoling asked. “You only just competed and haven’t signed with any agency, so you don’t have a PR team. The show you’re competing on, ‘Let Dreams Soar,’ will they help you?”

Mo Qi gave a low laugh and shook her head. “Not only won’t the show intervene, but they’re probably hoping the story blows up. The more people tune in out of curiosity, the higher the ratings shoot up. The producers would be delighted.”

“Why is everyone so pragmatic nowadays?” Xiaoling frowned. “No, I’ll think of something else. If nothing works, I’ll see if money can solve it.”

“No need, Xiaoling.” Mo Qi replied, “If I handle this well, it could even benefit me. Don’t worry—leave it to me. Trust me.”

Xiaoling wanted to say, ‘How can I trust you when you’re stuck in a hospital bed?’ but faced with Mo Qi’s calm and resolute gaze, she couldn’t utter a word.

“We’ve been through so much already. I refuse to believe we’ll stumble over something like this,” Xiaoling said through gritted teeth. “Mo Xiaoqi, no matter what you decide, I’m with you. But on one condition: I must be involved and help you the whole way, understand?”

“Alright.” Mo Qi nodded earnestly. “The photos have already been taken—there’s no denying the evidence. If the reporters want to spin a story from them, we can’t stop them. But there are people far better at spinning tales than entertainment journalists. Xiaoling, you know many people—help me contact a popular social media influencer. After Dongdu Entertainment releases its report tomorrow, have them post an article on Weibo around ten a.m. The central theme should focus on my mentorship with Shen Yijue. I’ll provide photos as proof. Also, hire a wave of paid commenters to make sure the article trends in the top three topics tomorrow.”

“Leave it to me,” Xiaoling promised, patting her chest. “I know a woman who’s one of those Weibo jokesters, verified with hundreds of thousands of followers. She’ll get it done, and you can count on her!”

“That’s perfect,” Mo Qi agreed. “I’ll handle the rest later.”

“Alright then.” Xiaoling checked the time. “It’s nearly eleven. You should rest. I’ll call and arrange the meeting now.”

“Okay, I’ll send you the photos in a moment.”

After a brief discussion, Xiaoling tidied up and left with the meal box. Mo Qi soothed the slightly anxious Xiaobao to sleep. Tomorrow would be her first real PR battle in the world of showbiz.

Early the next morning, a nurse came to the ward to change Mo Qi’s head bandages. Not long after, Mo Qi’s phone rang.

The caller was Lin Zheng.

“Hello, Lin Zheng.”

“Mo Qi, where are you?”

“What’s wrong?” Mo Qi lowered her voice, lifting the quilt to get out of bed. Xiaobao, who had worried late into the night, was still sleeping.

“Something big has happened!” Lin Zheng said urgently. “No matter where you are, don’t go out. Do you hear me?”