After Being Scummed – Chapter 41

Endure!

Zuo Jingyou’s team reacted swiftly. In no time, they posted Zuo Jingyou’s composed responses to the journalists online. Amid a group of reporters trying to surround her, Zuo Jingyou, despite being outnumbered, remained remarkably calm and unruffled. She exhibited the courage she had developed over many years in the industry.

After watching this interview, netizens were impressed by the commanding presence of Zuo Jingyou, who stands at a height of 1.8 meters. Just as people were still relishing Zuo Jingyou’s rare display of dominance, another secretly uploaded video quickly went viral on Weibo.

Although major media outlets didn’t want to offend Yin Bai, they couldn’t resist turning her leading Zuo Jingyou through the encircling journalists into short videos and GIFs, which were widely shared by marketing accounts.

Upon seeing this scene, many netizens felt that Zuo Jingyou, who had calmly faced the media earlier, had suddenly turned into the tender wife in the arms of the big boss. Especially because this time, Yin Bai brought along more than a dozen bodyguards, the whole scene looked even more like “the underworld big boss and her lovely wife.”

The netizens who were just captivated by Zuo Jingyou’s composed demeanor when captured began shipping the “Overbearing CEO and Her Sweet Wife” CP as they watched the two of them depart together.

Most importantly, Zuo Jingyou, who was typically the TOP in all CP pairings, looked incredibly cute and endearing in the arms of the big boss!

This sparked a new round of online discussions, with the gossip about “Zuo Jingyou and this big boss” overshadowing the issue of “whether Zuo Jingyou is using drugs.”

Netizens began investigating Yin Bai’s background, trying to figure out who she really is. Why did the journalists who were originally chasing Zuo Jingyou stop filming when she appeared and took Zuo Jingyou out of the encirclement?

What’s the relationship between her and Zuo Jingyou? Why could she show up at the airport at 7 o’clock in the morning with a group of people and rescue Zuo Jingyou from the encirclement?

Because of their ambiguous behavior, netizens speculated, but one thing is certain: Zuo Jingyou is probably not as straight as she initially appeared!

Zuo Jingyou might really be a big shot in the entertainment industry!

Even though Yin Bai has guarded her identity well, she couldn’t escape the buzz she created this morning at the airport. Some insiders couldn’t resist sharing information about Yin Bai on anonymous forums, mixing truths and rumors.

“The person who returned from the airport this morning with Teacher Z (Zuo Jingyou) is a famous big shot in the entertainment industry. She belongs to the top batch of wealthy individuals in the country, the ones who don’t appear on the wealth ranking lists.”

“Her conglomerate has undertaken many infrastructure projects for the government and made substantial donations to major research institutions. Her connections with the upper echelon are excellent, and she’s annually recognized as a model entrepreneur.”

“A few years ago, she entered the entertainment industry due to a newly married female star. She often supports aspiring directors and writers, funding projects like the lesser-known films 《Seventeen》 and 《Listening to the Wind》, which were her personal investments.”

《Seventeen》 is a film from a few years ago that gained significant fame, addressing domestic violence and campus violence. It broke through during the summer, garnering over a billion yuan at the box office with a budget of less than five million. It sparked significant discussions that year and even contributed to further progress in domestic violence protection orders.

The director, Xu Shishi, won the Best New Director of that year, and in her acceptance speech, she continuously expressed gratitude to a benefactor who encouraged her to make the film, calling that person an angel.

No one expected that this angel is the same person who left with Zuo Jingyou!

With the gossip flowing, everyone perked up and started asking, “So, what’s the connection between her and Teacher Z?”

The original poster quickly replied, “I’m not sure, but this big shot was known as the secret lover of a very famous actress a few years back. She keeps a low profile, and all the media know not to keep her pictures, as lawyers will come after them if they do. So when she dated the actress, there were numerous rumors, but she managed to handle them discreetly.”

“Now… Teacher Z is single again… She should be single…”

The comments section was buzzing:

“Oh, wow!”

“Sigh~”

Someone asked, “I have a humble question, do you have a photo of the big shot? I feel like that big shot must be very young and handsome!”

The original poster replied, “Even if we have, we can’t share it; lawyers will come after us. Let’s all treasure this forum.”

Alright, if we can’t see a photo, how about a description of the appearance? After begging the original poster for a while, they finally responded, “Okay, okay, I’ll describe it.”

“The big shot is nearly thirty years old, 1.81 meters tall, with about three-quarters Eastern European heritage. Black hair, blue eyes, fair and beautiful, and she uses a cane because of leg problems, but it doesn’t affect her beauty at all! I’ve seen her up close, and she’s genuinely stunning, more attractive than a crowd of stars!”

The entire forum got excited because of this reply. An overseas individual, especially a tall female big shot, will be the ideal prototype for future entertainment industry novels!

Nobody expected that Yin Bai’s trip would stir up so much excitement. On the way to the hotel, Zhang Yu, sitting in the front seat, was checking the messages sent from the public relations team. She turned to look at Yin Bai, who was sitting in the back seat, and asked, “BOSS, when you took Teacher Zuo away, someone recorded it and it’s gone viral online. I checked it, and it’s only a very blurry image of the back, with no clear shots of your side or face. How should we handle this?”

Yin Bai sat beside Zuo Jingyou, watching her take off her high heels and massage her ankle, and she frowned as well. Without turning her head, she said to Zhang Yu, “What else can we do? Delete it!” Didn’t she already say that any videos and photos featuring her should be deleted!

Zhang Yu sighed, expressing her frustration, and said, “The PR team mentioned they can’t delete it from their end. If we delete it now, the backlash will likely be substantial. BOSS, even though we’re capitalists, we can’t have a heavy-handed approach. We should consider public opinion, right?”

Yin Bai turned and furrowed her brow, looking at Zhang Yu, saying, “Can’t delete? Why do I keep the PR team then?”

Shrugging, Zhang Yu earnestly advised Yin Bai, “BOSS, you need to consider that your employees are not divine beings. Moreover, your face was not shown, and those media outlets are also adhering to our agreement. It’s impossible for them to delete everything.”

The current controversy generated too much traffic, especially with the added boost from Zuo Jingyou’s popularity. Zhang Yu wasn’t surprised at all. With such excellent marketing and KPI, the entertainment media, who feed on celebrities, wouldn’t let go of this level of hype.

Even a super crocodile can’t stop their innate desire to feed!

Yin Bai furrowed her brow, pondering the situation for a moment. After some thought, she eventually tapped her cane and said, “Alright, if it’s not a big deal, let’s leave it unaddressed this time.” After all, she wasn’t an unreasonable devilish capitalist.

Seeing that she didn’t intend to press the PR team any further, Zhang Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But thinking about the rumors, Zhang Yu had to cautiously bring up another matter, “By the way, BOSS, apart from the video leak, the PR team mentioned there’s something you need to decide on.”

Yin Bai gripped her cane and furrowed her brow, expressing her displeasure, “What now? I thought it was just my back in the video. Why are there more complications?”

Zhang Yu cautiously looked at Yin Bai and then discreetly glanced at Zuo Jingyou, who was rubbing her ankle as if nothing had happened. She spoke carefully, “It’s about… you and Teacher Zuo. Rumors of your relationship have surfaced again.”

Yin Bai was taken aback and turned to look at Zuo Jingyou, who was sitting next to her.

What? Rumors again? These marketing accounts are really idle, can’t they see that she went to rescue her dear friend?

Zhang Yu swallowed hard and said with difficulty, “So, in a little while, it might be necessary for Teacher Zuo to clarify these rumors again… It’s not easy to handle on our side.” It really wasn’t easy to handle, and Zhang Yu was unable to understand what Yin Bai was thinking now.

She had always thought that Yin Bai had no interest in Zuo Jingyou. But the recent actions, like feeding her apples and showing up with a group of bodyguards early in the morning to pick up Zuo Jingyou, made her wonder.

After all, their BOSS had a regular routine, waking up at 8 AM. To make her wake up earlier, and to prepare a group of bodyguards to arrive at the airport early in the morning to pick someone up, that must be true love!

Zhang Yu didn’t know what others thought, but after saying these words, she felt like a massive spotlight, shining brightly between the two of them, utterly superfluous.

Zuo Jingyou, who was massaging her ankle, paused for a moment and inexplicably skipped a heartbeat. She pursed her lips, looked up to meet Yin Bai’s gaze, and asked with a hint of embarrassment and anxiety, “Yin Bai, how do you want me to clarify?”

How to clarify? What else could she say other than that they were friends, and she was here to rescue Zuo Jingyou!

Yin Bai lowered her gaze and looked at Zuo Jingyou beside her.

At this moment, Zuo Jingyou was sitting by the window, leaning against the chair, her long hair flowing, hugging her knees. She looked up at Yin Bai with a pair of eyes that were clear and bright, incredibly charming.

Yin Bai met Zuo Jingyou’s gaze, and as she gazed into those bright, doe-like eyes, her mind went blank for a while. She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt that at this moment, Zuo Jingyou seemed several years younger than her real age, exuding a rare sense of youthfulness.

That’s right, it’s a youthful vibe.

Yin Bai held her cane and stared blankly at Zuo Jingyou for a while. Zuo Jingyou, seeing that she didn’t respond, tilted her head and called out tentatively, “Yin Bai?”

Yin Bai finally came to her senses, raised her hand to her lips, coughed lightly to conceal her loss of composure, and said, “Just follow what your PR usually says, be truthful, condemn the media a bit, and mention that you twisted your ankle. That should be enough.”

Zuo Jingyou nodded and lowered her gaze, responding, “Okay.”

Yin Bai followed her gaze and turned her attention to her ankle, asking with great concern, “How’s your ankle? Is it very painful?”

Zuo Jingyou nodded, “Yes, it’s a bit painful.” She paused and looked up to explain to Yin Bai, “I have a bit of a low tolerance for pain.”

Yin Bai chuckled, “I can tell.” She smiled and said to Zuo Jingyou, “The doctor is on the way to the hotel. When we arrive, let her examine you.”

Zuo Jingyou nodded, “Okay, but I don’t think it’s a big problem. It’s probably just a sprain.”

Yin Bai carefully examined the slightly swollen ankle and concluded, “I also think it’s probably a sprain. But if we don’t treat it properly, you might not be able to wear that gown and walk the red carpet in high heels this afternoon.”

Yin Bai tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said to Zuo Jingyou, “I learned some massage techniques a while ago, and I know how to improve blood circulation. Would you mind if I give you a massage?”

Zuo Jingyou’s head buzzed for a moment. She raised her gaze and looked at Yin Bai in a daze.

Yin Bai, seeing her lack of response, blinked and asked sincerely, “Do you want me to give you a massage?”

This wasn’t something she needed to refuse, so Zuo Jingyou thought for a moment and smiled at Yin Bai, saying, “Sure, thank you.”

Zuo Jingyou had Zhang Yu hand her a wet tissue. Next, Yin Bai saw Zuo Jingyou holding the wet tissue in her right hand, gently pressing it against her ankle. She ran it down the beautiful lines of her foot, carefully separated her toes one by one, wiped them clean, then came back along her toes, wiped her sole clean, and finally tossed the tissue aside. She placed her clean left foot in front of Yin Bai with a bright smile and said, “Yin Bai, it’s done.”

Yin Bai was a bit slow to react and focused on the beautiful jade-like foot in front of her for a while before finally responding, “Oh… okay.”

She hastily put down her cane, lifted her sleeves, and placed Zuo Jingyou’s injured left foot on her knee.

Yin Bai lowered her head, looking at the pristine, pinkish-white foot on her knee for a while. She thought to herself that the toes were plump, the sole was fair, and it looked beautiful no matter how you saw it.

She pushed aside the inappropriate and chaotic thoughts that had popped into her mind and leaned over to hold Zuo Jingyou’s foot with her left hand. Her right hand fell on Zuo Jingyou’s swollen ankle, and she cleared her throat, saying, “I’m starting now.”

“You can start,” Zuo Jingyou nodded. In the next moment, as she felt Yin Bai’s fingertips pressing her ankle, she couldn’t help but let out a soft hiss.

Yin Bai glanced at her and saw her biting her lip, her brow furrowed in restraint. She comforted her in a soft voice, “It might hurt a bit, endure it.”

Endure it? No, it wasn’t just about the pain.

As Zuo Jingyou felt the pressure on her ankle, she involuntarily held her hand, clenched her lips, and didn’t say a word. Nobody noticed that her ears, hidden under her black hair, had already turned pink.

LP: As a single dog, I envy this couple to be!