Amusing Ourselves to Death Arc
Agent 28
This ID seems extremely familiar to Shen Yun. She doesn’t know how many times she’s clashed with this person online. This person has multiple IDs, but each one boldly includes the characters ‘zero nine two.’
Shen Yun suspects this is their self-designation.
What’s even more important is that this person is a fan of Xin Lan.
This actually isn’t hard to understand. After all, in the past, in her photos or candid shots, Xin Lan often made appearances. Xin Lan is naturally beautiful and exudes charisma, so it’s not surprising that some of her fans also admire Xin Lan.
However, this person is definitely not one of her fans. The way they speak always carries the air of an insider, as if they were present at the scene.
The information about the cast for this drama isn’t exactly a secret, but there’s no way to know it’s her without some insider knowledge.
Shen Yun is increasingly suspicious that this person might be Xin Lan’s alternate account, but considering Xin Lan’s busy schedule, maybe it’s just a hired hand?
But this hired hand seems to have an extraordinary reach, infiltrating all of her social apps. This ID keeps popping up everywhere, and it’s becoming quite bothersome.
The car pulled up to Shen Yun’s address. She was about to speak, but Miaomiao told her that Xin Lan was waiting there. Shen Yun fell silent.
Her palms were sweaty, and she felt uncomfortable and sticky.
Some people and some situations, no matter how much you don’t want to face them, you still have to face them.
Shen Yun stood at the doorstep and, with a forced courage, opened the door.
Xin Lan was sitting on the couch, fiddling with her phone.
“Lan Jie.”
Shen Yun called softly, trying to muster a smile.
It had been a long time since she had called Xin Lan by that name. In the beginning, that’s how she used to address her, placing herself in a somewhat lower position. But as time passed and her mindset changed, her way of addressing Xin Lan changed too.
“You all can go out for now and close the door behind you.”
(Originally translated on littlepandatranslations.com, let's go!)
Xin Lan said to Shen Yun’s three assistants behind her. Zhou Qinqin and the others nodded, exited, and closed the door.
Now, the space was left with just Xin Lan and Shen Yun.
Xin Lan didn’t speak; she simply raised her head and looked at Shen Yun.
She was seated, but the air of disdain she exuded placed an unrelenting pressure on Shen Yun, making it difficult for her to lift her head.
“Actually, I’ve been thinking, should I act sooner or let you struggle a little longer?”
Xin Lan pondered as if contemplating.
She wanted to indulge Shen Yun a bit longer since she hadn’t really done much yet, only a couple of minor things, which didn’t seem sufficient.
But Shen Yun, as a person, was just too unpredictable.
Perhaps she might become so desperate later that she’d seek solace in someone’s bed.
If they couldn’t stop her in time, it could lead to a full-blown crisis.
Xin Lan wasn’t at the forefront of the capital, so she didn’t want any unexpected disruptions to her plan.
Honestly, Shen Yun had a beautiful face, a great body, and knew how to please. If push came to shove, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to find a wealthy benefactor who might turn the tables.
That’s why she wanted to nip the danger in the bud; it was better to act now.
As soon as Shen Yun heard her words, her heart skipped a beat, and the panic on her face was almost impossible to conceal.
She shook her hands and took a deep breath.
“Xin Lan, please, can you just consider my plea? Don’t ruin me, okay? I’m begging you. You can have it your way, just please…”
Shen Yun’s voice quivered, and she looked at Xin Lan with a pleading expression.
“Just spare me, please. It was my fault in the beginning. I’ve learned my lesson. I know I was wrong, and I shouldn’t have wronged you. It’s all my fault, all of it. I beg you, please spare me.”
Shen Yun crouched in front of Xin Lan, her head tilted back, eyes red as she gazed at Xin Lan.
She knew that all her previous talk of not caring about interests or being on the same side was just nonsense. She wanted to ruin her; she refused to let her off the hook. She wanted to see her fall from grace!
“Spare you?” Xin Lan sneered. “And after I spare you, you’ll turn around and come after me, won’t you?”
Xin Lan knew Shen Yun well. If she showed any mercy, Shen Yun wouldn’t be grateful and consider reality to be safe. She would only try to obtain dirt on Xin Lan and use it to blackmail her.
Just as she had done to the original owner.
“I won’t, I promise I won’t! Ruining me won’t benefit you in any way, so please…”
Shen Yun looked at Xin Lan with hope, but she was captivated by the darkness and coldness in those eyes.
She had never seen Xin Lan with such a gaze, or rather, it was the first time in her life she had ever seen such a look.
The last time Xin Lan had pinned her down by the neck, her eyes were icy, disdainful, and mocking. Now, there was an even more chilling coldness.
As if she were an excessively insignificant existence, and Xin Lan had no interest in watching her beg for mercy, as if she didn’t care at all.
It sent shivers down her spine.
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Shen Yun’s throat felt dry, and in the face of such a gaze, she couldn’t utter a word.
“I came to see you today not to negotiate, not to listen to your pleas, but to tell you the outcome.”
Xin Lan said as she stood up, curling her lips at Shen Yun.
“Don’t worry, this time I won’t lock you up at home. However, your ID and passport are in my hands. Where do you think you can go to escape the media with those credentials?”
Xin Lan said calmly, with a poised demeanor, as if she were enjoying the show.
“The company won’t allow you to ruin me like this!”
Shen Yun was both furious and fearful, and her hand holding the phone was trembling.
“Ruin you?” Xin Lan chuckled. “Do you really think you can bring that much value to the company?”
“Shen Yun, do you perhaps think too highly of yourself?”
“If I can bring someone like you down, I can certainly bring down another.”
“You deliberately signed Qin Yuyan, didn’t you? You want her to replace me!”
Shen Yun clenched her phone tightly. She knew that from that moment on, she should have been prepared to leave.
But now that she had come to her senses, it was too late.
“I’ll say it again, Shen Yun, you think too highly of yourself. With just you, do you really think you’re on the same level as her?”
A scumbag like this, who is so disgusting and repulsive, how could they even be compared to Qin Yuyan? It’s an insult to Qin Yuyan.
“Enjoy your last bit of fame.”
After a series of scandals in a certain drama production, a well-known paparazzo made a statement, teasing that they were about to reveal a big scoop about a popular actress with an ‘S’ surname. Please be prepared, curious onlookers.
Discussions ensued, as there were quite a few female celebrities with an ‘S’ surname in the industry, but the phrase “currently popular” narrowed it down significantly.
@Swordmaiden’s Great White Legs: A certain ‘S’-surnamed actress, currently popular, combined with the recent three consecutive scandals, there’s no doubt it’s one of our unnamed female leads! It’s decided, it’s you! SY!
@ReclusiveOtaku099: Come out and face the music, @ShenYun.
@WishingForSSR: So many juicy rumors these days; I feel like I can’t keep up, hahaha.
@DeterminedBarMaid: I feel like a crab, moving towards the scent of gossip!
@CaiJuchengByQiuJuxin: My guess is Shen Yun, looking forward to the bombshell.
@CheckOutXinBai: Random guess – SY. But what kind of bombshell can there be about her? SY doesn’t seem to have any scandals. I dug into her past, and seriously, it’s hard to believe no one’s boosting her. Smooth sailing all the way, abundant resources, fans praising her acting skills and looks left and right. Personally, I’ve never been particularly drawn to her appearance, but she doesn’t seem to have any dark history. Don’t tell me the big revelation is about a love affair; that would be so uninteresting.
@KoiFishInThePond: Listing recent scandals: leaked sensual photos, unspoken rules, plagiarism, and for something big, it could be an affair or a high-end escort’s pregnancy and abortion. Gossip always makes me happy!
Many people tagged @ShenYun under this Weibo post, and, of course, there were guesses about others too. Shen Yun’s fans rushed in, starting a heated battle and engaging in criticism.
Zero Nine wasn’t about to back down. Her fighting spirit was no joke. She manipulated hundreds of sock puppet accounts to attack simultaneously, essentially becoming her own propaganda machine.
Shen Yun sat on the couch, tossing her phone aside. She hugged her knees, feeling a sense of impending despair.
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She couldn’t just give up like this. She picked up her phone and started contacting people she knew in the industry, but none of them replied. When she called them, as soon as they heard her voice, they immediately hung up.
She hadn’t faced any trouble yet, but it felt like people were avoiding her like a plague.
When she reached a point where there was no one left to turn to for help, Shen Yun realized just how important Xin Lan was to her.
All her resources had been handed to her by Xin Lan. She hadn’t bothered to learn how to navigate relationships and connections with people. While she had kept contact information for some of her past collaborators, at this critical moment, no one was willing to step in and assist.
Everyone was extremely sensitive to danger, and Shen Yun sat on the couch, feeling dejected but stubbornly keeping an eye on her Weibo page.
At 7 o’clock in the evening, a Weibo post suddenly descended into the top trending topics.
Under the hashtag #ShenYunVideo, the word “explosive” was added.
Immediately following that, the second trending hashtag was #ShenYunComesOut.
A video lasting just over a minute surfaced, clearly showing the face of the female protagonist. It ignited Weibo, generating a level of interest comparable to the previous day’s sensual photo leak scandal. What added more fuel to the fire was that the other lead actress was also a woman, further exciting the onlookers.
The “black ops” seemed to have seen the dawn, raising their hands in celebration, spreading the news, and eagerly picking up their keyboards to join the frontline battle.
Fans collectively went into a state of confusion, unable to accept what they were seeing, and some began to unfollow, with a few even switching from being fans to critics.
It’s worth noting that when fans become critics, their actions can be even more harsh than those of the critics.
@IknowYouAreWatchingMe: Holy crap! This is a huge bombshell! Honestly, I don’t discriminate, but, oh boy, as a public figure, I just want to know how this video got leaked.
@SpringAware: I really can’t accept my idol being like this. I knew it, but seeing it for real is just beyond me, especially with someone of the same sex. I always thought she was an angel, but turns out she’s playing it this way…
Shen Yun’s fans weren’t pushovers either; they immediately fired back.
There are those who are direct: @YunYun’sBaby: Do you paparazzi have any conscience left? Can’t celebrities have a private life without you snapping away?
There are those pretending to be bystanders: @FaceComesOver: Wow, this is really juicy, hahaha! This video was clearly taken from a third party’s perspective, and those angles, it feels like it was taken sneakily. Hmm, this really lacks ethics.
There are those playing the middle ground: @RedLeafSauce: People who come out might be caught off guard, but it’s not a big deal, right? Celebrities are also human beings; isn’t this a normal human need? I urge those who are hurling insults to show some restraint. If you have the guts, try not having a sex life your entire life.
There are those who steer the discussion: @CoolCool: What’s the matter? Discriminating against the same gender? What’s wrong with same-sex relationships? Did it offend you?
There are those staunchly defending: @ShenYunLittleAngel: This is definitely not Yun Yun herself. Irresponsible paparazzi, stop spreading rumors, alright? This doesn’t resemble our Yun Yun at all. They’re just throwing mud at her for no reason!
@ReclusiveOtaku099: Seriously, I beg NC fans not to keep whitewashing this. What’s going on in your minds? You really think she’s some kind of saint? Haven’t you noticed that her team hasn’t issued any public statements? The company hasn’t taken any action? It’s because they can’t clean this up. Just wait; this is just the first wave.
Female celebs has it hard, generally