Chapter 171: I Don’t Like It
Chapter 171: Chapter 171: I Don’t Like It
"Hold on, I need to make a call."
Nan Zhi adjusted her baseball cap and stood up.
Boss Yang was eager to please her, so of course he had no objections. He even asked if Nan Zhi needed a quieter place.
Nan Zhi considered that this fast-food chain restaurant was located on a busy street, with people constantly coming and going. It wouldn’t be good if she were recognized.
So, she nodded in agreement with Boss Yang’s offer and was led to an office accessible only to staff.
Closing the door behind her, Nan Zhi waited until she was alone in the room before opening her phone to search for the so-called scandal.
The source of the scandal was a paparazzi outlet called Big Orange Entertainment.
They had first posted a teaser last night and then made a big announcement at noon today. The headline was blatant: [Nan Zhi and Xie Yu’s Publicly-Funded Romance]!
Nan Zhi frowned as she glanced at the photos.
She had no idea how they’d managed to crop it so precisely, capturing a moment when it was just the two of them—
In the photo, blooming, light pink crabapple blossoms weighed down a branch, causing it to brush right over the top of Nan Zhi’s head.
Her head was slightly lowered, and she probably hadn’t noticed what was happening above her.
But Xie Yu, walking behind her, had noticed with greater acuity.
He reached out a long arm and carefully lifted the flowering branch.
A few petals drifted down, landing on Nan Zhi’s shoulder.
Nan Zhi, her eyes lowered, was oblivious.
Xie Yu’s gaze was gentle.
You had to admit it.
The paparazzo’s photography skills weren’t half bad; they’d captured the two of them with a very atmospheric feel.
Moreover, the angle was chosen masterfully. The two of them in the photo looked incredibly intimate, with the tall Xie Yu seeming as if he was about to embrace the slender Nan Zhi from behind...
In reality, Nan Zhi remembered this incident. It happened when the whole group was leaving work for the day, and everyone else was there.
In the very next second after the photo was taken, she noticed Xie Yu’s action. She had first instinctively sidestepped away before politely thanking him.
Immediately after, Nan Yi had run over to her, sticking close by her side like a little guard.
She and Xie Yu hadn’t exchanged a single extra word and had quickly put distance between themselves.
Of course, even at their closest, they were at least half a meter apart.
Furthermore, Nan Zhi was certain there was no ambiguous intent behind Xie Yu’s gesture.
He was the cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside type. He was probably just helping out.
But in the eyes of this paparazzo, it had been twisted into a scandal.
’...It’s just ridiculous!’
Nan Zhi continued scrolling down.
She saw that the top comments were almost all praise—
[They’re such a good match, I’m tired of saying it! Get married on the spot!]
[I’m the Civil Affairs Bureau, and I’m on my way!]
[Oh my god, I thought I was the only one in the world shipping this CP! I didn’t even dare tell anyone!]
[Every time they’re in the same frame on the show, I get this big goofy grin on my face, ehehe!]
[Xie Yu’s gaze, hehehehe...]
[Why don’t you two just star in a drama together?]
...
Nan Zhi: ??
’Where did all those netizens who spend all day making snide remarks about me online go?’
’When did the world become a place I no longer recognize?’
Nan Zhi was rendered speechless. Unwilling to look any further, she quickly called Xu Li.
Xu Li seemed to be busy, with a lot of noise in the background.
"Hello?"
"Have you seen the scandal online?"
Nan Zhi’s expression was grave.
In her mind, this was clearly a huge deal!
Unfortunately, Xu Li didn’t see it the same way.
She seemed preoccupied with something, and even her reply was distracted.
"Hm? Oh, oh, oh, I know. The one with you and Xie Yu."
Nan Zhi’s voice turned cold.
"Xu Li."
"Sorry, sorry! I’m a bit busy over here!"
Sensing Nan Zhi’s displeasure, Xu Li quickly apologized.
Then, a rustling sound of shuffling papers came through the receiver.
A few seconds later, the background noise quieted down.
Xu Li’s serious voice finally came through again.
"I didn’t mean anything by it, but this scandal is really not a big deal at all!"
"Hm?"
Nan Zhi was confused.
Xu Li could only explain, "With scandals, who it happens to and who it’s with are both very important! First, you’re not a female celebrity who sells a ’single’ persona, so a scandal won’t affect your fans’ attitude. Your biggest brand is your culinary skill. As long as you don’t mess up your cooking, your existing fanbase won’t waver! Second, Xie Yu is a high-quality partner—a rising star in the directing world, a genius with a boundless future! A scandal with him will actually boost your positive image and change the public’s perception of you! Look at it now, as soon as the photos came out, so many people’s impression of you improved..."
Xu Li rattled on, explaining at length, practically breaking down every piece of logic for Nan Zhi.
After she finished, she added,
"...Otherwise, why would so many celebrities manufacture scandals!"
In short—
In Xu Li’s eyes, this was not a bad thing.
She even felt they could let the scandal run for a while and then issue a clarification when the time was right to maximize the benefits!
Nan Zhi said nothing.
Xu Li’s heart skipped a beat.
"You’re... unhappy?"
Nan Zhi was blunt.
"I don’t like it."
Xu Li opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But the words died on her lips.
Because Xu Li had a gut feeling that Nan Zhi wouldn’t want to hear any more of her explanations.
Somehow, ever since Nan Zhi had become like a completely different person, she had grown increasingly intimidated by her, finding it hard to ignore her feelings and opinions.
That included right now.
After a moment of hesitation, Xu Li sighed. "Alright, if you really don’t like this, I’ll contact Xie Yu’s side and we can issue a joint clarification statement."
But Nan Zhi was still not satisfied.
She reminded her in a soft voice, "Xu Li, to me, being ’famous’ has never been a necessity, and I care even less whether the public likes me or not. As my partner, I hope you can understand this."
A jolt shot through Xu Li’s body as if she’d been struck by lightning, making her scalp tingle!
She suddenly understood the meaning behind Nan Zhi’s words.
"Could it be that you’re... Okay, I understand. This won’t happen again."
Nan Zhi mulled it over for a moment.
Then she said suddenly, "Since you understand, there are some decisions I hope you’ll consider seriously."
Nan Zhi had just changed her mind a moment ago.
Previously, she had seen Xu Li as a fish in her net, wanting to pull her into her own camp no matter what, even if it meant luring her with benefits and playing the long game.
But today’s scandal had made her realize something.
What seemed like a good thing to Xu Li was not necessarily so for Nan Zhi.
The same applied to her own plans.
What she hoped for was not necessarily what Xu Li wanted.
So, she now vaguely hinted at her real plan: that she didn’t intend to be an actress in the entertainment industry in the future.
She would wait for Xu Li to listen, think it over, and then make her decision.
"I’ll wait for your answer."
Hearing no response from Xu Li, Nan Zhi was about to hang up.
But at the last second, Xu Li hurriedly stopped her.
"...Wait!"
Nan Zhi thought she had made up her mind.
But instead, Xu Li stammered, "So... are we still on for dinner tonight?"
Xu Li had been too busy with work to eat at Nan Family’s Small Restaurant.
So Nan Zhi had promised to personally cook a meal for her once filming was over.
Now...
Nan Zhi broke into a helpless smile.
"We are!"