Chapter 33: This Is Bizarre, Does Yang Mi Actually Have Backing?

Wu Yufei gave a sharp tug, catching Arthur Chen off guard. He felt a flicker of annoyance, but before he could react, Wu Yufei thrust her phone in front of him and cried, "Hubby, what... what is going on here?"

"Why is all the dirt on me being dug up again?"

"And why is everything about Yang Mi completely gone?!"

Arthur Chen frowned and snatched the phone from her. "Let me see."

On the screen, scandalous reports about Wu Yufei were everywhere. In fact, all ten of the top trending topics were about her, and the situation seemed even more intense than before. Arthur Chen’s expression turned increasingly grim. He then searched Weibo for negative news about Yang Mi. To his disbelief, not a single negative post about her remained.

"What is this?" Arthur Chen was stunned. A sense of impending trouble washed over him; experience told him that someone had launched a counterattack. But he refused to believe Yang Mi had the capability, especially since he had hired the Wanxing Public Relations firm to handle the job.

Wu Yufei looked as if she were on the verge of tears. She had finally been on the verge of cleaning up her image, only for a massive wave of public opinion to crash down on her—one she couldn't even suppress. Meanwhile, the negative press surrounding her rival, Yang Mi, had vanished into thin air. What was happening? Could it be that Wanxing PR had taken his money and failed to deliver?

"Hubby, say something! What are we going to do?" Wu Yufei sobbed. "You said this would be easy to fix, so why can't you handle it now?"

Arthur Chen snapped impatiently, "Enough with the crying! All you know how to do is cry!" He added, "I'm going to call Wanxing and see what's going on."

The situation left him feeling deeply frustrated; it was a real blow to his pride. He pulled out his phone and dialed Zheng Yong, the chairman of the Wanxing Group.

A moment later, the call went through.

"Mr. Zheng, what is going on?" Arthur Chen demanded as soon as the line connected. "Have you seen what’s happening online? What’s the situation with Wu Yufei?"

On the other end, Zheng Yong sounded equally flustered. "I just noticed it myself. I’m investigating the situation right now, so please, don't panic."

Arthur Chen’s face darkened. "Mr. Zheng, there can be no mistakes here. You know how important this is!"

Zheng Yong replied in a deep, serious tone, "Don't worry, Young Master Chen. You don't need to tell me that. I suspect another company might be backing Yang Mi, but I’ll be able to figure it out shortly. I'll get back to you in a bit."

With that, Zheng Yong hung up.

After putting the phone away, Arthur Chen looked at Wu Yufei and said, "I've spoken to Mr. Zheng. He’s looking into it, so rest assured, we should have results soon."

Wu Yufei felt slightly relieved. "Hubby, I can't have any more setbacks. If I do, I’ll never be able to survive in the entertainment industry!" Her expression turned vicious as she added coldly, "As for Yang Mi, that rival of mine, no matter what it takes, I will make sure she can never hold her head up in front of me again!"

"Young Master Chen, if she really has found help, she's slapping you in the face, too..."

Arthur Chen saw through Wu Yufei’s petty manipulation; she was only saying that to goad him into doing more for her. However, he didn't care, because he was now deeply annoyed with Yang Mi as well. The fact that Wu Yufei’s scandals were resurfacing was a direct insult to him. If word got out that the "Prince of the Beijing Circle" couldn't even protect his own woman, wouldn't it be the laughingstock of the industry?

"Slap me in the face?" Arthur Chen said coldly. "Yang Mi isn't worthy. Let's wait for Mr. Zheng to call back."

***

Meanwhile, at Wanxing Public Relations in Shanghai, it was already nine in the evening, yet the office remained brightly lit. In the chairman’s office, Zheng Yong frowned, his face grim. The fact that Wu Yufei’s situation had been reversed and her scandals exposed for a second time was giving him a massive headache.

Zheng Yong was also puzzled. Most of his peers in the industry knew he had taken on Wu Yufei’s case, so who would dare to work against him? Furthermore, he couldn't fathom who Yang Mi could have found to help her launch such a counterattack.

Just then, his secretary walked in. "Mr. Zheng, I’ve checked, and no PR firm has taken on Yang Mi’s account. The only ones working against us are her current agency, Jiaxing Media."

Zheng Yong’s expression shifted. "Just Jiaxing Media? That's impossible! Jiaxing is just an entertainment company; their PR capabilities aren't even as good as one of our departments." While Jiaxing Media was a famous entertainment house, they were far from professional when it came to public relations.

Zheng Yong continued, "The fact that all the negative press on Yang Mi has disappeared is clearly the work of a major player! Jiaxing Media doesn't have that kind of influence."

His secretary furrowed her brow. "That makes it even stranger. Aside from Jiaxing Media siding with her, Yang Mi has no other support."

Zheng Yong was at a loss. "This is bizarre. None of our competitors have stepped in, so who has the power to do this?" He shook his head. "Forget it for now. Tell all departments to launch a counterattack immediately!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a man in his forties walked in—Li Shuo, the project manager in charge of the "Wu Yufei Project."

"Mr. Zheng, things have become tricky," Li Shuo said, skipping the pleasantries. "The authoritative bloggers we hired have all been banned! And all our 'water army' accounts have been blocked as well. No matter what we try to post about Wu Yufei or Yang Mi, we can't get anything through!"

Zheng Yong’s face sank as he listened to the report. "What? All banned? What was the reason?" He asked, "Don't the platforms have standard red lines for account bans? Just tell the water army to avoid those."

Li Shuo took a deep breath. "It’s not about the content being sensitive. It’s that anything mentioning Yang Mi simply cannot be posted—it won't pass the review! It’s not just Weibo; it’s the entire web. I suspect Yang Mi might have some powerful backing! Otherwise, it’s impossible to influence the entire internet like this."

Zheng Yong was stunned. He never imagined Yang Mi’s situation would escalate to this level. A total web-wide ban? Who could do that besides the authorities? Could it be that Yang Mi had official backing? That was impossible! Before this, Zheng Yong had obtained all of Yang Mi’s background information, and other than Jiaxing Media, she had no connections.

Zheng Yong sat in his chair, lost in thought. The office fell silent.

Seeing that Zheng Yong couldn't make up his mind, Li Shuo urged, "Mr. Zheng, you need to make a decision quickly. I suggest we drop this job. I’m afraid if Yang Mi really does have powerful backing, we might end up suffering for it."

Having spent years in the PR industry, Li Shuo had plenty of experience. If Yang Mi didn't have a massive power behind her, it would be impossible to crush all the negative publicity so thoroughly. This kind of influence was clearly beyond Wanxing PR’s ability to handle.

Zheng Yong shook his head firmly. "No. We’ve already taken the job, and it was Young Master Chen who came to me personally. I have a connection with his father, Director Chen, and besides, they’ve already paid over two million."

Hearing this, Li Shuo sighed and said no more.

Zheng Yong said in a low voice, "If I have to, I’ll contact a few other firms to see if they can help. I refuse to believe I can't take down Yang Mi!"