Chapter 78: That's Our Enemy

The Imperial Entertainment crafted their battle plan carefully. They called for a press conference and news of the upcoming competition was all over the papers.

Xia Yu put up an act and appeared innocent in the news reports. "Even though I have yet to fully recover from a relapse of my heart condition, I will accept this challenge. I will prove to everyone that I am a professional and that I did not malign anybody."

All her fans were greatly moved. It made their hearts ache to see the sweet girl suffer. Being slapped for no reason, she had already suffered a great grievance, yet she had to take up the challenge even though she was not feeling well. In comparison, that bitch "Ye Xingling" was really a devious snake. She was so healthy compared to the sickly Xiao Yu, how could she take advantage of Xiao Yu's perilous state?

Once again, she was at the receiving end of sarcasm and insults.

As Sister Mai Na scanned through the numerous news articles and countless floating rumors online, she let out a cold laugh. "Acting pitiful once again, that's all she does. Does she think that it will work all the time?"

Xia Ling smiled bitterly. It did work most of the time. In her previous life, she was duped by her "precious sister" for her whole life, falling for the same trick over and over again. Xia Yu had mastered the art of the acting pitiful and could easily win over the crowd through evoking their sympathy. Appearing dainty and delicate, she had the upper hand as the public favored the weak.

Xia Ling stood on her own and was a little too independent, so much so that she appeared exclusive and cold. This was the opposite of the pure goddess-like image people tended to create for themselves. Lacking cordiality, it was difficult to gain popularity in a short span of time, and one mistake could cost everything. Most entertainment companies dared not pool too many resources on this type of artiste as it was considered a high-risk investment with high cost and may take years to see a return.

There was only one such artiste all these years — The Diva Xia Ling from Imperial Entertainment.

She was all high and mighty and was not shy to show her beauty.

Alas, with a Diva already emerged, the other companies dared not invest in artistes with similar personalities. The reason was obvious, when being compared to Xia Ling, they could never reach the benchmark she set in the eyes of fans.

Promoting "Ye Xingling" was a risky move for Skyart Entertainment as it was sure to plague them with extreme stress. Sister Mai Na had already mentally prepared herself for a bumpy ride before taking on "Ye Xingling." At the moment, her expression turned cold. "Since Imperial Entertainment has gone this far, let's play along with them. Xia Yu likes to feign sickness, doesn't she? We'll destroy her masquerade in front of everyone."

She proceeded to carry on with her plan.

Not long after, someone came forth with an article mentioning an exclusive interview with the Diva Xia Ling many years ago. Xia Ling had mentioned gleefully that her younger sister was no longer plagued by her congenital heart disease and that she had made a full recovery after her operation.

There was barely any chance of relapse after being cured of her disease. Was it really just a coincidence that she relapsed immediately after being slapped by "Ye Xingling"? There were concerns regarding the validity of her statements everywhere, including the Internet, radio, television station and even on the streets. A considerable number of people began to take stock of Ye Xingling's previous claim and believed that Xia Yu was feigning illness.

Even some Xia Yu's fans started to have their doubts.

Xia Yu had no choice but to explain herself, and she did so with tears welled up in her eyes. She claimed to have had congenital heart disease from a very young age. Without undergoing treatment and coupled with the bad living conditions, she had struggled to stay alive before she met her lucky-star, Pei Ziheng.

"Although Brother Ziheng arranged for me to get the best possible treatment overseas, my illness was too serious to fully recover from. Even after a few operations, the doctors could only keep my illness in check but could not cure me of it. My sister announced my full recovery only to keep people from worrying for me. Actually, my heart is similar to those who are normal, unless someone agitates me. Normally, I would be extremely cautious as I have a weak body. What I did not expect was to be slapped and knocked brutally to the ground. This was the cause of my relapse."

Her speech was perfectly logical and reasonable, tying up all the loose ends.

She even hinted that "Ye Xingling" was cruel and merciless with the usage of the word "brutally".

The fans who originally wavered were cleared of doubt after Xia Yu's speech and were filled with righteous indignation once again as they hardened their stance. However, "Ye Xingling's" fans were not convinced so easily and continued to peck at Xia Yu's hypocrisy. To defend their idol, many rallied together to investigate the truth behind Xia Yu's relapse.

"Was any evidence gathered from the investigation?" Xia Ling asked Sister Mai Na as she monitored the case's development.

Sister Mai Na was filled with confidence. "Why are you even worrying? Boss is going to settle this. He already sent someone to investigate and we will soon get the evidence. Then, we only need to leave a few breadcrumbs for the fans and the truth will be told."

"That's right," she said as her worries dissipated. Unclear how it started, she began to develop a sense of blind faith in Li Lei.

As Li Lei conducted his investigation in secret, the fans were openly looking into the matter. Xia Yu's fans rushed to her defense, not willing to appear weak. The "battle" grew more intense as both parties refused to back down.

With that, "Ye Xingling" became known to many. However, people continued to shoot her side glances.

She had gained infamy instead of fame. Compared to her, Xia Yu had really benefited from the situation as she grabbed the chance to seek sympathy from the public. Her songs became increasingly popular and her recent Ideal C Perfume commercial became a smash hit as well.

Yes, the Ideal C Perfume commercial had made its debut. It was the new product for the season. It was lotus-scented, its elegance reflecting the beginning of summer.

It appeared exquisite and virtuous despite where it came from.

It was public opinion that the theme of the commercial served as a foil to Xia Yu. The picture was complete with a light fragrance matching a beauty. To have terminated "Ye Xingling" was the right choice after all. How could she have possessed such a pure aura or done justice to the product?

Ideal C Perfume gained consistent popularity and soon there were posters all over the streets.

That night, neon lights dazzled in the darkness outside the French casement as Xia Ling stood in Wei Shaoyin's recording studio. His workplace was directly facing the electronic advertising board, which presented Xia Yu's advertisement — The Plain Lotus.

A white lotus flower floating on clear water began to bloom as Xia Yu knelt beside it, wrapped in white cotton tape, bending to reach out for the flower. Her glassy eyes carried a hint of fragility and a speck of sorrow. She had a pair of pixie wings, appearing pure and beautiful.

It was a great shot. Although it was a little inferior in terms of quality compared to Xia Ling's "Dancing Under The Stars," with the solid backing from Ideal C Perfume, it had greater exposure to the viewers and experienced far more success than Xia Ling's unknown publicity video.

As Xia Ling stood in front of the French casement, she observed her sister silently for a long period of time. She was distant, almost like a stranger. She wondered if her sister had always been that way since they were kids. Had she been concealing her true nature from the beginning? Or maybe, when did she start to change? Now she looked sly and scheming, completely unrecognizable...

"What are you staring at?" Wei Shaoyin's voice came from behind.

As he got a clearer view, he grew furious. "Why would you look at that? That's our enemy!"