Chapter 107 - 102: They’re All Talents
’Something about this feels off, doesn’t it?’
"That sort of thing? What are you talking about? Are we even talking about the same thing?"
Ni Bingyan, holding her shears and steadying herself against the tree trunk, turned her head to ask Granny Wei, who was outside the courtyard wall.
"Oh, so you really don’t know yet?"
Realizing this, Granny Wei gave an awkward laugh. After laughing, she comforted her, "It’s nothing major. Just try not to take it to heart. A lot of things seem embarrassing now, but after a while, you’ll get over them."
’That just makes it sound even more alarming, doesn’t it?’
She started to wrack her brain—
’Sister Wei was with me the whole time yesterday. She would have told me if something had gone wrong. And I haven’t done anything bad lately.’
’Is some villain trying to frame me again?!’
Ni Bingyan gritted her teeth and immediately climbed down from the ladder. "I don’t have my phone on me. Granny Wei, could I borrow yours?"
Seeing this, Uncle Wang came over too.
"What hot search? Bingbing, what did you do?"
Uncle Wang didn’t follow entertainment news or watch livestreams. He didn’t know about Ni Bingyan walking the red carpet, nor did he know what Granny Wei was talking about. He was doubly confused.
"Well, I went to an event and walked the red carpet yesterday, right? I put a lot of effort into my look, and my agent said we could buy a spot on the hot search."
Granny Wei’s hand, which was handing over the phone, froze.
"You silly girl, is that something you should be saying out loud?"
Ni Bingyan just smiled, unconcerned. "There are no outsiders here."
’Besides, for celebrities, buying or removing hot search topics is standard procedure. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell when it happens, so what’s there to hide?’
"Ah, you’re just too honest, child. You don’t understand the saying, ’You can know a person’s face, but not their heart.’ It’s a good thing it’s just me and Old Wang here today. In the future, you have to be more careful about what you say. Otherwise, you’ll run into someone with ulterior motives, and they’ll take you for a ride before you know it."
As she spoke, Granny Wei started to laugh.
The feeling of being trusted was really wonderful.
Ni Bingyan smiled without saying a word. She took the phone, opened Weibo, and found the hot search list. There it was: the hashtag #NiBingyanSneakingFood, followed by a fiery red "Explosive!" icon.
The day after Weibo Night, all the fanbases were tearing each other to shreds over the topic of "Who was the most beautiful woman on the red carpet last night?" But before a winner could be decided, Ni Bingyan shot up the ranks like a mudslide, an unstoppable force that came out of nowhere with a WHOOSH.
While the buzz around other topics was fading, hers was still climbing. By becoming "clickbait," she had attracted countless people from outside the fandom to join the discussion.
It was just too eye-catching!
Ni Bingyan sucked in a breath.
’Who was the genius who came up with this hashtag?’
’I have to say, the Chinese language truly is profound and complex.’
If she were a married woman, she might have seen this and felt her reputation was being attacked. But since she was single, she immediately calmed down.
She clicked on the topic. The top post read: [Saw something hilarious while watching the livestream last night. I laughed so hard I almost did the splits! HAHAHAHA! Made a few GIFs to share with everyone. Attached: Ni Bingyan sneaking beef jerky GIFs x9]
Everyone else was either listening attentively to the speaker on stage, or at the very least, spacing out or yawning. But her? She was like a grade-schooler, sneaking snacks the entire time.
Before taking a bite, she was like a little mouse peeking out of its hole, cautiously glancing around, terrified someone would see her little movements.
The moment it was in her mouth, her eyes would squint uncontrollably and the corners of her lips would curve up slightly. That look of pure bliss made you wonder, what on earth was she eating? What could possibly be that delicious?
After finishing a piece, she would occasionally lick her lips, savoring the aftertaste. Then, probably worried her lipstick had come off, she’d pull out a small mirror from her palm and check her reflection from all angles. After a quick touch-up, she’d pretend nothing had happened and sit there prim and proper. But after a few moments, it was like she had ants in her pants...
Then again, who wouldn’t be the same way when they had unfinished delicious snacks on hand!
...until she secretly pinched another piece and popped it in her mouth.
This process repeated over and over until she’d eaten the very last piece.
The person who made the GIFs was ruthless. They must have gone through it frame by frame, because they even managed to capture the moment she used her fingertip to dab the last little crumbs and put them in her mouth.
It was like watching a silent film.
’You have to admit, the person who made these screenshots was incredibly dedicated.’
’No wonder Granny Wei just said she never expected female celebrities to be so competitive.’
’She probably thought I was doing it on purpose for publicity.’
’Ah, female celebrities! They’ll really do anything to get famous!’
’What else did she say just now?’
’My agent bought a hot search?’
’Doesn’t that just prove it was a publicity stunt?’
Seeing the "you really have it tough" expressions on both Uncle Wang and Granny Wei’s faces, Ni Bingyan just wanted to flee in disgrace!
’The celebrities who actually trip and fall but get accused of faking it must feel this same way!’
When female celebrities attend events, they wear heels that are easily ten centimeters or higher to look taller and show off their figures. If they encounter rain, snow, or a slippery floor, the chance of falling increases infinitely.
Much of the time, they genuinely fall, only to be accused of having no shame and doing it for attention.
To be an actor, you not only need endurance, but also a thick skin.
If you fall, you have to pretend it doesn’t hurt at all, get up immediately, and continue with a smile as if nothing happened.
So, after seeing the hot search, Ni Bingyan scrolled through it briefly before handing the phone back to Granny Wei.
Pretending she wasn’t the least bit embarrassed, she explained:
"Sigh! I didn’t eat all day yesterday. By the time evening came, all I got were a few pieces of beef jerky. I had to sneak them while sitting in the audience, and now I’m getting laughed at for it. This industry of ours is just that tough. Sorry you two had to see that!"
"What’s the big deal? When I was starting my business, I used to take my daughter to the market every day to pick up wilted vegetable leaves that others had thrown away, and I never felt ashamed. You have to taste the bitterest of bitters to become the best of the best. Don’t pay any mind to those who laugh at you; just bravely walk your own path! One day, when you’re living a good life, they’ll still be sitting behind their keyboards, moving on to attack the next person."
"Thank you, Granny Wei!"
’Pretend not to care and continue with the task at hand.’ Ni Bingyan adhered firmly to this creed. With a grateful smile, she climbed back up the ladder and went back to pruning the branches.
Suppressing her anxiety, Ni Bingyan diligently finished pruning Uncle Wang’s pomegranate tree before finally returning home.
The moment she walked in the door, she couldn’t wait to find her phone, open Weibo, and take a closer look.
’How could she possibly not care what other people think?’
Those hundred-something-thousand comments and three-hundred-something-thousand reposts were genuinely terrifying! If her self-control hadn’t been strong enough, she probably would have kept Granny Wei’s phone and scrolled endlessly.
But now that she was home, it didn’t matter.
Without even stopping to wash her hands, Ni Bingyan sat on the sofa and began to slowly read through everything.
The top comments were as follows:
[LMAO! How long has it been since she last ate? Looks like beauty really comes at a price. /crying-laughing emoji]
[That sneaky look, glancing around, and that smug expression when she thinks no one has noticed, it’s so freaking cute! Anyone who wants the sticker pack, check my pinned post. /doge head]
[Sigh, as a teacher, I really want to say to all my inattentive students: you think you’re being subtle sneaking food, but we can see you crystal clear from the stage. /crying-laughing emoji]
[The Little Mud Figure sticker pack is still new! And now a new series is out! How does she do it, switching so freely between a goddess and a dork? /laughing-out-loud]
[By the way, isn’t anyone curious what brand of beef jerky she was eating?]
[I hope she stars in a comedy. @Brotherhood Pictures, hurry up and arrange it. Know what’s good for you. /boss-smoking-cigar]
[I’m dying, Pinduoduo is way too good at chasing trends. It’s only been a short while and "Bingbing’s exact same beef jerky" is already listed. This is insane!]
...
She had to scroll through several pages before she started seeing negative comments:
[People are speaking on stage and she’s down there eating? What kind of manners are those? Absolutely no respect for others.]
[Don’t even know where this 18th-tier nobody came from, always pulling publicity stunts nonstop...]
Sister Wei must have been watching Weibo all day. Since the topic’s popularity hadn’t dropped, and was in fact steadily rising, Ni Bingyan knew she didn’t need to worry.
Seeing the obvious comment moderation, Ni Bingyan sighed. Calming down from her initial rush of excitement, she couldn’t help but send a voice message to Wei Shuojie to complain.
"What kind of unlucky star was I born under? It feels like no matter what I do, someone is always watching me."
’In a huge venue with so many people, someone was actually watching her sneak food, and they watched from beginning to end! It’s just absurd!’
’And I’m not even famous yet! Once I become a big-shot actress, will I be scrutinized for every little thing I do?’
Sister Wei must have been on her phone, because she replied almost immediately.
Ni Bingyan played the message. Wei Shuojie’s voice came through, laced with laughter—"This just proves you have a physique that attracts hot searches, babe! Think of how much money this will save us!"
’Hmm... I guess... that’s actually true, isn’t it?’