CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol

Chapter 268 - 261: Public Opinion Reversal

Base

On the surface, everything seemed to be in order, but undercurrents were surging.

Though several popular contestants had more or less been hit with scandals.

Among these, the most impactful was the smear targeting Ye Yuwei.

Under the instructions of the show’s producers, the girls at the base were all aware of this matter.

Everyone seemed to believe the rumor that Ye Yuwei was being kept.

Because the entertainment circle was nothing but a big melting pot—all but impossible to rise through without sponsorship.

The annual Galaxy election was something they all understood; they knew that every top-ranking member inevitably had a "big backer." Since they’ve invested so much money in you, it’s only fair to pay something back.

Faced with this, Ye Yuwei had little explanation to offer.

Later, in the spin-off show "Dorm Diary" aired by the production team, Ye Yuwei was practically featured in every single frame of the episode.

But the focus was more on how she was training on her own, which in turn solidified the rumor that she was a member of the "royalty" class and that she lacked social graces within the program.

Whew!

Xiao Du felt like he was nearing his limit, utterly exhausted to the point of collapse.

"Xiao Du, take a break! You’ve gone a whole day and night without resting."

Seeing his state, Mu Yunchu couldn’t help but feel heartbroken, tears almost falling from her eyes.

"I’m fine; I can hold on. This is the critical moment right now."

Xiao Du’s voice was weak. He stood up, moved to the cabinet, grabbed a bottle of medicine, poured two pills, and swallowed them.

"These people are simply unbearable; they twist anything into whatever they want."

"That ’luxury car night escort incident’—that lady clarified everything already. But they concocted it into a story where she supposedly helped her lover deal with difficulties."

Xiao Du’s previously pale complexion seemed to improve somewhat.

"Xiao Du, why don’t we reach out to that university professor again and ask her to help Yezi one more time?"

"It’s useless. The fundamental problem now is that no one believes the truth we’re putting out."

Xiao Du felt tortured inside as he considered this.

As soon as Ye Yuwei’s anti-smear team posted the truth online, the articles were maliciously reported and deleted, some accounts even outright banned.

Someone had mobilized powerful connections to suppress the truth at its source.

This was the root of the despair engulfing Xiao Du.

While the pair sat in distress, a trending post began rapidly gaining traction on Zhihu, with similar messages spreading across major platforms.

The headline read: Breaking news—The real identity of Ye Yuwei’s mysterious sponsor exposed.

The currently popular "Idol Training Camp" program was turning out to be one dramatic rollercoaster; nearly every contestant had some scandal exposed.

Among them, Ye Yuwei’s was the most sensational.

Her rumor was not just any rumor—it involved the legendary secrets of rule-breaking in the entertainment industry.

The person allegedly backing her held a particularly unique status: Wu Jingxiang, the third young master of Shenghai’s prominent financial entity, the Wu Group.

Then a picture surfaced showing Wu Jingxiang dressed in women’s clothing at a high-society banquet.

Wu Jingxiang, the third young master, had studied abroad in Europe and the U.S. during his early years—not only excelling academically but also having a colorful romantic history, which allegedly even attracted the scrutiny of local authorities.

After returning to his homeland, Wu Jingxiang had served as a university professor and a film investor; his experiences were said to be quite diverse. Was his interaction with Ye Yuwei intended as part of a plan to poach talent from Galaxy?

Galaxy, as a small company, struggled tremendously with access to film resources.

If Ye Yuwei had plans to switch allegiances, it wouldn’t be surprising.

This post seemed to say a lot but also felt like it was saying nothing at all.

The comments section, however, exploded in response:

Dear lord! Turns out Ye Yuwei likes crossdressers!

I’m sickened! Ye Yuwei’s tastes are so outrageous—she’ll do anything to get famous.

Oh my god! The Wu Group’s third son—isn’t he more of a third daughter?

What’s really going on here? The entertainment world is shattering all my expectations.

Yezi is truly something else. Wonder if she gets nightmares at night.

Xiao Du was equally stunned by this revelation; he couldn’t fathom his idol being entangled with someone like that.

Mu Yunchu, too, found her worldview entirely shattered, her face flushed as she read further.

"This must be a baseless rumor—those damn secret manipulators."

Driven by fury, Xiao Du nearly smashed his computer in rage.

"How about I ask my dad? My dad definitely knows this Wu Jingxiang."

Mu Yunchu mumbled dazedly.

"Even if we confirm that this person is indeed Wu Jingxiang from the Wu Group, so what? Does that prove Yezi really had dealings with him for resources?"

Xiao Du caught on to Mu Yunchu’s underlying meaning.

"What I mean is we need to uncover the truth first to respond effectively." Mu Yunchu’s face showed grievance and hesitation.

Lan Yening was also following the news, and for some reason, he felt a strange sense of relief in his heart.

Though he wished to hang onto his original intentions, being in this industry for so long—wanting to rise above the control of others—had shifted his moral compass.

"Yezi, I’ve already lost myself. I feel unworthy of you now, but I’ll forgive and understand you. I know the difficulties you face in this circle." He silently put his phone down.

Li Jiaqi’s first reaction to the news was utter shock, but she felt there was a good chance most of it was true.

Back then, Ye Yuwei’s actions, paired with her mysterious backer...

Her mind was now in total disarray. Lately, she had been busy shooting films outside.

Whether it was sheer luck or the directors genuinely appreciated her acting skills...

After completing her last film, multiple production crews surprisingly invited her to play smaller roles.

Galaxy was ecstatic about this development since their idols rarely landed outside gigs beyond their self-produced dramas.

Even Penguin was stunned—what started as random gossip seemed to have unearthed something truly startling, pulling in personalities of this magnitude.

The Wu family was viewed as one of Shenghai’s old-school "aristocrats." Their history dated back to the late Qing dynasty.

Having briefly fled abroad during China’s Republican era before returning to Shenghai...

This family’s legacy went far beyond mere wealth.

The casual spectators were fixated on Wu Jingxiang’s peculiar appearance.

But entities like Penguin weren’t focused on the scandal—they saw the deeper malice buried within the post.

"Also investigated by foreign authorities"—this hinted that Wu Jingxiang might have committed crimes overseas. If confirmed, it would deal an enormous blow to the Wu Group’s reputation.

Wu Jingxiang himself had already seen the post.

Normally composed, he nearly threw his Parker gold pen to the ground out of rage.

This post was clearly aiming to destroy him completely.

"Wu Hao, deal with this post immediately. I want to know who’s behind it."

As soon as he finished instructing his cousin, his father’s call came through.

The Wu Group’s formidable network worked swiftly; within less than an hour, the post disappeared, and all trending topics related to Wu Jingxiang vanished.

Simultaneously, the Wu Group issued a legal statement.

Law firm X has been entrusted by the Wu Group to release the following statement addressing malicious defamation of Mr. Wu Jingxiang across the internet:

After Mr. Wu Jingxiang graduated and returned to China, he once served as a lecturer at a university in Shenghai. Galaxy Limited Company artist Ms. Ye Yuwei was one of his students.

Their relationship was strictly that of teacher and student—not the rumored "lover" dynamic circulating online.

During his time abroad, Mr. Wu Jingxiang adhered to all laws and regulations, having committed no violations.

Our law firm has preserved evidence against the relevant users and sharers of these malicious allegations and intends to pursue all applicable civil lawsuits, criminal charges, and other legal actions required to hold responsible parties accountable.

With this statement released, nearly all online posts speculating about Ye Yuwei’s alleged sponsor disappeared, replaced by threads debunking the rumors.

These pieces argued that Ye Yuwei was ostracized at Galaxy, yet she continuously worked hard and obeyed all idol industry protocols.

This served to prove she could not possibly have been involved with anyone—not with Wu Jingxiang or anyone else, rendering the rumors patently false.

Of course, these "debunking" posts were orchestrated by Wu Hao’s team.

The narrative began to flip. To redirect attention entirely, Wu Hao hired people to hype up Ye Yuwei, focusing on platforms like "HuPu" for aggressive promotion.