Chapter Thirty-Two: Immediate Counterattack, Irrefutable Evidence!

However, Bai Ling never truly regarded them as her parents. The heaviness she felt was mostly inherited from the original owner of this body. Once she had adjusted her own mindset, she began recounting the past to Sister Ge. Those were Bai Ling’s painful memories. Even though Bai Ling was not the one who experienced them, retelling the story bit by bit still left her heart aching.

After understanding the situation, Sister Ge grasped the whole story. She was not unprepared. Suspecting that Bai Ling’s relationship with her parents was strained, she had already taken preliminary measures. So even now, though things were somewhat rushed, she was not panicked. Once she had the full picture, she comforted Bai Ling and then left the hotel. This was not a moment for sentimentality or to lament Bai Ling’s fate.

As the online uproar continued to intensify, Spring and Autumn Entertainment began operating at full throttle, with Sister Ge commanding every available resource like a seasoned general. Two hours later, a recording surfaced online.

Sister Ge: Are you Bai Ling’s mother, Lin Fenfang?

Lin Fenfang: Yes, and you are?

Sister Ge: I’m Bai Ling’s agent, Ge Fenfen. Bai Ling asked me to transfer sixty thousand yuan to you—this is for raising her.

Lin Fenfang: What? Sixty thousand? Do you think I’m a beggar? I know Bai Ling is famous now, making money. Why won’t she see me herself? What’s this sixty thousand supposed to mean? What do you mean, money for raising her?

Sister Ge: Please calm down. If you continue to be so agitated, I won’t carry on this conversation.

Lin Fenfang: Don’t give me that. I told you, I want a million. If she doesn’t give it to me, I’ll make a scene at your company, find journalists, find the media, and say she’s unfilial! That annoying girl—I always knew giving birth to a daughter was pure bad luck...

The conversation ended there.

Yet, the recording had already revealed much. Originally, Ge Fenfen intended to have someone deal with Lin Fenfang. But Lin Fenfang was obstinate and hard to communicate with. In the end, Ge Fenfen had to step in personally. She was cautious enough to keep a recording, which proved invaluable today. This was her first line of defense.

The recording quickly went viral. If Starlight Entertainment could employ internet trolls, why couldn’t they? Almost immediately, the recording spread through Bai Ling’s largest fan groups and popped up on Weibo super topics, forums, and other platforms.

Bai Ling’s social media accounts didn’t miss out either; they posted it directly. Those who had rushed in to vilify Bai Ling saw the recording right away. The result was predictable. If not a crushing blow, there was certainly a shift in momentum.

“Damn, Bai Ling’s mother demanded a million on the spot?”

“They may be mother and daughter, but is it normal to ask for that much and with that attitude?”

“And from the sound of it, she only came demanding money after learning Bai Ling was famous.”

“When Bai Ling was bullied by Starlight, this so-called mother was nowhere to be seen. Now that there’s money, suddenly her ‘precious daughter’ matters?”

“And what’s with her later remarks, saying daughters are nothing but trouble?”

“This is disgusting.”

“Haha, isn’t she herself a woman? How can she say that?”

“I’m speechless.”

“So those earlier interviews—were they just a setup to smear Bai Ling?”

“No way, Bai Ling is so pitiful.”

“The whole situation has flipped.”

“Tsk tsk! You live long enough, you see everything.”

“Nothing in the entertainment world is surprising anymore. With such a bizarre mother, it almost makes sense.”

“A million—a million! Does she even know what that means?”

“But did anyone notice Bai Ling said the money for raising her was only sixty thousand?”

“Sixty thousand, to raise a child to eighteen? Impossible!”

“Even if you ignore education costs, just food and drink—ten thousand for three years, three thousand per year, two hundred a month?”

“This number doesn’t add up.”

“Two hundred—can you survive on that?”

“No matter what, Bai Ling’s mother is definitely problematic. This is another wave of drama.”

...

The comments beneath the posts spread rapidly. As fierce as the tide was, it receded just as swiftly.

Starlight Entertainment had been waiting gleefully for Bai Ling and Spring and Autumn Entertainment to be thrown into chaos. They had never expected Spring and Autumn and Ge Fenfen to be so direct and decisive, almost turning the tables in an instant.

Even worse, Lin Fenfang, that fool, had actually been caught red-handed.

“Damn it, that rural woman is useless,”

“To think she got recorded! She’s made us so passive.”

Wang Tianhai paced his office, growing agitated. With victory so close, he would not let it slip away. He immediately summoned Zhou Tai.

“Zhou Tai, hurry up. Get the trolls to say the recording is fake, the audio was doctored, and this is just Spring and Autumn’s attempt to whitewash.”

“Second, put out more press releases. Let’s make it clear Starlight is stepping in. Say we’ve investigated Bai Ling’s background, say she’s notoriously unfilial, that she’s complained about her parents in private, looks down on them for being from the countryside.”

“Whatever you need to do to smear her, just do it.”

Neutralize the evidence Spring and Autumn presented, keep slandering Bai Ling. Ideally, get her parents to publicly denounce her as well. As long as the controversy is loud enough, what use is one piece of evidence in Bai Ling’s hands?

Besides, Wang Tianhai didn’t need to utterly destroy Bai Ling or force her out of the entertainment industry—an almost impossible feat. Even artists convicted of crimes can make comebacks and thrive. ‘Unfilial’ alone is not enough to end an entertainer.

What Wang Tianhai wanted was simply to tag Bai Ling with a mark, so her path would no longer be smooth. With that, it would be harder for her to get invitations or transition into a singer or entertainer.

At best, her career would become rocky; at worst, her popularity would plummet, and she’d never reach the top again. Only by pulling Bai Ling off her pedestal would Wang Tianhai have the opportunity to settle scores later.

So even if Spring and Autumn retaliated and produced evidence—it didn’t matter.

Listening to Wang Tianhai’s instructions, Zhou Tai responded without hesitation, “Understood, President Wang. I’ll take care of it right away!”