Chapter 494 - A Snub

“Xia Ning, could you please ask Commander Yi to investigate where my father is?”

It was reasonable for Leon to ask for this favor. If Duke Davis Widdison was in danger, they could not search for his trace on a grand scale. Only special talents could help at a time like this.

“Alright. I’ll call Rui now.”

And then Xia Ning called Yi Yunrui, telling him about Leon’s request.

Xia Ning hung up the phone after some chit chat. And then she said to Leon, “Leon, Rui said he would have you picked up. Please wait for another ten minutes.”

“Thanks a lot.” Leon sighed and sipped his coffee. And then he asked as if he had been suddenly reminded of something, “How’s your job as World Era Weekly’s chief editor going? Have you faced any problems for your first month?”

“To be honest, I still have a lot to go through to finally settle down. I’m only the chief editor for a month.” Leon was her friend and she was happy to tell her friend about her thoughts. “But the major problem is quite traditional, like establishing my authority. Many people who are working here are more experienced than me after all.”

“Every company has similar issues. It’s not the experienced one that can take a superior position. It’s a person’s ability that matters. World Era Weekly has picked you for a reason. You just have to believe in yourself.”

“Yeah. I’ll do my best.”

“Xia Ning, I saw you on the TV last night. I’ve known you for a while, but I wasn’t aware you’d been through that much until last night. That wasn’t easy.”

Xia Ning laughed, “It’s not a big deal. We all have to struggle for life. Lives are filled with ups and downs.”

“Good! I like your attitude! To be honest, no other chief editor of World Era Weekly was as famous as you. It’s crucial to have a good reputation. But fame can cause much trouble. Xia Ning, you must be careful these days.”

Standing at the pinnacle, he knew better than Xia Ning that fame was double-edged. If one did not know how to use it, it could backfire.

Meanwhile, someone knocked at the door. Zhang Hai walked in and said respectfully to Leon, “Your Highness, the car is waiting downstairs. Please come with me.”

Leon stood up, “I’ll see you later, Xia Ning. Remember, don’t tell anyone I’m here.”

“Copy. See you around.”

Leon wiped the smile off his face when he walked out of the chief editor’s office. His blue eyes blinked. Promoting Xia Ning to be the chief editor was hasty and some colleagues were not really prepared. It seemed that he had some work to do.

“Chief Editor Xia, you’re early today!” Upon opening the door, Jing Shu was surprised to see people in the chief editor’s office. She checked the time and found it had just passed eight o’clock. Usually, Miss Xia came at nine.

Smelling the aroma of the coffee, Jing Shu felt that she had neglected her duty. “You could have called me. I would have come earlier and prepared everything.”

“Shu, it’s my turn to treat you some coffee after having your coffee for such a long time.” With this, Xia Ning placed a cup of coffee in front of Jing Shu, “I don’t want to see the journalists so I came here early.”

“I see. There were loads of journalists outside when I came. Chief Editor Xia, shall we send them away?”

“If only we could.” Being of the same trade, she knew what they were thinking, “Just leave them be. They’ll go away when they want to go away.”

At the same time, Xia Ning’s phone was ringing. An Zeyou was calling.

Seeing that it was from An Zeyou, Xia Ning was surprised. They had not been in touch for a while. After transforming from a pretty boy to a national idol famous for his talents, this handsome dude was getting popular these days. He had a promising future as a superstar ahead.

“Mr. Superstar, it’s been a while! I’m so honored to have you calling me.”

“I missed you so much. You didn’t call me once in such a long time. I’m always the one who calls first. You’re so cheeky.”

An Zeyou was still who he was. Xia Ning laughed and said, “I don’t want to bother you. Also, I don’t want to make you the subject of gossips by calling you. I hate to disappoint your female fans.”

“Hahaha! If possible, I’d love to have people gossip about me and you, Ning. Sadly, I never had the chance. Even if I did, I’d better watch out for my life. I’m a bit afraid of Brother Rui.”

Ha, An Zeyou was contradicting himself. He was afraid of being caught but refused to be obedient.

“Mr. Superstar, are you calling to chat? Are you off today?”

“I’m on set. I am so tired these days. I only sleep for three or four hours every day. I’m afraid that I’ll die young this way. Xia Ning, I’ll be back to C City to catch up with you and Brother Rui after shooting this series. I can really use a vacation.”

“Career is important, but it’s not as important as your health. Remember to call me ahead when you’re back, Mr. Superstar. I’m also quite busy these days…”

“For sure you are. You’re a celebrity!”

Xia Ning paused, “Did you see the report?”

“Ha, I don’t need to watch it. I was the one giving out the news and my assistant prepared the reporters’ speeches. Alright, I know I’m a super nice guy and I’m all ears to your gratitude.”

“…” So, it was An Zeyou. But he was frank about this. “Mr. Superstar, what’s the problem with you making fun of me?”

Sensing the anger in Xia Ning’s tone, An Zeyou said hurriedly, “Wait, wait, wait, calm down! Someone told me to do so. I couldn’t disobey my supervisor. Otherwise, I would disappear from the entertainment circle.”

Xia Ning felt her eyebrows twitching. Who dared to send him off the entertainment circle given the fame An Zeyou had?

“Who is this ‘someone’?”

“I can’t say. I’ll tell you when it’s the right time. It’s time to film and I’ll hang up. Don’t miss me too much, Xia Ning. I’ll be right back! Love from little Youyou!”

Without hearing Xia Ning’s reply, An Zeyou had ended the call.

She knew it. Only after one night, she was now the subject of the TV reports. There must have been something going on. But she never thought it was An Zeyou!

“Chief Editor Xia, do you remember He Yuan, the celebrity?”

“Yeah?”

“Her agent keeps calling me these days about doing an interview. I declined it several times as I thought she was previously rude to Sister Xia. But her agent seems to be persistent. They offer to apologize. What do you think, Chief Editor Xia?”

Xia Ning pondered. She said, “What was He Yuan doing last time when Sun Jiren was in C City?”

“She was at an outdoor scene or something.”

“Next time her agent calls, you can just decline her.” She usually gave people a second chance. But this was also about World Era Weekly. It was not an entertainment magazine that did interviews with new celebrities at will.

World Era Weekly was the pinnacle of fashion magazines. Loads of the first-line celebrities had to wait to be interviewed. She was now the chief editor and could not lower its rank.

Also, He Yuan was really arrogant. She was a snub already before she had the real fame. Even if she was popular in the future, her fame could hardly last. The magazine could not risk itself for her.

“Okay, chief editor. I’ll reply to her now.” She was really pissed off with He Yuan. Now that the chief editor had given her remarks, she had nothing to worry about.

And then Jing Shu returned to her seat and called He Yuan’s agent.

Jing Shu hung up the phone angrily after a few words, “Pfft. Arrogant b*st*rd, who do you think you are?”

Xia Ning frowned, “What happened? Why so angry?”

“I was declining their request. And the agent said in a really disrespectful way. She said ‘we’ll see’ as if they would make us pay or something.”

“Never mind. They can say whatever they like. No need to be angry at these small issues.”

But two hours later, Jing Shu saw a web article titled “New Chief Editor of World Era Weekly Being a Snub, Breaking Her Promise!” The content was related to He Yuan. It said that World Era Weekly had cancelled their interview appointment with He Yuan because she was not famous enough.

“Oh my gosh! They’re basically using us to gain publicity!” Jing Shu said, aggrieved.

Everyone in the entertainment circle gave everything and used every dirty trick to climb up. Xia Ning was crystal clear about this. She was even aware that He Yuan could counter whatever she said with people’s sympathy. She could make herself a victim by stating that she was not equal to World Era Weekly as an individual.

This was really annoying.

“We will not respond to this for now. Let’s see what she’s up to.” In fact, Xia Ning was interested in the response of He Yuan’s company.

She wanted to see how fierce the battle in this circle could be.

In less than half an hour, He Yuan’s Weibo had been shared several thousand times. The replies basically all pointed to World Era Weekly being the bully.

From her experience, Xia Ning was quickly aware that these were all the deeds of the Internet water army.

He Yuan seemed to be prepared this time.

She wanted to use World Era Weekly and her as the stepping stones, right? Xia Ning smiled.

It should be called ignorance rather than bravery.

“Were these people raised in a barn? I can’t believe they kiss their mom with that mouth.” Jing Shu swore, “Chief editor, shall I diss them back for you?”

“No worries.” Xia Ning pondered. She said, “Check what He Yuan is filming these days and find out its investor.”

“Yes, chief editor.”

Xia Ning turned around to look outside the window. The journalists at the front gate all took out their phones and seemed to be reading something. Xia Ning blinked her eyes. It appeared that the news had arrived.

The residential area for commanders.

“Boss, check out this Weibo. Someone’s attacking your love.” Seeing this news, Zhang Hai hurried to take the laptop to Yi Yunrui.