Chapter 220 The Counterattack Against the Scandal

Chapter 220 The Counterattack Against the Scandal

Zhu Lili's fingertips gripped the leather texture on the back of her phone tightly. The screen showed Su Yingxue smiling as she accepted the food box, and the calm warmth in her eyes seemed to Zhu Lili nothing more than blatant ostentation.

Huang Yifei's gentle words of gratitude echoed in the recording, each word piercing her heart like a needle, yet also inexplicably exciting her—this smear campaign was a hundred times more powerful than the rumors of her being arrogant and ostracizing her teammates, enough to completely ruin Su Yingxue and Shen Yu's reputations.

She quickly put away her phone, crouched down and took two steps back to brace herself against the cold pillar. Her heart was pounding, not from nervousness, but from the impending victory.

The humiliation and resentment brought by the draw were dispelled by this sudden "handle," replaced by a twisted ecstasy.

She had already started brainstorming headlines for smear articles: "Ordinary actress Su Yingxue tries to climb the social ladder by associating with actress Huang Yifei, and manipulates variety show competitions behind the scenes" and "Huang Yifei secretly gives Su Yingxue ingredients to help her advance, ignoring fairness."

Each of these statements was enough to ignite public opinion, turning Su Yingxue from a dark horse against all odds into a cheater condemned by everyone.

"Su Yingxue, Shen Yu, let's see how you turn things around this time."

Zhu Lili bit her lip, her eyes almost overflowing with malice.

She glanced at the control panel where the earphone had fallen, her agitation gone. Compared to the bombshell revelation, an earphone was nothing.

They could even use this as an excuse to add another charge against Su Yingxue's team for picking up personal belongings and invading privacy, making the smear campaign even more thorough.

She straightened the wrinkles in her skirt, forced herself to calm down, and walked out of the rest area with feigned composure, heading straight for the studio exit.

The assistant had already parked the car on the side of the road. She opened the car door and got in, her twisted smile still on her face, which frightened the assistant so much that he shrank back and dared not ask any more questions.

"Immediately message the PR team and send them the photos and recordings."

Zhu Lili tossed her phone to her assistant, her tone cold and urgent, carrying an undeniable ruthlessness.

The assistant quickly agreed, her fingers flying across her phone. Zhu Lili leaned back in her chair, eyes closed in deep thought, the image of Su Yingxue's disheveled departure replaying in her mind, a smile involuntarily creeping onto her lips.

The resentment suppressed by Su Yingxue and the jealousy of having her attention stolen by Shen Yu finally found an outlet. She seemed to have already seen the position of the new drama's female lead firmly in her hands.

On the other side, in a secluded corner, Huang Yifei was looking at Su Yingxue with admiration: "I heard from Lin Chuan before that your cooking skills were inspired. I only realized today that you not only have inspiration but also resilience. You can make delicious food even without oil, which is better than many professional chefs."

Su Yingxue humbly shook her head: "You flatter me. I only know some coping skills, and luck also plays a part. I have no idea what to do for the next street stall event. The public's tastes are different from the judges', so I need to think about it carefully."

"Street vendors need fresh, affordable, and memorable dishes," Huang Yifei advised with a smile. "Since you're good at light flavors, you can focus on healthy and refreshing dishes, which are popular now that it's getting cooler. The ingredients I gave you include a lot of mushrooms and bamboo shoots, which are suitable for soup noodles or cold dishes, fresh but not greasy."

Shen Yu leaned closer, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the insulated food container: "Actress Huang is so thoughtful! With these ingredients, we'll be even more confident for the next round!"

Huang Yifei was amused and said gently, "You have the talent; these are just icing on the cake. Prepare well, and I look forward to your performance."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, she turned and left. She was simply thanking him, but little did she know that her brief interaction had given Zhu Lili leverage over her, and a media storm was quietly brewing.

Su Yingxue and Shen Yu returned to the rest area carrying the food box. Xia Paopao immediately came over, opened the food box and exclaimed, "Wow, it's full of good stuff! Fresh shiitake mushrooms, morel mushrooms and tender spring bamboo shoots, we've got the ingredients for the next game!"

"Actress Huang is so kind; she even specially sent over the ingredients."

Shen Yu was all smiles as she lightly tapped the mushrooms with her fingertips. "Let's make mushroom and bamboo shoot noodles. The soup is delicious and the noodles are chewy. It's sure to attract a lot of people."

A warm feeling flashed in Su Yingxue's eyes as she nodded in agreement: "This is a good idea. Mushrooms have a rich umami flavor and don't need much seasoning to bring out their taste, which meets the needs of a street vendor."

"Brewing the broth in advance allows for quick and flavorful noodle cooking on-site."

The two were discussing their plan with great interest when Su Yingxue's phone suddenly vibrated. A text message from an unknown number read: "Be careful of Zhu Lili, she's planning to frame you and Shen Yu."

She frowned slightly, her smile fading as she glanced at the excited Shen Yu beside her, quietly putting away her phone without saying a word. She had long anticipated that Zhu Lili wouldn't let the matter rest.

But they didn't expect the other party to act so quickly, and even more surprisingly, someone tipped them off in advance.

"What's wrong, Sister Su?"

Shen Yu noticed that something was wrong with her expression and quickly asked.

"It's nothing, just a regular text message."

Su Yingxue quickly regained her composure and suggested with a smile, "In addition to noodle soup, let's also prepare a stir-fry dish to satisfy different tastes."

Shen Yu didn't think much of it and continued the discussion, but Su Yingxue became more wary.

She knew how ruthless Zhu Lili was. She needed to prepare for the competition and also be wary of being schemed against. However, Zhu Lili's actions were far more ruthless and faster than she had anticipated.

That evening, negative news about Su Yingxue began to circulate.

Several blurry photos first circulated on various entertainment forums, showing her receiving a food box from Huang Yifei. The angles were tricky, making the interaction seem particularly intimate, and the headlines were highly sensational.

"Breaking news! Behind-the-scenes manipulation in 'Rural Food Time'! Amateur contestant Su Yingxue secretly met with Huang Yifei, suspected of using her special privileges in the competition."

Immediately afterwards, a barrage of detailed smear articles appeared, accompanied by clear photos and edited audio recordings.

The recording only retained Huang Yifei's "You can use this for the next game" and Su Yingxue's "Thank you," deliberately omitting the part about thanking Lu Linchuan to create the illusion of behind-the-scenes manipulation.

The smear article further exaggerated, claiming that Su Yingxue had known Huang Yifei through Lu Linchuan long ago, and that she used her connections to get ahead, and that even the previous draw was the result of Huang Yifei's secret manipulation.

At the same time, Shen Yu's scandals also broke out. An anonymous source claimed that she acted like a diva, ostracized Xia Paopao, stole Su Yingxue's credit, and even fabricated a story that she framed other contestants in order to get on camera.

In a short time, the two names were trending on social media, and the comment section was filled with insults and doubts.

"So Su Yingxue relied on connections. No wonder she was able to turn the tables. How disgusting!"

"Why would Huang Yifei help someone like this? It's so disappointing. Is there really something fishy going on?"

"Shen Yu looks innocent, but I didn't expect her to be so scheming. She should get off the variety show immediately!"

"We demand that the production team investigate, eliminate Su Yingxue and Shen Yu, and restore fairness to the competition!"

As public opinion intensified, netizens pressured the show's official account, and the topic of boycotting the two exceeded ten million views within hours.

As Zhu Lili watched the trending topics rise, she leaned back on the sofa, sipping red wine, her eyes filled with calculation and smugness.

The PR team was far more efficient than expected. Su Yingxue and Shen Yu have become the target of public criticism. Even if the production team wanted to protect them, they could not withstand the pressure of public opinion.