Chapter 334: A New Mission
The news about the Gu family was lively for a while, with the entire internet boycotting Gu’s products.
However, the Gu family was involved in many industries. When the criticism became overwhelming, a few contrarians inevitably jumped out and voiced dissenting opinions.
“Gu’s electric fans are great! The one my family bought twenty years ago is still working. You can’t just condemn everyone at once.”
“Other brands’ hair dryers always seem noisy to me. Only Gu’s have no annoying sounds.”
“Exactly. People say Gu’s clothes are poor quality, but I only avoid skin allergies when I wear clothes made by the Gu company.”
There were so many comments like this that it became hard to tell whether they were from paid posters, genuine users who liked Gu’s products, or Gu Shuangbai’s fans defending him.
Thanks to these voices, after a while, public attention shifted away from the Gu family. The focus of online outrage moved to a scandal-plagued celebrity instead. Though the Gu family was still criticized, it seemed the worst had passed.
Watching Gu Shuangbai resume business activities and seeing the peaceful tone of his fan comments, Xu Youyou couldn’t help but marvel at how short the internet’s memory was.
“The internet does forget easily,” Lu Jingyao said, “but no one can survive repeated scandals.”
Xu Youyou sensed a deeper meaning in his words. “You think there’ll be a third time?”
Lu Jingyao replied, “The Red Dragon King can shield them from fate, but if the product quality falls, it’s only a matter of time before the next backlash.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but ask, “Good will always triumph over evil?”
“Something like that,” Lu Jingyao said. “Mysticism is just a minor path. True success comes from walking the straight and honest road.”
Still, Xu Youyou thought to herself, if the Red Dragon King’s help could make someone a billionaire, everyone would probably scramble to curry favor with him.
Lu Jingyao shook his head. “The Red Dragon King isn’t omnipotent. He can only enhance existing success, not create it from nothing. The Gu family’s achievements were also due to the couple’s decisive actions back then.”
Though Xu Youyou was reluctant to admit it, she had to agree. After all, not everyone had the nerve to overthrow their masters and set traps for them.
While thinking about her own mission, Xu Youyou stayed cautious in Hucheng, spending her days reading, practicing calligraphy, and helping organize manuscripts — living quietly for three months.
One day, she received an invitation from Ouyang Ouyang to visit the film set.
Song Zhibai’s movie had started filming over four months ago and was still not finished — in fact, they hadn’t even shot half of it. In today’s fast-paced entertainment industry, that was already considered a very long production.
Ouyang Ouyang’s invitation was simple: since Xu Youyou had invested so much money, he was feeling guilty that the film wasn’t done yet. Plus, he wanted to request more funding.
Although Xie Ran had agreed to additional investment, he had hinted to Ouyang Ouyang to invite Xu Youyou over, to let the investor see where her money was going — a little reminder of social etiquette that also served as a warning to Ouyang Ouyang.
When Xu Youyou got the call, she casually said, “If you need more money, just ask Xie Ran. I’ve already told him to approve whatever you need.”
Ouyang Ouyang immediately said, “Boss, listen to yourself. It’s not just about the money! I really hope you’ll come visit our set and give us some guidance.”
Hearing his words, Xu Youyou couldn’t help feeling awkward. “Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense. You’re not even good at sucking up.”
Ouyang Ouyang gave a sheepish laugh. Just as he was at a loss for words, he heard Xu Youyou say:
“I’ll come by tomorrow afternoon.”
Ouyang Ouyang hadn’t really expected her to agree, but now he felt genuinely honored and couldn’t help but get excited. “Boss, we’ll be waiting for you!”
Xu Youyou wasn’t just going on a whim either. While she was on the call, the system — which had been inactive for ages — suddenly came back to life.
Memories surged back. She vaguely remembered that during a previous call with Ouyang Ouyang, the system had pointed its golden needle toward her phone.
Ouyang Ouyang was currently filming in a small town in Hunan Province. Without the system’s hint, Xu Youyou wouldn’t have guessed that something she needed was hidden there.
Meanwhile, Liu Xiangyi had been doing her usual tasks that morning, but by the afternoon, she was told to pack her bags for Hunan.
Young and energetic, Liu Xiangyi loved traveling. Even though she was going as an assistant, her boss was easygoing, and when she heard they were visiting Song Zhibai’s set, she nearly jumped for joy.
“Sister Xu! Sister Xu! What should I prepare to visit my idol?” Liu Xiangyi excitedly asked Xu Fang.
Xu Fang helplessly looked at her. “I’m old, and I’ve never chased celebrities. Who would I ask?”
“I thought Sister Xu knew everything! You’re like the ultimate assistant in my heart!” Liu Xiangyi said.
Xu Fang looked at the bright-eyed young girl and felt a little dazed. She remembered when she was a rookie assistant herself, clueless and always asking questions. Fortunately, Xu Youyou had been patient with her, giving her time to grow.
No one would have thought a single mom with two kids could achieve so much, becoming a top private driver.
“Why don’t you ask someone from the company? Or maybe the fan club leader? They’ll know better than me,” Xu Fang suggested gently.
Liu Xiangyi didn’t pester her anymore and quickly started chatting excitedly with someone on her phone.
Although she had been a fan before, Liu Xiangyi hadn’t spent much money because of her limited budget. She usually just watched dramas, promoted her idol online, and was an active Weibo user. This would be the first time she was spending real money for her idol.
She knew it was only possible thanks to the generous salary Xu Youyou paid her.
When she posted her question in the fan group chat, a major fan quickly replied:
“No need to bring gifts for the staff. Mr. Song said all interactions with staff are managed by his agent. He doesn’t want fans to spend extra money.”
Liu Xiangyi was stunned for a moment.
Other fans echoed the sentiment, and soon the topic veered off course.
“Xiao Liu, you really have great connections! You’re actually visiting the set personally! If I didn’t have classes, I’d beg you to take me with you!”
