Beauty bloggers truly have rotten luck.
To maintain their popularity, beauty bloggers frequently test and review makeup and skincare products for their fans. “Silan” has been hugely hyped lately, and with the endorsement from the diva Hu Man, whom beauty bloggers adore, they bought it without hesitation.
Then their faces broke out.
Beauty bloggers are not ordinary consumers. They rely on their faces for a living. She went to the hospital to see a dermatologist, and the doctor said her allergic reaction was quite severe.
Not only did she have to stop using Silan products immediately, but for a long time she could not use any skincare or makeup at all, allowing her skin to recover slowly.
Considering Silan’s marketing slogan about being safe and effective, the beauty blogger was absolutely furious.
Being unable to use skincare or makeup meant she could not do reviews for the foreseeable future.
Her blog had already passed the initial novelty phase when it first launched. In the past, even casual posts drew viewers, but now without high-quality content it was hard to retain old fans, let alone attract new ones.
The beauty blogger feared losing followers and fading into obscurity.
Paying closer attention, before her incident there had already been scattered complaint posts online, though they were quickly deleted.
The posters were angry, claiming Silan had paid to have the posts removed and prevent people from sharing their genuine experiences.
— Is Hu Man blind? How could she endorse such a product? I used to like her so much!
— Do celebrity endorsers ever actually use the products they promote?
— Has Hu Man gone mad for money?
Her idol of many years was being vilified online, and the beauty blogger felt a surge of righteous indignation.
She had to do something.
For the fans who loved her, and for the idol she adored.
The beauty blogger’s long post appeared out of nowhere, sounding the first trumpet call for Silan’s downfall.
…
Zhendan University.
Once the spring chill departed, warm, humid air swiftly counterattacked. The humidity neared saturation, everything felt damp, and the air seemed capable of being wrung out like a cloth.
Shanghai’s “return south” season made Xie Qian rather uncomfortable.
The housekeeper Auntie Liu would dry Xie Qian and Zou Weijun’s clothes thoroughly, ensuring mother and son left the house each day in warm, cosy garments. Yet the high humidity meant that within half a day outdoors, everything became clammy again.
So why did Wen Ying like this city?
For the first time, the perfect boyfriend questioned his girlfriend’s choice.
Xie Qian struggled to adapt, but Wen Ying was accustomed to it.
Without the “return south” season, would it still be Shanghai?
The two chatted as they walked to the study room. Wen Ying calmly wiped the condensation from the chair and urged Xie Qian to sit quickly. Her fluid movements did not interrupt her picking up the earlier topic.
“…And then this beauty blogger used her own blog account to criticise Silan?”
Wen Ying had already seen the beauty blogger’s post.
Once, Wen Ying had attended an event at the invitation of the blog platform and met this highly popular beauty blogger in person.
Though they were not close, Wen Ying remembered how flawless and natural the blogger’s makeup looked up close in social settings, proving her skin was genuinely excellent, not just enhanced by Photoshop for followers.
Wen Ying had later deliberately checked the blogger’s content. It was professional yet approachable, no wonder she had amassed so many fans.
When Wang Shuang wanted to start a business, Wen Ying had suggested she create a fashion blog, modelling the format on this beauty blogger’s approach.
Wen Ying had assumed the post was paid for, either at Xie Qian’s instigation, or He Zhen’s, or perhaps a joint effort. Even knowing it was necessary to bring down Silan, Wen Ying still felt a twinge of guilt over the blogger’s naturally good skin suffering such a severe reaction.
As it turned out, Wen Ying had guessed wrong. The beauty blogger was not hired by Xie Qian or He Zhen. She was simply an unlucky ordinary consumer.
She happened to use Silan products and happened to suffer a serious allergic reaction.
The beauty blogger’s post directly confronted Silan, declaring she was not afraid of lawsuits. Was heaven finally, after indulging Zhao Dong’s arrogance for so long, about to deliver divine retribution?
The thought had barely surfaced before Wen Ying dismissed it herself, murmuring, “Heaven is far too busy. Where would it find time to uphold justice for ordinary people? Justice must be fought for by ourselves.”
Xie Qian smiled. “Zhao Dong caused Brother-in-law Jiang to lose a fortune. Now everything Brother-in-law Jiang is doing is him seeking justice for himself.”
It was Jiang Youjia orchestrating things behind the scenes.
Wen Ying was curious. “How did Brother Jiang persuade the beauty blogger?”
“Persuading her was not difficult. Silan deceived not only consumers but also the endorser. The beauty blogger has been a fan of Hu Man for years. She felt it was her responsibility to help her idol screen out fraudulent brands like Silan.”
Xie Qian spoke lightly, but Wen Ying was deeply impressed. “I have met this beauty blogger. She seems very shrewd, completely at ease socialising even with blog executives. I never expected…”
That she would be so naive.
Her own face ruined by allergies, yet still thinking of screening frauds for Hu Man.
Hu Man had been in the industry for how many years? The salt she had consumed outweighed the rice the beauty blogger had eaten. Surely before signing, she would have someone investigate Silan?
Hu Man probably knew Silan products could cause allergies, but the diva herself did not care. Whenever she opted for medical aesthetics, she flew abroad anyway. She would never use Silan products herself.
Xie Qian, however, could understand the beauty blogger’s impulsive loyalty.
Wen Ying did not seem to have ever been a fervent fan. Wen Ying was the one being chased.
“Put yourself in their shoes. Those readers who buy every one of your novels, attend every signing, and argue online daily to defend you, are they not just like the beauty blogger?”
Wen Ying rejected the analogy. “But I am not Hu Man. For every advertisement Teacher Yuan arranges for me, I try the product myself before posting about it.”
Anything ingested or applied to the skin, Wen Ying was cautious about promoting.
Once she accepted a promotion, she felt responsible for the product. Wen Ying did not want her reputation damaged, nor did she want her readers harmed because they trusted her.
Xie Qian readily admitted his mistake and praised his girlfriend. “My analogy was poor. Compared to you, Hu Man falls far short. In the entire industry, people as responsible as you are truly rare.”
Wen Ying could not suppress her giddy smile.
After smiling for a while, she shared a portion of Xie Qian’s praise with Jiang Youjia. “Speaking of which, Brother Jiang has improved tremendously.”
The decisiveness in acquiring the copyright for “Buying Water to View the Moon”, the discreet collection of Silan’s after-sales feedback, and seizing the beauty blogger’s case to launch the attack. Jiang Youjia had handled every major task superbly.
The old Jiang Youjia was not like this.
In the past, Jiang Youjia had been prejudiced against Wen Ying.
Though he had returned from studying abroad and started a cultural company, he had always lived under the Jiang family’s protection, utterly unconnected to the word “shrewd”.
