Chapter 240: Chapter 238: A Patient with Moderate Depression

The only reason Meng Xiaoyi was still acting friendly toward Jiang Beibei was because she didn’t want to be called a fair-weather friend, someone who only sticks with the popular crowd.

So, even though Jiang Beibei had done what she did.

Even though Jiang Beibei was completely done for!

Even though she was thoroughly disgusted with Jiang Beibei, she couldn’t let it show!

"Doctor Wen, I really don’t want a consultation. I don’t have any money, either. I wouldn’t do it even for a hundred yuan."

Meng Xiaoyi had already figured out Wen Ying’s rule: she had to be paid for her consultations.

So she was cutting off that option ahead of time.

Zhang Jingxing was a little speechless. "Xiao Yi, you seem really scared. Is it that serious? We’re all right here, and so is the production team. What are you afraid of? You don’t think Doctor Wen and her group are going to threaten you, do you?"

Meng Xiaoyi shook her head and gave a wry smile. "No one’s threatening me. I just don’t want to. Why don’t you guys carry on? I’m going to go gather some leaves."

Meng Xiaoyi ran off without a single look back.

Xie Fu Yao and Zhang Jingxing watched Meng Xiaoyi leave, not understanding why she was so scared.

But now she was gone, and it was their turn to face the issue.

"Director, is this a mandatory segment?" Xie Fu Yao asked after a moment’s thought.

"Didn’t Jingxing just ask that? We thought you guys wanted to do this segment. The director says our show is very flexible, so whether you do it or not is up to you. But he also said this is a golden opportunity. A consultation with Doctor Wen might get you trending!"

The cameraman relayed the director’s message.

Hearing this, Xu Jiali’s thoughts turned to Jiang Beibei.

"Hey, cameraman, can you ask the director for us if Jiang Beibei is trending?"

Xie Fu Yao and Zhang Jingxing were both stunned.

’No way, right?’

They had only been gone for a little over half an hour.

Jiang Beibei had probably only fainted less than ten minutes ago, and she was already trending?

’Is getting on the trending list really that fast?’

’Is this new director’s show really that popular already?’

Both of them stared at the cameraman, who paused for a moment, apparently listening to his earpiece.

"Yeah, Beibei is trending."

Xie Fu Yao and Zhang Jingxing were in absolute shock.

Trending in such a short amount of time!

Weren’t they all here for the exposure, the fame, the chance to trend?

They hadn’t even dared to dream of appearing on the trending list themselves!

Yet Jiang Beibei had done it just by fainting once!

’Then again, that wasn’t quite right. It was probably related to the Xu Yiran incident, which helped push her onto the list.’

"The director says both Jiang Beibei and Xu Yiran are trending!"

The director didn’t tell the cameraman what the topics were, though.

But Wen Ying knew.

Xu Jiali and Zhao Qi thought for a moment and guessed as well. It had to be the kind of trending topic that meant she was finished.

As for Xu Yiran, she was probably about to blow up.

Her tragic backstory and experiences, the sympathy of netizens, and a wave of nostalgia were all converging around her.

"So, the director says if you let Doctor Wen examine you, you might be trending by tonight, too."

The silent Song Jiayan heard this, and a thought crossed their mind: ’The director is kind of malicious.’

’He’s just fanning the flames.’

After all, a consultation with Doctor Wen... well, it always ended up exposing the darkest moments of a person’s life.

But the director didn’t mention any of that, only the bright future ahead. How could the guests possibly resist the temptation?

And just as they expected!

Zhang Jingxing looked at Wen Ying. "Alright, Doctor Wen, I’ll do it. Consider it my contribution to the show’s social media presence."

’Sure enough, another one takes the bait.’

Xie Fu Yao felt like he was a step behind.

But that was fine. He decided to play it safe and see how things went with Zhang Jingxing first.

"Fine. Pay up. If you’re both doing it, I’ll give you a ten percent discount."

Zhang Jingxing looked at Xie Fu Yao. "Brother Xie, you in?"

Xie Fu Yao nodded. "Okay, pay for me first. I’ll treat you to dinner when this is all over."

Zhang Jingxing didn’t hesitate. He turned to the staff and asked the production team to either front them the money or bring them their phones.

Bring their phones?

As if that was going to happen!

So, the production team fronted the money: eighteen hundred yuan.

The payment was processed with the speed of a shopkeeper terrified of a customer skipping out on the bill.

Director Wen was secretly delighted. ’Spending two thousand yuan for two more trending topics? What a bargain!’

Jiang Beibei was trending high on the lists, but it was a death knell for her career.

Eighty percent of the online comments were tearing her apart, demanding she get out of the entertainment industry and apologize to Xu Yiran.

An even more extreme faction believed her actions had broken the law and that she should face legal consequences.

It was exactly the kind of trending topic Jiang Beibei and her agency had always craved, but the content was the complete opposite of what they wanted.

There was no way Jiang Beibei could have done this alone.

So what role did her talent agency play in all this?

No one had dug that up yet, but when a wall starts to crumble, everyone gives it a shove.

He was sure that more and more anonymous accounts would come forward with dirt. Jiang Beibei would never recover from this, and her agency would be forced to do damage control.

As for what their damage control plan would be, Director Wen couldn’t care less.

In this industry, there were very few clean hands.

And now, he didn’t care what kind of trending topics Xie Fu Yao and Zhang Jingxing would generate. He only cared that his show was going to trend again, and again, and again!

If Xie Fu Yao and Zhang Jingxing turned out to be good guys, the show’s reputation would reach a new level.

If they were morally corrupt, well, let the chips fall where they may.

Either way, his show’s path to legendary status was pretty much guaranteed.

Zhang Jingxing looked at Wen Ying expectantly and took the initiative. "Doctor Wen, when it comes to psychological issues, I feel like a lot of us have them to some extent. You see online all the time about students developing depression, and it’s actually a serious problem in our industry, too. I don’t know what the diagnostic criteria for depression are, but I think many people have it, just in varying degrees.

"Since you’re a professional psychologist, I’m sure you can tell. Could you see if I show any signs?"

Zhang Jingxing said this with a smile. After all, he was just going through the motions.

As for mental illnesses, he couldn’t think of any besides depression. His knowledge base on the subject was rather poor.

[Well, look at this. A self-proclaimed depression patient serving himself up on a platter?]

[He’s still smiling? He won’t even be able to cry when the time comes! This guy has no idea what Doctor Wen is capable of, does he? Still dreaming of becoming an overnight sensation?]

[Well, it makes sense he’d want to be famous. Isn’t Jiang Beibei trending right now?]

[I feel so bad for Xu Yiran. I hope she can really change her fate with her own hard work! Let’s keep her trending!]

"Don’t worry," Wen Ying said. "Since you’ve paid, you’re my patient, and I’m very responsible toward my patients. I’ll be sure to precisely analyze the extent of your depression for you!"

"Then I’ll thank you in advance, Doctor Wen."

Xu Jiali watched this scene unfold and couldn’t help but mourn for Zhang Jingxing in her heart.

’Thank her now,’ she thought. ’Just try not to curse her out later.’

Zhao Qi found the show getting more and more interesting, so they plopped down on a large rock to keep watching.

"Fellow patient Zhang Jingxing, you are currently in a state of moderate depression. This is a critical stage. If you turn back now, the condition is completely curable."