Chapter 699: Chapter 42: The Cannon Fodder Actress Opposing the Slacker Female Lead (Part 42)

"Shut up, don’t say anything, if you’ve benefited, don’t shout about it everywhere. Be careful, what Jiang Lai doesn’t get, you won’t get either."

"Lu Ming, you’re jealous of me."

Lu Ming didn’t say a word, just looked at her with a mocking smile.

"Who is really jealous of whom?"

The only pretense between the siblings was torn apart.

Lu Ming showed his contempt for Lu Huan, and Lu Huan did the same, jealous of the brother standing before her, ten years her junior.

Talented in every way, a prodigy, in front of him she felt like a worthless failure.

Well, now, the failure has turned the tables.

Her proud and arrogant brother ought to taste the flavor of defeat.

"You hit me, I didn’t hold it against you and even spoke up for you online. As your sister, I’ve taken good enough care of you.

Rest assured, you’re still my brother, and if I have resources, I’ll introduce them to you."

"You didn’t say that when you took my money to buy a car."

The savings he painstakingly saved were taken by her in a flashfire deal, all for a sports car that would satisfy her vanity.

The sibling affection Lu Ming once had, now had vanished completely.

With the school term approaching, Lu Ming realized that at this crucial moment, it was indeed time to lay low for a while.

After all, he was still young with plenty of opportunities ahead.

However, as for the role of the Young Master... he wouldn’t get it, and neither would Jiang Qu.

——

Online rumors about Jiang Lai being coerced are intensifying. Many influential bloggers and entertainment media have stepped forward, asserting the news is true.

Jiang Lai’s silence became a tacit admission, emboldening those already jumping at the chance, becoming even more unabashed.

Consequently, even more outrageous rumors exploded.

#Jiang Lai coerced since a child#

#Jiang Qu’s backer displeased#

#Jiang Lai secretly bore child for international director#

Little Buding read the news, anger turning into laughter.

"At this point, if they say you’re an alien spy, I wouldn’t even be surprised."

What nonsense is this.

After all, Jiang Lai is a second-generation star. The resources are there, so there’s no need for these despicable methods to get more.

"You’re really good at keeping your cool."

"What? Are they going to come bite me?"

Not affecting her meals or drinks, she was living happily, so what was there to be angry about?

Besides, the bigger the drama, the more entertaining it would be in the future.

Thinking like this, Jiang Lai slept even better.

That very night, on a thread specifically focused on boycotting Jiang Lai’s role as "Lian," a video was uploaded.

[Hey, trolls, take a look at the audition footage!]

The video was over an hour long, posted at exactly the same time across various platforms.

Early the next morning, Jiang Lai was awakened by her agent’s knocking.

"Jiang Lai, Jiang Lai, check your phone!!"

Jiang Lai, still groggy, got up to open the door.

Outside, her agent was grinning from ear to ear.

"The production team released the audition footage!! The comparison is brutal!

Your mom hired a wave of internet trolls to guide the narrative, and now the entire internet’s opinion has flipped; those haters’ faces are bound to be slapped!"

Yawning, Jiang Lai looked at the comments beneath the video.

[After watching, I can only conclude that Jiang Lai deserves it.]

[Holy crap, I just want to ask Liu Mengru where she gets the face to say it’s unfortunate for her? She didn’t even put in any effort, yet her fans are still trying to spin this?]

[Jiang Lai’s American accent is really on point, and her acting is superb!! No wonder the director chose her, truly outstanding performance!!]

[Those claiming Jiang Lai was chosen through coercion, come out and debate now!!]

[Isn’t Lu Huan American? Why is her line delivery worse than Jiang Lai’s? Even as an outsider, I can tell.]

[If I were the director, I’d choose Jiang Lai too. It’s hilarious, daring to compare against this stark contrast.]

[Liu Mengru’s been called out before for doing nothing on set, using body doubles. The whole crew has been kept waiting on multiple occasions.]

[I’m genuinely looking forward to Jiang Lai’s portrayal of Lian!! She’s truly beautiful and fierce!!]

Shortly after the video’s release, it spread across the internet.

Someone specifically compared performances from Jiang Lai, Lu Huan, Liu Mengru, and several other actresses who made the loudest noise.

Identical scenes, same makeup and styling, yet the differences were striking.

The reversal in public opinion clearly unsettled the actresses who initially cried injustice.

One immediately took to Weibo to post.

[Jiang Lai is really excellent, I submit willingly! Previous statements were misconstrued by others with ill intent, please don’t spread rumors!!]

The comments below were filled with mockery.

All saying she only came out to save face after getting slapped hard.

However, the most attention was still on Lu Huan and Liu Mengru.

After all, Lu Huan was the first to cry foul.

And Liu Mengru was the most high-profile.

Before, their fans fiercely defended their idols by harshly criticizing Jiang Lai, but now with their idols facing backlash, fans scrambled to recover.

[Stop biting at small matters, can you? Jiang Lai performed well, but everyone was excellent together, it’s disgusting to elevate one while stepping on another.]

[Sis tried really hard, her English was poor before, she even took special classes for this audition, so anyone mocking her accent is truly low.]

Of course, the voices of ridicule were still prominent.

Scrolling further, more comments were aimed at Liu Mengru’s hypocrisy.

Thinking she could use her status to squeeze Jiang Lai out of the role, yet the production team directly released the private audition clips.

Directly slapped them in the face.

Leaving no room for dignity.

Initially, the company backing Liu Mengru wasn’t too worried, considering it a mere incident, assuming a few months of silence would let it pass.

Contrary to expectations, consecutive leaks revealed Liu Mengru behaving like a diva, shooting multiple works simultaneously, using doubles in other productions.

Several explosive revelations directly tarnished her reputation.

New endorsements were canceled, just-accepted roles were recast, even collaborating brands demanded contract termination, citing damage to their reputation, along with compensation.

The unfortunate ones besides Liu Mengru included Lu Huan.

She had been posting veiled commentaries about Jiang Lai on Weibo recently.

The fans misguided by her previously, now despised her just as intensely.

[How can someone like you claim to outshine Jiang Lai? Maybe take a look at your own ridiculous performance?]

[Growing up abroad, yet delivers lines so poorly, with zero emotion, like a robot.]

[Pfft! Hypocritical and disgusting! Blacklisted forever!]

[Not even a Hua Country native, so stop making money in our circle. Take your brother and scram.]