Chapter 25: Yang Mi Strikes Back; Someone Is About to Conduct a Purge!

Hearing He Baibai’s startled exclamation, Yang Mi hurriedly looked up and asked, "What is it? You’ve been jumpy all day."

He Baibai’s face turned pale, and her voice trembled as she replied, "Sister Mi, it’s a disaster! The internet is full of smear campaigns against you!"

As the words left her lips, Yang Mi furrowed her beautiful brows and quickly moved to He Baibai’s side. "What’s going on?"

He Baibai opened Weibo, and Yang Mi immediately saw that eight out of the top ten trending topics were about her. Moreover, every single one of them was a scandalous smear.

Seeing this, Yang Mi lost her composure. The situation had struck so suddenly that it caught her completely off guard. "This... how could this happen? How did it all start so suddenly?!"

Yang Mi’s expression turned solemn. She had just turned her luck around—having recently re-signed a partnership with Estée Lauder and secured a high-value contract with Jiaxing Media. If this public opinion were allowed to ferment, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He Baibai clicked into a few of the trending topics and realized that all these accusations were completely baseless, mere rumors spread at will. It was obvious that someone was deliberately targeting Yang Mi.

"This is pure fabrication and slander!" He Baibai was so angry her face turned red. "Sister Mi, they are even spreading rumors that you’re being kept by a sugar daddy, and that you’ve been withholding and suppressing your employees... This is utter nonsense! This is definitely someone trying to ruin you!"

As an agent, He Baibai was all too familiar with the dirty tactics of the entertainment industry. She had seen many stars brought down by such coordinated smear campaigns. She just never imagined that her own boss, Yang Mi, would one day face such a dire predicament.

"Sister Mi, do you think it could be Wu Yufei?" He Baibai’s mind remained sharp even in a crisis. "That woman has Chen Arthur backing her. With Chen Arthur’s background and resources, it wouldn't be hard for him to pull this off."

Yang Mi’s brows were locked in a tight frown, her expression cold. She knew Wu Yufei wouldn't let things go easily, but she hadn't expected the other party to strike so quickly and invest so heavily. By the looks of it, they were intent on destroying her completely.

"It’s likely her." Yang Mi’s beautiful eyes narrowed. "No, I have to contact Chairman Liu immediately."

With things having escalated to this point, Yang Mi was deeply worried that her newly signed contract might fall through, and she might even end up having to pay breach-of-contract penalties.

He Baibai asked anxiously, "Sister Mi, do you think Chairman Liu will just kick you out because of this? And what about the Estée Lauder partnership?"

Yang Mi’s expression was grim. Truth be told, she felt like she might be finished. She was on her own, without any powerful background, and she had no PR team to fight back. Furthermore, Jiaxing and Estée Lauder would likely pull out; after all, no one would choose to partner with someone who damaged their own interests.

Yang Mi took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Prepare for the worst."

He Baibai’s mind went blank. Just as their luck had turned and she thought life was finally taking off, it seemed heaven was playing a cruel joke on Yang Mi.

Just then, Yang Mi’s phone rang. *Buzz, buzz.* Seeing the caller ID, Yang Mi’s heart skipped a beat—it was Liu Yanbin.

"Hello, Chairman Liu." Yang Mi answered the phone, feeling incredibly nervous and braced for the worst. "Chairman Liu, please listen to me..."

"Ms. Yang, there is no need to worry. The company will handle the situation online," Liu Yanbin interrupted before she could finish. "Please don’t worry about this at all. Since we are in partnership, the company will take full responsibility until the end. For now, just stay home and let the company handle it. Eat well, sleep well, and don’t give it another thought."

Liu Yanbin’s words left Yang Mi stunned. She had been prepared for a confrontation or a cancellation, but this? It was truly unexpected. She didn't even know how to thank him, so after a moment of hesitation, she said, "Thank you, Chairman Liu. I’m so sorry for the trouble!"

Liu Yanbin replied repeatedly, "Haha, it’s no trouble at all. Set your mind at ease, Ms. Yang. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now to handle the matter."

After hanging up, Yang Mi exhaled deeply. Thankfully, things didn't seem to have hit rock bottom yet. However, she was still puzzled; Liu Yanbin’s reaction was simply too abnormal. When she faced such a massive crisis, why wasn't Jiaxing’s first priority to protect its own interests? Was Liu Yanbin actually a saint? Yang Mi didn't believe that for a second; no one reached that position without being ruthless.

He Baibai stood nearby, stunned. "That’s... that’s it? Is Chairman Liu a saint?"

Yang Mi shook her head, confused. "I don’t know. I have no idea. Forget it, let’s not overthink it. This is beyond our control; we’ll have to leave it to fate. I just wonder if Estée Lauder will be affected."

He Baibai fell into thought, then her eyes flickered. "I don’t think it should be a problem. Based on how William treated you last time, I doubt he’ll cancel the contract so easily."

Yang Mi sat on the sofa and began opening a package. "Not necessarily. Foreigners don’t care about sentiment. They care more about profit and loss. Anyway, I want to contact Li Qing. I need to find time tonight to see the children and drop off these clothes."

Xuan Bao’er had been away for a while, and Yang Mi missed the child dearly. She was also worried about whether the child would cry or fuss because she hadn't been around.

...

Meanwhile, at the Shanghai branch of Estée Lauder, in the General Manager’s office, Chen Yu sat in his chair, full of anxiety. Just a moment ago, his secretary had reported the news about Yang Mi’s scandal, and it had put him in a panic. The filming for the new product endorsement was about to begin, and now this had happened! What was he to do?

"General Manager Chen, we must terminate the contract with Yang Mi immediately!" the secretary said urgently. "Otherwise, not only will the products fail to sell, but even our stock price will be affected! And since we’re canceling due to her personal issues, it won’t be our fault."

Listening to the secretary, Chen Yu furrowed his brows. He knew the gravity of the situation, but he was hesitant about what the Chairman’s stance would be. William’s attitude toward Yang Mi had been so unusual before that Chen Yu couldn't help but wonder if Yang Mi had some massive backing. Why else would the Chairman show such respect to a minor star?

"Fine, I will go talk to the Chairman immediately." Chen Yu made up his mind to ask clearly.

Just as he finished speaking, the office door was pushed open. A middle-aged foreigner walked in. It was William Lauder, the Chairman of Estée Lauder.

"Boss, I was just about to come find you!" Chen Yu walked over, hurriedly reporting on Yang Mi’s situation, and then asked, "Boss, given the current circumstances, should we terminate the partnership with Yang Mi?"

William Lauder’s gaze was stern. "I came to find you precisely to speak about Ms. Yang! The partnership with Ms. Yang will continue as usual. Any changes are strictly prohibited! If you fail to do this, you won’t need to keep your job as General Manager!"