Chapter 528: 528, give you three days’ time (one update)

The second highest vote-getter was Zhao Yiling, and another was Sun Manyao. However, both of them had not issued any statement.

Chen Xinci never played with Weibo, and if it weren’t for Song Shiqin, she wouldn’t have known that she had become famous online. Now everyone was guessing that she was the "National Goddess". It seemed that she needed to go back and apply for a Weibo account to issue a statement, she couldn’t let the misunderstanding continue.

Song Shiqin did not expect that Chen Xinci would deny this matter so unequivocally.

The way she acted did not seem like she was lying, but if she was not the one, then who was?

Zhao Yiling or Sun Manyao?

But were these two the mysterious National Goddess?

"Miss Chen, please have some tea," Song Shiqin poured Chen Xinci a cup of tea without any change in his expression.

Chen Xinci picked up the teacup and thanked Song Shiqin, "Thank you."

Song Shiqin continued, "In Miss Chen’s opinion, who is most likely to be the National Goddess?"

Chen Xinci smiled lightly, "That’s really hard to say. I’ve just returned to China, and I’m not very familiar with these distinguished ladies. Mr. Chen, are you very curious about the National Goddess?"

Unexpectedly, Song Shiqin, such a tough and upright man, was also interested in a young lady. Chen Xinci was intrigued as to who was so fortunate to have caught Song Shiqin’s attention, a strong interest flashing in her eyes.

Song Shiqin sipped his tea, "Not at all, I’m simply fulfilling someone’s trust, doing someone’s bidding."

The tea smoke curled up, and the two facing each other had different thoughts.

At the same time.

In a secret base somewhere on the China mainland.

It was that same snow-white room where Li Ruyu was holding a bowl of green liquid, sitting by the bed, spoon-feeding Zhao Yiling, "Ling’er, you’re finally awake, you scared me to death. I thought you’d never wake up in this lifetime! If you really had just slept on, how could I live the rest of my life?"

While talking, Li Ruyu’s eyes started to redden. Now, just thinking about what happened that day still sent shivers down her spine.

On that day, a minor accident occurred during Luo Tian’s second surgery, causing Zhao Yiling to completely lose consciousness. The day after Luo Tian announced that Zhao Yiling was going to become a permanent vegetative, she woke up!

This phenomenon shocked everyone in the lab.

It could only be explained as a miracle.

Zhao Yiling obediently opened her mouth, accepting the spoonful of green liquid, her expression was rather blank, and she didn’t respond to Li Ruyu, just listening silently.

Li Ruyu sniffled and continued.

"Since we’ve survived a great disaster this time, Ling’er, there must be great fortune ahead of us! Once you fully recover, the first person we’re going after is that bitch Chu Jin! If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t be in this state today, nearly never waking up!"

Mentioning Chu Jin, boundless hatred flowed from the depths of Zhao Yiling’s eyes as she clenched the bedsheet underneath her fiercely.

She was determined to tear Chu Jin to shreds.

"Chu Jin! I definitely won’t let her go! I’ll make her pay; I’ll send her to hell!"

Li Ruyu smiled in satisfaction, "Ling’er, you must strive to do well this time, do you understand? Kick out Chu Clan and the other groups, and let our Zhao Clan stand at the pinnacle of Capital City’s business world! From now on, I will be relying entirely on you."

Zhao Yiling began to speak slowly, "Don’t worry, Mom, just wait and see. I promise I won’t let you down this time!"

"Good, good, good! That’s my good girl," Li Ruyu nodded in satisfaction.

Actually, Li Ruyu could feel that since Zhao Yiling woke up, her personality had changed quite a bit; she became calmer and wiser than before, and she spoke less. In Li Ruyu’s eyes, it was all developing in a good direction, which meant Luo Tian’s chip had worked its effects.

After feeding that bowl of green liquid, Li Ruyu picked up a tablet from the side and handed it to Zhao Yiling with a smile, "Take a look, Ling’er, are you satisfied with the new alias that your godfather Luo Tian tailored just for you?"

Zhao Yiling took the tablet with a look of puzzlement, and after clarifying the contents, she said with a slight frown, "What do I want with these empty honors?" Although she was no longer as prominent as before, her inherent pride was still intact. Someone like her, why would she need to resort to deception to become famous?

"Silly child, this is not an empty honor!" Li Ruyu spoke with a smile, "These aliases are extremely beneficial for you, and not only for you, but the reputation of the Zhao Clan will also be lifted along with these aliases. It will be the first halo of your fame, and you must safeguard it well! Your godfather Luo Tian didn’t manage to manipulate the situation to this point easily; you can’t let him down!"

Indeed, it was Luo Tian’s credit that the National Goddess incident could ferment into the current situation.

He wanted to internationalize Zhao Yiling, because only in this way would some plans be more convenient to implement.

Zhao Yiling replied with dissatisfaction, "If he really had the ability, then why did someone else get the most votes? Why not just let me take first place? What does coming in second mean?" The word ’second’ simply didn’t exist in her vocabulary!

Whether it was the past or present!

She would stand at the pinnacle, unparalleled!

"You child! How can you speak like that!" Li Ruyu scolded, "How sad would your godfather be if he heard this? Don’t worry, it doesn’t matter who gets first place, as long as the alias is yours, nobody can take it away. Your godfather has arranged everything for you. You just focus on recovering. After you’re healed, the National Goddess will be you, you will be the National Goddess."

On hearing this, Zhao Yiling cast down her eyes, masking the emotion in their depths, and answered, "Alright, I understand."

There was nothing unpleasant about living at a height that others looked up to. The title of National Goddess sounded very noble, very lavish, without equal in the world.

Li Ruyu nodded, "That’s my good girl. Mom will step out now; you should rest well. I’ll come to see you tomorrow morning." With those words, Li Ruyu cleaned up the dishes and left.

Zhao Yiling sat on the bed, staring blankly at the snow-white walls. After a long while, her lips revealed a strange curve.

After Chen Xinci returned, she immediately had someone register a Weibo account for her.

That night, she posted a statement on Weibo.

Chen XinciV: Thanks to the kind affection of the netizens, it is a pity that I might let you down! I am not the National Goddess that everyone is referring to! Nor am I a mysterious wealthy person. Photographer OscarV: Encountering the National Goddess jpg.

This Weibo post exploded the comment section nearly instantaneously, drawing throngs of onlookers.

"Madam, I love your openness and honesty."

"A song, new words, and a cup of wine, what a poetic name."

"Switching lanes to be a fan of Madam over here!"

"Ah what a pity! Goddess, you are actually not the National Goddess!"

"No matter who you are, you are forever the goddess in my heart!"

"Love you, my heart’s core."

Of course, there were also negative comments; there are always a few keyboard warriors on the internet.

"Shameless schemer! If you’re not, then you’re not, is there a need to announce it on Weibo? Desperate for fame, huh? Even leeching off my goddess’s popularity! Wicked schemer, go die!"

"Trolls can go die! Trash!"

"It’s already dead! And it died in pain, thrashing in the cremation as a walking corpse, constantly shouting it wasn’t dead, and in the end, it had to be burned with iron chains, the flames roaring loudly, burning for three days and three nights..."

"To the person above, seeing someone scold you puts my mind at ease."

Chen Xinci did not follow up on the developments after posting the Weibo, she logged off the backend, and she was unaware that through this Weibo post, she had attracted hundreds of thousands of new fans!

For a while, ’Chen Xinci Issues Statement’ was thrust by the mighty netizens to the top of the trending searches.

After Chen Xinci issued her statement, the internet became even more uproarious, and the onlookers directly divided into two camps.

One side supported Zhao Yiling, while the other supported Sun Manyao.

Each faction held fast to its argument, words flew heatedly, and nobody gave in. For a while, photos and gossip about Zhao Yiling and Sun Manyao flooded everywhere.

It seemed that overnight, both became famous, and the one who would become the National Goddess would emerge as the biggest winner.

When Sun Manyao saw the statement from Chen Xinci, her vain heart began to waver. She wanted to have her PR team shape her into the National Goddess, but she feared being exposed as a fraud. If the truth were to come out later, it would be a loss not worth taking.

Now that Chen Xinci had voluntarily admitted she was not the National Goddess, the only one left was Zhao Yiling.

But looking at Zhao Yiling, she didn’t seem like someone who could anonymously donate sixty million.

At the last charity gala, Zhao Yiling only donated five million and made a great fuss about it. Could such a vain person secretly donate sixty million?

Moreover, if Zhao Yiling really were the National Goddess, she would have stepped forward to claim it by now and not dragged this on until now!

So, the National Goddess was definitely not Zhao Yiling, but someone else, someone lowkey.

Perhaps someone indifferent to fame, not wanting to show off.

A true philanthropist.

Someone who didn’t care about the title of National Goddess at all.

But if she didn’t want to make herself known or famous, wouldn’t that be wasting such an opportunity to shoot to stardom? It’s the title of National Goddess, after all! The highest glory! A blend of beauty and wisdom! Most importantly, the public image is perfect! She’s not just the National Goddess but also a kind-hearted philanthropist, a true one at that!

Anyway, that person clearly doesn’t care about the title of National Goddess; if it’s wasted, then so be it. Why not let someone who needs it have this opportunity, like giving to a deserving person? It would be doing a good deed on behalf of that person. After all, that person is already a philanthropist who donated sixty million and probably wouldn’t mind a small title like this, right?

It was something she didn’t want anyway! She probably wouldn’t mind, would she?

Sun Manyao’s heart was torn, unsure of what to decide.

This opportunity was too rare! If she didn’t grasp the moment, she’d surely regret it for life!

But what should she do next?

Should she follow Chen Xinci’s example and directly claim that she is the National Goddess?

That didn’t seem quite right...

She couldn’t just claim the title herself; she needed to find a way to have others place the National Goddess’s crown on her head.

Only then could she rest easy...

Sun Manyao stared blankly at the content on her tablet, then sighed deeply, not knowing what to choose. An opportunity to ascend to the heavens was within reach, yet she could only watch helplessly.

For now, she could only wait and see. What if Zhao Yiling also declared she wasn’t the National Goddess? Two such statements would be rather awkward!

She heard that Zhao Yiling hadn’t appeared in the socialite circles for a long time; something unexpected might have happened in her life, Manyao thought, as a smug smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

The farther Zhao Yiling died away, the better!

She needed to pave the way for her future, especially now that Zhao Yiling was out of the picture!

After pondering for a while, Sun Manyao logged onto her WeChat, searched for a public account—a network promoter.

Online marketing hype was their specialty; they also went by another name—’professional pushers’.

Goddess Yao: "You there?"

The other party replied promptly, "Hello, how can I assist you?"

Sun Manyao sent over her request.

"Give you three days to turn me into a National Goddess, the kind without a single flaw. Once it’s done, I’ll pay you eight million."

By "without a single flaw," she meant that she doesn’t have to admit it herself—let the public crown her as the National Goddess. Even if the truth comes out, and the real National Goddess emerges, it won’t be her problem. After all, she didn’t claim the title; others had forced it upon her.

She just had to enjoy the sense of superiority and accomplishment that came with being referred to as the National Goddess.

The National Goddess was already very popular online, and Sun Manyao was among those who fit the criteria. Even though her vote count was lower than the other two candidates, one of them had already dropped out voluntarily. To package Sun Manyao into the National Goddess was not a difficult task, especially when she was willing to pay such a high commission.

Therefore, the other party quickly replied with an OK and sent a string of bank account numbers, "Pay a deposit of fifty first, and the remainder will be settled in full upon completion of the task."

A hint of a smile curved the corners of Sun Manyao’s lips as she sent an image of a handshake.

The agreement was reached.

That very night, the professional promoters began to slowly push Sun Manyao into the public eye. Opening the internet, one would get bombarded with news alerts about Sun Manyao.

Sometimes, a video or a piece of text on the internet could resonate with the public.

Under the manipulations of those professional promoters, Sun Manyao’s voting numbers slowly surpassed Zhao Yiling’s.

**

The next day.

When Mo Qingyi awoke in the morning, she was the only one on the spacious bed. Rubbing her eyes, she reached for her phone by the bedside and saw that it was only 7:30 a.m. Jin had already gotten up! Astonishing. Doesn’t he know that only food and sleep should never be betrayed in this world?

While she was still in a daze, Chu Jin returned from his morning run. He wore a pale pink tracksuit, his raven-black hair put up in a bun, revealing his long, graceful, fair neck, making him look exceptionally vibrant and youthful. The pale pink of his outfit made his fair skin look even whiter.

He exuded an irresistibly lively aura.

Upon seeing Chu Jin enter, Mo Qingyi yawned lazily and said, "Jin, have you lost it? Why run so early instead of staying in bed? Isn’t it exhausting?"

She could never understand those who insisted on morning runs every day.

Why torment yourself early in the morning instead of sleeping?

Chu Jin came to the bedside and raised his eyebrows slightly, "Life’s about movement. Get up quickly; Xinran will be here soon."

"Xinran?" Mo Qingyi immediately responded with excitement, "Xinran’s coming here?"

Chu Jin nodded slightly, "Yeah, today is the day to check the scores. Xinran said she wanted to join us to witness this miraculous moment together."

At his words, Mo Qingyi froze for a moment, then quickly caught on, "Ah, ah, ah! I totally forgot! Today’s the day to check the scores! I need to get up quickly!" Jumping out of bed, she snatched her clothes and dashed into the bathroom in a flash.

Just after the two had finished breakfast, they heard noise from outside.

"Jin, Qingyi!" Miao Xinran rushed in from outside and gave both of them a big hug, catching them off guard.

Not having seen each other for more than twenty days, Miao Xinran had tanned considerably. Mo Qingyi started teasing, "Holy shit! Xinran, did you go to Africa or something? You’ve gotten so dark!"

Miao Xinran touched her face and said, "I think it’s alright, isn’t it? It’s not that exaggerated, right?"

Chu Jin agreed from the side, nodding, "Hmm, you did get a bit darker, but it doesn’t affect your beauty. In fact, you seem more spirited this way."

"Really?" Miao Xinran looked up joyfully. Being vain was in the nature of every girl in the bloom of youth, and Miao Xinran was no exception. She was naturally happy to hear compliments.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read