Chapter 47 - The Power of the Media
“Good morning, Grampy, Uncle Zhang, Mother Jiang, Mother He!” Wen Xinya greeted them as she walked into the living room. After doing some morning exercises, she freshened herself after taking a bath. Fortunately, with Si Yiyan’s help last night she did not catch a cold though she was exposed to the chill wind of the night.
The ambiance in the living room was intense. Old Master Mo was holding the newspaper in his hands and he looked serious. “You mentioned you attended a birthday party last night. Was Second Young Master Xu the birthday boy?”
“That’s right! Last night, Xu-er introduced me to his group of friends from society. Everyone had a great time,” replied Wen Xinya. She had a weird feeling. Grampy had never probed about anything relating to her personal life. Why was he showing concern towards her friends this morning?
Old Master Mo did not look happy. He handed the newspaper over to Wen Xinya and said, “Look at it yourself!”
Wen Xinya took over the newspaper and looked at it. The headline wrote: Young Missus Wen’s secret rendezvous with Second Young Master Xu in the evening!!!
There were three exclamation marks added to the end of the headline. This clearly indicated there was an affair going on between them.
( Boxno vel. co m ) Following the headline was four photographs. The first one showed both of them walking out from the Ninth-Heaven Club. The second was a picture of Xu Zhenyu hugging her. The third picture showed Wen Xinya putting on an ear stud for Xu Zhenyu. It was a little blurry, plus some trick with the camera’s angle it appeared that Wen Xinya was kissing on his cheek. The last photograph showed Wen Xinya helping Xu Zhenyu getting into the taxi! And there were two red circles to highlight each of their ears. Anyone who was close to Xu Zhenyu would notice the difference in his ear studs.
The written content was even more shocking. It revealed everything about Wen Xinya’s past identity for the past 15 years. It also reported how Xu Zhenyu was a spoiled brat and how this spoiled brat made use of his wealth to support Wen Xinya’s bad behavior. Wen Xinya was described as an unrefined person with no virtues and a bad character. In fact, she has had numerous secret affairs with many different male counterparts.
Wen Xinya took a deep breath and placed the newspaper on the table. “Grampy, there is nothing going on between me and Xu Zhenyu. It wasn’t anything like what the newspaper described. Xu Zhenyu was dead drunk last night and I had to send him home by taxi. As for the ear stud, I was rushing and did not have time to buy a birthday present for him. Therefore I gave him my ear stud as a present. It doesn’t mean anything special.”
Old Master Mo believed her. “The ear stud with a red diamond on your ear. Is it a gift from Xu Zhenyu?” he asked.
Wen Xinya unconsciously raised her hand to feel the ear stud and replied, “Yes, it is.”
Old Master Mo frowned. He said, “This ear stud is extremely valuable. You should have avoided accepting such an expensive gift.”
Though Grampy was a little unhappy, he was not really angry with her. Considering she was young and innocent, she could be inexperienced and did not handle such matters well. Thus creating an opportunity for the media to come up with a story that was untrue. Little did he expect that after her rebirth, Wen Xinya and Xu Zhenyu had developed their relationship into a deeper level.
Wen Xinya frowned too. “I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. Obviously, I was being monitored and someone was out to get me. I just returned to the Wen Family and the people in the media industry have been watching me closely. They will make use of the slightest opportunity to blow up any news on me and create rumors. Whoever was out to get me, he just found a perfect timing.”
Both Wen Xinya and Xu Zhenyu were underage. There was nothing wrong with them exchanging gifts or hanging out together as close friends. They could be flirting with each other but it was acceptable. The newspaper article neglected the fact that both of them were underage and wrote about their relationship in a sleazy way. The person who was out to get Wen Xinya had wanted to destroy her reputation. Ning Shuqian was the only person she could think of that was capable of doing this. She was not sure if Xia Ruya was involved though.
Old Master Mo gave her a cold stare. “You are indeed well aware of that!”
Within a few hours, this incident had become one of the latest hot news every newspaper and magazine was writing about. It was obvious that somebody was trying to manipulate and influence the media from behind the scenes.
Wen Xinya rubbed her forehead and looked troubled, feeling brain-numb for a while. Then she said in a tone of regret, “It was all my fault. Since I moved over to Grampy’s place, I have been focusing on learning every day and have almost forgotten about the potential threats. I wasn’t careful enough and created an opportunity for those people to spread rumors about me. I’m to be blamed.”
Indeed, she was reliant on Grampy’s protection all this while and had unknowingly lowered her guard against external threats. She had almost forgotten that Ning Shuqian and Xia Ruya were like two venomous snakes hiding in their snake holes. They were ready to strike and attack her anytime she was caught off-guard. This incident had taught Wen Xinya a lesson. She should have never lowered her guard against Ning Shuqian and Xia Ruya.
“What are you going to do?” Old Master Mo looked at her. She seemed to have cleared her thoughts and had a plan in mind after doing some analysis of the matter.
Wen Xinya replied with a serious look, “This matter could be tricky. You must be aware that the media acts as a double-edged sword. Anyone can easily use the media to bring someone into fame, but they can also use it to destroy somebody.”
“If you think it will be difficult to handle, let Grampy settle it for you.” He thought it would be a perfect opportunity for him to make an official announcement to establish his relationship with Xinya. Even if Xinya lacked the acknowledgment and support from the Wen Family, she had the backing of her Grampy. By standing up for her, no one would ever dare to make use of the media to write negatively about his granddaughter again.
Wen Xinya was well aware of Grampy’s intention. She was touched and deeply appreciative of his good intentions. She looked at him and said in a firm tone, “Grampy, I need to be the one to resolve this matter.”
“Xinya, it’s not that Grampy doesn’t trust you. But you have to know, the power and influence of the media are far beyond what one could ever imagine. If you cannot settle this matter fast, it will have an even bigger negative impact on you.” Though Xinya could analyze it rationally, she was young and inexperienced. She might not yet be able to see things from multiple perspectives.
Wen Xinya held Grampy’s hand and look at him in his eyes. “Grampy, I am well aware of the power of the media. And because of that, I have to stand up for myself. I’ve led a wandering life for the past 15 years. The Wen Family did not make any official announcement to acknowledge me after my return. Moreover, I have an unglamorous past. I do not have a strong foothold in the Wen Family as Missus Wen. This gave the media an excuse to put me in a negative light. I have to stand up for myself this time. It will be the first battle I fight with the identity of Missus Wen. After I’ve established myself as the real Missus Wen from the Wen Family, I will not be bullied by anyone anymore.”
She was definitely aware of the power of the media. In her previous life, she was always put into the negative light by the media and that destroyed her life! In this lifetime, she had decided to confront the media and not back out.
Old Master Mo appreciated her for being clear-minded. However, he was worried about her at the same time. “Xinya, no matter what happens, remember that Grampy will always be here for you. You do not have to face every challenge by yourself. You’ll always have my support.”
There were tears in her eyes as Wen Xinya replied, “Yes, I know. No matter what happens, I’ll always have Grampy watching my back.”
Old Master Mo smiled. “Grampy is happy to know that you agree.”
Old Master Mo continued, “Xinya, Grampy doesn’t want to interfere in your choice of friends. However, you must think twice about the Second Young Master Xu. His behavior seems to be ridiculous at times.”
Wen Xinya knew Grampy had good intentions for her, but she also remembered what Xu Zhenyu had done for her in her previous life. She could not help but defend Xu Zhenyu, “Grampy, Xu Zhenyu might behave ridiculously at times and he is indeed a spoiled brat from a wealthy family. But he is just a rebellious teenager. He has a kind heart by nature.”
Seeing the seriousness in her expression, Old Master Mo knew Wen Xinya valued Xu Zhenyu as a friend. He just gave her a final piece of advice. “Okay. I know you are a calm and intelligent person. I won’t dwell on it further. Just remember that you have to always remain calm and handle matters in a tactful manner. Do not create opportunities for others to put you in a bad light again.”
She appreciated Grampy’s respect for her. She replied softly, “Grampy, this incident was unexpected. Please be assured that I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Grampy stroked her hair, feeling consoled. “Those who are out to harm you are waiting and will take every opportunity to attack you. You have to be alert and not let them catch you off-guard.”
Wen Xinya nodded.