Chapter 264: Chapter 264 The Truth
Jiang Li first reassured her mother, then opened the chat box with Shen Lan.
She had just sent a message when Shen Lan’s video call came through.
Jiang Li hurriedly answered.
Seeing Jiang Li safe and sound, Shen Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Scared me to death, but thankfully you’re okay.”
“Jiang Li, what happened? Why didn’t you answer your phone? Your sister-in-law and I were almost scared to death. We called the program crew, they also couldn’t contact you, and we were about to call the police.”
Jiang Li quickly explained.
“… I’m sorry, Second Aunt, for making you and my mom worry.”
After hearing Jiang Li’s story, Shen Lan was so shocked that she spit out the water she was drinking.
“Wha, what?! You said you went to help the police catch poachers and that you’re now at the police station?”
“You weren’t hurt, were you?”
Jiang Li shook her head.
Shen Lan, still shaken, patted her chest, “You’ve become braver, girl. Though it’s indeed a commendable act, don’t be so reckless next time. How could a defenseless young girl like you take on those desperados?”
Jiang Li knew that Shen Lan was just worried about her, so she didn’t explain and just kept nodding in agreement.
“Right.” As she was speaking, Shen Lan’s expression turned serious, “Have you seen the hot search on Weibo? What’s going on? How could someone suddenly start a rumor about you and Director Sun?”
Jiang Li pondered for a moment, “Maybe someone bribed our staff here.”
She checked, and the content of the explosive Weibo post mostly revolved around the variety show, with proof photos taken on the set. Other than Flash Change’s staff, she couldn’t think of a second person.
Shen Lan nodded in agreement, “Same as we thought. Director Sun has just contacted me. We’re investigating in secret. Don’t worry, once the public relations department handles it, they’ll issue a statement to clarify this for you.”
Yet Jiang Li smiled and said, “There’s no need to trouble you, Second Aunt. I can handle it myself.”
Shen Lan was somewhat surprised.
After all, this was no small matter.
For a top influencer with the best team, such an incident would be overwhelming, let alone for Jiang Li, an amateur. If there wasn’t a PR team assisting her from behind, it would be difficult to settle such public opinion.
Jiang Li was also aware of Shen Lan’s concerns.
“Second Aunt, don’t worry, I have my own ‘PR team’.”
Truth is the best PR.
So after hanging up the call, she reposted the Weibo posts from the Southwest Wildlife Protection Association and the Southwest police.
Sure enough, a simple repost immediately drew millions of hits, stunning the netizens.
Suddenly, the #JiangLiAssistsPoliceInCatchingPoachers# hashtag surpassed the scandalous rumors with Director Sun, shooting up to the top spot.
Following were all related news pieces.
#JiangLiRescuesWildlife#
#RumorsEverywhere,MeanwhileSheMakesAHugeContribution#
#ShamingSomeoneAwardedAPersonalMedalofExcellenceAren’tYouAshamed?#
#What’sTheSignificanceOfThePersonalMedalOfExcellence#
#WorldWildlifeAssociationSpeciallyPraisesMr.ZhaoAndMissJiang#
#Mr. Zhao Is Actually Brother Niu#
At the same time, the wind in the comment section also took a turn, with those who previously badmouthed Jiang Li gradually falling silent and becoming inactive.
Meanwhile, Jiang Li’s fans took advantage of the victory to turn the tables for Jiang Li.
[Do your faces hurt, you rumormongers? Busy with these groundless concerns every day, when you have no idea that our Sister Li is already making contributions to society.]
[As an animal lover, I firmly support Jiang Li! I suggest that those netizens who still can’t tell right from wrong take a good look at documentaries on wildlife protection. Those poachers are really despicable, OK? Jiang Li is ridding the people of a menace; calling her a hero wouldn’t be an exaggeration!]
[My Sister Li is amazing, despite being in the entertainment industry, she never engages in the usual industry nonsense but dedicates herself to society—this is the kind of person who deserves to be fanned, right?]
The moment Su Yinwan saw the news, she was so angry her face turned white.
Jiang Li had disappeared for this one night to help the police catch poachers?!
How is that possible?!
She immediately arranged for people to start pushing back against this point.
Soon, public opinion turned again.
[LOL, maybe Jiang Li just provided a clue, how does that make her a hero? You fans shouldn’t love her too much.]
[Exactly, doesn’t slipping in through the backdoor as a mistress overlap with providing a clue? She’s always been two-faced.]
[Even if she really did protect wildlife, that can’t erase the fact that she wrecked someone’s home, right? Keep things separate, OK?]
However, little did they know, this was exactly what Jiang Li was waiting for.
If the netizens hadn’t raised doubts, her next move wouldn’t have made much of a splash—
Long before she staked out those people’s spot, she had asked Jiang Yan’s cameraman for a hidden camera, which she pinned on herself, with the purpose of gathering more evidence to hold these people accountable.
She hadn’t expected it to really come in handy.
After getting the police’s permission, Jiang Li directly posted the video recorded by the camera on her own account.
It documented everything from the moment she beat up the ringleader, Scar Face, to her and Zhao Lang successfully subduing the group.
As soon as the video was posted, it sparked another heated debate.
It completely dumbfounded everyone.
Is the person in the video really the same Jiang Li who used to read books all day long, slim and weak, quiet and gentle?
The way she wielded a tree branch was more ferocious than a spiked club, OK!
[Holy crap, I’m stunned; is this not a TV show???]
[Ahhhh my Sister Li is too cool, right? Has she trained specially for this? Brother Niu is also so cool, I’m shipping this!]
[Wait wait wait, why does the bearded man in the back look so familiar? Isn’t he the menacing guy we saw when Jiang Li did a fortune-telling for Aunt Ying?!]
[I went and checked the live stream replay, it’s really him! No wonder I felt this guy was up to no good at first sight, turns out he’s a poacher!]
[I’m getting goosebumps, were these people hiding in Chixia Village all along? The “ghost” around Aunt Ying’s place might be their doing, and no wonder that big yellow dog kept barking madly, dogs are very sensitive, after all.]
[!!! So, Lai Fu’s death wasn’t an accident either??? Could these people have harbored a grudge and done it deliberately?!]
In an instant, all clouds of suspicion cleared away.
The various conjectures from netizens pieced together the entire sequence of events.
And this was only the butterfly effect caused by a single video.
It was also within Jiang Li’s expectations.
In the age of the internet, no detail can escape the eyes of netizens; even a small disturbance can be infinitely magnified.
She had seized on this aspect of the netizens’ psychology, throwing the doubts to them and letting them spontaneously search for the truth.
The resulting clarity from this information coming to light was far more impactful and credible than if she had uncovered it herself.