Chapter 472 - Gathering (1/2)

The next day, when Xiao Luo was browsing through the major news websites with his phone, he was surprised to find a public opinion poll published that was swaying in favor of Su Li. There were more and more voices supporting her, and they were drowning out the negative comments.

“Good of Goddess Su, unlike certain celebrities who are already married but will never admit it. Goddess Su is different, she’s honest to fans like us. She really treats us like we’re her friend, and not like we’re a bunch of monkeys she can manipulate like puppets. I support you, my goddess.”

“That’s right. Goddess Su is still our ‘Goddess’ even if she’s married because she treats us sincerely.”

“Hey, Celebrities are also people, and they have to get married too. Goddess Su is at that age where marriage is a natural next step. She was brave enough to admit it honestly, and this is praiseworthy.”

“No matter what, I wish Goddess Su all the best!”

“Please be happy, dear goddess, we’re waiting for your little baby to be born, hehe…”

The main page of Weibo was flooded with positive comments, and her number of fans surged to 80 million overnight, which was a million more than the number of fans Su Li had at her peak.

Xiao Luo was stunned—this was unbelievable! He had initially thought that this would be Su Li’s fall from grace, one that was impossible to recover from, but instead, this issue had turned out to be a blessing and not a cursed. She was even more popular now than ever.

Xiao Luo decided to head over to Su Li’s apartment that very moment. Chai Zhiying and Luo Pingxiang were already there, and they were excited beyond measure because of how the opinion poll had swayed. But Su Li was aloof as always as if she could not care less. There was not a shred of emotion on her face.

Xiao Luo could not help himself. “When you publicly confirmed your marriage in front of the crowd yesterday, you didn’t know that something like this would happen, did you?” he asked.

Su Li took a bite of the breakfast that Aunt Lee had prepared. “I wasn’t 100% certain,” she replied.

Huh?

Indeed, this woman had thought things through!

Xiao Luo was startled. Suddenly, the impression he had of Su Li had morphed into one that was compelling beyond what words could describe. Both he and Chai Zhiying had thought that the act of denying these rumors would reap the best outcome, but Su Li had insisted on doing just the opposite. And, now that the truth was out, her method had been proven right.

“I thought about denying it, but there are too many precedents that have proven that denying has no lasting effect. Sooner or later, someone will manage to discover proof of my marriage, so I might as well just confirm it.”

Su Li’s red lips parted slightly as she explained, “It’s precisely because too many people have denied their marriages that my candor was like a breath of fresh air that took people by surprise, and subsequently gained their favor. I wasn’t 100% sure it would work because of the same reason you guys brought up—marriage was definitely something that would cost female celebrities their popularity.”

“So, you were taking a gamble?” Xiao Luo asked.

Su Li nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

Xiao Luo smiled and inquired, “Weren’t you scared of losing this gamble?”

“I’d prepared myself for the worst-case scenario. At worst, I’ll just focus on managing Sumir in the future,” she replied.

Xiao Luo could not help but laugh when he heard this. He mulled over it for a while, and then said, “When I was in Jiangcheng, I heard that Luo Workshop, based there, would be moving into Xiahai City this year. Luo Workshop and your Sumir are both in the same bakery business, so both houses will definitely be in competition. Have you ever thought about—”

“You’re worried about whether Sumir will be defeated by Luo Workshop?” Su Li interjected.

Xiao Luo coughed drily. “More or less,” he said.

“Huh, if Luo Workshop dares barge into Xiahai City, I guarantee they’ll suffer a crushing defeat!”

It wasn’t Su Li who spoke; it was Chai Zhiying. The latter had her hands balled up tightly into fists, brimming with confidence as if victory was already in her grasp.

Su Li glanced at Xiao Luo, then added, “I’ll admit that Luo Workshop is the biggest bakery in Jiangcheng, but they won’t have a market in Xiahai City.

“And why is that?” Xiao Luo asked, probing out of curiosity.

Su Li sipped her glass of warm milk, then set the cup down and picked up the napkin to elegantly dab at her lips. “The people of Xiahai are loyal customers. They’re used to spending their money on Sumir and have accepted my brand. In the past, there had been a company like Luo Workshop who tried to stick a finger into the pie. However, two months after their entry, they packed up on their own accord, closing down all their stores and leaving. I didn’t even lift a linger.”

“So what you’re saying is that even if Luo Workshop dares to enter, they’ll definitely fail?” Xiao Luo asked.