"Wh-what?!"
When Nakahara Kazuya revealed Michiya Gōshin's account situation, the crowd immediately erupted in an uproar.
At that moment, both the media and the readers understood one thing clearly: these two reporters had deliberately come to crash the event today, all to ruin Michiya Gōshin's reputation.
"Compared to your mouthful of lies, since everyone is here, I'll add one more thing. I hope those who still misunderstand me will understand one thing: don't let yourselves be led by the nose."
Amidst the horrified gazes of the two reporters, Michiya Gōshin suddenly raised his hand and beckoned.
"Sakurajima-san, you can come in now."
As soon as these words were spoken, both the readers and the media—armed with their arsenal of cameras—were instantly stunned. Everyone turned around and, sure enough, saw a figure outside the door.
With a soft whoosh, the side door of the mall's atrium was gently pushed open.
A slender figure walked in slowly. Sunlight filtered through her hair, casting dappled light and shadows on the ground.
Sakurajima Mai was wearing an off-white wool trench coat today. Its collar was slightly open, revealing a light-apricot knit dress underneath, its hem swaying gently with her steps.
Her long hair was loosely tied up behind her head, with a few stray strands falling beside her cheeks, accentuating the long lines of her neck. The young woman wore just the right amount of light makeup: her eyebrows were well-defined but not sharp, the corners of her eyes tilted up slightly, and her lips were coated in a dusty rose lipstick. It gave her an air of both presence and a reassuring gentleness.
The most eye-catching thing was what she held in her hand—a kraft paper file folder. She clutched it so tightly that her knuckles had turned slightly white from the force.
"Is that really Sakurajima Mai?"
Not only did the readers in the front row recognize her, but many of the media members present were also stunned. As an actress who debuted as a child star, Sakurajima Mai's public recognition was incredibly high.
"Could it be that Michiya-sensei predicted what would happen today?"
"What Sakurajima-san is holding... could it be..."
All sorts of scenarios began to pop up one after another in everyone's minds, while the camera flashes from the media personnel at the side flickered wildly!
Sakurajima Mai walked to Michiya's side and took out a stack of manuscripts from the kraft paper folder.
"This is the original manuscript for the first few chapters of Love Letter. Michiya-san showed it to me a long time ago. It even has my annotations on it."
She held up the manuscript pages for the cameras to see, revealing some annotations and the young woman's own delicate handwriting.
Besides displaying the manuscript, the young woman began to share her thoughts with everyone present. Her voice wasn't loud, but it captured everyone's attention.
"Michiya-san and I have acted together. He is not only an excellent actor, but he also possesses both talent and diligence. I don't want to see him slandered, let alone become a public figure hated by the masses."
"This book, Love Letter, is Michiya-san's original work. I suppose you could call me his first reader."
Sakurajima Mai's tone was calm and unhurried, as if she were simply chatting with the people in front of her.
"As for the accusations of ghostwriting or plagiarism, I'm sure the truth is now clear. Are all of you really going to misunderstand such an outstanding person?"
"We've always believed in Michiya-sensei!"
The readers immediately chimed in, men and women alike shouting their support.
"That's right!"
"Sakurajima-san is absolutely right! With so much evidence right here, the rumors can't possibly stand!"
"Throw out those rumor-mongering reporters!"
"Quickly!"
The readers erupted in thunderous applause. Some of them immediately surrounded the two reporters, glaring at them with hostile expressions.
"See that? This is the proof!"
"Stop spreading rumors, you're so shameless!"
"Hurry up and apologize to Michiya-sensei!"
The two reporters' faces turned deathly pale. They wanted to defend themselves but were drowned out by the waves of anger. In the end, they were 'escorted' out of the mall by security guards arranged by the agency, squeezing their way out in disgrace.
After the two reporters had left, Michiya Gōshin took the microphone. His gaze swept over the electrified scene, and his voice carried an unprecedented power.
"Thank you all very much for your support of Love Letter. Today was supposed to be a wonderful signing event where I could learn about my readers' thoughts, but I really didn't expect the incident with the interview just now."
What's the most important thing to survive in the entertainment industry? The ability to seize opportunities, of course.
The reporters had left the stage. He, of course, had to make good use of this opportunity to make a clarifying statement and a concluding speech. After all, the media members standing by had gotten their fill of photos today.
As long as this material was reported, tomorrow—no, tonight—public opinion would see a major reversal.
Michiya Gōshin raised a copy of Love Letter, his tone becoming much more impassioned.
"The fact that this book has sold over a hundred thousand copies isn't because of how amazing I am, but because everyone believes in the genuine emotions within the story."
"No matter what happens, winter will always pass."
"Let's all look forward to the spring breeze together, and welcome the best of times!"
"Well said!"
"Go, Michiya-sensei!"
The venue immediately erupted in thunderous applause, with readers holding up their books and cheering.
The rest of the signing event turned into a complete celebration. Readers surrounded Michiya Gōshin for photos, sharing stories of how Love Letter had moved them. The media chased after Kato Arashi and Michiya Gōshin's agent, Nakahara Kazuya, for interviews, hoping to dig up more about the two reporters from earlier.
Even passersby were infected by the enthusiastic atmosphere, rushing into the bookstore to grab a copy of Love Letter.
A video from the signing event was released that same afternoon and immediately shot to the top of Twitter's trending list.
#MichiyaGōshinTurnsTheTablesAtSigningEvent#
#ReporterForgesEvidenceExposedAtInterview#
#LoveLetterIsReallyGood#
Three hashtags dominated the top three trending spots, with discussion volume exceeding ten million overnight. Amidst the dense thicket of slanderous topics about Michiya Gōshin, comments like 'Apologize' and 'Support Michiya-kun' suddenly began to appear.
The young man's Twitter followers also began to grow further, successfully breaking through the 300,000 mark in a single day.
---------------------------------
After the signing event ended, Michiya Gōshin was at the restaurant for the celebration party, silently staring at his system's light screen.
"Hiss... I must have interacted with a lot of people today, and I even asked about their hobbies and lives..."
"Why did the experience increase so little?"
[Production Queue 1: All Living Things]
[EXP: 4/100]
[EXP: 5/100]
[EXP: 6/100]
The somewhat perplexed young man reread the entry's description, his brow furrowing slightly.
[To obtain acting that can truly move people's hearts, you must communicate with all kinds of people in the world and deeply experience the spiritual outlook and social roles of all living things.]
"Don't tell me casual contact is useless, and only deep interaction counts?"
"Then... how am I supposed to do that?"
The rising new author, fresh off his major victory at the signing event, scratched his head and fell into deep thought.
________________________________________
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