Chapter 60 Stolen By The Same Person
This hot search was particularly persistent, remaining on the rankings for several days, demonstrating the public's widespread attention to the case.
Aside from condemning the human traffickers and praising the police, the thing netizens were most curious about was the identity of Ace.
'With a human trafficking case this severe, Ace will have to show her face now, right?'
As a result of this human trafficking case, police investigations and interrogations led to the rescue of many children and young women who had been previously abducted by the syndicate.
This also brought certain individuals who had been searching for their relatives into the public spotlight.
At the official reunion site, many parents who had recovered their lost children cried on camera, expressing their excitement and their deep gratitude to the police and to Kendall.
They didn't know Kendall's identity or name, but that did not diminish their sincere thanks. Many netizens watching the live broadcast were moved to tears.
If the terminally ill young lady were willing to show her face, it would be no exaggeration to say she would instantly receive an abundance of wealth and fame.
More and more netizens were idolizing terminally ill young lady, some even edited the few fleeting glimpses of Kendall into stunning video clips.
Even Mark asked Kendall several times, "Are you really not going to show your face? So many people love you!"
Kendall had seen the videos and news. She shook her head. "No."
She felt satisfied that she could help so many people while completing the system tasks, and the task rewards were already secured. That was enough.
Mark was a police officer and didn't follow celebrity gossip, but even he could recognize the high public admiration for the terminally ill young lady and her soaring online popularity. Others in the entertainment industry were even more aware.
Mia glared at the hot search topics on TikTok and couldn't help but roll her eyes, her tone impatient, "Why is she the hot search topic again today?"
The filming for the reality show was set to begin in just over a week.
Mia and her manager, Finn, had arranged to purchase a trending spot for her to grab a final wave of fans before joining the cast.
Finn also thought Mia's suggestion was good, as it would not only gain fans but also increase Mia's screen space on the variety show.
Thus, Mia purposely left Orapolis, stayed in another city for two days, and then flew back. At the Orapolis Airport, Finn had pre-arranged paparazzi to wait, just to capture beautiful, unedited photos of Mia.
The money Mia used to buy the hot search came directly from her personal account. Yet, she only remained on the trending list for a few minutes before being pushed down by the Ruby Road Police's topic.
As soon as the Ruby Road Police's topic finally subsided, the discussion about the terminally ill young lady immediately surged back up.
The hot search spot Mia purchased had a time limit. She had bought three days and spent a seven-figure sum. The result?
She spent those three days watching someone else dominate the hot search!
The topic about Mia appearing at the airport barely ranked at the very bottom of the list and failed to attract much netizen attention.
Of course, this wasn't because Mia's money power had failed, but because the popularity of terminally ill young lady was simply too high, reaching a terrifying nine hundred million views and two hundred million likes.
The difference between real, organic data and purchased, virtual popularity was immediately obvious.
The money Mia spent on the hot search had been completely wasted, and she was furious. Staring at the hot search terms about Ace, Mia found her instantly irritating.
This was the second time this had happened.
Last time, the Hansen family held a celebration party for her at the villa, only for Kendall to kick her into the water. Mia could have used that incident to trend, but she was completely overshadowed when the terminally ill young lady intervened in the Heavenly Heart Shopping Plaza case.
That day, the topic of the terminally ill young lady outsmarting the criminal in the Heavenly Heart Shopping Plaza went viral, utterly crushing Mia's popularity into dust.
Now it was happening again! The exact same thing, stolen by the exact same person.
Mia's expression was sullen, and she felt a strong, intense aversion toward this anonymous lady. Finn sat nearby, holding a tablet and handling work. He was already accustomed to Mia's gloomy demeanor.
Mia's fans often praised her as gentle, kind, and graceful, and even the Hansen family believed Mia was a sweet, delicate girl needing protection.
However, Finn knew that Mia was far more calculating than the average person, and even the Hansen family were unaware that Mia's true self was anything but kind and gentle.
Finn actually preferred that Mia was calculating, foolish starlets who didn't understand the world would only be devoured in the entertainment industry without leaving a trace, never knowing how they died.
"It looks like this hot search plan failed," Finn said, putting down the tablet. "The airport photos they took of you are definitely fine, but the topic's popularity is too low, so netizens easily overlook it."
Mia frowned. The most controversial and popular topic was actually Kendall.
To drive traffic previously, Mia and Finn had hired people to release many negative rumours about Kendall, inciting hatred for Kendall among netizens and fans.
Mia then subtly released news about being bullied by Kendall, covertly sparking fan arguments against Kendall during interviews.
During that period, thanks to Kendall, Mia gained many fans, and her existing fanbase became more loyal.
"Kendall has already moved out. If she hadn't, we could have taken some misleading photos to post," Mia said, frowning.
For the first time, she felt Kendall moving out of the Hansen family wasn't entirely a good thing. Since that day, she hadn't seen Kendall, and it felt like Kendall had suddenly slipped out of her control.
Finn suggested, "Kendall is also participating in the '30 Days of Survival' program. Should we find someone to speak up for you and stir up some popularity?"
Mia thought Finn meant the fan club should step in and responded, "Didn't the fans already post an angry wave of comments after the program officially announced the cast? The program and Kendall's TikTok accounts reacted like they were dead, showing no response."
Finn shook his head. "I don't mean asking your fans to post. I mean asking others in the industry to post."
In response to Mia's puzzled look, Finn offered her idea. "Aren't you close with Lily? Ask her to post something for you."
Mia thought for a moment and finally understood Finn's intent.
After the program announced the cast, her fans had already sworn at the comment sections of both the program and Kendall. Doing it again wouldn't be effective. But Lily was different.
Lily was another actress in the entertainment circle. It was perfectly normal for her to speak up for Mia and defend her. If she then spent a little money to buy some trending spots...
(End of Chapter)