Starlet Taotie Chapter 34 (Part 1)
Chapter 34.1 Mukbang + Reaction
This episode of 'Found Family' quickly trended on Weibo.
#JiangTaoTrafficked#
#CanMoneyBuyFamilialLove#
At first, when the marketing accounts posted about the Jiang parents crying and complaining that Jiang Tao was cold and uncaring, many people had taken their side and condemned Jiang Tao.
But now, the truth was out.
The tables had turned.
The marketing accounts that had originally broken the story all deleted their posts and went silent.
Netizens hadn’t expected to become accomplices themselves. Ashamed, they posted apologies on their feeds and sent Jiang Tao private messages, telling her to stay strong.
As the police investigation went deeper, more revelations began to surface.
【I was Jiang Tao’s homeroom teacher in elementary school, and I remember her very clearly. She was very pretty, but extremely thin and frail, and she often had injuries on her body. Once, when I went to her home for a visit, I discovered that she didn’t even have a bed of her own. She slept on a mat under her parents’ bed. They would even berate her in front of her teachers, and she was the one who did all the housework. If it weren’t for compulsory education, I doubt they would have even let her attend school.】
【This couple is notorious around here for refusing to pay their debts. They’re always bragging about having a daughter who’s a celebrity, saying that whenever they want money, they can just go to their daughter for it. But everyone around here knows what’s really going on. They’re not even afraid that taking money like that will come back to bite them. After the man got sick, a lot of people said it was karma.】
【As far as I know, the reason Jiang Tao ran away from home was because her foster father, no, that scumbag, had gotten himself into debt with loan sharks and wanted to hand her over to settle it. Even the money Jiang Tao earned in the years afterward was taken back by them under constant harassment and used to pay off his debts.】
...
As more and more shocking revelations came to light, even passersby couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Jiang Tao’s fans were so heartbroken they could barely breathe.
Almost every comment mentioned ‘poor Jiang Jiang’.
If a hater showed up at a time like this, they’d get roasted so badly they’d question their entire existence.
【They’ve done this poor girl so dirty T-T】
【omg my poor baby girl i cant even imagine how she managed to survive in a place like that... it hurts so bad 😭 everytime i think abt what she went thru i just start crying again】
【People were actually criticizing our baby for being protective of her food and eating so much before. I’m just saying, maybe that’s a lingering effect of not having enough to eat when she was little.】
【shit stoppp now I feel even worse…】
【My cousin works with a charity that helps rescue trafficked children. She said that with someone like Jiang Tao, who was so young when she was trafficked and was passed around so many times that even the traffickers couldn’t remember where she’d originally been taken from, the chances of finding her biological parents are very low.】
【wuwuwu... another stab to the heart. Poor Jiang Jiang.】
【Every time I watch Jiang Jiang’s replay saying she only wants to taste what familial love is like, my whole heart just breaks.】
【It’s okay! If Jiang Jiang can’t find her parents, then I’ll be her mom!!】
【Yes!! We, her moms and dads, will never give up! We’ll always love our baby!!】
Fans caught up in the emotion started changing the names of their fan groups to things like ‘Jiang Jiang’s Mom Group #1’, ‘Baby Tao’s Pappies’, ‘Baby Tao’s Jie Jies’, and ‘Dear Jiang Jiang’s Grandpa & Grandma Group’.
Everyone felt sorry for Jiang Tao, yet no one knew what they could actually do for her.
As luck would have it, MINA’s October issue was going on sale. Knowing that this was Jiang Tao’s first magazine cover, her fans decided that regardless of how the photos turned out, they had to show their support and drive up the sales.
However, when MINA’s official Weibo account released the October cover, the fans were left completely speechless.
On the cover, Jiang Tao had completely abandoned her usual sweet and innocent look. She wore a form-fitting black mermaid gown, but the hem was tattered and torn, revealing her long, fair legs and myriad of scars.
Yet even so, she still raised an arm to shield He RanRan behind her.
He RanRan’s long hair was disheveled, the corners of her eyes slightly red. She bore scars much like Jiang Tao’s, and though she was frightened and panicked, she placed all her trust in Jiang Tao.
And then some people noticed that their hands were tightly clasped together.
It wasn’t just Jiang Tao protecting He RanRan. He RanRan was supporting Jiang Tao, too.
The two girls stood shoulder to shoulder.
Strength and vulnerability. Protection and trust. Two people supporting one another.
This was the most beautiful state of friendship between girls.
Ordinary netizens couldn’t describe the photo with professional terms like lighting, composition, or visual tension.
But they could feel how deeply the image moved them.
【The bond between girls is just too beautiful. It’s killing me.】
【wuwuwu pretty girls should stick together! we don’t need stinky men!】
【AAHHHH fans of Jiang×He ship are celebrating like it's New Year's today!!!】
【Jiang×He, you two better stay together forever!!!】
【The marriage registry office is right here. We recommend getting married immediately!】
【This suddenly reminded me of something. I was harassed by a creep on the subway before. I’m timid and didn’t dare say anything, so I could only endure it. I was so desperate that I was trembling all over. Then a woman stepped in and yelled at the creep until he ran away. She saved me, and I’ll never forget it. Because of her, I also decided to become braver. If I ever encounter something like that again, I’ll help another girl just like she helped me.】
【Maybe this is why I’ve always had such a soft spot for the girls around me. They always make me believe that this world is still a beautiful place.】
Li Xi was the girl Jiang Tao had previously rescued from that scumbag-of-an-ex-boyfriend. She had long since moved past the shadow of that relationship and had become one of Jiang Tao’s most devoted fans.
She was also the one who created the ‘Baby Tao’s Jie Jies’ fan group.
After learning about Jiang Tao’s past, she had cried herself to sleep for an entire night. She had only just managed to calm down when seeing the October cover of MINA broke her all over again.
She remembered how Jiang Tao had saved her back then.
Someone who had been hurt so deeply had not chosen to take her anger out on the world.
Instead, she chose to help others who had been hurt.
Everyone only saw the trust He RanRan placed in Jiang Tao on the cover, but who had ever noticed that Jiang Tao trusted He RanRan just as much?
Even covered in scars, she still trusted this world.
Li Xi couldn’t stop her tears from falling again.
Suddenly, she desperately wanted to get her hands on the magazine.
She had already pre-ordered a copy, but it would still take some time to arrive. Then she remembered there was a newsstand downstairs from her office.
She immediately wiped away her tears and ran downstairs to buy one.
Only to find...
“Sold out?!”
The newsstand owner sighed helplessly. “Yeah. You’re already the sixth person to come asking for this magazine. I’ve still got other fashion magazines. Want one of those?”
Li Xi shook her head.
She returned to the office.
When she opened her QQ group chat, all she saw were people crying out in despair.
【SOS! I only spent a little too long admiring Jiang Jiang’s face! I went back to buy more, and it was already sold out!!! It’s only been five minutes!!!】
【I ran to every newsstand and bookstore near my place, and they’re all sold out!!! This is torment!?】
【same wuwuwuwu… thankfully my lil sis is in Jiang Jiang’s Mommy Group. She preordered two copies and promised to give me one later, so i’m happy hehe!!!】
【Someone beat up the person above for bragging.】
【Am I the only one wondering how you two even figure out your seniority?!】
...
Li Xi soothed everyone in the group for a few messages before clicking into the trending topics.
She had assumed that since this was Jiang Tao’s first magazine cover, the trending topics would be filled with sales updates and good news.
But when she opened it, she discovered that the atmosphere was completely different from what she’d expected.
【I wanted to contribute more sales for our baby, but they didn’t even give me the chance.】
【Not a fan, but this cover is insanely gorgeous. Does anyone have an extra copy they’re willing to sell?】
【gl even fans couldn’t get their hands on it】
【i originally bought two, one to keep and one to read, but my friend straight up snatched one from me 😭 now she’s thinking abt becoming a fan too lmaooo】
【@MINA Official Weibo, please print more!!!】
