Chapter 510

Pearl had a hunch that they had deliberately done this, but she wasn't too worried or frightened since they were the ones guilty of plagiarism. At nine o'clock, the viewer numbers started rapidly rising. Most people tuned in to watch the drama because of Esther and Hanzel's fame, but they were pleasantly surprised at how well Esther and Hanzel portrayed their roles. The online discussion quickly heated up as viewers adored the chemistry between Esther and Hanzel, praising the compelling plot of the TV show. However, the discussion took an unexpected turn. A user named Potato Lover commented, "Damn! Did you guys see the third episode? I saw Pearl and Richard! Is it true?" Carrot Lover added, "Yeah, their acting is amazing! It's their first time acting together, and I thought it would be awkward..." Kissy Face chimed in, "He's so handsome! I love watching the real-life couple!" Kiddo said, "Don't you think Pearl is prettier than the lead actress? Ah! The princess is carrying the lead actress. She's so strong!" Rocky teased, "Calm down, Kiddo. You're about to fall in love with her." No one had promoted Pearl and Richard, but their acting had captivated the audience. Pearl couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness as she noticed that the comments were gradually shifting to focus on her and Richard. Meanwhile, Esther couldn't contain her laughter. "Did you see that, Pearl? You're the target of all the girls who want to marry you. Congratulations on gaining so many female fans from this drama. I've never seen such unusual comments before. Hahaha!" Pearl sighed. "It's not a big deal, though it's beyond my expectation." Esther playfully held Pearl's hand and said, "Well, I do have an advantage since I'm right here. If you ever decide to marry a girl, you should marry me." "Esther, do you want to get more advertisements?" Pearl threatened coldly. Hearing that, Esther became dispirited. "Okay, I take it back. I'd be doomed if you got me more endorsements. Then you'd have to visit me in the cemetery." Esther's complaints were giving Pearl a headache. She decided to cover Esther's mouth and continued to monitor the data together. Just as their drama was gaining momentum, there was an unexpected turn. Their popularity started to inexplicably drop. After investigating further, Pearl discovered that the audience had shifted to watching "The Melody of the West." "Damn! What happened?" Pearl frowned. Clem's expression turned serious as he said, "Pearl, check out the news." Reading the news, Pearl was shocked to discover that someone had claimed that the original novel on which "When I Met You" was based had committed plagiarism. Netizens began comparing the novel to others, highlighting evidence of the alleged plagiarism. Suddenly, public sentiment turned against "When I Met You," and its ratings began to plummet. Malicious rumors spread by other entertainment companies only made matters worse. "What should we do now, Pearl? I read that novel before, and no one ever accused it of being plagiarized," Clem said. Pearl nodded thoughtfully. "Let's not panic. I need to investigate this further." As she delved into the matter, she traced the IP address of the article back to Jenny's entertainment company. Pearl's eyes narrowed with a sense of determination. She wondered why Jenny was still plotting against her, but if that were the case, she wouldn't mind taking revenge.