The entire incident had started because of a half-finished embroidery piece. But whether it was Yao Yingxia or the people at the embroidery workshop, their focus had remained solely on the embroidery and the wedding gown. They were worried about the impact the leak would have on Laila and on the reputation of the workshop.
Now that Laila hadn't blamed them and even generously donated the compensation, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
To show their remorse, the embroidery workshop's owner contributed an amount equal to the compensation, donating it all under Laila's name. Since the money was being used within their own country, they didn't feel too bad about it. Even the family of the "brat" involved offered a donation to express their apologies.
At this point, all the necessary steps had been taken—compensation paid, donations made, redesigns underway. Everything was gradually getting back on track. It seemed as though the storm had passed, and things were returning to normal.
But was that really the case?
Initially, when Yao Yingxia learned that the embroidery design had been leaked online, she had considered contacting platforms to take the photos down. But seeing how widely it had already spread, she figured it would be difficult, and let it go. Besides, whether they took it down or not wouldn't change much. She didn't want to stir up even more trouble and give internet conspiracy theorists more room to spout nonsense.
However, after she finished handling the donation matter and went back online to check the situation again, she realized something: the attention surrounding Laila's custom wedding dress hadn't died down at all. In fact, it had dominated the trending topics for several days straight.
If it were during a quiet period, when no films were being released, Laila's name wouldn't have made such a big splash. At most, people would just be curious about a foreigner willing to spend an astronomical sum on an Eastern-style wedding dress, and feel a bit of national pride that someone from the West appreciated Eastern aesthetics. That kind of news might last a few days before fading away.
But right now, The Avengers was still dominating the Eastern box office, holding the number one weekly slot for weeks, and had basically locked down the top-grossing film of the year. Every day, entertainment news was filled with new records being broken by the movie. Even people who weren't particularly interested in films couldn't help but see the headlines.
As a woman thriving in the global film industry, the youngest-ever Oscar-winning director in Hollywood, and a figure with a legendary life story, Laila's name had been spreading further and further across this vast land, fueled by her movie's success.
So in this context—her getting married—wasn't that worth paying attention to?
Let's not forget: her fiancé, the father of her child, was none other than Roy Seasonstar, the most handsome and charismatic leading man in Hollywood, and the youngest-ever winner of the Best Actor Oscar. Their union was arguably the most anticipated wedding in the film industry.
From the start of their relationship until now, there had been countless breakup rumors, but every single one had turned out to be false.
Their love story had been idolized by countless young men and women, held up like a fairytale. And the media had tried every angle imaginable to dig into their private lives. Now that Laila was custom-ordering her wedding dress? Wasn't that the clearest sign that their wedding was just around the corner?
This was huge news. Journalists from the East and other countries—especially American reporters—were scrambling to get more information. They were determined to be the first to break the story of this wedding that would shake the world.
And so, Xuanji Embroidery House found itself under media siege once again.
The phones at the workshop literally wouldn't stop ringing—that was the most accurate way to describe the situation. They'd barely hang up on one media outlet requesting an interview before another call would come through. Their regular clients couldn't even get through anymore, constantly hearing a busy tone or "in a call" messages.
Xuanji House had always relied on word of mouth among top-tier clients to build its reputation. It wasn't that they didn't want to be famous, but that a certain type of fame only brought exposure, not actual benefit. In fact, Easterners especially loved exclusivity. The more mysterious and high-end something was, the fewer people who knew about it, the more prestigious it seemed.
But now? Without even trying to advertise, they were suddenly everywhere.
The problem was—they didn't want this kind of fame!
Business had taken a nosedive. The number of entanglements from this one incident alone had made the head of the House seriously consider storming over to that brat's house to raise hell. The amount they were paid in compensation barely scratched the surface—even ten times that wouldn't make up for their losses!
Meanwhile, news of Laila commissioning a wedding gown in the East had finally made its way back to the United States.
And the American media exploded.
This was Laila Moran they were talking about! She was getting married—and not a single outlet in her own country knew a thing?
Fans and moviegoers alike were shocked, flooding social media with heated posts berating domestic paparazzi. Usually, they were ruthless in chasing down celebrity gossip—how could they not uncover anything about Laila?
But reporters and paparazzi felt wronged, too. It wasn't that they didn't want to follow her—it was just that she was the heiress of the Moran Media Empire, and her father had long made it clear that she was off-limits. On top of that, she was constantly surrounded by at least four bodyguards. Even if someone tried to shove a mic in her face, they'd never get close enough for a usable response.
A few bold newbies had even risked their lives trying to stop her car on the road—earning the rare reward of getting to ask her three questions. But seriously, how many people were willing to risk their lives just to chase a scoop? Even those who had once dared to stop her car never attempted it a second time. The experience had been too terrifying—no one doubted for a second that those car tires would actually roll right over them.
The American media just couldn't understand: why was Laila keeping her wedding plans a secret?
If she were just signing a marriage certificate, there'd be no need to commission a custom gown from the East. And if she were inviting guests to a ceremony, then why hadn't a single detail leaked anywhere?
American reporters were famous for their relentless snooping. For something this big to happen right under their noses without anyone noticing—it was incomprehensible. And this wasn't even bad news. So why hide it?
When Laila saw the media backlash and complaints, she felt genuinely wronged.
She wasn't trying to hide anything—she didn't even know the details of the wedding herself! Roy had taken full control of the planning and was keeping everything tightly under wraps. She suspected her own mother probably knew more than she did. Why else did she always act so mysterious during their video calls?
The media frenzy over the wedding became so intense that calls requesting interviews with Laila poured in nonstop. Her entire secretary's office was swamped, barely able to get any actual work done aside from answering the phone.