Chapter 3

Rumor has it that Wen Tang falls in love with a new person every time she films a drama, always younger than herself.

Moreover, her rumored partners are just temporary flings.

The rumors are true.

In recent years, Wen Tang has filmed many idol dramas, almost living in the filming locations. Each of her dramas became a major hit, establishing her as the undisputed queen of TV dramas.

However, the queen of TV dramas also has her lesser-known troubles. Wen Tang struggles to get into character in romantic comedies. If you watch her earlier dramas from when she was in her early twenties, you’ll find her acting and appearance were on point, but there was always something missing, particularly in intimate scenes with male leads, which often felt awkward and inexplicable.

Wen Tang had been in the entertainment industry since she was eight, under the strict control of Liu Meifen. Many once-popular stars were ruined by relationships and scandals, and Liu Meifen had strictly forbidden Wen Tang from dating since she was young. By the time Wen Tang turned eighteen, Liu Meifen’s control became even more severe.

Wen Tang had always been an obedient child, raised by her grandmother after her parents divorced when she was three. Her parents moved to big cities, leaving young Wen Tang behind with her grandmother in the countryside. They hadn’t seen each other for years, and her memories of them were faint.

At eight, Wen Tang was discovered during a school performance and cast in a popular drama, becoming a well-known child star. Liu Meifen reappeared as her guardian, and Wen Tang, longing for warmth from her, obeyed her in everything.

However, no matter how obedient Wen Tang was, it was all in vain. To Liu Meifen, Wen Tang was just a means to an end. She was only interested in Wen Tang’s fame, which brought wealth and status. To achieve this, Liu Meifen enrolled Wen Tang in endless classes, arranged countless jobs, and made her sleep only three hours a day on average, continuously exploiting her. It seemed all for Wen Tang’s benefit, but it was actually to satisfy Liu Meifen’s ever-growing insatiable desires.

To Liu Meifen, Wen Tang was merely a perfect tool to achieve her goals, devoid of any genuine familial affection.

It was only at twenty-two that Wen Tang fully realized this.

That year, she entered a delayed rebellious phase.

She changed boyfriends frequently, and Liu Meifen’s words no longer held the same weight. Their numerous arguments and fights became a regular occurrence. Free from Liu Meifen’s constraints, Wen Tang fully indulged herself in the entertainment industry.

Soon, she discovered that the acting bottleneck that had once seemed impossible to overcome was now easily breached.

To act well in a romance drama, it turns out, is actually quite simple—just fall in love while filming.

After the opening ceremony, Wen Tang had a magazine shoot in the afternoon and an interview program in the evening.

The interview was pre-recorded. Given that morning’s exposure of Wen Tang and You Yang’s intimate photos had hit the trending searches, Liu Meifen worried that the program might set her up. Before the recording, Liu Meifen reviewed all the questions printed on A4 paper, crossed out those she deemed inappropriate, and added questions that would help clear Wen Tang’s name. This process took a considerable amount of time, and the interview, originally scheduled for 8:00 PM, was delayed until 9:30 PM.

The interview proceeded in a Q&A format, with occasional interactive segments. The host, armed with Liu Meifen’s revised questions, controlled every word, sentence, and question, making it entirely predictable.

By the end of the hour-long interview, it was already 11:00 PM. After the broadcast ended, Yang Yang and Ke Xin waited at the stage for Wen Tang, who, once she descended, was immediately surrounded by them. Liu Meifen had long since left, having reached her limit for the day and with many other matters to attend to.

Yang Yang carried Wen Tang’s down jacket. After the afternoon magazine shoot and the evening interview, Wen Tang had changed into a gradient-colored casual sweater and fitted jeans, which made her look youthful and highlighted her fair skin and long, straight legs.

The studio was warm enough that she didn’t need the jacket yet, but her phone had been vibrating throughout the recording. As soon as the program ended, Ke Xin quickly handed it to her.

“… Uncle Wen called all night, it seems like it’s urgent,” Ke Xin said. As Wen Tang looked up at her, Ke Xin instinctively shrank back under her piercing gaze, despite the warmth of the studio.

Without Wen Tang’s permission, neither Ke Xin nor Yang Yang were allowed to read her text messages or answer her calls.

Wen Tang checked her phone and saw seventeen missed calls.

When Wen Haifeng called her, it could only mean one thing—he needed money.

Wen Tang coldly deleted all the missed calls, turned off her phone, and handed it back to Ke Xin. She walked towards the elevator and, as she passed by Ke Xin, left a chilly breeze in her wake with her parting words: “If he calls again, don’t tell me. Just delete it.”

When leaving the studio and getting into the car, they encountered fans waiting outside in the winter night. The fans, orderly and excited, waved their light sticks and banners, while those without banners simply waved their hands.

“Tang Tang!!”

“Tang Tang, Tang Tang! We love you, keep going!”

…

There were too many people, and to avoid chaos, Wen Tang, as usual, quickly walked past them without having a chance to greet the fans.

Once in the car, seeing the crowd outside through the window, Wen Tang turned to Yang Yang and said, “Call the program team and have them send some security to maintain order. Most importantly, ensure that everyone who was outside just now leaves safely.”

Yang Yang nodded repeatedly while pulling out her phone to contact the program team.

As the car drove along, Wen Tang finally had a moment to relax. She leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and rested.

At this point, Ke Xin quietly moved closer to Wen Tang. “Tang Tang, Tang Tang~”

When Wen Tang slowly opened her eyes, Ke Xin, looking like she was on a secret mission, whispered, “Tang Tang, do you remember that cool guy from the set today? We’ve investigated him thoroughly~!”

Ke Xin was acting as though she was part of an underground organization.

Wen Tang, who was tired of acting and had no time for this, said, “If you can’t learn to speak properly, don’t speak at all. Be normal.”

Ke Xin, taken aback by Wen Tang’s reprimand, immediately straightened up and responded, “Oh.”

However, she still had something to say. “Tang Tang, you asked us to look into that cool guy. We’ve got all the information on him.”

She pulled out her tablet, which had a detailed record of all Wen Tang’s past relationships, complete with a table listing each partner’s details—dates, heights, ages, personalities, hobbies, and achievements. The information was so comprehensive it was almost more accurate than Wen Tang’s own recollections.

Given that Wen Tang had so many suitors, forgetting details was common, but the table never forgot.

Ke Xin scrolled through the list and pointed out, “This cool guy’s name is Gong Yue. He just turned twenty. Here’s the key part: he’s single! He’s a rookie signed with Xinghuo Media for less than a year, comes from an ordinary family, has a cold and introverted personality. He plays the third male lead in our drama, with a significant role and screen time. He’s likely one of Xinghuo Media’s rising stars.”

Ke Xin continued rapidly, “I didn’t see him smile at all on set today. He seems difficult to get along with. Tang Tang, are you sure it’s him?”

Bending down next to Wen Tang, she quietly suggested, “How about we look for someone else?”

Wen Tang gave her a stern look.

In all fairness, Wen Tang hadn’t meant to insist on this particular person.

But no matter how she explained, it wouldn’t be believed.

Mistaking Wen Tang’s gaze as a sign of confirmation, Ke Xin pointed to the most crucial and hardest-to-find piece of information on the tablet.

“I’ve added the cool guy’s WeChat ID for you,” she said, holding out Wen Tang’s phone.

This was the usual procedure. Most of Wen Tang’s past boyfriends had their WeChat IDs added by Ke Xin, who then handed the phone back to Wen Tang for her to start the conversations herself.

Wen Tang truly didn’t have any ulterior motives.

She wasn’t the kind of person who would urgently add someone on WeChat after just one meeting.

Wen Tang waved her hand dismissively. “No need.”

She took the phone from Ke Xin, concerned that if Ke Xin actually added Gong Yue, it would only confirm the rumors of her being a desperate woman—something she absolutely couldn’t afford to be associated with.

Just as Wen Tang took the phone in her hand, it rang.

It was Liu Meifen, who had left early.

Thinking Liu Meifen might have more instructions, Wen Tang answered the call.

However, as soon as the call connected, Liu Meifen’s voice came through with a hint of irritation. “Are you ignoring your dad’s calls again? He’s been calling me all night. You should call him back right away. It’s late, so it must be something urgent.”

Hearing Wen Haifeng’s name again after the interview, Wen Tang’s mood sank. She coldly replied to Liu Meifen, “What urgent matter could he possibly have? Oh, he needs money? That’s indeed urgent.”

Over the years, Liu Meifen had become accustomed to Wen Tang’s attitude. She said, “Regardless, he’s your father. Giving him some money is only right. Besides, he hasn’t asked you for money directly in years. He always asks me. He’s only recently asked me for money for his son’s upcoming eighteenth birthday. It seems he wants to hold a big event and is inviting you. If you don’t want to go, just brush him off. Don’t let him keep calling, it’s really annoying!”

Wen Tang’s frustration flared up. Her focus wasn’t on the birthday party at all. Her voice grew louder. “He’s asking you for money again? Did you give it to him? He’s never raised me—why should I give him money? Didn’t I tell you not to give him any? Why do you never listen!”

Liu Meifen had always had her reasons for this. “He’s willing to make a scene in the media. If he does that, it won’t end well for us. This money is just a drop in the bucket for us. What difference does it make if it’s a little more or less?”

Indeed, the amounts given were not significant—tens of thousands, or at most, a hundred thousand. It didn’t compare to the petty amount Liu Meifen spent on her own maintenance. Liu Meifen always kept a tight rein on money.

But Wen Tang held a deep grudge against the man who had caused her grandmother’s death—Liu Meifen had no such memory, but Wen Tang did!

Wen Tang refused to give a single cent. She was livid and deeply disappointed in Liu Meifen. After Liu Meifen finished speaking, Wen Tang took a while to respond. “…You always say the same thing. Do you really think I’m afraid of him making trouble?”

After ending the call, Wen Tang wearily closed her eyes.

Over the years, she had allowed these leeches to drain her.

She truly hated it.

But no matter how much she hated it, it didn’t change the reality—she had to bow to it.

Yang Yang and Ke Xin, who were in the same car, exchanged glances as they observed Wen Tang’s state. They had witnessed many of Wen Tang and Liu Meifen’s arguments over the years and were no longer as bewildered as they had been initially.

After a long silence, Ke Xin tentatively spoke, “Tang Tang…”

Hearing her voice, Wen Tang opened her eyes again.

It only took a minute or two for her to regain her composure. She shook her head and said to them, “I’m fine.”

Just as Yang Yang and Ke Xin were about to breathe a sigh of relief, Wen Tang picked up her phone and asked Ke Xin, “What’s Gong Yue’s WeChat ID?”