Chapter 48: Warning, Warning!

Why had Lu Hui gotten herself so drunk in the days leading up to the wedding? It was because that was when Yan Zhao first told her he wanted to save his precious darling. She pretended to be devastated—acted like she was heartbroken to death—and used that as an excuse to drink. But once she started, she couldn’t stop, and ended up drinking herself into a blackout!

Lu Hui thought it over seriously before giving Ning Jiao her answer. “There probably wasn’t anything.”

Yan Zhao wouldn’t break his vows for her. That night’s embrace and care were nothing more than a tactic to win her over, to gain her trust and affection—so she would willingly offer herself up as a sacrifice. That way, he wouldn’t have to carry the burden of being labeled a wife-killer.

Ning Jiao rolled her eyes. “If there was something, there was, if there wasn’t, there wasn’t. How could I not remember something like this?”

Lu Hui said, “But I really can’t be sure!”

Ning Jiao’s sharp gaze moved around her face. “You look like a vixen, but how can you be as pure as a virgin…”

Ning Jiao already had a plan in her mind. If there really was something, how could she not know? So if unsure, she treated it as if nothing happened. Her mood instantly lifted. “I get it, looks like Yan Zhao is a little virgin too.”

Lu Hui: “…”

Now, this one, she couldn’t be sure about.

Ning Jiao was not at all discouraged by the previous incident. “Right now, he likes your face, but once he tastes the pleasures of a woman, he’ll know what it’s like to be unforgettable. By then, don’t think you can escape my grasp.”

Lu Hui didn’t want to pour cold water on her, so she didn’t tell her she was overthinking it. She patted Ning Jiao’s shoulder, “Your courage is commendable.”

On the plane, Ning Jiao deliberately swapped seats with the staff and squeezed into the seat next to Yan Zhao, shamelessly striking up a conversation with him. Yan Zhao kept his eyes closed, not responding with a single word.

Ning Jiao’s enthusiasm was quickly doused. She said, “Yan Zhao, I’m not much worse looking than Lu Hui, am I?”

Yan Zhao kept his eyes closed, silent.

Ning Jiao hit a wall in front of him, repeatedly being rebuffed, and after a moment of feeling discouraged, she couldn’t help but ask, “Do you really like Lu Hui that much?”

Why did she have to end up in this melodramatic love triangle?

“Lu Hui told me she doesn’t like you. You should give up.”

Yan Zhao, who had been silent, finally opened his eyes. His gaze was as cold as a winter plum blossom. “I’ve also told you I don’t like you.”

Ning Jiao’s face turned pale from being choked. Her temper flared, and she immediately didn’t want to talk to him. Turning her back, she muttered a mantra several times to calm down. When her mood gradually settled, she turned back around with a more deferential attitude, using a roundabout tactic. “If you don’t mind, you can tell me what happened between you and Lu Hui. She doesn’t even want to talk to you.”

Yan Zhao enunciated coldly, “I do mind.”

Ning Jiao: “Heh.”

She couldn’t continue the conversation! She couldn’t even get a lick from being a fangirl; it was so hard to please him. He was so cold and aloof, he deserved not to be forgiven.

Ning Jiao angrily put on an eye mask and went to sleep.

Due to the overwhelming number of fans waiting at the airport, far more than the production team had expected, under the staff’s arrangement, everyone took the VIP channel. However, even with this, Lu Hui and Yan Zhao were still blocked by fans in the corridor, with a sea of people that was suffocating to look at.

The “fanatic” fans with cameras rushed to the front, while stalker fans surrounded the two of them and refused to leave.

The director was already feeling a headache. “There weren’t this many people at the airport last time during filming.”

In just one week, there had been such a big change.

“They’ve probably been fan-serviced.”

“Not all of them. Apparently, some stupid staff member leaked spoilers for our show, with text and small videos, portraying those two as super sweet. The CP rankings even made it to the top three, and a lot of people got caught up in it.”

“…” The director silently muttered, “That staff member was arranged by me, I let them leak a little something, hype it up, and look, it’s worked.”

“Not just that, Lu Hui’s role as Qing Ji has become popular, and with her increased popularity, her fanbase has grown.”

“Seems like she’s really popular now, not just a fabricated hot topic.”

“Exactly. The ratings for the three stations have exploded. Now everyone’s following the drama.”

“Great, we got lucky.”

They chatted while still walking. The director had Lu Hui and Yan Zhao, the main sources of attention, walk ahead. He wrapped himself in his coat and hurried off with the other staff members. A notification came through for Lu Hui’s phone: [We’re waiting for you in the car.]

Lu Hui was too crowded and didn’t have the energy to get angry. Her demeanor appeared softer, and the fans didn’t seem afraid of her, snapping pictures nonstop.

On the other side, Yan Zhao became the center of a circle, with a one-meter radius around him. Everyone was silent, and no one dared to use a flash, quietly taking photos and quietly stepping back.

The newly created CP fan site had already invested, betting that this pairing would become extremely popular after the show aired. They uploaded the photos immediately after taking them.

The CP site was the only one to capture a shot of Lu Hui and Yan Zhao together. Those who had seen the show spoilers and were excited saw these photos and immediately felt deflated.

“They look like two very familiar strangers.”

“I don’t see the CP vibe, I just see divorced couples.”

“Still the kind who’ve torn each other apart over asset distribution. Neither of them shows any expression. I’ve never seen such a cold expression on Lu Hui’s sweet face.”

“The distance between them is enough for ten of me to sit in between. They must have some deep-seated grudges.”

“Who was it who told me Yan Zhao loves Lu Hui forever? @Lu Hui, is that you? Where’s the love here?”

Even the CP fan site couldn’t have posted these kinds of photos. They must be out of better material.

It took Lu Hui ten minutes to walk from the corridor to the VIP passage. She could hardly catch her breath. Eventually, Yan Zhao suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her past the photographers, then followed the staff’s instructions onto the car.

At the hotel, the director called her, “Rest for a bit, we’re going for dinner tonight.”

Lu Hui had already laid down. “Another dinner?”

The director replied, “Yes, I learned it from Director Han. Every recording starts and ends with a dinner. They even record it as material, and if something interesting happens, they put it in the show.”

Lu Hui had gotten familiar with the director by now, speaking casually, “You copycat dog.”

The director grinned, “I’m just a shameless learner.”

The dinner had a private purpose for the director. The big sponsor’s boss wanted to be involved, and he couldn’t refuse. Plus, it was just a dinner, nothing too big.

The director had dinner with Yu Mandong. He was polite and well-spoken, in his thirties but didn’t look old. However, when speaking, he exuded a strong sense of pressure. His words subtly hinted that he wanted to cut out some parts involving Lu Hui, not letting them air.

At that moment, he was scared into a cold sweat. “I don’t know if you’ve been reading some messy news, but those are all lies. Lu Hui is definitely fine. She’s even getting a bit popular now, and she’s got a good sense of humor on the show. We have no reason to cut her part.”

The man calmly pressed his lips together. “If you don’t cut her part, then I can’t provide the tens of millions in sponsorship.”

The director said, “I thought you and Lu Hui were friends. Could there be some misunderstanding between you two that hasn’t been cleared up? How about this—I’ll host, and we all have a meal together. We can clear up whatever needs to be said. What do you think?”

Yu Mandong seemed to seriously consider it. “That could work.”

It was because of this meeting and conversation that the subsequent dinner happened. The director felt that he was really doing a lot for Lu Hui. Yu Mandong’s attitude toward her was difficult to read. At the airport, he had made a big show with bodyguards to greet her, but then turned around and wanted to cut her parts, nearly ruining her career.

Only those with problems get their parts cut. If a program that had already been announced really lost her parts, people outside would definitely start speculating, leading to doubts about whether she really had issues.

Yu Mandong’s tactics were ruthless. He didn’t seem to care about the people involved, which explained why Lu Hui had that attitude toward him at the airport.

The so-called program team dinner wasn’t even attended by many people—just the main few recording guests and two directors.

It wasn’t surprising for Lu Hui to see Yu Mandong at the dinner table. This man liked to play these games—pressuring and bribing, applying pressure from the very beginning.

The director pulled her to a secluded corner before she entered the private room. “Tonight, show a little good attitude toward Yu Mandong. Smile at him.”

Lu Hui said, “I can’t smile unless he dies in front of me. Then, maybe I’ll genuinely smile.”

“…,” the director was furious. “Don’t say things like that. Yu Mandong is the sponsor. He…”

Before he could finish, Lu Hui mocked, “Your program team really takes any dirty money.”

The director looked at her kindly, as if she were his daughter. “He’s even pressuring us to cut your scenes.”

Lu Hui didn’t care about how many scenes she had. Yu Mandong’s methods hadn’t changed. Back then, she hadn’t admitted her guilt. Even at the detention center, she had kept crying out for injustice. Yu Mandong had made the lawyer bring her parents’ and brother’s economic crime evidence and threatened her.

“Then cut it. Anyway, the payment you’re supposed to give me has already been transferred.”

“You’re really not going to back down?”

“He doesn’t deserve it.”

Lu Hui was furious, really furious. She angrily pushed open the private room door, ready to unload all the words she had been holding in. But once she entered, she found the situation was more complicated than she had expected.

Yu Mandong was sitting across from Yan Zhao. The two men’s gazes collided, sparks flying, and the tension was palpable.

Yu Mandong calmly smiled. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Yan Zhao simply asked, “Who are you?”

Yu Mandong lazily replied, “If you’re her fiancé, then I am her husband.”

Yu Mandong was the most observant of the group, but even he hadn’t thought deeply about the situation. He simply assumed that in his absence, Lu Hui had found another man and was cheating on him.

He hadn’t yet realized that he was just one of the tasks Lu Hui had been assigned to.

None of them knew that her sadness, joy, love, hate, and everything else during that time were all fake, all part of her performance.

Yan Zhao said, “Paranoia is a disease.”

Yu Mandong guessed he wouldn’t believe him. “We did get married and were married for years. You, unknowingly, were the third wheel. I won’t blame you.”

Yan Zhao actually smiled. “She was just born, and they tied us together. I’ve never heard of her marrying someone else.”

Nothing added up—it was clearly a lie.

Hearing this, Lu Hui finally felt relieved. She called out to the dormant system, “They figured out they’ve been played. This doesn’t count as me breaking the confidentiality agreement, right?”

The system, just waking up, was terrified. “What the hell! Stop it! Warning, warning, warning! The male leads might collapse!”

The privileged ones couldn’t accept being used as tools in this game.

Lu Hui smiled sweetly. “Great.”