Ye Fan fell into thought — that day during the livestream, she had played the violin. Nie Weiru had surely seen it by now.

A cold glint flashed in Ye Fan’s eyes. Nie Weiru was bound to wonder why she knew how to play the violin.

But Ye Fan was not the type to sit around and wait for trouble. She would go to Nie Weiru herself and have a proper conversation about this.

Besides, Nie Weiru had been living far too comfortably — it was time to give her something to keep her busy.

Meanwhile, Nie Weiru stepped through the door and found someone already sitting inside. The figure was slender, with a cold, refined face.

Nie Weiru froze. Wasn’t that Ye Fan?

Frowning, Nie Weiru asked, “What are you doing here?”

She found it strange — Ye Fan hadn’t come by in a long time, and her sudden visit today was definitely suspicious.

Ye Fan cast her a cool glance. “What’s wrong? Not happy to see me?”

Suddenly, Nie Weiru remembered the livestream from a few days ago, when she saw Ye Fan playing the violin. The doubt in her heart stirred again.

“I haven’t even asked you yet — how do you know how to play the violin?”

Ye Fan had never mentioned anything about it before. And to make things worse, in that recent competition, Tang Jin had once again been humiliated by Ye Fan.

Naturally, Nie Weiru was furious.

But Ye Fan didn’t even look at her as she said calmly, “Whether I can play the violin or not — what’s it got to do with you?”

The words caught in Nie Weiru’s throat.

Lately, every time she spoke with Ye Fan, she felt like she was going to die from sheer frustration.

Nie Weiru took a deep breath. “Learning the violin costs a lot of money. So when you were paying the living expenses before, were you secretly keeping that money for yourself instead of giving it to me?”

Ye Fan’s gaze slowly swept over Nie Weiru, her eyes growing even colder.

There really were shameless people like this in the world.

She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the original Ye Fan, who had been stuck with such a fake mother.

Ye Fan spoke with a mocking smile. “I earned that money. Even if I didn’t give you a single cent, who has the right to say anything about it?”

“I can spend my money on violin lessons or whatever else I please — no one has the right to interfere.”

Her voice was icy, like frost and snow. “Even if I donated all of it, it still wouldn’t have anything to do with you.”

Nie Weiru was once again left speechless, her anger choking her.

In the past, as soon as Ye Fan made money, she’d hand over her card without even being asked. She was never this defiant.

Nie Weiru had never felt the slightest guilt spending Ye Fan’s earnings.

She used to casually buy luxury clothes and high-end cosmetics, indulging her vanity to the fullest. But now that Ye Fan had stopped bringing money home, she no longer had the means to buy any of those nice things.

When she went out to meet friends, Nie Weiru was still wearing old clothes and couldn’t help feeling a bit shabby and embarrassed.

Determined to get some money, Nie Weiru pressed on relentlessly. “Since you’re here today, why don’t you go ahead and give me this month’s living expenses?”

“You’re more famous now than you were before — I’m not even asking for much,” Nie Weiru said, convinced she was already being quite reasonable.

“Just give me fifty thousand. That’s nothing to you at this point, right?”

Ye Fan let out a cold laugh. She didn’t even bother to lift her eyes as she replied, her voice icy.

“Fifty thousand? And what makes you think you’re entitled to fifty thousand from me?”

The moment Nie Weiru realized Ye Fan had no intention of giving her money, she panicked.

“Ye Fan, I raised you all these years! It’s time you paid me back.”

“If you don’t give me the money, I’ll tell everyone you’re an ungrateful daughter — it’ll ruin your reputation.”

But Ye Fan’s heart didn’t so much as flicker. The corners of her lips lifted in a cold, cutting smile.

“Go ahead. Shout it from the rooftops if you like. Let the whole world know you have an ‘unfilial’ daughter.”

Nie Weiru froze.

Ye Fan was supposed to be afraid — so why was this her reaction?

Ye Fan said coldly, “If this gets back to Tang Jin, you can bet she’ll use it to crush me.”

“And if things between Tang Jin and me blow up, Madam Tang will hear about it too. As Tang Jin’s mother, don’t you think Madam Tang would step in to defend her daughter?”

Ye Fan cast a light, almost careless glance at Nie Weiru and spoke slowly, “Who knows — Madam Tang might even want to meet me in person, just to see for herself who keeps going head-to-head with her daughter.”

She spoke smoothly, her tone calm and exaggerated on purpose, planting the idea in Nie Weiru’s mind that Madam Tang just might really want to meet her.

The thought of Tang Jin being the biological daughter of the Tang family — or worse, that she might not be — had always been a thorn in Nie Weiru’s side.

If Madam Tang ever met Ye Fan, she might start piecing together the truth, realizing Tang Jin wasn’t truly her flesh and blood.

Ye Fan’s goal was clear: she wanted Nie Weiru afraid, terrified, haunted by the knowledge that this secret was a knife hanging over her head — a knife that would one day fall, exposing everything and forcing Nie Weiru to pay the price for her past sins.

Sure enough, as Ye Fan’s words sank in, Nie Weiru’s heart gave a sharp jolt, and a wave of fear surged over her.

What? Madam Tang might meet Ye Fan?

If Madam Tang saw Ye Fan, would she recognize that Ye Fan was actually her biological daughter?

And if Madam Tang uncovered the truth — what would happen to Tang Jin? How would Tang Jin even begin to cope?

The thing Nie Weiru feared most in her life was the secret from all those years ago coming to light. She had switched Ye Fan and Tang Jin, all so Tang Jin could have a better life.

If that secret were ever exposed, not only would Tang Jin lose everything she had now, but Nie Weiru herself could end up in prison.

Nie Weiru’s face turned ghostly pale as she forced herself to stay calm. “Oh, you silly girl. I was just joking with you. Things aren’t nearly that serious.”

Ye Fan gave a faint, amused smile. “I’m just stating the facts.”

Nie Weiru didn’t dare mention money again. Even the way she looked at Ye Fan was cautious and wary now.

Having achieved her goal of scaring Nie Weiru, Ye Fan left without another word.

For days afterward, Nie Weiru barely slept — all because Ye Fan had mentioned Madam Tang.

For several nights in a row, Nie Weiru was haunted by nightmares — dreams where Tang Jin’s true identity was exposed, Tang Jin was thrown out of the Tang family, and Nie Weiru herself ended up in prison, never to be released.

Just one sentence from Ye Fan had left Nie Weiru trembling with fear, completely cowed and no longer daring to stir up trouble.

…

It had been a long time since Ye Fan had taken Dudu out to play. She settled him comfortably in his stroller.

Ye Fan pushed Dudu along for a walk, staying close to home, circling the neighborhood.

As evening fell, a soft breeze swept through, carrying away most of the day’s heat and leaving behind only a trace of warmth in the air.

Dudu sat in his stroller, but he wasn’t the least bit quiet — craning his neck, his eyes darted curiously in all directions.

Seeing him like this, a smile naturally tugged at Ye Fan’s lips.

“Mommy, what’s that?” Dudu suddenly asked.

Ye Fan followed the direction of his little finger.

He was pointing at a little girl up ahead, who was holding a clear plastic bucket with a few small goldfish swimming inside.

The goldfish darted back and forth in the water.

The little girl was holding her mother’s hand as they left the flower and pet market, their shopping done, on their way home.

Ye Fan explained gently, “Those are goldfish. People keep them as pets at home.”

Dudu didn’t say anything in response, but his eyes stayed fixed, wide and fascinated, on the goldfish in the girl’s hands.

Dudu’s round, wide eyes were filled with curiosity.

A thought crossed Ye Fan’s mind, and she stopped, crouching down in front of him. “Do you want one, baby?”

Dudu instinctively bit his finger, tilting his head to one side.

“Can I keep one?”

Ye Fan gently ruffled Dudu’s hair. “You can look at them first and decide later.”

Ye Fan thought having Dudu take care of a pet would be a great idea — it would give him a chance to develop responsibility as he looked after the goldfish.

Besides, goldfish were tough little creatures; as long as they weren’t overfed, they could live for quite a while.

As soon as Dudu heard Ye Fan’s words, he broke into a big smile, excitedly clapping his little hands.

He started kicking his legs, eager to climb out of the stroller.

Ye Fan couldn’t resist his enthusiasm and carefully lifted him out of the stroller.

She needed to push the stroller forward, so Dudu obediently grabbed the hem of her shirt, following closely by her side.

“Baby won’t run off, okay?”

Ye Fan smiled. “Then remember to stay close to Mommy.”

Dudu nodded eagerly, but his gaze kept drifting toward the direction of the flower and pet market, filled with anticipation.

Ye Fan kept a watchful eye on him as they walked toward the market.

As soon as they entered, both sides of the street were lined with shops filled with all sorts of small animals.

There were parrots, little turtles, hamsters, and other small creatures, along with a wide variety of flowers and plants.

Dudu’s eyes darted from one thing to the next, his curiosity shining through as he looked at everything around him.

There was so much to take in, he almost couldn’t keep up.

“Mommy, the goldfish are over there,” Dudu tugged at Ye Fan’s sleeve, pointing ahead.

He was so excited that his round, wide eyes almost disappeared in his smile.

Ye Fan, with Dudu still pulling on her sleeve, made her way to the small shop selling goldfish.

The ground was lined with water tanks, each filled with goldfish in various colors.

Dudu’s little legs moved quickly as he crouched in front of a tank, his face lit up with excitement as he watched the fish swim.

Resting his chin in his hands, he furrowed his brow, looking as though he was deep in thought.

With so many beautiful goldfish, which one should he choose?

Ye Fan couldn’t help but smile at Dudu’s serious expression. She crouched down beside him, curious about what was going on in his mind.

“What are you thinking about, Dudu?”

Dudu pointed seriously at one of the goldfish. “I don’t know if I should pick this one or that one.”

He then pointed to another fish in the tank next to it.

Ye Fan glanced between the two and couldn’t tell any difference.

“Mommy can’t tell what’s different.”

Dudu’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Ye Fan.

With great enthusiasm, he tugged at Ye Fan’s arm and carefully explained.

“This one is chubby and has a pattern on its back. This red one has a little black spot on its head.”

Ye Fan stared at the fish for a while, following Dudu’s descriptions, before finally noticing the differences.

It turned out that Dudu was far more observant than she had realized.

Dudu, in his sweet little voice, asked, “Mommy, which one do you think I should pick?”

Ye Fan thought for a moment and replied, “One fish would be lonely. But if we get two, they can be friends.”

After a brief pause, she made her decision. “So, we’ll get both.”

Dudu was absolutely thrilled, his face flushed with excitement. His big, dark eyes sparkled with joy.

Ye Fan smiled and asked, “So, Dudu, can you promise to take good care of them?”

Dudu nodded enthusiastically, his head bobbing like he was grinding garlic. “Of course, of course! Dudu will take good care of the goldfish every day!”

The elderly lady selling the goldfish couldn’t help but laugh at the interaction between mother and son. This little one was just too adorable.

Ye Fan wanted to help Dudu practice communicating with others, so she encouraged him to speak to the shopkeeper himself.

“Why don’t you ask the lady to help you catch the fish?”

Dudu looked up at the shopkeeper with a sweet, childish voice. “Grandma, could you please help me catch a goldfish?”

Ye Fan added with a smile, “What did Mommy teach you, Dudu? What else should you say?”

Dudu politely added, “Sorry to trouble you, Grandma.”

The elderly shopkeeper smiled warmly, as if she were looking at her own grandchild. Her face softened with kindness.

“Which one would you like, little one?”

Ye Fan asked Dudu, “Do you remember which one it is?”

Dudu responded confidently, “Of course I do! It’s Little Fatty and Spot.”

Ye Fan paused for a moment, surprised that Dudu had already picked out names for the goldfish before even buying them.

Dudu pointed at the goldfish, crouching on the ground and looking up at the shopkeeper.

“Grandma, please don’t pick the wrong ones.”

He was very careful, making sure he pointed correctly.

The shopkeeper gently scooped up the goldfish and placed them into a plastic bag, adding water to it.

Dudu carefully took the bag, handling it gently and supporting the bottom.

Ye Fan didn’t offer to help. Since Dudu had already bought the goldfish, it was his responsibility now.

Whether it was feeding or changing the water, she would make sure Dudu did it on his own.

Although Dudu was still very young, Ye Fan saw this as an opportunity to teach him responsibility.

“Mom, let’s hurry home. I want to put Little Fatty and Spot into the fish tank.”

Dudu urged Ye Fan on, and after she paid, they headed home, pushing the stroller.

Once they got home, Ye Fan taught Dudu how to place the goldfish into the fish tank.

With the goldfish now in the tank, Dudu did nothing else but lean over the edge of the tank, watching the fish all day long.

Every time the fish flicked its tail even slightly, Dudu would exclaim, “Wow!”

When bedtime came, Dudu still didn’t want to leave.

Ye Fan pinched Dudu’s chubby cheek. “Say goodnight to the fish, then go to bed.”

“If you sleep early, you’ll be able to wake up sooner to see the fish tomorrow.”

Reluctantly, Dudu said goodbye to the goldfish in his sweetest little voice.

Dudu waved at the goldfish.

“Goodnight, Little Fat and Spot. Wait for Dudu. I’ll come see you tomorrow.”

Dudu looked back at the tank three times as Ye Fan led him back to his room.

…

At the broadcasting building.

A few core members of the Let’s Travel production team sat in the conference room.

Producer Han was furious. He asked Director Bai, “Did you take money from Tang Jin’s team?”

Director Bai remained silent. He had secretly accepted the money from Tang Jin’s team, keeping it from the producer. At first, he hadn’t taken Ye Fan seriously. After all, she was just a small celebrity—how much trouble could she cause?

The situation had escalated far beyond what Director Bai had ever anticipated.

His silence only fueled Producer Han’s anger further.

“We’ve already written the script and planned the flow for the guests. The rest is up to the guests to improvise,” Producer Han said. “Do you think the audience will let the production team get away with that?”

Because Producer Han had something to take care of, he didn’t arrive until the next day.

By the time he got to Austria, the incident with Ye Fan throwing money had already occurred and was causing a huge stir online.

At first, Producer Han thought it was just an accident. Such unexpected events could be big highlights for the show.

And a big highlight meant a boost in viewership, so he hadn’t questioned whether the director was at fault.

“Now that the public opinion is like this, what do you think we should do?” Producer Han asked.

Director Bai thought for a moment. “The next leg of the trip hasn’t even started yet. We’ll need to find a guest with strong enough public approval to balance things out.”

“Who?”

“He Han.”

…

At He Han’s studio.

Producer Han knocked on the door of the studio.

It was well-known that He Han rarely participated in reality shows, usually just making a brief appearance. Getting him to agree to join would take a lot of effort.

“I’m the producer of Let’s Travel,” he introduced himself.

Producer Han was well-known in the industry, having worked on several hit shows. This travel reality show had originally been highly anticipated, but the unexpected incident had thrown everything off course.

Without beating around the bush, Producer Han said, “He Han, I’m here to ask if you’d be interested in joining the reality show.”

He Han’s expression was indifferent. His eyes landed on the producer, cold and distant, as if there was anger lurking beneath the surface.

Producer Han added, “I hope you can help salvage this show.”

Suddenly, He Han spoke, his deep voice carrying a subtle pressure: “Is that director still on the production team?”

Producer Han was taken aback and didn’t immediately respond.

Director Bai had connections within the station; he was a relative of someone high up, making it difficult for Producer Han to act against him.

However, the program’s reputation was detrimental to the station, and in order to bring He Han on as a guest, the station should be willing to listen to him.

He Han coldly looked at Producer Han, his voice becoming even colder: “If you want me to join the show, it’s simple.”

The room was eerily silent, the air feeling as if it had frozen.

“I have two conditions.”

He Han’s voice dropped, deep and firm: “First, fire that director.”

Without hesitation, Producer Han responded, “Done.”

As long as He Han agreed to be on the show, he would find a way to get rid of the director.

He Han’s gaze remained cold as he continued, “As for the second condition…”

His eyes were like ice: “The way you treated Ye Fan, the way you’ve let the program’s reputation continue to plummet…”

“If the show’s reputation doesn’t improve, I won’t join.”

After a long pause, He Han stared at Producer Han, returning to his usual indifferent expression.

“I think you know what to do, right?”

Producer Han nodded. “I understand.”

…

After being bombarded by netizens for days, the official “Let’s Travel” social media account released a video.

It was the director’s apology video.

In the video, Director Bai appeared and apologized to the entire nation on behalf of the show.

He admitted that the money-dropping segment involving Ye Fan was his own idea, and that the show’s staff had only followed his instructions.

To create a sensational moment, he had let Ye Fan take the blame, which was a serious mistake.

The director took full responsibility for the incident, without mentioning Tang Jin’s team at all.

The Tang family had a very powerful background, and if he offended Tang Jin, there would be serious consequences.

He voluntarily resigned from his position as director and completely withdrew from the “Let’s Travel” production team, no longer participating in any future episodes.

At the same time, Tang Jin’s studio also posted on Weibo, condemning all the rumors and stating that they would take legal action when the time was right.

“It seems Tang Jin is really innocent. Her popularity is so huge that whenever something happens, people try to exploit the situation and smear her.”

“Money talks. How do you know Tang Jin’s team wasn’t involved? They could have paid off the production team and cleaned up everything.”

“To the user above, while I agree with you, I still suggest you be careful. Didn’t you see that Tang Jin’s studio said they would take legal action?”

“The timing of the studio’s post is just too convenient. It makes you wonder.”

Since there was no concrete evidence, netizens couldn’t know the truth, and Tang Jin managed to escape this crisis. However, the doubts kept pouring in, and her reputation ended up worse than before.

And in contrast, Ye Fan gained a lot of new fans. Despite the smear campaign by the production team, she kept silent and dazzled everyone during the money-making segment.

With her own skills, she single-handedly turned the situation around. Later, when the truth about the production team’s attempt to frame her was exposed, they were heavily criticized across the internet. Yet, Ye Fan didn’t kick them when they were down, which was rare and admirable.

…

Meanwhile, the most renowned program producer in the industry personally visited Hua Rui Entertainment to apologize to Ye Fan.

“Ye Fan, I’m sorry,” Producer Han said with a sincere expression. “On behalf of the entire production team, I apologize to you.”

“Producer Han, you weren’t present during the recording,” Ye Fan said calmly. “The main fault doesn’t lie with you.”

“It was my mistake regarding the director,” Producer Han admitted. “The production team wronged you, and I bear a large responsibility for that.”

Ye Fan accepted his apology. “As long as the matter is resolved, I consider it in the past.”

“The next recording will be in half a month…”

Producer Han hesitated for a moment, clearly worried that Ye Fan might refuse to continue with the recording. After all, even if she broke the contract, she would be in the right.

Ye Fan smiled slightly. “I’ve already signed the contract, and I will honor it.”

She then added, “However, the issues that occurred during the last recording will not happen again.”

“Isn’t that right?”

Her voice was calm and cool, like a gentle breeze, yet her tone was resolute and firm.

It was as if the rain was falling to the ground, with every word hitting its mark.

“Ye Fan, don’t worry,” Producer Han said. “This time, I will personally oversee every staff member to ensure there are no issues.”

The episodes of “Let’s Travel” in Austria were still airing, with a month left before they wrapped up.

Before the final episodes in Austria aired, the production team would already be preparing for the next destination’s recording.

Netizens were not optimistic about this.

“Is the show really planning to continue? After everything that’s happened, who would even watch it?”

“Does the production team not see the ratings from yesterday? It was the lowest in the time slot. It’s embarrassing. I think the TV station should just cancel this reality show. It’s a waste of money.”

That evening, the official account posted a major announcement.

The next episode would feature a male guest, instantly grabbing the audience’s attention.

He was 25 years old, had been in the industry for seven years, and had won awards at all the major film festivals.

This would be his first time appearing as a regular guest on a reality show.

And the poster featured all the roles he had played since his debut.

The international film emperor, the national idol—He Han.

Since his debut, He Han, the scandal-free film emperor, had somehow ended up on the same show as his rumored love interest.

And his first rumored love interest was none other than Ye Fan.

=^_^=