The production team never anticipated that the character of Jin Tan would spark so much discussion. The focus of the public had shifted away from the main leads.

In an effort to capitalize on the buzz, the team deliberately remained silent, refusing to reveal the identity of the actress playing the dancer and intentionally kept the audience in suspense.

As a result, the topic only continued to grow with more and more people speculating about who the actress portraying the dancer could be.

In her hotel room, Tang Jin stared at her reflection in the mirror, holding a tube of lipstick. She slowly applied the bright red color to her lips.

The vivid red enhanced her already alluring features, making her look even more enchanting. For some reason, Tang Jin’s mind wandered to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan was just a stand-in, yet she had been given the role of the dancer. Tang Jin had noticed her during a scene not long ago.

She had been taken aback.

The woman who had always been overlooked, who had only existed as her stand-in, was unexpectedly so beautiful.

Tang Jin narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on the lipstick tube.

She picked up her phone, intending to check the online comments. The first teaser for Undercover in Shanghai had been released, and during moments like this, her fans would always flood Weibo with praise for her. She loved the feeling of being exalted like this.

Tang Jin opened Weibo and skimmed through the comments, a smile curling at the corners of her lips. Her fans were, as usual, lavishing her with praise.

But as she scrolled through the comments, her smile suddenly froze.

She saw that someone had mentioned Ye Fan.

“The production team should just tell us who’s playing the dancer. She’s so beautiful, I’m really curious.”

“Honestly, I think the dancer might be even more beautiful than Tang Jin. There are so many beauties in the entertainment industry, and Tang Jin is just someone who’s been hyped up.”

Tang Jin’s anger flared, her hand trembling slightly as she gripped her phone.

Ye Fan’s name hadn’t even appeared on the cast list—how could she be getting attention? And to make matters worse, Ye Fan’s face hadn’t even been revealed, only her eyes.

What made Tang Jin even more furious was that netizens were comparing her to Ye Fan, saying that Ye Fan seemed like a true beauty, and they couldn’t wait to see her take off the veil.

The door opened, and her manager, Li, walked in. Upon seeing Tang Jin’s expression, he sighed. “Did you see the comments?”

Tang Jin’s voice was cold. “How are you handling this? I don’t want to see anyone comparing me to Ye Fan. Does she even deserve it?”

When Tang Jin saw the comments, her first reaction was anger, followed by a rising sense of panic.

She knew Ye Fan was beautiful. Once Ye Fan removed the veil, who knew how much more praise she would receive for her looks?

Li, the manager, spoke up. “I’ll have the online influencers comment under the marketing posts, shifting the public opinion and emphasizing that in this drama, you stand out the most.”

“Ye Fan is just a minor character. How could she possibly be compared to you?”

Once that was done, the spotlight would be back on Tang Jin, not Ye Fan.

Tang Jin felt a slight relief. She glanced at Li, then suddenly said, “Right now, no one knows who Ye Fan really is, or what her background is.”

If they took the chance to tarnish Ye Fan’s image now, it would be even better.

Li understood and nodded.

Overnight, the number of comments praising Tang Jin skyrocketed. People were singing her praises, claiming she was incomparable to the woman playing the dancer.

At the same time, posts criticizing Ye Fan began to spread like wildfire. Paid commenters guided the narrative, convincing everyone that Ye Fan was actually unattractive and wore the veil to hide her ugly face.

They also subtly hinted that Ye Fan’s attempt to hide her face was not only because of her appearance, but because her background was unimpressive and full of scandals.

In an instant, the public opinion shifted.

…

Ye Fan opened her computer, preparing to watch the teaser for Undercover on the Bund.

As she focused on the screen, Dudu, her little one, stayed by her side, his round eyes fixed on it.

Although Dudu couldn’t understand what was playing, he just stared at the screen, following his mom’s gaze.

At that moment, Dudu suddenly called out in his soft voice, “Mommy.”

Ye Fan turned to look at him, his dark eyes sparkling.

Seeing that Ye Fan didn’t say anything, Dudu raised his chubby little hand and pointed toward the computer, his babyish voice saying, “Mommy’s up there.”

Ye Fan was momentarily stunned. Could it be that Ye Duo recognized her?

Dudu leaned forward, pressing his hand against the edge of the computer, his little head inching closer to the screen. “I want to see Mommy.”

His tiny body kept inching forward.

Ye Fan smiled softly, gently lifting her baby’s soft little body and holding him in her arms.

She reopened the computer, and the teaser began to play.

Dudu’s eyes were glued to the screen.

When Ye Fan appeared, his eyes lit up, and his chubby little hands clapped together. “Mommy’s on!”

Dudu wobbled slightly, and Ye Fan quickly tightened her hold on him, afraid he might fall.

She lowered her head and asked, “Baby, do you recognize Mommy?”

Dudu’s soft voice replied, “Mommy’s so pretty.”

Ye Fan was taken aback.

Dudu said seriously, “Mommy is more beautiful than all of them.”

Ye Fan’s heart softened, a warm feeling spreading through her.

Such a little treasure, she truly adored him.

Dudu squeezed Ye Fan’s fingers, gently shaking them, his little voice ringing out, “Mommy, I want to watch again.”

Ye Fan smiled. “Okay.”

The teaser continued to play, and each time, Dudu watched attentively.

Finally, Dudu grew sleepy, his little head nodding with each movement. Ye Fan gently picked him up and placed him on the bed.

Once Dudu had fallen asleep, Ye Fan left the room. She had read the news online and saw the comments, but they didn’t stir any emotion in her.

She was playing the character of Jin Tan, and once the scene was over, she disconnected from the role. As for what happened outside of the show, it wasn’t her concern.

Those opinions didn’t affect her, and she didn’t care to pay attention to them.

Tang Jin’s studio had taken measures, deliberately suppressing Ye Fan and promoting Tang Jin, trying to shift public opinion in her favor. However, this only made people more curious about the identity of the woman playing the dancer.

The buzz continued to rise, and those posts couldn’t be suppressed.

Things didn’t unfold the way Tang Jin had hoped. She was furious and smashed a few cups, but it was all in vain.

…

Last time, Nie Weiru had been offended by Ye Fan and had been ignoring her ever since. Nie Weiru had gone to the bank and found out it was Ye Fan who had blocked her credit card—she had done it on purpose to embarrass her.

Nie Weiru had always disliked Ye Fan, and she wasn’t about to swallow her pride and apologize. She thought that if she ignored Ye Fan for a while, Ye Fan would eventually give in.

Given Ye Fan’s nature, she always wanted to get closer to her. Even after Ye Fan moved out, she would still call home every now and then.

But things had completely taken an unexpected turn for Nie Weiru. Not only had Ye Fan not restored the credit card, but she hadn’t even called to apologize.

Nie Weiru was slightly displeased. She had no choice but to take the initiative and call Ye Fan.

It just so happened that Ye Fan was at home that day, playing with her baby. Suddenly, Nie Weiru’s call came in.

Dudu was sitting in Ye Fan’s lap, looking up at her, puzzled as to why Ye Fan wasn’t answering the phone.

Ye Fan made a gesture for silence to Dudu, signaling him not to speak. She was worried that Nie Weiru might hear Dudu’s voice.

Upon seeing Ye Fan’s gesture, Dudu immediately covered his mouth with his little hand, his big round eyes wide open as he nodded eagerly.

Dudu was always well-behaved.

Ye Fan smiled softly and pressed the answer button. “Hello?”

On the other end, Nie Weiru had been waiting for a while. Her tone was a bit impatient. “Why did it take you so long to pick up?”

Ye Fan’s smile faded, and her expression became indifferent. “I was busy with something just now.”

Hearing Ye Fan’s cold tone, Nie Weiru frowned. “Come home for dinner tonight, I need to talk to you.”

Ye Fan had already guessed what Nie Weiru wanted to discuss. However, she also wanted to meet with Nie Weiru and the others, so she agreed.

“Is there anything else? If not, I’ll hang up,” Ye Fan said indifferently.

“No…” Before Nie Weiru could finish her sentence, Ye Fan had already hung up.

Nie Weiru stared at the phone in a daze. Her anger flared up instantly—when did Ye Fan start daring to hang up on her?

And only now did she realize that Ye Fan hadn’t called her “Mom” just now.

Ye Fan set the phone aside. She noticed that Dudu had been staring at her face the whole time, with his hand still covering his mouth.

Ye Fan gently pulled Dudu’s hand away. “Alright, Dudu can speak now.”

The little one pouted and cupped Ye Fan’s face in his hands. “Mommy’s not happy.” His tone was very certain. Ye Fan froze for a moment, about to speak.

But the next second, Dudu’s little face leaned in, and he nuzzled his nose against Ye Fan’s cheek.

“But Mommy’s baby won’t let Mommy be unhappy.”

Ye Fan couldn’t help but smile. She picked up Dudu and twirled around the room, kissing him several times before finally stopping.

“Dudu is really Mommy’s little treasure.”

That evening, after handing Dudu over to Li Ma, Ye Fan left the house.

She didn’t have a key, so she rang the doorbell when she arrived. The dinner table was set with a few dishes, none of which Ye Fan liked.

It was clear that Nie Weiru had prepared them just to get by.

As Ye Fan arrived, the original owner’s younger sister, Ye Li, came back from outside. They bumped into each other, and Ye Li glanced at Ye Fan before reluctantly calling out, “Sis.”

When Ye Li was younger, she had sensed Nie Weiru’s dislike of Ye Fan and had mimicked her, bullying Ye Fan as well.

As she grew older, Nie Weiru quietly told her that Ye Fan wasn’t her real sister. She didn’t reveal much, just that one detail.

Since then, Ye Li’s attitude toward Ye Fan had become even worse. Despite Ye Fan covering all her tuition and expenses, Ye Li never showed any gratitude.

Instead, she felt that Ye Fan didn’t bring home enough money—a typical case of an ungrateful person.

However, Ye Li was only bold at home; once she was outside, she would rein in her behavior and appeared exceptionally well-behaved.

Ye Li greeted Ye Fan first, and while Ye Fan acknowledged her presence, she didn’t even turn her head, simply responding with a casual, “Mm.”

Ye Li furrowed her brows. How could her so-called “cheap” sister act like this? She used to constantly try to please her.

Ye Li snorted, ignoring Ye Fan as she sat down at the table, engrossed in her phone. She was scrolling through Weibo, looking at posts about the popular actor, Duan Qi, who also happened to be Tang Jin’s boyfriend.

Ye Li was a fan of Duan Qi, which made her dislike Tang Jin even more.

Nie Weiru came out of the kitchen and saw Ye Fan sitting there, unmoving, with no intention of helping. Her expression darkened.

“Let’s eat.”

Halfway through the meal, Nie Weiru thought about asking Ye Fan for the money she had earned. Before she could speak up, Ye Fan sensed her intention and spoke first.

“Mom, I’ve taken on a new drama.”

Nie Weiru replied impatiently, “Fine, whatever. Just make sure to bring the money home when you can.”

Ye Fan ignored her. “I’m also acting alongside Tang Jin; she’s the female lead in this drama.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Nie Weiru’s chopsticks fell onto the table, her eyes filled with barely concealed panic. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

Ye Fan gave a small, amused smile. “In the drama, I play her older sister, but while she’s a young lady of a wealthy family, I’m just a lost illegitimate daughter.”

Nie Weiru’s face drained of color. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.

=^_^=