CHAPTER 32 (PART 3)

OP: “No, no, no. I only mentioned Jiang Su for comparison. Either tonight or tomorrow, the media will probably release some explosive footage. It all depends on whether Cheng Yue allows it…”

[What are you even saying? Don’t give Jiang Su more credit than she deserves. Everyone knows Cheng Yue was there for Actress Dong!]

OP: “Haha, sorry, but I can’t help laughing knowing the truth. Be patient, I type slowly. Cheng Yue wasn’t there for Dong Jiayu at all. After he arrived, Dong tried cozying up to him, subtly implying that they were close. But then, his secretary shut her down—exposing that she had borrowed 40 million from him for surgery and never paid it back! Who knows how long it’s been?! So much for the story that Cheng Yue personally took care of her, carried her to the hospital, and even cooked for her!”

[WTF?! Is this for real? Were you there?]

OP: “Not just me. A whole bunch of people heard it. When Dong Jiayu realized she was exposed, she clutched her chest and pretended to be sick, only to get called out again. Someone mentioned that her 40-million-yuan surgery… well, the medical terms went over my head. But the implication was, ‘Even with all that money, it wasn’t done properly? Are foreign doctors just scamming people now?’”

[…Dong Jiayu faking illness? This is unreal.]

[Is this true? I remember years ago, she fainted on set during a feud with a younger actress, and people were slamming the girl as vicious.]

OP: “Cheng Yue was clearly pissed. He even said he’d rather donate 40 million to help children in impoverished areas… which, honestly, they do have it rough.”

[Yeah… if Dong Jiayu really faked this, that’s pretty disgusting.]

The more Ding Xuan read, the more chaotic her thoughts became.

No way.

But the replies kept flooding in—

[OP, I looked into it based on what you said. Dong Jiayu was originally from a remote village. Back then, she was called Dong Yu. Her parents were convicted of assisting in a kidnapping… of someone named Cheng XX. Wait. Cheng Yue?!]

[Maybe Dong Jiayu was the only good person in her family, but her entire village was full of kidnappers!!! And that whole narrative about her being Cheng Yue’s savior, suffering injuries for him, and never being able to fully recover—who even came up with that?! I’m speechless.]

[If this is true… I feel sick.]

[And she used Cheng Yue’s name to hint at getting special treatment in the entertainment industry? How else did she win Best Actress so young?]

[I was at the event, too. She even wanted Cheng Yue to start an entertainment company just for her. Like, how big does she think the world is? And how big does she think her face is?]

[The way OP described the scene—Cheng Yue was truly heartless. Dong Jiayu was literally on the floor, crying at his feet.]

[Does she even deserve kindness? She seriously thought she could milk this one favor from him for life? Even wanted him to marry her?!]

[Wait, that’s not what I meant. I just meant… Cheng Yue was really cold to her. But to Jiang Su… his attitude was kinda weird.]

[Don’t bring up Jiang Su.]

[Dong Jiayu had a younger brother, right? He was only three at the time. When their parents went to jail, she moved to a town with Cheng Yue’s help, but her brother was sent to an orphanage. In all these years, has she ever mentioned having a brother? Can I go full conspiracy mode here? That time period, a rural village, heavy gender bias… Could it be that she knew her family kidnapped someone rich and powerful, so she deliberately saved him…?]

The thread kept blowing up, eventually hitting the trending topics.

Dong Jiayu’s fans only caught wind of it then, storming into the thread in outrage—

[Dong Jiayu didn’t lie! She and Cheng Yue really are close, thank you very much!]

[Where did this ridiculous rumor come from? Get ready for a lawsuit.]

Meanwhile, Dong Jiayu’s agency also assumed it was just a rumor.

After all, she was an exceptional actress—not just in front of outsiders, but even in her own team. Even Sister Wang, her manager, never really knew how deep her relationship with Cheng Yue went.

So, the agency rushed out a legal statement, spent money to suppress the trending topic, and frantically tried calling Dong Jiayu—but she wasn’t picking up.

At the same time, the media circles were busy coordinating in private. Someone posted in a WeChat group—

[Hey, I suggest we hold off on posting the on-site photos and videos for now. Let’s wait.]

[Exactly. First, let’s release pictures of Jiang Su. Let Dong Jiayu’s fans argue about it—let them scream that it’s all fake. Then, when they get all smug, waving that legal statement around, demanding apologies… that’s when we drop the footage. That’ll guarantee it hits #1 on trending!]

They were seasoned news manipulators.

A scoop this valuable—sure, it wasn’t an exclusive, but even so, it was enough to rake in clicks for two weeks.

Of course, they had to milk it for everything it was worth.

And just as they predicted—

As soon as the legal statement dropped, Dong Jiayu’s fans started spreading their own version of the story, debunking the rumors with pictures.

Saving the marketing accounts a lot of effort.

And just when they had successfully drawn all the attention…

When Sister Wang took Dong Jiayu to do a couple of proper medical checks, she was left with no other option.

Sister Wang had never been in such a tough spot before.

She simply dropped the act, pulled a long face, and said coldly, “Alright, just return that forty million first.”

Dong Jiayu bit her lip, covered her chest, and called the bank to request a transfer.

Sister Wang pulled a chair over, sat down, and opened her phone, ready to contact the PR team to prepare for the potential storm ahead…

To be honest, if Dong Jiayu hadn’t lost her cool today, things might not have turned out this way.

Just as that thought crossed Sister Wang’s mind, her gaze suddenly froze.

> Dong Jiayu’s Lawyer Letter < 

Those words alone sent a wave of panic through her.

It’s over!

Sending a lawyer’s letter at this point—wasn’t that just asking for Cheng’s Group to strike?

She had only figured out that day what kind of person Cheng Yue really was. If he saw this, wouldn’t he just lift a finger and completely crush Dong Jiayu?

“Dong Jiayu, bad news,” Sister Wang said, lifting her head.

At that moment, Dong Jiayu had just finished the transfer.

She was holding back a surge of frustration.

Then, in a flash of desperation, she came up with a last-ditch plan—she would transfer forty-three million instead. Tomorrow, she would visit Cheng Yue’s mother and claim that she was returning all the benefits she had received over the years.

She had to make Cheng Yue’s mother believe that she wasn’t after the interests of the Cheng family, that she was merely blinded by love and had made a foolish mistake…

“What’s wrong?” Dong Jiayu glanced at her secretary.

Cheng Yue’s secretary, seeing that the money had been transferred, gave a satisfied smile and turned to leave.

The moment he walked away, Sister Wang immediately said, “Transfer money to the platform now! Get them to delete the trending topic… If you don’t, you’re really finished!”

“What trending topic?” Dong Jiayu hurriedly took the phone and looked at it. Her face instantly turned pale.

She clearly realized the consequences.

But… Dong Jiayu struggled to open her mouth and said, “I transferred most of the money to Cheng Yue just so I could appear more pitiful when I meet his mother tomorrow.”

Sister Wang stared at her in shock. “Could you, for once, run your ideas by me first?”

Dong Jiayu’s lips lost color as she looked down in silence.

What else could she do? Sister Wang claimed to be capable, but after all these years, she hadn’t been of much help. She had no choice but to rely on herself!

A wave of panic surged through Dong Jiayu’s chest, and she broke into a cold sweat.

With a heavy thud, she actually fainted from sheer fear and anxiety.

Meanwhile, Jiang Su finished removing her makeup and went upstairs to grab her wallet—she was going out for a meal at Qiutingyue!

By now, the other group members had dispersed, each going to comfort the trainees they knew who hadn’t made it.

As Jiang Su walked downstairs with her wallet, she immediately spotted Cheng Yue’s car.

Cheng Yue’s assistant approached. “Miss Jiang, this way, please. Mr. Cheng is expecting you.”

Inside the car, Cheng Yue lightly tapped his fingers on the leather seat.

Hmm? Was she just putting on a show on stage? Now that the moment had come, was she too afraid to face him?

“Cheng Yue.”

A cold voice rang out from outside the car. She was looking straight at him, her expression frosty as she asked, “What do you want?”

She even dared to call him by his name directly?

Cheng Yue lifted his gaze slightly. “You disappeared for all these days just to join a talent show? Did you drop out of school?”

Jiang Su paused for a moment.

Oh? The original owner of this body was still in school?

Jiang Su replied, “Who told Mr. Cheng to keep a dog around? One that bites me every time it sees me.”

Cheng Yue stilled.

She had even learned to throw barbs?

“A dog?” Cheng Yue eyed her.

So there was more to this story?

Jiang Su said, “Dong Jiayu.”

Cheng Yue: “…” “What did she do to you?”

Jiang Su: “Ask her yourself.”

Cheng Yue’s gaze darkened. Hmm? Did Dong Jiayu really have the nerve to bully Jiang Su that badly? Oh… Cheng Yue thought back to the way Jiang Su used to be.

It wasn’t impossible.

Almost anyone could have bullied her.

But what did that have to do with him?

He wasn’t a philanthropist.

Cheng Yue massaged his temples and asked, “What was that nonsense you were singing in the competition today? Hmm? An ungrateful brat?”

Before he could even finish speaking, he glanced up and saw that Jiang Su had already turned away without a second thought, walking off without even acknowledging him.

Cheng Yue: “…”

“Well, she’s got guts,” he said, letting out a low chuckle—though there was a trace of irritation in his voice. Even his assistant felt a chill down his spine.

Cheng Yue pulled out his phone and searched for the lyrics of the song Jiang Su had performed that day.

He wanted to see exactly what she was up to.

The webpage loaded quickly.