When Xu Youheng got angry, Xu Xuero standing on the side couldn’t hide a trace of joy in her eyes. She thought Meng Zhen was simply foolish. Her biological father was the CEO of the Xu Group, with assets totaling billions. Even though she was just a daughter, she would still inherit a considerable amount after Xu Youheng passed away.

Now, no one knew what had gotten into her brain, but she actually wanted to sever ties with the Xu family. In the future, she would surely regret it.

Xu Xuero had always played the role of the considerate daughter. She walked up to the furious middle-aged man and gently advised, “Dad, don’t be angry. Sister Zhenzhen might have just had a moment of confusion. In a few days, she will definitely apologize to you.”

If it had been in the past, Xu Youheng might have felt comforted hearing those words. But as soon as he thought of Xu Xuero’s actions of slandering Meng Zhen online, he couldn’t help but frown. He felt that this adopted daughter was too scheming, with ulterior motives behind everything she did, far from the innocent facade she presented.

“Alright, I know what I’m doing. Go back and study.” Xu Youheng impatiently said, waving his hand dismissively.

High school students had already started the new term, and in a few months, the senior year would be taking the college entrance exam. Even students who usually had good grades were tense, studying as hard as they could. Xu Xuero ranked in the top ten of her grade, but the college entrance exam was unpredictable. If she didn’t perform well, a solid foundation wouldn’t be of much use.

Although Xu Youheng didn’t have a good impression of Xu Xuero, she was still his adopted daughter and, in the eyes of the outside world, the Xu Group’s daughter. If she couldn’t get into a top-tier university, where would that leave his reputation?

After living under the same roof for so many years, Xu Xuero could guess her father’s thoughts. Her expression stiffened, and she nodded before heading upstairs. When she met Xu Ruixi at the staircase corner, her eyes couldn’t help but well up with tears.

“Ruixi, are you still mad at me?”

Ever since the post was exposed, Xu Ruixi hadn’t spoken a single word to her. Her usually well-behaved brother had become so cold, leaving Xu Xuero in a panic. She racked her brains trying to please Xu Ruixi, buying him many expensive gifts. But to her dismay, Xu Ruixi didn’t even look at them and returned them all straight away.

Xu Ruixi walked forward with a blank expression. Xu Xuero bit her lip, then suddenly rushed forward and grabbed the boy’s arm, crying out, “Ruixi, I know I was wrong. Why won’t any of you forgive me? I was just so scared at the time, afraid that Mom and Dad would abandon me, afraid that you wouldn’t recognize me as your sister. I only complained a little on Weibo, I never meant to harm Meng Zhen. Please, forgive me this once, okay?”

Xu Xuero’s face was pale, her eyes swollen and red, presenting a truly disheveled appearance.

But Xu Ruixi dared not believe her.

As the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, one fears even a rope for ten years. Xu Xuero had been too good at pretending, showing no signs of any flaws. Xu Ruixi couldn’t tell at all which of her words were true and which were lies.

He forcefully shook off Xu Xuero’s arm, then quickly walked back to his room and slammed the door shut.

Seeing the tightly closed door, Xu Xuero’s eyes filled with densely packed bloodshot veins, her teeth nearly biting through her lower lip, drawing blood.

Meng Zhen!

If it weren’t for that b*tch, she wouldn’t have ended up like this now. If only she could disappear from this world.

———pr

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

Meng Zhen was indifferent to the Xu family’s situation. She boarded a plane back to the capital, landing precisely at two o’clock in the morning.

She scrolled through her phone and found that a well-known tech enthusiast blogger had posted an update confirming the authenticity of the audio clip. This blogger usually didn’t pay attention to the entertainment industry, but the incident had caused a stir, prompting the blogger to analyze it out of boredom at home.

Upon seeing the evaluation results, netizens were shocked. They couldn’t believe that Jiang Lianqin, despite being young, had such a malicious nature. It was clear that she had injured herself in an attempt to hurt Meng Zhen, yet she turned the situation around on Weibo, inciting her fans to cyberbully Meng Zhen. The layers of deceit were nauseating.

【Jiang Lianqin is truly the top white lotus^[1]someone who is pure in appearance, but opposite inside in history. She doesn’t even need to hone her acting skills to play a villain, she can just play herself. The antagonists in TV dramas might not be as malicious as her.】

【Before this, I was still defending Jiang Lianqin, thinking Meng Zhen had harmed her. I didn’t expect to be proven wrong so quickly. Indeed, doing bad things brings retribution.】

【Can the person upstairs please shut up? Our Qinqin is still in the hospital recovering from her injuries. She’s so young and has already injured her leg. She has learned her lesson. Can’t she be given a chance to turn over a new leaf?】

【As long as Jiang Lianqin withdraws from the entertainment industry, she can change for the better and do whatever she wants. Please leave the industry quickly. I can’t believe I used to be a fan of such a malicious woman. Scary.】

At this moment, Jiang Lianqin’s wounds had been treated, but she lay in bed, staring fixedly at the comments online. She felt as though she had fallen into an icy cellar, her vision fading in and out.

Meng Zhen had actually heard her conversation with Xiao Lan, which explained why she insisted on swapping tasks. Now that Meng Zhen had uploaded the audio online, netizens were criticizing Jiang Lianqin for being malicious and scheming. For a rookie idol, this backlash was a significant blow that could derail her career. What should she do now?

Jiang Lianqin returned to her Weibo page and saw a sharp decline in her number of followers. Tears started streaming down her face uncontrollably. She couldn’t describe how heartbroken she felt.

Suddenly, her manager stormed into the hospital room, her face dark with anger. Through gritted teeth, she said, “Are you insane or just stupid? You’ve not only harmed others but also left evidence behind. The company initially wanted to help you surpass Meng Zhen, but now you’ve dragged yourself into this mess. All the endorsement deals we had lined up are demanding cancellations. We’re looking at at least a loss of thirty million. You’ve really outdone yourself!”

“I didn’t expect Meng Zhen to return so soon and happen to record our conversation.” Jiang Lianqin pleaded with her manager. “Sister Li, please help me. I have a long future ahead of me. I can’t let Meng Zhen ruin it!”

The manager, referred to as Sister Li, glared fiercely at Jiang Lianqin. After a long silence, she asked, “Who were you talking to at that time?”

Jiang Lianqin wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, a glimmer of hope rising in her heart. She whispered, “Xiao Lan.”

Xiao Lan was a popular actress under Yunlai Entertainment. She was a child star who has appeared in several highly-rated TV dramas and enjoyed far greater fame than Jiang Lianqin. Dragging her into the situation could definitely shift public attention away from Jiang Lianqin.

“Offending Xiao Lan might not be wise, especially since you have no evidence against her.” Sister Li furrowed her brow tightly and sighed. “If Xiao Lan retaliates and accuses you of slander, what will you do then?”

Jiang Lianqin, however, thought differently. She had chat records with Xiao Lan on her phone. Although not as powerful as audio evidence, they could still be considered evidence. Pulling another person into the situation would increase her chances of escaping unscathed. Jiang Lianqin was inherently selfish and wouldn’t easily give up such a good opportunity.

After her manager left, Jiang Lianqin personally made a post,

【Hello everyone, I’m Jiang Lianqin. Recently, the incident where I was bitten by a dog has caused a lot of public attention, for which I apologize deeply. As for the conflict between Ms. Meng Zhen and me, it was caused by another person’s instigation. It was because of this person’s manipulation that I said those terrible things, leading to a grave mistake. [Image] [Image]】

The two images were both chat records, showing conversations that happened just two days before the filming of this supposed episode of 《Flavor》. Jiang Lianqin and that person were discussing using the variety show to teach Meng Zhen a lifelong lesson, with both the tone and wording filled with malice.

But what surprised netizens the most was Jiang Lianqin’s contact name for the other person, which was ‘Sister Lan’. No other female star participating in this episode had the character Lan in her name besides Xiao Lan. Could it be that Xiao Lan was actually the mastermind behind the whole incident?

【Oh my goodness, this drama is getting juicier by the minute! At first, I thought it was just a squabble between two small stars, but now it involves Xiao Lan. She has been famous in the entertainment industry for years. Why does she have a problem with Meng Zhen? Can someone fill me in on all the details?】

【Because Meng Zhen and Xiao Lan are in direct competition. Meng Zhen is younger, prettier, and has better acting skills than Xiao Lan, despite having less fame. If Meng Zhen rises in popularity soon, why would the wealthy investors still choose Xiao Lan? For celebrities, competition like this is absolutely unbearable.】

【I just remembered something. I heard that Meng Zhen and Xiao Lan are both competing to be the brand ambassador for Phoebe. They are both in the evaluation period, and it’s unclear who Phoebe will choose in the end. It seems they are indeed competing for resources.】

【Meng Zhen’s fans, please don’t overestimate yourselves. Just because of a few unclear chat records, you dare to link them to Sister Lan? Are you all crazy?】

【Wow, Xiao Lan’s fans seem pretty self-important. If you don’t care about Meng Zhen’s opportunities, why are you hyping up 《Flavor》? Staff from Yellow Peach station once mentioned that the episode was meant to promote the drama 《Investiture》, featuring the main cast. Xiao Lan isn’t in that drama, so why was she so eager to join in?】

Such comments were overwhelming, not only infuriating Xiao Lan’s fans to no end but also leaving Xiao Lan herself bewildered. It took her a long while to process everything.

She hadn’t expected Jiang Lianqin to be so audacious, implicating her like this. If things escalate, it would be extremely difficult to resolve.

Xiao Lan directly called Jiang Lianqin’s phone, her tone unfriendly as she demanded, “Jiang Lianqin, what do you mean by this? Why did you post screenshots of our WeChat conversation online?”

“Sister Lan, I had no other choice. I’m just a small star. If my reputation is ruined, the company won’t bother to defend me. But you’re different. You’re a top star at Yunlai Entertainment. No matter how this situation unfolds, Yunlai won’t abandon you. Please think of a way to help us both.”

“Help you? Do you even deserve it?”

Xiao Lan hung up the phone in annoyance and sent a WeChat message to Yu Jing, 【Before Jiang Lianqin debuted, she had some entanglements with CEO Zhang of Hengya Pharmaceuticals. That’s how she became the center of 《Dream Chaser》. CEO Zhang spent a lot of money on her. Please find some evidence from the paparazzi to make that b*tch Jiang Lianqin pay!】