Chapter 34 – You Might As Well Wait to Be Executed

The phrase “D-list washed-up celeb” didn’t hurt Li Fan in the slightest.

She didn’t care whether others looked down on her or not. What angered her now was purely her disappointment and heartbreak for Cheng Huan.

“I know more than you do! I understand how precious life is. I know that as a father, you should be worrying about your daughter’s safety right now, not just squeezing everything out of her! You’re her manager, her father, but you act more like a leech sucking her dry—your appetite’s like a bottomless pit that’s never satisfied! You take her money to support that so-called son of yours who’ll carry on your family line, while completely neglecting her physical and mental well-being. Do you even realize your daughter has already—”

“Utter nonsense!” Cheng Tianhua shouted, his face flushed red with fury.

He was enraged because she had struck a nerve with the truth.

But in front of the camera, there was no way he could admit it.

“Miss Li Fan, I’m not close with you, nor is my daughter. In just a day or two, how did you make up all these baseless lies? Cheng Huan’s career is thriving, and she’s perfectly healthy. How could an outsider like you know her better than her own father? This is slander—an attempt to drive a wedge between me and my daughter!”

Cheng Tianhua vehemently denied Li Fan’s accusations and instead flung a bucket of filth her way.

“You’re malicious. I really don’t know what grudge you hold against me that you have to twist my relationship with Cheng Huan like this. The public has eyes—they can see the truth. If I were treating Cheng Huan badly, wouldn’t her fans be the first to notice?”

【Cheng Huan’s dad isn’t wrong. She’s doing great. If something was off, wouldn’t we fans notice?】

【But doesn’t Cheng Huan actually have a younger brother…?】

【Just having a brother doesn’t make someone a sibling simp. You all sound delusional. I have a younger brother too. What’s wrong with spending my own money on him?】

【Li Fan’s clearly trying to sow discord between father and daughter. So malicious.】

As Cheng Huan’s fans, their favorite person was obviously Cheng Huan.

Since Cheng Tianhua was her father, even by association, they stood up for him too.

In the blink of an eye, Li Fan became the target of online attacks, all because of her impulsive act.

Ren Xuan quickly pulled her aside. “Don’t act on impulse. Let’s go inside first.”

Li Fan’s eyes were slightly red. Perhaps it was because she’d never experienced parental love herself, so she felt especially empathetic toward Cheng Huan.

Cheng Huan must have been terrified. But when she was scared, did she still think of her father?

Ruan Li quietly leaned over and whispered, “I believe you.”

Li Fan looked at her sideways. “You believe me?”

“Cheng Huan has issues. I saw cuts on her arm—lots of them. Looked like self-inflicted.”

Thankfully, it was because Cheng Huan had offered her food that Ruan Li noticed.

She might be carefree, but she wasn’t stupid—not to the point she couldn’t recognize something that obvious.

“Favoring sons over daughters—people like that should have their kidneys harvested,” Ruan Li cursed.

Li Fan: “…Isn’t that a bit much?”

Still, Cheng Tianhua’s actions weren’t something easily punishable by law.

He was Cheng Huan’s father. Just one sperm and Cheng Huan could never completely sever ties with him.

Li Fan closed her eyes and fell silent.

They waited all the way until evening.

Cheng Huan and the others finally returned safely.

Not only did the police rescue them, they also caught the entire human trafficking ring in the village and saved many victims who hadn’t been sold off yet.

Ruan Li finally felt relieved upon seeing “Uncle Hat.” She pouted and started accusing them of being sickle-wielding serial killers.

Uncle Hat gave a bitter smile. “Stop spreading rumors. The blood on the sickle was chicken blood. They just killed a chicken.”

Because of Ruan Li’s shouting into the camera, the police had specifically checked the sickle. It was, indeed, only chicken blood.

Chen Ah Liu confessed to the crime of trafficking, but adamantly denied being a murderer.

Ruan Li turned and glared daggers at Li Fan.

“You tricked me!”

Li Fan responded innocently, “A chicken’s life—isn’t it still a life?”

She only said it had taken a life—never specified it was human.

Ruan Li: “…You damn dog.”

No one was injured, but everyone was badly shaken.

They all thought they’d nearly had their kidneys harvested.

Especially Liang Kang and Shen Yuwan—their legs were still jelly.

Cheng Tianhua stepped forward. “Cheng Huan, I’ve arranged a car. We’re leaving tonight—heading back early.”

He was afraid something else might go wrong and cause her to miss tomorrow’s audition.

Cheng Huan looked visibly exhausted. Her face was pale.

When she heard what Cheng Tianhua said, the weariness in her was plain to see.

Still, she didn’t object.

Li Fan, however, said, “Take a night to rest. Leaving tomorrow won’t change anything.”

Cheng Tianhua snapped coldly, “Why is your heart so twisted? Will you only be happy if Cheng Huan loses this opportunity? I’m her father—would I harm her?”

Cheng Huan didn’t know they had already argued once. She was clearly displeased by Cheng Tianhua’s harsh words.

“Dad, how could you say that? Li Fan isn’t like that.”

Cheng Tianhua gave her a discontented glance. “She isn’t? Then I am?”

Cheng Huan sighed wearily. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

Gu Lanyi chimed in, “Work is important. Since the car is already arranged, maybe Huan-jie should just go back with us.”

Cheng Huan looked even paler. She glanced at Li Fan with gratitude in her eyes, but in the end, she still followed Cheng Tianhua and left.

006: 【Why are you so concerned about Cheng Huan?】

Li Fan, sullen: 【Because I’ve been caught in the rain too—so I want to help hold the umbrella for someone else. But what power do I have to help her? I’m not a savior.】

006: 【Cheng Huan is already depressed and has a tendency toward self-harm. If this isn’t turned around in time, it’s very dangerous.】

One never knows—she could be gone at any moment.

Li Fan said no more. She didn’t even eat dinner and went straight upstairs.

Meanwhile, the show’s staff were scrambling to deal with the online backlash.

First, Bai Xiao Xian’s incident in the morning. Then, in the afternoon, the “sickle killer” scandal.

《Peach Blossom Spring》 never had a dull moment.

Every single day was explosively dramatic. One headline after another.

Ren Xuan had never worked on a show as wild—and exhausting—as 《Peach Blossom Spring》.

As for Shen Yuwan, once again, her screams rang out from her room.

Footage of her and Liang Kang kneeling and begging Chen Ah Liu had been captured on camera.

And their desperate attempt to save themselves by throwing Gu Lanyi and Bai Yaya under the bus had sent the net into a frenzy, landing them on the trending list.

“Ahhhhhhh! Didn’t they say the internet was down?! Why did the cameras still catch that?!”

Liang Kang looked ashen and gripped her hand tightly.

“Yuwan, don’t be mad. I’ll call my dad now and ask him to take us off the trending list.”

Shen Yuwan yanked her hand away, her disgust barely concealed.

“If you hadn’t pushed Gu Lanyi first, I wouldn’t have even noticed Bai Yaya! This is all your fault! Our reputation’s ruined. Are you happy now?”

Liang Kang didn’t argue. Instead, he nodded repeatedly.

“Yes, yes, it’s all my fault. I’ll have my dad take care of it right now.”

He hurriedly called his father.

But the moment the call connected, Liang Jianren exploded in rage.

“Take down the trending tag my ass! You still have that hit-and-run scandal hanging over your head! If they leak that, your ruined reputation will be the least of your worries—you might be facing jail time! You might as well wait to be executed!”

Liang Kang turned pale, trembling as his phone slipped from his hands and clattered to the floor.