Chapter 14: Truly Unbothered? 

This time, Shen Nanzhi stayed at the Jiang family’s ancestral home for one night and the following morning. 

By noon the next day, just after finishing lunch, she received a call from Professor Lin, asking her to come to the laboratory. 

Shen Nanzhi quickly packed her things and returned to Huaihai University. 

No sooner had she stepped onto campus than a trending topic exploded on Weibo. 

However, Shen Nanzhi wasn’t checking her phone and remained unaware of the storm brewing online. 

By the time she finished her work in the lab and stepped out of her experiment class, the sky had already faded into dusk.

She pulled out her phone from her bag and glanced at the flood of messages and countless Weibo notifications piling up with endless “ding-dong” alerts. Shen Nanzhi frowned slightly. 

Ignoring the barrage of messages, she noticed that Gu Qinghe had called her two hours ago. Without overthinking it, she tapped to call back. 

The call was answered quickly. 

On the other end, Gu Qinghe’s voice carried a hint of concern. 

“Zhizhi, have you seen the trending topics?” 

Shen Nanzhi walked out, letting the autumn breeze brush against her. 

The cool night air swept away some of her fatigue, clearing her thoughts. 

Stepping on the golden fallen leaves and breathing in the crisp freshness of the evening, she responded casually, “Not yet. What happened?” 

Gu Qinghe hesitated, as if unsure how to explain. 

She seemed to start speaking a couple of times but ultimately fell silent. 

Finally, she sighed and said, “I don’t think I can summarize it properly. You should check the trending topics yourself.” 

Shen Nanzhi slowed her steps, lowering the phone from her ear. 

With a quick tap of her fingers on the screen, she exited the call and opened Weibo.

As soon as the Weibo feed loaded, it refreshed automatically, pushing the most-watched video to the top of the screen. 

In the video, Su Wu, dressed in a sultry fishtail gown, had just stepped off the award stage. She strutted in high heels and slipped into an ostentatious and eye-catching Cyber supercar. 

The car’s license plate was a rare consecutive number, making it easy to identify the owner. The paparazzi, as if afraid the public might miss the hint, had deliberately zoomed in for a few extra seconds to capture it. 

Then, the screen flickered. Through the blurred car window, one could vaguely make out Su Wu holding her trophy, leaning intimately over the driver’s seat toward a man, seemingly sharing a kiss. 

For the past two years, Su Wu had been showered with resources from Jiang Tingxu, her fame skyrocketing as she became widely regarded as an emerging screen goddess, even among non-industry audiences. 

Her fans went wild, feverishly sharing the video. The comments section was filled with phrases like “perfect match” and “shipping them so hard.” Even the trending topic title was deliberately crafted to stir attention— 

#Jiang Family’s Second Young Master, Crown Prince of Guangying Media, and Rising Screen Goddess: Relationship Goes Public#

Shen Nanzhi’s expression remained indifferent. 

She exited Weibo, returned to the call screen, and put the phone back to her ear. 

On the other end, Gu Qinghe’s voice carried both worry and an attempt at comfort: 

“Zhizhi, sweetheart, don’t be upset—”

Shen Nanzhi chuckled softly, interrupting Gu Qinghe as she continued walking outside. 

“I’m not upset. This kind of trending news—it’s not the first time.” 

Ever since Su Wu entered the entertainment industry, ever since Jiang Tingxu started pouring resources into her, these kinds of gossip-fueled trending searches had been popping up from time to time. 

The only difference was that the previous ones were on a smaller scale. 

Whenever the paparazzi managed to snap something, it would quickly be suppressed. 

But this time, Jiang Tingxu clearly had no intention of suppressing it. The news had been trending online for three to four hours now and was still gaining traction. 

Her phone kept buzzing with push notifications, the endless ding-dong sounds making it seem as if there was no end in sight. Shen Nanzhi took out her phone again, turned off all push notifications, and then resumed her conversation with Gu Qinghe. 

“You called me so many times just because of this video?” 

Gu Qinghe’s voice was filled with anger. 

“Isn’t this video enough to make someone mad?” 

She fumed, “Sure, this kind of trending topic isn’t new, but something spreading like wildfire to this extent—this is definitely the first time in the past two years.” 

“Does Jiang Tingxu not know that your engagement hasn’t been called off yet?” 

“The entertainment industry might not be aware that you and the Jiang family arranged this marriage from childhood, but do you think the elite circles don’t know either?” 

“And now, Jiang Tingxu has made such a spectacle out of this. Where does that leave your dignity?”

“He could at least call off the engagement before boosting that two-faced actress of his! Or is Jiang Tingxu really that desperate to push his little starlet to the top?” 

After Gu Qinghe’s long rant, filled with anger and frustration, Shen Nanzhi remained calm and instead comforted her. 

“If she wants to climb the ranks, let her. What’s there to be angry about?” 

“Besides, the engagement was between the Shen and Jiang families, but it was never specifically arranged with Jiang Tingxu. Even if a breakup were to happen, it wouldn’t be up to him to do it.” 

Hearing her best friend so composed, Gu Qinghe was momentarily stunned. 

She paused for a few seconds before hesitantly asking, still holding her phone, “Zhizhi, do you really not care at all?” 

Shen Nanzhi held her phone, the faint curve of her lips unchanged. 

“I don’t care.” 

She and Jiang Tingxu had only ever been suited to growing up together—nothing more.

They were also suited to be like siblings. 

The only thing they could never be—was an engaged couple. 

He despised arranged marriages and preferred women like Su Wu. If he wanted to promote the woman he liked, what did that have to do with her? 

— 

Meanwhile, at the same moment— 

Inside the headquarters of Guangying Media. 

Su Wu walked in from outside, wearing an A-line off-shoulder gown and stiletto heels. Her makeup was still a perfect blend of innocence and allure, and she carried a designer handbag in her hand. 

From the front desk to the agents and assistants, everyone cast admiring and flattering glances her way. 

Some assistants, unaware of the full situation, had seen the trending video and were now looking at Su Wu with surprise. 

One particularly curious assistant couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Wu, are you really… with our company’s Young President Jiang?” 

“How could it be fake?” 

A group of people gathered around, their words filled with flattery and admiration. 

 
“Among all the female artists in Guangying Media, have you ever seen Young President Jiang treat anyone else as specially as he treats sister Jie?” 

“Exactly! Sister Jie, once you become the boss’s wife of Guangying Media, don’t forget about us!” 

Su Wu maintained a flawless smile. 

She neither denied nor clarified the misunderstandings and compliments thrown her way. 

Just then, her agent, Yuan Yi, stepped out of the elevator. 

Noticing Su Wu’s arrival, she halted her initial plan to go meet her and instead pressed the button again. 

“Go straight to the top-floor lounge,” Yuan Yi instructed. 

Su Wu nodded and entered the elevator with Yuan Yi. 

She retrieved a compact mirror from her bag and meticulously checked her makeup. Only after confirming everything was perfect did she step out toward the lounge. 

Inside, Jiang Tingxu sat on a leather sofa, holding his phone. 

Ignoring the flood of trending notifications about the hot search, he kept his gaze lowered, staring at the screen— 

As if waiting for someone’s call. 

Outside, the sky gradually darkened.

It had been nearly four hours since that video hit the trending searches. 

Aside from the endless stream of push notifications and tabloid gossip, Jiang Tingxu had waited all afternoon—yet there was not a single call from Shen Nanzhi. 

Not even a message. 

His WeChat interface remained eerily empty, the last conversation frozen at over half a month ago. 

As he stared at the blank screen, his grip on the phone tightened. 

His lowered gaze grew darker and heavier, a murky storm gathering in his deep pupils. 

After a long silence, Jiang Tingxu let out a cold scoff. 

A trace of mockery surfaced at the corner of his lips, and with a sharp “clack,” he flung the phone onto the table. 

He really had lost his mind—actually allowing Su Wu to pull off such a cheap, attention-seeking stunt. 

Shen Nanzhi had long since witnessed the ambiguous entanglement between him and Su Wu. 

In fact, the first time she saw them together, their relationship had yet to change. 

Back then, things were still as harmonious as they had always been.

Even back then, when she noticed other women appearing around him, she never once questioned it. 

She acted as if she had seen nothing at all. 

Since she understood him that well, how could she possibly care about who he trended with—or what kind of trending topic it was? 

Jiang Tingxu’s fingers curled into a fist, gripping so tightly that his knuckles turned pale. 

The door swung open. 

Su Wu stepped inside, her heels clicking softly against the floor. 

The man on the sofa sat with his back to the door, his posture cold and distant. 

Her red lips curved into a flawless arc, enhancing the allure in her peach blossom eyes. 

“Young Master, some investors are hosting a gathering tonight. Can you accompany me?” 

She moved closer from behind the sofa, about to lean down toward Jiang Tingxu. 

Before she could get too near, his indifferent rejection rang out. 

“No time. Go by yourself.” 

Then, without even looking at her— 

“Get out.” 

Su Wu’s movements froze.

Her expression stiffened even further. 

She took a few steps around the sofa, moving to stand in front of Jiang Tingxu. 

Just as she was about to explain, her gaze unintentionally landed on his phone screen— 

The screen was still lit, displaying his WeChat conversation with Shen Nanzhi. 

Su Wu’s fingers tightened silently, jealousy flashing through her eyes before she quickly masked it. 

Feigning vulnerability, she softly asked, “Did Sister Shen Nanzhi misunderstand something?” 

“Young Master, I can explain it to her. That video causing the trending—” 

Jiang Tingxu’s patience had worn thin. His voice was sharp and cold as he cut her off. 

“The reason that video went viral—Su Wu, you know better than I do.” 

His words were piercing, leaving no room for pretense. “There’s no one else here. No paparazzi you paid off. There’s no need to put on such a thorough act.” 

Su Wu’s nails dug into her palms.

The joy that had swelled in Su Wu’s heart all afternoon—born from Jiang Tingxu’s refusal to suppress the trending topic—vanished in an instant. 

Her face turned visibly pale. 

She wanted to say something more, but Jiang Tingxu’s mood had soured to its worst. Before she could even open her mouth, he issued another firm order to leave. 

“I have things to do. Get out.” 

Su Wu clenched her jaw tightly, swallowing her unwillingness. She turned and left. 

After she was gone, Jiang Tingxu picked up his phone. His expression remained cold as he dialed his assistant. 

“Chen Feng, remove the trending topic. Wipe it clean.”