The two whispered together for a while before Tang Xueqing left with a smile.
To convince Tang Xueqing, she had even promised to give her the necklace.
Tang Shiba looked like a little fox whose scheme had succeeded.
[Oh, this is hilarious. Tang Xueqing really does love money. The moment she heard about it, her eyes practically popped out.]
[She can have this enormous windfall. She's the female lead, anyway. Reporting it to the police will be much easier for her than for me.]
Si Wuyu heard her thoughts and understood after a moment's consideration. His lips curved into an indulgent smile without him even realizing it.
The group went to the beach to collect shells. Zhao Tiantian and Zhao Shen searched especially hard, both hoping to find pretty ones to make Tang Xueqing a one-of-a-kind necklace.
"Wow! This is gorgeous!" Fang Cheng picked up a shell and held it up to the sunlight. It was as beautiful as crystal.
Zhao Tiantian spotted it and immediately sidled over, giving Fang Cheng a flirtatious wink.
"Hey, little guy, how about selling that shell to me?"
Fang Cheng quickly put it away, afraid Zhao Tiantian would snatch it. "I'm not selling it, no matter how much you offer. If you want one, find it yourself."
Zhao Tiantian refused to give up. She pressed herself against him, her hand teasing him with light, intermittent touches.
"Sweetie, if you give it to me, we can meet in the woods tonight."
"You're a hot-blooded young man. You need to let off some steam, don't you?"
Fang Cheng went rigid at her touch. His face turned crimson, and his eyes fixed on her breasts.
Noticing his gaze, she thought she had him hooked. Then Fang Cheng said, "I don't like women with watermelon-sized boobs. I... I like the delicate, cute type. Your butt's a little big, too, and your face... none of it's my type."
"You bastard! Stay fucking single for the rest of your life!" Furious, Zhao Tiantian shoved him into the sea and cursed him out.
[Tsk, tsk. Our boy's still as blunt as ever.]
[That sleaze wants to hook up with our boy? Get lost.]
[Well said, sweetheart! Never let Zhao Tiantian touch that precious body of yours. She doesn't deserve it!]
The fans in the livestream were determined to defend their boy's innocence.
Fang Cheng clambered up, looking thoroughly bedraggled, and Tang Shiba burst out laughing.
He glared at her angrily. "You're actually laughing? We're on the same team, and you didn't even help me."
"Haha! You could beat her all by yourself. You didn't need me to step in."
That seemed true. Fang Cheng immediately felt impressive.
He went over and gave her the pretty shell. "Here. Once you're done, can you give it to Tang Xueqing?"
Well, it would end up in Tang Xueqing's hands after all.
Si Wuyu quietly focused on collecting shells nearby. When he wasn't speaking, he was as handsome as a painting.
Tang Shiba took one look and hurriedly averted her gaze, digging into more gossip in her mind.
[The Film Emperor's afraid of the dark, isn't he? Kidnappers locked him in a dark room for three days and nights when he was little, and he's been terrified of the dark ever since.]
[Oh, apparently his second uncle was behind that kidnapping, too. If his parents hadn't acted fast, the kidnappers would have killed him.]
[But... we've been here for days, and I haven't seen him act afraid of the dark.]
Si Wuyu froze. His second uncle again. Just how many "good deeds" had that uncle done behind his family's backs?
The Film Emperor's handsome profile tightened slightly, a murderous chill making him look a little more sinister.
He gripped the shell in his hand tightly and stood completely still.
Seeing him stop moving, Tang Shiba thought he was striking some sort of pose and hurried over to coach him.
"I'm pretty good at posing. You should do it like this."
Tang Shiba struck what she considered an attractive pose, only to find the Film Emperor's deep eyes fixed on her.
In the brilliant sunlight, those eyes seemed filled with stars. Tang Shiba stared, spellbound.
"You're really handsome, Mr. Si," she blurted out.
Realizing she had said something she shouldn't, she quickly clamped her mouth shut and bent down to collect shells.
[Oh, crap! I'm actually swooning over the male lead. No, no! He belongs to the female lead.]
[Still, what's wrong with taking another look at beautiful people and things? I'm just appreciating the view.]
Si Wuyu also withdrew his gaze, as though what had just happened was merely a passing interlude.
Once they had collected the shells, they needed to string them together.
With neither thread nor needles, the others set their sights on Tang Shiba's Dagger.
The Dagger's tip was sharp enough to poke holes in the shells without any trouble.
Zhao Tiantian and the other two came over.
The first thing they did was ask for the Dagger.
"Tang Shiba, lend us your Dagger. We'll give it back when we're done."
Zhao Tiantian held out her hand impatiently.
If it weren't for getting her darling three days on the trending list, she would never have asked Tang Shiba for anything.
They were sworn enemies.
Tang Shiba raised an eyebrow, took out her Dagger, and waved it before them. "You can borrow it, but I'll make the holes for you. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll take my Dagger and keep it."
"As if anyone wants your stupid Dagger."
"Heh. Then swear that if you take my Dagger and don't return it, your brother isn't your parents' biological son, and you'll get Syphilis and die a horrible death. Do you dare?"
Zhao Tiantian exploded, pointing at her nose and cursing. "You're the one who'll get Syphilis! Your whole family will get it! Tang Shiba, you're vicious!"
"Mm-hmm," Tang Shiba said. "Sure am. I'm a washed-up nobody, after all. I've got nothing to fear."
In the livestream chat:
[That was way too vicious. If it were me, I'd pounce on her and rip her mouth apart.]
[Her mouth's more poisonous than a toxic mushroom. Anyone who runs into her has eight lifetimes' worth of rotten luck.]
[Tang Shiba? More like Tang Plays Dead. What a festive name. I love it.]
[She doesn't insult people for no reason. Which of her earlier accusations turned out to be false?]
Tang Shiba's fans were all anti-fans, especially skilled at picking apart every word. They secretly spread what she had just said.
They posted pictures with captions: Zhao Shen wasn't his parents' biological son, and Zhao Tiantian had Syphilis!
Normally, nobody would have paid much attention.
But Tang Shiba's anti-fans were relentless. They posted everywhere, sending the story onto the trending list again.
#ZhaoTiantianHasSyphilis#
#ZhaoShenIsNotTheirBiologicalSon#
#TangShibaSpillsTheTeaTrueOrFalse#
The men who had slept with Zhao Tiantian decided it was better to be safe than sorry and quietly went to the hospital for tests.
The results were alarming. They really had been infected!
Shocked and furious, one man exposed her on Weibo under his real name, posting pictures as proof.
"I'm a screenwriter at ** Company. Everything Tang Shiba said is true. Here are my test results!"
The other men had still been clinging to hope, but once they saw someone actually come forward, they could no longer sit still. They rushed to the hospital to get tested.
When their results came back, they all lost it and took to Weibo to curse that vicious woman, Zhao Tiantian.
The comments under the Zhao Family's Weibo account were already out of control. They hurriedly spent a fortune suppressing the story, but every time they buried it, it resurfaced. Again and again.
The anti-fans were so powerful that Zhao Shen's father was practically becoming a nervous wreck.
He wondered what it would mean if his daughter really was infected. What about Zhao Shen, then? Was he really not his biological son?
Zhao Shen's mother panicked. She hurried to his father and repeatedly insisted that she had been slandered and that Zhao Shen was his biological son, hoping he wouldn't pursue the matter.
Outwardly, his father let it go, but he had already arranged for someone to investigate in secret.
His mother hated Tang Shiba for exposing this and used her private savings to hire trolls to smear her relentlessly.
But all that happened later.
Back at the show...
Left with no other choice, Zhao Tiantian and the others agreed to let Tang Shiba make the holes for them.
All sorts of beautiful shells were placed before Tang Shiba, forming a dazzling array.
Tang Shiba smiled happily, but inwardly she sighed with regret.
[What a shame. I'm no good person. Why would they believe I'd help them?]
Beaming, Tang Shiba raised the Dagger in her hand and stabbed down.
Before you continue