Jiang Mingxi whipped out a voice recorder.
He raised a finger toward the audience at the venue and in the livestream.
His pale finger made a shushing gesture at his lips.
A mocking smile curved at the corners of his eyes, and he looked like a fox. "Let's listen quietly~"
[Listen, my ass! Get lost!]
[We demand that Jiang Mingxi be blacklisted!]
[Kick Jiang Mingxi off the show!]
Amid the barrage of abuse in the comments, Jiang Mingxi pressed play on the recorder.
"Jiang Mingxi, I'm warning you. If you dare bully Lele on tomorrow's variety show, I'll cut off every opportunity you have!"
The instant Jiang Ke's voice drifted out of the recorder, Jiang Mingle's expression changed.
That bitch actually recorded it?
"Big brother, I don't want to go on that show tomorrow. Can I withdraw?"
If everyone hadn't recognized the voice in the first sentence, then at least everyone present could tell that this next sentence was Jiang Mingxi speaking.
Zhao Jiayuan raised a hand and whistled.
Before the recorder could play the next sentence, he interjected gleefully, "Director, your show's so explosive~"
The director: ...
Explosive, my ass!
The director was going out of his mind.
He had only wanted to film a challenge-based livestream variety show.
Because the show's investors were so generous, they had been able to invite Best Actor Song Lan, popular singer Zhao Jiayuan, rising young actor Chen Chong, and Jiang Mingle, the hottest star of the summer.
As for Jiang Mingxi, a flop like him hadn't originally qualified to appear on the show.
But a sugar daddy investor had forcibly shoved him into the cast.
Both openly and implicitly, the message had been to make Jiang Mingxi serve as a foil to Jiang Mingle.
Now...
The director hesitated over whether to interrupt Jiang Mingxi.
In that split second of hesitation,
Jiang Ke's furious roar drifted out of the recorder.
"Are you threatening me? Jiang Mingxi, you're as despicable as ever! You'll stop at nothing to bully Lele, won't you?"
Next came Jiang Mingxi's voice explaining.
"What I mean is, let Lele go on tomorrow's variety show, and I won't go. Have the company arrange for another artist to replace me..."
Then-
"Enough! If you scheme against Lele in front of me again, I won't let you off!"
As the voice rang out, Jiang Mingle clenched his fist and said darkly, "Jiang Mingxi, I don't know how you fabricated these conversations, but this isn't what happened! Apologize to my big brother immediately.
"What you're doing is seriously damaging my big brother's reputation!"
Jiang Mingxi let out a laugh.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out three printed sheets.
Pictures to prove it.
No more bullshit.
"This is a DNA test report. I posted it on Weibo yesterday, but I was forced to delete it.
"Now I'll take this opportunity during the livestream to show everyone again.
"Anyone who questions the authenticity of this DNA test report is welcome to call the police.
"After all, providing a fake DNA report is illegal."
He thrust the three sheets of the test report in front of the camera.
Jiang Mingxi pressed play on the recorder again.
Jiang Ke's furious command immediately rang out.
"Delete that Weibo post and write an apology to me and Lele instead, or don't blame me for what happens!"
[Jiang Mingxi really is the Tianli Group's young master? Holy fucking shit!]
[I looked closely at the DNA report. It has Hengxin Hospital's stamp. Hengxin Hospital is a testing center that works with the authorities. It wouldn't be fake.]
[I've never watched such an explosive livestream!]
[Celebrity fights, cheating and sleeping with someone else's girlfriend, real and fake rich young masters-whatever other melodramatic shit you've got, dump it all on me! I'm a basic bitch, and I love this stuff!]
[Jiang Mingxi is such a bitch. He actually recorded it. Couldn't he settle this privately? He had to bring it up on a livestream. He's rotten to the core!]
[Jiang Mingle's brain-dead fans really are brain-dead. Jiang Mingxi already said in private that he didn't want to come on the show, but did that do any good? Even his Weibo post explaining himself was forcibly deleted and changed into an apology to someone else.]
[Jiang Mingle is the fake young master!!!]
Jiang Mingle stood there with his fists clenched, fear and unease mingling with fury.
That bitch!
No, I absolutely can't let Jiang Mingxi get his way!
Big brother created this variety show especially for me. I can't let that bitch ruin it!
He took a deep breath.
Jiang Mingle put on a look of shock and surprise, with even just the right amount of self-reproach on his face.
"Xiaoxi, big brother never told me. I didn't know...
"I didn't know you were big brother's biological younger brother.
"I grew up in the Jiang family. I've never questioned my identity.
"I, I..."
As he spoke, Jiang Mingle's eyes reddened, and tears threatened to spill.
He stepped forward, wanting to hug Jiang Mingxi.
"I'll make sure big brother gives you an explanation. I'm sorry you've been wronged."
[Lele is innocent! He didn't know anything!]
[Jiang Mingxi must be such a terrible person that the Jiang family doesn't want to acknowledge him!]
[How could a clout-chasing bitch be a good person? Don't cry, Lele. You did nothing wrong!]
The instant Jiang Mingle stepped forward to hug him,
Jiang Mingxi juked out of the way.
"No, no, no.
"I don't need your apology.
"I just want my name cleared.
"I didn't delete my Weibo post and apologize yesterday of my own free will. I was forced to.
"I wasn't trying to leech off Jiang Ke's fame. Jiang Ke knew perfectly well that I was his younger brother, but when the gossip accounts smeared me, he didn't say a word to explain.
"As for anything else, I have only one request. Please keep your distance from me while we film the rest of the show.
"Otherwise, your big brother will say I'm stopping at nothing to bully you."
Jiang Mingle looked utterly aggrieved.
He stood there, biting his lip.
Tears brimmed in his reddened eyes, making him look pitiful to anyone who saw him. "I'm sorry."
But Jiang Mingxi didn't spare him a glance.
He was here to pursue someone, not get into a bitch fight.
His burning gaze landed squarely on Song Lan.
He jumped up and shouted, "Teacher Song, I've never leeched off Jiang Ke's fame! I'm completely innocent! You're the only one I'll clout-chase!"
"Hahahahaha!" Zhao Jiayuan burst into gleeful laughter.
Song Lan's fans immediately exploded.
[Get lost! Stay away from Brother Song, you clout-chasing bitch, or I'll kill you!]
[What absolutely rotten luck! An idiot like this should just be blacklisted!]
Jiang Mingle's fans mingled among them, fishing in troubled waters.
[He's so annoying! No wonder the Jiang family won't acknowledge him. Lele is so sweet and gentle, while Jiang Mingxi is just a fucking idiot!]
[If I were Jiang Ke, I'd want Lele as my younger brother too. Lele is good-looking and a good person. Jiang Mingxi is just a filthy rat. How could he compare to Lele!]
But the casual viewers drawn in by the buzz clearly disagreed.
[What did Jiang Mingxi do? From start to finish, hasn't the thing he's been bashed hardest for been leeching off Jiang Ke's fame? But he's actually Jiang Ke's younger brother!]
[Exactly! He's Jiang Ke's younger brother, and Jiang Ke knows it perfectly well, but when he gets smeared, Jiang Ke says nothing!]
[What a fucking eye-opener!]
As the comments flooded the screen, everyone looked toward Song Lan.
The director trembled with apprehension.