[Blech.]
[You damn man, do your fans know what a great actor you are?]
Fan Qing was also nearly sick enough to throw up because of Xie Junnian. He was very good-looking, and she had previously been something of a casual fan, but now... especially when she thought of him with the big shot, his first love, and the rich woman... blech. How could anyone be so disgusting?
Fan Qing rubbed her fists together, itching to give him two solid punches.
Wu Shanshan took a step back. The assistant who had come with her steadied her and asked quietly, "Are you all right, Shanshan?"
Wu Shanshan shook her head and said angrily, "Having liked you is the criminal record of my life."
"Wu Shanshan."
Xie Junnian suddenly pointed in a direction where many reporters stood. He had received word early on that Wu Shanshan was coming to confront him, so he had contacted the reporters in advance.
If Wu Shanshan dared to make an unreasonable scene, her career in entertainment would be over.
As for him, he would only rise higher and higher.
[What a big head you have. That rich lady gave you this drama, too. Without her, you're nothing.]
[Sigh, that rich lady is so generous, but she backed the wrong person. Even investing in me would give her better returns than investing in this scumbag.]
Lin Tingyue beat her chest and stamped her feet, as though all that lost money belonged to her.
[Wah, I'm so possessive. I always feel like everyone else's money is mine.]
Fan Qing: ...
Not far away, Xie Junnian's assistant tugged at his sleeve and urged quietly, "Junnian, why don't we just let it go?"
Xie Junnian turned and glared viciously at his assistant, who fell silent.
[Huh, that voice... doesn't something seem off about this plot?]
Everyone: ?
The gossip was already this juicy, and there was a hidden plot, too?
Everyone waited eagerly, hoping Lin Tingyue would remember soon.
[So that's what happened.]
Understanding dawned on Lin Tingyue.
What happened? Hurry up and tell us!
[That assistant beside Xie Junnian is his first love in disguise. She noticed her boyfriend acting strangely ages ago, and right now, she's carrying a video of Xie Junnian and that big shot... in her bag.]
[She couldn't bear to hammer the scumbag into the ground for good. She only spoke up just now to give him one last chance. After all, once the video comes out, it'll be too late for anything.]
[Sigh, Xie Junnian is already like this. Even if you give him a chance, he can't seize it. Better to hammer him into the ground.]
[You'd be better off believing I'm Wu Zetian than believing he'll change.]
Meanwhile, Xie Junnian was still threatening Wu Shanshan in a low voice. "Shanshan, aren't you leaving?"
"Xie Junnian, that's enough!"
His first love, Zhu Miaoshuang, could bear it no longer and took off her baseball cap and mask. Seeing her face, Xie Junnian panicked for a moment, but he quickly re-
covered and put on a boyfriend's standard smile. "Shuangshuang, what are you doing here?"
"Am I not allowed to come?"
Zhu Miaoshuang stared hard at Xie Junnian. "You used me as a tool to market your public persona and latched onto Wu Shanshan to suck her blood. How can such a useless man exist? Let me think. Could your true feelings be reserved for that big shot?"
"What big shot? Shuangshuang, I don't know what you're talking about."
If Xie Junnian's smile had only been somewhat stiff before, his expression shattered completely when Zhu Miaoshuang took out a USB drive.
He wasn't stupid enough to think Zhu Miaoshuang had merely taken out an ordinary USB drive to show him.
There had to be something on that drive that could threaten him.
"You don't know?" Zhu Miaoshuang said sarcastically. "Then I'm sure watching the video will jog your memory."
With that, Zhu Miaoshuang walked toward the projector. This scene required a projector for the plot, and it hadn't been taken down yet, which was conveniently perfect for her.
It was actually a video. Xie Junnian's pupils contracted. He wanted to order someone to stop Zhu Miaoshuang, only to realize there wasn't a single person around he could use. Gritting his teeth, he chased after her, his face hideously twisted, worlds apart from his former refined, handsome image.
Unfortunately, Xie Junnian was a step too late after all.
By the time he reached out, sounds of something obscene were already ringing in his ears.
As though struck by lightning, Xie Junnian looked toward the screen.
On the screen, he and the big shot were nuzzling intimately.
It was fine. It was fine. His nails dug into his palms as he forced himself to calm down. As long as he silenced everyone here, one by one, he could still be the Xie Junnian he had always been.
But Xie Junnian soon tasted what it meant to bring ruin upon yourself.
Countless camera flashes nearly blinded him. He instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, but a thunderous crash rang through his mind. It was over. Everything was over.
The reporters he had invited to ruin Wu Shanshan's reputation swarmed forward. Some, unwilling to miss out on this wave of attention, even immediately started
livestreaming.
Xie Junnian was finished.
Meanwhile, having thoroughly vented her anger, Zhu Miaoshuang walked up to Wu Shanshan, who was about to leave. Slightly bashful, she asked, "Shanshan, could I have your autograph? I really, really love you!"
[Oh, she's not just his first love. She's a Wu Shanshan fan, too.]
[Damn it, fangirls really are the most steadfast.]
[So did she agree to get back together with Xie Junnian in the first place just to gather evidence and avenge Wu Shanshan?]
Lin Tingyue glanced at Zhu Miaoshuang's starry eyes and actually thought it wasn't impossible.
Having feasted on gossip, Lin Tingyue was thoroughly satisfied, but Fan Qing, the investor and director, felt as though the sky had fallen.
Fan Qing grabbed Lin Tingyue's hand. Lin Tingyue was packing up her little folding stool, and when she looked down, she found Fan Qing gazing pitifully at her.
Lin Tingyue comforted her. "Take money less seriously. What's yours is yours, and what isn't yours isn't yours."
"Then, Yueyue, how about sharing some of your money with me?" Fan Qing said bluntly.
Fan Qing held out her hand to Lin Tingyue.
Lin Tingyue blocked her hand and said gently, "Qingqing, could you be a little less possessive of my money? After all, I'm not very good at sharing either."
Fan Qing: ...
"Lin Tingyue," she said through gritted teeth, "do you believe I'll pull your hair?"
[Pull my hair? What is Fan Qing, an elementary school kid?]
Fan Qing grew even angrier.
Lin Tingyue could only say, "This is a film studio complex. Handsome guys are a dime a dozen here. Let go first, and I'll help you catch one."
"Really?" Fan Qing asked hesitantly.
Lin Tingyue nodded.
Only then did Fan Qing let go. Fortunately, filming had only just started, so the drama could still be saved.
Lin Tingyue and Fan Qing each called home to say they wouldn't be back for lunch. Even as Bai Yaxin hung up, she was still remarking that Lin Tingyue had never seemed so career-minded before.
Lin Tingyue felt very guilty. They weren't going home for lunch because they were actually out catching men.
Catching men sounded too awful. Lin Tingyue thought it over. It should be catching a male lead.
Unfortunately, Lin Tingyue was like an automatic gossip-generating system. The moment she saw someone's name, gossip about that person would pop into her head.
The entire film studio complex was practically turning into a melon field.
Fan Qing and Lin Tingyue sat outside a café in the studio complex, drinking coffee while looking around.
[Will this year be a bitter winter for film and television?]
Fan Qing thought it might. Practically every production filming at the studio complex was going to fall through.
[Heavens, can't you grant me a man who's handsome, has a nice body, isn't short, is rich, and, most importantly, has no gossip???]
That sounded odd. Fan Qing scratched her cheek. Why did it sound like she was looking for a boyfriend?
[Huh.]
Lin Tingyue's eyes suddenly lit up, and she stared intently at a man passing by.
[Oh my god, look at those abs, look at those pecs. Even his nip... are pink.]
The man who had just finished filming his scenes as a dissolute young master heard this and silently tugged his open clothes together, covering his...
[No, I want to see! I want to see the pink...]
Chapter 10
Lin Tingyue only came home that evening, looking deeply dejected.
Bai Yaxin sat beside her and asked with concern, "Tingyue, how did today go? Did you find anyone to invest in?"
Lin Tingyue shook her head, looking even more depressed.
[No investment prospects, but plenty of people you absolutely mustn't invest in.]
Bai Yaxin: ...
She comforted Lin Tingyue. "That's how the entertainment industry is. Your eldest brother will be home soon. Why don't you ask him?"
[Right! Second Brother's unreliable, but I still have Eldest Brother.]
Lin Tingyue nodded vigorously. Bai Yaxin stroked her hair, privately wondering why Lin Shengyan was unreliable.
That night, Lin Shengyan received his mother's affectionate greetings.
Lin Shengyan: ?
He hadn't done anything. Why was he still getting scolded?
Still, Lin Tingyue hadn't come away from this outing entirely empty-handed. At least those pink... hehehe, they had been quite a sight.
Lin Xiawan happened to catch Lin Tingyue grinning foolishly. She came over, ruffled her hair, and asked, "What are you smiling about?"
Lin Tingyue immediately reined herself in and waved a hand. "Can't say, can't say."
[Those defined abs, full pecs, and pink ***, of course.]
Lin Xiawan didn't react at first. Only afterward did she realize that Lin Tingyue's thoughts could actually be censored when they reached their ears.
Just what unspeakable things was Lin Tingyue thinking about for them to need censoring?!
Lin Xiawan thought for a moment, then asked with a stern face, "Do you still remember Cheng Xuan?"
"Of course."
After all, Cheng Xuan's booming masculine voice had been far too much of a shock. Lin Tingyue had never seen such a... uh, diverse fishpond.