ã€ŠRebirth of a Star: Another Day, Another Dramaã€‹


 Chapter 1 - Rebirth (1)

    <h4>Chapter 1 - Rebirth (1)</h4>

    ¡°Chen Meimei!¡±

    ¡°Chen Meimei, are you awake?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re awake, then open your eyes. I don¡¯t have time to waste dilly-dallying with you!¡±

    The loud voice of a woman could be heard talking endlessly; it was high-pitched and grating to her ears. Apanying that was the harsh smell of disinfectant assaulting her nostrils, the scent so intense it was making her dizzy. As she tried opening her eyes, a long, spotlessly white passageway appeared before, and the thick fog distorting her vision gradually dissipated to reveal a distinct silhouette. As more of the profile was uncovered, the extremely seductive face of her best friend, Shen Wei¡¯an, appeared. Currently, a broad smile full of malice was stretched across her face. Then, her best friend¡¯s hands suddenly pushed her, causing her to fall into an endless abyss.

    ¡°AHHH---¡±

    A loud scream echoed in the silence, and she finally woke up.

    Lan Jinyao touched her face before staring at her hands. Fortunately, they were only drenched in sweat, not blood. Stretching her fingers, she realised that she wasn¡¯t lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, since you¡¯re now awake hurry up and get out of bed. Although our family is rich, we can¡¯t afford to let you live in the VIP ward forever, can we?¡±

    Standing beside the bed was a tall woman with an alluring figure, simr to a model¡¯s. Lan Jinyao stared at her in a daze, then asked, ¡°Beautifuldy, what did you just call me?¡±

    A palm suddenly swung through the air and pped Lan Jinyao¡¯s forehead. The force of the p wasn¡¯t that strong, but it was still enough to make her nk out for a moment in shock.

    ¡°Call you what? Chen Meimei, are you deaf or has your brain be addled? Get up quickly and stop lying on the hospital bed. Even if youy here until you rot, President Fu still won¡¯te to see you. Just because marriage connects our family to the Fu family, don¡¯t even think about continuing your act.¡±

    Before Lan Jinyao could digest all that she¡¯d just been told, she heard the woman continue to speak to her, her words like balls of fire spit out in session as they smashed towards her. ¡°I¡¯ll go deal with getting you discharged from the hospital, and while I¡¯m doing that you need to change your clothes quickly. Once that¡¯s done, we¡¯ll go to Blue Hall Entertainment together and sign the cancetion of your contract. Not that I¡¯m belittling you, but besides ying a small role, the most you could be is aedian. With your physique being like it is, which production team would dare ask for you?¡±

    The woman¡¯s actions were capable and experienced as she quickly handled the discharge procedure from the hospital. As soon as it was all sorted, Lan Jinyao was dragged into a shy sports car that immediately started speeding towards Blue Hall Entertainment. During this whole process, Lan Jinyao was utterly confused.

    Her name was Lan Jinyao, and she¡¯d graduated from A University. Her features were first ss, and she was considered a slim beauty. Before she¡¯d graduated, she had been handpicked by the Director of Blue Hall Entertainment and signed on as an artist under theirbel. For more than two years she¡¯d worked hard, rising in ranks from an unknown neer to one of the most famous film and television superstars. Unfortunately, the current her...

    Lan Jinyao examined her new face in the rearview mirror. It wasn¡¯trge, but it was meaty and looked full of cogen. This was apletely unfamiliar face. What was she called again? Chen Meimei...that¡¯s right, that¡¯s this person¡¯s name.

    She, Lan Jinyao, had now be Chen Meimei?!

    Lan Jinyao was utterly shocked by this strange idea of hers.

    Suddenly, a white light shed through her mind. Lan Jinyao¡¯s body froze like she was struck by thunder, and she nkly stared ahead - she remembered! Everything that had happened to her; she remembered!

    The woman sitting in the driver¡¯s seat was still chattering on about something, but Lan Jinyao couldn''t hear anything.

    Lan Jinyao...had already died!!

    She recalled the banquet. A banquet for celebrities held at a famous five-star hotel in the city.

    ....

    By eight o¡¯clock in the evening, almost all those invited were already present in Imperial¡¯s Impression Lounge. Stars, Producers, and Directors had gathered together; each of them holding a ss of wine as they made light conversation.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t like these kinds of events; unfortunately, she had no choice but to attend. Her best friend Shen Wei¡¯an had said that all the big-name Directors and Producers wereing today, so this was the perfect opportunity for her to go and try her luck. With Lan Jinyao¡¯s current position in the entertainment circle, she could choose to boycott this banquet if she wanted too, but it was different for Shen Wei¡¯an. Since her debut two years ago, apart from scandals, there wasn''t a single piece of work that was presentable; just never-ending negative news. She was already twenty-two years old; how many more years could she waste? Therefore, this banquet was equivalent to thest ray of hope for her.

    If she managed to attract the attention of the right people, she would have a promising future.

    Lan Jinyao ended up drinking quite a lot, resulting in her being somewhat dizzy. Later, the only thing she remembered was that a Director said had something to Wei¡¯an, and then there was a burst ofughter in the lounge. In the next moment, Wei¡¯an seemed to be crying as she ran out of the room.

    This was the first time that Lan Jinyao had seen her best friend cry. Usually, Wei¡¯an would use a harsh tone to conceal any weaknesses she was feeling. She was extremely eager to seed, more so than anyone Lan Jinyao had ever seen.

    Lan Jinyao was worried about her friend, so she hurriedly went to follow her, but as she was leaving the room, she identally bumped into a man. Instead of stopping though, she tossed out an apology and left immediately.

    After searching almost all the ces where Wei¡¯an would possibly go, Lan Jinyao still couldn¡¯t find her. Yet, an hourter, she suddenly received a phone call from Shen Yu, telling her that Shen Wei¡¯an had run to the rooftop of thepany. As it stood, even the police were rmed and asking for her to hurry over.

    Shen Wei¡¯an had no other friends in thepany, apart from Lan Jinyao. Hence, at that moment, it was thought that only Lan Jinyao could persuade her toe down.

    Obviously, everyone miscalcted.

    On the roof of thepany, Shen Wei¡¯an wore a tight cheongsam with a slit up the sides that revealed her long, fair legs that were swaying over the edge of the building as she sat on the guardrail.

    She was currently looking up at the night sky; her expression was looking somewhat mournful.

    A lot of reporters were hovering by the building¡¯s entrance to cover what was going on, but she already didn¡¯t care about anything. Tears kept flowing from the corners of her eyes, like a snapped string of pearls.

    Lan Jinyao stood outside the rooftop door and called out to her, ¡°Wei¡¯an, what is it that you want to do? Do you want to give up everything that you currently have? When someone dies, they lose everything!¡±

    Her voice was exceedingly soft and gentle, like the vibration of a cello. However, this pleasant voice couldn¡¯t alter the determination of the person who¡¯d decided to die.

    ¡°Jinyao, what do I have now? I have nothing!¡± Shen Wei¡¯an shouted harshly.

    The woman¡¯s crying echoed into the night sky; her body so thin that it seemed like a gust of wind could knock her down at any moment. Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart tightened. Step by step she slowly walked closer, reaching out her hands to the crumbling woman before her. ¡°Wei¡¯an, let¡¯s go down. Human life is so short, and after death, it¡¯s a long time before reincarnation.¡±

    The desperate woman seemed to be persuaded by her, so Lan Jinyao stood next to her best friend and tightly grabbed her hand.

    Under the ink-ck sky, quite a number of police officers and reporters had gathered below Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s rooftop. Lan Jinyao was tightly holding onto a pair of icy cold hands as Wei¡¯an whispered in her ear, ¡°Jinyao, I¡¯ll keep on living if you die in my ce instead, okay? Once you¡¯re gone, Shen Yu won¡¯t constantly be protecting you, and I¡¯ll finally have a chance. After you¡¯re dead, everything that belongs to you will be mine. Jinyao, this is the price you have to pay if you want me to live!¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened, but she couldn¡¯t find anything to grab onto as she tumbled backwards. Under the eyes of thousands of people, Shen Wei¡¯an appeared panicked as she reached out her hand and tried to catch her, yet she only seeded in tearing off a piece of Lan Jinyao¡¯s clothing.

    As Lan Jinyao fell, she saw the man who she¡¯d bumped into in the hotel run forward and reach out his hand towards her. Unfortunately, the distance was too far.

    ....

    Now that she¡¯d recalled the acute pain of her body smashing to the ground from such a tremendous height, she felt her heart tighten.

    After that night, Lan Jinyao had officially died. That person didn¡¯t exist in the world anymore and had only left behind a small tomb.

    Chen Meimei sat in the sports car, herplexion deathly pale and her eyes unfocused.

 Chapter 2 - Rebirth (2)

    <h4>Chapter 2 - Rebirth (2)</h4>

    Chen Meile drifted beautifully through the traffic, bringing the car to a smooth stop outside Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s office building.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re carsick?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt a slightly cool hand pat her cheek and draw her thoughts away from her memories. Unfortunately, she could still feel her heart pounding incessantly.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Chen Meile asked once again.

    Lan Jinyao turned to her and smiled softly. She wanted to say something, but the fat on her face was too much of an unfamiliar weight. Just stretching up her lips to smile made the flesh on both of her cheeks to pile up, resulting in her looking ecstatic. Seeing her reflection in the rearview mirror, her face tightened, and she eventually retracted her smile.

    ¡°Nothing!¡±

    ¡°Good, since you¡¯re okay then let¡¯s go up and find Fu Bainian. Remember, we¡¯re here today to talk about the cancetion of your contract. When we¡¯re up there if you cause trouble that could make our Chen family lose face, don¡¯t me me, your sister, for bing hostile!¡±

    The woman stretched out a finger out and tapped Lan Jinyao on her forehead before grabbing her hand and walking into the building.

    Along the way, a few people pointed at Lan Jinyao. But, when she would look over, they¡¯d quickly shift their gaze away as they moved to gather into groups of two or three to murmur about something between themselves.

    Although Lan Jinyao felt that this situation was somewhat strange, she didn¡¯t ask any questions. Presently, she knew very little about this new identity, and she was alsopletely unaware of the circumstances around her. What¡¯s more, it was supremely challenging to ept something such as reincarnating into someone else¡¯s body. If it were exposed, she estimated that she would be arrested and taken away to be experimented on!

    Consequently, Lan Jinyao was absent-mindedly dragged to the 18th floor. Once there, when she was standing outside the President¡¯s office, Lan Jinyao witnessed Chen Meile¡¯s fierceness. Even though Chen Meile was wearing stilettos and standing before a tightly closed door, she simply lifted one foot, and with the sound of a dull thud, she kicked the door open so hard it rattled on its hinges.

    Lan Jinyao looked at the woman beside her in shock, bubbles of admiration bursting in her heart. What a powerful woman!

    A man sitting behind the desk was currently looking through a document. Upon hearing the loud noisesing from the door, he looked up.

    It was a handsome face with the characteristics of an ancient Roman embedded in his defined features. His eyes were as ck as obsidian, while his eyebrows were sharp like swords. The bridge of his nose was tall and straight. But, why did this face look...so familiar?

    Lan Jinyao stared at the man¡¯s face, trying to remember where she¡¯d seen it before.

    In the past, after signing her contract with Blue Hall Entertainment, Lan Jinyao had never had the opportunity to meet with the President of thepany. All of her jobs had been arranged by her Manager, and Director Shen Yu had supported her. The low-profile President Fu had almost never made an appearance in public. Except, Lan Jinyao couldn''t help feeling she must¡¯ve seen this man somewhere before.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t realise that she¡¯d now been staring at the man for a long time; long enough to give rise to a multitude of erroneous thoughts.

    It appeared that due to the pair making such amotion and disturbing the man¡¯s concentration on his work, his expression now resembled the ferocity of a storm cloud. Rising from his chair, he walked around his desk to stand in front of Lan Jinyao. His dark eyes stared down at her, a glint of ridicule swimming within their depths. That¡¯s right; it was definitely ridicule! As a graduate of an acting school, Lan Jinyao was able to ascertain in a split second that the expression buried within the man¡¯s eyes was ridicule!

    The next moment, she heard the man say, ¡°Chen Meimei, just what are you thinking? If it¡¯s to talk about marriage, I can tell you clearly that such an urrence will never be a possibility between us. Since you¡¯ve signed on with Blue Hall Entertainment, you should focus well on your work in the future. As for matters concerning the two of us, I advise you forget them!¡±

    It¡¯s true that this man was indeed capable of causing a woman¡¯s heart to beat erratically, but what did that have to do with Lan Jinyao? She wasn¡¯t Chen Meimei, and she didn¡¯t have a crush on the man that Chen Meimei had liked.

    Consequently, Lan Jinyao drew a momentary before she revealed a smile to the man. ¡°President Fu is right. My previous behaviour was misguided, so from now on, I¡¯ve decided to work hard. I promise that I¡¯ll no longer disturb you President Fu and that I¡¯ll focus on my work instead of causing trouble for you!¡±

    Although there were no mirrors nearby, Lan Jinyao felt her smile was full of unprecedented sincerity. Unfortunately, her words had barely left her mouth when Chen Meile let out an unimpressed snicker.

    Lan Jinyao looked at her with a t expression. ¡°What are youughing at?¡±

    Chen Meile choked on herughter for a little longer, but her smile didn¡¯t disappear. Instead, her smile became slightly ominous as all signs of a polite youngdy disappeared. This whole time one of her hands had been holding onto one of Lan Jinyao¡¯s hands, and with the other hand, she pointed at Fu Bainian and asked, ¡°Ha ha ha, buddy, my Lil Sister just said that she wouldn''t pester you in the future. Do you believe her?¡±

    She then added another sentence. ¡°But, whether you believe it or not, I don¡¯t believe it anyway!¡±

    Lan Jinyao cursed silently: Are you really my blood-rted Sister?! Such a heavy blow to your Younger Sister!

    However, since it was clear that Chen Meile didn¡¯t believe her, it was evident that Fu Bainian also wouldn¡¯t believe her.

    ¡°I meant what I said!¡± Lan Jinyao emphatically stated.

    She spoke as if she was making a solemn vow, but it was f*cking useless; no one was willing to believe her.

    Chen Meile interrupted her and said to Fu Bainian, ¡°Our Meimei came to thepany today to deal with the cancetion of her contract. I¡¯ll have to trouble President Fu to get a copy of it!¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t understand why Chen Meimei, with her chubby physique, could¡¯ve ever been signed on with Blue Hall Entertainment. So, when Chen Meile mentioned handling the cancetion of her contract, she decided to observe the situation and remain quiet.

    Fu Bainian seemed utterly unconvinced that she¡¯de to thepany to request the cancetion of her contract. After staring at her for awhile, he moved behind the desk, pulled out a contract from the drawer, and threw it on the table. ¡°You can examine the contract that was initially signed with thepany if you want. But, if you want to cancel the contract, you should first read thepensation use!¡±

    Lan Jinyao picked up the contract that was on the table and nced through it. She¡¯d had to sign a simr looking contract with Blue Hall Entertainment when she¡¯d first joined, and she still remembered some of the terms mentioned in it even now. However, Chen Meimei¡¯s contract seemed to be slightly different from the deal that she¡¯d signed.

    ¡°The contracting period is for ten years. If Party A proposes a termination of the contract within ten years, Party B is then liable forpensating Party A 10 million RMB. If Party B is the one to propose a termination of the contract, then Party B will have to pay 10 times the previously agreed amount as a penalty fee!¡±

    The amount on the contract made Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes open wide in disbelief. Ten times? In the beginning, when she¡¯d signed her contract, her contract wasn¡¯t even close to that amount!

    ¡°This is obviously a despotic use!¡±

    Just because Chen Meimei had liked this man, he¡¯d taken advantage of her and made her sign such a tyrannical contract. It was absurd!

    Fu Bainian nodded. ¡°Correct; it really is a despotic use. However, this use was added by yourself when you¡¯d been continuously pestering me to join thepany.¡±

    ¡°I added them?!¡± Lan Jinyao screamed in shock.

    It seemed that Chen Meimei, that youngdy, wasn¡¯t only not particrly beautiful, but even her IQ was on the low side. Only a fool would still be all smiles as she signed such a ridiculous contract.

    However, from the look of the car that Chen Meile had just been driving, it was possible that the Chen family could be extremely wealthy. She handed the contract to Chen Meile to examine, and lowered her voice as she asked, ¡°Sis, can our family afford such an extravagant penalty fee?¡±

    Chen Meile looked at the contract and chuckled, ¡°Of course our family can afford it! But, why do we have to pay it? Ten times...even if we sold you here, we¡¯d still be looking at a loss! Therefore, you better just stay here obediently.¡±

    ¡°Before we arrived, didn¡¯t you say to me that I would be humiliating the Chen family by working here?¡±

    ¡°I did think that beforeing here, but now, I¡¯ve had time to think it through carefully. Anyway, if our Chen family loses face, then so be it. Why should we spend another 100 million RMB[1] on you?¡± Chen Meile patted Lan Jinyao¡¯s cheek and smiled. ¡°Little Sis, you tell me; what I¡¯ve said is correct, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. She was utterly speechless and had nothing to say about such an unconventional family.

    [1] Equals around 15 million USD.

 Chapter 3 - Rebirth (3)

    <h4>Chapter 3 - Rebirth (3)</h4>

    In the end, Chen Meile had blown in like a hurricane and left just as fast, leaving Fu Bainian and Lan Jinyao to stare at each other in shock. There was a palpable rage emanating from Fu Bainian.

    Lan Jinyao saw the deep hatred within the man¡¯s eyes as he bit out, ¡°Since you¡¯ve decided not to cancel your contract, then go out and work!¡±

    Just as she reached the door, he said another sentence, ¡°I want you to remember what you said just now! In the future, our rtionship is simply that of a Boss and a subordinate. Please don¡¯t do something that is embarrassing in public again!¡±

    Although Lan Jinyao just entered this body, she still had her pride. When she heard his additional statement, she felt ufortable, as if her dignity was being trampled under his feet. She turned around and stated, ¡°I¡¯ll certainly keep my promise. In the future when we¡¯re in public together, we¡¯ll act like we don¡¯t know each other! As for that face of yours, I was clearly blinded by it in the past!¡±

    After dropping this sentence Lan Jinyao stormed out, and as she was rushing to leave, the flesh on her body was jiggling. Once she was safely ensconced in the elevator, she caught sight of her plump figure being reflected in the elevator mirrors. She wanted to cry but found shecked the tears to do so. One must know that in the past, Goddess Lan¡¯s figure was the peak of perfection; she was even called a slim beauty by her fans.

    Now, a formerly slim beauty had been transformed into a big fatty! Ughh! Lan Jinyao covered her face and sighed.

    Heading down to the 12th floor, Lan Jinyao stepped out of the elevator and turned left, to arrive outside of her former private break room. The room wasn¡¯t locked, so she pushed the door open and walked inside.

    In the past, whenever she¡¯d been tired of rehearsals or shooting a scene, she had usually liked toe and rest in this room for a while. So, because of this, all the necessary things you¡¯d ever need could be found scattered around the room. After entering, she slowly walked around the room to examine everything, feeling the rims of her eyes start to sting. Stopping in front of the dressing table, she stared at the overflowing pile of unopened gifts, and the thick stack of fan letters.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao remembered the face of her best friend, Shen Wei¡¯an, which was full of resentment, and recalled what she¡¯d said--

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, the person least qualified to say anything is you! For you, everything was all smooth sailing, and you had the support of Shen Yu behind you. You never experienced the filthy affairs that go on in the entertainment circle, but it was different for me. If I don¡¯t work hard, then I¡¯m unable to obtain anything!!¡±

    It wasn''t until this moment that Lan Jinyao felt that she¡¯d been too naive; everything she¡¯d had was once envied by many. As for Shen Yu, he¡¯d always been there for her,e rain or shine, yet he¡¯d never brought up feelings of affections. There hadn¡¯t even been the slightest hint of romantic feelings, so she¡¯d epted all that Shen Yu had given her with a clear conscience. Unfortunately, she only came to realise this once she¡¯d already lost everything.

    Lan Jinyao went and stood in front of the dressing table, and in passing, she picked up a letter and opened it.

    Unlike the other letters in the pile, this letter was missing an address and sender. On the nk piece of paper, there was only one sentence that read, ¡®You¡¯ve recently lost weight again, remember to take care of your health!¡¯

    It was a bizarre letter. It wasn¡¯t quite like the regr letter from a fan, and instead, it seemed more like one from a person who was familiar with her.

    Before she could dwell on it, the sound of high-heeled shoes tapping against the floor abruptly came from outside, the sound drawing nearer with each step. Panicking, Lan Jinyao quickly hid against the wall behind the door. The next moment, the door was mmed open, and the thick panel swung back, whacking Lan Jinyao on the nose. Due to the force of the hit, scarlet blood started to trickle down to her lips.

    ¡°They say that beautiful women all suffer unhappy fates, but it¡¯s still such a pity, and Goddess Lan was at the peak of her career. Who would¡¯ve guessed that a superstar like her would end up with such a tragic fate!¡±

    Suddenly hearing her name called made Lan Jinyao¡¯s nose tickle and her eyes fill with tears.

    ¡°It was inhuman! I think that Goddess Lan should¡¯ve left Shen Wei¡¯an to her own devices that night instead of saving her. Now, not only did she pay for her decision with her life, but her career fell into Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s wretched hands. Also, have you heard that the script for ¡®A Thousand Years Of Tears¡¯, that originally had Goddess Lan as the female lead, has now unexpectedly been given to Shen Wei¡¯an? I don¡¯t know what Director Shen was thinking! Just based on that woman¡¯s acting skills, the show will fail any minute!¡±

    Lan Jinyao wiped at the blood from her nosebleed with her hand. Her expression was absent-minded. So, it turned out that after she¡¯d died, the things that had belonged to her really did fall into Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s hands. It appeared that what Shen Wei¡¯an had said was right; she really was blocking Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s path to fame.

    Weren¡¯t they friends? This was ridiculous! That woman had wanted not only her career but also her life!

    The conversation between the two women continued.

    ¡°I think there¡¯s definitely something fishy about all of this. Tell me, how was that Goddess Lan fell instead of Shen Wei¡¯an? I heard that the two of them had been standing very close to each other. Could it be that Shen Wei¡¯an subtly extended her hand and pushed Goddess Lan?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? The police said that it was an ident. But, it is true that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s acting skills are unbelievably bad!¡±

    ¡°Hey, stop talking and hurry up with packing those things away. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter how bad Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s acting is, at least she¡¯s got a pretty face. In this superficial era, it¡¯s already a perfect advantage. Unlike that Chen Meimei, ugh, that posture and physique...even when she¡¯s just walking, the floor of our office shakes! What¡¯s more, she doesn¡¯t seem to realise how embarrassing she is, and she still wants to eat swan meat. I heard she¡¯s here again to find our President Fu.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say that. If she heard you, you¡¯d have to face the consequences!¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt her nose start to be a little itchy. So, she tried pinching her still bleeding nose, but she was unable to hold back any longer and sneezed loudly.

    The room suddenly went deathly silent; the atmosphere awkward.

    Eavesdropping on people in the corner of a room was never a brilliant thing to do. Just when Lan Jinyao was hesitating over whether she shoulde out from her hiding spot or not, a clear and low-pitched male voice rang at the door--

    ¡°I don¡¯t wish for ourpany¡¯s employees to talk badly behind someone¡¯s back. Moreover, you were both talking badly about a colleague!¡±

    ¡°Pres...President!¡± The voices of the two young girls slightly trembled.

    Lan Jinyao peeped through the narrow slit between the door and the wall and saw Fu Bainian standing nearby wearing an expression as dark as soot. This man seemed to be born with a naturally strong aura, causing the young girls who¡¯d been bad-mouthing others to be scared witless.

    ¡°Get out!¡±

    As if following a royal decree, the two young girls immediately fled the room.

    After they¡¯d left, Fu Bainian walked further into the room and sat on the couch. There, he picked up the bear that had been nestled on the cushions and hugged it. With his chin resting on the bear¡¯s head, his expression became slightly pained.

    Lan Jinyao suddenly forgot about massaging her numb arm as she looked at the man¡¯s pained expression in a daze. She then knit her brows in puzzlement.

    Ever since she¡¯d signed with Blue Hall Entertainment, she had never once seen the Big Boss¡¯ face. Firstly, it was because she¡¯d been continuously busy, and secondly, it was because the Big Boss was low-key and mysterious. She couldn¡¯t remember any friendly rtions between this man and her. Would an unfamiliar person really show such an expression because of her death?

    Lan Jinyao felt something odd, deep within her heart, but she decided not to dwell on it for the time being.

 Chapter 4 - The Transformation Plan Of A Fat Girl (1)

    <h4>Chapter 4 - The Transformation n Of A Fat Girl (1)</h4>

    Later that day, after walking around thepany as her new identity, Lan Jinyao discovered that Chen Meimei had a terrible reputation. Apart from the fact that her family had a lot of money, she had almost no talent. Needless to say, she was happy to receive advantages from everyone, but she was unwilling to reciprocate. She was like a bottomless pit with the way that she continuously ate, and wherever she walked the ground would shake. In addition, she had no sense of shame and would stubbornly pursue Fu Bainian everywhere he went. She considered herself as Fu Bainian¡¯s fiancee, even though Fu Bainian had firmly refused the marriage.

    Learning that her rebirth hadnded her into the body of such a fatty with no prospects, Lan Jinyao was very worried about her future.

    The reason why Blue Hall Entertainment had even signed Chen Meimei on was entirely because of the friendship between the Chen family and the Fu family. On top of that, Chen Meimei had only signed up with Blue Hall Entertainment to pursue Fu Bainian. It¡¯s said that there are benefits from being connected to an influential person, therefore, on her contract, things about hermitment to work were rarely mentioned. It could easily be assumed that Blue Hall Entertainment didn¡¯t have any hopes of such a fatty making money for thepany. So, all of this had resulted in Chen Meimei been an idle person in thepany.

    On the first day of work, with a cup of coffee in hand, Lan Jinyao wandered around the office. As her helpless figure was huge, wherever she stood it would be in the way of others going about their work. Ultimately, a well-dressed and delicate looking woman walked up to her, and with a w-like hand, patted Lan Jinyao¡¯s face. ¡°Howe you have time to return to the office today? Is it possible that our President Fu didn¡¯te to thepany? That would be impossible though, as I saw President Fu entering the building this morning. Could it be that he left again?¡±

    Lan Jinyao unhappily replied, ¡°Does my life¡¯s goal only revolve around Fu Bainian?¡±

    The woman nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes!¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s boiling blood instantly cooled down.

    She furrowed her brows, and said in a more solemn tone, ¡°If that¡¯s what you really think, then that¡¯s a big mistake. From now on, my future goal is to be a movie Goddess!¡±

    As soon as Lan Jinyao said that, she realised that so long as she had this face of Chen Meimei¡¯s, anything that she said would just be a joke when heard by others.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡±

    ¡°Ouch, I can¡¯t breathe. Chen Meimei, what¡¯s wrong with you today? Were you injected with chicken blood?¡±

    A woman nearby who was applying her makeup examined Chen Meimei¡¯s figure through the reflection in the mirror with an expression full of loathing. Her lofty countenance seemed remarkably sharp and unkind.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge, another artist under Manager Vivi besides Chen Meimei, was the daughter of a real estate developer. She was arrogant and despotic and believed that almost everyone was below her notice. Since the original Chen Meimei¡¯s heart was wholly preupied with Fu Bainian, she¡¯d never worked hard or strived tond any jobs. Therefore, all the TV roles and advertising endorsements that Manager Vivi could get were given to Xu Jin¡¯ge. Yet, Chen Meimei hadn¡¯t cared about that at all.

    In fact, even if Chen Meimei had cared, she couldn¡¯t get any significant roles unless she got help from her rich Father.

    But now, her focus was no longer on Fu Bainian. Instead, she wanted to get everything back that she¡¯d possessed in her life as Lan Jinyao; the things that had belonged to her, and the things that she hadn¡¯t wanted. She refused to give it all to a murderer!

    Thus, Lan Jinyao exhaled a long sigh. ¡°Yes, a woman with a career is more attractive. Fu Bainian hasn¡¯t paid any attention to me for quite a while now, so I thought that maybe I should focus on contributing to the country and working hard instead. I feel that one day when I¡¯ve achieved sess in my career, Fu Bainian¡¯s sight will definitely be attracted to me.¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge quietly scoffed. ¡°You should wait until you¡¯ve managed to seed in losing weight. Then you can see if Fu Bainian will be attracted to you!¡±

    Lan Jinyao beamed. ¡°Am I the kind of person who relies on their looks to make a living? Only people whock strength are the ones who are always looking at their faces in the mirror!¡±

    Chen Meimei was well known for being thick-skinned, so now that she was carrying Chen Meimei¡¯s identity, she was no longer afraid of people gossiping about her. Anyway, no one would ever be able to guess that she was actually Lan Jinyao.

    So, changing the topic, she said, ¡°But what our Jin¡¯ge just said is right. I should first focus on reducing my weight!¡±

    After saying that, she put the coffee in her hand down on a nearby table and left, leaving the remaining people in the room to look at each other in dismay.

    ¡°Was she serious?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible, she¡¯s just all talk!¡±

    .....

    Meanwhile, in the President¡¯s office on the 18th floor, a stack of photos was scattered across the desk. Almost every photo was disying a woman with a physique that was hard to look at. The more pictures the man sitting behind the desk had to look at, the darker his face became.

    ¡°Are you sure he wants me to choose someone from here? Does ourpany have no other candidates?¡±

    Shen Yu shrugged, giving off an indifferent appearance. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that can be done about it, ¡®A Thousand Years Of Tears¡¯ is an annual drama. Moreover, ourpany has invested a huge amount of money, so everyone must be carefully selected. The photos before you are the best candidates for the role that we currently have in ourpany!¡±

    Fu Bainian impatiently tapped on the table. ¡°Yes, but out of everyone, why does it have to be a fat person?!¡±

    Shen Yu shrugged as he responded, ¡°There¡¯s nothing that can be done about it as it was the Director¡¯s requirement. Moreover, this isn¡¯t just an ordinary character but a significant role. Therefore, it must be performed by one of ourpany¡¯s artists!¡±

    At that moment, a specific plump figure appeared in Fu Bainian¡¯s mind, as well as a pair of eyes that became slits when she smiled.

    His expression darkened, and removing his gaze from the photos, he asked Shen Yu, ¡°Why do I need to pick who¡¯ll y the supporting role personally? Do you think I''m that idle?¡±

    Shen Yu released an awkwardugh while rubbing his nose ufortably. Then, he pulled out a photo from his pocket. ¡°Alright! To be honest, ourpany still has another candidate, Chen Meimei. However, I think that nominating Chen Meimei would definitely be the wrong decision. Unfortunately, if we don¡¯t use Chen Meimei, I reckon that girl will chase me around the entirepany trying to kill me! So, haha...thank you, President Fu, for troubling yourself and personally choosing the candidate. As long as it¡¯s person chosen by President Fu, that girl can only endure it even if she¡¯s not happy.¡±

    Upon hearing this, a glint of coldness shed across Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°What you mean to say, is that you want to use me as a scapegoat?¡± His tone was somewhat dangerous.

    Shen Yu repeatedly waved his hands. ¡°How could that be?! Who would dare use our wise and mighty President Fu as a scapegoat?!¡±

    The next second though, he reced his ttering smile with a neutral expression and changed topics as he asked grimly, ¡°But...do you want to use Chen Meimei?¡±

    Fu Bainian slightly pondered it for a moment, his finger rapping a steady rhythm on the table. Every once in a while, he would release a heavy sigh.

    Just when Shen Yu was about to give up on receiving an answer, Fu Bainian suddenly said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to consider Chen Meimei. You choose the candidate that best meets the requirements! If Chen Meimei asks, just tell her that it was my decision!¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡±

    After getting the answer he¡¯d wanted, Shen Yu tossed Chen Meimei¡¯s photo into the trash and prepared to leave. But, just as he reached the door, he heard Fu Bainian say, ¡°This weekend is her funeral. I want to attend it this time personally!¡±

    The atmosphere in the room abruptly became heavy.

    After a long silence, Shen Yu quietly responded, ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll go and arrange everything.¡±

    ¡°No need. I want to go alone.¡±

    After leaving the office, Shen Yu stood by a window in the corridor and stared at the blue sky outside. Then, he let out a long sigh of relief.

    Fu Bainian had liked a person for so many years, yet he hadn¡¯t dared to say it out loud because she¡¯d once said, ¡®Right now, with me focusing on my career, I don¡¯t want to discuss love rted matters¡¯ when she was on a show. He¡¯d wanted to be good to her, so he¡¯d never acted on his own. Instead, he¡¯d let his subordinate, Director Shen Yu, act on his behalf. He¡¯d clearly prepared a grand confession, but before the roses even had a chance to bloom, the intended person vanished.

    Ugh! How many lifetimes of bad luck was this?!

 Chapter 5 - The Transformation Plan Of A Fat Girl (2)

    <h4>Chapter 5 - The Transformation n Of A Fat Girl (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao, who was woken up by the ring sound of the rm clock in the morning, stared at the white ceiling without moving.

    Previously, every day around this time, if she wasn¡¯t yet on set, she was already on her way to the studio. Back then she was someone who¡¯d worked every day of the year without a break, so it was unusual for her to have a chance to sleep-in like this. Consequently, Lan Jinyao closed her eyes and soon, she once again entered dreand.

    In the fog of unconsciousness, she saw the vague silhouette of a man¡¯s face. Reaching out her hand, she tried to touch the man¡¯s cheek. However, all that met her fingertips was cold air. Suddenly, Shen Wei¡¯an appeared before her with a crazed expression in her eyes, pinching Lan Jinyao¡¯s cheek as she screeched, ¡°Lan Jinyao, you turned into a big fatty! Hahaha...¡±

    Lan Jinyao was shocked awake from her dream, and springing upright into a sitting position, she noticed that her forehead was covered in a thinyer of sweat. Inhaling deeply through her nose, and slowly exhaling with her mouth, she soon managed to calm her restless state of mind.

    It had only been a little over an hour since she¡¯d fallen asleep for the second time, so it was now just past 8 AM. Yet, due to such a confronting dream, all traces of sleepiness had utterly disappeared.

    Stretching her arms, Lan Jinyao went to rub her cheek out of habit. But, once she felt her now plump flesh, her hand suddenly froze.

    After spending more than a minute in a miserable daze, Lan Jinyao decided that she would lose weight, revive her name, and once more, be a Goddess!

    Now that she had a course of action nned out, Lan Jinyao immediately moved to implement it. However, there always seemed to be resistance.

    For example, at this moment...

    Under the morning sun, on the road leading to the park, a ponytailed woman wearing sportswear was panting as she ran; her figure resembled a pumpkin. Along the way, she met an acquaintance. So, she stopped in her tracks, smiled, and said hello. Unfathomably, her greeting was returned by a certain someone¡¯s dagger-like re.

    Lan Jinyao stood on the wide path, her bright eyes staring innocently at the obviously disgruntled Fu Bainian.

    Who would¡¯ve thought that she could coincidentally meet President Fu when she was merely jogging on the road near her home?! It really wasn¡¯t deliberate, okay?

    A certain President was clearly in a bad mood, and after sweeping his gaze over her, he coldly said, ¡°You¡¯re embarrassing yourself!¡±

    After that, he walked past Lan Jinyao and jogged ahead. As Lan Jinyao stood rooted in ce and watched his back gradually disappear, she felt wronged. What the hell did she do that was so wrong?!

    Before long, a beautiful woman came up behind Lan Jinyao; her greeting warm and cordial. Unfortunately, while her smile was brighter than the sun in the sky, the wordsing from her mouth were rather unpleasant to hear.

    ¡°Chen Meimei! You follow my Big Brother around like this every day, yet you don¡¯t get the slightest response from him. Don¡¯t you feel at all frustrated? Now, in order to interact with my Big Brother for just the briefest of periods, you¡¯ve decided to try daily jogging? As far as your physique is concerned, I reckon that Earth¡¯s gravity must be extremely heavy for you, huh?¡±

    Heh, this girl seems quite young; how can she talk so harshly? When she grows up, isn¡¯t she afraid that she won¡¯t be able to get married?

    ¡°Chen MeimeiÒ»¡±

    Fu Zhangning pointed to Lan Jinyao¡¯s nose, and said, ¡°If you¡¯re able to persist with this charade for a week, then you can count it as me losing to you!¡±

    After saying that, the girl ran away like a gust of wind, leaving Lan Jinyao shell-shocked.

    Her weight loss n had just begun, yet she¡¯d already been sshed with cold water. Lan Jinyao wiped at the sweat on her face and unhurriedly turned to go down a different path. Unexpectedly, after changing directions, she once again met President Fu.

    Fu Bainian stopped in front of her and stared at her with a cold face. His expression was terribly dark.

    Lan Jinyao opened her mouth to say that she hadn¡¯t intentionally created an encounter like this, but who would believe her. This man, at least, would absolutely never believe her. This road was essible from sides; it was just bad luck that they happened to keep meeting!

    After mentally going through hundreds of scenarios, an idea suddenly popped into Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind. Lifting the corners of her lips, she revealed a smile unique to Chen Meimei. ¡°President Fu, your body is in an excellent condition. I think of you as my idol. Tell me, if I exercise like you every day, it¡¯s estimated that I could lose weight in a few days, right?¡±

    After the man nced at her, he turned away and continued jogging.

    Lan Jinyao stood in ce andughed awkwardly. It had never been her style to idly wait for opportunities to fall into herp, or pretend to have ulterior motives, butÒ»

    ¡°Who would believe that?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao sighed softly. It seemed that Chen Meimei¡¯s bad reputation would be difficult to wash clean in such a short period.

    At noon, Lan Jinyao went downstairs to the restaurant below her apartmentplex. After exercising for the entire morning, she¡¯d produced a lot of sweat, and her stomach was ravenous. In regards to food, she was unable toprehend how much Chen Meimei had eaten every day, to the point that she¡¯d umted so much fat in her body. But, from now on, she would be strictly controlling her diet.

    Just as she arrived at the restaurant, Chen Meile called to tell her that she needed Lan Jinyao to meet up with her tonight and that she would need to bring along the golden card that their Old Man had given her. Before hanging up, Chen Meile remembered to tell her the name of a club.

    This abrupt behaviour seemed to match with what Lan Jinyao had so far seen of Chen Meile¡¯s temperamental temper.

    Since she¡¯d been on the phone as she¡¯d entered, Lan Jinyao failed to notice the strange atmosphere permeating the restaurant due to her arrival. Minding her own business, she took a seat by the window and waved down the waiter. ¡°I want to order something!¡±

    After cing an order for a te of greens and pasta, she leaned back in her chair and prepared to wait.

    She had to say, that the environment around Chen Meimei¡¯s apartment was pretty nice. Additionally, while she¡¯d never bought a house in this location before, she found that even the style of this restaurant suited her tastes.

    Yet, after examining her surroundings for a few minutes, Lan Jinyao finally realised that something was wrong.

    If all of you are here to eat, then just eat! Why were there looking at me like that?

    Soon enough though, she discovered the reason for their stares. There, seated in the middle of the restaurant, was Xu Jin¡¯ge, wrapped up in a thick coat and wearing a massive pair of sunsses. And, surprisingly, the man sitting opposite her was Fu Bainian.

    It seemed that she wasn¡¯t even capable of eating lunch without meeting him. Apparently, when Chen Meimei had been choosing a ce to live, she¡¯d given it a lot of thought.

    Suddenly, she recalled something that Chen Meile had told her. It was a matter that had urredst year, before Fu Bainian¡¯s family and her family had proposed marriage.

    That day, Chen Meimei had gone to a restaurant to eat. There, she¡¯d happened to see Fu Bainian and a female artist from Blue Hall Entertainment sitting together at a table. After aggressively walking up to them, Chen Meimei had then picked up a ss of red wine on the table and sshed it over the female star¡¯s face. In that instant, a scream had echoed throughout the restaurant.

    That actress didn¡¯t act any better though, because she¡¯d then ordered another ss of red wine from a waiter, and sshed it on Chen Meimei in return. To Chen Meimei, being sshed with wine was a shock.

    Chen Meimei had been treated like the treasure of her family ever since she was small, and she¡¯d never been subjected to even the slightest trace of anger. The moment after the wine had sshed her, she¡¯d furiously wiped at the red wine drenching her face before she¡¯d stretched out her hand to shove the female star. Unfortunately, Chen Meimei didn¡¯t just look strong, but her hands were ratherrge. When the female star was pushed, she fell to the floor with a thud andnded sprawled out on her back; the sunsses on her face left hanging askew. Upon seeing the scene unfold, the reporters that had been crouched below the windows and keeping watch from outside the restaurant hurried in and started to frantically snap photos.

    The restaurant Manager saw this situation unfolding and began to panic because it didn¡¯t matter if it was the Chen family or Fu Bainian; they were all people that he couldn¡¯t afford to offend. As he was debating over whether or not he should go and calm Chen Meimei down, he was shocked to witness an unfortunate event slowly unfold. Once it was all over, he was dismayed to find that Chen Meimei had almost destroyed the restaurant.

    In short, this one incident had caused the mostly unknown Chen Meimei to explode in the media.

    From the way everyone was watching her, she guessed that they were enjoying the thought of watching a free show.

    Fortunately, she was now Lan Jinyao, and she didn¡¯t do aggressive things like Chen Meimei.

    After she¡¯d quietly finished her meal, Lan Jinyao paid the bill and walked out of the restaurant under countless pairs of eyes. She didn¡¯t even greet Fu Bainian when she passed his line of sight.

 Chapter 6 - The Transformation Plan Of A Fat Girl (3)

    <h4>Chapter 6 - The Transformation n Of A Fat Girl (3)</h4>

    Soon enough, Lan Jinyao discovered that she wasn¡¯t meeting Fu Bainian everywhere by mere coincidence.

    That afternoon, while Lan Jinyao was rummaging through Chen Meimei¡¯s purse, she spied a membership card for a pool facility. But, by the condition of the card, she could tell that Chen Meimei would¡¯ve only used it several times. So, hailing a taxi, Lan Jinyao decided to head to the pools for a swim.

    This was a VIP pool facility, so there weren¡¯t that many people present. Moreover, in addition to a public pool, there were sauna rooms and such. Overseeing the pool were muscr male coaches, and sexy females coaches, who were willing to apany those who asked for professional guidance.

    Lan Jinyao had barely entered the building before she wanted to turn around and leave because, unfortunately, she¡¯d run into Fu Bainian yet again. The man was only wearing a pair of swim shorts, and was currently swimming at high speed through the water; his figure as agile as a fish. He was so focused on swimming that he didn¡¯t notice her at all. So, she decided that it was a good chance for her to leave.

    Quickly turning around, she started to head towards the exit. Yet, just as she reached the door, she was stopped by a powerful arm.

    ¡°Meimei, you just got here. Why¡¯re you in such a rush to leave?¡±

    Lan Jinyao looked up and saw a muscr man watching her with a broad smile on his face; the thick muscles on his chest continuously flexing. She felt disgusted as a cold shiver ran up her spine, causing her to step backwards reflexively. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to go for a swim today because I suddenly remembered that there was something I had to do.¡±

    Unfortunately, Lan Jinyao failed to notice that the edge of the pool was behind her, and as she took another step backwards, her foot slipped and she fell into the water with a ssh. Her plump body quickly started sinking to the bottom.

    For Chen Meimei, swimming had been an excuse for her to get close to Fu Bainian. Every time she woulde to the pool, she would just sit on the chairs around the edges of the room and watch. Even when she would dare to get in the water, someone would be holding her up as Chen Meimei was utterly unable to swim on her own. Fortunately, Lan Jinyao was different. In order to maintain a good physique, she¡¯d made sure to go swimming at least once a week. Therefore, her movements in the water were almost more flexible than Fu Bainian.

    When the loud ssh had echoed throughout the pool area, Fu Bainian had looked up to see a colossal woman fall into the pool. Coincidentally, right at that moment, he was right beside her. No matter how much he hated Chen Meimei, he couldn¡¯t just stand by and do nothing while she drowned. Not to mention, their families were friends with each other.

    Thinking of this, he extended his hand to help Chen Meimei. Yet, just as his palm touched Lan Jinyao¡¯s waist, the woman swam away like a nimble fish.

    Swiftly swimming to the edge of the pool, Lan Jinyao climbed out. After grabbing the towel that a staff member handed over, she entered her private changing room. While Chen Meimei was doing all this, Fu Bainian had been standing in the pool staring at his empty palm; a strange expression stered all over his face.

    ¡°David, are you looking to die? Huh?! You sure were daring to push Chen Meimei, of all people, into the pool. Fortunately, nothing happened. All of us know that Chen Meimei can¡¯t swim and that she onlyes here every day to stare at President Fu! If something happens to Chen Meimei, you¡¯ll definitely be fired.¡±

    David rubbed at the space between his eyebrows with a depressed expression. ¡°I didn¡¯t even touch her, alright? She fell on her own. Besides, didn¡¯t she manage to swim and climb out of the pool by herself?!¡±

    The woman who¡¯d spoken was surprised as she processed his words before she turned to gaze in the direction of the changing rooms. After a lengthy pause, she asked quietly, ¡°That¡¯s true, Chen Meimei was able to swim on her own. However, wasn¡¯t Chen Meimei incapable of swimming? How was she able to swim like that?¡±

    Fu Bainian lifted himself out of the water and epted the towel that someone had handed him. As if unconcerned, he casually asked, ¡°During the time that I was unable to swim, did Chen Meimei stille?¡±

    The woman shook her head before smiling. ¡°If you¡¯re not here, what reason would Chen Meimei have toe?¡±

    That¡¯s right if he wasn¡¯t here, why would Chen Meimei bothering? Yet, if she wasn¡¯ting here, how did she learn to swim? Moreover, thinking about her posture just now, it didn¡¯t seem like she was a novice swimmer at all.

    When the woman in question stepped out of her private changing room, Fu Bainian stared at her with a pensive look in his eyes.

    Lan Jinyao tried hard to pretend that she couldn¡¯t feel the piercing stares she could feel aimed at her by Fu Bainian. Raising her head and straightening her back, she walked out of the building step by step. Unfortunately, her back felt extremely ufortable being watched like that.

    It was only once she¡¯d returned home that Lan Jinyao was able to rx as she threw herself onto her big, soft bed.

    Living like this definitely wouldn¡¯t work. Chen Meimei had been like a revolving the sun, wishing that she could be around Fu Bainian all the time. In order to work hard and clear her reputation, there was no way she could identally meet Fu Bainian again. Her first move would be to inquire about Fu Bainian¡¯s itinerary.

    Lan Jinyao, who¡¯d now decided in her heart, nned to never go out again.

    ****

    In the evening, after wrapping herself up in severalyers, Lan Jinyao went out.

    The ce that Chen Meile had asked to meet her at was a private club. Although it was situated in the city centre, the exterior didn¡¯t appear very high-profile, yet two attractive waitresses were guarding the entrance.

    In the past, Lan Jinyao had nevere to such a ce, as besides going to movie premieres, she didn¡¯t socialise whatsoever. At most, she¡¯d only attended banquetes and wrap parties organized by thepany. But, even then, she¡¯d had Shen Yu covering her back. When she¡¯d first started, he¡¯d told her that if it was something she didn¡¯t like doing, that thepany would never force her.

    Although she hadn¡¯t understood why he¡¯d been so kind to her for no reason, she¡¯d still epted it with a clear conscience.

    When Lan Jinyao reached the entrance, the two waitresses guarding the door asked her for a membership card, exining to her that only those who possessed one would be able to enter.

    Membership card? When Chen Meile had told her toe, she hadn¡¯t said anything about a membership card. Just as Lan Jinyao was about to exin her situation, a man came over and bowed respectfully. Then, with a smile on his face, he said, ¡°Miss Chen, you¡¯re here! Please, go in, your sister is waiting for you inside!¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt goosebumps rise on her arms when she was addressed so formally by the man who appeared to be the club¡¯s Manager. Still, she thanked him for his help as, without it, she wouldn¡¯t have known what to do.

    After entering the building, Lan Jinyao heard the Manager reprimanding the two young girls behind her. His voice was raised as he said, ¡°You girls even dared to stop that Miss? Back then, if Yi Pinxuan hadn¡¯t offended that Miss, then B City¡¯s first rate club position wouldn¡¯t have be ours...¡±

    The reprimand caused the two young girls hearts¡¯ to pound in rm. The oppressive atmosphere was silencing them and making it difficult for them to utter a single word.

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but find it strange. No matter how powerful Chen Meimei was, she only twenty-two years old; was she really that unreasonable?

    All too quickly though, she learnt that it wasn¡¯t that Chen Meimei was unreasonable, but that her sister, Chen Meile, was too kickass! When she entered the private room, she saw a man wailing with his arm twisted behind his back, Chen Meile forcing his body to the floor.

    ¡°Di-Director Chen...¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes almost popped out in shock when she saw the man¡¯s face.

    Chen Zetao was a Director who¡¯d already won numerous awards and had a strong family background. Surprisingly, a person who was considered as the cream of the crop was being abused by Chen Meile?

    ¡°Chen Meimei, it¡¯s lucky that you didn¡¯t arrive on time. Otherwise, you might¡¯ve been deceived! I didn¡¯t expect that not only would Fu Bainian refuse the marriage proposal between our two families, but that the Fu family would have the audacity to try and send a substitute by introducing you to this scumbag! The Fu family is looking down on us with such underhanded actions!¡±

    ¡°Miss Chen, you¡¯ve misunderstood me! I merely saw a big spider by your side!¡±

    Chen Meile pped the man¡¯s head. ¡°A big spider?! Not only are you a pervert, but it appears that you¡¯re also brainless! How on earth did you ever win your awards without cheating?¡±

    Lan Jinyao, shocked at the scene before her, nced at the sofa and noticed a giant spider crawling along the back of it. Terrified, she stuttered, ¡°Sis, there¡¯s re-really...a big s-spider behind you!¡±

    A woman¡¯s high pitched screams instantly echoed throughout the private room.

    This blind date, which had been prepared explicitly for Lan Jinyao, ended after it was disturbed by a spider.

 Chapter 7 - Her Funeral (1)

    <h4>Chapter 7 - Her Funeral (1)</h4>

    Previously, after bing a movie Goddess, Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t only bought a car and a house, but she¡¯d also bought a plot ofnd in a cemetery.

    In this bustling city known as B City, the price of living was high, and the cost ofnd was extremely expensive. When Lan Jinyao had asked her Manager, Li Qi, to buy a plot ofnd in a cemetery, Li Qi had stared at her like he was looking at a mental person. He was clearly stumped as to why such a young person was already concerned about their death. Did she suffer from depression or something? He thought that Lan Jinyao should find a day to visit a psychiatrist and get examined.

    In reality, Lan Jinyao had bought the plot ofnd in a cemetery as apletely precautionary measure. At the time, the answer that she¡¯d given her Manager was that you never knew if an ident or tomorrow would ur first.

    So, true to her word, Lan Jinyao had purchased a plot ofnd in a cemetery. A monthter, just after she¡¯d finished all the formalities and paid for everything, she¡¯d fallen from Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s office building. Anyone would feel dizzy standing on the edge of the twenty-something storey building, let alone fear falling.

    Lan Jinyao would always remember how she¡¯d felt in those few shorts moments as she¡¯d fallen from the peak of the building. Her heart would feel constricted, and her pupils would dte in terror. As for what she¡¯d felt when she hit the ground, she luckily the didn¡¯t remember much. At that time, she reckoned that she¡¯d been reduced to nothing but a pool of blood.

    At eight o¡¯clock in the morning, in a dimly lit room, a thick pair of curtains were open to allow a warm beam of sunlight to spill through the window and illuminate every corner of the room. Lan Jinyao was currently sitting on the plush carpet, a sheet of paper in each of her hands. One was Chen Meimei¡¯s schedule, and other was Fu Bainian¡¯s itinerary.

    ncing at the papers andparing the two, she couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°Just how fond of Fu Bainian was Chen Meimei?! Her schedule ispletely based on Fu Bainian¡¯s itinerary. No wonder I¡¯m able to meet him wherever I go!¡±

    The first agenda on Chen Meimei¡¯s schedule was running followed by swimming, with notes detailing what time Fu Bainian would be at the pool, and which route he would take. Looking at all the information before her, it appeared that this youngdy had been utterly corrupted and that her notoriety was deeply rooted in people¡¯s hearts. It seemed that her hopes of salvaging her reputation in a short time would be out of the question.

    Lan Jinyao drew in a deep breath before trying tofort herself. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter; I¡¯ll just take it slowly. With time, everything will be revealed.¡±

    As she continued looking through the schedule, she noticed a messily scrawled note that Chen Meimei had added to thest column: Attend that troublesome Lan Jinyao¡¯s funeral at 8 AM on the weekend.

    When the name ¡®Lan Jinyao¡¯ entered her sight without warning, she was stunned.

    Her funeral...

    Her hands were slightly trembling as they held the papers.

    Right, she was already dead. Lan Jinyao no longer existed.

    The past few days, after being discharged from the hospital, she¡¯d been striving hard to live well in this fat body. If no one reminded her, she would have to constantly shout at her reflection ¡®Chen Meimei, Chen Meimei...¡¯ or else, she felt that she would forget that she wasn¡¯t Lan Jinyao anymore.

    She was obviously still living in this world, yet her body was already decaying. Lan Jinyao felt somewhat numb inside, as if, even if her heart was pricked; it wouldn¡¯t hurt, just feel ufortable.

    At that moment, it was like she was awakened from a beautiful dream, and all that she could see was the word ¡®funeral¡¯. An immense sorrow weighed down her heart, making it difficult for her to breathe from the pressure.

    ¡°I¡¯m dead, yet I¡¯m still alive. Haha...¡±

    One by one, tears slid down her plump cheeks, soaking the papers in her hands. Lan Jinyao stared at the road outside the window; the bright scenery blurring before her eyes.

    The funeral was on Sunday, and today was already Saturday. Since it was her funeral, she wanted to go and see it. After all, no one was more qualified than herself to attend.

    ****

    In Lan Jinyao¡¯s private break room, the gifts and letters piled up on the sofa had been removed, and a couple of staff members were entering with pieces of white cloth. They methodically used the pieces of white cloth to cover the sofa, table and chairs. Then, once a piece of white cloth covered everything in the room, they left, closing the door behind them.

    In the hallway, the staff members spotted two women heading in their direction. So, stopping, they respectfully called out, ¡°Sis Shen!¡±

    The woman leading the pair was wearing a long blue skirt, and a hand-embroidered t-shirt; she gave off a kind of seductive feeling of freshness. She faintly responded and asked, ¡°This room used to be Jinyao¡¯s. What will it be used for in the future?¡±

    One of the staff members replied, ¡°It¡¯ll be locked up. This room won¡¯t be used anymore!¡±

    Wasting a private break room on a dead person? It must be known that there were a lot of artists in thepany, and most of them shared a room. Shen Wei¡¯an was surprised, but her face remained calm.

    She waited a moment before she asked, ¡°Why is that? Was it Director Shen¡¯s idea?¡±

    In thispany, only Shen Yu had treated Lan Jinyao so well. She was dead now, and no longer able to be of worth to thepany. Yet, they were preserving a room just for her?

    She was somewhat angry, so her tone rose a bit when she spoke.

    The two staff members nced at each other but didn¡¯t answer directly. Instead, they said, ¡°It was an order that came from above.¡±

    In such argepany, there were more than a dozen senior leaders; to say that it was an order from above was ambiguous. However, Shen Wei¡¯an was confident that it was Shen Yu¡¯s idea. Momentarily, herplexion turned somewhat unsightly.

    Unexpectedly, her Assistant Xiao Ding was angrier than her and cursed on the spot, ¡°Sis Shen, Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t capable of anything except for one thing, and that was winning people¡¯s hearts. Even Director Shen was charmed by her. Otherwise, why would he do something like this? If President Fu found out, then Director Shen would certainly have to face the consequences.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an didn¡¯t answer, and instead, she turned around and left, her high heels clicking in her wake. Behind her, Xiao Ding hurriedly followed to keep up.

    The two staff members watched as they left before whispering, ¡°What do you think about Shen Wei¡¯an? If Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t died, would there even be a position for her on the 12th floor? Just based on her attitude, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get there even if she knocked her head against a brick wall. Lan Jinyao died unexpectedly, and Shen Wei¡¯an was the closest to her before her death, yet Shen Wei¡¯an couldn¡¯t wait to step on her and immediately climb up. Fortunately, she¡¯s unaware that our President Fu has been pay attention to this matter because, if she knew, it would be disastrous. She¡¯s taking advantage of the fact that she was Lan Jinyao¡¯s closest friend to get close to our Director Shen.¡±

    The other person shook her head and retorted, ¡°That¡¯s wrong. Even if she hadn¡¯t used Lan Jinyao, do you think that she wouldn¡¯t be able to climb up? Shen Wei¡¯an is a rather shrewd woman! A few days ago, at the meeting venue, didn¡¯t she try to seduce a certain Director, but was instead angered to the point of wanting tomit suicide by jumping off the building?!¡±

    ¡°Yes yes, Sis¡¯ analysis is right! Sigh, us women shouldn¡¯t be like Lan Jinyao, living such a short life. But, we also can¡¯t be like Shen Wei¡¯an, living such a lowlife!¡±

    The two people noisilyughed as they stepped into the elevator.

    In the corner of the corridor, a woman was tightly clenching her hands into fists; herplexion white from anger.

    Xiao Ding quickly patted her back to appease her anger, andforted, ¡°Sis Shen, don¡¯t listen to those people, what do they know anyway? How dare they say that there wasn¡¯t anything fishy going on between Lan Jinyao and Director Shen?!¡±

    As soon as those words were said, Shen Wei¡¯an raised her hand and pped her. The p wasn¡¯t too heavy, but it still caused the little Assistant to nk out for a moment.

    ¡°In the future, I don¡¯t want to hear the names Lan Jinyao and Shen Yuing from your mouth at the same time!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an towered over the Assistant and spoke again, ¡°I want you to arrange for me to attend Lan Jinyao¡¯s funeral this weekend. Additionally, arrange for some reporters to be there!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Chapter 8 - Her Funeral (2)

    <h4>Chapter 8 - Her Funeral (2)</h4>

    That weekend, Lan Jinyao got up from bed early. Since she was going to be attending the funeral, she cancelled her morning running and drove straight to the mall. Chen Meimei didn¡¯t really have a good sense of fashion. She had a room specifically for clothes, but even though there were a lot of options, they were all far too bright and ring to look at. After searching through everything, she still couldn¡¯t find anything suitable for a funeral. So, she grabbed her purse and went out.

    An hourter, Lan Jinyao was wearing a ck suit and standing within the cemetery. As she walked towards the mourners, she saw Li Qi weeping endlessly in front of her tombstone, making goosebumps crawl up her skin.

    ¡°Yaoyao, did you feel like you would have an ident? Is that why you bought a plot ofnd in this cemetery in advance? If I¡¯d known that your premonition would be so urate, I would¡¯ve kept a closer watch over you and not let something happen to you.¡±

    The reporter standing nearby snapped a photo.

    Just as Lan Jinyao wanted to go over to andfort him with a few words, she noticed a woman d in a long ck dress stepping down from a car. She had a white flower pinned to her chest, and her face was made up with a lightyer of light makeup. She seemed to be somewhat wan and sallow.

    The people standing in front of the grave parted and gave way to her.

    A light shower of rain was falling from the sky, so she held a ck umbre that contrasted with her snow-white skin, making her seem like a ghost.

    When she was standing in front of the grave, the umbre slipped from her hand. Bending down, she ignored the umbre and instead knelt before the tombstone. Her skirt was instantly soaked from the rain and stained with mud, but she didn¡¯t seem to care at all. Her eyes were focused on the little tombstone before her.

    Everyone could see the sadness on the woman¡¯s face.

    She started to cry, and although her hand was covering her mouth, the sound of stifled sobs could still be heard.

    ¡°Jinyao, you persuaded me to keep on living, so why...why are you...sob sob...Jinyao...my poor Jinyao...¡±

    Standing under the rain, mourning the death of a beloved sister, the currently popr actress shed tears over a grave. What a touching act of deep sisterly love!

    Upon seeing this, Lan Jinyao, who¡¯d always been a patient person, felt like her lungs were about to burst from rage. However, those reporters kept taking photos, seeming like they even were preparing to give Shen Wei¡¯an a feature article. Needless to say, it would certainly appear as tomorrow¡¯s front page headline.

    Previously, Lan Jinyao would¡¯ve been touched, but now, in front of her grave, a murderer was putting on such an act of innocence! She was even using the affections between the two of them to promote herself! Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face was thicker than the sky.

    Perhaps Lan Jinyao lost all rationality at that moment, or perhaps it was because she currently had the appearance of someone that everyone hated, but she dared to be so unscrupulous.

    Lan Jinyao dragged her fat body over and squeezed between to the front of the mourners to stand before the tombstone. As she squeezed by, she knocked away several microphones held in the hands of several reporters.

    ¡°She¡¯s already dead! Who are you crying like this for? Could it be that you¡¯re crying like this specifically for the reporters to see? Shen Wei¡¯an, stop acting. Others might not know, but I, Chen Meimei, know the truth. On the surface you two acted like close sisters, but how many knives did you secretly stab her with? Now that she¡¯s dead, you¡¯re actually happy, right?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t speaking quietly at all. In fact, she was actually shouting all this at Shen Wei¡¯an. ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an, now that Lan Jinyao is dead, no one will hinder your future. I hope that the future path you travel will be even brighter. Fly higher and higher, because, the higher you fly, the further you¡¯ll have to fall to your death!¡±

    The fat on the woman¡¯s arm trembled, while her finger pointing at Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s forehead jabbed it every so often.

    The reporters watching such an outrageous scene had initially wanted to record it, but maybe due to the status the Chen family held within Beijing, they didn¡¯t dare to do so. When she noticed this, Lan Jinyao, as she was pointing at Shen Wei¡¯an, called out to the reporters, ¡°Hurry up and take a photo then! You dare toe to someone¡¯s funeral and intrude while people are mourning, yet now you don¡¯t want to take a picture?! I¡¯ll help you think of a title, just write ¡®The 18 line actress didn¡¯t hesitate to use twisted means to ruin her best friend while seeking fame¡¯. Yo, this title sounds like a winner.¡±

    With the appearance of Lan Jinyao, the cemetery had instantly been thrown into chaos.

    Regardless of her image, Shen Wei¡¯an screamed, ¡°Chen Meimei, what are you up to?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao flipped her hair over her shoulders in agitation, unable to calm the rage burning within her heart. My body is lying inside of that grave! What do you think I¡¯m doing?!

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything. I just can¡¯t bear to see someone benefiting from doing bad things!¡±

    The rain started bucketing down, and with the water wetting her face, no one could see the tears flowing down her cheeks.

    The two women cut a sorry figure as they tugged at each other in the rain. A circle of people surrounded them, but not one of them dared to pull the pair apart. Standing with Chen Meimei¡¯s identity, Lan Jinyao raised her hand to p Shen Wei¡¯an into the mud.

    Suddenly, it was as if time froze, and Lan Jinyao lifted her head to see the thunderous face of a man as he fiercely gripped her hand.

    ¡°Enough!¡± he quietly berated.

    Lan Jinyao stared into his deep eyes, then softlyughed as she said, ¡°It¡¯s not enough. How could this ever be enough?¡±

    In that split moment, Fu Bainian seemed to see an immense sorrow buried in the woman¡¯s eyes.

    The heartless Chen Meimei felt sad for a stranger?

    He quickly denied that absurd idea.

    ¡°If you two want to make trouble, then get out here. You can do whatever you want, but please don¡¯t do it here!¡±

    Lan Jinyao fiercely flung the man¡¯s hand away. She then leaned towards the crying Shen Wei¡¯an, and said in a very low voice, ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an, know that what you¡¯ve done, the heavens have seen it all. You¡¯ll soon meet with your retribution.¡±

    Fu Bainian gestured to Li Qi. Soon, two men dressed in ck suits came towards the trio. One pulled at Shen Wei¡¯an, while the other pulled at Lan Jinyao, to take the two women away.

    Lan Jinyao red hard at the man standing under the umbre before she flung away the hands restraining her and said, ¡°I can walk by myself!¡±

    An hourter, the wind and rain had finally stopped, and the people in the cemetery had left one after another. Lan Jinyao exited her car and once again stood in front of the grave.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, take a good look; this is the grave that you chose!¡±

    She gently stroked the cold tombstone as tears continuously slipped from her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re dead. There¡¯s nothing left anymore. Unfortunately, there was a person who dared to use any means possible to snatch away everything you had; even going so far as to ruin your reputation. But, while you¡¯re dead, she is still alive!¡±

    Tears dripped onto the bouquet in her hands, reflecting the sorrow that filled her eyes.

    The reflection of the meaty face in the puddle, however, was smiling.

    She softly murmured, ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m alive once more.¡±

    The cemetery was built on a vast hillside, and from the dense forest further up the hill, there stood a man. After Lan Jinyao had returned, the man had been closely watching her; his eyes fixed on the figure in front of the grave. He saw her first crying and thenughing. His brows were deeply wrinkled.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, what game are you ying?¡±

 Chapter 9 - The First Drama (1)

    <h4>Chapter 9 - The First Drama (1)</h4>

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s small n was thoroughly ruined. Although her wish to appear in the headlines was fulfilled, her reputation was utterly destroyed. Everyone knew that the rich and overbearing Chen Meimei scorned lying.

    Lan Jinyaoughed her ass off as she held a newspaper, the fat on her body jiggling along with herugh. None of her past noble and graceful manner could be seen. Especially when she saw what in the newspaper: Current popr actress investigated by police. Her eyes turned into slits as sheughed. Although she knew that the police wouldn¡¯t be able to discover anything, she was surprised that even though she¡¯d made such a cacophony, she¡¯d been able to create such powerful results. She was certain that it was because Chen Meile was adding fuel from behind the scenes. While it was clear that Chen Meile liked to push Chen Meimei from time to time, she could see that the affection between the two sisters was truly good.

    Unfortunately, Chen Meimei was no longer in this world, and her body was now upied by her; a stranger.

    Lan Jinyao thought about making a phone call to Chen Meile to express her thanks, but before she¡¯d even dialled, Chen Meile called her.

    ¡°Chen Meimei! Hurry up ande to thepany. Didn¡¯t you recently say that you want to act in a drama? I bought a role for you. Although it¡¯s not the leading role, it¡¯s definitely good enough for you to y. No more talking, just hurry up ande over. Thepany will assign someone to give you the scriptter.¡±

    She would be able to act in a drama so soon?

    Lan Jinyao squeezed the twoyers of fat at her waist which looked like a lifebuoy. She wasn¡¯t happy at all. With such excess flesh covering her from head to toe, what role could she y?

    Very soon, Lan Jinyao found out what kind of role she was ying; it was in an ancient costume drama. Lan Jinyao was acting as a wealthy Landlord''s daughter, who was also the female lead''s little sister. The fate of the character was rough. First, she fell in love with the man that the female lead liked, but she was unexpectedly treated as cannon fodder. Later on, her family was left in a desperate situation, and her Father took a group of servants away with him. So, she became the mountain stronghold''s heinous female Master. Everything she did, she did while being watched by the public. In the end, she died when she was shot by an arrow.

    The drama''s length was slightly longer than an hour, but it was divided into a dozen or more shots. Yet, since she would die before making it through half of the drama, it was a tragedy.

    As a professional actress, Lan Jinyao acted in quite a few ancient costume dramas before. However, to switch from acting as a immortal fairy to a mountain stronghold¡¯s heinous female Master, was quite challenging. That kind of grandeur and imposing aura wasn¡¯t something that could be acted out with ease by just anyone.

    Although the script was pretty good, this character was dismissed by Lan Jinyao. It was a role without any bright spots. Except for the brief highlights before the character¡¯s death, the other parts would be difficult for her to act.

    The young girl who gave her the script babbled endlessly, beaming widely as she said, ¡°Chen Meimei, your sister is very good to you. She was worried that you wouldn¡¯t be able to act well, so she purposely found a role that would fit your personality. You only need to learn the dialogue by heart, and that¡¯ll do! Anyway, it¡¯s not that hard, good luck!¡±

    The little me burning brightly within Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes was extinguished. She hadn¡¯t really given much thought to what kind of role Chen Meile would give her, so she hadn¡¯t expected this oue at all. But, it really was a role that specifically fit her!

    ¡°Where¡¯s the Director? I want to change roles!¡±

    The young girl looked her up and down, then shook her head. ¡°Although your family is well-off, this Director won¡¯t let you change roles.¡±

    Hey! This girl was speaking so straightforwardly! Even though the wholepany knew that her role was bought, it wasn¡¯t something one should say so openly!

    So, Lan Jinyao firmly said, ¡°I want to change roles. Tell me quickly; where¡¯s the Director?¡±

    Just as Lan Jinyao was going to call Chen Meile, the girl hurriedly held up her hands in surrender. ¡°Okay okay, since I¡¯m afraid of you, I¡¯ll take you there! But, you have to be mentally prepared. Although Director Chen¡¯s a very distinguished, carefree and magnanimous person with outstanding talents, when ites to his work ethics then he¡¯s very strict, so you shouldn¡¯t even think about being able to go through the backdoor.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t respond as she thought, ¡®I¡¯m not going to use the back door! I¡¯ll use my acting skills to conquer the Director.¡¯

    Upon arriving at thepany, Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t yet entered the room before the young girl rushed ahead and said, ¡°Director Chen, Chen Meimei just got the script, but she isn¡¯t satisfied with it and has asked to change roles!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! The candidates for the roles have already been decided. How could we change the roles at thest moment?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao walked in and saw a firm back. Slowly, that figure turned around and looked at her with a solemn look. ¡°It¡¯s you who wants to change roles?¡±

    ¡°Chen Zetao...¡±

    Before her was the man who¡¯d been prepared as her blind date at the club. The outstanding and infamous Director.

    ¡°Please call me Director Chen!¡±

    Lan Jinyao noticed that although the man had a handsome face, he was purposely acting all serious. So, she couldn¡¯t help but find it funny.

    ¡°Fine. Director Chen, I¡¯m asking for another role!¡±

    The man stared fixedly at her for a moment. Perhaps seeing that no one else was in the office, he opened the skylight. ¡°Chen Meimei, you know that your role was secured with great difficulty by your sister, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head, not at all agreeing with the man¡¯s statement. She shrugged as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t agree with you. My family has plenty of money. Therefore, obtaining something that you can buy with money is really not that difficult.¡±

    It appeared that he hadn¡¯t foreseen her cheeky response and was left stumped for words. He furrowed his brows. ¡°You don¡¯t have any acting skills and used money to buy a role, yet you still dislike it. Chen Meimei, it seems that your face is really thick. I decided to go see you that night, but it seems that was a wrong decision!¡±

    The man appeared slightly angry to the point that even his tone was cold and hard.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯splexion suddenly changed, and she stood in front of the man. Looking at him with a t expression, she aggressively said, ¡°First of all, you haven¡¯t seen me act before, so why do you say that I have no acting skills? Secondly, since it was bought with money, I should get the best role. As for you saying that my face is thick, then you¡¯re no better. You¡¯re selling your characters to actresses, so as a Director, what kind of aplishments do you have?!¡±

    The man was utterly speechless as her words shot like a bullet towards him. Not only his face was ashen due to anger, his chest violently heaved; as if he would go berserk any moment.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, the whole world knows that you don¡¯t have any acting skills! So, I don¡¯t need to watch your acting!¡±

    Lan Jinyao chuckled but didn¡¯t respond.

    The man lost his calm demeanour and red at her. ¡°What are youughing for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯mughing at your narrow mindedness! You¡¯re biased against me!¡±

    Chen Zetao opened his mouth. He had originally wanted to say ¡®if I were biased against you, then I wouldn¡¯t have gone on that blind date¡¯. But, thinking it over, he decided to drop it.

    After calming himself down, he said with a cold expression on his face, ¡°If you want to act in this drama, then you can only y this role. As for getting another role, this is the end of our discussion!¡±

    Chen Zetao put the script down on the table, walked past her, and left the room.

    Lan Jinyao was provoked by the expression of disdain that she¡¯d momentary glimpsed in his eyes.

 Chapter 10 - The First Drama (2)

    <h4>Chapter 10 - The First Drama (2)</h4>

    In the office, Lan Jinyao was tightly clenching her fists as she stared down at the script on the table. She didn¡¯t move or speak for quite a long time. For a moment, Bai Qian thought that this woman was going to cry.

    However, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t cry. Instead, she grabbed the script, and turned around and walked out of the office; her flesh was trembling fiercely along with her footsteps. As she was running to catch up to that man, loud bangs could be heard from the floor with each of her steps.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    Lan Jinyao pulled Chen Zetao to a stop by grabbing the back of his cor, which caused him to stagger a bit from the force of the pull.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, act more like a girl, okay? There¡¯s not going to be any more discussions about you changing roles!¡±

    Lan Jinyao bit her lip, and tried her hardest to look weak and pitiful. She couldn¡¯t help the fact that she didn¡¯t have a pretty-looking face. Whatever she did was futile! The man annoyingly furrowed his eyebrows when he saw her behaving like that.

    She softened her voice and said, ¡°Director Chen, please give me a chance. Didn¡¯t you say that I have no acting skills? You should at least let me prove myself! You can¡¯t be biased against me just because of the rumours that others have said about me!¡±

    Lan Jinyao noticed that the man¡¯s expression was softening. She thought that he might¡¯ve changed his mind, but she didn¡¯t expect to hear him say, ¡°Chen Meimei! I still insist on you ying that role! That character might not be the best, but, she at least appears in half of the drama. If you really meant what you said about acting, then take it!¡±

    Her hand slid weakly down to her side. The man stood there for a good while before he said to her, ¡°Think about it carefully; if, you¡¯re really not like what people say!¡±

    After that, he reached out his hand and rubbed Lan Jinyao¡¯s head. ¡°I look forward to your performance!¡±

    This action shocked Lan Jinyao!

    It seemed that it wasn¡¯t an ident that this man had agreed to go on a blind date with her. Was it possible that this man actually preferred someone like Chen Meimei? The more she thought about it, the more likely she decided that was the case.

    As she was immersed in her thoughts, a person came from behind her and patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Hey!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao turned around, she was greeted by a pair of gentle eyes that always seemed to be smiling.

    ¡°Shen Yu...¡±

    It felt like she hadn¡¯t seen this man for a long time. This person had guided her into the entertainment circle and protected her from behind; regardless of the wind and rain. He was a man who would always look at her with a gentle eye. Compared with a parent who hadn¡¯t returned home once for several years, Shen Yu was the closest to her.

    She really wanted to say, ¡®Shen Yu, long time no see!¡¯

    However, she suddenly remembered that the rtionship between Chen Meimei and Shen Yu wasn¡¯t very close.

    She never would¡¯ve thought that Shen Yu would smile at her, or even go so far as to pat her on the shoulder like they were familiar with each other. ¡°I heard that you don¡¯t want to y the role that you were given?¡±

    She drew in a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯ve decided; I will y this role!¡±

    Although it was only a small role, and she couldn¡¯t prove anything from it, she would let everyone see her new attitude; her attitude toward acting!

    At that moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart was iparably resolute. But, in the next moment, the firm belief in her heart changed to one of death before a battle.

    Shen Yu said, ¡°It¡¯s really not that easy chasing after President Fu; it¡¯s even causing you to force yourself to act. Well, although it¡¯s difficult, I still wish you good luck. Maybe our President Fu will be moved by your enthusiasm!¡±

    Although she knew that Shen Yu¡¯s words were directed towards Chen Meimei, Lan Jinyao still felt sad. Shen Yu had always been so kind to her, and with her sudden death, he must be depressed! Regardless of how Shen Yu treated her now, she wasn¡¯t willing to let Shen Wei¡¯an get close to him; even by just a step. That despicable woman didn¡¯t deserve it in this lifetime!

    After arriving on set that afternoon, Lan Jinyao found out that her role had changed. She¡¯d been changed to the second female lead. Once Chen Meimei¡¯s Old Man had learnt that his daughter was taking acting seriously, he¡¯d decided to invest in the drama, and had bought her the role. In order to specifically cater to Chen Meimei¡¯s image, the screenwriter had specially changed the second female lead from a vicious and merciless beauty to a vicious and cruel fatty.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s brows continuously creased as she read through the script. The second female lead was originally an unpleasant character to begin with, and now that it had been changed to a fat person, it had be even more unpleasant!

    No wonder she¡¯d noticed that those around her were giving her dirty looks when she¡¯d just arrived at the studio!

    The female lead of this drama was a female star who¡¯d recently be very popr. A huge poster of her had been hanging in front of Milky Way Times Square for a whole month; with no sign of it being taken down anytime soon. Unfortunately, some people would start to act self-important once they¡¯d be famous. The female lead knew perfectly well that shooting was scheduled to begin today, yet the person in question was nowhere to be seen. This resulted in Lan Jinyao, who¡¯d neverete to set before, have to wait for filming to start. She was so unhappy in her heart.

    There was no other way, so they could only proceed by filming the other scenes first!

    ¡°Makeup artist, quickly put makeup on Chen Meimei. We can¡¯t wait anymore!¡±

    The Assistant Director yelled out a few orders, and everyone immediately started rushing about. However, no one on set was optimistic about Lan Jinyao¡¯s acting skills.

    The scene that they would be shooting today was the prologue of the drama. After mountain thieves had kidnapped the female lead, the second female lead had stirred up trouble at the stronghold and incited a few people to assault the female lead! The assaults included all kinds of malicious attacks!

    At the beginning of the scene, in the stronghold, the second female lead entered the Master¡¯s room and instigated the Master to ¡®take care¡¯ of the female lead as soon as possible!

    Lan Jinyao was wearing a wide-sleeve dress that even she felt was utterly shabby. Swinging her bucket-like waist, she walked over to the Master¡¯s room. Fortunately, her skirt was wide and wasn¡¯t tight on her body. Sitting on the couch, she then snuggled up to the man¡¯s side as she whined, ¡°Grandpa, the girl that we caught today, we can¡¯t keep her for long. I¡¯ve heard that they¡¯re now searching all over the ce for her. If we don¡¯t take care of this quickly, then we would inevitably suffer a loss from this!¡±

    The actor in the drama was forty-something years old. He pinched her waist, but then his face changed, and he was unable to say his lines correctly.

    ¡°Cut, cut, cut! What happened?¡±

    The man acting opposite Lan Jinyao pointed at her and said, ¡°Director Chen, Chen Meimei¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t right! She¡¯s making it difficult to act!¡±

    Lan Jinyao, who was wrongfully used, just smiled. Endure it, endure it!

    However, Lan Jinyao soon discovered that she¡¯d been too naive. This man didn¡¯t want to act with her at all! From beginning to end, throughout the entire scene, all of the crew¡¯s faces became darker and darker.

    ¡°Old Xu,e here. Tell me, Brother, what¡¯s going on? Anyone with a discerning eye can see that you¡¯re making things difficult for that girl, Chen Meimei. If you continue acting like this, Director Chen will get angry sooner orter. When that happens, even I won¡¯t be able to help you.¡±

    The man who was dragged to the corner lit up a cigarette in irritation. ¡°Initially, we¡¯de to an agreement that the second female lead would be a beauty. Howe it suddenly became that fat girl, Chen Meimei? I heard that this girl bribed her way in?¡±

    ¡°Haizz, who said that she didn¡¯t? She has absolutely no acting skills, and she¡¯s not at all attractive. Who told her to have a family that has money?¡±

    Lan Jinyao, who was currently in the bathroom, listened to the brief conversation outside. After sshing cold water on her face, she then took a few deep breaths.

 Chapter 11 - The First Drama (3)

    <h4>Chapter 11 - The First Drama (3)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao leaned against the sink and looked at the unfamiliar face in the mirror. She kept pondering one question: Concerning this matter, what would she do if was standing in Chen Meimei¡¯s shoes? What would Chen Meimei have done if she¡¯d heard those words from a moment ago?

    Chen Meimei was the daughter of a nouveau riche family, and both her Father and sister doted on her, so she could actwlessly wherever she went. As for her, however, the two people who¡¯d doted on her weren''t even present during her funeral, and only a person like Shen Yu was willing to protect her. But, now that they were strangers, she¡¯d be a mere acquaintance.

    She thought about this for a long time, but she still couldn¡¯t think of an answer. Her mind was in disarray; she felt as if countless flies were buzzing about in her brains.

    As she clutched her head, the person standing in front of the mirror also clutched her head. Tears were streaming down her face, but even her crying expression looked extremely ugly.

    Outside the bathroom, everyone was ready to start, but the second female lead had disappeared. Assistant Director Fu was just about to call someone over when he saw Fu Bainian walking in his direction. He immediately hurried over with a smiling face and asked, ¡°President Fu, howe you¡¯re here today?!¡±

    Usually, something like this wouldn¡¯t happen, so howe he was here now? This was really unusual.

    Fu Bainian looked around the set before he said indifferently, ¡°I came to check on how the shoot was progressing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s progressing quite smoothly. Today, Fenfang was held back by something and couldn¡¯t make it, so we¡¯re now shooting the second female lead¡¯s scenes. It¡¯s just that sometimes, during the shoot, Chen Meimei isn¡¯t able to get into character. Due to this we stopped shooting for a while. However, we¡¯re just about to start shooting again!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s gaze swept around the set, yet he couldn¡¯t see that chubby figure anywhere.

    He asked, ¡°Where is she then?¡±

    Assistant Director Fu didn¡¯t register his question and directly responded, ¡°Ah?¡±

    Fu Bainian repeated his question. ¡°Where¡¯s Chen Meimei?¡±

    ¡°This...we haven¡¯t found her yet. She was here just a moment ago!¡±

    At this moment, a staff member came over and said to Assistant Director Fu, ¡°Chen Meimei went to the bathroom. But, it''s been almost half an hour, and she still hasn''te out yet!¡±

    ¡°How about asking a female staff member to go in and check then?!¡±

    As soon as Assistant Director Fu spoke, Fu Bainian walked over to thedies'' bathroom. When he arrived at the entrance, he saw Chen Meimei sitting on the counter and wiping away her tears. Her chubby body was trembling; it seemed like she was quite sad.

    Fu Bainian frowned slightly. ¡°Chen Meimei, are you crying?¡±

    Lan Jinyao quickly wiped the rest of her tears away. Unfortunately, Chen Meimei¡¯s skin tone was rather pale, so after crying so much, her eyes had be red. It was hard for others not to notice.

    Turning her head away from him, she said overbearingly, ¡°It¡¯s got nothing to do with you whether I cry or not. Hey, this is thedies'' bathroom! What¡¯s a man like you doing in here?!¡±

    Fu Bainian replied indifferently, ¡°There¡¯s no woman in here anyway!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m not a woman?¡± She jumped off the counter and walked over to punch Fu Bainian.

    He agilely dodged her fist before straightening his cor. ¡°Stop! The Assistant Director''s looking for you.¡±

    As they were walking out side by side, Fu Bainian pretended to be casual as he asked, ¡°Chen Meimei, why were you crying just now? Did someone bully you?!¡±

    But, as soon as he asked that, she immediately denied it.

    ¡°No way! Those people wouldn¡¯t dare bully me!¡± Lan Jinyao sniffed and then asked him, ¡°What are you doing here today? Could it be that you took a fancy to the female lead and came to visit her? However, that¡¯s too bad because that woman isn¡¯t here today!¡±

    She recalled that not long ago she¡¯d seen this man having dinner with Xu Jin¡¯ge in the restaurant below her apartmentplex. How could he have moved on so quickly?

    However, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t offer a retort.

    The people standing around set saw the two of them walk out of the bathroom side by side, which caused everyone to stop gossiping. With this, the set was nketed by silence.

    When Assistant Director Fu saw the two¡¯s intimacy, he frowned and muttered to himself, ¡°Didn''t they say that President Fu rejected the arranged marriage with the Chen family? Could it be that this wasn¡¯t the case and that President Fu actually likes Chen Meimei?¡±

    When they started shooting, Fu Bainian sat down on the chair next to him and watched. His gaze was fixed on the set before him.

    With Fu Bainian watching, the shoot progressed much faster than it had been previously.

    Unexpectedly, halfway through the shoot, something tongue-tying happened again! This time, an ident befell Chen Meimei, and she fell off the table. The table wasn''t all that high, yet she dropped straight down, so it was somewhat pitiful. Even though Fu Bainian was present, many people couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    It was evident that someone had done this on purpose, and it was done so tantly. Fu Bainian immediately understood why Chen Meimei, who¡¯d always been so headstrong, would hide in the bathroom and cry.

    His face sank as he watched this farce continue.

    When they started shooting again, he suddenly said, ¡°Assistant Director Fu! I think that you ought to change to a more professional actor, instead of using such a low-grade performer who slows down the productivity of the entire crew.¡±

    Practically everyone thought that he was referring to Chen Meimei. Even Lan Jinyao thought that he was talking about her.

    She patted off the dust on her body before angrily walking up to Fu Bainian, and loudly said, ¡°I¡¯m very professional!¡±

    Fu Bainian extended a finger while pushing her body aside, to then point at the man on the tform. ¡°I meant him! Assistant Director Fu, what do you say?¡±

    Today, something mind-blowing happened on set! To everyone¡¯s surprise, President Fu was actually speaking out for Chen Meimei. Didn¡¯t they say that President Fu absolutely hated this shameless woman?

    As soon as shooting ended, Fu Bainian left with Lan Jinyao following right after him. She walked in front of his car and blocked his way with open arms. She then looked at the man sitting in the car with a smile on her face. The driver got out of the car and opened the door for her without waiting for Fu Bainian¡¯s instructions. So, Lan Jinyao immediately got into the car.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, you didn''te to set today to see me, did you?¡±

    The man replied indifferently, ¡°Do you think that could ever happen?¡±

    His indifference didn¡¯t extinguish Lan Jinyao¡¯s enthusiasm. She still said excitedly, ¡°But, everyone on set said that you did it for my sake! You...could it be that you fell in love with me?!¡±

    Chen Meimei had waited for this man to fall in love with her, yet she was no longer here. How tragic was this!?

    The man turned his head and looked at her. His eyes examined her from top to bottom a few times before he suddenly raised his voice and said, ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    His voice was several times louder than before, so Lan Jinyao was almost frightened to death by him.

    ¡°If that¡¯s not true, then so be it. Why are you so loud?!¡± Lan Jinyao quietly muttered.

    When Lan Jinyao finally decided to remain silent, she suddenly saw Fu Bainian take the initiative to speak. He looked at the scenery outside the car window, and as if telling a story, he said, ¡°In fact, I already have someone that I¡¯ve liked since a long ago. It¡¯s been so long that the like turned into a deep love, and I¡¯d intended to take her as my wife. Therefore, Chen Meimei, it¡¯s impossible between us.¡±

    ¡°Oh! I get it now!¡±

    Fu Bainian looked at her suspiciously. ¡°You¡¯re not heartbroken?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao was stunned, but she immediately shook her head and replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m very heartbroken. I¡¯m telling the truth!¡±

    Fu Bainian. ¡°...¡±

    Why didn''t he see any trace of sadness in this woman''s expression?!

    Lan Jinyao asked, ¡°So, when are you nning on holding your wedding?¡±

    ¡°...She¡¯s passed away already!¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡±

    In fact, she was also already dead! But, she¡¯d since been reborn into someone else¡¯s body.

 Chapter 12: Do You Want A Patron? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 12: Do You Want A Patron? (1)</h4>

    There¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch.

    It wasn¡¯t until the car had driven into the courtyard of a mansion that Lan Jinyao came to a sudden realisation. Fu Bainian must be up to something! Otherwise, why would he speak up for her on set for no reason?

    ¡°Where are we?¡± Lan Jinyao looked at Fu Bainian in horror as she firmly clutched her seatbelt, not willing to let it go.

    Fu Bainian got out of the car first and opened the door on the other side. Then, he bent over to unfasten her seatbelt, grabbed her hand, and dragged her out of the car. Hisplexion didn¡¯t look very good as he said, ¡°Chen Meimei, what are you pretending for? In the past, didn¡¯t you really want to enter this house? I¡¯ve now brought you here, yet you¡¯re dilly-dallying and not willing to go in. Chen Meimei, ying hard to get is useless when you¡¯re up against me!¡±

    ¡°Could it be that this is...¡±

    Chen Meimei was someone who¡¯d wanted their life to revolve around Fu Bainian at all times, so much so that she¡¯d wished that she could stick to him like glue. What ce had she really wanted to enter? Could it be that this was...

    An rming thought floated to Lan Jinyao''s mind.

    This was Fu Bainian''s home?!

    She smiled in embarrassment and said, ¡°Haha, this is your home. Of course, I know that! But...don¡¯t you really hate seeing me? Why would you bring me here?!¡±

    ¡°You think I wanted to do it?¡± President Fu¡¯s face darkened. ¡°It was my Mum¡¯s idea; she wanted to invite you to our ce for a meal!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was puzzled. She¡¯d heard that when their parents had proposed a marriage between the two of them, Fu Bainian was the first to object. Moreover, he¡¯d insisted on this until the end. Now that his Mother had said that she wanted to invite Chen Meimei over for dinner, if he¡¯d still disliked her as much as before, then logically speaking, he shouldn¡¯t have agreed to this. She wouldn¡¯t have expected him to actually agree instead ofining. Besides, he even personally went to the set to pick her up and bring her home... Something smelled fishy here.

    ¡°Oh no! Why didn¡¯t you say anything earlier? If I¡¯d known that I was going to being to your house for dinner, then I would¡¯ve brought something!¡±

    Fu Bainian looked at her strangely. ¡°Chen Meimei, I¡¯m starting to realise that nowadays, you¡¯re bing less predictable. In the past, you woulde to my house and freeload quite often while I was away!¡±

    With this, the atmosphere became slightly awkward. Lan Jinyaoughed a couple of times to cover her nervousness and didn¡¯t say another word.

    She was praying that she wouldn¡¯t say anything more that might let the cat out of the bag today. If by any chance she couldn''t carry on, then she would just excuse herself by saying she needed to use the toilet and flee.

    When they entered, they could see that the table was already set up with many dishes and that everyone else was already present. It looked like they¡¯d just been waiting for the two of them. The moment that Lan Jinyao stepped into the room, the smile on her face nearly sank. She hadn¡¯t expected to see Xu Jin¡¯ge there as well. It seemed that the rumors about Xu Jin¡¯ge wrapping herself around Fu Bainian was by no means false.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s smile slightly froze, but the expression of the woman sitting at the dinner table turned somewhat green when she saw her and Fu Bainian walk in together, side by side.

    It looked like this woman hadn¡¯t even known that she wasing.

    Fu Bainian''s Father sat at the head of the long dining table. Beside him sat Fu Bainian¡¯s Mother, with Xu Jin¡¯ge seated next to her. Lan Jinyao subconsciously sat opposite the woman, so there was only Fu Bainian left to be seated.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge smiled at Fu Bainian and said, ¡°Bainian, sit here!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s Mother suddenly sighed before giving him a meaningful look. She patted the seat next to Lan Jinyao and said, ¡°Sit here!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s expression stiffened, and she didn¡¯t utter another word after that. Lan Jinyao had the urge tough when she saw her like this.

    It looked like Xu Jin¡¯ge, this future daughter-inw, wasn¡¯t very well-liked by her future Mother-inw! Lan Jinyao took part in the fun and tugged Fu Bainian into the seat beside her. When this tall and attractive man was pulled, he stumbled and almost fell on top of Lan Jinyao. Upon seeing this, his Mother covered her mouth with her hand andughed; her eyes were filled with praise for Lan Jinyao.

    Fu Bainian''s Father abruptly spoke up, ¡°Sit down and eat! It¡¯s unbing to behave like this at the dinner table!¡±

    After that, he withdrew his solemn expression and smiled at Xu Jin¡¯ge as he said, ¡°Jin¡¯ge, go ahead and quickly eat! Tonight, the kitchen has prepared all of your favourite dishes!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge smiled gently and replied, ¡°Thank you, Uncle!¡±

    Lan Jinyao rolled her eyes; she had a clear understanding of the current situation. Fu Bainian¡¯s Father liked the delicate beauty Xu Jin¡¯ge and didn¡¯t like the fatty Chen Meimei. On the other hand, his Fu Bainian¡¯s Mother didn¡¯t like Xu Jin¡¯ge and instead liked Chen Meimei. As for the arranged marriage, back then, it must have been proposed by his Mother. From this, she could infer that in the Fu household, Fu Bainian¡¯s Mother had the final say. But thenter, Fu Bainian himself had rejected the arranged marriage, so his Father had had a small victory as a result.

    However, today Fu Bainian had brought Chen Meimei home by his own ord, so Fu Bainian probably didn¡¯t like Xu Jin¡¯ge. Moreover, when they were in the car earlier, he¡¯d said that he already had someone that he¡¯d liked since long ago, but that that person had already passed away. Thus, it was evident that Fu Bainian wanted to remain single for that person, and that to do that, he had no choice but to find a reliable shield for himself.

    Besides, as Chen Meimei happened to already like Fu Bainian, he¡¯d decided to take advantage of this fact. In any case, since the person that he liked had already passed away, it didn¡¯t matter who he married!

    However, Fu Bainian had overlooked one thing; she was no longer Chen Meimei, and was instead Lan Jinyao! A woman who was utterly unfamiliar with Fu Bainian!

    Lan Jinyao felt that there was no need for her to take part in this y as she didn''t want anything from Fu Bainian.

    Unfortunately, it seemed that Fu Bainian had made up his mind to draw a clear line between himself and Xu Jin¡¯ge. He used his chopsticks to pick up sometro, and ced them in Lan Jinyao¡¯s bowl before looking at her with gentle eyes as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t you really like eatingtro? Today, the kitchen happened to maketro sd, so you should eat more.¡±

    Now, in front of her, was the pungent smell of thetro, while beside her was the false concern of Fu Bainian. Lan Jinyao wanted to cry.

    Couldn¡¯t she go without eating instead? Only the heavens knew why Chen Meimei had actually liked eatingtro!

    ¡°Meimei, why aren¡¯t you eating? Could it be that looking at this woman made you lose your appetite? Oh, but it was my son who picked it for you! Hurry and eat!¡± Mother Fu¡¯s face was full of joy as she repeatedly gazed at Lan Jinyao.

    Lan Jinyao was all smiles as she picked up the greentro with her chopsticks and slowly moved it closer to her lips. No one had noticed that although she was smiling, her hand was actually trembling.

    In the end, she closed her eyes and shoved thetro into her mouth. Once her mouth was filled with the pungent smell oftro, her entire body started feeling unwell.

    She tugged at Bainian''s suit, shaking as she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the bathroom? Hurry up and quickly take me there...¡±

    As soon as Lan Jinyao rushed into the bathroom, she started to vomit frantically. So much so, that Fu Bainian''s expression turned pitch ck.

    ¡°Chen Meimei!¡± as he spoke, he dragged out her name. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve said that from now on you would no longer like me, you don''t have to be like this, do you? What are you pretending for?!¡±

    As Lan Jinyao had started feeling better, she finally rxed and went to wash her face at the sink. When she was done, she turned around and grabbed Fu Bainian¡¯s cor as she angrily said, ¡°Fu Bainian, that¡¯s enough! I, Chen Meimei, live up to my words! When I say that I don¡¯t like you, that means I really don¡¯t like you. So, you don''t have to brood over this matter any longer.¡±

    After that, Fu Bainian walked a few steps away in irritation. He wanted to fish out a cigarette from his pocket, but he suddenly remembered that he¡¯d quit smoking ages ago. Due to this, his agitation rose.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, I''ve changed my mind! I''m willing to take you as my wife!¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at him for a while before she realised what he¡¯d said. She couldn¡¯t help but sneer. ¡°The person you like died, so you just want to find someone random person to get married to and forget about it. Unfortunately, I''m different from you, and I won¡¯t ept this. The person that I want to marry must be someone who loves me dearly, and simultaneously, he must be someone whom I love deeply as well.¡±

    ¡ªI won¡¯t ept this. The person that I want to marry must be someone who loves me dearly, and simultaneously, he must be someone whom I love deeply as well.

    ¡ªCurrently, I don''t want to talk about love rted matters. At this moment, I just want to focus on my work.

    That person had said the same thing when she was interviewed on TV.

    Fu Bainian looked at the plump face in front of him and became somewhat absent-minded.

 Chapter 13 - Do You Want A Patron? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 13 - Do You Want A Patron? (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao nudged him away with her fingers and walked out of the bathroom, her shoulders brushing against his on her way out.

    Mother Fu must¡¯ve heard them fighting as she was standing outside the door eavesdropping on them. The moment Lan Jinyao walked out of the bathroom, she saw Mother Fu smiling at her. Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t look more awkward.

    Lan Jinyao sighed inwardly. Chen Meimei used to chase after Fu Bainian like a puppy, and now, she¡¯d fought with him right in front of his Mother. Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t know how she could continue this lie and not get caught!

    ¡°Aun-Auntie!¡±

    Mother Fu patted her on the shoulders and said, ¡°Meimei, don¡¯t be mad at my son. Bainian¡¯s Old Man invited that woman, not Bainian. Besides, if I don¡¯t see any good in her, then Bainian mustn¡¯t either. You still have a chance. Remember, Auntie is always on your side! Go for it!¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled helplessly. ¡°Okay. I will.¡±

    After all that drama, Lan Jinyao returned the table to once again quietly eat dinner. Due to what she¡¯d said, Fu Bainian abstained from cing any more food on her te.

    The whole room was now shrouded by a weird atmosphere. Xu Jin¡¯ge seemed to have noticed how Fu Bainian was treating her and didn¡¯t dare stir up any more trouble. All in all, Lan Jinyao had a pretty good time. Except for one thing: anytime she put something onto her te, Fu Bainian would throw her a fleeting nce. When she would look over, he would turn away like nothing had ever happened. She didn¡¯t at all know what to think.

    After the meal, Lan Jinyaoy on the couch and watched the TV. The gears in her head were spinning as they tried to find the perfect time for her to leave. She would break down if she stayed here any longer. Just as she was about to use her work as an excuse, Fu Bainian suddenly said, ¡°You should stay here for the night. You have to be on set tomorrow, and this house is closer.¡±

    Before Lan Jinyao could say anything, Mother Fu nodded excitedly and piped up, ¡°Yeah, yeah, you should stay here tonight. I¡¯ll give Father Chen a call; he¡¯ll probably be over the moon.¡±

    As she was making the phone call, she babbled, ¡°Oh right, since you¡¯re staying here tonight, you might as well move in. If you live together, over time, you may grow to like each other. Then, you can think about getting engaged soon. The wedding needs to be big; we¡¯ll invite a lot of people. The gown needs to be ssy and beautiful. Hmm, and the venue needs to be a good one as well...¡±

    Lan Jinyao looked at her, dumbfounded. Just how much was she looking forward to her son marrying Chen Meimei?!

    That night, with Mother Fu¡¯s encouragement, Lan Jinyao ended up staying at their ce. She didn¡¯t even have a chance to say no. As for Xu Jin¡¯ge, after waiting a while, she was very politely asked to leave by Mother Fu.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s room was on the second floor and the first door on the left. Mother Fu told Lan Jinyao to stay in the room next to his.

    In the evening, after Lan Jinyao had taken a shower and was just about to get her beauty sleep, someone knocked on her door. She¡¯d thought that it was Mother Fu, but when she opened the door, she saw that it was Fu Bainian.

    Her eyes widened in shock, and just as she was about to shut the door, she found that it was blocked.

    ¡°Wait! I have something that I need to discuss with you!¡±

    He strode into the bedroom and locked the door behind them.

    Lan Jinyao moved backwards, pulling her evening gown tighter around herself. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Fu Bainian threw her a disdainful nce before casually sitting on a chair.

    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m going to do? You, the person covered with fat!¡± His words provoked Lan Jinyao. ¡°Then, why did you barge into my bedroom in the middle of the night?¡± She retorted.

    ¡°This is my house!¡± Fu Bainian rubbed the crease between his eyebrows and quietly said, ¡°I told you, I¡¯m here to discuss something with you. I heard that you wanted to get into showbiz?¡±

    Lan Jinyao gave him a questioning look. She sat on the bed and pulled the nket around herself. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that ages ago?¡± she muttered.

    ¡°I knew that you wanted to get into the business, but you did that because of...¡±

    Me. He, fortunately, didn¡¯t finish his sentence, because if he had, this woman would¡¯ve pointed at his nose and called him a narcissist.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t really want to do the work as you had ulterior motives. Now, it¡¯s different. I can tell that you¡¯re serious about bing an actress.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was amused. Since when could this man tell what she was thinking? Everyone in the world thought she¡¯d gotten into showbiz for him, and was only now working hard just to impress him. Even Shen Yu thought that!

    ¡°Oh? How did you know that I¡¯m now serious about my job and aren¡¯t just doing it...for you?¡±

    Fu Bainian opened his mouth without saying anything. It was as if he was writing his speech in his head.

    Lan Jinyao could tell that what he was going to say would not be easy on her ears.

    ¡°Because, that day...I saw you cry. The Chen Meimei of the past was carefree. If you didn¡¯t really want to do this, you¡¯d have quit the moment someone mistreated you. That¡¯s the Chen Meimei I know. If anything didn''t go your way, you would tear the set apart.¡± Fu Bainian said.

    Ha, so he did know Chen Meimei pretty well.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get back to the point. What do you want to talk to me about?¡±

    ¡°I think you need a patron, and I happen to need a girlfriend. We can help each other out by being a couple.¡±

    Where do you see that I need a patron?

    Lan Jinyao was going to say that, but after some considerations, she realised that she did need someone helping her. Chen Meimei wasn¡¯t doing well at Blue Hall Entertainment, and almost everyone disliked her. She didn¡¯t know how to act at all, but that was fine for her since she didn¡¯t really want to work in the first ce. But, Lan Jinyao was different, and as Chen Meimei, it was now hard for her to find something to act in.

    Originally, she¡¯d thought that she would be able to convince everyone of her worth with her acting, but reality differed significantly from her expectations. For just one scene, she¡¯d had to take at least a dozen takes. She was pulling her weight, but people loved picking on Chen Meimei. She wondered how many people Chen Meimei had offended over the years for Fu Bainian.

    Thinking about it, she was actually interested. If she agreed, then she wouldn¡¯t need to rely on Old Man Chen anymore. What¡¯s more, Fu Bainian had stated very clearly that there was someone he liked.

    Lan Jinyao decided to give this suggestion some consideration. Fu Bainian didn¡¯t rush her, and instead, he picked up a magazine and started reading.

    After a few minutes, Lan Jinyao suddenly asked him, ¡°You promise to pull some strings for me?¡±

    Fu Bainian nodded seriously. ¡°I promise!¡±

    ¡°Alright! I agree!¡± It was just acting, she thought. She could handle it.

    After she agreed, Fu Bainian dropped the magazine and left as he didn¡¯t want to stay for even a second longer. Lan Jinyao chased after him and asked, ¡°What gave you this idea?¡±

    Fu Bainian stopped, and he didn¡¯t say anything for a long while. ¡°My Mum threatened me with blind dates!¡±

    Once he said that a burst ofughter rang through the hallway.

    Fu Bainian strode back to his room with a dark expression and mmed the door closed behind him.

 Chapter 14 - His Everlasting Love

    <h4>Chapter 14 - His Evesting Love</h4>

    Lan Jinyao moved into the Fu house straightaway, with Fu Bainian telling his Mother, ¡°This is my girlfriend. She¡¯lle here pretty often from now on.¡±

    In the past few days, Lan Jinyao had gotten to know the sizeable house like the back of her hand. So much so, she now knew what was in every room. After living here for several days, however, she¡¯d realised that there was one room in the house that Fu Bainian prohibited anyone from entering. That day, she¡¯d only stood outside the room for a while, and he¡¯d been furious.

    Lan Jinyao swore to god that she¡¯d only briefly stood there. She wasn¡¯t even going to enter. But, after Fu Bainian had demanded that no one was to enter, she was curious. She couldn¡¯t get rid of the nagging urge that she must get inside the room. Maybe President Fu was hiding a massive secret from everyone.

    When Lan Jinyao arrived on set, the lead actress had finally decided to show up. The sunsses she was wearing hid her palm-sized face, and her chin was slightly lifted, making her seem somewhat arrogant. She had two Assistants and an Agent following her around. She was utterly unlike Lan Jinyao, who didn¡¯t have an Assistant, and her Agent, Vivi, was nowhere to be seen. She probably went with Xu Jin¡¯ge, the other star under her, to her job.

    Originally, the morning was going to be used for shooting scenes of the supporting female character, but now, the lead actress had finally arrived. Of course, the time was obviously allocated to her for the scenes that she¡¯d missed earlier. Therefore, Lan Jinyao spent her whole morning watching the people on set.

    While she was sitting on the sidelines watching, one of the crewmembers walked up to her. ¡°Chen Meimei, have you reconciled with President Fu?¡± she asked. ¡°Yesterday, President Fu kicked people out just for you; it was awesome! See, the female lead was being a poser and didn¡¯t bothering to set. Laughably, since she heard that President Fu was angry, she immediately decided to get her butt over here today.¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled without a word, but inside her head, she was partying. She hadn¡¯t realised that Fu Bainian would be so useful. Everyone here was afraid of him!

    ¡°Meimei, the Assistant Director didn¡¯t treat you very well yesterday. Do you hold any grudges against him?¡±

    The girl¡¯s voice was hesitant, making it clear that someone asked her toe. Lan Jinyao looked around the set and saw the Assistant Director smiling at her. It was clear that he was buttering her up; Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t be more pleased.

    She waved her hand. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t, he was only telling the truth. But, I¡¯ll show everyone what I can do.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s optimistic tone moved the girl. So, she bowed to Lan Jinyao, bending her back by 90 degrees. ¡°Thank you. The Assistant Director is actually a pretty good person; he just can¡¯t quite control his mouth sometimes. It¡¯s great that you don¡¯t mind!¡±

    Lan Jinyao gestured her closer. Once the girl was standing beside her, she asked in a low voice, ¡°You got in through other people, too, right?¡±

    ¡°Eh? How¡¯d you know?¡±

    Lan Jinyao gave her a mysterious smile. ¡°Well, I could see it. I could just see it!¡±

    This girl was so naive. She had dared to not only ask Lan Jinyao for forgiveness but also criticise the Assistant Director behind his back. He must¡¯ve been a rtive of hers.

    After finishing the lead actress¡¯ scenes in the morning, it was going to be Lan Jinyao¡¯s turn in the afternoon. At noon, she opted out of going out to eat, and just had the lunchbox that was provided on set. As she was browsing through Weibo while she was eating, someone suddenly loomed over her. Before she could look up, a chicken leg was dropped into her lunchbox.

    When she raised her head, she saw Chen Zetao¡¯s expressionless face staring back at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you like eating?¡± he asked tly.

    Since when did I like eating? Lan Jinyao¡¯s head was filled with questions. After a good while, she finally realised that it was Chen Meimei who¡¯d liked eating as she¡¯d never cared about her weight. She would eat whatever she wanted to eat, and she had liked to eat food that was high in fat.

    Staring at the chicken leg, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t know whether she wanted to cry orugh. ¡°I¡¯m on a diet.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fine the way you are,¡± said Chen Zetao. ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re perfect. Don¡¯t listen to what other people say!¡±

    It was the first time that someone had said that she was fine as she was. Lan Jinyao was a little moved, but she really was trying to lose weight. A person¡¯s figure was important in this world where looks meant everything.

    Chen Zetao stared at her for a while before picking up the chicken leg and walking away.

    Lan Jinyao had been busy browsing through the trending topics on Weibo, so she hadn¡¯t really paid him any attention.

    Actually, one of the leading posts was about Fu Bainian. She clicked the title and saw Xu Jin¡¯ge leaning against Fu Bainian. They looked intimate, with Xu Jin¡¯ge looking shy. She looked like a girl in love.

    Lan Jinyao put down the chopsticks in her hand and examined the picture. Why did she find it so familiar?

    Oh, right! It was taken when they were having dinner at the Fu house. At that time, Xu Jin¡¯ge had stuck remarkably close to Fu Bainian. It turned out that she¡¯d had a n all along. This woman was really something.

    Lan Jinyao closed the app and called Fu Bainian to mock him. Fu Bainian had had a meeting in the morning, and he was now having lunch when he received her call. He thought that something had happened to her on set again, so he quickly asked, ¡°What happened? Did someone take advantage of you again?¡±

    Her patron wasn¡¯t only wealthy, but he also knew to ask after her. That was good progress.

    Lan Jinyao silentlyughed. ¡°Not me. You¡¯re the one who was taken advantage of. Hey, Fu Bainian, do you use Weibo? Earlier, I saw a picture that Xu Jin¡¯ge had uploaded, and it was of you and her. Weibo is an uproar with all her fans saying that you¡¯re getting married to her.¡±

    ¡°I am getting married, but not to her!¡±

    ¡°Then to whom? Me?¡± she blurted.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t respond for a good long while. In the end, he hung up on her.

    Lan Jinyao stared at her phone in confusion as she muttered, ¡°It can¡¯t be me, right?¡±

    When Lan Jinyao returned to the Fu house, there was no one home. She was just about to enter her bedroom, but as she reached the door to the forbidden room, she stopped. On impulse, she decided to go in.

    It was a regr room. There was nothing special about it at all.

    Picking up a diary that was lying on the desk, she found that it was filled with words that were written in bold handwriting.

    ¡®A person is like half of a circle. Since the day we are born, our other half is somewhere in the world, waiting for us. As we continuously grow, we learn how to search. Then, our long journey of looking for the other half of our circle begins.¡¯

    ¡®I was lucky that I managed to find her so early in life. The moment I saw her, I heard my heart as it started pounding. Thump, thump, thump. Every beat was a scream saying, ¡°It¡¯s her! Her!¡±¡¯

    ¡®Unfortunately, before love coulde knocking at my door, she left this world. My life is now iplete. I will never be a closed circle...¡¯

    Reading this, Lan Jinyao was amused. She hadn¡¯t expected that this man would carry such deep feelings for so long. She wondered who it was that he¡¯d fallen in love with.

 Chapter 15 - Weibo War

    <h4>Chapter 15 - Weibo War</h4>

    In the morning, once she¡¯d returned to her room after a jog, Lan Jinyao realised that her phone was going to explode with all the calls that she¡¯d been getting. More than twenty missed calls. All from her Agent, Vivi. The moment she called her back, she heard Vivi angrily say, ¡°What¡¯s with your Weibo?¡±

    ¡°Weibo? Oh, you mean that post. Yes, I did that myself!¡±

    After Xu Jin¡¯ge had posted a picture where she and Fu Bainian appeared to be close, and the post had be a headliner, her Weibo was overwhelmed with people¡¯sments. In response, Lan Jinyao posted another set of pictures to Chen Meimei¡¯s Weibo, which featured, again, Fu Bainian as the male lead. He and Lan Jinyao appeared to be intimate as well, and every picture was taken at a different ce.

    Chen Meimei didn¡¯t have a lot of followers. Probably a little more than a hundred at most. Apart from some that were promotional ounts for e treatment, all the others were people that she knew. When she¡¯d first uploaded the pictures, the post was only shared by a handful of people. In less than a day, however, her post started trending as well.

    Vivi shouted at her through the phone. ¡°Lady, you¡¯re looking for trouble! You and Xu Jin¡¯ge are both stars under my care. Can you not pick on her? You can¡¯t win. Do you know that now everyone on Weibo is calling you names? They¡¯re calling you a damn fatty and say that you have no shame!¡±

    ¡°Everyone in the world knows that President Fu doesn¡¯t like you. Why do you have to get involved?¡±

    ¡°I just woke up and didn¡¯t have a chance to check Weibo,¡± Lan Jinyao said calmly. ¡°A lot of people are calling me names? That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll make them shut up in just a while.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, it won¡¯t help even if you pay people to speak for you. Your Weibo was overwhelmed!¡±

    ¡°Just you wait!¡± Lan Jinyao hung up before Vivi could say anything more.

    After hanging up, she calmly put on a facial mask and started browsing Weibo. She thought about it. Why was she called shameless, while Xu Jin¡¯ge was universally congratted? In the end, it was probably because Xu Jin¡¯ge had too many fans and her image was impable. It was difficult for people to see past her pure and innocent image.

    ¡°Great President Fu, someone was using your name as news fodder again. Your girlfriend is upset!¡± Following that was a crying emoji. She also tagged Fu Bainian¡¯s Weibo handle.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s ount also had tens of millions of followers, but he didn¡¯t log on that often. His ount was managed by his Assistant, and the fact that he and Lan Jinyao had started dating hadn¡¯t been leaked yet. Only the older members of their families knew about it. Therefore, when the Assistant saw that Fu Bainian was tagged, he looked at him in shock and quickly denied the news. He published a formal looking post.

    ¡°This malicious publicity stunt on Weibo has greatly damaged my reputation. Please kindly stop what you¡¯re doing. Thank you!¡±

    After posting it, the Assistant threw a nce at President Fu who was currently signing documents.

    Fu Bainian looked up and asked, ¡°What?¡±

    The Assistant shook his head. ¡°Nothing!¡± He hadn¡¯t realised that Chen Meimei had such thick skin. Everyone in the world knew that President Fu had said no to her offer of an arranged marriage. Yet, she still did something like this?

    Weibo was filled with thousands of people. In an instant, the post was shared more than ten thousand times. It didn¡¯t refer to anyone in particr, but people made their own conclusion, and immediately put Chen Meimei¡¯s name to it. With Fu Bainian¡¯s involvement, the topic¡¯s poprity reached an all-time high.

    At noon, the Assistant tentatively asked Fu Bainian, ¡°Boss, do you want to invite Xu Jin¡¯ge for lunch?¡±

    Fu Bainian was puzzled. ¡°Why would I invite her for lunch?¡±

    The Assistant blinked in confusion. ¡°Huh?¡±

    Didn¡¯t couples in love always want to spend time together?

    ¡°Even if I were going to invite someone, it wouldn¡¯t be her,¡± Fu Bainian said. ¡°I already have a girlfriend.¡±

    The Assistant¡¯s jaw dropped in shock. ¡°Y-you, you have a girlfriend, and it¡¯s not Xu Jin¡¯ge??¡±

    Fu Bainian snorted as a way of saying yes.

    ¡°It c-can¡¯t be that fatty, Chen Meimei, right?¡±

    Fu Bainian gave him a dangerous look and said, ¡°If you continue being so disrespectful about the future wife of your Boss, your career will have no prospects!¡±

    The Assistant bit into his fingers as he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose!¡±

    He meant the post!

    The next second, Fu Bainian¡¯s phone rang. The Assistant peeked at the phone and read therge text shing across the screen: Chen Meimei. It almost blinded his poor eyes.

    ¡°Boss, I still have matters that I need to attend to. I¡¯m just gonna go!¡±

    After hurriedly speaking the Assistant quickly fled. Fu Bainian threw a questioning nce at him before answering the phone.

    Lan Jinyao had initially thought that Fu Bainian would take her side and hand her an olive branch after she¡¯d posted the pictures on her Weibo. This was because, when she¡¯d asked him why he¡¯d picked her as a shield and not Xu Jin¡¯ge or another woman, he¡¯d said that Xu Jin¡¯ge was too much of a poser and that he had no respect for her. As for why he¡¯d picked her and not someone else, he¡¯d said that it was because he would never fall in love with Chen Meimei.

    She¡¯d thought that even though they were a fake couple, they would at least pretend to be in love. She knew it was difficult with her looking like this, but still.

    Even ignoring her was better than posting to Weibo and throwing her under a bus; at least then it wouldn¡¯t be as bad as it was now.

    The more Lan Jinyao thought about it, the more she was convinced that Fu Bainian was sick in the head. Seriously sick.

    After an hour of fuming, she finally called Fu Bainian. On the phone he sounded alright; gentle, even. He also kindly invited her for lunch. Hearing that, Lan Jinyao sneered and harshly said, ¡°Have you dealt with what happened on Weibo? All you¡¯re thinking about is lunch! What happened to being my patron? What happened to protecting my reputation?¡±

    After that outburst, Lan Jinyao immediately regretted what she¡¯d said. This was Fu Bainian, not any other man, and she couldn¡¯t afford to get on his bad side. If he decided to kick her out of the industry, she was doomed.

    Lan Jinyao was just about to say something to alleviate the awkwardness when she heard the confused voice on the other end of the phone. ¡°What happened on Weibo?¡±

    ¡°Take a look yourself. What did you just do on Weibo?¡±

    Fu Bainian shouted out his office door with a dark expression on his face. ¡°Qian Ran, get your ass in here! What the hell happened on Weibo?¡±

    Qian Ran¡¯s hand continuously shook as he held his phone. ¡°I can¡¯t exin it, Boss. You should take a look for yourself.¡±

    Fu Bainian looked over the timeline on his phone and quickly grasped the situation. He side-eyed his trembling Assistant and said through clenched teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with youter. Now, go and make a reservation at a restaurant for me!¡±

    The Assistant grimaced and immediately ran out of the room.

    Lan Jinyao was listening to all of this on the phone and was slightly startled when Fu Bainian suddenly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t make that post. If you want to solve this problem, then go and make yourself presentable. I¡¯ll pick you up for lunch soon.¡±

    ¡°Lunch lunch lunch! I¡¯m going to get torn to pieces if I go out now!¡± Lan Jinyao covered her face and whined.

 Chapter 16 - Weibo War (2)

    <h4>Chapter 16 - Weibo War (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao put on a ton of clothes as a disguise and left in a rush as Fu Bainian¡¯s car was already waiting outside for her. The moment she got in the car, Fu Bainian asked, ¡°Why did you turn yourself into a rice dumpling? What, you¡¯re worried that people will recognise you? No need to worry. It¡¯s true that you finished shooting that drama, but it hasn¡¯t even aired yet. No one will recognise you!¡±

    Thatst sentence repeatedly echoed in Lan Jinyao¡¯s head: No one will recognise you. No one will recognise you!

    She gave him a dark look. ¡°President Fu, do you know that what you¡¯ve said is the biggest insult to an actor?¡±

    Fu Bainian chuckled.

    Suddenly, he leaned towards her and a steely smell that was uniquely male assaulted her senses. Lan Jinyao stared at the face that was far too close to hers, and her body froze in ce. ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡±

    Fu Bainian slowly put her seatbelt on for her and looked at her in exasperation. ¡°What have you been thinking about all day? Don¡¯t forget: I¡¯m not interested in you, and that is why - ¡±

    Lan Jinyao rolled her eyes andpleted his sentence for him. ¡°I know. It¡¯s because you¡¯re not interested in me that you picked poor me as your fake girlfriend. You¡¯ve made that very clear, so you don¡¯t have to say it again and again!¡±

    ¡°Good!¡±

    So, you¡¯re not interested in me. Well, I¡¯m not interested in you either!

    ¡°I may not be popr now, but at least I¡¯m an inte celebrity,¡± Lan Jinyao added. ¡°Someone cold-bloodedly bashed me on Weibo and damaged my reputation.¡±

    Fu Bainian nced at her with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m giving you an opportunity to save your reputation.¡±

    Lan Jinyao scoffed and red out the window with her arms crossed. She paid him no mind.

    Fu Bainian was amused as he looked at her profile. Her face was chubby, but not in a cute way. Her lips were slightly curled upwards. At this angle, at this very moment, he suddenly felt that she looked awfully familiar and it caused his mind to wander.

    Did every woman have little habits like this? Or was it just Chen Meimei?

    With that thought in mind, the smile fell from his face. He looked away and focused on driving.

    Fu Bainian parked the car by the side of the road and took the lead in entering the restaurant with Lan Jinyao following after him. It was only once she¡¯d walked inside that she realised what he¡¯d meant by giving her an opportunity. This man had picked a restaurant for couples! Everyone inside was at a table with their lover.

    It was now or never, and Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity; she needed to take action now!

    She immediately took a picture of the restaurant¡¯s entrance. Then, pretending to be careless, she took the seat directly opposite Fu Bainian and removed her sunsses.

    ¡°Other than the bad lighting, this ce is nice. I wonder how the pictures will turn out.¡±

    Fu Bainian waved his hand at the waiter. ¡°Menu, please!¡±

    After Fu Bainian had finished ordering, the waiter held the menu out to Lan Jinyao and asked, ¡°What would you like today?¡±

    Once she¡¯d taken the menu, Fu Bainian mockingly said, ¡°You still want more? Do you want to put on even more weight?¡±

    The atmosphere around them instantly became awkward as the waiter watched her for a response. Ignoring it, Lan Jinyao gave him a brilliant smile. ¡°I¡¯m currently on a diet and can''t overeat. What he¡¯s ordered is enough.¡±

    She never expected that President Fu would be so stingy!

    Infuriatingly, the man looked at her like he only wanted what was best for her. ¡°It¡¯s important for you to lose weight. Didn¡¯t you say you want to be better? Losing weight is the first step!¡±

    Lan Jinyao pped her hand against the table. ¡°Well said!¡±

    The restaurant had been quiet, and when she¡¯d pped the table, the loud noise had caused almost every couple in the restaurant to turn and look at her; Fu Bainian included.

    She chuckled apologetically. ¡°Sorry for interrupting your meals. I was just unable to control myself and became too excited since I finally got the guy I¡¯d been chasing after.¡±

    Her carelessughter rang through the restaurant.

    Not long after, people started to take pictures of her.

    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that the Chen Meimei that¡¯s really famous on Weibo? So many people used her of being a toad trying to eat swan meat, but as it turns out, Fu Bainian actually epted her?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that even though she was a bit chubby, she was still much better than that faker, Xu Jin¡¯ge. I didn¡¯t expect this man to have such good tastes.¡±

    ¡°True true!¡±

    ¡°Quick, take their picture!¡±

    Everyone around the restaurant was eating, but at the same time, their hands were hidden under their tables as they tried to sneak pictures with their phones.

    Lan Jinyao felt delighted as she listened to their gossiping.

    Suddenly, a bright light lit up the restaurant as someone had forgotten to turn their sh off while they were taking pictures. The click of a picture being taken was also clearly heard. The girl that had taken the photo thought that she¡¯d been caught and was a little embarrassed as Chen Meimei walked up to her.

    ¡°Hi, are you sneakily taking pictures of me?¡±

    ¡°Other people are too,¡± she stammered. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one!¡±

    Lan Jinyao gave her a wide grin. ¡°Are you going to post it on Weibo? I give you my permission to take pictures of us; no need to hide it.¡±

    She walked to Fu Bainian¡¯s side and made a heart gesture with her fingers next to his face. Their heads were close together. ¡°Come on. Take all the pictures you want.¡±

    With her enthusiastic permission, the young girl used her phone to take a dozen pictures. She even told Lan Jinyao to change her pose, the two of them clearly having too much fun doing this. The odd one out was Fu Bainian, who maintained his neutral expression. It was evident that he wasn¡¯t happy about the situation, but he still patiently let them take the pictures.

    After the girl published a post on Weibo, Lan Jinyao immediately liked it and shared it. She also made Fu Bainian do the same.

    Fu Bainian stared at the post on his Weibo - the wording was so much more childish than his usual posts. He rubbed at the centre of his eyebrows in resignation. He¡¯d underestimated this woman¡¯s IQ. When he saw her taking pictures of the restaurant entrance, he¡¯d thought that she was going to take matters into her own hands. He never expected that she¡¯d be so good at using the crowd to her advantage.

    After Fu Bainian shared that Weibo post, Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s Weibo descended into chaos. All her fans were telling her to speak up. Otherwise, her husband was going to be taken by that shameless woman - they meant Lan Jinyao, of course. But, Xu Jin¡¯ge stayed silent. No matter how big of a fuss her fans made, she didn¡¯t post anything on Weibo.

    After Lan Jinyao went against Xu Jin¡¯ge and tried her best showing how in love she and Fu Bainian was, she suddenly gained a lot of followers. Lan Jinyao looked at her number of followers skyrocketing. Then, she gave the man who was now slicing up steak a dark look. ¡°I have fewer followers than you, a businessman! Don¡¯t you feel proud, Fu Bainian?¡±

    He wiped his mouth and said earnestly, ¡°I know how extraordinary a man I am, so no, I¡¯m not proud about it.¡±

    Yeah, right, such a great man! Just the slightest bit narcissistic.

    s, he had said that he¡¯d never be interested in her.

    Lan Jinyao released a sigh. Fu Bainian fit her bill for the ideal partner, but he was just a little too grumpy.

 Chapter 17 - Kidnapped (1)

    <h4>Chapter 17 - Kidnapped (1)</h4>

    After airing, Chen Meimei¡¯s first TV drama was actually pretty well-received. It wasn¡¯t as popr as the ones that Lan Jinyao had picked before, but as a show with only unknown actors, it performed well in the ratings. At least, Lan Jinyao was pretty satisfied.

    There were even people who praised her for her acting on her Weibo, even though the fans might not really understand the art.

    However, while Lan Jinyao was giggling at her cell phone, two serious things happened.

    The first was that their show¡¯s lead actress was rumoured to have entered a hotel with a married businessman. Then, there was the news of a group of actors being caught using drugs in a police crackdown. One of those actors was their lead actor. The two leads were the face of their drama, but now both were now in trouble. It would be difficult for their drama to survive.

    In only a day, all the websites streaming the drama had taken it down.

    Once again, Chen Meimei¡¯s Weibo was overwhelmed. Everyone was saying that both the leads were doomed and that she as the supporting actress had to hold on tight.

    Some also said that the drama was cursed as the cast and crew must¡¯ve forgotten to pray in a temple before production started. The deities were now unhappy.

    Just as Lan Jinyao thought that this might be the lowest point so far, another thing happened - she was kidnapped.

    The drama had had a decent viewership, and Lan Jinyao had gained a fair number of fans. Unfortunately, she''d never expected one of her fans to be a deranged stalker. On her way to the supermarket, a van suddenly drove up to her. When she was about to be hit by the van, someone grabbed her from behind and covered her nose before she could turn around, and she was dragged onto the van.

    Night fell, and more people started wandering about on the streets. However, no one noticed the hairpin lying crushed by the wheels of a van on the road.

    When Lan Jinyao came to, she was already in a foreign ce. The room¡¯s decor was cute; like a room for a princess. She was lying on a bed covered in a Hello Kitty print, her hands were tied to the bedposts behind her, and her kidnapper had very kindly covered her with a nket.

    It was the first time that she¡¯d encountered something like this. She looked around in a panic and realised that she was alone. Since she didn¡¯t know when her kidnapper would return she had toe up with something quickly.

    Just then, a ringtone shattered the quietness nketing the room. Her phone!

    She looked around and finally spotted her phone; it was on the floor behind the cab. It seemed like the kidnapper had dropped it when he¡¯d carried her here.

    Good. She still had her phone!

    She tried to break out of the restraints and realised that the ropes weren¡¯t tied that tightly around her wrists. She strained her muscles as she tugged as hard as she could until the knots unravelled.

    ¡°This kidnapper is so careless!¡± It didn¡¯t appear to be a professional at all.

    The first thing she did was pick up her phone. Unfortunately, the next thing she did was something that she would regret for a very long time. She didn¡¯t call the police. Instead, she called Fu Bainian; the man that always seemed to have nothing to do immediately answered.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, did you die or something? I¡¯ve been looking for you all afternoon. You¡¯re not at thepany, and you¡¯re not at home. Where the hell did you go?¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s voice was low and terrifying. Ignoring him, Lan Jinyao immediately said, ¡°Help me, Fu Bainian! I was - ¡± Kidnapped!

    Before she could finish, her phone was snatched away. Lan Jinyao stared at the man in a clown mask and felt like crying.

    She¡¯d almost said it! This man hade at precisely the wrong time!

    Lan Jinyao knelt on the floor and held her hands behind her head without a word.

    The man walked up to the window and threw the cell phone out of it. ¡°I brought you here,¡± he croaked. ¡°You can¡¯t escape.¡±

    Lan Jinyao red at him. ¡°I called the police before you came here! You better let me go. Otherwise...¡±

    The man walked to her side and suddenly picked her up before cing her back on the bed. She couldn¡¯t see his face, but she could hear hisughter; it sounded like a sneer. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you called the police. They won¡¯t be able to find this ce.¡±

    ¡°What the hell did you bring me here for? I don¡¯t have any money on me, and I-I¡¯m not good-looking. I¡¯m not fit. What exactly do you want?¡±

    What she saw next reminded her of the distorted smiles crazy killers from horror movies would give.

    The man climbed onto the bed and sat as next to her as he gently tied her up again. After that, hey his head on Lan Jinyao¡¯s shoulder and quietly said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything, and I¡¯m not going to hurt you; I just want to be with you. I want to stay by your side.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in love with you for a long time...a lifetime even. But, now that you have so many fans what am I to you? You used to reply to my letters to you, but now you never pay me any attention.¡±

    The man¡¯s gravelly voice tickled her ear as his warm breaths caressed her neck. Lan Jinyao was going to break down any second, but the man lying on her shoulder had stopped moving. He¡¯d even closed his eyes.

    Fu Bainian, please notice that I¡¯ve disappeared soon and bring the police to rescue me! She kept praying in her mind. However, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t seem to have heard her prayers; it was eleven PM, and he still hadn¡¯t appeared. When her stomach started gurgling, it woke the man and caused him to sat up straight.

    Then heughed!

    ¡°You¡¯re hungry. I¡¯ll make you a nice dinner. Once we have a good meal in us, we¡¯ll hit the road. Then, we can be together forever and ever.¡±

    Lan Jinyao widened her eyes and stared at the clown mask in horror. ¡°What-what do you mean by hit the road? Where are you taking me?¡± Could he mean the afterlife?!

    The man didn¡¯t answer her. Instead, he turned around and left the room.

    Lan Jinyaoy back down on the bed, her eyes unfocused.

    She had died once already; she didn¡¯t want to die again. She just wanted to live a good life. Dying was terrifying; it really wasn¡¯t something that she wanted to experience again.

    Lan Jinyao became increasingly devastated the more she thought about it. As she was reduced to a sobbing mess, the sheets became stained by her snot and tears.

    Dear Fu Bainian, dear police,e to my rescue already! This psycho is going to kill me soon. Tomorrow, the only thing you¡¯ll find is my body!!

 Chapter 18: Kidnapped (2)

    <h4>Chapter 18: Kidnapped (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao ate the meal that she was served while on edge and filled with fear. In order to stall for extra time, she stuffed the food into her mouth, little by little. While she was eating, the man was just sitting motionlessly next to her as he stared at her. His intense stare made Lan Jinyao break out in a cold sweat from head to toe.

    ¡°How¡¯s the taste?¡± asked the man.

    Lan Jinyao continually nodded. Then, she gave him a thumbs-up and said, ¡°It''s very delicious! It''s the first time I''ve ever eaten something so delicious. You must¡¯ve learnt how to cook before, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! I learnt how to cook precisely for your sake!¡±

    The man was looking at her tenderly, making Lan Jinyao feel like choking on her food. When she started incessantly coughing, a hand reached out and lightly patted her back.

    Lan Jinyao was stunned. Wasn''t this man treating Chen Meimei too well? If she made a tiny request now, would this man agree to it?

    She tried by asking, ¡°Uhm, is there a supermarket downstairs? I¡¯d like to have some fruit after dinner, is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Really? I¡¯ll go get you some right away! Just wait for a moment.¡±

    The man immediately left the room, locking the door behind him before he went. Lan Jinyao could only kick at the door amidst her despair.

    A minuteter, Lan Jinyao returned to the bedroom and with just a nce, she noticed the wide-open window. Her eyes brightened as she ran towards it. When she looked out of it, she saw that this room was on the second floor. It wasn¡¯t that high, and there was a greenwn below. Thus, even if she jumped down from here, her injuries wouldn¡¯t be that bad. Thinking up to here, she quickly nced at her surroundings. A courtyard enclosed the house, but the walls of the courtyard didn¡¯t appear to be very high. The view outside the wall, however, wasn¡¯t optimistic, as it looked like this ce was in the middle of a deserted mountain without any nearby roads.

    Lan Jinyao climbed down via the water pipe to the first floor and was about to make a run for it when she saw the man carrying a barrel of gasoline. The areas around the vi were already thoroughly drenched with gasoline.

    When the man saw her, he dropped the barrel of gasoline and ran towards her. It didn¡¯t take long before he¡¯d restrained and brought her back to the room, where he then put her down on the bed and tied her up again. After that, Lan Jinyao heard him say with his eerie voice, ¡°You¡¯ve changed. You used to only like meat and didn¡¯t like to eat fruit, but you actually asked me to buy fruit for you today. Hehe, as expected, women are really fickle creatures.¡±

    Lan Jinyao silently cursed. This man must¡¯ve gotten enraged because she¡¯d tried to escape earlier. He had already finished pouring the gasoline...it looked like this house would be buried along with her.

    But, even after realising all this, she still retorted fearlessly, ¡°You said before that you wanted to stay with me for a lifetime. Could it be that you meant you want to die with me?¡±

    The irrational man¡¯s hands were clenched into fists. He¡¯d clenched them so hard that even the veins on his arms were showing, and his whole body was shaking violently due to agitation he felt as he stared tensely at Lan Jinyao. His lips moved underneath the mask, but he only released a ¡®tsk¡¯ and didn¡¯t say anything further.

    Lan Jinyao noticed that this man¡¯s mental disorder was quite severe! If she said something wrong in this kind of situation, she could trigger the man¡¯s aggressive behaviour and then she would be sent ahead of time to meet the King of Hell.

    ¡°Take it easy and calm down, I was just asking... Really, I was just asking out of curiosity.¡±

    The man didn¡¯t touch her. Instead, he walked to the drawer beside him and took out a bottle of medicine. Lan Jinyao wanted to cry when she saw what was written on the medicine bottle. To think that it was a bottle of sleeping pills! Such a big bottle of sleeping pills for just the two of them? Then, there was no need for the gasoline anymore...they would be sent directly to the King of Hell once they swallowed those!

    Lan Jinyao shook her head in horror and screamed, ¡°Don¡¯te over here!...¡±

    However, the man merely smiled at her. His voice was hoarse and unpleasant to the ear, yet it still contained a trace of tenderness as heforted her and said, ¡°Don''t worry, I know that Meimei dislikes taking medicine. As a healthy baby, you never had to eat this kind of stuff during your childhood. So, I¡¯ve prepared this for myself. I want to go a step ahead of you and wait for you there! If not, I¡¯m afraid that we would get lost.¡±

    Thank goodness, that wasn''t for her to take!

    After the man swallowed all the sleeping pills, he left the room. Soon after, a thick plume of smoke slowly spread into the room from the ground floor. Lan Jinyao could just make out the crackling sound of mes; he¡¯d already lit the gasoline!

    Not long after, the sound of footsteps could be heard outside the room. When the man pushed the door open and walked in, Lan Jinyao saw the raging fire rapidly spreading outside. So, she shouted at the man, ¡°Close the door, quickly close the door!!¡±

    After the man had closed the door for her, he walked to the bed andy down beside her. He smiled and stared at her face-to-face. The man had taken off his mask, exposing his square-shaped face. He was actually quite good-looking, but there was a scar on his cheek, and that affected his overall looks and made it less pleasing to the eyes. A momentter, the man closed his eyes.

    Following this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s agonised screams could be heard echoing throughout the vi.

    ¡°Who can help me dial nine one one...?!¡±

    At half past twelve, Fu Bainian started to be restless as the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was off. He began calling Chen Meimei''s number. However, all he got was a voice message telling him that the user¡¯s phone was turned off. He frowned for so long that wrinkles started appearing on his forehead.

    Normally, whenever he made a call, Chen Meimei would instantly pick up; regardless of what she was doing. That woman liked him so much, so how could she not answer his calls?

    Fu Bainian realised that something was off and called Lan Jinyao''s Agent. Not long after, he arrived at Lan Jinyao''s residence. But, unexpectedly, her room was empty, and it looked like she hadn¡¯te back yet. Her Agent, who¡¯d hurried over, looked at the empty room and said, ¡°President Fu, how about we call the police?!¡±

    Half an hourter, they received a report from the police telling them that a massive fire had broken out in a vi in the outskirts of the city and that they suspected that someone was trapped inside.

    After Fu Bainian finished watching the recordings of the cameras monitoring Chen Meimei''s residence, he jumped in his car and headed towards the vi.

    Thick smoke filled the sky; it looked like an ocean of fire. Thewn in front of the vi was already burnt to ashes. The crackling sounds of the fire could be heard from outside, and amidst it, there seemed to be a weak female voice calling for help.

    Fu Bainian stood on the road and examined his surroundings for a bit before climbing over the wall and nearing the vi. Once he was close to the building, he shouted, ¡°Chen Meimei! Chen Meimei, are you in there?¡±

    A head appeared inside the window amidst the dancing mes, and then a pair of raised hands. ¡°Fu Bainian, s-save me!!¡±

    That fatty woman sobbed helplessly. Her palms were bright red.

    Fu Bainian took off his jacket, soaked it in the nearby pond, and then used it to cover his head before he rushed into the vi.

    As he passed through the mes, water dripped all over him, causing steam to be emitted from his body by the time he arrived in front of Lan Jinyao. When she saw him, she hugged his waist and burst into tears.

    ¡°Don''t cry; I''ll get you out of here!¡±

    Since he was quite tall, he took her hand and opened up a path ahead of her. His hair was dripping wet, and she didn¡¯t know if it was water or sweat, but the droplets were slowly trickling down his face. She hid under his suit; her tears werepletely blurring her vision.

    In this one moment, Lan Jinyao felt as if she had the whole world at her fingertips.

    When the beam above the door abruptly fell, Lan Jinyao¡¯s body staggered forward, towards the exit, as she hadn¡¯t managed to dodge the pair of hands that had pushed her from behind.

    As she copsed, feeling weak and dizzy, she looked on helplessly at the figure of the man that had helped her.

    A split second before Lan Jinyao closed her eyes, she saw a group of firefighters rush inside the vi.

 Chapter 19 - Easily Obtaining A Certificate (1)

    <h4>Chapter 19 - Easily Obtaining A Certificate (1)</h4>

    There were quite a number of reporters gathered outside the hospital. They all knew that Chen Meimei had been kidnapped and that Fu Bainian had selflessly rushed over to save her.

    When the nurse pushed the door open and entered the room, she was greeted with the scene of a man sleeping while a fat woman was crushing him with her body weight. Even in his unconscious state, the man¡¯s brows were tightly creased, seemingly due to the ufortableness he was feeling from the pressure.

    ¡°Miss, Miss, hurry and get up. If youy on him like this, the patient will have difficulty breathing.¡±

    Being suddenly awakened, Lan Jinyao rubbed the sleepiness away from her bloodshot eyes and nkly stared at the nurse. ¡°Is he awake yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet! The doctor said...¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s voice was a little choked as she interrupted, ¡°You won¡¯t tell me that he-he won¡¯t wake up anymore, right?¡±

    The nurse furrowed her perfect brows. ¡°Don¡¯t cry; the doctor said that he''d wake up this afternoon. But, there are a lot of reporters outside, so you might want to go out and ept an interview so that they don¡¯t force their way into the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lan Jinyao responded foolishly.

    When she walked out of the hospital, she saw arge number of reporters waiting outside. As soon as the reporters saw here out, they surrounded her like a swarm of bees and shoved their microphones in front of her.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, rumours of your rtionship with President Fu of Blue Hall Entertainment are currently being spread all over social media. If I may ask, what¡¯s the truth regarding this? Or, is it all hype designed to promote you as an actor?¡±

    ¡°You were recently kidnapped; can you give us any details about this incident?¡±

    ¡°I heard that President Fu rushed into the fire to save you from being trapped in the building and that he currently remains unconscious. Anyway, do you the two of you have any ns to get engaged?¡±

    ¡°....Chen Meimei, please answer the question!¡±

    The camera shes were continually blinding Lan Jinyao, causing her to feel a burst of dizziness as if she would copse in the next second. She hadn¡¯t slept at allst night and was barely able to have a nap at 5 in the morning. Now that her stomach was empty, she was feeling somewhat dizzy.

    Then, in the next moment, Lan Jinyao really did copse.

    A bunch of innocent reporters were pinned under her plump body, and pained groans echoed one after another.

    Lan Jinyao could only hear a high-pitched buzzing sound in her ears as she lost consciousness.

    When Lan Jinyao woke up again, she was lying on a hospital bed that happened to be near Fu Bainian¡¯s. When she opened her eyes, she saw Fu Bainian leaning against the bed head as he stared at her. Seeing that she was slowly waking up, he said, ¡°Chen Meimei, I never would¡¯ve expected that a person like you would have such a maniacal fan. The next time you go out, you need to be careful. It¡¯s best that you bring along a bodyguard or something.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was instantly unhappy when heard Fu Bainian¡¯s statement, so she stood up from the bed and pointed at him. ¡°What do you mean by saying ¡®a person like you¡¯?! I only have a little bit of extra flesh! Where is it that I don¡¯t look good or beautiful? On top of that, my acting skills are superb. Most importantly, my sister, who isn¡¯t an arrogant person, has neverughed when she sees me, proving how good she is. Unlike you, a person who always has a cold face!¡±

    Fu Bainian unhurriedly counted off points on his fingers one by one. ¡°A glutton,zy, bad acting skills, brazen, and a stalker!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was enraged. ¡°Fu Bainian, you¡¯re too much! Just how am Izy? Where is my acting bad?!¡±

    Fu Bainian faintly added another sentence. ¡°You also love me!¡±

    Lan Jinyao: ¡°...¡±

    Fu Bainian became suspicious. ¡°Howe you didn¡¯t refute it this time?¡±

    This woman seemed to have changed a lot since she¡¯d had her car ident. Before, he used to see her trailing behind him as she chased him; even going so far that he had to keep on saying that he didn¡¯t like her every day. Recently, he¡¯d thought that her temper had changed.

    Unexpectedly, Lan Jinyao sternly looked at him. ¡°Fu Bainian, the woman that you like, has already died. If...and I mean if, I be outstanding, and at least no longer a fatty, would you like me?¡±

    Fu Bainian was silent for a good while.

    Time seemed to freeze as Lan Jinyao stared fixedly at him without blinking while waiting for his answer.

    ¡°Chen Meimei!¡± Fu Bainian said when he eventually opened his mouth.

    ¡°After we¡¯re discharged from the hospital, let¡¯s go and get a marriage certificate!¡±

    His tone was extraordinarily light and careless like he was inviting her to a meal.

    Then, Lan Jinyao smiled. ¡°Ok!¡±

    Her smile was forcibly rxed though.

    This was because while Fu Bainian had said, ¡®let¡¯s go and get a marriage certificate¡¯ he¡¯d avoided answering whether he would like her or not. In fact, it wasn¡¯t until she¡¯d asked this question that Lan Jinyao realised how stupid it was. This man had emphasised countless times that he would never like her. He wasn¡¯t interested in her now, and he wouldn¡¯t be interested in her in the future.

    She knew that he¡¯d emphasised all of this to the previous Chen Meimei, but she hadn¡¯t expected that the results would still be the same.

    When Fu Bainian noticed Chen Meimei¡¯s silence, an idea popped into his mind, and he asked, ¡°Do you have someone that you like?¡±

    Lan Jinyaoughed. ¡°No. I¡¯m waiting for the fat woman¡¯s counter attack. In the future, there¡¯ll be arge number of handsome men following behind me. Ha ha ha...at that time, I¡¯ll form a group that¡¯ll be full of men that are better than you.¡±

    Fu Bainian heaved a sigh. ¡°Then, I wish you sess with your counter attack. When that happens, I¡¯ll let you go free.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± she replied.

    For the first time in her life, she was moved by one person. But, before she could even say such a simple word as ¡®like¡¯, the feelings died prematurely. It seemed that her road to love was bound to be a rough journey.

    In the afternoon, Fu Bainian¡¯s Assistant rushed to the hospital with arge stack of documents that needed to be signed. When he saw that Lan Jinyao was sitting by Fu Bainian¡¯s bedside as she sliced an apple, he was dumbfounded.

    It turned out that his Boss wasn¡¯t joking, and that the top seat really was going to be upied by the fatty Chen Meimei. However, he¡¯d previously managed to offended her countless times! It looked like his future was now in jeopardy?!

    Qian Ran put the documents down on the table with a grimace before he noticed something that would make his current task all the more difficult. Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s important President had his essential right hand wrapped tightly with gauze. With a nce, Qian Ran knew that his Boss couldn¡¯t move it.

    ¡°Boss, these documents need to be signed, but your hand...¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s well-manicured index finger of his left hand pointed at Chen Meimei, who was currently concentrating on cutting up apples. ¡°Isn¡¯t there still her? Chen Meimei, stop cutting up apples ande over here.¡±

    An hourter, Lan Jinyao massaged her sore arm as she watched the Assistant, Qian Ran, leaving with a broad smile stered on his face as he held a stack of signed documents. At that moment, she felt a sinful capitalist had enved her.

    She angrily stressed, ¡°I¡¯m an actress, yet you made me flip through all those documents for you. My hand is so sore that it¡¯s painful just lifting it. This behaviour of yours is an insult to a genuine actor!¡±

    Fu Bainian indifferently swept a nce over her, then slightly parted his thin lips to say, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re an actress, but you¡¯re an employee of Blue Hall Entertainment first. So, you have to share your Boss¡¯s burdens!¡±

    This was clearly a facious argument, alright?!

    Although Lan Jinyao had instantly calmed down, she still tried to bargain with Fu Bainian as she pointed to his arm and said, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to use your hand for a while, so I¡¯ll help you with your documents. As a reward, you have to give me a role!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget; it was you that caused my hand to be injured!¡±

    Lan Jinyao: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Fine, it was because of me, but I need this role. It¡¯s not an important role; just a supporting role!¡±

    Fu Bainianpassionately asked, ¡°Which drama?¡±

    ¡°A Thousand Years Of Tears!¡±

    Fu Bainian silently stared at her for a few minutes before he suddenly asked, ¡°Why are you choosing that one?¡±

    Lan Jinyao wanted to say that it was because Shen Wei¡¯an was acting in this drama and that furthermore, she was the female lead.

    However, she ultimately answered, ¡°I just like it!¡±

 Chapter 20 - Easily Obtaining A Certificate (2)

    <h4>Chapter 20 - Easily Obtaining A Certificate (2)</h4>

    Quite a long time ago, when the Director was writing this script, Lan Jinyao had already been selected as the lead actress. This drama was going to be directed by the Director himself, so it could be said that it was technically self-directed. And, the female lead was a role that was created specifically for Lan Jinyao.

    Back then, Lan Jinyao had really liked the script after reading it. Therefore, she¡¯d always thought of that role as hers and something that couldn¡¯t be changed. However, something unexpected happened. They¡¯d cut her character from the drama, so she¡¯d lost her role. What was even worse was that soon after, she¡¯d nearly lost her precious life!

    ording to Lan Jinyao¡¯s understanding of Shen Wei¡¯an, her acting skills were subpar at best. Usually, during her free time off work, she would scroll through the updates on Weibo. She would also often go to multiple parties to find opportunities for herself. But, most of the time, she would d herself in her undergarments to try and get herself a few roles. However, after that time she¡¯d failed to restrain her temper, she¡¯d ended up arguing instead. Due to this, matters regarding her roles were left unsettled.

    When the two of them had hung out, Shen Wei¡¯an would always speak to her with a self-deprecating look on her face. ¡°Lan Jinyao, why can¡¯t my life be as good as yours? Look at me! My looks are in no way inferior to yours. Our figures are easilyparable, and we entered the entertainment circle at the same time. Tell me, why is the gap between us so big?¡±

    Lan Jinyao had only ever answered her with a smile.

    The only gap between them should be that first drama. It was a war film, and the actors in it were all famous men. Even though there were a few female roles, they were all mere supporting roles. At that time, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s qualifications were better than hers, so the Director had naturally chosen her. Unfortunately, she¡¯d looked down on such a script, was obviously dissatisfied with such a role. Ultimately, she¡¯d found an excuse by saying that the role shed with her schedule and that it wasn¡¯t convenient to adjust it.

    While, in actual fact, at that time, Shen Wei¡¯an had had no schedule at all! She¡¯d vowed that she wanted to use this time to pick a better and more suitable role for herself. When this had happened, Lan Jinyao had rmended herself to the Director and said that she wanted to try that role instead. Initially, the role wasn¡¯t a significant one. So, after the Director had looked her over, he¡¯d decided that she would do and gave the part to her.

    Lan Jinyao would always remember what had happened on the day she¡¯d returned once shooting was finished. Shen Wei¡¯an had been lying by the pool, entertaining a wealthy young man. Seeing that Lan Jinyao was back, she¡¯d snickered as the corner of her mouth had tugged up before pointing to her and saying, ¡°You see, Jinyao, it was fortunate that I wisely rejected that drama. Look at your current appearance; you¡¯re so dark and swarthy that you look like a ck loach!¡±

    That was Lan Jinyao¡¯s first drama, and every scene was taken under the scorching sun. With her whole body being exposed to so much sun, her skin felt like moltenva. However, she¡¯d learnt a lot from the experience and had met all sorts of people there.

    Later on, after thinking it through, she¡¯d realised that it was that very drama that had caused the gap between them. Through that drama, she¡¯d gotten acquainted with quite a few famous Directors and actors. From then on, her journey as an actor had been smooth sailing. Meanwhile, Shen Wei¡¯an wascent waiting for her so-called opportunity to have a role that suited her best.

    In this world, how many roles would there ever be that genuinely suited you? If you were going to me the environment, you¡¯d be better off changing yourself first!

    During Fu Bainian¡¯s hospitalisation, Lan Jinyao stayed by his bedside and took care of him the whole time. Unfortunately, while Fu Bainian¡¯splexion was gradually restored to normal, Lan Jinyao fell ill. Perhaps it was because Chen Meimei¡¯s body had initially been in a poor physical condition, or maybe it was because she¡¯d recently encountered a series of idents one after the other. On top of this, Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t been able to rest properly, which resulted in her having a high fever on the third night of their stay in the hospital.

    It was pitch-ck outside, and Fu Bainian was just about to turn off the light and go to sleep when he heard Lan Jinyao abruptly cry out. At first, the cries were nothing but a murmur, but they were particrly distinct in the silence of the night. Then, her moans gradually grew louder. The sounds were close to a whine, which made a harsh frown cover Fu Bainian¡¯s face.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, I¡¯m really tempted to record this! Your sleep-talking is so loud that it¡¯s shaking the entire hospital.¡±

    But, as her cries continued, he realised that something was wrong.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, save me...save me...¡± She struggled with her hands iling in the air, her forehead covered in ayer of sweat.

    Fu Bainian quickly got out of bed and went to Lan Jinyao¡¯s bedside. When he reached out to touch her cheek, the scalding temperature made him immediately pull his hand back.

    ¡°Hot!¡± It turned out that she had a fever!

    Just as he was about to call the nurse, he felt her grab his hand. The strength in the grip made him feel inferior as a man.

    ¡°Shen Yu, don¡¯t go...Shen Yu...don¡¯t you recognise me? Shen Yu, save me, I¡¯m so ufortable!¡±

    Fu Bainian, who¡¯d turned to leave, was frozen in ce.

    The person who Chen Meimei was calling for was unexpectedly Shen Yu, not Fu Bainian. Weren¡¯t Chen Meimei and Shen Yu on bad terms with each other? When she would see Shen Yu, she would always verbally squash him. Why would she suddenly shout Shen Yu¡¯s name?

    At this moment, Fu Bainian felt like question marks were circling his head and making him dizzy.

    Could it be that Chen Meimei actually liked Shen Yu?

    Was she just acting like she¡¯d disliked him all this time?

    Fu Bainian¡¯s face instantly darkened. He struggled out of Chen Meimei¡¯s clutches before storming out of the room.

    Lan Jinyao seemed to be imprisoned within a long, long dream. A raging fire surrounded her, and she was trapped in a circle of mes. She was constantly calling out a person¡¯s name, but that person never came. Instead, a woman burst through the fire. That woman smiled before extending both hands towards her.

    The scenery abruptly changed. There was now no fire encircling her; only darkness and the howling of the wind. She couldn¡¯t feel it, but she knew that it was wind. The wind steadily became fiercer as it whistled wildly by her ears. Her body was endlessly falling...before she hit the ground with a heavy ¡®thud¡¯.

    Lan Jinyao pried open her eyes to see the medicine in a bottle slowly dripping down the tubes of an IV to the veins of her arm.

    With a hoarse voice, she asked, ¡°Fu Bainian, what happened to me?¡±

    It was a few minutes before Fu Bainian responded. ¡°Excessive loss weight and short-term malnutrition resulted in a decreased immunity. So, it¡¯s just amon cold.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s okay then. I thought that I¡¯d developed a terminal illness! I wouldn¡¯t be able to see you in the future if that was the case.¡±

    Fu Bainian suddenly said, ¡°Chen Meimei,st night you kept...¡± shouting shen yu¡¯s name! Do you like him?

    Lan Jinyao was confused as she looked at him. ¡°What was up with mest night?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. You were just sleep-talking!¡±

    Fu Bainian said that with a neutral inflection, but somehow, it scared Lan Jinyao. She thought that she¡¯d revealed everything about her rebirth in her sleep-talk!

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything weird, right?¡± she asked nervously.

    Fu Bainian snorted coldly, but when he thought back to how she¡¯d admitted to liking Shen Yu, he said, ¡°Chen Meimei, you hide secrets so deeply that even I¡¯m unaware of them all!¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at the ceiling in dismay. Finished, I¡¯m finished. The cat¡¯s out of the bag!

    Fu Bainian asked again, ¡°Since this is the case, are we still getting a marriage certificate?¡±

    Lan Jinyao retorted, ¡°How are these two matters rted?¡±

    ¡°You like Shen Yu. How is that unrted? Although, since you¡¯re like this now, he¡¯s unlikely to ept you, but...¡±

    Lan Jinyao finally figured out what he was talking about. It turned out that Fu Bainian was talking about something else entirely, she¡¯d thought...and here she was worried for nothing! Just as she was about to answer him, she heard rushed footsteps burst through the door.

    ¡°Of course-of course, you must get the marriage certificate! Aiyo, you two have finally agreed to get the job done.¡±

    The person who¡¯d entered the room was Mother Fu. She happily patted Fu Bainian¡¯s head as she said, ¡°Atst! This time, I won¡¯t have to worry on your behalf.¡±

 Chapter 21 - Easily Obtaining A Certificate (3)

    <h4>Chapter 21 - Easily Obtaining A Certificate (3)</h4>

    Mother Fu, who worried incessantly about her son, profoundly disyed her strong sense of proactiveness and enthusiasm. On the first day of Fu Bainian¡¯s discharge from the hospital, she dragged Lan Jinyao to their home by saying that it was alreadyte at night and that it wasn¡¯t safe for a girl to go home alone. Additionally, it wasn¡¯t convenient for Fu Bainian to send her home at the moment, so she was letting Lan Jinyao stay at the Fu residence.

    ¡°Who would attack her? Her body is wide as a te! Howe she¡¯s not safe?¡± Fu Bainian retorted.

    He was immediately silenced by the simple pping from Mother Fu¡¯s hands. Hence, no one opposed Lan Jinyao staying over.

    Unexpectedly, the next morning, just as Lan Jinyao woke up and was preparing to go out and run a fewps, she opened the door and was shocked when she saw someone standing by her bedroom door. There, before her, was the smiling figure of Mother Fu wearing a formal dress.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake, Meimei. Hurry up and have breakfast. We¡¯ll be going out in a moment!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going out? Where to?¡±

    Mother Fu just smiled mysteriously and didn¡¯t answer. Then, she turned and made her way to Fu Bainian¡¯s bedroom before fiercely mming her palm on the door panel. ¡°Get up and have breakfast!¡±

    Lan Jinyao quickly stopped her. ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t be in such a rush. Let¡¯s go and have breakfast, okay? Anyway, Fu Bainian left earlier. I suppose he had to go to thepany.¡±

    Unexpectedly, as they were eating breakfast, Fu Bainian returned as it seemed that he¡¯d suddenly received a call to hurry home. As soon as he walked through the entrance, he asked, ¡°Mum, what¡¯s the matter? Earlier on the phone, you shouted at me and told me toe back home quickly. Was that just to make me watch Chen Meimei eating breakfast?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao, who was currently eating breakfast, started choking.

    ¡°It¡¯s not because of me! Really!¡± she exined while coughing.

    Fu Bainian nced at her out of the corners of his eyes. Mother Fu gently patted Lan Jinyao on the back, smiling widely as she said, ¡°There¡¯s an important matter that I need the two of you go and handle today. I¡¯ve already informed Old Chen, so he¡¯ll be meeting us here soon!¡±

    ¡°Notified Uncle Chen? Mum, this thing you¡¯re talking about, it wouldn¡¯t about us getting the marriage certificate, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened before she eximed, ¡°So soon?! My role in A Thousand Years Of Tears hasn¡¯t even been decided, but I have to get the marriage certificate first? Is this really alright?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s A Thousand Years Of Tears?¡± Mother Fu wondered.

    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll go today!¡± Fu Bainian quickly stated.

    Lan Jinyao put down her bowl and chopsticks and rushed over to Fu Bainian to pull at his necktie as she asked with a smile, ¡°President Fu, what about my role? I haven¡¯t received the script yet! How can I get the marriage certificate first?¡±

    She¡¯d asked this softly, but her tone made it evident that she was close to gnashing her teeth.

    Fu Bainian straightened his necktie, and sternly said, ¡°We¡¯ll get the marriage certificate first!¡±

    It seemed like Chen Meimei had been nning this for a long time. Getting the marriage certificate was her second n, but her main purpose was still the role. Moreover, it was a less than important supporting role. He was bing increasingly confused by this woman.

    At that moment, Fu Bainian felt a strange feeling rise in his heart. It was the kind of feeling that he couldn¡¯t describe, but he knew that the main culprit for it was Chen Meimei.

    Both of them were deadlocked without an ending in sight until Mother Fu headed over and dragged them back to the dining table. ¡°While the earth is vast, a stomach is bottomless. Drop the matter for now and talk about itter.¡±

    Just after they¡¯d finished breakfast, rich Old Chen rushed over. The man was very thin, utterly different from Chen Meimei. He had a short buzz-cut, held a cane in one hand, and was wearing a metal grey suit. His whole being radiated vigour.

    From the moment that Old Chen had entered the house, Lan Jinyao had gone quiet. She¡¯d been reborn into this body, and it was the first time that she was going to meet with this body¡¯s birth Father. To say that she wasn¡¯t flustered would be an absolute lie.

    Mother Fu and Old Chen had a good rtionship. The two of them were sitting on the couch as they excitedly chatted about things such as where the two young people would go for their honeymoon after marriage, how many children they¡¯d have, and which school the children should attend in the future. Every aspect of their future development was brought up by the pair.

    Lan Jinyao smiled awkwardly as she eximed, ¡°Dad!¡± before grabbing Fu Bainian¡¯s hand and dragging him upstairs.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, I¡¯m slightly panicking!¡±

    Fu Bainian tucked his hands in the pockets of his pants as he indifferently nced at her from the corners of his eyes, then said, ¡°Every woman has such a moment. You don¡¯t have to be nervous!¡±

    He was referring to signing the marriage certificate, while Lan Jinyao was referring to meeting Old Chen. With just one look, she could see that he was a bright person. What ifter, with only a nce, he realised that there was apletely different person inside his daughter¡¯s body?

    At 9 AM, a group of eye-catching people stood outside the Bureau of Civil Affairs and attracted a lot of attention.

    Lan Jinyao had never thought that one day she would stand here with a man. Fu Bainian was outstanding and had many pursuers; however, he didn¡¯t love her. While she, on the other hand, had barely just begun to start liking him. She¡¯d once heard that marriage was a grave built by love, but there was no such thing as love between them!

    Lan Jinyao sighed. ¡°Fu Bainian, even if you don¡¯t love me, we¡¯re going to be married so you must be good to me. I have yet to like someone in my life, and here I am already being pulled into this grave called marriage,¡± she whispered.

    Fu Bainian stared at the woman who was standing alongside him. The sunlight shone down on her figure, bathing her in a soft golden light. Her eyes brightly sparkled. At that moment, Fu Bainian suddenly felt that the Chen Meimei before his eyes was different. Previously, Chen Meimei would never speak to him in this tone. Typically, she would¡¯ve pulled at his cor as she threatened him: Fu Bainian, since you¡¯re marrying me, you¡¯re not allowed to go about seducing other women! If I find that you¡¯re going around and flirting with other females, be prepared to meet my fists!

    Ugh! The Chen Meimei he knew was like that.

    But, the one in front of him had changed.

    The harsh sunlight stung his eyes as he became absent-minded, and after a few minutes, he nodded. ¡°Ok!¡±

    At the desk before them, there sat a young woman. When she was facing Fu Bainian, her small face suddenly blushed. Apparently, she was infatuated by Fu Bainian¡¯s handsomeness. She stared at Fu Bainian for quite some time and took advantage of whenever he wasn¡¯t paying attention to gaze at him. Then, the young woman¡¯s sightnded on Lan Jinyao¡¯s body as she stood next to him.

    ¡°Are you sure the both of you are here to register your marriage?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure!¡±

    What followed was an incredibly embarrassing scene. The young woman extended a finger and pointed to Fu Bainian as she said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°I was asking him!¡±

    Lan Jinyao narrowed her eyes in warning at Fu Bainian. ¡°Fu Bainian, are you unwilling to marry me?¡±

    Fu Bainian sighed softly with a helpless expression on his face as he said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s you who is unwilling!¡± The Empress Dowager was outside watching them; how could he dare refuse to marry her?!

    It wasn¡¯t until they¡¯d finished filling in the forms and taking a photo that Lan Jinyao was able to rx. From the beginning, she¡¯d felt that this was all too unreal; whether it was her death, rebirth, or the current marriage registration.

    It wasn¡¯t until the young woman spoke to them again that she was awakened from her dream.

    The young woman said, ¡°You¡¯re wee back any time!¡±

    Numerous horses started galloping with Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart at that moment.

 Chapter 22: Honeymoon (1)

    <h4>Chapter 22: Honeymoon (1)</h4>

    While the sun descended slowly into the horizon, the passengers in the cabin had already put on their eye masks to prepare for sleep. Aside from the whooshing noise of the aerone, only light breathing sounds could be heard.

    On a ne to the Maldives, Fu Bainian looked through the window at the sky and the clouds. He thought back to many years ago...a woman had been sitting in front of him, slowly sipping a ss of red wine, or maybe, she was just quietly observing the scenery outside the window. He was sitting behind her, silently watching her while contemting about the day that he could sit beside her.

    When Fu Bainian turned his head and looked beside him, all he could see was a plump face. Even though the face now looked somewhat slimmer after all the training, it was still round and chubby.

    However, what was imprinted in his memories was a thin, petite face. The expressions revealed were always few and far between, but they still caught his attention.

    Currently, Lan Jinyao felt a little nervous. The ne was flying at a very high altitude, which reminded her of that night when she¡¯d fallen from that tall building. That fall had seemed like it was never-ending. With her body being blown about like a broken kite, she uncontrobly hit the ground. When she recalled this, she tightly clung to the armrest with a thinyer of sweat gathering on her face. What she was experiencing during this flight,pared to past trips, was totally different.

    She¡¯d developed the slightest acrophobia.

    Fu Bainian was so immersed in his train of thoughts, that he only snapped out of it when the stewardess spoke.

    ¡°Excuse me, Miss, are you not feeling well?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head with her eyes tightly closed. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, thanks. It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t slept well!¡±

    Only then did Fu Bainian notice that her face was somewhat pale. The temperature wasn¡¯t high, so it wasn¡¯t hot at all, but a thinyer of sweat had formed on her forehead. Even her plump face seemed to have tightened a lot.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, what''s wrong?¡±

    Lan Jinyao suddenly grasped his palm tightly and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Fu Bainian, I''m just a little scared. Do you think we¡¯ll arrive safely at the Maldives?¡±

    Sometimes, fear was an uncontroble emotion. Even though she knew that the ne wouldn¡¯t meet with any mishap and that she¡¯d arrive safely at her destination, she still felt frightened; to the point that her body had started trembling with fear. The feeling of falling from a high altitude was magnified immensely in her mind, and it seemed as if she could foresee and sense the kind of pain her body would feel as it crashed to the ground.

    ¡°That goes without saying! Chen Meimei, I don''t recall you having acrophobia!¡±

    Lan Jinyao looked at him weakly, cold sweat dripping down her face.

    ¡°If you weren¡¯t aware of this, then that¡¯s because you don''t know me well enough!¡±

    This man was unaware of how she¡¯d felt when she fell from that building at such a high altitude. He also didn¡¯t know that she was someone else and that she¡¯d been reincarnated into the present Chen Meimei. He couldn¡¯t sympathise because he didn¡¯t know any of these things!

    At this very moment, she didn¡¯t want to argue with him; she just wanted to hold his hand tightly. His palm was dry and warm, and it seemed as if she could feel at ease only by holding it.

    Fu Bainian could never understand this woman''s thoughts. As far as he knew, Chen Meimei wasn¡¯t afraid of heights at all, and she was hopelessly in love with him. Chen Meimei also loved meat more than vegetables. Chen Meimei would rather stay fat and die as a fatty than go on a diet to lose weight. Even if she were scared to death, she would still face everything with loftiness, instead of exposing her weak side in front of others. However, the Chen Meimei that he was familiar with had disappeared. This woman in front of him now had overturned all his previous understandings of Chen Meimei.

    She was strong-willed, but she also periodically showed her weak side. She wasn¡¯tcent after she was able to marry him; instead, she negotiated conditions with him.

    Whether she liked a person or not, would everything change ordingly to that? The moment this thought appeared in Fu Bainian''s mind, he instantly dismissed it.

    Heforted her and spoke gently, ¡°Don''t be afraid, I''m by your side so we''ll arrive there safely. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and then leaned her head on his shoulder. She could feel that Fu Bainian¡¯s body had stiffened when she did that, but she didn''t think much into it and sank into a deep sleep.

    When Lan Jinyao and Fu Bainian arrived in the Maldives, it was already around 1 AM. After they¡¯d disembarked from the ne, they went straight to check-in at a local hotel. As soon as they were done, Lan Jinyaoy down on the bed and immediately fell asleep; ignoring everything else around her. When she woke up the next morning, she opened her eyes to see Fu Bainian''s face right in front of her. This sight terrified her so much that she fell from the bed andnded on the ground.

    In the early morning, the scream of a Chinese woman echoed throughout the hotel!

    Before long, the siren of a police car could be hearding from downstairs.

    Fu Bainian had just woken up and was still half-asleep when he heard the continuous knocking on the door. Before he¡¯d even reached the door to open it, someone had already forcefully knocked the door open. Three to four ck guns were then directly pointed at Fu Bainian. When Lan Jinyao saw those weapons and the troop of people, she was scared witless.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, what''s happening? We''re not illegal immigrants here!¡±

    Who could be in a good mood after being woken so early in the morning, and then have a group of police point guns at them?

    Fu Bainian slowly got out of the bed and said to the police in English, ¡°What''s going on?¡±

    Very soon, Lan Jinyao understood that it was just a misunderstanding. Those people had thought that she was kidnapped or being abused in here, so they¡¯d rushed in with guns to save her. However, in reality, no such thing had happened!!

    Fu Bainian sent the group away with a darkened expression, and then returned to the room. With his hands crossed over his chest, he stared sternly at Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°It''s really not my fault!¡± Lan Jinyao innocently emphasised.

    ¡°Who was the one that was wailing like a ghost so early in the morning? This is a hotel, not a piggery!¡±

    Lan Jinyao became angry, because, after her rebirth, being fat was one of her sore spots. Although she¡¯d tried hard to change this by dieting, the effects had been minimal, and now Fu Bainian, this hateful man, went so far as to pour salt on her wounds! This was unforgivable! Wasn¡¯t that so?

    ¡°Who¡¯re you calling a pig?! If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that when I opened my eyes so early in the morning to see a man lying in my bed, would I have shrieked? If that hadn¡¯t happened, would that have led the police over?¡± she pointed to his nose and argued. She didn¡¯t even notice that she was behaving less and less like her former self.

    Fu Bainian lightly pped Lan Jinyao''s hand away that was pointing at his nose.

    Lan Jinyao rubbed her hand and red at Fu Bainian. After a while, when her anger still didn¡¯t subside, she pushed him towards the bed.

    Fu Bainian supported himself by propping his hands on the bed and said carefully, ¡°Don''t forget; I''m your husband now! If you treat your husband like this, aren¡¯t you afraid that the police wille back and arrest you?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao answered disdainfully, ¡°If they¡¯re going to catch someone, then it would be you! It would be for kidnapping and selling an innocentdy like myself!¡±

    The first morning for a honeymoon in the Maldives certainly didn¡¯t start so sweet...

    When Lan Jinyao went downstairs to have breakfast, she felt that something was off. She kept sensing that someone was following her. But, when she quickly turned around and looked behind her, she didn¡¯t see anything out of ce. When she told Fu Bainian about this, he just said in his usual arrogant tone, ¡°I think your imagination must be running wild! You¡¯re overthinking things!¡±

 Chapter 23 - Honeymoon (2)

    <h4>Chapter 23 - Honeymoon (2)</h4>

    The sky was clear, and the sunshine was reflected by the vast ocean, dyeing the sandy shore a golden yellow.

    The scenery was breathtaking, but Lan Jinyao was unhappy. She gloomily crouched on the sand while picking up shells. Every so often, she would resentfully nce at the man who was swimming while only wearing a pair of boxers. He¡¯d just been swimming for a short while, but he¡¯d already attracted a group of beauties.

    Just then, a woman who passed by Lan Jinyao purposely stopped by her side and rudely nced at Lan Jinyao¡¯s waist, which was surrounded by excessive fat, with contempt. Lan Jinyao felt her self-esteem receive a harsh blow.

    Suddenly, standing up, she threw away all the shells in her hand and walked towards the sea in an imposing manner.

    The murderous vibe that this fatty gave off when she saw those skinny beauties was undoubtedly boundless. As soon as she entered the water, she swam to Fu Bainian¡¯s side and drove those women away. However, they didn¡¯t swim too far and lingered at a distance where they could covetously eye Fu Bainian.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, you were unexpectedly staring at another person. Why didn¡¯t I realise before that you were a big pervert?¡±

    Because of her iling about in the ocean, salty sea water sshed Fu Bainian¡¯s face.

    Fu Bainian stared at the woman in the water, frowning as he remained silent. Which eye of hers saw him looking at other women? When he saw Chen Meimei, that fatty, once again revealing an expression that he was very familiar with, a strange and bold idea abruptly emerged in his mind. Perhaps, Chen Meimei, she...

    He suddenly smiled evilly at Chen Meimei; he knew that she couldn¡¯t refuse his smile.

    Used her moment of distraction, Fu Bainian grabbed her hand, and whispered in her ear, ¡°Does my wife feel jealous? me those women that surrounded me! I left you out in the cold, but now it¡¯s our time to be together. I¡¯ll take you into deeper waters to swim a fewps!¡±

    With that, he pulled her hand and swam to where the water was deeper.

    Is Fu Bainian¡¯s brain oxygen deprived? Did he just try to flirt with her?

    Failing to understand why Fu Bainian¡¯s attitude towards her had suddenly be so strange, Lan Jinyao stared at the side of his face. Immersed in her suspicions, she was oblivious to the fact that he¡¯d slowly been tugging her to an area of the ocean where there was nothing but deep sea.

    This area of the beach was dangerous, so no tourists were swimming this far out.

    An ominous premonition rapidly shed a warning in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart, but before she was able to ponder where that ominous premonition came from, Fu Bainian slowly let go of her hand. He looked at her with aplicated expression before he started swimming towards the direction of the beach.

    Lan Jinyao abruptly remembered a scene she¡¯d yed in a movie a long time ago. The movie was a horror film. The female lead¡¯s husband had an affair, and he didn¡¯t want to give his wife half of the property when they divorced. He schemed against his wife, and when they were at the beach, the husband let go of his wife¡¯s hand and returned to the shore alone. Then, sharks suddenly appeared and scared away all people, but the female lead felt a piercing pain when she was hit by an unknown object in the sea, dying the sea a blood-red. In the end, everyone thought that a shark had killed her.

    The image that shed through Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind made her tremble and goose bumps rise on her arms.

    Lan Jinyao looked at the tranquil, deep water around her, and then examined the clear and shallow water ahead. She was quivering from head to toe. Her hand swiftly swiped at the water as she started swimming. The sea split beautifully on her both sides of her body as she swam forward; her movements agile as she pushed herself through the water.

    Fu Bainian watched Lan Jinyao from afar as she approached the beach. Watching her body¡¯s vigorous and flexible movements in the water, his eyes turned as dark as ink.

    He stood near the shore, waiting quietly. Under the scorching sun, the secret hidden in his heart greatly stirred up his emotions.

    With great difficulty, Lan Jinyao finally reached the shore and started cursing Fu Bainian. ¡°Getting rid of me isn¡¯t so easy, you know!¡±

    Fu Bainian was still staring at her with aplicated expression. When Lan Jinyao looked at him in confusion, he suddenly said, ¡°Chen Meimei, ording to my knowledge, you can¡¯t swim. So, when did you learn how to swim?¡±

    He recalled everything that he¡¯d previously seen at the pools. It seemed that ever since that minor car ident, Chen Meimei¡¯s personality had changed entirely. Although he¡¯d always kept this secret in his heart, he was now keener than ever to figure it out. After all, his conjectures were far too bold; almost detached from reality.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart thudded against her rib cage upon hearing Fu Bainian¡¯s question. Not good! It turned out her imagination was too creative. Therefore, when Fu Bainian had led her into deeper waters, it was all so that he could confront her. In actual fact, Chen Meimei was unable to swim!

    Her eyes evaded his piercing stare, and she forced herself to calm down. After all, this is not something that just anyone could ept.

    But, how could she have known that Chen Meimei wasn¡¯t able to swim? What sort of person would get a premium membership to an expensive pool facility if they couldn¡¯t swim?!

    Fu Bainian continued questioning her, ¡°When you woke up this morning and saw that I was sleeping in the same bed as you, you screamed. If it was Chen Meimei, I¡¯m sure she would¡¯ve already pounced on me, but you...¡±

    Lan Jinyao retorted, ¡°I was just too shocked, all right?!¡±

    ¡°I only saw shock on your face! There was no excitement at all!¡± He kept going, pointing out more differences between her and the real Chen Meimei, ¡°When you married me, all you were thinking about was the agreement between us and your role! You didn¡¯t care about me at all, right?¡±

    His usations struck like a series of heavy blows to Lan Jinyao, leaving her dumbfounded. She stood nkly on the spot and didn¡¯t know how to answer him. Her hands fisted tightly by her sides, betraying her innermost emotions.

    After a while, Lan Jinyao finally dared to met Fu Bainian¡¯s gaze as she gravely said, ¡°What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say that I love you? Even if I said that I loved you more than life, you still wouldn¡¯t reciprocate. When I stand in front of you, you only show disgust. Do you really want to hear this? How do you want me to treat you, Fu Bainian?¡±

    Fu Bainian was unprepared for her retort, so he was momentarily baffled.

    Lan Jinyao continued, ¡°Fu Bainian, you¡¯ve repeatedly said that you¡¯ll never like me, so what else can I say? I¡¯m already delighted just staying by your side.¡±

    Seeing the sudden change on his face, Lan Jinyao inwardly cheered for her superb acting. Even Fu Bainian was able to be deceived by her.

    Unexpectedly, after a moment of silence, Fu Bainian revealed a lost expression. Hey on the sand and gazed at the blue sky. Then, he softly said, ¡°Do you remember what I told you before? There was a woman who I liked with all my heart. Your personality is very simr to hers. Do you know her name?¡±

    Lan Jinyao silently stared at him, gradually bing frustrated. Why did she have to listen to her husband say that he likes another woman? It was then that she realised she couldn¡¯tpare to Chen Meimei. Chen Meimei had at least dared to admit her love for Fu Bainian. Yet, even though she now looked like someone else, was still too afraid to say anything.

    She closed her eyes, obscuring the tears that had welled and preventing them from falling before she whispered, ¡°What was her name?¡±

    However, after waiting for a few minutes, she still didn¡¯t get a response. When she finally managed to stifle her tears and open her eyes, she discovered that Fu Bainian was long gone.

 Chapter 24 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 24 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (1)</h4>

    Since Fu Bainian had left the beach, Lan Jinyao found that the indistinct gaze she¡¯d felt following her all day had suddenly disappeared too.

    Enjoying the sunny and beautiful beach scenery were plenty of blonde-haired people. From where she was sitting, Lan Jinyao searched everywhere, but she couldn¡¯t see any sign of Fu Bainian. Bing worried, she stood up and decided to look for him.

    At the moment, Fu Bainian was following a woman.

    His face was taut with anxiousness, and his steps were steadily picking up speed. Not far in front of him, a woman in a white muslin dress had walked into a drink store.

    The figure before him was almost the same as the one engraved in his mind. However, he couldn¡¯t see her face; the one thing he was desperate to see. Perhaps, things were like he was hoping...

    Two minutester, Fu Bainian was standing at the entrance of the drink shack. Only that white-d figure was upying his mind. While Chen Meimei, who was back at the beach, was tossed to the back of his mind.

    He didn¡¯t enter the store and choose instead to stand in the doorway and peek inside.

    At first, he¡¯d thought that Chen Meimei was that woman. Her every move; every little movement, was so simr to the figure in his dreams. But, how could she have be someone else out of thin air?! He was just imagining things.

    There were only a few people in the store. The woman in the white dress was preupied with chatting away with the Manager; they looked like they¡¯d known each other for quite a long time.

    It seemed like a century passed before the woman finally turned around and revealed her youthfulness and her beautiful face. Fu Bainian felt like he was struck by lightning and froze on the spot. That face was a carbon copy of popr actress, Lan Jinyao¡¯s! Those eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth matched the face in his dreams.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d died! I never would¡¯ve expected that you were living well in the corner of the world far away from me. The smile on your face is so real; so happy.¡±

    Fu Bainian whispered to himself before he tightly clenched his hand in a fist and punched the wall by the door.

    Who was it that had stood on their school stage and dered that what she loved most in this world was performing in front of their junior schoolmates?! It turned out he was a fool. Everything she¡¯d said was just bluff; he was the only one who¡¯d taken it seriously!

    Hahaha, previously, she¡¯d strived hard to be a professional actor, but now, what was this? She¡¯d casually created an ident for herself to disappear, and then ran here to live in seclusion; leaving behind the people who¡¯d cared about her and cried for her?

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, no matter what, I swear I won¡¯t let you go this time.¡±

    He would cling to her tightly, so tightly that he would never let her go again; no matter how much she struggled. He wanted to be with her for a lifetime.

    ¡°Sir, doesn¡¯t your hand hurt? It¡¯s bleeding!¡±

    The woman in the white dress was standing in front of him and asking him a question with concern.

    Fu Bainian stared at the woman looking at him with the eyes of a stranger and felt his heart clench. So, it could still be hurt! He was nothing but a stranger to her. He¡¯d done so much for her, but she didn¡¯t know about any of it. They weren¡¯t even friends.

    At this moment, Fu Bainian felt nothing but deep sorrow.

    A pair of soft hands wrapped a white scarf around his bleeding hand; the blood dying the silk a dark red. The warmth of that soft touch slowly spread throughout his chest, resulting in his heart softening. Additionally, the grievances and anger that had been polluting his heart were nearlypletely cleansed.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, you secretly ran away and hid, but do you know that this is a breach of contract?¡± his voice was slightly frosty as he spoke. In reality, though, he was using such a cold voice to cover up the tumultuous emotions raging within him.

    The woman raised her hand before her mouth and made a silencing gesture. She leaned closer as she whispered, ¡°Hush! I¡¯m now called Lan Xin!¡±

    She¡¯d admitted it!

    At this moment, Fu Bainian¡¯s heart was thumping harder than it ever had before. He¡¯d heard her admit that she was Lan Jinyao; the person who¡¯d been upying his heart for years.

    Fu Bainian stared at the face in front of him for a long time before suddenly, he reached out and tightly pulled the woman into his embrace. His nose filled with a familiar fragrance; the perfume she¡¯d once loved.

    The woman¡¯s heart was pounding in her chest, while his heart wasn¡¯t beating any slower. At this moment, weren¡¯t they both equally nervous?

    ¡°Mr Fu...President Fu, don¡¯t tell me you normally chase after girls like this? I have to say; these actions are entirely unbing!¡±

    The woman pushed him away, but her face wasn¡¯t showing the slightest trace of displeasure. On the contrary, she had a faint smile visible around the edges of her mouth.

    Fu Bainian immediately asked, ¡°Then, how would you like me to chase after you? Tell me so that I can act in a way you approve!¡±

    The woman smiled at him, abruptly out of character. Then, she hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear, ¡°Are you prepared to treat me the way I like? President Fu, I heard that you¡¯re currently here because you¡¯re on your honeymoon?¡±

    The woman was as pretty and as flirtatious as a rose, her red lips captivating his eyes. Her voice was seductive and as soft as silk. He couldn¡¯t stop himself as he involuntarily nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give you whatever you ask for.¡±

    After hearing this, the woman abruptly released him. The delicate smile on her face resembled the expressions she would have when she was acting.

    ¡°President Fu, remember what you just said. If you can catch me, I may consider...¡±

    ¡°Consider what?¡± he asked.

    The woman covered her mouth as she giggled before softly saying, ¡°I wish you a pleasant holiday.¡±

    Then, she turned around and walked away. For a long time, Fu Bainian stared at the scarf in his hand; a corner of his mouth lifting slightly. He didn¡¯t notice that, in the edge of the room, a woman watched him with a sneer on her face.

    A few minutes ago, Lan Jinyao, who¡¯d been looking for Fu Bainian everywhere, stumbled across this drink shop. She saw a different side of Fu Bainian¡¯s personality, and, she saw a woman. To be precise, it was a woman¡¯s back as she tightly hugged Lan Jinyao¡¯s husband. Then, Lan Jinyao saw her husband smile; a smile that she¡¯d never seen before.

    Ignoring whatever she was currently feeling, she decided to act like an ordinary wife and call him to ask where he was.

    On the phone, Fu Bainian was unable to conceal his excitement. ¡°Chen Meimei, thank you! Thank you for choosing the Maldives. I found her; she¡¯s alive!¡±

    The phone in Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand fell to the ground with a tter.

    Fu Bainian was ecstatic, so why was she so depressed? She¡¯d thought that this marriage was a fair deal, but at this moment, she realised that it was unfair as she¡¯d invested her heart in it.

 Chapter 25 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 25 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (2)</h4>

    When Fu Bainian returned to the hotel, he felt that something was off with Chen Meimei. This woman was usually noisy, but the moment he stepped into the room, it was to see her nkly staring out the window with her back facing the door.

    He walked over to her and poked her on the shoulder. ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    Lan Jinyao turned her head to look at him and swept a nce over his face. When she saw that he was smiling like spring was in bloom, she sadly turned away and propped her chin up with her hand. After a long while, Fu Bainian heard her faintly ask, ¡°Fu Bainian, if you made an error, would you choose to ept that you¡¯d made a mistake, and then deal with the consequences of that choice?¡±

    Fu Bainian seriously considered his answer before saying,¡°As a businessman, I would choose the possibility with the most returns. If I could manage to benefit, even if it was wrong, why not?¡±

    Lan Jinyao sneered. ¡°As expected of you, such a cool-headed judgement! But, I can¡¯t make a choice!¡±

    The odd tone in her voice confused Fu Bainian. Then, before he thought better of it, he blurted, ¡°Are you on your period?¡±

    The next second, a lethally aimed pillow flew towards him beforending on the floor.

    Fu Bainian picked up the pillow, patted it clean, and then ced it back on the bed. Sitting near her, and he asked in puzzlement, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Chen Meimei? Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    Lan Jinyao tilted a nce in his direction and heavily said, ¡°Nothing!¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, on the phone you told me that you¡¯d found the woman you love. What do you mean? Is she still alive?¡± she asked.

    In addition to herself, had another person died and been reborn too?

    As soon as she asked about the unknown woman, Fu Bainian seemed particrly happy as a broad smile spread across his face. Seeing such a charming smile, Lan Jinyao once again looked away with a sad expression. Whether it was true love or not was evident at a nce.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t die; it was just a n to disappear. She¡¯s living happily here, in the Maldives. I saw her today.¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, when we go back, do you want a divorce?¡±

    Fu Bainian was stunned. The smile on his face disappeared.

    ¡°You love her so much, but you thought that she¡¯d died; so, you were desperate. Now, you¡¯ve suddenly learnt that she¡¯s still alive. I know that you must want to be with her, but we¡¯ve already registered our marriage. You¡¯re currently my husband now, and you said that you would treat me with respect,¡± Lan Jinyao blurted without pausing.

    The room was silent, and only the sound of two people breathing could be heard. Fu Bainian finally understood why she¡¯d been behaving so peculiarly; she¡¯d been thinking about the future.

    Truthfully, he¡¯d never even considered the implications regarding this situation. The one he¡¯d loved had died; he saw it with his own eyes. So, giving up all hope on love, he¡¯d found a random woman he could use to deal with his parents. But, what he¡¯d fail to consider was that this woman had a fragile heart. She was capable of being sad and hurt too.

    What should he do now? He liked that person for so long; would he just give up on her because of this?

    Time seemed to slowly pass for a long time before Lan Jinyao heard him say with a hoarse voice, ¡°Chen Meimei, I¡¯m sorry. From the beginning, you knew that I had someone who I liked, and you promised to marry me to help me with my parents. So, I hope you can understand.¡±

    Lan Jinyao tried to suppress her emotions. Don¡¯t get angry, don¡¯t get angry! Unfortunately, she was unable to contain her rage as it rose within her, causing her to have persistent pain in her heart. She then asked him, ¡°I don¡¯t want to understand! If you had a person in your heart, you shouldn¡¯t havepromised. You shouldn¡¯t pull me, Lan...Chen Meimei, down with you! You essentially used my love for you as a shield.¡±

    Fu Bainian sped his hands on his head; he looked like a trapped beast as he fidgeted. Unfortunately, he was unable to find a solution to their current dilemma. Who would¡¯ve thought that he¡¯d encounter the one he loved alive and well in the Maldives? This was totally unexpected!

    His hands were suddenly grasped by a soft, chubby hand.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she stared at him. She was choking on her emotions as she said, ¡°Fu Bainian, what do I do? I fell in love with you!¡± This time, she was speaking from the heart as Lan Jinyao; not as Chen Meimei.

    Fu Bainian momentarily froze in shock. In the past, Chen Meimei wouldn¡¯t have used such a serious expression to look at him as she said ¡®I love you¡¯. Normally, she would¡¯ve screamed it at the top of her lungs, as if she was afraid that no one could hear her. However, this time, her expression made him subconsciously look away.

    After that, he replied, ¡°I know! You made me aware of this long ago!"

    Just as Lan Jinyao wanted to exin, Fu Bainian¡¯s phone abruptly rang; the ringtone returning the awkward silence to the room. It was Mother Fu.

    Lan Jinyao nced at the name shing across the screen but chose to remain silent. Fu Bainian sighed before answering his phone.

    ¡°Mum?¡±

    ¡°Mhh, I know. I¡¯ve decided to stay here a little longer.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, he said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°Mum is letting us stay here for a little longer to have fun. There¡¯ll be a surprise for us when we go back.¡±

    Lan Jinyao responded with a sigh. ¡°Ok!¡±

    Fu Bainian, of course, wanted to stay here longer. However, it wasn¡¯t for her; it was for the unknown woman in his heart instead.

    ¡°For now, don¡¯t overthink things. For the next few days, I¡¯ll apany you, and we can do something fun together. When we return, we can talk about this again.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nced at him. ¡°Really?¡±

    Fu Bainian nodded earnestly. ¡°Of course! I never lie.¡± He would just think of it as...a way topensate her.

    At that moment, both of them knew the truth. Now that Fu Bainian had found out that the one he¡¯d loved was alive, as soon as they returned to China, the two of them would have to go back to the Bureau of Civil Affairs and register their divorce.

    After a moment of silence, Lan Jinyao smiled. Although her smile was slightly depressed, she was trying hard to be an open-minded woman. She wouldn¡¯t pursue him, and she wouldn¡¯t force him. Sadly, she found that she couldn¡¯t do it; the feelings she¡¯d invested into this marriage were far too strong.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, I don¡¯t know why things have now be like this. Actually, it¡¯s only recently that I realised how I felt. Those actions of the past weren¡¯t...¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, if the one in your heart were to really die, would you fall in love with me?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± He answered. It was a firm response, but it was also very hurtful. ¡°You¡¯re too fat!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao heard this, it seemed to instantly rejuvenate her spirit. ¡°If I wasn''t fat, would you like me then?¡± she asked.

    She immediately realised that was a stupid question to ask and became dejected.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, let¡¯s go have fun! You said that you''d apany me while we¡¯re here! However, I won¡¯t allow you to find that woman; for the next few days, while we¡¯re here, you¡¯ll act like a good husband.¡±

    Fu Bainian momentarily pondered before nodding.

 Chapter 26 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 26 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (3)</h4>

    ¡°Fu Bainian, why did we have toe all this way to eat coconuts?¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯re sweet!¡±

    ¡°But, you still haven¡¯t managed to open it. Why did you refuse that person¡¯s help just now?¡±

    Fu Bainian ced the coconut down on the table and put his hands on his hips, his tone cold as he said, ¡°Who was it that said she wanted to eat coconuts, and who was it that just said she could handle it on her own?¡±

    Lan Jinyao lowered her head and said weakly, ¡°Who said it? Why don¡¯t I know?¡±

    The number of people watching them steadily grew and caused Fu Bainian¡¯s face to turn darker than charcoal. Ultimately, he grabbed her hand, walked through the thick crowd, and went outside; abandoning the coconut.

    ¡°Hey! You don¡¯t want this coconut anymore?¡± someone shouted at them.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression was calm, but he refused to say anything. Lan Jinyao quickly replied to the woman who¡¯d asked, ¡°That one is bad, and it can¡¯t be opened. We don¡¯t want it.¡±

    The people observing smiled at Lan Jinyao¡¯s kindness. Then, in the next second, the coconut opened. Inserting a straw into it, the woman sucked in two gulps before she said to them with a pleased expression, ¡°This one isn¡¯t bad; it¡¯s very sweet!¡±

    Seeing that the woman had managed to open a small hole in the coconut so easily, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression worsened. He quickly tugged Lan Jinyao away; his pace so fast that Lan Jinyao needed to run a little to match him. As she ran, she smiled and asked, ¡°Hey, is someone mad?¡±

    Lan Jinyao beamed at him, and seeing his irritated expression, she patted his chest andforted him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about such small details. You¡¯re the President of Blue Hall Entertainment and deal with hundreds of affairs already. Why let a small coconut bother you?¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression gradually lightened.

    She continued, ¡°Maybe that person was a coconut seller, so managing to open a coconut wasn¡¯t something special. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    The stormy expression covering Fu Bainian¡¯s face had nowpletely cleared.

    Lan Jinyao snickered. She never would¡¯ve expected this man to have such a side to him.

    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s go to a bar! I haven¡¯t been to a bar while here yet. We can treat it as ourst farewell!¡±

    She forced a bright smile and pretended that this was thest illusion of sweetness. When, in her heart, she knew clearly that after they returned they would go their separate ways. She wanted to have a sweet memory of their time together; after all, he was the first man she¡¯d ever liked.

    Lan Jinyao was trying hard to leave a good impression on Fu Bainian, but not even a half hour had passed once they¡¯d arrived at a bar before she was drunk. She was so dizzy that she saw double.

    She raised her hand and pointed at Fu Bainian. ¡°Why are there two Fu Bainian¡¯s? One for the woman in your heart, and one for me? Haha, there are two of you!¡±

    The bartender slid another colourful cocktail towards her as he regaled her with the romantic story behind the drink. When the bartender passed the cocktail to her, Fu Bainian reached out to pick it up. But, Lan Jinyao quickly snatched it, threw her head back, and poured the entire ss filled with liquid into her mouth. After she swallowed it all, she giggled at Fu Bainian as she lifted the empty ss. ¡°You wanted to drink it? Unfortunately, there¡¯s nothing left!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re drunk!¡±

    ¡°But, I¡¯m sad, you know? My heart is sad! Drinking can make people happy!¡±

    She added, ¡°Fu Bainian, you can¡¯t take advantage of my inebriated state and leave me alone. We¡¯ll be leaving together tomorrow. When we get off the ne, I¡¯ll return your diamond ring to you and we¡¯ll part without hard feelings.¡±

    Fu Bainian quietly hummed and took the ss from her hand before he said to her, ¡°We still have to catch the ne tomorrow, so you really can¡¯t drink any more.¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, promise me: even if we part, you¡¯ll still help me in the entertainment circle. I will prove to everyone that I can stand on the peak!¡± At that moment, she lowered her gaze with a resolute expression on her face.

    However, in the near future, Lan Jinyao would forget ever saying this. She¡¯d said that Fu Bainian must help her, but when he offered, she pushed his hands away with a cold face as she firmly told him, ¡°I don¡¯t need your help! I can get what I want with my own strength!¡± But at that time, her self-esteem had been trampled by him.

    The sky was gradually darkening, so Fu Bainian dragged Lan Jinyao back to the hotel. These past few days, they¡¯d been eating delicious food and happily drinking, and she hadn¡¯t made any efforts to get up in the morning to exercise. Because of this, her body had regained all the weight that she¡¯d worked hard to lose.

    When Fu Bainian tugged at her arm, he instantly found himself exhausted. However, Chen Meimei didn¡¯t even make the tiniest bit of effort to help and justy on his body.

    The hotel was before them when she suddenly covered her mouth and started gagging.

    ¡°Chen Meimei!¡± Fu Bainian roared. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you want to vomit?! Just wait a moment, and I¡¯ll find you a trash can!¡±

    But, in the next second, Lan Jinyao poured out the contents of her stomach. Seeing the vomit staining his glossy leather shoes, the veins on Fu Bainian¡¯s forehead started throbbing. ¡°Chen Meimei, do you want to die?!¡±

    The unconscious Lan Jinyao never would¡¯ve thought that the good impression she¡¯d been trying to make was, in Fu Bainian¡¯s opinion, one of his worst memories.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, are you able to shower yourself?¡±

    Lan Jinyao groaned, but her eyelids didn¡¯t move at all.

    Fu Bainian rubbed his forehead in frustration as he looked at a mountain-like woman in the bathtub. Then, leaving the bathroom, he quickly called room service.

    ¡°Do you need something, Sir?¡± The blond woman who came to the room hooked his chin with her finger as she stared at him coquettishly.

    Fu Bainian pushed the woman¡¯s hand away and pointed to the bathroom. ¡°Just go and help the woman inside wash up!¡±

    ¡°Woman? Ok!¡±

    The woman entered the bathroom just as Fu Bainian added another sentence, ¡°Just giving her a shower is enough!¡±

    The woman gave him an ok gesture.

    In the quiet room, there were only the sounds of watering from the bathroom.

    Abruptly, Fu Bainian¡¯s phone rang. Picking it up, he looked at it and noticed that he¡¯d received a text message. The contents were simple, just a few lines that read: If you really want to chase me, my ne leaves at 1 AM. If we can be reunited on the flight, I¡¯ll seriously consider your pursuit!

    The sender was Lan Xin.

    Lan Xin?

    ¡°Remember, my current name is Lan Xin!¡±

    Lan Xin - Lan Jinyao!

    At that moment, the man who was struck by happiness didn¡¯t think things through carefully. How did Lan Jinyao get his temporary phone number, and why would she even request such things from him when she¡¯d only just met him?

    Half an hourter, he patted Chen Meimei¡¯s cheek as she slept, but there was no reaction.

    ¡°Chen Meimei! Wake up!¡±

    Lan Jinyao rolled over and continued sleeping!

    Fu Bainian felt helpless as he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chen Meimei, I can¡¯t go home with you. I have something important to do, so I''ll leave first.¡±

    As he headed out, he nced at the woman on the bed. In the end, he still didn¡¯t stay.

 Chapter 27 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (4)

    <h4>Chapter 27 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (4)</h4>

    She walked alone in the dark, her shadow the only thing apanying her. She couldn¡¯t find Fu Bainian anywhere.

    When Lan Jinyao opened her eyes, she discovered that not only had she been unable to find Fu Bainian in her dreams; but he was nowhere to be found when she was awake. Today was the day that they¡¯d be returning home. Where would Fu Bainian possibly go at this time?

    She searched all over the room, only to find no sign of him. So, she quickly washed up and dragged her suitcase to the hotel¡¯s front desk to inquire if they¡¯d heard anything. What they told her, was that Fu Bainian had leftst night.

    The way the hotel staff gazed at her made her feel slightly embarrassed. They seemed to be expressing pity for the newly married couple that hade for their honeymoon, with the husband unexpectedly leaving his wife behind; all alone. Moreover, it had happened in the middle of the night.

    She sighed. This could only be med on the facade that they¡¯d put on; they¡¯d made their love seem too realistic However, although their act hadn¡¯t managed to deceive her heart, it had managed to fool those that saw them.

    Lan Jinyao dragged her suitcase across the hotel lobby and left the building. She tried to pretend that she didn¡¯t care, but her stiff back divulged her inner secrets.

    As soon as Lan Jinyao returned home, she found out that Fu Bainian had switched to an earlier flight to apany another woman. Not even her face had been photographed, so it seemed like he¡¯d carefully protected her from the paparazzi.

    Lan Jinyao was depressed, but she knew that the worst had yet toe, and the next morning, she received a call from Fu Bainian asking her to meet him. Inhaling deeply, she said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for us to go to a cafe; let¡¯s just directly go to the Bureau of Civil Affairs!¡±

    On the other end of the phone, Fu Bainian wanted to say something, but he ultimately hesitated.

    ¡°Juste to the cafe! Lan Xin said that she wants to see you. She said that if she was going to be with me, then she had to confirm that you don¡¯t like me. She said that she doesn¡¯t want to destroy someone¡¯s family!¡±

    Lan Jinyao restrained her anger as she asked, ¡°So she knows that you¡¯re married?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, it appears that your eyes aren¡¯t particrly good. She knows that you have a wife, yet she still shamelessly says that she doesn¡¯t want to ruin someone¡¯s family?!¡±

    Fu Bainian shouted his displeasure into the phone. ¡°Chen Meimei!!¡±

    ¡°We agreed before...¡±

    Lan Jinyao interrupted him, ¡°Yes, we did agree on this previously. After we returned home, I would give your diamond ring back to you, and then we would register our divorce. However, amongst the things I promised, I never once agreed to go and meet that woman!¡±

    ¡°Chen Meimei, I¡¯m begging you!¡±

    This man, who¡¯d always stood above everyone, was actually begging for help? Lan Jinyao tightly clenched the phone in her hand; the poor phone almost crushed by her tremendous strength.

    She forced her tears back with a monumental effort and faked a calmness she didn¡¯t feel as she asked, ¡°You know that I like you. Are you sure that it¡¯s really a good idea for me to meet her?¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t respond.

    As Lan Jinyao waited for his answer, her eyes seemed to have a glint of hope within them.

    It felt like a century had passed before Fu Bainian said, ¡°Just go and meet her, alright?!¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian! You¡¯re so cruel!¡± He was really too much! Lan Jinyao threw her cell phone to the ground where it smashed into multiple pieces.

    An hourter, the sound of a horn red outside her home. Lan Jinyao stood by the window and looked below to see Fu Bainian standing on the footpath, so she quickly hid. It didn¡¯t take long before there was a knock on her door, apanied by a loud voice calling out Chen Meimei; the sounds resounding throughout the corridor.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Lan Jinyao said as she opened the door.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, help me, okay?! Don¡¯t forget; I¡¯ve saved your life before!¡±

    Lan Jinyao bit her lower lip, her eyes filling with vulnerability.

    True, Fu Bainian saved her. Even if he didn¡¯t like her, he¡¯d almost lost his life because of her. But, that was because of his close ties with the Chen family and their friendship. This was just a little favour, so she had no reason not to lend him a hand, right?

    ¡°Fine! I promise that I¡¯ll go.¡±

    She would just treat this like she was acting in a second drama after her rebirth! She would surely perform well. She just had to act like someone who wasn¡¯t in love in with anyone; how difficult could this be? She was the queen of acting after all!

    Half an hourter, Fu Bainian drove them to the cafe in the city Ò» a cafe for couples. Lan Jinyao angrily looked at Fu Bainian, her hands tightly clenched at her sides as she was afraid that if she didn¡¯t control herself, she would hit him.

    The appearances of the three people instantly attracted a lot of attention.

    As soon as Lan Jinyao saw the woman¡¯s face, she froze in ce and couldn¡¯t move; she seemed to have lost control over her body. The woman¡¯s face was like a replica of the face she¡¯d had as Lan Jinyao.

    At that moment, Lan Jinyao almost believed that she¡¯d lost her mind. Maybe she really was Chen Meimei, and because she liked Fu Bainian, she¡¯d subconsciously started thinking that she was Lan Jinyao. The memory of falling from a rooftop was just a delusion. Then, she imagined that she¡¯d been reborn as Chen Meimei.

    It was an ironic twist that Fu Bainian liked Lan Jinyao!

    However, after seeing that woman¡¯s face, Lan Jinyao was so confused that she didn¡¯t know what to think anymore.

    Fu Bainian had said that he¡¯d liked a person for a long time now, but that the person he¡¯d liked recently passed away. He¡¯d also said, ¡®Chen Meimei, I found her. She didn¡¯t actually die! This time, I want to be with her.¡¯

    Lan Jinyao looked at Fu Bainian and whispered, ¡°Fu Bainian, the person you like is Lan Jinyao?¡±

    If one listened carefully, one would notice the odd tone in her voice. However, Fu Bainian was too impatient to sort everything out so that he could embrace his lover and rush towards a happy future together. While that woman, on the other hand, became absent-minded upon hearing the name ¡®Lan Jinyao¡¯. So, no one noticed the subtle hitch in her voice.

    Fu Bainian nced at the woman who looked like Lan Jinyao, his eyes full of tender affection as he said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve liked her for quite a long time.¡±

    A few hot tears escaped the corners of her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Rubbing at her eyes until they reddened, she found that she couldn¡¯t rx the tightness she felt around her heart. Initially, long before she¡¯d liked Fu Bainian, he¡¯d already been loving her in silence. In the end, it turned out that having Fu Bainian like her wasn¡¯t wishful thinking.

    At that moment, she was happy.

    However, she couldn¡¯t tell him that she was the real Lan Jinyao! It was an altogether ridiculous situation, and it definitely wasn¡¯t a tale for a cafe!

    The ring on her finger caught her eye, and as she stared at the brilliant sparkle of the diamond, she suddenly halted.

    Noticing her weird actions, Fu Bainian slightly furrowed his brows. ¡°Chen Meimei, the ring...¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head as she smiled. She shifted her gaze to look at the face that closely resembled her previous one, and said firmly, ¡°Miss Lan, do you really like my husband?¡±

    The woman was unsure what Lan Jinyao¡¯s intentions were, so she hesitated.

    Lan Jinyao asked again, ¡°Then, were you aware that my husband was actually married?¡±

    This time, the woman nodded.

    With her nod, the atmosphere surrounding the cafe became slightly strange. Everyone in the cafe seemed to be staring at Lan Xin; the disgust in their eyes made it seem like they were looking at a pile of garbage.

 Chapter 28 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (5)

    <h4>Chapter 28 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (5)</h4>

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Chen Meimei! I didn¡¯t call you here today to say that!¡± Fu Bainian suddenly raised his voice.

    Lan Jinyao nodded and unhurriedly said, ¡°I know why you called me here today; wasn¡¯t it to make me give my ring and husband to someone else? I know I promised you before, but now, I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Fu Bainian¡¯s brows furrowed, a look of puzzlement stered on his face.

    Lan Jinyao shrugged. ¡°No reason. If the person you liked was someone else, I could do what you wanted. But, when ites to this woman, I can''t help you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t know where this woman hade from, or why she looked exactly like her previous self. But, these questions weren¡¯t important. The important part to note was that Fu Bainian had said that the person he likes is Lan Jinyao, and this woman was not Lan Jinyao! In this world, she was the one and only Lan Jinyao; no one could ever rece her!

    Originally, Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t intended to behave like this. If the person that Fu Bainian had liked were someone else, she would¡¯ve been willing to help them because her love couldn¡¯t amount to even a fraction of this man¡¯s affections that had spanned several years. However, now, it was different. The person that he¡¯d loved for so long had turned out to be her, and she was now being substituted with someone else!

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao was extremely unwilling to help him.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, how can you go back on your words?¡±

    Fu Bainian stood up, propped his hands on the table, and towered over Lan Jinyao with a dangerous look in his eyes.

    ¡°Haizz, nowadays, men are daring to bring their mistresses to provoke the wives openly. Public morals are degenerating with each passing day!¡±

    ¡°Men are like that, but the women who are mistresses are also too ignorant; without honour or shame. They destroy a person¡¯s family, and yet they still dare to act confidently.¡±

    All could hear the incessant chattering of the people in the cafe. No one was even attempting to be quiet as they were purposely trying to be heard. Seeing that the woman¡¯s expression was changing, Lan Jinyaoughed in her heart.

    The woman¡¯splexion was pale; she looked utterly pitiful. Tightly clenching Fu Bainian¡¯s hand, she asked in a grief-filled voice, ¡°Fu Bainian, didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t like her?¡±

    ¡°Well, the reason we got married was my Mother. If possible, I would¡¯ve chosen never to get married at all, but I unexpectedly managed to meet you again.¡±

    Lan Jinyao yed with the diamond ring on her finger as she watched this pathetic drama y out in front of her.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, as a man, you don¡¯t even have the most basic sense of responsibility. How do you n on giving happiness to someone you like?¡± She continued to question him aggressively, ¡°And, since you said that you''d liked Lan Jinyao for years, do you think that, ording to Lan Jinyao¡¯s personality, that she would destroy someone¡¯s family?¡±

    Although her words were directed towards Fu Bainian, she was staring at Lan Xin. No matter what this woman was scheming, Lan Jinyao wouldn¡¯t let her seed.

    What¡¯s more, before she¡¯d died, Lan Jinyao had despised those unspoken rules in the entertainment circle, and had loathed those who would use money to benefit themselves; regardless of the hurt that it would bring to someone¡¯s family.

    A woman would love someone with her entire heart. If she were to lose her loved one, it would be like they¡¯d lost their whole world. The downside though, was a woman¡¯s morality whenpared to love was almost nonexistent.

    Her words silenced Fu Bainian.

    Perhaps he never thought that Chen Meimei could say such a sentence, or he found it hard to believe. Or, maybe, he was shocked by the meaning of her words.

    What was Chen Meimei had said was right. Lan Jinyao was a woman with high morals, and she normally would¡¯ve disdained to be the reason that someone was hurt.

    Lan Xin¡¯s expression seemed a little anxious. Picking up a spoon, she poked at the foam on top of her coffee and started messing up thette flower art. When Fu Bainian looked at her, she was pitifully piling the cream into the centre of her cup.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, just give me the ring! We¡¯ll go to the Bureau of Civil Affairs tomorrow; let¡¯s end this mistake of a marriage as soon as possible! Dying the inevitable will only further hurt you, me, and her. It¡¯ll also damage the rtionship between our families.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think this marriage was a mistake? Why don¡¯t you think of it as a gift from the heavens?¡±

    ¡°Chen Meimei...¡±

    Lan Xin suddenly got up and stood next to Fu Bainian. ¡°What do you really want?! Bainian has already said he doesn¡¯t like you. You were the one that took advantage of the fact that Auntie liked you to pester Bainian continuously.¡±

    It seemed that this woman was in a hurry to marry Fu Bainian. The more she spoke, the more Lan Jinyao was confident that she was plotting something. As for who she was, it was a mystery because she didn¡¯t think that the woman was real the Chen Meimei, as Lan Jinyao had seen her body be buried under 10 feet of thick soil.

    ¡°Woman, who is it that really has no sense of shame?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was already tired of this and didn¡¯t want to be entangled with them any longer. Following the broadcast of her first drama and her previous battle with Xu Jin¡¯ge on Weibo, she¡¯d won over quite a lot of fans. She could almost be considered a public figure now. Besides, to her surprise, there was already someone taking pictures in the restaurant.

    She said to Fu Bainian, ¡°You should think over it carefully; don¡¯t be blinded by the illusion before your eyes.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fu Bainian asked.

    By the time he asked this, Lan Jinyao was already leaving the cafe. When she heard Fu Bainian¡¯s question, a corner of her mouth slightly raised. She whispered under her breath, ¡°Fu Bainian, one day, you will understand what I mean. I hope we can have a happy ending, so I wish you don¡¯t make the wrong decision.¡±

    I¡¯d been wondering why the heavens gave me such a fate and let me meet a man I¡¯d never known before, but now, I understand. I¡¯ll regard this trial as a deliberate arrangement by the heavens. We¡¯re destined to be together.

    ...

    That afternoon, Lan Jinyao knew that things had now be serious. First, a not-so-famous website posted a video of the three of them in the cafe. Then, a fewizens pointed out that Chen Meimei and Fu Bainian were actually married; someone saw them go to the Maldives for their honeymoon.

    The development of the situation was garnering too much attention. Mother Fu had already invited a lot of reporters to the wedding that they were holding for them, and Lan Jinyao had received a message informing her of the details. In fact, everything about the wedding had been suitably arranged. The only missing was a bride and groom.

    By now, the whole world knew that Chen Meimei was going to marry Fu Bainian.

    Those with malicious intentions who mocked her would forever exist, and the number of people who offered false blessings was endless.

    Lan Jinyao decided to call Fu Bainian. ¡°Fu Bainian, when it¡¯s time for the wedding ceremony, you¡¯ll be there, right? At that time, I¡¯ll tell you a secret; a secret that, as far as I''m concerned, is extremely important to you.¡±

    By then, no matter what kind of future she¡¯d face, she¡¯d ept it. At least she would¡¯ve told Fu Bainian the truth.

    Fu Bainian remained silent throughout the phone call. By the time Lan Jinyao hung up the phone; he still hadn¡¯t uttered a single word.

 Chapter 29 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (6)

    <h4>Chapter 29 - Whose Heart Is Crying? (6)</h4>

    On the night before the wedding, Lan Jinyao made another phone call to Fu Bainian. ¡°Fu Bainian, you¡¯lle, right? After this wedding, if you still insist on being with that woman, then...¡±

    She was silent for a moment before she whispered, ¡°Then, I¡¯llply with your wishes.¡±

    On the other end of the phone, Lan Jinyao could hear Fu Bainian¡¯s steady breathing. After a good while, he finally said, ¡°Good! I¡¯lle. You have to remember your promise, otherwise...¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Lan Jinyao chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to threaten me. Also, don¡¯t worry about me breaking my promise; I¡¯ll keep my word. I¡¯ve already said it: after we¡¯re divorced, we¡¯ll no longer be friends and only be strangers to each other.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s voice was hoarse as he responded, ¡°Alright!¡±

    Lan Jinyao managed to add a few more words before Fu Bainian hung up the phone. ¡°You muste!¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t answer her and hung up.

    That night, Lan Jinyaoy on her bed and found it impossible to sleep. Tomorrow was her wedding day. Perhaps, after the wedding, Fu Bainian would choose not to believe her and still decide to be with Lan Xin.

    She told herself that it didn¡¯t matter because even if she bumped her head against the wall with all her strength, she wouldn¡¯t be able to change what was fated to be. For her, the best result now was that she could marry him, and if nothing else, she was happy that she¡¯d get that wish granted. In the future, regardless of whether or not she fell in love with someone else, she¡¯d at least walked into a wedding hall with the first person she¡¯d ever liked.

    The next day, Lan Jinyao was awakened by the sound of her phone. Mother Fu¡¯s tone was full of excitement as she said, ¡°Meimei, hurry up ande join me. The customised wedding dress has been sent over.¡±

    ¡°Mum, isn¡¯t this all happening a bit too fast?¡±

    Her heart was beating like a drum. She¡¯d always felt that things wouldn¡¯t go this smoothly, despite personally getting a confirmation from Fu Bainianst night that he would be there.

    ¡°This is indeed a bit rushed, but what other choice do I have? To think that, even after getting married, that worrisome son of mine would actually get into a scandal with another woman. If I don¡¯t announce to the whole world now that you¡¯re our Fu family¡¯s daughter-inw, I think it¡¯s highly probable that wave after wave of women would approach my son.¡±

    Mother Fu¡¯s voice was filled with admiration, and she sounded thrilled.

    Lan Jinyao chuckled. ¡°I understand, I¡¯ll head over now. Fu Bainian, he...¡±

    ¡°I called him; he¡¯ll be here soon! Don¡¯t worry, how could those foxes dy my son?¡± Mother Fu said vigorously.

    Lan Jinyao was relieved. Nevertheless, when she was freshening up, her heart suddenly had a bad premonition, but she tried to ignore this strange feeling.

    However, with her longing for love, she decided to sacrifice her self-respect and moved forward with the wedding; regardless of her misgivings. Unfortunately, this would ultimately result in her bing a joke to everyone.

    On this day, the sky was bright and cloudless, and Lan Jinyao was currently sitting in a taxi on the way to the hotel. Typically, this was a bustling road with traffic dys ranging anywhere from thirty minutes to one hour. However, today, the car was steadily making progress towards its destination with plenty of time to spare. It was as if God was opening up a path for her.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart was beating fast. Even if she watched the scenery sliding past the window, she couldn¡¯t rx. Instead, the closer she got to the hotel; the more her anxiety increased.

    An hourter, Lan Jinyao stood in front of a mirror with a pure white wedding dress wrapped around her ginormous form. She looked frustrated as she stared at therge figure being reflected in the mirror, and she¡¯d managed to regain the ten pounds that she¡¯d lost before her honeymoon.

    While she was applying her makeup, Mother Fu entered the room in a rush. Her normally smiling face was looking slightly unsettled.

    ¡°Meimei, don¡¯t worry. Although we¡¯re unable to reach Fu Bainian¡¯s phone, he promised that he woulde. You must trust me, and believe in the son I raised.¡±

    Lan Jinyao lowered her head. So, it was like this even though he¡¯d promised. Additionally, not only did he not bother to appear, but he refused to answer his phone.

    It would¡¯ve been better if she¡¯d nevere. In this case, even if she gave up on the only chance between them, she wouldn¡¯t have been the one being abandoned.

    ¡°Auntie, what should I do now? Should I believe in him?¡±

    She¡¯d decided to change the way she¡¯d been addressing Mother Fu to what she¡¯d used previously. This was what Fu Bainian had chosen.

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯te, I¡¯ll be the biggest joke in the city. Auntie, do you think I should take the risk?¡±

    She¡¯d already begun to give up on him in her heart, but she smartly decided to let this woman help her make a choice. Mother Fu believed in her son, but, was she willing to make Chen Meimei into a joke for him?

    Mother Fu started repeatedly calling Fu Bainian¡¯s phone until her phone was almost out of power. In the end, Fu Bainian still didn¡¯t pick up, while outside, reporters had arrived for the wedding.

    Lan Jinyao would always remember this day, and it would remain as a scar that cut deeply across her heart and hid in the deepest corners. The fate between her and Fu Bainian was like aplicated puzzle that was impossible to solve.

    An hourter, Fu Bainian still hadn¡¯t appeared, and Mother Fu, who¡¯d insisted on calling him, finally gave up. She held Lan Jinyao¡¯s hands and said with an apologetic expression, ¡°Meimei, it might be best if you change clothes and leave through the hotel¡¯s back door, alright? I¡¯ll take care of everything regarding the wedding. As for that stinky son of mine, I¡¯ll sort him outter.¡±

    Once Lan Jinyao had changed, she nced at her ring finger. After a momentary hesitation, she took off the diamond ring and ced it on the table in the room.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, so this is what you¡¯ve chosen?¡± She chuckled and left the hotel through the back door.

    The hotel¡¯s back door led to a small alleyway full of garbage, and as she walked, she pulled a hat down over her head. When she finally left the alley, a few people suddenly rushed out from behind her. Panicking, she turned around to see what was happening. In that split moment, she was thrust back to the past when she was still a famous movie star with paparazzi taking candid pictures of her from behind.

    Constant clicks could be hearding from behind her, and the moment she turned around, it was toote as the reporter had already taken many pictures. Lan Jinyao quickly hid her face and ran away.

    For Lan Jinyao, this was a day filled with sorrow. However, it wasn¡¯t until the next day that she understood that the worst had yet toe.

    Even though she¡¯d escaped from the back door, she couldn¡¯t escape the headlines. She wanted to cry when she looked at all the photos disyed on major websites.

    Chen Meimei, the fatty, had once again be a joke. Unfortunately, this time, it was because of her, Lan Jinyao.

 Chapter 30 - Weâ€™ll Be Strangers The Next Time We Meet

    <h4>Chapter 30 - We¡¯ll Be Strangers The Next Time We Meet</h4>

    When Chen Meimei¡¯s scandal became global, Lan Jinyao received a call from Agent Vivi. To her surprise, the woman who¡¯d always had a poisonous tongue didn¡¯t ridicule her for the first time and instead encouraged her to rest for a few days. She also told Lan Jinyao that it would help if she forgot the unpleasantness of the past and weed a new future. Then, the next call she received was from Old Chen who told her not to be unhappy as he would find someone better for her. Following that was a call from Chen Meile, saying that after Lan Jinyao had calmed down for a few days, she would introduce her to someone else.

    When Fu Bainian called, it was already the seventh call she¡¯d received since being stood up at the wedding. Lan Jinyao nced at the name shing on the screen, then pressed reject. When the phone rang again, she added his number to her blocked list.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, what I suffered was all because of you. Why are you calling me? What more do you want?¡±

    After she¡¯d blocked his number, she still felt that it wasn¡¯t enough and turned her phone off. After that, shey in bed like a corpse and motionlessly stared at the white ceiling.

    She lied in bed from morning until night before she rubbed her starving stomach. Although she felt hungry, when she ced her hand on her stomach and touched a mass of flesh, she became depressed.

    It seemed that fat people would feel even worse when they were hungry, like every cell in their body was burning.

    Lan Jinyao felt slightly dizzy, so she finally got out of bed and left her apartment. Half an hourter, she was sitting in a bar and holding a bottle of alcohol. Curling up in a ball in a dark corner, she¡¯d consumed around two to three bottles which were scattered about the table.

    Her vision was already impaired which was resulting in everything being doubled and blurred.

    She felt someone sit beside her. Moreover, it was a man in a suit.

    She held up her ss as she said to the man, ¡°What do you want? Do you want to hit on me? Don¡¯t you see how fat I am? My weight could crush you, you know. Most men...will immediately look disgusted once they see me; they don¡¯t get near me by even half a step! Hahaha, they are indeed wise!¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t want to cry, as that would cause her to be too ugly. But, she couldn¡¯t control herself. She felt so vulnerable, like a fish out of water.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, look at yourself. You¡¯re totally different from your normally optimistic self. The previous Chen Meimei was thoughtless and wouldn¡¯t bother being sad over any man. It¡¯s not like you were never rejected by Fu Bainian before. That time, even if people wouldugh at you, you still bravely charged ahead. Where did the you from that time go?¡±

    Lan Jinyao abruptly hugged him and started crying. She wanted to say that the Chen Meimei from back then had long since disappeared. She wasn¡¯t as brave as Chen Meimei had been. She was Lan Jinyao; the Lan Jinyao who would retreat into her shell at the tiniest of injuries.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. As long as you no longer like Fu Bainian, you¡¯ll show him he was wrong by bing the greatest person on earth. One day, you¡¯ll be able to meet a person who truly loves you.¡±

    Chen Zetao patted her back, his tone gentle.

    ¡°Let go of her!¡±

    Lan Jinyao heard a familiar voice that sounded much like Fu Bainian¡¯s voice. She looked up but could only see a blurred figure; she couldn¡¯t clearly see the person¡¯s face.

    The man who¡¯d been hugging her remainedposed as he calmly said, ¡°Fu Bainian, how dare you still appear in front of her after what you¡¯ve done?! Does ying around with someone¡¯s feelings really make you feel happy?¡±

    A whoosh was heard as a fist smashed into Fu Bainian¡¯s face.

    ¡°Who do you think you are?! This is an agreement between Chen Meimei and myself! I never thought that things would turn out like this.¡±

    ¡°You never thought it would turn out like this? Or, you didn¡¯t take Chen Meimei into consideration from the beginning?¡±

    The two men argued, simultaneously using their hands and feet to fight each other. Lan Jinyao stood up with difficulty and staggered as she walked out of the bar. The two men quickly moved to follow her.

    Lan Jinyao managed to make it to the road before she started throwing up. Supporting herself by leaning on the trunk of a big tree, she heart-wrenchingly emptied the contents of her stomach.

    A man with a face covered in ck and blue bruises stood not far behind her and stared at her.

    Seeing the scene before him, Fu Bainian remembered that night back in the Maldives. Chen Meimei was also vomiting on the side of the road, but at that time, she¡¯d had him beside her.

    If he and Chen Meimei hadn¡¯t gotten that marriage certificate, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this, and that wedding never would¡¯ve happened.

    He walked closer to Chen Meimei to exin his actions. ¡°Chen Meimei, I¡¯m sorry! That day, it was my fault for standing you up!¡±

    After throwing up, Chen Meimei felt sober. Paired with the cold breeze of the night that was caressing her body, the buzzing in her head had also disappeared.

    She smiled at Fu Bainian. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. However, I said it to you before that if you were toe, I would tell you a secret. But, you didn¡¯te that day, so I¡¯ve decided not to tell you.¡±

    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter anymore whether she told him or not since Fu Bainian had reneged on his agreement with her. He was an intelligent person, so he would¡¯ve known how hurt she¡¯d be if he didn¡¯te. Perhaps, it was as Chen Zetao had said, he actually knew, but he just didn¡¯t care. Chen Meimei wasn¡¯t a part of his n, so even if he¡¯d promised her that he would definitelye, he could still stand her up in the end.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt that she¡¯d been wrong; this man wasn¡¯t worth her time at all. The only affection he¡¯d ever given to her was to the Chen Meimei of the past.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you home.¡±

    He reached out to help support Lan Jinyao, but she shoved him away.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need. Fu Bainian, if I could, I wouldn¡¯t ever want to see you again, but you and I know that¡¯s impossible. So, let¡¯s just pretend to be strangers in the future, okay? I have a good memory, and I don¡¯t want the bad memories of the past to linger.¡±

    This was a side of Chen Meimei that Fu Bainian had never seen before. Her voice was cold and caused him to clench his fists before loosening them a few minutester. He could only say, ¡°Then, take care of yourself.¡±

    Lan Jinyao sneered. ¡°Nothing will be worse than it is now. Just mind your own business from now on!¡±

    Fu Bainian stared at the plump figure gradually disappearing into the distance. He suddenly felt that his heart was empty like he¡¯d just lost something important.

    However, he¡¯d never loved this woman!

 Chapter 31 - Chen Meimei, You Look Thinner

    <h4>Chapter 31 - Chen Meimei, You Look Thinner</h4>

    Lan Jinyao appeared at thepany a weekter. In this fast-paced era, the news about Lan Jinyao being stood up during her wedding ceremony had already slowly dispersed amongst thetest news magazines. Even if someone saw her, they would merely say, oh, so this person is Chen Meimei! The one who chased after Fu Bainian, but ended up failing miserably! That was it; there wouldn¡¯t be any further discussion.

    In thispany where everyone was very busy, the disappearance and subsequent reappearance of Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t attract anyone¡¯s attention. Taking the elevator upstairs, she headed straight to Shen Yu¡¯s office. Fu Bainian had promised her that she would be allowed to y a role in A Thousand Years Of Tears, but she now had to personally look for Shen Yu, who knew if that man had gone back on his word?

    It was a pity that the great President Fu¡¯s trustworthiness had already dropped to below zero in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart.

    Just as she was about to push the door open, someone opened it from the other side. It was her former Agent, Li Qi. She gave Li Qi a bright smile, which caused Li Qi to be utterly baffled. Was this woman insane?! Howe she was suddenly smiling at him? Her expression made him feel that she was harbouring evil intentions. Could it be that she was interested in him?

    Li Qi rubbed at the goosebumps on his arms, politely smiled back at her, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re looking for Director Shen, right? He¡¯s inside, hurry in!¡±

    If this woman hadn¡¯t been driven insane by their President, then she must have taken a fancy to him! In the past, Chen Meimei was high and mighty, and she only had eyes for their President.

    Li Qi turned to leave but felt his arm being tugged. Shocked, he subconsciously flung his hand away. Chen Meimei was stunned, and the two people stared at each other in silence.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m quite busy at the moment, so I can¡¯t stay any longer. I¡¯m leaving first!¡± he hurriedly exined.

    Lan Jinyao felt depressed. Was she really thought of as such an unpleasant person within thepany? One had to know that Li Qi was a cunning fox, and he could force himself to bow down to anyone he met. Hmmm, that wasn¡¯t right...since Chen Meimei was the one who was so unpleasant, she would slowly work to redeem herself. She should just let bygones be bygones!

    ¡°Li Qi, please take care of me in the future!¡±

    Li Qi looked at her in confusion before fleeing so fast it was like he was about to fly away.

    The smile on her mouth narrowed as she pushed the door open and walked in. Shen Yu was sitting stiffly on the sofa; his body unmoving. He looked like a wax figure, with only his dark eyes nkly roving around the room every so often.

    Shen Yu was in a daze? That shrewd and serious Shen Yu was actually sitting in his office lost in thought?! Lan Jinyao quietlyughed. Treading lightly, she walked towards the sofa.

    Just as she was about to scare Shen Yu, she heard him ask, ¡°Hey, tell me, are there really supernatural things in this world? For example, a dead person being resurrected? And I don¡¯t mean vampires.¡±

    The first thing that Lan Jinyao thought of was that Shen Yu had met Lan Xin. He would only ever ask such a question if he had seen her.

    ¡°If you saw the body of a person being buried under soil, she wouldn¡¯t live again!¡± However, regarding rebirth, such an incredible urrence has indeed happened.

    Upon hearing a familiar female voice, Shen Yu snapped his head up and nkly stared at her.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, what are you doing in my office?¡± He looked at her in rm, and his body quickly moved to the side of the room. ¡°I don¡¯t remember provoking you recently!¡±

    Shen Yu¡¯s response startled Lan Jinyao. Why did she feel that Shen Yu was afraid of Chen Meimei? Maybe she could take advantage of this...

    She coughed, then sternly said, ¡°I¡¯m here today because there¡¯s a business proposition that I want to discuss with you!¡±

    ¡°Business? How can you possibly have any business with me? Don¡¯t tell me that you want me to help you chase after Fu Bainian?¡± After spewing out these words, Shen Yu silently cursed; he¡¯d just touched her sore spot! If he provoked Chen Meimei, she could very well kill him! And, unfortunately, it just so happened that there was currently no one else in his office, so there would be no witnesses.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s face turned as ck as ink. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she coldly stressed, ¡°Shen Yu, are you trying to pick a fight with me?¡±

    Shen Yu felt depressed as he quickly held up his hands. ¡°No no! How could I ever dare?! I was just asking without thinking.¡±

    Lan Jinyao pped the coffee table, and the dull thud that echoed in the room made Shen Yu immediately shut his mouth.

    Lan Jinyao rubbed her chest and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She then solemnly said to Shen Yu, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see Fu Bainian, so, the matter of the marriage certificate will be put off until I¡¯m in a good mood. Now, the reason I¡¯m looking for you is regarding my future development; I want to work hard in the entertainment circle. Therefore, I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll give me an Agent.¡±

    So she was talking about an Agent! Shen Yu breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°No problem. Which Agent do you want to change to? We have plenty of talented people in our management division. As long as you don¡¯t make trouble, you can pick whichever one you want!¡±

    Lan Jinyao revealed a wicked smile as she pped the table once more and said, ¡°I¡¯m a bold person, so I¡¯ll just be straightforward about it. I fancy Li Qi, and it just so happens that he¡¯s currently not managing anyone.¡±

    ¡°Li Qi? Chen Meimei, I didn¡¯t realise your eyesight was so good. Li Qi is ourpany¡¯s gold-medal Agent. Shen Wei¡¯an was ced under his care before, but after a few days he gave up on her. Howe you¡¯re so confident that you¡¯ll be able to convince Li Qi to be your Agent though?¡± He was bing increasingly sceptical about this and thought that this girl¡¯s head had gone awry.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as you agree, I¡¯m sure that I can convince him!¡±

    Shen Yu obviously didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°You? Hey, Chen Meimei, where did you get such confidence from? From the fat in your body?¡±

    Lan Jinyao stood up straight and prepared to pounce on him. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to call me fat behind my back. Yes, I¡¯m fat, but why do you care? Besides, I can slim down again.¡±

    Shen Yu quickly dodged before he quietly sneered. ¡°You¡¯ve never been slim in all the time I¡¯ve known you. What do you mean by saying you¡¯ll be thin again? That¡¯s the greatest joke I¡¯ve ever heard you say.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± He examined Chen Meimei from top to bottom, then said seriously, ¡°Chen Meimei, are my eyes ying tricks on me? I see that you¡¯ve really slimmed down a lot already. You seem to look better than you did before!¡±

    Could it be that the blow Fu Bainian had dealt her was so tremendous that she¡¯d started losing weight?

    ¡°It¡¯s not your imagination; it¡¯s true that I¡¯ve lost weight!¡± She flung her hair over her shoulders like a conceited peacock and said proudly, ¡°In the future, you¡¯ll see that I¡¯m actually a beautiful person. When that timees, please don¡¯t doubt your sharp eyes.¡±

    It was usually challenging for a person to slim down because most peoplecked the determination to stick to it till the very end. Many people would be worried and ask themselves: What if I still look ugly after losing weight? What should I do then?

    ¡°Anyway, do you agree or not?!¡± Lan Jinyao asked threateningly as her patience was running thin.

    Ultimately, Shen Yu agreed. His only requirement was that she had to convince Li Qi herself.

 Chapter 32 - I Donâ€™t Need Your Help (1)

    <h4>Chapter 32 - I Don¡¯t Need Your Help (1)</h4>

    Li Qi was easy to deal with, and not to mention, she had a cheat code. So, how difficult could this be?!

    Li Qi, as a person, wasn¡¯t bad. Mainly because his legs were long, if he bought a white horse, he could easily y the role of Prince Charming. Additionally, he¡¯d unswerving liked the female singer in a bar. Unfortunately, it was a one-sided love. He liked that woman, but she hardly paid him any attention.

    Lan Jinyao still remembered the time that she and Li Qi had gone to a bar together. Li Qi had been staring at the female singer, his eyes glued to her. At the time, she¡¯d teased Li Qi, but she¡¯d never expected that he would immediately admit that he¡¯d fallen for the female singer. So, Lan Jinyao had encouraged him to confess. To help Li Qi, she¡¯d even been tempted to go and inquire about what the woman liked.

    Unfortunately, putting aside Li Qi¡¯s smooth-talking, when he was faced with a person that he liked, he would be terrified. Standing in front of the woman he would continuously stammer and be unable toplete a single sentence. The woman then ended up thinking that he was a mental case.

    Later on, Lan Jinyao had often used this knowledge to tease Li Qi.

    After leaving Shen Yu¡¯s office, Lan Jinyao headed straight to the bar to find Li Qi. She knew that he currently had no artists under his management, and thepany regarded it as a vacation so that he could rest. This man, whenever he had any free time, would definitely go to the bar. As long as she waited there, she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about meeting him.

    She didn¡¯t know where Li Qi had gone, but it appeared that he wasn¡¯t at the bar when she arrived. Ordering a ss of wine to sip, her eyesnded on the woman singing on the stage. The woman looked to be about the same age as her. She had delicate and pretty eyebrows, but her looks, in general, were average. While she was singing, she had a serious and engrossed demeanor about her. The bar had just opened though, and since it wasn¡¯t evening yet, there weren¡¯t many guests around.

    This made Lan Jinyao think of her former self. Although she would have no specific goal, she was very serious when she was filming and would throw herself wholeheartedly into her job.

    The woman¡¯s singing was good, and she might even be able to develop further if she were to enter apany. As it was, she wouldn¡¯t be able to advance if she stayed in such a small ce.

    Since there weren¡¯t many guests yet, after singing two songs, she stepped down and switched with another singer. When she stepped down, she noticed Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°Hey! I remember you!¡± The woman sat down beside her, ordered a drink, then tapped Lan Jinyao¡¯s ss with her own as she said, ¡°Thest time you were here, you were drinking alone, then suddenly there were two men fighting over you. I was thinking; you must be a very attractive woman!¡±

    Two men fighting over her? Hahaha, this misunderstanding was slightly overboard.

    Seeing that the woman was taking the initiative to talk first, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t need to exert any effort to deliberately approach her and started chatting with the woman.

    Sheughed at herself. ¡°Look at me! I¡¯ve been unable to lose any of the fat on this body, so where would there be any charm? Not to mention, those two men...¡±

    One had once hurt her, while the other belonged to Chen Meimei.

    She had a drink from her ss before saying, ¡°Sigh, I won¡¯t say anything more as it just upsets me. Anyway, howe that handsome man didn¡¯te today? I thought he came here every day to listen to you sing?¡±

    Lan Jinyao saw that the woman wasn¡¯t avoiding this topic, so she continued, ¡°Looks like he likes you! Ehh...not just your voice of course, but also you in person.¡±

    The woman rested her chin on one hand, and when she looked at Lan Jinyao, her expression was a little weird as she asked, ¡°I don¡¯t recall seeing you in this bar more than once before. How do you know that persones over every day?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was rendered speechless by this question. She was unclear if Chen Meimei had liked toe to this bar or not.

    Just as she was finding an excuse to dodge the question, she heard the voice of an angry male behind her.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, what are you doing here?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao turned around and saw Li Qi standing nearby as he yelled at her. Although the man seemed to be itching to drag her away, he motionlessly stood two meters away. It appeared that he didn¡¯t dare get closer by even one step. Apparently, since suffering such a blow thest time, he didn''t dare approach this woman, but he still kepting every day.

    Lan Jinyao smiled at the woman, then said to Li Qi, ¡°We¡¯re just talking; you don¡¯t need to be so tense.¡±

    This time, she was here to help him. If she waited for Li Qi to make a move, it would take forever before he seeded in bringing the beauty home.

    She lowered her voice and asked the woman, ¡°Hey, this man is outstanding. Why don¡¯t you ept him?¡±

    The woman put down the ss in her hand and nced at Li Qi, the emotion in her amber coloured eyes unclear.

    Lan Jinyao heard her say, ¡°He¡¯s too timid. Moreover, chasing a girl is so easy, but he didn¡¯t even bring one flower.¡±

    So, that¡¯s how it is! Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but silently muse: It seemed that Li Qi wasn''t entirely without a chance. As long as he worked harder, he would be able to get her!

    ¡°Alright, I understand!¡±

    She still wanted to find out more, but who would¡¯ve guessed that Li Qi would suddenly rush over and hook his hand around her neck to drag her outside. Lan Jinyao felt that she had difficulty breathing.

    ¡°Get off me! I¡¯m going to be suffocated by you!¡±

    Li Qi didn¡¯t release her until he¡¯d brought her out of the bar, but his face was as dark as an iing storm.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, what are you up to?!¡±

    ¡°What am I doing? I¡¯m helping you to pursue a woman!¡± Seriously, he didn¡¯t realise her good intentions at all!

    Li Qi suspiciously asked, ¡°Really? Can you be so kind? Tell me, what do you want from me?¡±

    Lan Jinyao had initially wanted to say that she wanted him to be her Agent, but after thinking about it, she decided not to say anything. She only told him that he would know when the time was right.

    As time went by, more guests slowly filled the bar. As they passed by, they would stare at Lan Jinyao, so she uttered one sentence. ¡°What are you looking at? Never seen a couple out having fun before?!¡±

    Li Qi rolled his eyes. ¡°Who¡¯s your husband now?¡±

    ¡°You thought that I was willing to say that?!¡± Lan Jinyao squeezed him and continued, ¡°You should have a look at yourself in the mirror. That woman said that you¡¯re too timid. If you were just a bit more daring, then she would ept you.¡±

    Li Qi immediately fell for her bait. ¡°Are you serious? Hey, Chen Meimei, I didn¡¯t expect that a fatty like yourself would have such a high EQ! You actually managed to befriend her so quickly.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nced at him with contempt. ¡°Of course I did.¡±

    After leaving the bar, Lan Jinyao went to a flower shop. After choosing the most passionate and brightest red rose, she said to the shop assistant, ¡°Help me send a bouquet of these roses to that bar every day. Also, help me write a note to go with them, write ¡®For my beloved, from Li Qi.¡¯ That will do.¡±

    Seeing the weird gaze of the shop assistant, Lan Jinyao said, ¡°I¡¯m helping my brother pursue his girlfriend!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The shop assistant smiled. ¡°You¡¯re a sweet little sister!¡±

 Chapter 33 - I Donâ€™t Need Your Help (2)

    <h4>Chapter 33 - I Don¡¯t Need Your Help (2)</h4>

    The shooting of A Thousand Years of Tears was right around the corner, but Lan Jinyao was still without an Agent. Just as she was worrying about this, Fu Bainian appeared.

    It seemed that in the past few days this man had been doing well. He was wearing an expensive suit, his leather shoes were clean and shiny, and the front of his hair wasbed back; he was as suave as a western male model.

    Upon seeing that he was doing quite well, Lan Jinyao felt somewhat displeased; this person didn¡¯t seem to be feeling the slightest bit of guilt. Moreover, he appeared to be full of joy, so when he stood in front of her, she felt that his presence was particrly irksome.

    She pretended that she didn¡¯t see him and went to walk past him. But, the moment she passed him, her arm was caught in a tight grip.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, I¡¯ll keep my promise! Regarding the role you want, I¡¯ll arrange it all for you!¡±

    So, this man had specifically found her to say this? Wasn¡¯t he here about them getting a divorce?

    Lan Jinyao grunted and shook off his hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need; I¡¯m capable of doing that by myself and confident that I can obtain the role with my own abilities. What if you trick me again after you¡¯ve helped me? What should I do then, huh?¡±

    Ever since she¡¯d entered the entertainment circle, things had been nothing but smooth sailing for her. However, after her rebirth, she¡¯d experienced many stumbling blocks obstructing her path. She could ignore what others thought of her, but it was impossible for her to ignore her wounded heart. Her heart was now broken and had been shattered into a million pieces. The pain was constantly there as the wound hadn¡¯t yet had a chance to heal.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, you¡¯ve lost a lot of weight.¡±

    With her nose in the air, she continued arrogantly, ¡°Humph! I don¡¯t need you to tell me that, I can see it myself.¡±

    Fu Bainian said again, ¡°You¡¯ve also changed a lot!¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Lan Jinyao sneered as she continued, ¡°Don¡¯t tter me. What I look like now, and how I¡¯ll look in the future; I¡¯m the one who knows it clearest.¡±

    ¡°Chen Meimei, can you not act like this? Are you even capable of getting that role by yourself? All of the roles already have candidates, and you don¡¯t have a resume. So, why would they switch out someone who¡¯s already been chosen?¡± Fu Bainian¡¯s brows wrinkled slightly, and his tone became unfriendly.

    Lan Jinyao red at this arrogant man and said, ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind! Yeah, I don¡¯t have a resume, but just wait and see! I¡¯ll get that role.¡±

    It was just a minor supporting role. Was it worth him personally attending to this matter?

    ¡°You...Chen Meimei, regarding our wedding, that was indeed my fault. But, at that time, Lan Xin was involved in a car ident, and I had to send her to the hospital!¡± His tone was somewhat helpless.

    His voice sounded like it was filled with powerlessness, but, unfortunately, it would be difficult to extinguish the fire in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart.

    She looked straight at him, and asked menacingly, ¡°She was involved in a car ident? Did she break her hand or her leg? It doesn¡¯t matter that you had to send her to the hospital, but why did you turn your phone off? Don¡¯t you know that day was important? Even though it all would''ve been pretend, don¡¯t you have even the tiniest sense of responsibility?¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to talk so harshly as such behaviour was opposite to her personality. However, she couldn¡¯t control herself. In front of Fu Bainian, she felt that she¡¯d be a madman who didn¡¯t care about anything; someone who would act like a rabid dog that bit whoever came into view. Knowing this made her feel even more irritable.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t want to talk to this man anymore.

    However, the most irritating thing in the world was that, when you obviously didn¡¯t want to talk to someone, that someone would dy you and prevent you from leaving. At this moment, Fu Bainian was acting exactly like this. He was so fixated on trying to exin everything clearly that Lan Jinyao figured that he just wanted to relieve his guilt.

    ¡°That day, my phone ran out of battery!¡±

    ¡°Then, why you didn¡¯te?¡±

    No excuse was important as what she¡¯d experienced due to his actions was being stood up and bing infamous.

    ¡°Because...Lan Xin was in pain that day. She didn¡¯t want me to leave!¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded to indicate that she understood. That woman hadn¡¯t wanted him to leave, so he¡¯d stood her up. After all, that woman was wearing a face that he¡¯d loved for years. It was evident at a nce who was and wasn¡¯t important to him. In fact, there was no need topare the two sides at all, because, when she¡¯d confronted Lan Xin, she¡¯d been utterly defeated.

    ¡°Look, you¡¯ve already exined yourself clearly, but it¡¯s of no use because there¡¯s no meaning to it anymore! I¡¯m not going to forgive you just because of your exnation! Moreover, I¡¯ve already told you before that we¡¯ll be strangers the next time we meet! As for that divorce certificate, you can give me a call when you¡¯re free, and I¡¯ll definitely cooperate...¡±

    She paused for a moment before adding, ¡°I would never be like a certain someone and keep you waiting!¡±

    After saying all of this she nonchntly left, leaving Fu Bainian to stand in ce for a long time. It could be said that he was furious with her as he red at her departing back.

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t understand what Fu Bainian was thinking, and she didn¡¯t want to understand. For now, all she wanted to do was focus on her work, because her enemy was still atrge.

    Lan Jinyao was sitting in the cafe downstairs and thinking about what she should do next when she realised that the road ahead would be long and filled with obstacles. When she¡¯d bluntly refused Fu Bainian¡¯s offer of help just now, she hadn¡¯t really thought about the role at hand, and she was now starting to develop a headache. Although she was familiar with the Director of A Thousand Years Of Tears, she was now Chen Meimei; it would be awkward if she just acted all friendly with him out of nowhere, right?

    Lan Jinyao sat there with her chin propped in the palm of her hand, her eyes spinning with her endless thoughts. Even though she could think of countless ideas, she ended up discarding them because they were either too stupid orpletely unfeasible.

    Half an hourter, Li Qi sat in front of her with a goofy grin on his face. After the waiter had brought him a cup of coffee, he continued to smile while biting on the spoon.

    Lan Jinyao stretched out her hand and swiftly ced it on his forehead to check his temperature. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have a fever, so what¡¯s up with that silly expression?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m smiling because something good happened to me!¡±

    After momentarily pondering what he¡¯d said, Lan Jinyao realised what was going on.

    ¡°She epted you?¡±

    Li Qi¡¯s smile was like a blooming chrysanthemum as he grinned from ear to ear. ¡°Yes! I don¡¯t know which fool did it, but every day he sent flowers to Little Yun. And, to my surprise, Little Yun thought that I sent them, so she agreed to date me. Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a blessing from the heavens? I struck it lucky this time!¡±

    Lan Jinyao, who was now regarded as a fool, silently rolled her eyes.

    She then asked in an eerie voice, ¡°Tell me, which fool do you think it was that would send flowers to He Xiaoyun, making sure to send it under your name?¡±

    Li Qi extended his hand and flicked her forehead. ¡°I just knew it was you! You did a good deed, but you didn¡¯t leave your name behind. Chen Meimei, no matter what you¡¯re plotting, just say it! If it¡¯s something I can help you with, I¡¯ll help!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao saw that he was straightforwardly thanking her, she stopped beating around the bush and bluntly said, ¡°Alright! I want you to be my Agent.¡±

 Chapter 34 - Mysterious Recommendation Letter (1)

    <h4>Chapter 34 - Mysterious Rmendation Letter (1)</h4>

    Li Qi knew that this matter wouldn¡¯t be so simple. About a month after he¡¯d agreed to be Chen Meimei¡¯s Agent, that fat woman had immediately told him that she wanted to have a role in A Thousand Years Of Tears.

    The shooting for A Thousand Years Of Tears was just around the corner, but inserting a new minor supporting role wouldn¡¯t be an issue. The main problem, however, was Chang Sheng, the Director of this drama. He was known as extremely upright, serious, and conscientious when it came to his work. As long as it was something he directed, even if the Emperor were to ask him, it would be impossible to add a new role.

    Taking advantage of his friendship with Chang Sheng, Li Qi decided to give it a try anyway. Even if the final result wasn¡¯t satisfactory, he could at the very least give Chen Meimei an exnation as thanks for sending the roses.

    Chang Sheng was a busy person. After Li Qi had called him a few times, Chang Sheng finally agreed to meet at a famous restaurant in the city. The moment Li Qi entered the restaurant, he looked at the signboard by the entrance and clutched his wallet in despair. Then, he stared at Chen Meimei in sorrow.

    ¡°Today, Big Bro¡¯s going to be spending lots of money for you, so, you must make sure to put on a good show. Don¡¯t let your Brother spend all of his money for nothing.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded repeatedly. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll work hard!¡±

    Spiritedly walking into the restaurant, the determined expressions on their faces frightened the waiters.

    ¡°Y-you guys, what do you want?¡±

    Li Qi was confused. ¡°We¡¯re here to get something to eat, of course. We¡¯ve got an appointment with someone in one of the private rooms upstairs.¡±

    The frightened waiter patted his chest, still feeling some doubt. Then, he extended his hand and made an inviting gesture. ¡°Please, follow me.¡±

    When they entered the private room, Chang Sheng had already ordered enough dishes to cover therge table and had happily started eating. There was a te of roast duck bones, some vegetables, and several tes with only a smear of oil remaining. They were unable to make out what those dishes had once been.

    Seeing the two people enter the room, he enthusiastically smiled at them and patted the seat beside him. ¡°Li Qi, doing this type of thing is wrong. Since you were the one who took the initiative to organise this meeting, why would you bete? I¡¯ve been busy recently, so I decided to order the food and start eating first.¡±

    Li Qiughed awkwardly while cursing silently. You''re clearly a glutton!

    After Li Qi and Lan Jinyao were seated, Chang Sheng called the waitress over. ¡°Pretty girl, please clear all these tes away and send in a few new dishes.¡±

    Li Qi¡¯s eyes widened at this, and he almost blurted, ¡®You still want to eat more?!¡¯ Lan Jinyao quickly pinched his thigh, causing a sudden pained howl to fill the room.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Li Qi quickly waved his hands. ¡°Nothing, nothing!¡±

    Chang Sheng shifted his gaze back to the menu, failing to notice the sharp re that Li Qi was aiming at Lan Jinyao. However, Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t willing to lose and red back at him. Then, she meaningfully nced at the basket of flowers on the table to remind him of the red roses that she¡¯d sent for him.

    Li Qi gave her a thumbs up. You win!

    There¡¯s no doubt that this was the most famous restaurant in the city, yet the dishes were currently being served slower than the pace of a snail. Chang Sheng beckoned the waitress and asked jokingly, ¡°Hey, beauty, does this restaurant employ snails to serve us? With this speed, the food I ate previously will bepletely digested before the second order reaches the table. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    The girl smiled apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. The restaurant is currently very busy, so please wait a moment.¡±

    Li Qi¡¯s gaze briefly swept over the girl, and an idea came to mind. He quickly said, ¡°No rush, no rush, don¡¯t scare the girl. Since it¡¯s like this, just bring us a pot of tea to drink for now. While waiting, let¡¯s talk about business.¡±

    It was only then that Chang Sheng recalled what he was there for and asked Li Qi, ¡°Boy, since you invited me here to eat, then you must have something to ask me. Spit it out! If I can help you with something, then I don¡¯t mind helping you!¡±

    ¡°The person beside me is Chen Meimei. I¡¯m sure you must have heard of her before, as she¡¯s an artist signed on with ourpany. Unfortunately, even though she¡¯s been signed on with ourpany for quite a while, she hasn¡¯t had many opportunities to perform. Since it just so happens that you have a new drama starting filming soon, we wanted to borrow this chance to ask you to add in a role for her...¡±

    Li Qi was interrupted before he could finish. Chang Sheng frowned and thought for a while, then had a sudden look of realisation on his face as he said to Li Qi, ¡°Oh, I remember who Chen Meimei is now! Of course, I know who she is! I read about her in the news a few days ago; she was stood up by her man on her wedding day. Tsk tsk, that whole situation was horrid. I feel shame as an older man. Why does Chen Meimei want to act anyway? Don¡¯t people say that she can¡¯t act well?¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt that this man was deliberately saying all this. It seemed like her emotional wound had split open again, and that blood was starting to drip from it.

    She fiercely stepped on Li Qi¡¯s foot under the table and motioned for him to say something quickly.

    Li Qi endured the pain and fiercely red at her. Then, he faked a smile as he said to Chang Sheng, ¡°We¡¯re not after an important role; just a supporting role. It won¡¯t take up more than a few scenes in the whole drama, and it also won¡¯t dy production. If you check what roles are avable, can we settle on it now?¡±

    The skin on Li Qi¡¯s face felt stiff as he kept smiling, and he was unsure if he could pull this off. If he couldn¡¯t, he thought that they would leave once they were denied.

    Chang Sheng sipped his tea and smiled at Li Qi. Then, he slowly shook his head, and firmly said, ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡±

    ¡°Damn it!!¡± Li Qi was so angry that he was about to flip the table. ¡°There¡¯s no need to serve those extra dishes anymore!¡±

    Li Qi¡¯s threat was a good move that bore fruit. Lan Jinyao wanted to apud him.

    Chang Sheng wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°What the...when you invite someone over to eat with you, how can you leave midway?! It¡¯s impossible to have a role in my drama. How about I give you another role? I can even let Chen Meimei be the second female lead! How about you see what it¡¯s about and if it¡¯ll do first, huh? After all, a second female lead is better than a supporting role, right? Although that drama is going to be directed by a neer, that person has potential. In the future, he¡¯ll probably be a big hit!¡±

    Everyone in the entertainment circle knew that if they didn¡¯t get recognition, it would be difficult for a neer to make a big hit. Unless, of course, they started with an extraordinarily big production. It looked like Chang Sheng didn¡¯t want to trouble himself with Chen Meimei, but that he was also unable to act impartially after epting her treat of food. So, he¡¯d decided to help her by foisting her off to someone else. As for neers, what theycked the most were actors.

    Lan Jinyao thought that this person was indeed a glutton, but unfortunately, this meal wasn¡¯t enough to make him change his mind. Therefore, she had to find another way.

    With that in mind, she immediately responded, ¡°A new Director? That¡¯s not out of the question, but in that case, I want the female lead role!¡±

    Chang Sheng seemed to release a sigh of relief before he patted Lan Jinyao¡¯s shoulder and smiled as he said, ¡°Good! Li Qi, it looks like your artist is wiser than you!¡±

    Li Qi nodded gloomily. Didn¡¯t she say that it had to be a role in A Thousand Years Of Tears? Now she¡¯d made him waste so much money for nothing. If he¡¯d known that an uing Director¡¯s new drama would do, then he could¡¯ve settled this differently and obtained the role with much less trouble!

 Chapter 35 - Mysterious Recommendation Letter (2)

    <h4>Chapter 35 - Mysterious Rmendation Letter (2)</h4>

    That afternoon, Li Qi was ughtered, while Chang Sheng was left feeling utterly satisfied. So, it was while he was relishing those memoriester that evening and getting ready to go out and get something to eat that he received a call.

    Answering the phone, Chang Sheng was surprised to find that it was Fu Bainian¡¯s right hand man and Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s Director, Shen Yu; a man without much leisure time. Getting right to the point, Shen Yu said that he wanted to invite him and President Fu to dinner.

    As he stepped out his door, Chang Sheng touched the blessed Buddha ne that rested against his chest in doubt and mumbled, ¡°Why have so many people invited me out to eat today? Is this some kind of blessing?¡±

    As a glutton, there was almost no dinner party or banquet that would be missed by Chang Sheng, so he quickly drove himself to the restaurant. Or, to be exact, the same restaurant from this afternoon; with the same private room reserved too! When he entered, the same waitress from earlier turned to look at him with a smile, causing to Chang Sheng to feel embarrassed.

    As soon as Chang Sheng entered the private room, he saw that Fu Bainian was already waiting. Wearing casual clothes, his head was bent as he yed with something in his hands. As Chang Sheng got closer, he discovered that the thing in President Fu¡¯s hands was a sparkling diamond ring. Moreover, looking at the size of it, it seemed to be a female ring.

    He was recently divorced, but could it be that President Fu had already found his next wife? Or, perhaps, did President Fu have lingering feelings for Chen Meimei?

    Soon, Chang Sheng¡¯s suspicions were confirmed.

    Seeing him enter, Shen Yu promptly got up and said to him, ¡°Director Chang, you¡¯vee. Please, have a seat. The dishes are all ready; we¡¯re just waiting for you.¡±

    Eating with a man like Fu Bainian would naturally not be as rxing as eating with Li Qi and Chen Meimei. Despite being ustomed to attending many significant functions, when he was in the presence of this man, he still couldn¡¯t lower his guard. Whether it was by physical movement or demeanour, all were brought up with caution.

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering why President Fu specially invited me toe today? Is there anything important we need to talk about?¡± Chang Sheng asked bluntly, resulting in Shen Yu¡¯s expression bing slightly awkward.

    Initially, a role in A Thousand Years Of Tears had belonged to Chen Meimei. Moreover, Chen Meimei was as tough as nails and matched perfectly with the character¡¯s personality. Known as President Fu¡¯s tail, she was able to shout out one sentence of love that would be heard by the whole world. Additionally, it was effortless for people to dislike her. However, President Fu had previously dismissed her.

    Thus, at that time, he¡¯d used President Fu¡¯s name to remove her from the candidate list. But today, President Fu had changed his mind and wanted to let Chen Meimei y the role. Unfortunately, though, the candidate for the role had already been finalised, and it would be troublesome to change it now.

    Now that President Fu had gone through the trouble to organise this meeting, the meaning was obvious.

    When Shen Yu remembered that he¡¯d yed a part in removing Chen Meimei from the role, he would feel guilty. So, he¡¯d decided to treat this meeting as a way to make it up to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this; about that role in A Thousand Years Of Tears, ourpany¡¯s artist Chen Meimei is more in line with the character¡¯s characteristics, so our President Fu¡¯s meaning is...to let Chen Meimei y that role! Although we all know that this may be inconvenient, you also know that Chen Meimei...¡±

    Before Shen Yu could finish his sentence, Chang Sheng raised his hand and interrupted him.

    ¡°I understand Director Shen¡¯s meaning. This morning, Li Qi and Chen Meimei met me in this very room too. However, I¡¯ve already rejected her, and she agreed to give up the role to star in another drama instead. For a neer, the weight of a female lead role carries more punch than a supporting role.¡±

    ¡°Chen Meimei agreed?¡± Shen Yu didn¡¯t believe Chang Sheng and asked again. That woman¡¯s dedication was something that ordinary people couldn¡¯t ever imagine. Would she really give up so quickly?

    Chang Sheng nodded. ¡°Of course she agreed.¡±

    Shen Yu looked at Fu Bainian, who¡¯d been silent throughout their meeting. This matter would now be slightly more difficult to deal with since even Chen Meimei didn¡¯t care about the role anymore. As outsiders, what else could they do? What¡¯s more, Chen Meimei¡¯s acting skills were amateurish at best.

    ¡°Look, President Fu, this matter...¡±

    Fu Bainian returned the thing in his hand into his pocket, and said, ¡°All right!¡±

    He then got up and walked out of the restaurant.

    After watching President Fu walk away, Chang Sheng had a serious expression on his face as he asked, ¡°Director Shen, since President Fu has left, I presume that only the two of us will eat?¡±

    Shen Yu couldn¡¯t understand Fu Bainian¡¯s intentions. However, judging by the irritated look on his face, it seemed that he was in a terrible mood. Smiling at Chang Sheng, Shen Yu said, ¡°Director Chang, you can eat first. I¡¯ve already paid the bill. There¡¯s something within thepany waiting for me to handle.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Then I¡¯ll be eating by myself?¡±

    Shen Yu started walking away with a quick wave goodbye. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to eat alone. The matter within thepany is urgent and needs to be settled. So, I¡¯m leaving first.¡±

    As he watched Shen Yu leave, Chang Sheng hid a smile filled with joy.

    ......

    That evening, Lan Jinyao was lying on her bed as she wrote a letter with piles of paper scattered about on the floor. Every time she wrote something that she thought didn¡¯t quite work, she would scrunch the paper up into a ball, and chuck it off the bed. Eventually, her room became littered with rubbish.

    She¡¯d decided to write a rmendation letter to Director Chang Sheng, but as far as she knew, Chang Sheng¡¯s only preference was eating. He had no friends, so if someone ever wanted something from him, they would invite him out to eat as a means to settle the business. Conversely, if he had something to request from others, he would just send them arge gift. His friendships were as shallow as water. Despite all this, Lan Jinyao had managed to cultivate a good rtionship with him.

    Unfortunately, with this, there remained a serious issue; if she wanted to write a rmendation letter, it would have to be in her handwriting. But, everyone knew that Lan Jinyao had ¡®slipped¡¯ and fallen to her death. If a letter with her handwriting were to be leaked, it would be unbelievable.

    All she wanted was that role; she didn¡¯t want to cause amotion. It wouldn¡¯t do her any good if the news of a dead body being resurrected were to be exposed.

    So, after pondering what to do for quite a long time, Lan Jinyao decided to add a date to the letter. As long as it wasn¡¯t professionally examined, it would be near impossible to find out the actual time the letter was written. And, in regards to what she¡¯d tell Chang Sheng, she¡¯d say that the letter was written ages ago, back when Lan Jinyao had been selected as the female lead of the drama and that she¡¯d wanted to rmend a candidate for the supporting role.

    Lan Jinyao wondered what the best way to write this letter would be while questioning if someone would look into her past rtionship with Chen Meimei. So far, all she knew was that Chen Meimei had described her as troublesome on her schedule...this wouldn¡¯t do. Since this was a significant issue, Lan Jinyao decided that she¡¯d have to ask Chen Meile¡¯s opinion first.

    What was originally only going to be a few words ended up turning into a very emotional letter. The more Lan Jinyao read it; the more satisfied she felt.

    Holding the piece of paper, she called Chen Meile. As soon as the call was answered, she hurriedly asked, ¡°Sis, how was my rtionship with Lan Jinyao?¡±

    ¡°Lan Jinyao? That female star? I haven¡¯t heard you mention her name before. What happened?¡±

    Lan Jinyao suppressed her joy as she excitedly said, ¡°We were good friends! Are you sure you¡¯ve never heard me mention her before?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never mentioned her! Chen Meimei, did you somehow manage to hit your head?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind. Sis, are you still going to introduce me to a man? Don¡¯t forget to let me know when you find one! I¡¯m hanging up first, bye!¡±

    After disconnecting the call, Lan Jinyaoy on her bed andughed.

 Chapter 36 - Mysterious Recommendation Letter (3)

    <h4>Chapter 36 - Mysterious Rmendation Letter (3)</h4>

    The next day, Li Qi called Lan Jinyao to organise a meeting with the new Director. That person had a rather strange stage name; Big Fish. When they were on their way to meet him, Lan Jinyao kept pestering Li Qi to find out why he didn''t use his real name. Li Qi told her that she would understand whyter on when she met him in person. Then, when they arrived at their destination, Lan Jinyao looked at the man¡¯s facial features which were slightly hidden underneath his cap, and her eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡°This is the so-called new Director rmended by Director Chang?¡±

    Didn¡¯t they say that he wasn¡¯t famous? Weren¡¯t they saying that he didn¡¯t have any previous works? Then what was up with this scenario in front of her? To think that the King of Acting had changed professions and was now a Director!

    ¡°Li Qi, do you know him? He¡¯s n, the male lead of the movie ¡®Blood¡¯ from many years ago. He¡¯s the one who was crowned the King of Acting after filming that movie! Why would Chang Sheng say that he was a rookie? That¡¯s utterly unfathomable.¡±

    Lan Jinyao had never expected that she would get to see this person here as she¡¯d thought that he¡¯d never set foot in the entertainment circle again. After all, so many years had already passed.

    She was so excited that she didn''t even notice that her fingernails were jabbing Li Qi¡¯s skin.

    Li Qi frowned and shook her hand away. He then remarked with a dumbfounded expression, ¡°I didn''t realise that your taste is so simr to that of Jinyao¡¯s. This actor stepped down many years ago. Now, most likely only a few people still remember him. It¡¯s unexpected that you¡¯d know who he is.¡±

    Even Chang Sheng, a first-ss Director of the entertainment industry didn¡¯t know who n was. To think that a shallow woman like Chen Meimei would actually be able to recognise him was a surprise.

    The moment Lan Jinyao heard Li Qi mention her real name, the smile on her face froze for an instant and her expression became somewhat unnatural.

    ¡°Hello, Chen Meimei!¡±

    The man removed his cap and revealed the face of a man in his thirties before extending his hand towards Chen Meimei.

    Oh, this was her idol¡¯s hand! Lan Jinyao seized his hand and was reluctant to let go. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Li Qi coughed twice beside her, she probably wouldn¡¯t have let go of his hand.

    While Lan Jinyao and n were discussing the roles on their end, Chang Sheng, on the other hand, was holding onto a letter as he entered Blue Hall Entertainment to look for Chen Meimei. After waiting in the office for a long while with the envelope in his hand, there was still no sign of Chen Meimei.

    As far as he knew, Chen Meimei ought to be at thepany by now!

    When another ten minutes had passed, Chen Meimei had still not appeared. Instead, he happened to bump into Shen Yu. Shen Yu was actually just passing by the office on his way to look for an artist, but he¡¯d surprisingly run into this busy bee. It was entirely unexpected for him to visit thepany, so he immediately walked in and greeted him.

    ¡°Director Chang, how did you have the time toe over today? Could it be that you¡¯ve got your eyes on a certain artist of ours?¡±

    Chang Sheng awkwardly smiled and replied, ¡°Indeed, I came here today to look for Chen Meimei. I¡¯ve just started shooting A Thousand Years Of Tears, and someone¡¯s already rmending a new artist to me for a role. Moreover, the rmended artist was Chen Meimei. This favour¡¯s really hard to decline! Hence, I came here today to talk to Chen Meimei about this matter.¡±

    ¡°Someone rmended Chen Meimei?¡± Shen Yu''s curiosity was immediately roused upon hearing what Chang Sheng had said.

    As far as Chen Meimei was concerned, she didn¡¯t have many connections, yet someone actually rmended her? That person was certainly not simple, as he or she had managed to make even Chang Sheng give some leeway this time.

    Shen Yu asked again, ¡°Director Chang, didn''t you say yesterday that you¡¯ve already rmended Chen Meimei for a new drama?¡±

    ¡°Haha, the production of that new drama won¡¯t start so soon as the roles haven¡¯t been finalised yet. Granted, although Chen Meimeinded the lead role, it doesn¡¯t really matter because when she¡¯s finished filming my drama, there¡¯s still enough time for her to shoot the new one!¡± As he was talking, realisation struck him, and he continued, ¡°Oh, right! Wasn¡¯t Chen Meimei going to meet Big Fish today?¡±

    Shen Yu¡¯s curiosity grew after hearing those words, so he asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the person who rmended Chen Meimei? Would you mind divulging this to me?¡±

    ¡°Ha, there nothing to hide even if I tell you. You also know that person as she used to be under the banner of yourpany; Lan Jinyao!¡±

    ¡°Lan Jinyao...¡±

    Shen Yu abruptly stood up while asking, ¡°You¡¯re saying it was from Lan Jinyao? But, isn¡¯t she already...¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s already passed away. I was also startled at first when I received this letter, but the date shown on it is from before her death. I reckon that the two girls knew each other and that the rmendation letter was also written from back then. Besides, Jinyao was originally appointed as the female lead, so it could be that since the two were on good terms, she wanted to rmend Chen Meimei for a role in the same drama!¡±

    ¡°Those two were on good terms?¡± Shen Yu furrowed his eyebrows as he questioned Chang Sheng. Were Chen Meimei and Lan Jinyao close to one another? Howe he wasn¡¯t aware of this? However, they were so close that she¡¯d even written a rmendation letter for Chen Meimei!

    He wanted to ask more questions, but Chang Sheng¡¯s phone rang, and he had to excuse himself. Not long after hanging up, he said to Shen Yu, ¡°It''s regrettable, but today I still have some matters to attend to so I¡¯ll leave first. As for that matter, could I trouble Director Shen to speak to Chen Meimei about it?!¡±

    Shen Yu immediately agreed. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s no problem at all! It¡¯s just...Director Chang, could I have a look at the letter in your hands?¡±

    Chang Sheng shoved the letter into Shen Yu¡¯s hands before he started to walk away, adding on his way out, ¡°There¡¯s no issue with the handwriting; it¡¯s Jinyao¡¯s for certain. Although I don¡¯t think very highly of Chen Meimei, I do believe in Jinyao¡¯s insight. I¡¯m sure that she wouldn¡¯t let me down.¡±

    ......

    No matter what, a deceased person¡¯s wishes should be honoured, and not to mention, the friendship between the two couldn¡¯t be overlooked. When Shen Yu received the letter, he ran straight to Fu Bainian''s office. As soon as he entered, he saw Fu Bainian sitting behind his desk, so he threw the envelope on his desk. He was panting as he said, ¡°Make a guess: who do you think wrote this letter?¡±

    Fu Bainian looked up and nced at the nk envelope. He stared expressionlessly at Shen Yu and said, ¡°A group of new people just joined thepany. Since you¡¯re so idle at the moment, you can go and take a look!¡±

    Shen Yu waved his hand. ¡°That¡¯s not important; what¡¯s important is this letter. I just received it from Chang Sheng. It¡¯s a rmendation letter written by a certain person for Chen Meimei, and it¡¯s for a role in A Thousand Years Of Tears. Don¡¯t you want to have a look?¡±

    ¡°Someone wrote a letter of rmendation for Chen Meimei? Director Chang really went through a lot of trouble as he personally came over to deliver this letter to us. Chen Meimei must¡¯ve been rejected firmly this time, so she ought to have given up by now!¡±

    ¡°Nope, that¡¯s not the case at all! Chang Sheng came over today not only to deliver this letter but to also inform Chen Meimei that she could go and report to him for a role.¡±

    After speaking for so long, Shen Yu noticed that he was slowly being led off-topic by Fu Bainian, so he quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s not the main point, the main point is the person who wrote this letter. Do you know who that person is?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Fu Bainian asked in response.

    To tell the truth, he was slightly curious since that person had made such a significant impact on Chang Sheng¡¯s decision.

    Shen Yuughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s the person you love the most; Lan Jinyao!¡±

    Upon hearing that person¡¯s name, Fu Bainian froze and his gaze locked on the letter.

 Chapter 37 - Handwriting Verification (1)

    <h4>Chapter 37 - Handwriting Verification (1)</h4>

    In the restaurant, Fu Bainian sat with his hands on the table while he nkly stared out the window, his mind in utter disarray. He¡¯d started to feel that the letter in his chest pocket was like a red-hot iron; making him extremely ufortable and ill at ease.

    Fu Bainian recalled when Lan Xin had asked to meet Chen Meimei for the first time. The first thing she¡¯d said to him was, ¡°Is it alright for me to meet her? I don''t want to destroy your family, so I need to confirm one thing; it¡¯s really just a contract marriage between you two? If not, then I...¡±

    Lan Xin didn¡¯t finish her sentence, but he could surmise from those words that Lan Xin had never met Chen Meimei before, let alone secretly help her write a letter of rmendation.

    Moreover, as far as he knew, Chen Meimei had always called Lan Jinyao a ¡®Shrewd Fox¡¯ behind her back. Only he¡¯d known the extent of Chen Meimei¡¯s hatred towards Lan Jinyao. Therefore, even if Lan Xin had helped her to write a letter of rmendation, ording to Chen Meimei¡¯s temper, she indeed wouldn¡¯t have epted it. So, in regards to the letter, there were too many dubious points associated with it, and he had to rify things.

    He¡¯d asked Lan Xin to meet up with him at five o¡¯clock, and it was now ten-to-five. Before this aforementioned time, he¡¯d already been waiting for no less than forty minutes, and the cup of warm water ced in front of him had long turned cold.

    At eight-to-five, Lan Xin appeared in the doorway of the restaurant. The first thing that Fu Bainian did was snap out of his dazed state and watch the woman slowly walking towards him.

    Today, Lan Xin was dressed in a sea-blue cheongsam that swayed with the wind as she walked. There were fragmented flower patterns embroidered on the dress which made her look pure and fresh. With the addition of a retro ck British-style hat, she gave off a pleasant and charming vibe.

    As far as he could recall, Lan Jinyao had always dressed like this. It was only when she was attending arge-scale event that she¡¯d wear a sexy and alluring evening dress. But, as soon as the event ended, she¡¯d immediately change into another outfit.

    And, what he liked most about her was this virtue of hers. The first time he saw her, his heart had skipped a beat, and he¡¯d fallen in love with her at first sight.

    ¡°Bainian, have you been waiting for long?¡±

    Lan Xin sat opposite him and ced her bag behind her. Fu Bainian watched her movements, and his lips curled up into a faint smile.

    How could it not be her? Her habits were the same!

    He¡¯d seen many girls put their bags on their legs while they were eating, or they¡¯d have a cross-body bag with them that was worn across their chest. Some would also let their boyfriends safeguard it. It looked like only Lan Jinyao would put her bag behind her and never worry about it being stolen by a thief.

    ¡°No, I just got here!¡± he lied with a straight face.

    However, she quickly debunked his lie. She chuckled and mischievously tapped his nose with a fingertip as she said, ¡°Heh, Bainian, you¡¯re lying! Look, the cup of water in front of you has already be cold, so you must¡¯ve waited for a long time. I¡¯m really sorry; I got held up by some issues. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve arrived earlier.¡±

    Ever since Lan Xin had allowed him to pursue her, the two had be closer and more intimate with one another. When they were outside, she didn¡¯t even mind showing public disys of affection.

    Often, when the two of them started to be intimate with each other, he¡¯d fall into a kind of delusive trance. It felt like all of this was surreal. The Lan Jinyao from the past had always been so far away from him, untouchable, and kind of out of his reach. Every time he saw her, he could only look at her from afar as her line of sightnded elsewhere, and as she smiled at Shen Yu.

    Fu Bainian had never been a timid person; he¡¯d just loved her too much. His love was deep and profound, causing him to start acting more cautious and solemn.

    ¡°Oh, by the way, you asked me out today... It wouldn''t be as simple as just having dinner, right?¡± Lan Xin withdrew her hand and propped up her chin, her long eyshes fluttering as she continued, ¡°Let me take a guess; you wanted to talk about Chen Meimei?!¡±

    She was certainly clever. She could easily guess what his intentions were and what he was thinking about without much effort.

    Fu Bainian nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right; it¡¯s indeed something rted to her!¡±

    ¡°Is it about the divorce? Did Chen Meimei agree to go with you to sign the divorce papers? Has she returned her ring to you yet?¡± she briskly asked several questions in a row, seemingly delighted.

    Fu Bainian subconsciously shook his head and replied, ¡°No, it''s about something else.¡±

    At this moment, even he didn¡¯t know why he¡¯d lied. Chen Meimei had already returned the ring on the date of their wedding ceremony. She¡¯d also told him that whenever he was free, she could go with him to organise their divorce.

    ¡°Oh!¡± answered Lan Xin grumpily. She then propped her cheeks up with her hands, an unhappy expression on her face.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t understand it. The person in front of him was obviously more vivid than the one in his memories, but why did he feel less attracted to her? Was it really like people say; absence makes the heart grow fonder?

    ¡°You know how Chen Meimei¡¯s an artist under mypany, right? Well, she¡¯s currently aiming to star in a certain role, but things on the Director¡¯s side are slightly difficult to handle. However, you were rather close to this Director and had a good rtionship with him in the past. Could you maybe make a call or write a letter to discuss this with him? As long as you speak up, the role will easily be Chen Meimei¡¯s.¡±

    Fu Bainian tried his best to make his pleas sound as earnest as possible.

    He was an expert at concealing his emotions, and as long as he wasn¡¯t willing to show anything, no one would be able to guess his thoughts.

    After saying all that, Fu Bainian felt his heartbeat pick up speed.

    ¡°You want me to help Chen Meimei? But, everyone out there already thinks that I¡¯m dead. Besides, I don¡¯t want to return to the entertainment circle. So, this request, may I refuse it?¡± She pouted adorably and continued, ¡°Moreover, I don''t really like Chen Meimei all that much. She always reminds me that it''s me who destroyed her family, even though that wasn¡¯t really the case.¡±

    At that instant, Fu Bainian felt a chill spread in his heart.

    He was right; she hadn''t written that letter.

    Lan Xin extended her hand and waved it in front of his eyes. ¡°What''s the matter with you? Could it be that you aren¡¯t happy because I¡¯ve turned down your request?¡±

    She pursed her lips, looking slightly saddened as she said, ¡°Bainian, are you...¡±

    She paused for a long time before abruptly asking him, ¡°Have you already fallen in love with Chen Meimei?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible? In this lifetime, I¡¯ve only ever liked one person, and that¡¯s you!¡± Fu Bainian stated decisively.

    However, soon after, he broke out into cold sweat due to shock. No, his feelings toward Chen Meimei had already changed. In the past, he would either ridicule or look down on Chen Meimei. But now, when he would confront that woman, he¡¯d unexpectedly be more tolerant and a little more patient.

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat quickly! I still need to go and ask Chen Meimei to return the ring to me. Since you don''t want to speak to the Director for her, then forget it. I¡¯ll just let Chen Meimei choose some other role another time!¡±

    Lan Xin nodded gravely and said, ¡°OK! Thank you, Bainian. You¡¯re so nice to me.¡±

    Fu Bainian smiled faintly, but his heart felt awfully heavy.

 Chapter 38 - Handwriting Verification (2)

    <h4>Chapter 38 - Handwriting Verification (2)</h4>

    After Fu Bainian returned home, he went straight to his study but found that none of the words were sinking in from the document that he was looking over. Even the news that Lan Xin had told him earlier about her entering Blue Hall Entertainment had been cast to the back of his mind. He was too preupied with reying what Shen Yu had said to him before.

    After Shen Yu had given him the rmendation letter, he¡¯d said that Director Chang and Lan Jinyao had been on very good terms. Their friendship had even surpassed that of Shen Yu and Fu Bainian¡¯s, so it was impossible for him to have mistaken the handwriting. It was undoubtedly written by Lan Jinyao.

    However, from what Lan Xin had said earlier, he¡¯d inferred that it was impossible for her to have written that letter. In that case, there could be two possibilities; one was that Lan Xin wasn¡¯t the real Lan Jinyao at all, and the other was that Chen Meimei had asked someone to forge the letter in order to get that role. If it was thetter, then how did Chen Meimei know that Lan Jinyao had had a close rtionship with Chang Sheng? And, how could she be so confident that Chang Sheng would give her the role after reading that letter?

    Fu Bainian felt as if he¡¯d entered a vast maze. He kept going forward, but he¡¯d encounter forks no matter where he went; there was no exit at all.

    After thinking for a while, he closed the folder in his hands and took out the envelope from his chest pocket. He opened it and stared at the delicate and prettily written words for a long time. It was indeed her handwriting; both the shape and the size of each word wasn¡¯t much different from those that she¡¯d written in herpany contract. But, he still wasn¡¯t a hundred percent certain.

    He became increasingly anxious with every minute that passed. How he wished that Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t dead and that she¡¯d just changed her name to Lan Xin. However, he couldn¡¯t pull the wool over his eyes. That night, he¡¯d seen it with his own eyes that she¡¯d fallen, and even if he¡¯d extended his hand back then, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch her.

    An hourter, Fu Bainian took out his phone and made two phone calls. However, his expression remained the same; serious and hard to read.

    As night fell, Fu Bainian returned to his bedroom where he then stood in front of the window and stared outside. This housing area was luxurious, and it was rtively quiet at night as on the other side of the road many lights were already turned off. There was one house that seemed to be out of ce though, and that was the one bought by Chen Meimei. At that time, Chen Meimei was following him everywhere and had somehow learnt where he¡¯d bought his house, so she¡¯d also bought one in the same area. He didn¡¯t know how much money she¡¯d spent, but she¡¯d actually managed to drive away the previous owner of the house so that she could live there.

    Now that he thought about it, that woman was really stupid back then. She didn¡¯t care about anything, and there was only one person in her eyes; him. How was he any different? There were so many women who¡¯d fancied him, but which one could everpare with the Lan Jinyao in his heart?

    The two apartments weren¡¯t far from one another. When he looked over from a distance, he could practically see if there was anyone in the room.

    He also didn¡¯t know whether, at that time, Chen Meimei had ever peeked at him with binocrs.

    While he was reminiscing, Fu Bainian¡¯s lips curled up into a faint smile that he didn¡¯t even realise had appeared.

    When Lan Jinyao returned to her room, she brought back a bottle of red wine. Not only had she managed to sessfully get the female lead role for Rouge Fermentation, but she¡¯d alsonded a supporting role in A Thousand Years Of Tears. When Li Qi had returned to thepany, he¡¯d immediately called her and told her that a meteorite had fallen from the sky tond straight on her!

    Hence, on her way home, she¡¯d gone to the supermarket to buy a bottle of red wine. After taking a bath, she put on a nightgown and went to rx on the balcony. Laying on the recliner, she enjoyed the ss of red wine in her hand sip by sip.

    She¡¯d really lost a lot of weight recently, and she reckoned that after she finished filming A Thousand Years Of Tears, she¡¯d havepletely regained her former slim figure!

    Lan Jinyao was tipsy after finishing the ss of red wine, her eyes bing hazy. She felt as if she¡¯d seen Fu Bainian on the balcony at the apartment across from hers. It wasn¡¯t far from where she was reclining, and it seemed like he was looking in her direction.

    Lan Jinyao massaged her head for a while as it seemed that she was really drunk. That man was so eager to spend every day with Lan Xin, so how could he be so free to stand there and watch her?

    Not long after the doorbell rang, but Lan Jinyaoy motionless. The doorbell kept ringing; it seemed as if that person wouldn¡¯t stop ringing until she opened the door. She nced at the man on the balcony opposite hers again before going inside.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, open the door...¡±

    The person outside stopped ringing the doorbell and instead started pounding on the door, the bangs echoing throughout the room.

    ¡°I¡¯ming, I¡¯ming! Who¡¯s there?¡± Who woulde to visit sote at night?

    The man outside turned out to be Chen Zetao; the man who was said to be Chen Meimei¡¯s childhood sweetheart. Lan Jinyao stared at him and was momentarily at aplete loss for words.

    The fact was when Lan Jinyao found out that Chen Zetao and Chen Meimei were childhood friends, she felt that this man was quite dangerous. If she¡¯d guessed correctly, this man ought to be in love with Chen Meimei.

    ¡°So it''s you!¡± Lan Jinyao smiled awkwardly as she deliberated whether to let him in or not.

    Chen Zetao raised his eyebrows as he asked, ¡°I''m not wee?¡±

    ¡°Haha, a single man and a single woman in the same room...that¡¯s not very appropriate!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not appropriate?¡± Chen Zetao gave her a weird look and continued, ¡°When you were eighteen, we used to sleep in the same room.¡±

    Lan Jinyao blinked and said, ¡°Well...I''m married now, right? When a girl is married, it''s different.¡±

    It was better if she didn''t say all this, but now that she¡¯d said it, it was like she¡¯d touched his sore spot. Chen Zetao''s expressionpletely darkened. He extended his hand and tightly gripped her arm as he ferociously said, ¡°Chen Meimei, have you been blinded by Fu Bainian? He humiliated you like that, and yet you¡¯re still unable to forget him?!¡±

    Yes, she, Lan Jinyao, was just asughable as Chen Meimei. She¡¯d been rejected by Fu Bainian, yet she was unable to forget him.

    Lan Jinyao grunted coldly and shook off his hand. ¡°Come on in! If you have something to say, just hurry up and say it. When you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll go and get some rest.¡±

    ¡°What? You¡¯re angry now?¡±

    Chen Zetao sat on the chair next to the recliner and reached out his hands to pinch her plump cheeks before softly saying, ¡°I came here today, firstly, to congratte you, and secondly, I happen to have a new movie in production. We¡¯re just missing the female lead, and you happen to be avable!¡±

    As soon as Lan Jinyao heard that he was there about a new movie, she immediately regained her spirits. She sat up from her recliner and asked Chen Zetao, ¡°Did you bring the script? I want to have a look!¡±

    She had to admit that this man had excellent insight and that, apart from the scripts he wrote himself, those he picked were the one in a million.

    The movie was a literary film, and although it didn¡¯t have muchmercial value, the chance of it winning an award was extremely high. Lan Jinyao flipped through the script and instantly became interested. ¡°This script is quite well-written. Howe you want to let me act in it?¡±

    Chen Zetao nced at her and sped his hands together, seemingly mulling over what he was about to say.

    Lan Jinyao was bbergasted as she looked at him. To think that this man still had words that he was abashed to say. Don¡¯t tell her that he wanted to take this opportunity to profess his love for her?!

    And so, Lan Jinyao, who was pondering over what he wanted to say also became slightly nervous. She was thinking about how to reject him in case she¡¯d hit the mark regarding his affections.

 Chapter 39 - Vying For Affection

    <h4>Chapter 39 - Vying For Affection</h4>

    Fu Bainian had only gone into his room to grab a chair, yet, when he came back with the chair in his hand, he saw that a man was now on Chen Meimei¡¯s balcony.

    He checked the time and found that it was already past 9 PM.

    This woman wasn¡¯t even divorced yet, but she was already fooling around with another man! He¡¯d originally thought that...

    Currently, Fu Bainian couldn¡¯t exin what he felt in his heart. In any case, that feeling wasn¡¯tfortable as it felt stifling and made it difficult to breathe. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to release the pressure. His hands clenched into fists, and he hammered them hard against the railing. His eyes were fixed on the scene in front of him, his expression darkening by the moment.

    Lan Jinyao looked hesitantly at Chen Zetao, thinking that he was nning on professing his love. However, facts had proven that people who are too narcissistic tend to let their imaginations run wild, and as it happened, Chen Zetao wasn¡¯t thinking in that direction at all.

    Chen Zetao finally loosened his tightened hands and lifted his head to look at Lan Jinyao, his gaze seemingly burning and unusually sincere. He then said, ¡°Chen Meimei, I wanted to apologise to you. When you previously asked to change roles, I lost my temper. In fact, your acting was outstanding! Even though you obtained the role using a different kind of method, you¡¯ve really proved to all of us from the production team that you were right and that you are indeed capable of handling it.¡±

    He then paused for a while before adding, ¡°I''m really sorry, but I''m happy that you like acting, and that you didn¡¯t do it because of...because of that man.¡±

    Chen Zetao currently had an awkward expression on his face. Jinyao judged that this man¡¯s feelings towards Chen Meimei were genuine. Unfortunately, the real Chen Meimei, who¡¯d gotten into a car ident, was long gone from this world. Perhaps her soul had also entered someone¡¯s body, but, who knew? Because, after all, this matter was truly too preposterous.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s grip on the script had tightened so much so that ayer of cold sweat had seeped in the palm of her hand.

    After a while, she replied softly, ¡°That¡¯s right! In the past, I joined the entertainment circle because of that man. But, now, I just want to do my job properly and not talk about matters that tug at heartstrings.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t miss the trace of disappointment that shed through Chen Zetao¡¯s eyes. She was convinced that her earlier spections were now correct.

    ¡°This role looks quite interesting. Could it be that you¡¯ve already decided on me ying the part?¡±

    To her surprise, Chen Zetao shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve indeed decided on you, but the investors of this movie need to hold an open audition. At that time, there¡¯ll be a lot of popr actresses present. Even so, I hope you can go over and join the audition."

    So it was just as she¡¯d expected! Which investor would allow themselves to make a loss? Chen Meimei''s current work portfolio consisted of only the one supporting role for the drama that she¡¯d stared in a while ago. Then, after it was broadcasted on TV, it was quite hard for someone to take note of her. It looked like things wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    Chen Zetao hesitated for a moment before adding, ¡°President Fu has also invested in this movie, so he¡¯ll probably attend the audition too. Are you...¡±

    Lan Jinyao patted her chest and vouched for herself with assurance. ¡°I¡¯ve no problem with that! Who, in this lifetime, hasn¡¯t met a few scumbags before?!¡±

    Besides, Fu Bainian wasn¡¯t really a scumbag; he was just too stupid. Then, she thought about how much he liked her. As a matter of fact, a random person just popped out and imed to be her, yet he couldn''t distinguish the real one from the fake.

    Lan Jinyao said that she didn''t mind, but, in fact, she was still silently brooding over the whole situation.

    When Chen Zetao heard her say that, he finally smiled and patted her shoulder before saying, ¡°Alright, I''ll let you know when it¡¯s time for the audition! I can see that you¡¯re brimming with potential! Chen Meimei, you must believe in yourself. I¡¯m positive that you¡¯ll surpass the other actresses under Blue Hall Entertainment, and be the most eye-catching movie Goddess!¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up into a smile, yet she thought in her heart: If Shen Wei¡¯an wasn¡¯t around, then she might never have had the same fighting spirit that she now has. So, she really should ¡®thank¡¯ that woman.

    That woman would have a part to shoot tomorrow, so Lan Jinyao decided to prepare a big wee present for her.

    ¡°Thanks! When the timees, I''ll be there for sure!¡±

    After they¡¯d finished talking about business, Lan Jinyao prepared to once again drive Chen Zetao away. But, just as she was pondering over an excuse to use, Chen Zetao stood up and said to her, ¡°It''s gettingte now, so I''ll go back first; you should rest early. Oh, right, have a good look at the script.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and got up to escort him out, but the moment she reached the door, she heard someone knocking on it.

    The two looked at each other and then said in unison, ¡°It¡¯s already sote; who could it be?¡±

    As soon as Lan Jinyao opened the door, she saw a person with a gloomy face standing outside. This person was actually Fu Banian.

    ¡°Could it be that Director Chen also likes to work with unspoken rules? Aren¡¯t you afraid of the paparazzi following you with a camera if you stay in one of ourpany¡¯s female artist¡¯s room sote at night?¡±

    Thest time both men had met, they¡¯d ended up fighting. So, now neither of the men¡¯s expressions looked very good. Witnessing this scene as a bystander made Lan Jinyao¡¯s skin crawl. Currently, there weren¡¯t any paparazzi following them, but if these two really started a fight, then they¡¯d definitely make it on tomorrow¡¯s front page.

    Chen Zetao¡¯s expression remained calm as he said, ¡°President Fu, you¡¯ve appeared here sote at night; aren¡¯t you worried those journalists would write a story about you? Moreover, if President Fu really cared about Meimei''s reputation, then you wouldn¡¯t have had left her alone at the wedding venue. By doing that, how are you still qualified to say such words?¡±

    Fu Bainian clenched his hands into fists. He¡¯d initially been feeling guilty about this, but now that it was continuously mentioned, it made him feel even worse. What''s more, Chen Zetao had said all this in front of Chen Meimei!

    ¡°Chen Meimei, since you want to stay in the entertainment circle, then you ought to pay attention to your image! You shouldn¡¯t randomly be with some guy. You should know that the slightest scandal could boost your reputation, but too many scandals could ruin you beyond redemption.¡±

    Lan Jinyao, who was ridiculed for no reason, felt the me in her heart suddenly swell.

    She stared fearlessly at Fu Bainian and calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s truly rare for President Fu to worry about my reputation. Running over thiste at night, aren¡¯t you worried about your precious darling at home getting jealous?¡±

    In her opinion, this man must be crazy. He¡¯d stared at her balcony and noticed that a man was in her room, so he¡¯d instantly run over to act like a hedgehog; pricking anyone in sight without any care for his image.

    ¡°Lan Xin¡¯s not living with me!¡± Fu Bainian subconsciously blurted.

    Lan Jinyao grew puzzled as she looked at him and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you really like her though? Howe you¡¯re not living together? I thought you guys were hugging each other to sleep long ago!¡±

    Don¡¯t tell her that this man had started to have feelings for her now!

    Fu Bainian abruptly looked at Chen Zetao and provocatively said, ¡°I remembered that we weren¡¯t yet divorced!¡±

    A trace of surprise shed through her eyes, but it quickly disappeared into thin air.

    Lan Jinyao extended her hands and pushed the two of them out the door. ¡°I want to rest now, so the two of you should hurry up and go home!¡±

    In the end, she added, ¡°Although I¡¯m rtively busy now, I can still find the time to go with you to finalise our divorce. I¡¯ll call you when the timees!¡±

 Chapter 40 - Troubles On Set (1)

    <h4>Chapter 40 - Troubles On Set (1)</h4>

    Fu Bainian went to thepany early in the morning, but hisplexion didn''t look so good. On the way, all the people who greeted him were on edge, afraid that he¡¯d suddenly snap if they weren¡¯t careful enough.

    When he entered his office, Shen Yu followed right after him.

    Shen Yu sat on the sofa with his legs crossed and smiled at Fu Bainian as he looked at him. It seemed as if he wasn''t afraid nor felt any of the gloominess surrounding the office.

    "You took that letter and then left in a hurry. Don''t tell me that I hit the mark? Did Chen Meimei really hire someone to forge that letter? She surely must have spent a lot of money as she even managed to hide this from Chang Sheng.¡± Shen Yu propped up his head with one hand and gently chuckled. It looked like he would have to see that woman in a new light because it seemed that she was quite clever. To think that she coulde up with such an idea!

    Fu Bainian threw the letter on the table, and then after a moment of silence, he suddenly said, ¡°Yesterday I tested Lan Xin, and it was basically impossible for her to be able to write such a letter!¡±

    After saying this, he locked his gaze tightly on Shen Yu''s face; he didn''t want to miss out on any of his facial expressions. As expected, upon hearing what he¡¯d just said, Shen Yu suddenly pped his thigh and got up from the sofa. He walked towards the desk and said, "No way! That letter¡¯s really a fake?"

    Shen Yu''s expression instantly changed as he murmured, ¡°If that letter isn''t fake, then that Lan Jinyao must be fake. Lan Xin must¡¯ve approached you with ulterior motives.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, he excessively patted his chest. ¡°This world''s truly a scary ce! To think, someone actually dared to scheme against you! That person''s done for.¡±

    Fu Bainian, who was tapping his fingers on the table, suddenly asked, ¡°You think that Lan Xin''s a fake?¡±

    Shen Yu quickly waved his hands and replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I was just guessing! Moreover, since Lan Jinyao nned out such a grand act of jumping off a building, wouldn¡¯t that mean she wasn¡¯t nning toe back? Then, for what reason did she now appear in front of everyone? Moreover, Lan Xin joined a neer group today and is currently practicing with them. Tell me, why would she do all of that? In any case, I can¡¯t think of any reason!¡±

    He was talking when someone suddenly knocked on the door, and a man wearing a leather jacket and a ck cap entered.

    "Mr Fu, I¡¯m here to pick something up!¡±

    Fu Bainian handed him the letter on the table and then took out an old contract, giving it to the man while asking, ¡°How long will it be before the results are ready?¡±

    ¡°It will take about two to three days. Mr Fu, we have the most professional team, so the results of the identification will definitely be urate.¡±

    ¡°All right, you can leave now!¡±

    As soon as the man had left, Shen Yu snapped his fingers and had an understanding expression on his face as he said to Fu Bainian, ¡°I knew that you had a trick up your sleeve! You must have thought of everything already, right? But, what if this letter is real; what can all this prove? That, unbeknownst to you, Chen Meimei and Lan Jinyao had a rather good rtionship with one another? Or, that Lan Xin isn¡¯t really Lan Jinyao?¡±

    ¡°We''ll know the truth when the resultse out, but I still need you to do one more thing for me!¡±

    Shen Yu looked at Fu Bainian who was being all secretive, and then lowered his voice to ask, ¡°Do what?¡±

    ¡°Come closer, and I''ll tell you...¡±

    After a long while, Shen Yu finally blinked and pointed at his nose as he said, ¡°You...have you lost your mind? I can help you with this matter, but about the doubts you mentioned, I don''t believe any of it. Do you really think that something supernatural can happen in this world? Stop dreaming! Even if Chen Meimei became as thin as a stick, she¡¯s still Chen Meimei. You should stop being so delusional!¡±

    Before leaving, Shen Yu added, ¡°When the resultse out...don''t be too upset.¡±

    Fu Bainian sighed and didn''t answer.

    ......

    A Thousand Years Of Tears was originally a time-travel drama. Later, when the script was reviewed, it was changed into an ancient costume drama. Apart from shooting indoors, most of the scenes had to be shot outside on location. Today, Lan Jinyao¡¯s first scene happened to be an exterior scene. Shen Wei¡¯an was ying the role of Consort Pingyang, and she was matched with one of Prince Pingyang¡¯s concubines.

    On the second day of being married to Consort Pingyang, Prince Pingyang took a concubine. The woman was of humble birth and took advantage of the Prince¡¯s favour and his cold attitude towards Consort Pingyang to behave insolently. She swelled up with arrogance and continuously suppressed the Consort. Unfortunately, this Consort was mild-tempered and didn¡¯t like to fight back even though someone was bullying her, which meant she could only endure everything in silence.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s thinking was that Chen Meimei wasn¡¯t going to be liked regardless of what she did as it would all be considered as her acting as her distinctive character. In this way, she wouldn''t look weird nor raise any suspicions even if she acted tart, mean, or lofty.

    It wasn¡¯t until everyone was already ready to start that Shen Wei¡¯an slowly arrived. Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up when she saw a group of Assistants following behind her.

    She recalled that Shen Wei¡¯an had once said if she were to be famous one day, then she wanted to be surrounded by people. That way, no matter where she went, she¡¯d be the most prominent and dazzling person.

    Now, as she¡¯d wished, she¡¯d achieved that. But, Lan Jinyao wondered if Shen Wei¡¯an would often think about her murderous deed and feel scared when she was all alone in the dead of night. She¡¯d stepped on a person¡¯s corpse to climb to the top, so no matter how high she''d risen, she would eventually fall.

    Pointing to Shen Wei¡¯an, Li Qi said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°That woman is Shen Wei¡¯an; she used to be Jinyao''s best friend. After Jinyao died, the female lead¡¯s role became hers. I¡¯ve heard that she found a patron who helped her to quickly climb all the way to the top. She hasn¡¯t acted in many dramas or movies, but her poprity has risen a lot. At the very least, she¡¯s in a better situation than that previous rut of her¡¯s!¡±

    She didn''t expect Li Qi to be a person who likes to gossip behind someone¡¯s back.

    Lan Jinyao rolled her eyes, and then lowered her voice to ask him, ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an found a patron? Don¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s Shen Yu?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an really liked Shen Yu, so maybe Shen Yu was seduced by that shrewd woman.

    Li Qi nced at her oddly. ¡°Chen Meimei, tell me, just how much do you hate Shen Yu? Why would you wish for him to be a sitting duck in this kind of situation? As if Shen Yu would ever like that woman! Even if he did, he would date her fair and aboveboard, alright?¡±

    After hearing this, she asked again, ¡°Then...who¡¯s her patron?¡±

    ¡°A real estate tycoon; one that she hooked up with at thest cocktail party. Moreover, that man has a wife.¡±

    ¡°To think that she actually sought out a married man!¡± She quietly sighed. She now perceived Shen Wei¡¯an in a somewhat different light.

    It seemed that she¡¯d overestimated Shen Wei¡¯an; she really would stop at nothing in order to reach the top. If Shen Wei¡¯an continued like this, then even if she as Chen Meimei did nothing in revenge, she¡¯d probably end up courting death herself.

    She¡¯d initially thought that no matter how hopeless Shen Wei¡¯an was, she wouldn¡¯t seek out that man. It seemed that Shen Wei¡¯an''s so-called love was worthless.

 Chapter 41 - Troubles On Set (2)

    <h4>Chapter 41 - Troubles On Set (2)</h4>

    ¡°Sister, did you really think that the Prince only took you as the Main Wife for your family¡¯s power and influence? Haha...¡± a woman in a pink robeughed as she used her hand to cover her face. Soon after, she continued, ¡°My dear sister, since you¡¯ve already married into the Prince¡¯s Residence, you shouldn¡¯t be so naive. Otherwise, you¡¯ll only grow more miserable.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an was sitting in the pavilion wearing a crimson robe, a wooden hairpin ced in her jet-ck hair. For this scene, a small amount of powder had been applied to her face to give her the look of a natural beauty.

    She was simply dressed, yet she carried an air of elegance.

    However, Lan Jinyao knew that, in reality, this woman was nothing like this. She was vain, treacherous, and would resort to anything for the sake of climbing up the socialdder.

    At the moment, Lan Jinyao was stillughing with an arrogant expression.

    ¡°Sister, do you want to know what¡¯s in the Prince''s mind? If you want to know, thene over here, and I¡¯ll tell you!¡± She beckoned Consort Pingyang over with her finger.

    Consort Pingyang tightly clenched her hands into fists and trembled, her eyes welling up with tears as she walked over. Holding back her tears, she said to Jinling, ¡°Jinling, tell me, why did the Prince marry me? The person he really likes is you, right? He¡¯s b-ming me for ruining the rtionship between you two, right? Tell me, am I right?¡±

    When Jinling looked at the woman standing before her, her lips curled up to reveal a sinister smile. ¡°Since you¡¯re insisting, I¡¯ll tell you!¡±

    When Li Qi, who was standing outside, saw Lan Jinyao disying this kind of expression, he felt a shiver run down his spine. Even his goosebumps were standing straight up.

    He patted the shoulder of the person standing next to him and said softly, ¡°Chen Meimei¡¯s aura sure is powerful! If it weren''t for her face, I¡¯d have thought that our Jinyao was back.¡±

    The person next to Li Qi just muttered a ¡®mhmm¡¯ in response. His voice was deep and maic; like the suave resonance of a cello.

    He turned his head to look at the person who¡¯d responded, but he was instantly left speechless. To think that the person silently standing next to him was President Fu! Li Qi then swept his gaze around the set and, as expected, the rest of the filming crew had already fled to a safe distance; leaving him alone with President Fu.

    ¡°Haha, President Fu, you¡¯re here!¡±

    Fu Bainian gave a cursory nce and nod to Li Qi before moving his line of sight back to the pavilion. His gaze was intense and fixated on the scene before him.

    Consort Pingyang slowly approached Jinling without a second thought,pletely unaware of the imminent danger ahead. The smile on Jinling¡¯s face gradually deepened, and an eerie look was visible in her eyes.

    However, it was extremely apparent that although Shen Wei¡¯an had read the script ahead of time and knew what was about to happen next, she couldn¡¯t help but reveal a tinge of fear. As a flop actress, she didn¡¯t know how to control her emotions. She felt afraid and froze for a split second, but that small motion of hers didn¡¯t escape Chang Sheng¡¯s sharp eyes.

    ¡°Cut, cut, cut!! Shen Wei¡¯an, what are you doing?! Your sixth sense has been awakened, huh? You knew that Jinling was going to hurt you, so you became scared and froze. Let¡¯s do it all over again! This time, control your emotions better!¡±

    Lan Jinyao looked at Shen Wei¡¯an with a bright smile stered on her face. Then, stroking her chin, Lan Jinyao said, ¡°Wei¡¯an, did I scare you earlier with my expression? Haha, when I¡¯m serious and too much into my character, even I¡¯m scared of myself.¡±

    Her words carried the hint of a double-entendre.

    Shen Wei¡¯an stared at the plump face in front of her and felt a tinge of rage rise in her heart. Shen Wei¡¯an didn¡¯t know why, but recently, whenever she saw Chen Meimei, she would invariably end up being led by the nose. Didn¡¯t everyone say that Chen Meimei couldn¡¯t act? Then, what was that just now?!

    Lan Jinyao moved closer to Shen Wei¡¯an, smiling as happily as before. Looking at her innocently, Lan Jinyao asked, ¡°Wei¡¯an, why aren¡¯t you responding? In the future, let¡¯s do our best together! Director Shen promised me that if I perform well, he¡¯ll invite me to a feast! I''m so happy! Tell me, do you think that Director Shen has fallen for me?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an suddenly mmed her hands on the stone table next to her and stared coldly at Lan Jinyao like a serpent.

    Lan Jinyao looked at Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s angry expression and acted as if she¡¯d received a huge shock. Then, she retreated to a corner and silently stood there. When everyone present saw this, they thought that Shen Wei¡¯an was taking advantage of her status to bully a neer.

    Fu Bainian stared at the pink-robed silhouette while deep in thought

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart was secretly thrilled when she saw that Shen Wei¡¯an had been enraged by her. Shen Wei¡¯an already had a patron, yet she didn''t restrain herself and was still always thinking about Shen Yu. Lan Jinyao was merely guessing, nothing more, but that woman had still gotten furious upon hearing her words. It seemed that Shen Wei¡¯an had been too carefreetely.

    Perhaps Shen Wei¡¯an noticed the strange gazes of everyone present because her tightly furrowed brows quickly loosened up.

    She then smiled at Lan Jinyao and said, ¡°Chen Meimei, since Director Shen thinks so highly of you, you should really press on and work hard to make a name for yourself. Otherwise, in the future, when people mention the name ¡®Chen Meimei¡¯, they¡¯ll only remember someone who was always chasing after President Fu. That, or the wedding ceremony which was reduced to a farce.¡±

    ¡°That''s for sure! Shooting is about to restart, so you must, by all means, not make an NG and give the Director the honour of yelling ¡®cut¡¯ again!¡±

    The makeup artist came over to fix their makeup, and soon after that, shootingmenced once more.

    When Consort Pingyang approached Jinling, Jinling smiled maliciously. In the next second, Consort Pingyang was pushed into the nearby lotus pond. Unable to swim, Shen Wei¡¯an could only struggle and flounder about in the water. The muddy water sttered due to her movements and caused her body to be filthy and nasty.

    At this moment, it was time for the male lead, acting as Prince Pingyang, to make an appearance.

    Xu Hao was a famous movie star. He¡¯d started his career as a model, and following his career transition, he¡¯d soon attracted arge number of fans. His poprity quickly surged, and his reputation was now close to that of a first-rate movie star.

    He wasn¡¯t signed on with Blue Hall Entertainment, but Shen Yu had been trying to headhunt him for a long time. So far, he hadn¡¯t been sessful.

    Jinling saw Prince Pingyang walking towards them, so she quickly rushed over and threw herself into his embrace, whimpering, ¡°Prince, you¡¯ve finally arrived! Consort Pingyang fell into the lotus pond! Please hurry and save her.¡±

    Although Jinling had said that they must save Consort Pingyang, her hands were tightly clutching Prince Pingyang''s hands, while her body blocked his way. So, it was currently impossible for him to move forward.

    Upon seeing this, Li Qi was astounded and eximed in admiration, ¡°Ha, it looks like I¡¯ve really underestimated Chen Meimei! It seems like she¡¯s quite clever. To think that she¡¯d improvise on the spot! However, I must say that her improvisation is remarkable! Itpletely brought out the viciousness of Concubine Jinling¡¯s character!¡±

    Chang Sheng was also nodding with satisfaction as he said, ¡°As expected of someone rmended by Jinyao! Not bad, not bad at all!¡±

    In actual fact, Lan Jinyao''s thoughts were far simpler; she¡¯d just wanted to teach Shen Wei¡¯an a lesson. As she¡¯d watched Shen Wei¡¯an flopping about like a duck in the water, her heart was greatlyforted.

    ¡°Ah! Stop filming! Someonee and save me!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an once again ruined a good scene.

    After she was rescued, Shen Wei¡¯an marched straight up to Lan Jinyao with a dark and resentment filled expression. pping Lan Jinyao, she usingly roared, ¡°Why did you secretly improvise?!¡±

    Upon seeing this one p, everyone present froze in shock.

 Chapter 42 - Troubles On Set (3)

    <h4>Chapter 42 - Troubles On Set (3)</h4>

    Actually, there was a reason why Blue Hall Entertainment hadn¡¯t allowed Chen Meimei to act, even though she¡¯d joined thepany.

    Right before Chen Meimei had entered thepany, she¡¯d wanted to perform in front of Fu Bainian. So, she¡¯d tugged at Shen Yu¡¯s cor until she¡¯d managed to get ahold of a role. It was an insignificant role; the kind of role in which she just had to briefly show her face and then remain stationed in the room like some kind of decoration. In fact, anyone they¡¯d randomly found could¡¯ve acted out that kind of role. Perhaps Chen Meimei was aware of her limits because, even though it was such a small role, she¡¯d epted it.

    In the scene, the second female lead was so angry that she smashed everything she could find in the room. However, when she went to break a flower vase, some of the fragments hadnded on Chen Meimei''s foot. The fragments had only brushed past her skin without wounding her, but Chen Meimei had a bad temper. Flipping the table in the room, she¡¯d then aggressively stormed up to the second female lead before asking, ¡°Are you blind or something?! Where the hell were you aiming the vase?!¡±

    The second female lead couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°We¡¯re merely acting! How was it possible for me to care about so many things at once? You should just endure it for a bit!¡±

    It would¡¯ve been better if she didn¡¯t say anything, but now that she had, she¡¯d infuriated Chen Meimei. Chen Meimei immediately pushed her to the ground and trampled her with one foot as she¡¯d angrily announced, ¡°I¡¯m done with acting! Whoever wants toe and act with you is more than wee!¡±

    Chen Meimei had inherited her temper from Old Chen. People didn¡¯t dare provoke Old Chen, and as a result, they didn¡¯t dare provoke Chen Meimei either.

    Everyone froze the instant Shen Wei¡¯an''s p hadnded on Chen Meimei¡¯s face, their gazes fixated on Chen Meimei. They were unanimously thinking: Shen Wei¡¯an was definitely done for this time!

    Lan Jinyao, who¡¯d just received a p for no reason, held her cheek with her hand. It took her a while before she managed to restrain her anger.

    She rubbed her burning cheek and then walked towards Shen Wei¡¯an. Just when everyone thought that she would return the p, she smiled and asked, ¡°Wei¡¯an, why did you hit me? Was there something wrong with my performance earlier? Could it be that you¡¯re ming me for pushing you into the water? But, I was just acting ording to the script!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an endured her anger, and with a darkened expression she coldly asked Lan Jinyao again, ¡°Chen Meimei, why did you secretly improvise?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, that''s what you''re angry about? I just thought that acting that way was more in line with the character¡¯s personality and nature. Don''t you think that, as an actress, to yield yourself to the arts is a glorious thing? Besides, you did a great job there! If you hadn¡¯t yelled stop...¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an fiercely red at her before turning around to go change her clothes.

    Li Qi and the Assistant on set ran to Chen Meimei¡¯s side, and asked, ¡°Are you alright? That p must¡¯ve been painful, and it sounded like it hurt!¡±

    The Assistant used a towel filled with ice to soothe Chen Meimei¡¯s face, while Li Qi was standing next to her and winking as he said, ¡°Chen Meimei, it looks like you¡¯ve really changed!¡±

    ¡°What was I like in the past then?¡± asked Lan Jinyao.

    Li Qi thought for a moment before he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you honestly, but don''t get angry! In the past, if something like this had happened, you¡¯d have already pped that person back. Wait, no, ording to your past temperament, maybe you¡¯d have spoken with your fists instead!¡±

    Lan Jinyao earnestly nodded and said, ¡°Well, you¡¯re right! Taking a p for no reason; isn¡¯t this too unfair to me? I¡¯ve got to find a way to return this p!¡±

    Chen Meimei must¡¯ve been acting like she didn¡¯t care just now! Li Qi thought, somehow feeling slightly sorry.

    ¡°Hey, you...you didn¡¯t refuse to retaliate before because President Fu was here, right?¡±

    Li Qi¡¯s gossipy nature was instantly activated. Just now, when Fu Bainian was standing next to him, Fu Bainian¡¯s pitch-ck eyes were constantly fixated on Chen Meimei. Fu Bainian had clearly seen everything that had happened on set.

    Fu Bainian was here?

    Lan Jinyao looked around, but she didn¡¯t see him anywhere.

    ¡°You said that Fu Bainian was here? Where is he then?¡± asked Lan Jinyao while silently thinking: Don¡¯t tell her that Fu Bainian came to set to supervise them!

    Li Qi looked at the sky and clicked his tongue before saying, ¡°Tsk, you never change!¡±

    Lan Jinyao viciously knocked into him as she roared, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? I¡¯m currently taking my work very seriously, okay?!¡± She had to at least get revenge on Shen Wei¡¯an by returning what that woman owed her tenfold!

    Upon hearing this, Shen Yu replied, ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re right! You really have to work hard. Additionally, Director Chang said that you¡¯ve performed well so far, so continue doing your best and win back the title of movie Goddess for me."

    Chang Sheng was standing in front of Shen Wei¡¯an, and his expression didn¡¯t look very good.

    He then remarked, ¡°Wei¡¯an, what''s the matter with you today? Even Chen Meimei¡¯s in better shape than you. This role held great importance for Jinyao. Now, she didn¡¯t have the fortune to y the part, and you¡¯re her best friend, so I¡¯d hoped that you¡¯d take this role seriously. Do your best and perform wellter, all right?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an clenched her fists and faked a smile before sweetly saying, ¡°Yes, Director, I understand. I¡¯ll certainly do my utmost best. Just now, Chen Meimei improvised on the spot, and I stayed in the water a bit too long, so I¡¯ve not been able to amodate ordingly. However, I''ll fix my condition and make sure that there won¡¯t be any more problems.¡±

    To think that Chen Meimei dared to stop Xu Hao froming to her rescue! She¡¯d settle this score with Chen Meimei sooner orter!

    Chang Sheng sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s hope so. It¡¯ll soon be evening, and we won¡¯t be able to continue shooting today once it gets too dark.¡±

    After Chang Sheng finished talking to Shen Wei¡¯an, his gazended on Chen Meimei standing not too far away from them. She was still wearing the ancient costume needed for her role, and she was currently reading the drama¡¯s script. The way she looked, fully immersed and concentrating on the script, was very simr to that person from his memory. It was no wonder that Jinyao had rmended Chen Meimei. This Chen Meimei was entirely different from the person he¡¯d heard about in rumours.

    If he¡¯d seen that letter earlier, then maybe he¡¯d have left the female lead role to the person that Jinyao had rmended.

    In the next scene, Shen Wei¡¯an dived into the lotus pond and waited for Xu Hao, who was acting as Prince Pingyang, to rescue her. Meanwhile, Chen Meimei, who was acting as Jinling, was secretly watching all this on the side and angrily stomping her foot.

    Prince Pingyang carried Consort Pingyang out of the water and hastily returned to the Consort''s bedchamber beforemanding someone to summon the doctor.

    That night, Consort Pingyang fell ill andy dazed in bed. Jinling prepared a bowl of medicine and went to check on her. When she saw that there was no one in the room, she¡¯d secretly taken out a bottle which contained some sort of powder, and added the contents to the medicine bowl. This was a small bottle of powdered sugar that the crew had prepared as a prop in advance.

    After Jinling finished adding the drug to the bowl of medicine, she continuously fed spoonfuls of it to Consort Pingyang.

    Once Shen Wei¡¯an had drunk a spoonful, she opened her eyes and looked at Lan Jinyao. Upon seeing her appearance, Shen Wei¡¯an wanted to spit everything out, but she endured it and swallowed the medicine.

    Jinling''s hand trembled, and the bowl of medicine fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

    Coincidentally, Prince Pingyang entered the room, so she threw herself into the man''s embrace and coquettishly wailed, ¡°Sister is refusing to drink her medicine!¡±

    However, right at this moment, Prince Pingyang coldly stared at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think that this Prince doesn¡¯t know about the things you¡¯ve done! Guards, drag Concubine Jin away!¡±

    Jinling slumped to the ground and stared at Prince Pingyang¡¯s cold face with despair, tears rolling down her cheeks.

    ¡°Cut! Well done!¡±

    At this point, Lan Jinyao¡¯s part was over. Her character was just cannon fodder that existed to close the emotional gap between the two leads before dying.

 Chapter 43 - Divorce Storm (1)

    <h4>Chapter 43 - Divorce Storm (1)</h4>

    Li Qi drove Lan Jinyao home, and on the way, he kept talking about what had happened on set. In short, he was praising her.

    After he was done praising her, he asked, ¡°Hey, did you see how green Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face was? Tell me, did you steal the powdered sugar that the crew had prepared and switch it to something else?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was busy listening to a song on the radio, and with his question, she gave him a cheerful look. ¡°How did you guess? I changed the powdered sugar into salt. I thought that she¡¯d choke on it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a heartless woman. In the past, you and Shen Wei¡¯an didn¡¯t hate each other, so why are you so fierce towards her now?¡±

    To tell the truth, when Li Qi had seen the pair interacting, he was bewildered. When it came to Chen Meimei, although her behaviour wasn¡¯t the greatest, as long as someone didn¡¯t provoke her, she wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to provoke them. But, on set today, Chen Meimei¡¯s actions were an eye-opener for him.

    Lan Jinyao snorted and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Chen Meimei indeed didn¡¯t feel any hatred towards that woman, but she did. Every time Lan Jinyao faced Shen Wei¡¯an, her repulsive features of that night woulde to mind. Shen Wei¡¯an had med Lan Jinyao for blocking her path, and for stealing Shen Yu. Yet now, even without her presence as Lan Jinyao, that woman was still unable to make Shen Yu look at her. Shen Wei¡¯an had now also degraded herself by having an affair with a married man and intruding in someone¡¯s family.

    ¡°Alright, enough about that matter. Anyway, you have no scenes after thisst one, so even if Shen Wei¡¯an wants to make trouble with you, she can¡¯t. You can prepare for your next drama with a peace of mind. By the time you be the female lead, there may not be as much leisure time as there is now. I guess that the fat on your body will be several pounds lighter by then too.¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled at him. ¡°I also think that¡¯ll be the case. Just wait and see, Big Sis will return to her peak!¡±

    ¡°By the way, have you taken any pictures or videos of me today?¡±

    ¡°What do you intend to do with them?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t let Shen Wei¡¯an get away with hitting me, can I? That was the first time that I¡¯ve ever been pped since I was born!¡±

    Li Qi smiled slyly. ¡°Of course I have some. I was initially going to sell them to a newspaper because I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯d already thought of a different method. I¡¯ll give them to youter for free! Do you intend to post them on the inte?¡±

    ¡°Of course! It would be such a waste of good material if I didn¡¯t post them on the inte, right?¡± If she were to sell them to a newspaper, PR would most likely cover the whole incident up. She¡¯d heard that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s patron was filthy rich.

    That evening, Lan Jinyao went straight home. However, as she neared her door, she could make out the tall silhouette of a man. To her surprise, Fu Bainian was waiting for her.

    As soon as Lan Jinyao saw him, her expression turned cold and she indifferently asked him, ¡°What are you doing here? I happen to have a day off tomorrow, so if it was about signing the divorce papers,e pick me up tomorrow morning!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no rush with the divorce. Instead, I have something else to ask you!¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at him with a strange look. ¡°Oh, if it wasn¡¯t about the divorce, then is it about you being rejected by that other girl? Does the great President Fu want to use me as a shield again?¡±

    This man¡¯s attitude was bing increasingly strange. If it had been before, Lan Jinyao definitely would¡¯ve misunderstood him and thought that he liked her. But now, she didn¡¯t dare consider it. After all, she¡¯d been hurt once, and she knew well how it felt.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, can¡¯t you speak nicely to me? I¡¯m extremely sorry about everything that¡¯s happened, and for hurting you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao crossed her arms over her chest, and said to him, ¡°Okay! I forgive you. So tell me, why are you looking for me today?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you invite me in to sit first? I have something to ask you!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡±

    Lan Jinyao pouted and shook her head like a rattle.

    Fu Bainian remained silent as he stared at her. Which in turn, made Lan Jinyao feel ufortable being stared at so thoroughly.

    She raised her voice as she said, ¡°If you have something to ask me, just ask here! It¡¯s already sote at night, so it¡¯s not appropriate for a man toe in.¡±

    Chen Zetao could freely enter, yet it was inappropriate for him to go in? Did this mean that Chen Zetao wasn¡¯t a man?

    Fu Bainian felt frustrated.

    However, he didn¡¯t intend to force her. He¡¯d just wait for her temper to cool down, and then he¡¯d have a talk with her.

    ¡°I want to ask you about your rtionship with Lan Jinyao. Were the two of you on good terms before? I heard from Chang Sheng that you and Lan Jinyao were good friends and that the rmendation letter was written for you? But, I thought that you used to hate Lan Jinyao?¡±

    The rmendation letter hadn¡¯t yet been professionally examined, but he was impatient and couldn¡¯t wait any longer. For Fu Bainian, two days was too long. He¡¯d originally wanted to wait, but every minute and every second was too tormenting.

    Moreover, after he¡¯d gone to the set, the thoughts in his mind had intensified; Chen Meimei really was differentpared to her former self. When the current Chen Meimei was on set, she was very serious and engrossed in her work. Even when someone had made things difficult for her and had pped her, she didn¡¯t make a scene like she¡¯d previously done.

    Upon hearing him asking her so bluntly, Lan Jinyao drew a nk on how to respond. After a good while, she finally reacted and started babbling, ¡°Our rtionship was excellent, so she wrote a rmendation letter for me. But, after that, didn¡¯t I enter the entertainment industry because of you? Hence, we had a fallout. Are you satisfied now that I¡¯ve exined it like this?¡±

    She spilled her lies with a straight face and a steady heartbeat. Her only fault was that her eyes showed her emotions and that they were looking everywhere but at him.

    Fu Bainian caught this little movement of hers. Lan Jinyao¡¯s heartbeat elerated, and her hands were ufortably tucked into the pockets of her pants.

    It was the same quirk that Lan Jinyao had. Even though it wasing from Chen Meimei, he didn¡¯t feel that it was weird. In order to conceal his odd feelings, Fu Bainian turned around to avoid looking at her as he gave a nomittal hum.

    Lan Jinyao doubtfully stared at him. This man actually believed her? So, the great President Fu could be so easily deceived?

    ¡°Oh...then, do you have anything else that you want to ask me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he quickly answered.

    Lan Jinyao stared at him, indicating that she was listening.

    ¡°It¡¯s veryte now, so I¡¯ll ask you again next time. It¡¯s some things regarding Lan Jinyao, so you must tell me when the timees!¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± Hurry up and go away!

    As Fu Bainian was about to leave, Lan Jinyao suddenly asked, ¡°If you want to know things about Lan Jinyao, why don¡¯t you just ask her...ask Lan Xin? Aren¡¯t you and Lan Xin together now?¡±

    Did that rmendation letter make him doubt Lan Xin¡¯s identity?

    Fu Bainian turned his head to look at her and said, ¡°Lan Xin, she...indeed knows a lot about Lan Jinyao, but I can feel it, she...¡±

    Lan Xin wasn¡¯t Lan Jinyao! But he didn¡¯t want to tell her yet. After all, he¡¯d chosen to abandon Chen Meimei because of Lan Xin, leaving her alone in the Maldives.

    Lan Jinyao stared straight at him, a glint of hope in her eyes. But, Fu Bainian only said goodnight and left.

    ¡°What the heck!? Why did he stop speaking midway?¡± she muttered under her breath.

 Chapter 44 - Divorce Storm (2)

    <h4>Chapter 44 - Divorce Storm (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t have many scenes in A Thousand Years Of Tears, so, other than her part at the beginning of shooting, she now had some free time. After a day of rest, Lan Jinyao dragged Li Qi to the Bureau of Civil Affairs. Along the way, Li Qi had aplicated expression on his face.

    As they were headed to the Bureau of Civil Affairs, Li Qi asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the way to the Bureau of Civil Affairs?¡±

    Then, when they¡¯d arrived at the office building, Li Qi spoke again, ¡°I already have someone I like! You can¡¯t take me away by force; I won¡¯t marry you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao shot him an indifferent nce and said, ¡°You overthinking things, I¡¯m already married. I¡¯m here today to handle the divorce procedures.¡±

    At that moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression was slightly mncholy. Thest time that she¡¯de here was to register her marriage certificate with Fu Bainian not too long ago. She would¡¯ve never thought that she¡¯d be returning so soon. She still remembered the girl from before who¡¯d seemed to be smitten with Fu Bainian, and the words she¡¯d said to them before they left: you¡¯re wee back any time! Who would¡¯ve thought that young girl would so correctly guess their fate. Perhaps, when people saw them, they could tell that they weren¡¯t right as a couple!

    Li Qi¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing her say that she was here to get a divorce. He turned his head to look her straight in the eyes as he asked her, ¡°Divorce? Who are you divorcing? Could it be Fu Bainian? Damn, you two actually got a marriage certificate? I thought that the wedding ceremony was held because you¡¯d forced him. Hence, Fu Bainian stood you up!¡±

    He asked again, ¡°Howe there was no gossip about it?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nced at him from the corner of her eyes, and said, ¡°When we registered our marriage certificate, it was all very low-key, and only a few people knew about it. So, how could you have known? It wasn¡¯t until the wedding ceremony that the whole world knew.¡±

    When she said thetter part of her sentence, her tone was obviously different.

    Seeing that she was unhappy, Li Qiforted her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! If the old doesn¡¯t leave, the new will be unable to arrive. Come on, cheer up. Maybe there¡¯s someone better waiting for you on the road ahead.¡±

    The two of them waited in the car for a good long while, but Fu Bainian still didn¡¯t appear. Then, Li Qi suddenly asked, ¡°Did you inform Fu Bainian about this in advance? Why hasn¡¯t he arrived yet?¡±

    ¡°I called him this morning, and he said that I have to wait a little longer. He has something important to deal with first. So, let¡¯s wait!¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll apany you and wait, but I hope that President Fu won¡¯t stand you up again.¡±

    Lan Jinyao: ¡°...¡±

    Blue Hall Entertainment headquarters, President¡¯s office.

    Fu Bainian was staring fixedly at his cell phone. His cold and stern face was currently full of anxiousness. A minute hadn¡¯t yet passed, but he picked up his phone again, pressed a button to redial, and asked the person on the other end, ¡°How long will it be before you get here?¡±

    The person on the phone was also anxious, and responded, ¡°President Fu, it¡¯s currently rush hour, and it seems like there¡¯s a traffic ident ahead, so the road is blocked. I can¡¯t say how long it¡¯ll be until I get there. Please wait a little longer.¡±

    Fu Bainian hung up in irritation. Then, putting the phone down on the table, he continued waiting anxiously.

    The results woulde out soon, and the thoughts in his mind were continuously increasing. He was born with an instinct that made him unbeatable in the business world, and he believed in his instincts.

    All he had to do was wait a little longer, and he would know the truth.

    On the other end, Lan Jinyao, who¡¯d already waited for about an hour, called Fu Bainian. The phone on his desk rang several times before he unhurriedly picked it up.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Fu Bainian, why aren¡¯t you here yet?! I¡¯ve been waiting for more than an hour! I¡¯m warning you, if you don¡¯te soon, I¡¯ll call a bunch of reporters!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s lousy mood seemed to have dissipated. He even chuckled and said to her, ¡°I promised you, so I¡¯ll definitelye. Just wait for me for another an hour; I¡¯ll absolutely be there.¡±

    The woman on the other side of the phone seems to be irritated by his words, and she angrily said, ¡°Fu Bainian, it was you who wanted a divorce! You practically pestered me every day, and now, by doing this, what are you up to?! I¡¯m telling you now, I¡¯ll wait for another half an hour, but if you still don¡¯t appear by then, I¡¯ll call the reporters toe here and tell them that the great President Fu isn¡¯t willing to divorce me!¡±

    However, all Lan Jinyao¡¯s threats seemed to be useless, as Fu Bainian was now delighted. He leaned back against his chair and slowly said, ¡°If you can¡¯t wait and want to call the reporters; then do it. Just say that I, Fu Bainian, kept pestering you. Take it aspensation for the previous matter.¡±

    He¡¯d just finished speaking when the call was disconnected. It seemed that the woman on the other end of the phone was furious.

    Half an hourter, the person who was bringing the information finally arrived. Just as he¡¯d pushed the door open and entered, Fu Bainian immediately stood up from his chair, strode towards the person withrge steps, and took the information.

    The man wiped at the perspiration on his forehead, thenughed as he said, ¡°President Fu, I¡¯ve rushed all the way here, so I¡¯m out of breath, but I¡¯ll exin the result to you now!¡±

    Fu Bainian opened the information to take a quick look, then nodded. ¡°Mmh, go ahead.¡±

    The man paused for a moment before speaking. ¡°The results of the handwriting identification is that there is a 99.9 per cent simrity. Therefore, we can conclude that the two handwriting samples are made by the same person. In addition, we found that the ink traces on the two samples are obviously different, so we can infer that the date on the letter is absolutely wrong.¡±

    Fu Bainian raised his head and looked at the man as he asked, ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    The man pointed to the results on the information and said to him, ¡°The results show that the handwriting is from the same person, but the ink on the letter is still very new. It proves that the letter was written not long ago, while the date of the contract was supposedly written around the same time, yet it¡¯s clearly older.¡±

    Fu Bainian felt that the self-control that he was very proud of was utterly gone upon hearing this news. He even wanted tough.

    ¡°So the results prove that Lan Jinyao is still alive? Are you absolutely sure the results aren¡¯t wrong?¡±

    The man didn¡¯t understand what President Fu was talking about, so he paused before affirmatively saying, ¡°As I told you before, we have the most professional team and high-tech equipment. Therefore, there¡¯s nothing wrong with the identification results.¡±

    Fu Bainian suddenlyughed. He looked at the information on the paper andughed joyfully.

    ¡°Alright! Thank you very much. Qian Ran, lead him to the Finance Department to collect the payment!¡±

    Fu Bainian brought the information with him and headed to the Bureau of Civil Affairs. But, he wasn''t in a rush, and along the way, there was a smile stered across his face.

    He thought since Chen Meimei...no; it¡¯s Lan Jinyao. Since Lan Jinyao wanted to call a bunch of reporters, he would let her. It was best to announce to the world that they¡¯d already registered their marriage.

    And, the pain that she¡¯d suffered, he would one day make it all up to her.

 Chapter 45 - Divorce Storm (3)

    <h4>Chapter 45 - Divorce Storm (3)</h4>

    ¡°Do you really want to call a bunch of reporters over? You¡¯ll cause another scene, you know?¡±

    Lan Jinyao swept him a nce. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to call the reporters, but they¡¯vee on their own anyway.¡±

    Li Qi followed her line of sight and saw a bunch of reporters frantically rushing towards the entrance of the Bureau of Civil Affairs. Fortunately, they were still sitting in the car, so they were unnoticed by the people outside.

    Seeing the bunch of reporters, Li Qi became nervous. He grabbed Lan Jinyao¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Do you really want to take advantage of this situation? What if President Fues in the next minute? How are you going to end things then?¡±

    ¡°If hees?¡± Lan Jinyao thought for a moment before she said, ¡°If hees, then we¡¯ll just do what should be done! The main purpose of my visit today is to get a divorce, and my second purpose is to take advantage of this opportunity to promote myself. Anyway, it¡¯s his fault for beingte.¡±

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, you¡¯re so awesome! You¡¯ve be so domineering from this marriage. If it were any other artist in this situation, perhaps they would hide it and not let the public know their secret. Yet, you can¡¯t wait to announce it to the whole world!¡±

    Lan Jinyao only shrugged her shoulders; she looked like she didn¡¯t care.

    ¡°Nowadays, people are getting divorced practically every day. So, when an artist gets divorced, why should they have to hide it? Artists are also human beings. This is nothing shameful that should be hidden from the public. As long as I¡¯m upright and affluent in the future, those who love to write whatever they want, would they still dare to gossip then?¡±

    Li Qi shook his head and sighed, a disappointed expression on his face.

    When Chen Meimei acted like this, it always reminded him of that person. If she were still alive, she would probably also think the same way about such significant events.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, I didn¡¯t know much about you before, and I¡¯d only heard bad rumours, but now it seems that you¡¯repletely different from what people say. Knowing this, I can consider extending our one-month trial period, and from then on, you¡¯ll be under my supervision.¡±

    Lan Jinyao hummed softly in response as if she¡¯d already predicted this.

    Li Qi, however, found it odd and said to her, ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you pretend to be surprised just to make me happy? Did you know that there are many artists in Blue Hall Entertainment who¡¯ve begged me to take them under my belt? So far I¡¯ve ignored them.¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± Lan Jinyao said. ¡°You didn¡¯t take them because you didn¡¯t see any value in them, but I can be your best investment!¡±

    While saying this, Lan Jinyao was staring straight at Li Qi¡¯s eyes. Li Qi found that the way she was currently staring at him made him subconsciously shudder. Those eyes showed a determination to seed, regardless of everything, and the confidence to ignore what others thought. This reminded him of a talented artist under his management. If that artist could have such ambition, she might¡¯ve already be a peerless movie Goddess.

    While the two of them were chatting, a reporter with sharp eye soon noticed their car. Walking closer to the car, he peeped inside one of the windows.

    Lan Jinyao nced at her phone and said to Li Qi, ¡°Times up, but Fu Bainian still isn¡¯t here! Let¡¯s get out of the car.¡±

    In the past, she was always indifferent. She didn¡¯t bother to strive for anything, nor fight over anything. But now, there was always someone that was concerned about everything that belonged to her.

    The current her was like a demon who¡¯d been dragged into the abyss.

    The moment she stepped out of the car, Lan Jinyao said to herself: This is what Fu Bainian owes you, so please don¡¯t feel guilty. If you want to do it, then just do it until the end. After that, things between the two of you will be settled.

    Camera lights started constantly shing before her, and she blocked her eyes with her hands as she stood in front of the Bureau of Civil Affairs.

    ¡°Everyone, please quiet down! Chen Meimei has something to say!¡±

    After Li Qi had shouted, a bunch of microphones were shoved in front of Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Hello everyone, the reason I¡¯m here today is to divorce Fu Bainian. I was extremely hurt when I was stood up at the wedding ceremony. I thought that he loved me, and that''s why he would marry me. But, I never thought that the person he¡¯d loved all this time was another woman. I love him, so even though he¡¯s hurt me, I chose to forgive him.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was sobbing and wiping at her tears as she spoke, which was enough to earn the attention of the reporters.

    Li Qi, who was standing beside her and watching her act, wanted to roll his eyes. Who said that Chen Meimei couldn¡¯t act? Damn, anyone who thought that must be blind! When this woman acted, she had an ability capable of hooking the sympathy of an audience. It was horrible, right? If he didn¡¯t know the real story, he might¡¯ve been deceived by this woman too!

    Lan Jinyao swiftly nced at the reporters and saw that some of the female reporters had shed tears too. Then, she continued, ¡°Everyone knows that forgiving a person isn¡¯t easy, but time heals everything. So, today, I¡¯ve chosen toe here to divorce him. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t me him for loving another woman, yet he still married me, and I can¡¯t overlook this scar on my heart. I ask everyone present to lend me their courage. I¡¯ll wait here until he arrives!¡±

    Her heart-wrenching speech caused a lot of the reporter¡¯s eyes to redden.

    Li Qi signalled for her to pay a little more attention.

    She was an artist signed under Blue Hall Entertainment after all. It was a bad idea to offend their Boss as it could result in her future development bing extremely difficult.

    However, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t seem to think that way. After wiping at her tears with a handkerchief, sheughed at herself, ¡°I¡¯ve already been stood up once, so I wonder if our President Fu will stand me up again.¡±

    The atmosphere suddenly became lighter. Some reporters smiled and asked, ¡°Chen Meimei, your initial appointment with President Fu was for in the morning, right? It¡¯s now almost noon, and President Fu still hasn¡¯t arrived. Do you think that President Fu has changed his mind?¡±

    ¡°In that case, let us wait a little longer! If he still hasn¡¯te by noon, I¡¯ll file for divorce by myself.¡±

    The resolute expression on the woman¡¯s face made the reporters quite frightened. So, someone tentatively asked, ¡°Chen Meimei, almost the entire world knows that you love President Fu, so may I ask, since you¡¯re here for a divorce, are you sure it¡¯s not just a publicity stunt to create hype? Since no one knew that you were even married, can we assumed that the marriage is also a hoax?¡±

    Lan Jinyao sneered inwardly, but just as she went to respond, she saw a ck Land Rover turning the corner. She suddenly squeezed out a few more tears and said to all the reporters, ¡°President Fu is here now, and although he¡¯ste, at least he didn¡¯t stand me up this time. It seems that he really wants to divorce me.¡±

    Fu Bainian strode over with a calm face, pushed Li Qi to the side, and stood beside Chen Meimei.

    Under the public¡¯s eyes, he suddenly held Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand tightly, while Lan Jinyao, who was scared by his actions, became stiff and allowed him to hold her hand;pletely forgetting to push him away. Just like that, she nkly stared at this man who¡¯d never followedmon sense.

 Chapter 46 - Divorce Storm (4)

    <h4>Chapter 46 - Divorce Storm (4)</h4>

    Fu Bainian revealed a sly smile to her, and then said to all the reporters, ¡°I truly apologise for making everyonee here today. There is indeed a slight misunderstanding between Chen Meimei and myself, but the facts aren¡¯t really like how she described it earlier. There is nobody between us. In reality, there has only been one woman whom I¡¯ve loved from beginning to end, or else, I wouldn¡¯t have married her!¡±

    One smart reporter immediately found an issue with what was just said and asked Fu Bainian, ¡°Excuse me, President Fu, previous rumours said that you and Chen Meimei didn¡¯t get along. So, how did you suddenly fall in love with her? As far as I know, with Chen Meimei¡¯s current figure, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for people to fall for her.¡±

    While Lan Jinyao, who was implicated just for being present, felt slighted. She was now a lot thinner, alright?!

    ¡°As everyone can see, her body may be too fat, but what made me fell in love with her is her inner beauty. Her inner beauty has captivated me. Therefore, I can¡¯t talk about feelings and disagreements. As for the previous rumours, they¡¯re just rumours; none of them are true!¡±

    ¡°I heard that Chen Meimei joined Blue Hall Entertainment for President Fu. Later, Blue Hall Entertainment intended to hide her, which led to her having basically no opportunities to spread her wings. Please exin this situation.¡±

    Fu Bainian stared at Lan Jinyao, his ck eyes seeming to overflow with affection. Lan Jinyao, who was being stared at, drew a nk as to why he was watching her in such a way.

    He then continued, ¡°I¡¯m doing that for her own good. The waters in the entertainment circle are too deep. I was worried that she wouldn¡¯t be able to stand all the rumours and nder thate with being so public, so I didn¡¯t let her have any opportunities to advance. But now, I want to understand her. Since she likes her job, I will of coursepletely support her. In addition, she¡¯ll have my utmost protection. I believe I can protect her from any harm this world will throw at her!¡±

    A specific part of Fu Bainian¡¯s speech made Lan Jinyao wanted tough uproariously. When it came to acting, she couldn¡¯tpare to Fu Bainian! He was a master when it came to lying as he could tell a lie in a heartbeat with a straight face; he was the real master amongst experts. And so, the reporters believed him. Even Li Qi was now gazing at her with admiration.

    ¡°Ooh~¡± a few people within the crowd eximed in admiration.

    ¡°Then, President Fu, I would like to ask about the woman Chen Meimei mentioned; the cause of your disagreement. Is it true that you¡¯re having an affair?¡±

    Fu Bainian responded with apletely straight face. ¡°Regarding that, it¡¯s just a misunderstanding between us. The other party is an artist under mypany. However, since it caused Chen Meimei to misunderstand, it¡¯s my fault. I didn¡¯t clearly exin to her that there was no rtionship other than that of a Boss and a subordinate between this woman and myself. For this, I¡¯m extremely sorry!¡±

    Lan Jinyao coldly looked at him as she muttered to herself: Keep it up, I want to see how far you¡¯ll take this act of yours!

    ¡°Then, what reason do you have for not attending the wedding?¡± another reporter asked.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze fell on Fu Bainian¡¯s face; she wanted to see him exin that he¡¯d stood his wife up for another woman. Apart from saying that there was no love between them, what else could he fabricate?

    Fu Bainian remained silent for a moment. During his silence, those with a camera rapidly took his picture.

    ¡°I know that this matter has really hurt you, so here in front of everyone, I¡¯m wholeheartedly apologising. As for why I missed the wedding, I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m unwilling to make that public. Just know that I¡¯m strongly against getting a divorce. In the future, I promise to be good to you, and I will never do anything that hurts you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao asked in a low voice, ¡°Fu Bainian, you¡¯re not ill, right?! Lan Xin could watch this, you know?¡±

    Without anyone being aware, the woman in question was already standing in a corner. She had a broad-brimmed hat covering her head, a pair of sunsses on her face, and her whole body was wrapped up in arge sweater. No one discovered her standing there.

    Upon hearing the name ¡®Lan Xin¡¯, Fu Bainian¡¯s sight subconsciously looked over the street, and he easily spotted Lan Xin at a nce. Although a pair of sunsses covered her face, he could still see the tears constantly dripping down her cheeks.

    He felt somewhat sorry and looked away.

    ¡°So, President Fu, you mean that you now don¡¯t want to get a divorce?¡±

    Fu Bainian faced all the cameras and nodded solemnly. ¡°I don¡¯t want a divorce, unless...I¡¯m dead!¡±

    A woman in a blue sweater suddenly fell weakly to the ground and started weeping. The reporters all had sharp ears that helped them in their profession, so upon hearing the sound of weeping, they immediately thought it was peculiar. Walking over to investigate, they started taking several photos in session. The reporters at the back flocked to the front and surrounded Lan Xin.

    The woman tried to cover her face with the palms of her hands, but the scene was too chaotic. In themotion, her sunsses were mysteriously removed. Thus, a small delicate face was exposed before everyone¡¯s eyes. The situation immediately burst into excitement; this trip wasn¡¯t wasted. In fact, it could be said that today had scored them all a great harvest instead!

    ¡°It¡¯s Lan Jinyao!¡±

    ¡°The Goddess didn¡¯t die?!¡±

    ¡°So, her falling off a building was actually a scheme cooked up by Blue Hall Entertainment?¡±

    ¡°This will be news for tomorrow¡¯s headline!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    The situation on the scene had exploded into chaos. When Li Qi heard the name ¡®Lan Jinyao¡¯, he wanted to run over and take a look but was stopped by Fu Bainian. Li Qi was bbergasted as he stared at Fu Bainian, but he only heard him faintly say, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go; thepany will properly handle this matter.¡±

    Lan Jinyao snorted then said mockingly, ¡°Our great President Fu is really a cold-hearted man. Just a few days ago, that woman was still in his arms, but now he¡¯s pretending like he doesn¡¯t know her. He can see that she¡¯s in trouble, but he doesn¡¯t go and save her!¡±

    The hand gripping her fingers suddenly tightened.

    Fu Bainian¡¯splexion turned a shade darker, and his ck eyes locked on her face. ¡°Do you have to talk to me like this? You obviously know all the reasons behind this. I told from the very beginning that I already loved someone. You also knew when you saw Lan Xin¡¯s face that she wasn¡¯t... Why didn¡¯t you tell me?!¡±

    So, he¡¯d already guessed her identity, which was why he could dere that if they wanted to divorce, it would only happen if he died. However, what was the point of doing this now?

    ¡°Fu Bainian, who was it that left me alone to return to China? Who was it that promised me that he woulde, yet in the end broke his promise? I told you that I wanted to tell you a secret on our wedding day, so you had toe, but where were you?! You left me all alone and let me became a joke to everyone!¡±

    Fu Bainian felt like he¡¯d received a heavy blow and his entire body froze.

    After a long while, he finally reacted and asked her, ¡°The secret that you wanted to tell me that day was...¡±

 Chapter 47 - Divorce Storm (5)

    <h4>Chapter 47 - Divorce Storm (5)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao stood by the entrance to the Bureau of Civil Affairs. She stared at the man whose face was now filled with immense sorrow and remorse before she removed her gaze from him, and then turned to Li Qi who¡¯d been utterly confused this whole time. ¡°Send me home. It looks like this marriage can¡¯t be annulled anymore.¡±

    Li Qi felt like he was in a thick fog, and said without thinking, ¡°President Fu, can you send Chen Meimei home? I want to go to see Jinyao. She won¡¯t be able to get rid of those reporters alone.¡±

    Fu Bainian nodded and said in a low voice, ¡°Mhh, go.¡±

    After seeing Lan Xin¡¯s face, those reporters had chased her all the way around the corner of the street and had soon disappeared from view.

    The entrance to the Bureau of Civil Affairs was now quiet. Then, Fu Bainian¡¯s sleeve was abruptly tugged on by someone. He turned and saw the young girl from thest time they were here. She was looking at him with a wide smile as she said to him, ¡°Sir, are you here to file for a divorce? Let me lead you in!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯splexion darkened, and he said to the girl, ¡°If you try to drive a wedge between a married couple once more, I will register aint against you.¡±

    The girl was scared by his threat and ran back into the building.

    ¡°Get in the car; I¡¯ll send you home.¡±

    The words were barely said before Lan Jinyao felt Fu Bainian grab her hand and pull her to the car. On the way home, neither of them spoke and only their quiet breathing could be heard. asionally, Lan Jinyao would slightly tilt her head to look at the man who was focused on driving.

    When they arrived at the gate of their neighbourhood, Lan Jinyao was about to get out of the car, but she found that all the doors were locked. Fu Bainian leaned against his seat and watched her. After a while, he suddenly shouted, ¡°Lan Jinyao!¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t respond, she just sat in the front passenger seat and let him watch her.

    ¡°You wrote that rmendation letter, right? Before, I¡¯d only been guessing, but how did you know that Lan Jinyao and Chang Sheng had a good rtionship? If you were Lan Jinyao, then everything would make sense.¡±

    ¡°Okay! I admit it,¡± Lan Jinyao said indifferently. ¡°But, so what? Do you think that everyone would just ept such a freak coincidence?! I obviously died, but then I woke up in the body of another woman. If this matter were known by everyone, then the chances for me to live would disappear.¡±

    She was leaving aside strangers and speaking of the two people from the Chen family; Old Chen and Chen Meile. ording to Father Chen¡¯s character, if he knew that she was now upying his daughter¡¯s body, then she might be killed. As for Chen Meile¡¯s character, if she knew, she probably wouldn¡¯t bother inviting a Taoist and instead request a researcher toe and study her. No matter which option, she wouldn''t be better off.

    ¡°But, you should¡¯ve at least told me! Then, all of this wouldn¡¯t have happened!¡±

    He loved her so much! How could he have ever wanted to intentionally hurt her?

    Lan Jinyao sighed. ¡°Even if I¡¯d told you, then what? Lan Xin seems to have fallen for you. Did you see her just now? It seemed like she was heartbroken. So, you shouldn¡¯t hurt another girl.¡±

    Fu Bainian clenched his fist and heavily punched the steering wheel, resulting in the horn sting and shocking nearby pedestrians. One by one, they all turned to look at the car.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, don¡¯t you understand? For you, I can forsake everyone, including Lan Xin!¡±

    Loving someone for too long would form a kind of obsession. For Fu Bainian, he was currently acting spellbound.

    Lan Jinyao nkly stared at him, feeling like she¡¯d been physically struck by his words, which caused her heartbeat to gradually pick up its pace.

    The next second, Lan Jinyao looked away from him and refused to look back at him.

    This man was indeed very charming. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have fallen for him, and struggle over her decision to leave him.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, as you can see, I also like you. Unfortunately, even though I opened my heart and loved a person for the first time in my life, I ended up being deeply hurt. If you¡¯re confident that you¡¯ll no longer let affairs deceive your eyes and hurt me again, I can promise you that I¡¯ll give you another chance!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s gloomy expression finally lightened, and a joyful smile spread across his face.

    ¡°Alright! I can certainly aplish that!¡±

    He had vowed long ago, that as long as he could be together with Lan Jinyao, that he would protect her for the rest of her life. In the future, he wouldn¡¯t let anyone hurt her.

    After a while, Fu Bainian suddenly said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back to the old residence tonight. After you moved out, I didn¡¯t dare go home. Mum kept saying that if I couldn¡¯t get you back, then I didn¡¯t need to return home anymore.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but I want you to promise me that you¡¯ll keep my situation a secret. I want to recover everything that I lost. And, secondly, it¡¯s because there¡¯s a person who has be my nightmare. I n to do something to make this nightmarepletely vanish from this earth.¡±

    In one sentence, Fu Bainian could guess what she meant and asked, ¡°When you fell from the building, was it because someone purposely pushed you?¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t respond, but her hands were tightly clenched into fists at her sides. Her bright eyes were veiled with a thick hatred that threatened to erupt at any moment.

    Seeing her like this, Fu Bainian was startled.

    "Alright, I promise you! But...¡±

    As if she could guess what he wanted to say, she said to him, ¡°No buts! I will deal with this matter myself. I don¡¯t want anyone to intervene.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not just anyone though!¡±

    ¡°Currently, you are no different from anyone else.¡±

    The great President Fu felt frustrated, but he faintly sighed and didn¡¯t say anything more.

    Just as the two of them entered the yard, they heard the familiarughter of a girl echoing from the living room. Theugh was as musical as a bell.

    Lan Jinyao felt that she knew thisugh. She nced at Fu Bainian, only to see that his face had changed as he strode towards the living room inrge strides. Thus, she ended up following behind him.

    The person sitting on the couch in the living room was no other than Xu Jin¡¯ge.

    ¡°Meimei, you¡¯re here?¡± The moment Mother Fu noticed Lan Jinyao, she quickly stood up and pulled Lan Jinyao to sit beside her on the couch.

    As soon as Fu Bainian saw Xu Jin¡¯ge, he suddenly remembered something. Thest time he¡¯d spoken to Old Man Chen on the phone, Old Man Chen had said that since he and Chen Meimei were going to get a divorce, then he might as well marry Xu Jin¡¯ge. He was upset at that time, so he¡¯d angrily responded to Old Man Chen to do whatever he wanted, which had resulted in the current situation.

    Even if he had ten mouths, he wouldn¡¯t be able to exin himself clearly.

    Lan Jinyao affectionately sat down next to Mother Fu, and slowly spit out a few words. ¡°It looks like someone wants to step on two boats! I initially thought that President Fu was a very loving person!¡±

    Fu Bainian, who¡¯d been tricked by his Father, wanted to cry butcked the tears to do so.

    It had been tough for him to patch things up with Lan Jinyao, and yet, before they¡¯d even held hands, things were already starting to fall through.

    ¡°Dad! In the future, Chen Meimei and I will be living together, and ever so often we¡¯ll visit the old residence and stay for a few days. At that time, it would be inconvenient for outsiders to be here.¡±

    Once Xu Jin¡¯ge heard herself referred to as an outsider, her face paled. On the other hand, Lan Jinyao¡¯s gloomy heart immediately brightened.

 Chapter 48 - Let Her Carry The Can (1)

    <h4>Chapter 48 - Let Her Carry The Can (1)</h4>

    After the news of Chen Meimei and Fu Bainian¡¯s divorce was posted on the inte, it quickly sank and was reced by news announcing the return of the Goddess. This news promptly upied the headlines of every major newspaper. On the set of A Thousand Years Of Tears, after Shen Wei¡¯an heard this news, she became absent-minded. So, when the male lead who was acting out their scene together was rushing towards her, she slipped and fell from an elevated tform due to spacing out. The resulting shriek rang throughout the set.

    ¡°Hurry up and call an ambnce! Wei¡¯an, how are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°Help! Someone quicklye and have a look!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Sis Wei¡¯an fell!¡±

    In just a short moment, everyone¡¯s attention was fixated on Shen Wei¡¯an. Chang Sheng frowned as he examined the steel rope that had snapped off from around her body.

    ¡°Is it actually possible for a steel rope designed to bear up to two hundred kilograms to break?¡±

    He frowned and looked around, but didn¡¯t find anything out of ce; everything was as it usually was. ¡°Have you called an ambnce?¡± he asked one of the crew.

    ¡°Yes, it should be here soon.¡±

    Just then, someone wanted to move Shen Wei¡¯an as all he saw was a deathly pale woman lying on the floor with sweat covering her forehead. She was breathing heavily through her mouth, and her face was wrinkled in pain.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move her! Be careful as she might¡¯ve broken a bone.¡± Chang Sheng immediately berated that crew member.

    However, at that moment, no one noticed a woman wearing a cap and a ck sweater sneaking away from a corner of the set. The woman¡¯s legs were wrapped up in a pair of wide-leg pants, and her entire ensemble made her figure look tall and tough.

    Soon, an ambnce finally arrived, and Shen Wei¡¯an was carefully carried into the ambnce with a stretcher by the medical staff.

    ¡°We¡¯re not waiting for Shen Wei¡¯an. Everyone, get ready, we¡¯re going to shoot another scene!¡± Chang Sheng said to the rest of the crew who were milling about.

    Currently, no one had a very goodplexion. They knew that since Shen Wei¡¯an had fallen from an elevated tform, it was estimated that she wouldn¡¯t recover any time soon. She had been significantly injured and would need at least 100 days of rest. Even if she wanted to speed up the healing process, it was estimated that she would still have to stay in the hospital for at least a month.

    Lan Jinyao was at home reading through her script when her phone suddenly chimed with a Weibo notification. She casually nced at the first article disyed on the screen but found that she couldn¡¯t look away.

    ¡®Popr actress Shen Wei¡¯an falls from an elevated tform during the shooting of A Thousand Years Of Tears. It is unknown whether the film release will be postponed.¡¯

    ¡°She fell from an elevated tform?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an was always so careful; how could she fall? Or, could it be that because she¡¯d heard that Lan Jinyao was still alive, she was scared and worried that the things she¡¯d done would be exposed?

    Lan Jinyao smiled evilly.

    It looked like that woman had something she was afraid of. Lan Jinyao thought that if Shen Wei¡¯an could dare tomit such acts, then she must have the courage to bear the consequences. Hehe, it looked like that was all there was to it!

    Since the two of them were in the same drama production, she should go to visit that woman, right?

    That afternoon, Lan Jinyao set aside her script and went to buy a basket of fruit and headed straight to the hospital. Upon entering a ward filled with the thick smell of disinfectant, Lan Jinyao, who was wearing a mask covering half of her face, frowned. She didn¡¯t like this kind of smell.

    The ward was already filled with flower and fruit baskets. It looked like many people had visited her since this morning. When she¡¯d entered the hospital just now, there were a bunch of fans outside being blocked from entering.

    Shen Wei¡¯an was connected to an IV, and she was vacantly staring at the bag of fluid hanging near her head.

    ¡°Hi!¡± Lan Jinyao greeted her.

    As soon as Shen Wei¡¯an saw who it was, her brows wrinkled and her face turned an unsightly shade. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Lan Jinyao chuckled. ¡°Huh, even with the way I¡¯m currently dressed, you can still recognise me? It looks like our Wei¡¯an has excellent eyesight! Or, maybe, your impression of me improved during our shooting together?¡±

    After cing the fruit basket down, Lan Jinyao sat on the couch in the room, leaving the mask on her face.

    ¡°Ugly people always do weird things to get attention. Chen Meimei, we don¡¯t have any enmity towards each other, so why do you keep messing with me? If you say that you improvised to be outstanding, then what about the time you reced the powdered sugar with salt? Or, have I somehow offended you?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an spoke while staring at her with sharp eyes. She was staring at Lan Jinyao like she wanted to make a hole in her face.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression remained indifferent, and she let Shen Wei¡¯an stare as much as she wanted.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t offend me.¡±

    ¡°Then, why are you targeting me? Is it because my fame is greater than yours?!¡± Shen Wei¡¯an clenched her hands into fists.

    If she didn¡¯t already know Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s character, Lan Jinyao might¡¯ve been deceived once again by this woman.

    ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an, I¡¯m visiting you out of the kindness of my heart, so why are you so certain that I¡¯m targeting you? Yes, it was wrong of me to improvise without permission, but the Director has already said that it was fine since it was in line with the character¡¯s temperament. Also, what powdered sugar and salt are you talking about? I don¡¯t know what do you mean.¡±

    When it came to acting, she was a lot better than Shen Wei¡¯an!

    ¡°How could it not have been you!? You were the only one who touched the bottle!¡± Shen Wei¡¯an suddenly screamed.

    Lan Jinyao covered her ears.

    There was no one else in the ward, and Shen Wei¡¯an couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Her so-called pure image and temperament were nothing but a disguise.

    ¡°Alright, I admit that it was me! That was the first time that I, Chen Meimei, had ever been pped since I was born. How could I not retaliate? If it had been someone else who¡¯d hit me, perhaps that person¡¯s career would already be ruined by now, you know? And, I figure that since you and I are in the samepany, recing that powdered sugar with salt was just a small punishment.¡±

    Since she now carried the name ¡®Chen Meimei¡¯, Lan Jinyao had a proud look on her face.

    She was right. If it had been Chen Meimei in the same situation, Shen Wei¡¯an probably wouldn¡¯t be able to stand in the entertainment industry by now.

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s chest violently heaved, expressing her rage.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, since this has been settled, I want you to get out! I don¡¯t want to see you!¡±

    Lan Jinyao shrugged. ¡°Okay, since you don¡¯t want to see me, I won¡¯t bother you any longer. But, I¡¯m curious; how did you suddenly fall? It wasn¡¯t because you¡¯d heard some bad news, right? And, due to that, you were so scared you fell from such a high tform?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s gaze suddenly shot towards her, her voice tense.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything,¡± Lan Jinyao nonchntlyughed. ¡°When I was reading my script at home this morning, I saw an interesting article saying that Goddess Lan didn¡¯t die. Moreover, she appeared in front of a group of reporters. Wasn¡¯t Lan Jinyao your best friend? I just thought you might be scared since you personally saw that woman die, right?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s hands trembled under the quilt. Noticing that the quilt was shaking, the corners of Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth stretched into a smirk.

    ¡°Well, have a good rest! I hope that after you¡¯re discharged from hospital that there won¡¯t be any bad news waiting for you!¡±

    Her lips were curled into a sly smile, hiding the malice she was feeling.

 Chapter 49 - Let Her Carry The Can (2)

    <h4>Chapter 49 - Let Her Carry The Can (2)</h4>

    The curtains of the spacious room were pulled open, allowing morning sunlight to spill from the windowsill onto the warm-coloured bed sheet.

    It was still a day off for Lan Jinyao, so she was wearing casual clothes while sitting on a chair on the balcony, reading a script. On the small wooden table next to her, there was a cup of hot tea. asionally, she would sip a couple of mouthfuls as she read.

    Today¡¯s news had arrived a littleter than usual. Apparently, after Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s incident of falling off an elevated tform, all the news articles had been focused on Shen Wei¡¯an; as if someone was working on it behind the scenes. And, as Lan Jinyao had expected, today¡¯s headlines were still about Shen Wei¡¯an, but the photos on the web page seemed slightly unbearable.

    In the photo, Shen Wei¡¯an and a middle-aged man were holding hands. From the angle the photo was taken, it seemed that they were kissing. And, ording to their bodynguage, it appeared to be quite an intense kiss.

    Lan Jinyao ced her script down on the table, then scrolled down her phone screen with her finger. Sure enough, when Lan Jinyao looked further down the article, she found a photo of Shen Wei¡¯an and the man standing alone. The man wasn''t handsome, and the first thing she noticed was the man¡¯s beer belly and a few thin hairs scattered across his head. The man¡¯s eyes were cloudy, yet brimming with lust. This was the kind of person that Shen Wei¡¯an used to hate the most.

    Li Qi had said that Shen Wei¡¯an had found a real estate tycoon, but she never would¡¯ve expected it to be this kind of man!

    She also remembered that Li Qi had said that this real estate tycoon had a wife. Since it seemed like someone had intentionally leaked this scandal, that man¡¯s wife definitely wouldn¡¯t let the issue go.

    Lan Jinyao then hurriedly went to check thetest online news.

    Soon, she found an exclusive report posted on a news website. The video on the front page had a white thumbnail. Before Lan Jinyao had even clicked on it, she realised that this video must¡¯ve been taken at the hospital.

    Picking up her earphones and plugging it into her phone, she then clicked y.

    The video was utter chaos. A woman was crying helplessly with her face hidden by her dishevelled hair. Blood continuously dripped from the back of her hand, and the IV line that had been ripped off was still leaking liquid. All that could be heard was the endless screaming and swearing of a woman off camera.

    Then, a hand appeared on the screen. The hand was delicate and well maintained with arge ruby ring nestled on the ring finger, and it abruptly started yanking on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s wavy hair. The woman¡¯s sharp nails then started scratching Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face, leaving a ghastly red scar on her cheek.

    A bunch of nurses soon rushed into the room and pulled the two women apart. The screen was now white, but the sounds of vulgar swearing could still be heard.

    Lan Jinyao turned off the video, her expression neutral.

    First, Shen Wei¡¯an had fallen from an elevated tform. Then, she¡¯d been caught in a scandal as a mistress, with the resulting confrontation being secretly recorded and posted on the inte. Lastly, the video had gone viral. All of these things seemed as if someone had deliberately nned them.

    The first person that Lan Jinyao thought of was Fu Bainian.

    With this in mind, she immediately called Fu Bainian¡¯s phone. When the phone was answered, the voice on the other end happily greeted her.

    ¡°Good morning!¡±

    ¡°Morning. Fu Bainian, I want to ask you something, so you must be honest!¡±

    Fu Bainian chuckled and said to her, ¡°If you call me husband, I¡¯ll be honest.¡±

    Lan Jinyao: ¡°...¡±

    After a moment of silence, a mosquito-like humming sounded from the phone.

    The smile on Fu Bainian¡¯s grew wider as he said, ¡°Well, then ask away. What do you want to ask? I swear I¡¯ll never lie to you.¡±

    ¡°Did you ask someone to leak the news about Shen Wei¡¯an to the media?¡±

    Fu Bainian was silent for a moment before he gravely said, ¡°No! It wasn''t me! Ourpany has invested in her current drama, so even if I wanted to punish her, I wouldn¡¯t do it at such a crucial time. Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s scandals will not only affect her reputation, but it will also have an impact on the promotion of this film.¡±

    Lan Jinyao listened to him and thought that what he¡¯d said was reasonable. In addition to being a very charming man, Fu Bainian was rational, cool-headed, and judgmental.

    After Fu Bainian finished speaking, he asked her, ¡°Weren¡¯t these things done by you? I thought that you wanted to...take revenge, so I never notified thepany''s PR department to take care of this.¡±

    This misunderstanding was too big!

    Lan Jinyao quickly exined, ¡°It really wasn¡¯t me either! I was wondering, besides me, who else has so much enmity towards Shen Wei¡¯an? That person has taken advantage of this situation and is causing Shen Wei¡¯an to lose her standing and reputation.¡±

    Moreover, the method employed seemed to be highly efficient as no one had found any trace of the culprit.

    After a moment of silence, Fu Bainian abruptly said, ¡°Maybe, Shen Wei¡¯an offended someone, so that person is now retaliating against her?¡±

    Lan Jinyao suddenly thought of something and asked Fu Bainian, ¡°Don''t tell me that after I told you I didn''t do those things, you immediately asked the PR department to bury the news of Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s scandals?¡±

    This was precisely something Fu Bainian would do; everything he did was based on profits.

    The only thing Lan Jinyao could hear on the other end of the phone was Fu Bainian¡¯s breathing. Subconsciously, she felt that he must be unhappy.

    ¡°Jinyao, I can¡¯t wait for the person who harmed you to fall to the 18th level of hell, so how could I help her? What¡¯s more, if you hadn¡¯t told me not to intervene, I would¡¯ve kicked her out of Blue Hall Entertainment, or even out of the entertainment industry altogether by now. Jinyao, you shouldn¡¯t ignore the feelings of a man!¡± Fu Bainian said.

    When Lan Jinyao heard what he¡¯d said, she felt a warmth in her heart. This man loved her; she¡¯d realised it when she was still pretending to be Chen Meimei in front of him. However, what she didn¡¯t know was that this man¡¯s love was so pure, that anything she said was unnecessary.

    Focusing, she suppressed her turbulent emotions. ¡°Fu Bainian, if you had known that I was Lan Jinyao, would any of the things that hurt me back then have happened?¡± she whispered.

    ¡°No!¡± he unhesitatingly replied. ¡°If I had known that it was you, even if I would¡¯ve had to forego the entire world, I wouldn¡¯t have let go of your hand and let you be hurt.¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled. That was enough; she¡¯d gotten the answer she¡¯d wanted. With this, was there any reason left for her not to forgive him?

    ¡°Fu Bainian, thank you...¡± thank you for loving me.

    After hanging up the phone, a faint smile lingered on Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth. She never would¡¯ve thought that she would be able to meet such a man; one who would do everything he could to love her while letting her fall unconditionally in love with him.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt unprecedented happiness.

    However, she¡¯d failed to notice that the dark clouds shrouding her head had gradually be bigger.

 Chapter 50 - Let Her Carry The Can (3)

    <h4>Chapter 50 - Let Her Carry The Can (3)</h4>

    In the hospital room, Shen Wei¡¯an frantically swept all the flower and fruit baskets off the table to the ground, leaving the floor an utter mess. After that, she pulled out the needle inserted in the back of her hand.

    Upon witnessing this scene, none of the young nurses dared to go in. They hadn¡¯t expected for the gentle and kind woman that they¡¯d seen on TV to reveal such a ferocious side.

    Without uttering a single word, a man wearing a ck cap sat calmly in the room. However, his palm was using continuous pressure to stop the wound on the back of Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s hand from bleeding.

    After momentarily going crazy, Shen Wei¡¯an finally calmed down. Shey back in bed and nkly stared at the ceiling. Meanwhile, her chest frantically heaved as she gasped for air and inhaled several deep breaths.

    Soon after, tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes, and she broke down.

    Shen Wei¡¯an sobbed as she said, ¡°Xu Hao, tell me, am I done for this time?! I must look extremely unsightly right now, right?! I-if a reporteres in again, takes a picture of my current appearance and posts it online, then my image will be destroyed! My fans won''t love me anymore, because the image of a perfect goddess that they have in their hearts will totally crumble to dust!¡±

    Xu Hao pressed the back of her hand tightly before faintly answering, ¡°A day after the video was broadcast, the number of shares exceeded 10 million. What image do you think you currently have left?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Shen Wei¡¯an violently shook off Xu Hao¡¯s hand and viciously stared at him. It seemed that, if he continued talking, she¡¯d pounce on him and bite him to death on the spot.

    ¡°That''s enough! I don''t want to hear you talking about this. If you''re here tough at me, then please get out. I¡¯m going to get some rest now!¡±

    The wound on the back of Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s hand had already stopped bleeding, so Xu Hao sped his hands on his knees, his expression appearing somewhat gloomy.

    Xu Hao then said, ¡°Wei¡¯an, what I meant was, who hasn¡¯t experienced setbacks or made mistakes throughout their life before? Although an artist¡¯s conduct could be blown out of proportion, it¡¯s not impossible to make up for those errors! There¡¯s still hope though because even with something as huge as this happening, the production team of A Thousand Years Of Tears hadn¡¯t removed you from the female lead role. Even though you¡¯ve lost many Weibo fans, there are still plenty of fans who care about you! They¡¯ve left you messages to ask about your well-being. If you give up now, then how are you worthy of the care they¡¯re showing you? Additionally, would you be able to face yourself if you gave up?!¡±

    Shen Wei''an nkly stared at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Meanwhile, her fingers were tightly gripping the bed sheets. She was using so much force that even her veins were visible.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying...I still have hope?¡±

    Shen Wei''an¡¯s gaze was glued to Xu Hao. At this moment, she desperately needed someone to give her hope; even if it was just a word offort.

    ¡°Of course there¡¯s still hope! Even if you¡¯ve lost everything, at the very least, you¡¯re still alive. As long as you¡¯re alive and well, you¡¯ll be able to attain everything you want.¡± Xu Hao paused a moment before gently continuing, ¡°Therefore, you ought to treat yourself better. Try to control your emotions and don¡¯t lose your temper from now on, because it''s very easy to lose yourself when that happens.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an finally quieted down after hearing Xu Hao¡¯sforting words.

    Xu Hao then suddenly added, ¡°This time you fell off from that elevated tform even though you had high-tension wires attached to you. I¡¯ve already privately sent someone over to investigate this matter; someone must¡¯ve messed around with the props. Also, right after you were admitted to the hospital, that other matter was brought to light by the media. I think someone¡¯s specifically targeting you. Say, did you offend anyone? Think about it carefully and then tell me; I¡¯d like to help you.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an thought for a while and then frowned before saying, ¡°Although my attitude towards others isn¡¯t very good, I don''t think I''ve gone so far as offending anyone. The only person I¡¯ve recently crossed swords with is that fatty, Chen Meimei. Not only did she take the initiative to improvise that one time, but following that matter, she also added salt in my drink. So, I¡¯m not sure if this current matter is rted to her.¡±

    If it were Chen Meimei, then it probably would¡¯ve been worse. Not to mention that woman''s fierce temper, just based on her background alone, with the Chen family backing her, she wouldn¡¯t be so easy to mess with. If this matter really was Chen Meimei''s doing, then Shen Wei¡¯an had no choice but to endure it.

    Upon hearing Shen Wei¡¯an mention Chen Meimei, Xu Hao¡¯s expression immediately changed and became somewhat tense.

    ¡°Are you suspecting that Chen Meimei did all of this?¡± asked Xu Hao.

    When Shen Wei¡¯an saw the change in Xu Hao¡¯s expression, her tone became somewhat unnatural as she stammered while saying, ¡°I-I¡¯m just specting and nothing more! Besides, it seemed that from the moment Chen Meimei arrived on set, she was deliberately making things difficult for me.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an trusted her instincts as a woman, but without evidence, everything was just conjecture.

    Xu Hao then took out a mini tablet from his pocket and gave it to her before saying, ¡°Have a look at the video stored in there, it''s a recording from the cameras on set. It took me quite a lot of effort to get my hands on this. On the day of your incident, there was a suspicious guest on set. That person was cautious, so the surveince cameras didn¡¯t catch her face. However, judging from her physique alone, she certainly looked like Chen Meimei.¡±

    In the entertainment circle, apart from Chen Meimei, there were very few people who were as tall as the figure in the recording. Moreover, it just so happens that Chen Meimei had lost quite a bit of weight recently, so judging from her stature alone, that person really looked like her.

    Shen Wei¡¯an clenched hands into her fists, her voice brimming with anger as she spoke, ¡°Chen Meimei came by a few days ago to visit me, but as expected, how could that woman be so kind?! It turned out that she¡¯d only dropped by to see how badly I fell.¡±

    ¡°The woman in this recording must be Chen Meimei!¡± dered Shen Wei¡¯an. Then, her voice softened as she continued, ¡°But, what can I do about this? I¡¯ve got no power nor influence, so there¡¯s absolutely no way for me to win a fight against that woman. Furthermore, President Fu is supporting her from behind the scenes.¡±

    Xu Hao took the tablet back and remained silent for a moment before saying in a deep, low voice, ¡°If this was really Chen Meimei¡¯s doing, I¡¯ll uphold justice for you. Since she has President Fu backing her, we¡¯ll tackle this differently. We need to find a way to ensure that even President Fu won¡¯t be able to intervene in this matter.¡±

    When Xu Hao was about to leave the ward, Shen Wei¡¯an suddenly asked him, ¡°Why are you helping me? Also, why are you being so nice to me?¡±

    In that instant, Xu Hao immediately looked away from Shen Wei¡¯an. He was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°That¡¯s because...I like you, so I want to protect you.¡±

    When Shen Wei¡¯an heard that, she finally smiled.

    However, what Shen Wei¡¯an didn¡¯t know at that time was; when a man was talking to you but didn¡¯t dare to look you straight in the eyes, then there were two possibilities: either he was too shy to speak of his feelings, or, he was lying, so he didn¡¯t dare to look you in the eyes.

    After Xu Hao left the hospital, there was a van parked on the side of the road waiting for him. He looked around and saw that no one was looking, so he immediately got into the van.

    There was a woman sitting in the van. She was wearing an oversized hoodie and a cap that covered up her facial features.

    Soon after that, a woman''s clear voice echoed within the confined space. ¡°You did quite well. You should continue helping Shen Wei¡¯an, and I hope that you¡¯ll continue to help her reach the very top of the entertainment industry.¡±

    The higher Shen Wei¡¯an climbed, the harder she¡¯d fall when the momentes!

    Xu Hao faintly acknowledged what she¡¯d said, and then asked her, ¡°When will you allow me to have a good look at your face?¡±

    ¡°...Wait until everything is settled!¡±

 Chapter 51 - Let Her Carry The Can (4)

    <h4>Chapter 51 - Let Her Carry The Can (4)</h4>

    The shoot for Rouge Fermentation was rescheduled, and today marked the first day of the reshoot. Before shootingmenced though, someone came to visit the set. That person was a tall, handsome guy, and upon closer inspection, Lan Jinyao realised that this handsome guy was the male lead from A Thousand Years Of Tears. It looked like the production crew from that drama had now be idle after their female lead had met with that mishap a few days ago.

    At first, Lan Jinyao just swept him a nce and didn¡¯t pay him much attention. However,ter on, she had an inkling that something didn¡¯t feel right. Even while she was filming, she could sense someone staring at her, yet she couldn¡¯tprehend why that person was staring at her. In any case, that gaze made her feel extremely unconformable.

    Luckily, when Lan Jinyao got into character, she didn''t pay any more attention to that odd stare. By the time they¡¯d finished filming the scene it was already noon, so the crew went to grab their lunch boxes and find spots to eat their meals. Xu Hao, on the other hand, was the only one left standing in his original spot, fervently staring at Lan Jinyao.

    The moment Fu Bainian arrived on set, he saw this scene before him. He¡¯d initiallye over to take Lan Jinyao out for lunch because the lunch boxes on set weren¡¯t very appetising. However, what he immediately noticed was Lan Jinyao and another actor ¡®affectionately facing each other¡¯, and his eyebrows tightly furrowed into one.

    Great President Fu felt provoked and strode over to where the two were standing. He then grabbed Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand as if to dere his sovereignty over his woman.

    Fu Bainian slightly lowered his head and whispered in Lan Jinyao''s ear, ¡°When did you entice this nuisance? Is that face as handsome as mine? That body as hot as mine? Those legs as long as mine? It¡¯s surprising that you can¡¯t even look away when you¡¯re looking at him!¡±

    His warm breath caressed Lan Jinyao¡¯s ear, making her cheeks flush red.

    Lan Jinyao stared at Fu Bainian with bright eyes and innocently exined, ¡°I really didn¡¯t do anything; we just shot a scene together and nothing more! Moreover, apart from the script¡¯s dialogues, we haven¡¯t interacted with one another at all!¡±

    ¡°Why do I feel like you sound quite disappointed?¡± Fu Bainian unhappily muttered.

    Lan Jinyao revealed a big smile and then said, ¡°How would I dare?! Come on, let¡¯s go have lunch, I''m starving!¡±

    Just as they were about to leave, Xu Hao, who¡¯d remained motionless this entire time, suddenly strode up to Lan Jinyao and said to her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you, but I¡¯ve got something to discuss with you. Can we talk alone for a minute?¡±

    Lan Jinyao found this quite odd. Xu Hao hadn¡¯t previously interacted with her much at all, yet he¡¯d wasted the entire morning waiting for her and now said that he wanted to talk to her. Could it be that he¡¯d fallen in love with her and wanted to confess his feelings? If not, then what else did he want to talk about? It wasn¡¯t that Lan Jinyao was being overly narcissistic, because even Fu Bainian, who was standing beside her, was thinking the same.

    ¡°What do you want to talk about? Can''t we talk here?¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression was gloomy, and a trace of coldness shed through his eyes. However, Xu Hao didn¡¯t care at all nor was he afraid; he faced Fu Bainian head-on.

    ¡°President Fu, I''m really sorry! I just want to talk to Chen Meimei alone for a moment. It won''t take long,¡± Xu Hao earnestly pleaded.

    Lan Jinyao tugged at Fu Bainian¡¯s hand and softly said, ¡°Could you leave us alone for a bit, he said that it wouldn¡¯t take long. Wait for me, alright?¡±

    She wanted to know exactly what this man had to say to her.

    Fu Bainian quietly conceded to her request and left first. Lan Jinyao and Xu Hao then found a quiet ce to sit down and talk.

    Lan Jinyao asked him, ¡°Xu Hao, what did you want to discuss with me?¡±

    Xu Hao¡¯s hands were sped together, and he appeared to be mulling over where to start. When Lan Jinyao saw him like this, her nervousness increased. She honestly thought that he was about to confess to her.

    ¡°I...I wanted to ask you, that day when Shen Wei''an fell from the elevated tform, where were you?¡±

    When Lan Jinyao heard this, she looked at him suspiciously. After she¡¯d confirmed that Xu Hao had indeed waited all morning just to ask her this question, she tly replied, ¡°Oh, I was at home reading my script at that time. Why?¡±

    Xu Hao looked her straight in the eye and continued, ¡°You were reading your script at home? Is there someone who can prove that you were home at that time? Or, was there someone apanying you?¡±

    If his previous tone could be considered as polite, then his current tone could be regarded as overbearing and forceful.

    Lan Jinyao frowned, and a feeling of annoyance bubbled up in her heart.

    ¡°What do you mean? Did you specificallye here today to interrogate me?¡± she retorted. Her tone was filled with displeasure as she continued, ¡°Let me be very clear about this, at that time I was reading my script at home, and there wasn¡¯t anyone there apart from me, so no one can testify that I was at home.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xu Hao''s expression instantly deepened and he rebuked, ¡°Since that wasn¡¯t your doing, then why are you so agitated?¡±

    Lan Jinyao folded her arms across her chest and leaned back on the chair. She gazed at him coldly before replying, ¡°I¡¯m currently being wrongfully used for no reason. No matter what, any person who¡¯s standing in my shoes wouldn¡¯t feel happy.¡±

    No one noticed, but at that moment Xu Hao reached into his pocket with one hand.

    That man was very powerful, with him protecting Lan Jinyao, no one would be able to touch this woman. However, public opinion could do that, because an overflow of public opinion could make one fall from grace and lose their standing. It could alsopletely ruin a person to the point of no return.

    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting you without evidence. You deliberately improvised on the spot thest time we were on set and caused Shen Wei¡¯an to have to soak in the water for so long. Also, you were harbouring evil intentions when you swapped the powdered sugar, which was a prop initially prepared by the crew, with salt. Due to all this, I¡¯ve every reason to suspect that you tampered with the wires that Wei¡¯an used.¡±

    Lan Jinyao shrugged. ¡°Yes, those deeds were indeed done by me. However, it was bad luck that she fell from an elevated tform.¡±

    ¡°Before you continue, have a look at this first!¡± Xu Hao then handed a tablet to her.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression instantly turned serious upon seeing the figure in the video. The figure of that person indeed looked like her, but she was certain that it wasn¡¯t her.

    She threw the tablet into Xu Hao¡¯s arms and faintly said, ¡°That¡¯s not me!¡±

    Xu Hao put away the tablet before slowly stating, ¡°Now, the discussion about whether that person is really you or not doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Shen Wei¡¯an''s fans and those reporters won''t think like this, and the masses watching this won¡¯t think this way either. In any case, someone certainly ought to pay the price for all the things that Shen Wei¡¯an suffered!¡±

    After Xu Hao had left, Lan Jinyao didn''t move and remained motionless on the chair.

    An hourter, the voice recording of Lan Jinyao¡¯s conversation spread on the Inte. Xu Hao had not only forwarded the recording, but he¡¯d also added a sentence on his Weibo: ¡®I hope that the person who¡¯smitted these wrongs wille forward and quickly apologise.¡¯

    Xu Hao was a very popr star throughout Maind China, so as soon as he¡¯d forwarded that post, Weibo immediately blew it out of proportion.

 Chapter 52 - Fans Are Revolting (1)

    <h4>Chapter 52 - Fans Are Revolting (1)</h4>

    It wasn¡¯t untilte that evening that Lan Jinyao finally saw what Xu Hao had forwarded to the press. Fu Bainian, who¡¯d had lunch with her in the afternoon, had unexpectedly returned to the set that night.

    His expression was extremely dark, so when the staff on the set saw him, they quickly retreated and gave way to him.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t say much, he just uttered, ¡°I''ll take you home.¡± Then, he grabbed her hand and walked towards the exit.

    When Lan Jinyao was in the car, she suspiciously eyed Fu Bainian for a while before picking up her mobile phone. However, as soon as she switched her phone on, Fu Bainian unexpectedly nced at her and then snatched her phone away; throwing it to the back seat.

    Lan Jinyao was puzzled as she stared at him. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Don''t y with your phone!¡± Fu Bainian¡¯s tone sounded somewhat dispirited as he continued, ¡°At least, wait until I bring you home to do that. Once you¡¯re home, you can take your sweet time ying with it as much as you want.¡±

    ¡°This is absurd!¡± Lan Jinyao nced at her mobile phoneying on the back seat but didn¡¯t refute any further.

    As soon as their car reached the gates of the residential area, Lan Jinyao saw arge mob standing outside the security booth. It seemed that they were arguing about something. She was just about to ask Fu Bainian what they were doing when he extended his hand and pushed her head down. Lan Jinyao, who was forced to bend almost in half, felt the mes in her heart increase by the second.

    ¡°What are you doing...?¡±

    ¡°Shh! Be quiet; we''ll arrive home soon.¡±

    Fu Bainian intensely stared at the group of people crowding around the security booth.

    Fu Bainian only let go of Lan Jinyao once he¡¯d driven past the barrier and was surrounded by residential buildings. Lan Jinyao quickly raised her head, then pinched her brows as she stared at him. "What the hell are you up to? I noticed that something wasn¡¯t quite right when I saw you on the set earlier. Why did you do that just now?¡±

    The moment Lan Jinyao asked that she immediately thought of the answer.

    ¡°That group of people are here for me, right? There must be some shocking news on the about me, and you didn¡¯t want me to see that, right?¡±

    While she was trying to think of what news could cause such amotion, she felt herself getting dizzy due to the thoughts swirling around her mind. After a while, she abruptly asked, ¡°Was it Xu Hao?!¡±

    Right after Xu Hao hade to find her today, she¡¯d appeared on the news which resulted in those fans quickly rushing to her ce. However, since she¡¯d been filming all day, she hadn¡¯t had any time to check her phone and post an exnation.

    As soon as Lan Jinyao got out of the car, she immediately picked up her mobile phone. Fu Bainian had wanted to snatch it from her again, but she swiftly put it behind her and red at him.

    ¡°You said before that you''d let me check my phone when we get home.¡±

    She was furious now, so Fu Bainian slowly withdrew his hand and stared at her with his pitch-ck eyes, not knowing what to say next. The things posted on the weren¡¯t necessarily true, but the words of theizens could be very hurtful sometimes. Additionally, the worst part were the groups of people who always loved to fan the mes for fun, even though they didn¡¯t know the truth behind the stories.

    Fu Bainian clearly knew that after she read the news, she would feel deeply hurt and sad. But, at this moment, he chose not to stop her.

    ¡°You deliberately improvised on the spot thest time we were on set and caused Shen Wei¡¯an to have to soak in the water for so long. Also, you were harbouring evil intentions when you swapped the powdered sugar, which was a prop initially prepared by the crew, with salt. Due to all this, I¡¯ve every reason to suspect that you tampered with the wires that Wei¡¯an used.¡±

    ¡°Yes, those deeds were indeed done by me!¡±

    That conversation, which was taken out of context, was continually being circted on the inte. It looked like it was published on almost every news site avable.

    ¡°Chen Meimei has appeared once more to y the devil!¡±

    ¡°Karma will always catch up to those that plot mischief!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d initially thought that she just had a fiery temper, so I didn''t expect her to have such a wicked heart underneath that fat body! Poor Wei¡¯an.¡±

    Lan Jinyao looked at Fu Bainian, and then suddenly raised her voice as she asked, ¡°Why are they saying things like that? They don''t even know the whole picture! This audio recording Xu Hao posted was tampered with, and things were taken out of context! Besides, you can¡¯t even properly see the face of the person in this video!¡±

    She covered her head in disappointment and crouched down. She felt that her thoughts were in an utter mess now, so she needed to calm down. She was being med for no reason, and for something that she didn¡¯t do! No matter what, she couldn¡¯t let this matter go like this.

    ¡°That incident was obviously caused by someone else, but now that Xu Hao has framed you the me has been shifted to you. I¡¯ll definitely get to the bottom of this matter.¡±

    Fu Bainian was about to reach out andfort her with his hand, but Lan Jinyao was a step ahead of him and stood up before he could do so. With a determined expression, she stubbornly said, ¡°You don''t have to meddle with this; I''ll find out myself. Something trivial like this won''t hurt me.¡±

    She clenched her hands into fists and then walked to her room.

    That night, Lan Jinyaoy in bed tossing and turning. When it was around 12 AM, and she still couldn''t fall asleep, she nced out the window. The lights in Fu Bainian''s room were still on.

    Not longter, she received a text message from Fu Bainian.

    ¡°Don''t overthink things! Rest early!¡±

    Suddenly, Lan Jinyao jumped up and propped her head on her hands as she thought. How did Fu Bainian know that she wasn¡¯t asleep yet?

    The next day, when Lan Jinyao opened her eyes, she found that the sky was still dark, but she picked up her phone and checked the news anyway. Since neither she nor herpany hade forward to solve the issue, the news andments on the inte were gradually getting worse. When she logged on to her Weiboter that morning, her ount was stuck, and she was unable to scroll down as arge group of people were scolding her on her homepage.

    However, there were also a few people who stated that since Shen Wei¡¯an didn¡¯t have a good character, and that she¡¯d done plenty of awful things; it served her right to have fallen and broken her leg.

    Shen Wei¡¯an was still popr, but because of hertest scandal, she¡¯d lost quite a lot of fans. Now, however, when one looked at Chen Meimei''s Weibo, one could see that the number of people scolding her on her page had nearly doubled.

    ¡°Haha, no wonder Li Qi had said that rumours on the inte could kill.¡± If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Lan Jinyao had already died once, she would surely have wanted tomit suicide in the face of all these cruelments.

    After Lan Jinyao had entered the entertainment industry, she¡¯d been protected along her journey by Fu Bainian and Shen Yu; she was practically the only female artist in the entertainment circle with zero scandals. Due to that, she¡¯d never experienced something like this before. Now that she was experiencing it first hand, she felt quite sad, and like her whole world was about to copse.

    She dropped her phone on her bed and then said to herself, ¡°Lan Jinyao, you''ve already experienced death once, so what other difficulties can''t be ovee?¡±

    Lan Jinyao decided to ignore Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s crazy fans. Unfortunately, before she could leave the house, she saw arge crowd barge into the neighbourhood that the security guards were unable to stop. It looked like the crowd didn¡¯t know where she lived yet, so they were wandering around the block like headless flies.

    Lan Jinyao took a quick look, and then hurriedly closed the curtains. At this moment, her phone suddenly rang.

    ¡°Hello?!¡±

    ¡°Chen Meimei, don''t go out today. The news about you is getting out of hand and increasingly ridiculous! I was walking around your residence a moment ago and saw arge group of people surrounding the gates to your residential area. They nearly attacked me! Fortunately, I was quick on my feet and managed to run away!¡±

    Lan Jinyao''s expression instantly darkened. ¡°Li Qi, can you help me get Xu Hao''s phone number?!¡±

 Chapter 53 - Fans Are Revolting (2)

    <h4>Chapter 53 - Fans Are Revolting (2)</h4>

    As the situation increasingly declined, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s scandal was gradually suppressed. More and more people gathered downstairs around Lan Jinyao¡¯s apartment. In the end, the security guards were left with no choice but to report this to the police and let them handle this.

    When Lan Jinyao saw that the people outside were dispersing, she prepared to find an opportunity to go out. However, as soon as the police withdrew, the crowd unexpectedly gathered again. When Lan Jinyao, who was already fully armed to go downstairs, saw the battlefield outside, she had no choice but to stay inside. She hid in her room and didn¡¯t dare to go out again.

    Soon after, Li Qi sent Xu Hao''s number to Lan Jinyao. As soon as she received the number, she called him without a second thought. However, when it connected, she immediately heard an automated female voice on the other end: Hello, the phone number that you¡¯ve dialled is currently unavable as the phone has been turned off.

    She ought to have thought of this before. Since that guy had dared to post that kind of Weibo message, he certainly wouldn¡¯t answer her phone calls.

    Lan Jinyao held her phone in her hand and remained deep in thought for a long time. After that, she quickly called Li Qi.

    ¡°Hey! Li Qi, help me convene a press conference, I can''t let things get any worse! Also, could you pleasee and pick me up? I¡¯m currently unable to leave the neighbourhood.¡±

    ¡°Okay! I¡¯lle right away.¡±

    Once Lan Jinyao hung up, she immediately opened the wardrobe to choose her outfit. After she¡¯d started losing weight, many of her clothes could no longer be worn. Therefore, whenever she was free, she¡¯d buy various styles of clothing for herself. She rummaged through her wardrobe and picked out a hoodie, a pair of jeans, a pair of ts, and a pair of sunsses.

    Li Qi drove his car into her driveway and parked downstairs, so Lan Jinyao immediately got in when he arrived. The car was reversing slowly, so a few fans with sharp eyes saw Lan Jinyao and quickly followed them. For a moment, arge group of people ran behind the car; the scene was quite spectacr.

    ¡°Li Qi, take me to the set of A Thousand Years Of Tears first. I want to find Xu Hao!¡±

    Lan Jinyao angrily thought: Xu Hao, as an artist, used his name to manipte the public¡¯s opinion so much that he openly ndered other people. All of this showed that this man had a lowly character.

    Upon hearing this, Li Qi said, ¡°I¡¯d long thought of this, so I went to the set this morning. However, the staff members there said that he hadn¡¯t gone in to work today. Since something like this has happened, he definitely won¡¯t be able to run away from his responsibilities. So, if he¡¯s not a home, then he must¡¯ve found a ce to hide.¡±

    Chen Meimei wasn¡¯t the only one who was looking for Xu Hao. Even President Fu had started to intervene.

    Li Qi looked at Lan Jinyao, but, in the end, he didn¡¯t tell her that Fu Bainian was helping her.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go straight to Xu Hao''s home and try our luck!¡± Lan Jinyao clenched her fists. Her joints were locked so hard that the cracking of her bones could be heard.

    Soon after, Li Qi and Lan Jinyao went to find Xu Hao. She didn''t know whether her streak of bad luck wasing to an end, but Xu Hao was actually at home. They saw the ck hair on the top of his head from the window on the second floor.

    Pointing to that full head of ck hair, Li Qi said, ¡°Xu Hao¡¯s really at home!¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and gave him a meaningful nce. ¡°You can go and knock on his door!¡±

    While they were speaking, she hid by the side of the entrance. Li Qi then went to ring the doorbell. The bell rang twice before footsteps were heard, and soon after, the door was opened.

    ¡°Li Qi? What¡¯re you doing here?¡±

    Just as Li Qi was about to answer, a hand suddenly stretched out from behind him. He helplessly watched on as Lan Jinyao grabbed Xu Hao¡¯s cor, and then dragged him all the way out of his house.

    ¡°Xu Hao!!¡± Lan Jinyao tugged on Xu Hao''s cor and yelled.

    Li Qi, who was standing beside her, quickly covered his ears and retreated to the side.

    ¡°Have I ever offended you? Why did you nder me like this? I clearly told you that I didn''t do that!¡± If she¡¯d really done that, she reckoned that Shen Wei¡¯an wouldn¡¯t have had the fortune to be currently lying in a hospital bed. She¡¯d never expected that Xu Hao would explicitly go to find her that day because he¡¯d dug a hole and was waiting for her to jump into it. What was more surprising was the fact that someone like Shen Wei¡¯an actually had someone who treated her so sincerely.

    Even though Xu Hao was being dragged by his cor, he remainedposed and said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that something like this has happened, but Wei¡¯an needed another news story to cover up her scandals.¡±

    Lan Jinyao gave a short, mirthlessugh. ¡°So you¡¯re saying thatpared to Shen Wei¡¯an, I''m disposable and that she should be protected? That¡¯s why you used me as a shield? Let me tell you, I, Chen Meimei, am not so easy to mess with.¡±

    The next second, Li Qi nkly stared as he helplessly watched Chen Meimei''s fistnd on Xu Hao''s cheek. After that punch, a drop of blood had oozed out and stained the corner of his mouth. Now, arge red patch marred his handsome face which had managed to deceive countless young girls.

    ¡°I don''t care who you¡¯ve done all this for, but now you muste with me to a press conference.¡±

    Although Xu Hao was slightly treacherous, it was lucky that he still knew how to apologise, unlike Shen Wei¡¯an, who was bad to the bone. Lan Jinyao was quite sure about taking Xu Hao to the press conference.

    After Xu Hao had received that punch from Chen Meimei, he covered his mouth and looked at her in disbelief. Previously, he¡¯d heard that this woman was as tough as nails, but he¡¯d never seen it before. To think that she actually dared to hit him!

    ¡°I refuse!¡±

    Xu Hao adamantly shook off Lan Jinyao''s hand and turned to go back inside, but Lan Jinyao was quick-witted and instantly followed him in before he¡¯d managed to close the door. She then stood in front of Xu Hao and blocked his way.

    ¡°You started this matter, so now you muste with me!¡±

    Xu Hao walked past her and sat down on the sofa.

    Li Qi was secretly anxious. As he continued watching, he kept repeating these words in his heart: My goodness, if you continue like this, then it¡¯ll be pointless to say anything more, and this matter will end unresolved!

    He wanted to drag Lan Jinyao back, but there was nothing he could do because not even ten cows would be able to pull an angry Lan Jinyao away.

    Xu Hao''s stance was quite resolute. He shook his head and refused again. ¡°I won¡¯t go!¡±

    Lan Jinyao tugged at his cor and asked once more, ¡°Are you going or not?!¡±

    Xu Hao tightly pursed his lips and refused to say anything.

    Lan Jinyao loosened her grip on his cor and said to Li Qi, ¡°Li Qi, there''s nothing to be done as I¡¯m not able to persuade him. How about this: why don''t we call the police to handle things from here? I''d really like to see who did all of this, and who was ndering me behind my back. When the timees, it¡¯ll be unavoidable for us to talk about Shen Wei¡¯an''s trivial matters. When that happens, it won''t be me, Chen Meimei, who will be done for, but Shen Wei¡¯an... No, no, not only her but also you, Xu Hao!¡±

    She swiftly pointed at Xu Hao, her gaze as sharp as a sword.

    An hourter, at the press conference.

    Lan Jinyao stood in front of the microphone and said to everyone, ¡°Lately, there were a few articles on the that were directed at me, but because I was rtively busy, I didn''t care that much about them. To my surprise, things degraded and I now have no choice but toe forward and give everyone an exnation.¡±

    Surprisingly, Chen Meimei, who¡¯d recently lost weight, had the bearing of a Goddess when she stood in front of the microphone.

    Everyone watching unanimously thought.

 Chapter 54 - Fans Are Revolting (3)

    <h4>Chapter 54 - Fans Are Revolting (3)</h4>

    ¡°First of all, I¡¯d like to rify that there are no conflicts between Shen Wei¡¯an and I. Before, I¡¯d improvised on the spot because I felt that acting that way would more adequately project the distinct personality of the character. Afterwards, Shen Wei¡¯an pped me for no reason, so I felt discontented and decided to add a little salt to her drink! I don¡¯t feel any malice towards her, and today I¡¯vee forth to rify all of this because someone is taking advantage of the situation to fan the mes!¡±

    Xu Hao, who was waiting backstage, suddenly clenched his hands into fists. It was evident that he was slightly nervous.

    Li Qi, who was watching over Xu Hao, couldn''t help but sneer when he saw Xu Hao acting like this. He secretly thought: You only know how to be nervous now? When you made that malicious post, didn¡¯t you think about the consequences? You didn¡¯t even check to see who was protecting Chen Meimei!

    Lan Jinyao looked around and continued, ¡°This issue has had a great impact on me and my career, so I¡¯m standing here, stressing once more: if it¡¯s something that I¡¯ve done, I¡¯ll certainly confess my deeds, but I¡¯ll never admit to something that I haven¡¯t done! If you still have doubts, you can go and make a report to the police; let them investigate the truth behind all this.¡±

    ¡°Today, I¡¯ve also invited popr star Xu Hao to join me, and he¡¯ll rify a few things in front of everyone.¡±

    Xu Hao, who was sitting backstage, stared at Lan Jinyao with mixed feelings. He¡¯d initially thought that Lan Jinyao had asked him over to ruin his reputation, but to his surprise, this woman had given him the right to speak freely.

    ¡°Go! She''s calling for you!¡± Li Qi lightly kicked his foot.

    Lan Jinyao waited for quite a long time before Xu Hao dilly-dallied his way onto the stage. She then quickly stepped aside to make way for him.

    ¡°Previously, I¡¯d forwarded the news before I¡¯d confirmed the truth, which in the end brought trouble to everyone. I''m really sorry about that. As a matter of fact, our stage crew has already asked a specialist to investigate this matter. Wei¡¯an¡¯s fall from the elevated tform waspletely idental; there wasn¡¯t anyone behind this at all. Everyone knows that Wei¡¯an and I are very good friends, so when an ident like this befell her, I became beyond worried. I didn¡¯t expect for the news forwarded by me to bring such damage to Chen Meimei. I sincerely apologise, I¡¯m truly sorry about this.¡±

    Lan Jinyao looked at Xu Hao with a smile stered on her face, but she was inwardly sneering at him. This man was, unexpectedly, quite impressive. He¡¯d just used a few words to cleanly cast away all of his mistakes. Moreover, he even exined them so clearly. He must have done that to protect the real culprit.

    Lan Jinyao had initially thought that Xu Hao and Shen Wei¡¯an were good friends, but now she wasn¡¯t so sure about that.

    Someone had clearly tampered with the wire, yet Xu Hao had said that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s fall was an ident, and not man-made. In addition, when she was at Xu Hao''s ce, she¡¯d said that she wanted to call the police to investigate the truth, but she was just trying to scare him back then as she¡¯d thought that the video was fake. However, to her surprise, Xu Hao had immediately agreed to go with her after that threat. Hence, this made her increasingly suspect that someone was behind Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s incident and that Xu Hao was definitely an aplice!

    Then, all of a sudden, something flew towards them as they sat at the table and hit Lan Jinyao on the head. Lan Jinyao felt dizzy and her vision blurred for a moment. When she finally saw what it was, she almost cursed out loud.

    They were currently exining things, yet someone in the audience couldn¡¯t wait any longer and had thrown a water bottle.

    Lan Jinyao stared at the half-filled water bottle lying by her feet, and the veins on her forehead throbbed.

    Sometimes, a slow-witted person would be misled by a facade, and then firmly believe in it. Once someone had thrown a water bottle, a second and third one would always follow. When another object flew towards Lan Jinyao, she was abruptly shielded by a pair of muscr arms that had tightly embraced her.

    The scene instantly devolved into chaos.

    ¡°Come with me!¡± a very familiar male voice said in her ear.

    Lan Jinyao''s head was spinning, so she let that person take her hand and lead her out of themotion. Soon after, arge group of security guards rushed over to calm the crowd. A group of reporters squeezed all the way to the front to question Xu Hao. Upon seeing that Lan Jinyao had left, Xu Hao followed along and left as well, ignoring the reporters¡¯ questions.

    ¡°Xu Hao! Did the top management of Blue Hall Entertainment pressure you toe forth with an exnation? If that¡¯s the case, then what¡¯s the truth behind all of this?¡±

    A reporter trotted behind him, seemingly chasing after him in hot pursuit.

    Xu Hao nced at the reporter behind him, then stopped in his tracks and said to her, ¡°The fact is that Wei¡¯an¡¯s fall was an ident, so I hope that everyone can correctly guide the public¡¯s opinion, and not let public hurt someone innocent.¡±

    When the reporter met his sharp gaze, she let out an ¡®oh¡¯ and no longer followed him.

    The ck Land Rover they¡¯d retreated to was parked on the roadside, and once inside, Lan Jinyao stared at Fu Bainian as he lightly massaged her head. Neither of them spoke, so the mood was somewhat awkward.

    After a long while, Fu Bainian withdrew his hand and asked her, ¡°This was how you wanted to handle things? If I didn¡¯t make it in time, were you nning to be crushed to death by those water bottles?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shrugged and replied, ¡°I think that was quite good! Besides, I¡¯ve at least managed to put a stop to those rumours, and as long as that issue no longer impacts my life, then all¡¯s good.¡±

    Anyway, she¡¯d never dealt with this kind of issue before, all right?! Lan Jinyao felt that she¡¯d handled things quite well since Xu Hao was willing to step forth and exin things. However, what made her unhappy was that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s scandal had also been suppressed. Initially, she¡¯d been gloating over Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s troubles.

    ¡°You call this handled properly?¡± Fu Bainian expression sank as he continued, ¡°If you¡¯d have let me handle it, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this!¡±

    In the past, he¡¯d secretly protected her rain or shine. Therefore, she didn¡¯t know how cruel the entertainment industry could be, and now that she was facing all of this alone, she¡¯d only be hurt more.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s tone was cold as he spoke, so Lan Jinyao poked herself before telling him, ¡°Thank you for helping me today. In the past, I¡¯d never encountered so many things. Even if I did, Shen Yu would¡¯ve helped me solve everything. But, I don''t want to go on like that anymore. I can¡¯t just hide behind someone forever. From now on, I¡¯ll step forth and stand up for myself!¡±

    It was precisely because she¡¯d had Shen Yu taking care of everything for her in the past that she¡¯dcked a sense of crisis, and, in the end, allowed things to end up so badly. This time, she wanted to be stronger; strong enough to not be beaten so easily by others.

    Fu Bainian held Lan Jinyao''s hand and gently said, ¡°I know! But, you ought to understand my standpoint. I¡¯ve already lost you once. Since then I¡¯ve vowed that if Heaven could return you to me, then I would undoubtedly treasure you. At the very least, I don¡¯t want to be looking at you from far away; I want to be close to you and take part in everything you do! And, to protect you!¡±

    It was not known how many times Lan Jinyao had heard simr words from Fu Bainian''s mouth, and it wasn¡¯t until this very moment that she finally understood him.

    He was feeling like this because of his love for her.

    Lan Jinyao''s eyes were a little red as she spoke in a muffled voice, ¡°Fu Bainian, my heart has been moved by you. What should I do?¡±

    Fu Bainian embraced her and gently smiled.

 Chapter 55 - Sheâ€™s A Member Of The Chen Family

    <h4>Chapter 55 - She¡¯s A Member Of The Chen Family</h4>

    That morning, Lan Jinyao travelled to the set with Li Qi apanying her. But, while they were sitting in the van, he was staring at her with a rather odd expression. Lan Jinyao was initially reading her script, but she couldn¡¯t continue as she felt goosebumps suddenly flooded her skin when she sensed his peculiar gaze.

    She looked up and teased Li Qi. ¡°Are you in love with me? If not, why would you be staring at me like this?¡±

    A burst ofughter echoed in the confined space before Li Qi quickly waved his hand and said, ¡°How¡¯s that possible? I already have someone I like! I''m staring at you because I was thinking that everyone from your family is quite amazing! You...let¡¯s not talk about you today and, instead, let¡¯s talk about your sister, Chen Meile. She¡¯s truly a notable and powerful individual! Although she¡¯s just a businesswoman, she¡¯s even more popr than a celebrity!¡±

    What Li Qi said puzzled Lan Jinyao, and she couldn''t quite understand what he was trying to convey.

    When Li Qi saw that she didn¡¯t quite follow, he handed her his mobile. ¡°Here! Take a look yourself, Chen Meile has made the headlines again. She rushed into a filming set to viciously beat a male artist. Not even a dozen staff members managed to stop her! Don¡¯t you think that she¡¯s in awesome?¡±

    Lan Jinyao had furrowed her brows after she¡¯d read the news article. Chen Meile had viciously beat a male artist...don¡¯t tell her that it was once again because of her?

    ¡°At which filming set did this happen?¡±

    ¡°Which other set could it be? It was none other than the set of A Thousand Years Of Tears.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao propped her head up with her hands and sighed. Was Chen Meile really her blood sister? She only knew how to bring trouble to her! This matter had made the headlines...Lan Jinyao estimated that, in a few days, multitudinousizens would most likely push the me regarding this matter onto Chen Meimei again.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, stop pulling that kind of expression. I actually think that you¡¯ve got a pretty good sister there! She¡¯s not only formidable but also very affectionate. Look at what she said in the article; her words are totally just and forceful! She said: ¡®No matter what, Chen Meimei¡¯s still a member of Old Chen¡¯s family! How can she be so easily bullied by outsiders?!¡¯ Tell me, don¡¯t you find her words domineering?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, domineering!¡± she softly replied.

    Soon after, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes returned to her script. Rouge Fermentation was an ancient costume drama. After suffering a lot of hardships, the female lead transformed into an entirely different person and went back to her n. She then fought against her Stepmother and oppressed the second branch¡¯s Concubine. However, on the first day of shooting, the vicious and merciless second branch¡¯s Concubine from the script hadn¡¯t yet made an appearance. After having studied the entire script, Lan Jinyao spected that the second female lead ought to be the one ying the second branch¡¯s Concubine.

    ¡°Hey, who''s the second female lead? Howe there¡¯s no mention of her name? Could it be that she¡¯s someone of great importance?¡±

    Li Qi seemed to know the inside story, but he hesitated for a moment before he stammered and said, ¡°I-it¡¯s not that like that. It''s just that, a few days ago, the production crew said that they were switching out the second female lead, so her name hadn¡¯t been announced yet.¡±

    After he said that, Lan Jinyao stared at him for a long time because she had a hunch that Li Qi was hiding something from her. Hence, her expression darkened a few shades as she asked, ¡°Who on earth is the second female lead? Is it someone whom I¡¯ve crossed swords with?¡±

    To think that someone had managed to make the crafty Li Qi hesitate and refuse to speak! She was only able to guess one thing. It could be said that, back then, Chen Meimei had risked her life to chase after Fu Bainian, while Fu Bainian himself was a very charismatic guy who attracted many bees. For this reason, Chen Meimei must¡¯ve offended a lot of people, and most of them ought to be female artists in the entertainment circle. So, if she were to really guess who that person was, even she wouldn¡¯t be able to figure it out so soon.

    Li Qi hesitated for a long time before he finally gave in to Lan Jinyao''s stare. ¡°My goodness, why do you keep asking me? You''ll naturally find out when you get to the setter today. The previous second female lead was a neer, but she was reced with Xu Jin¡¯ge.¡±

    Lan Jinyao suddenly raised her voice and eximed, ¡°Xu Jin¡¯ge?!¡±

    It looked like she¡¯d wrongfully used Chen Meimei this time as Xu Jin¡¯ge hadn¡¯t been offended by the real Chen Meimei, but her, Lan Jinyao.

    She then focused on the main point of Li Qi¡¯s words and frowned. ¡°You said that the second female lead was a neer? In that case, why was Xu Jin¡¯ge willing to be switched in? Her name alone isn¡¯t something that one canugh at, not to mention, thepany is currently giving her a lot of publicity and promoting her!¡±

    ¡°Say, your IQ has recently improved to where it¡¯s almost as if you¡¯re an entirely different person! You¡¯ve instantly defeated your former self; every word you say is straight to the point.¡±

    Although Li Qi was just casually stating this, Lan Jinyao''s heart skipped a beat, and she was instantly rmed. However, thanks to all the training she¡¯d gone through when she was a movie Goddess, she managed to put on a calm and collected facade.

    She then continued, ¡°Xu Jin¡¯ge did it because of me, right? That woman knew that I¡¯d epted a role in a new drama, so she wanted toe over and make an appearance. It seems that she really misses me.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! In this world, women and small-minded people are the hardest to deal with. You must be careful in the future.¡±

    While they were speaking, the van had already parked at the gates of Movie City. Li Qi stepped down first and then opened the door for Lan Jinyao.

    Sure enough, it had only been a short while since Chen Meile''s news article had circted on the inte, yet there were alreadyrge groups of reporters waiting for her at the gates of Movie City.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, what are your views regarding the recent news of your sister, Chen Meile?¡±

    A microphone was held up to Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips; it was so close, it seemed like it would be able to record the sound of her breathing. She remained calm andposed as she stared at the camera, and thenmented, ¡°My sister¡¯s quite domineering, but it''s still not right to hit people. I hope that she''ll be able to correct her attitude in the future.¡±

    Li Qi, who was standing beside her, wanted to roll his eyes at her. If your sister, Chen Meile, is domineering, then wouldn¡¯t that make you a tyrant?!

    There were guffaws ofughter amongst the reporters after Lan Jinyao had uttered those words.

    Someone immediately pressed to the front of the group and asked, ¡°If I may ask, the victim, Xu Hao, previously forwarded a news post unfavourable to you. So, could what your sister recently did be considered as using public opinion to avenge private wrongs?¡±

    Lan Jinyao sincerely thought about this for a while before she answered, ¡°I don¡¯t think so! My sister and Xu Hao aren¡¯t colleagues, so this can¡¯t be considered as using public opinion to avenge private wrongs. However...randomly forwarding a Weibo post can heavily affect someone¡¯s reputation, so that kind of practice is wrong. Additionally, I don''t think that my sister has done the right thing either. At least...¡±

    Li Qi, who had sharp eyes and fast hands, had quickly covered her mouth before she¡¯d even finished speaking.

    ¡°I''m sorry, but Chen Meimei has to go film now, so she won¡¯t be able to answer everyone''s questions. Please leave, and if there are more questions, you can call me and make an appointment.¡±

    He then smiled at the group of reporters. ¡°I''m really sorry, but we''ll go in first.¡±

    After saying this, Li Qi dragged Chen Meimei by her arm towards the gate, whileining, ¡°Oh dear lord, quickly follow me! Currently, the headlines are focused on Chen Meile, but I estimate that if you¡¯d continued earlier, the headlines would once again be targeting you! Can¡¯t you think in my shoes and give me a break for once?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao blinked innocently as she replied, ¡°Since my sister¡¯s so domineering, I shouldn¡¯t let her lose any face, right?!¡±

    Although she wasn¡¯t the real Chen Meimei, she was at least upying her body, so she couldn¡¯t let the personality gap between the two sisters be too big.

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! Your family¡¯s extremely domineering,¡± said Li Qi. He then softly grumbled, ¡°As domineering as a tyrant.¡±

    Lan Jinyao red at him and flung his hand away. She then took the lead and walked towards the set; the clicking of her high-heels echoing throughout the corridor.

 Chapter 56 - The Presidentâ€™s Wife Pursuit Scheme (1)

    <h4>Chapter 56 - The President¡¯s Wife Pursuit Scheme (1)</h4>

    By the time Lan Jinyao arrived on set, Xu Jin¡¯ge was already there getting her makeup done in front of the dressing table. When she saw Lan Jinyao, she immediately waved her hand in greeting; her abrupt motion causing the makeup artist to momentarily freeze. Xu Jin¡¯ge then stood up and walked towards Lan Jinyao.

    Lan Jinyao swept Xu Jin¡¯ge a quick nce before she brushed past her to her seat. She then sat down to let the makeup artist start applying makeup on her.

    ¡°Hold on!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge quickly walked to Lan Jinyao¡¯s side and stopped the makeup artist before dering, ¡°Sister Li, I was here before her, and I''m already halfway done with my makeup. You ought to finish me first!¡±

    Lan Jinyao cast her a nce and calmly said, ¡°But, your part isn¡¯t until the end, while they are waiting for me to go on stage soon!¡±

    This woman was clearly making trouble for her without a reason! It seemed that she¡¯d guessed right; Xu Jin¡¯ge really had joined this production midway because of her. Xu Jin¡¯ge must¡¯ve had nothing better to do after eating until her belly was full. Moreover, she¡¯d certainly exerted a lot effort to look for her.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge slowly sat down before beckoning the makeup artist over with her finger. She then looked at Lan Jinyao with disdain and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, you can wait as our Director isn¡¯t in a hurry. Besides, who told you toe sote?¡±

    The makeup artist was a woman in her thirties. She wasn¡¯t very well-known, but as a makeup artist, her sry and connections were definitely linked together. Therefore, she was currently in a bit of a dilemma. While tightening her grip around the makeup brush in her hand, she was confused on whose face to work on as Chen Meimei not only had President Fu covering her back, but also the Chen family behind her. On the other hand, Xu Jin¡¯ge was the pampered princess of the Xu family, so she couldn¡¯t offend either of the two.

    The words that Xu Jin¡¯ge had said made Lan Jinyao''s blood boil with anger. So, Xu Jin¡¯ge came earlier just to upy the makeup artist?!

    Lan Jinyao held back her anger and greeted the Director before asking, ¡°n, how long until shooting starts?¡±

    ¡°The shoot starts in half an hour, so you should get ready; you might as well change into your costumes now!¡±

    n didn¡¯t care that much; he just said that to let Lan Jinyao change into her costume first. After saying what he wanted to say, he left the room.

    Lan Jinyao stood there and pursed her lips. Before, she¡¯d heard that Xu Jin¡¯ge had joined the production midway due to making use of her connections. Now, it seemed that Xu Jin¡¯ge had found herself a fairly good patron. It was unknown if it was because the Xu family¡¯s Young Master had personally attended to this matter, as even n was quietly putting up with her.

    Li Qi quickly ran over and said to her, ¡°Just bear with it for now. Doesn¡¯t that woman just want to see you get angry and provoke you in the hopes of making you flip out? If you put up with it, that woman won¡¯t be able to gloat nor have fun, so she''ll stop with what she¡¯s doing for a while.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and took the costume that Li Qi handed her before entering the fitting room to change.

    However, it was soon evident that Xu Jin¡¯ge was incredibly petty. After Lan Jinyao had changed into her costume, Xu Jin¡¯ge was, unexpectedly, still leisurely getting her makeup applied. Lan Jinyao lifted the hem of her skirt to walk to the dressing table, and her eyes widened when she got a closer look. Xu Jin¡¯ge was clearly picking bones out of eggshells with how fussy she was being.

    The makeup artist¡¯s brows had already started furrowing.

    Yet, Xu Jin¡¯ge was still smiling at her as she said, ¡°Sister Li, I¡¯m really sorry for the trouble, but I still don''t feel very satisfied with my current appearance. Look, my hair over here is blocking my face; could you help me curl it up a little bit?¡±

    Lan Jinyao stood beside her and sneered. ¡°Your hair is about to be burnt from all the curling, yet you''re still not satisfied. Why don¡¯t you just cut all your hair off and use a wig instead?!¡±

    Sister Li immediately went along with her and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, Jin¡¯ge, look! Your hair is about to snap, so how about we leave it like this? Meimei is still waiting for me to put makeup on her.¡±

    Even Sister Li¡¯s pleas couldn¡¯t manage to persuade this crazy woman. Lan Jinyao shook her head and sighed. ¡°We¡¯re already over eighteen, so let¡¯s not be so childish and stop all this drama, all right?¡±

    Just how great and influential was Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s patron? She was making the entire production team squander their time, along with Lan Jinyao.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge nced at her with a smug expression and said, ¡°But...I¡¯m a professional actress, so I ought to live up to my work and the expectations of my dear fans! So, it¡¯s definitely important to get my hairstyle right! Sister Li, help me fix it again, please!¡±

    Sister Li was somewhat speechless as she stared at Lan Jinyao and said, ¡°Meimei, please wait a moment!¡±

    Lan Jinyao clenched her hands into fists as she felt her anger ring up. But, just then, a little girl rushed in from outside and ran straight to Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°Big Sister, I¡¯m notte, right? The traffic in China is horrible, so I¡¯ve been stuck in it for hours!¡±

    The little girl had blond hair and big round eyes; she looked exactly like a doll. Currently, she was anxiously staring at Lan Jinyao. Upon closer inspection, Lan Jinyao noticed that the little girl''s eye colour was aqua blue.

    ¡°Are you...the makeup artist?¡±

    Lan Jinyao had noticed that she was carrying a makeup case in her hand, and it looked like a very expensive brand.

    The girl blinked and smiled at her. ¡°Yes, I just came back from abroad and was called over by President Fu.¡±

    Fu Bainian asked her toe? Howe he knew that she would need a makeup artist? A trace of doubt emerged within Lan Jinyao''s heart.

    However, when she looked at Xu Jin¡¯ge''s proud expression, she realised why Fu Bainian had thought of all this. It seemed like Fu Bainian understood Xu Jin¡¯ge, who specialised in acting spoiled, quite well.

    This girl looked so young, was she really a makeup artist? Lan Jinyao doubtfully looked at the girl.

    Lan Jinyao had doubts, so Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s thoughts would naturally be simr. She sized the little girl up and disdainfully said, ¡°Little Sister, are you even sixteen years old yet? To think that you¡¯re carrying around a makeup case; don¡¯t tell me that you skipped sses at school to secretly learn about makeup?¡±

    After saying all that, Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s lips curled into a smile.

    Lan Jinyao rolled her eyes at Xu Jin¡¯ge before turning to the little girl and saying, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s start! I believe in you!¡±

    Instead of saying that she believed in this little girl, it was better to say that she believed in Fu Bainian¡¯s insight!

    The little girl ignored Xu Jin¡¯ge as she opened her makeup case and took out a makeup brush before skillfully sweeping it over Lan Jinyao''s face. It didn''t seem like she was an inexperienced little girl; on the contrary, she seemed to be a veteran at this.

    Lan Jinyao felt particrly happy in her heart as she witnessed Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s expression changing from a proud one, to an utterly difited one.

    Twenty minutester, n, who¡¯d found an excuse to sneak out earlier, finally returned. Seeing such a harmonious scene the moment he stepped into the room, he pped his hands in satisfaction.

    ¡°Alright! Everyone, let¡¯s get ready!¡±

    It had only taken twenty minutes for Lan Jinyao to get her makeup done. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she happily smiled and said to the little girl, ¡°You''re quite amazing!¡±

    When the little girl heard herpliment, she smiled shyly at her.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge, who was standing on Lan Jinyao¡¯s other side, coldly sneered and said with ridicule, ¡°It was just something done by a little child; it¡¯s nothing special.¡±

    It was only then that n noticed the little girl standing beside Lan Jinyao, and he quickly ran towards them with an astounded expression. He then grabbed the little girl¡¯s hand and turned her around. When he got a clear look at her face, he greeted her with a voice full of surprise. ¡°Alice, you¡¯vee back from abroad?!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge slightly frowned and asked Sister Li, ¡°Who is that little girl?¡±

 Chapter 57 - The Presidentâ€™s Wife Pursuit Scheme (2)

    <h4>Chapter 57 - The President¡¯s Wife Pursuit Scheme (2)</h4>

    ¡°A talented foreign makeup artist who¡¯s won a lot of awards. However, it appears that she unexpectedly knows how to do ssical Chinese makeup!¡± Sister Li replied excitedly.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯splexion was utterly dark.

    Lan Jinyao thought that since Xu Jin¡¯ge would dare to pull such a small trick so soon, when it was time for them to act together, she would definitely make things difficult for her. She didn¡¯t expect for Xu Jin¡¯ge to act seriously when it was time for her scene at all. So be it! Lan Jinyao silently sighed.

    Later that morning, Lan Jinyao finished a scene that she¡¯d managed to act well in, and then at noon, Li Qi approached her with two lunchboxes in his hands. After he¡¯d handed a box lunch to Lan Jinyao, he gave her a big thumbs up. ¡°Chen Meimei, you¡¯re not as unbearable as people say! When you previously yed a supporting role, I didn¡¯t see anything special. But, it now seems that your leading role aura has been activated. Awesome! You¡¯re so awesome!¡±

    As Lan Jinyao was feeling immensely proud of herself, Li Qi quietly added another sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t be so honest when you¡¯re dealing with reporters; at least be a little slicker. Otherwise, when those reporters look for ckmail material, they¡¯ll first go to you for it.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nonchntly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll pay attention in the future.¡±

    If she was honest, Chen Meimei¡¯s temper was actually pretty good; it¡¯s just that this straightforward temper of hers wasn¡¯t suitable for a ce like the entertainment industry. There would always be those waiting to dig a hole and bury you alive at any time.

    The film didn¡¯t have many investors, so the lunchbox was not as luxurious as the ones served on the set of A Thousand Years Of Tears. It only contained a few slices of potato, some cabbage leaves, plus a few pieces of braised pork. But, even so, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t refuse and started eating. She picked up a bit of potato and stuffed it into her mouth. However, the potato had barely entered her mouth when Xu Jin¡¯ge sashayed over.

    ¡°Hey! It looks like you¡¯re adapting quickly; you even can gobble down such horrid food. However, when you stay with the crew, that¡¯s just how things are.¡±

    Lan Jinyao wanted to retort: Just stay hungry if you don¡¯t like the food. However, as she looked up, she saw a handsome guy walk on set. He was someone unfamiliar to Lan Jinyao, and he didn¡¯t look like someone from the entertainment industry. The man was wearing a well-ironed suit, and his hair was meticulouslybed to the point that not one hair was out of ce. When he saw Xu Jin¡¯ge, he waved to her.

    No wonder she could be so disgusted with the lunchboxes avable on set. It turned out that someone was bringing her a delicious meal instead!

    Lan Jinyao shook her head and continued to eat her own lunch. However, the man suddenly strode towards her. Lan Jinyao¡¯s head was bent down when she noticed a shadow blocking her light.

    ¡°You¡¯re blocking my light.¡±

    The man just smiled faintly, and the next second, an exquisite lunchbox was shoved in front of her.

    Lan Jinyao raised her head and saw an exasperated expression on Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s face as she rushed over. She grabbed the man¡¯s cor and screamed, ¡°Big Brother, why on earth are you giving this woman a meal?!¡±

    So he was her brother! She¡¯d wondered what sort of weirdo would be blind enough to take a fancy to Xu Jin¡¯ge!

    However, she didn¡¯t seem to know this man.

    Soon, the man answered the questions swirling in her mind when he said, ¡°It was Fu Bainian who asked me to bring Chen Meimei a meal. He was worried that Chen Meimei wouldn¡¯t be ustomed to the food here.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xu Jin¡¯ge lowered her head and looked like a bashful girl. As she yed with her fingers, she softly asked, ¡°Brother, what about mine? Did Bainian ask you to bring one for me?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was staring at the man¡¯s face as she waited for his answer.

    The man rubbed Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s head and gently said, ¡°What are you thinking about? How can Fu Bainianpare with me, your dear brother? He only cares about his wife. As for you, my dear little sister, there¡¯s only me to pamper you.¡±

    ¡°Ooh.¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge seemed unwilling, but there was nothing she could do but disappointedly ept reality.

    ¡°I thought that Bainian would remember me!¡± she said.

    You¡¯re overthinking things! Lan Jinyao privately thought.

    The man removed his hand from Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s head, a helpless expression on his face. ¡°You will find a person meant for you in the future. Don¡¯t always think about someone else¡¯s husband.¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge wasn¡¯t at all happy when she heard this. She red at Lan Jinyao before taking her lunchbox to another area to eat.

    Lan Jinyao put on an innocent expression. She didn¡¯t say anything, alright?

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lan Jinyao politely said to the man as she opened the lunchbox.

    All the food inside were things that she liked to eat. Then, dropping her polite facade, Lan Jinyao started eating.

    The man had delivered the lunch, but he didn¡¯t leave immediately. Instead, he sat down on a chair opposite Lan Jinyao, propping his chin up with one hand as he unblinkingly watched Lan Jinyao.

    Lan Jinyao faltered as she was eating. She stared at the man with a strange look, as if she was saying: you¡¯ve already brought me the lunch, so why haven¡¯t you left yet?

    Upon seeing her look up at him, the man gently smiled at her.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to ask me my name?¡±

    Lan Jinyao swallowed the food in her mouth and said, ¡°You surname must be Xu, so I¡¯ll just call you Mr Xu. As for the rest, I don¡¯t need to know!¡±

    The man didn¡¯t mind and smiled as he said to her, ¡°My name is Xu Yibei!¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded, but didn¡¯t talk to him any further and continued to eat. However, Xu Yibei didn¡¯t seem like he intended to stop staring at her any time soon. He kept watching her with a smile across his face, then softly said, ¡°Fu Bainian and I are good friends. When I saw that you were so infatuated with him and frantically chasing after him, I once persuaded him to hurry up and ept you. So, shouldn¡¯t you be thanking me?"

    When Chen Meimei was chasing Fu Bainian? At that time, that had nothing to do with her, and thank goodness that Fu Bainian didn¡¯t listen to this man¡¯s advice. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be with her now. In the beginning, Chen Meimei had fervently pursued Fu Bainian, andter it was said that because of Fu Bainian¡¯s constant rejection, Chen Meimei became depressed. Following this, she was involved in the car ident that allowed Lan Jinyao to be reincarnated into her body.

    ¡°Actually, this matter has nothing to do with you! It was a mutual decision between Fu Bainian and myself.¡±

    What she was saying was the truth, but to her surprise, Xu Yibei burst into a fitughter as if something had pleased him.

    ¡°Are you sure it was consensual between you and Fu Bainian? The type of woman Fu Bainian hates the most is someone like you; careless and slovenly in the way they dress or live. Therefore, I think it¡¯s bizarre that he can now be with you. Moreover, the world is raving about your recent attitude change!¡±

    As he was stating thest part, his voice suddenly lowered as if he was hinting something.

    Lan Jinyao tightly clutched the chopsticks in her hand, but this minor slip in her demeanour onlysted for two to three seconds before she closed her lunchbox and said, ¡°People always want to change. Otherwise, how can they pursue the person that they like? Am I right, Mr Xu?¡±

    Her words were so old and decrepit that they didn¡¯t reveal any difference in her personality.

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Xu Yibei smiled.

    Then, he got up and walked towards Xu Jin¡¯ge. The two of them didn¡¯t know what to say to each other though, as Xu Jin¡¯ge was a little unhappy and she kept ring at Lan Jinyao.

    When Xu Yibei¡¯s gaze returned to Lan Jinyao, she suddenly had a weird feeling in her heart, as if her secret had been discovered. However, judging by the look on Xu Yibei¡¯s face, it seemed like he hadn¡¯t found anything yet.

 Chapter 58 - The Presidentâ€™s Wife Pursuit Scheme (3)

    <h4>Chapter 58 - The President¡¯s Wife Pursuit Scheme (3)</h4>

    That evening, Lan Jinyao¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t too good. Her mind continuously recalled thest look that Xu Yibei had given her, along with the words that he¡¯d spoken, ¡®Fu Bainian and I are good friends¡¯.

    She also wasn¡¯t sure whether Xu Jin¡¯ge had deliberately taken advantage of when she was absent-minded or not, but Xu Jin¡¯ge had pped her with all her strength. Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t able to dodge in time and was hit square on the face, instantly painting her face bright red. It was like she was wearing a fewyers of rouge; even foundation was of no help.

    Li Qi quickly found a wet towel and held it on her cheek. Although the towel was cold, her cheek seemed to be on fire, the burning sting making her ufortable.

    ¡°That p was heavy, why didn¡¯t you dodge? I noticed that you were zoning out. When acting, if actors cannot get into character, it¡¯ll be a big problem. You should understand this.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t respond.

    After Xu Jin¡¯ge had taken the opportunity to p Lan Jinyao she¡¯d been extremely pleased with herself, even humming a song as she circled Lan Jinyao on the set. After singing for a while, she suddenly stopped and asked Lan Jinyao, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you were beaten silly by me?¡±

    Lan Jinyao deliberately replied, ¡°Yes, I was beaten silly by you. Have you heard what consequences befell Shen Wei¡¯an after she hit me? Even God helped me to punish her. So, tell me, are you itching to have a taste of that?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge was scared by her words, so she fled to the side with a dejected look.

    Just when everyone thought that Lan Jinyao would make things difficult for Xu Jin¡¯ge, the afternoon¡¯s scenes passed smoothly with nothing happening to Xu Jin¡¯ge.

    ¡°I¡¯d thought that you would use this chance to teach Xu Jin¡¯ge a lesson?¡± Li Qi asked her.

    ¡°How do you know that I¡¯m not going to teach her a lesson?¡± Lan Jinyao asked him back.

    Li Qi pointed to Xu Jin¡¯ge and looked disgusted as he stated, ¡°Once something urs to that woman, she won¡¯t just stay quiet; she¡¯ll let the whole world know. If you really did something to her, you think she won¡¯t utter a word?¡± It was obviously impossible to retaliate without repercussions.

    That evening, when Li Qi drove her home, he asked, ¡°Howe President Fu didn¡¯t pick you up today?¡±

    ¡°Why would he pick me up?¡± Lan Jinyao was baffled.

    Li Qi smiled, and said, ¡°He got someone to deliver a meal at lunch, but he didn¡¯te to pick you up in the evening. I think that President Fu isn¡¯t too reliable, yet Shen Yu said that he wanted to pursue you!¡±

    I see, so that¡¯s the case! Lan Jinyao nodded.

    Li Qi spoke to her again, ¡°I know that you¡¯re feeling down at the moment. You were barricaded inside your house by reporters this morning, and it¡¯s unknown what kind of explosive news they¡¯ll write tomorrow. Then, when you were filming this afternoon, you were pped by Xu Jin¡¯ge. You should be careful. I¡¯m worried that something might happen to you again when you walk home since I¡¯m not dropping you off outside your apartment today.¡±

    Lan Jinyao chuckled. Once she¡¯d entered her neighbourhood, what else could happen to her?

    Li Qi dropped her off outside the gatedmunity and went home. Although, Lan Jinyaoter heard that he¡¯d gone to a bar to find He Xiaoyun since he wanted to help her enter the entertainment industry. When she had a chance, Lan Jinyao decided to give them a hand.

    After arriving home, Lan Jinyao took out her key to open the door. But, after trying several times, the key still couldn¡¯t be inserted. Lan Jinyao stared at the locked door in a daze. It wouldn¡¯t really be like Li Qi had said earlier, right? She must¡¯ve offended the God of Fortune today!

    Lan Jinyao repeatedly looked at the apartment numbers to the left and the right of her to confirm that she wasn¡¯t standing outside someone else¡¯s door. Just as she was about to try the key one more time, she heard a click before the door opened. Lan Jinyao felt numb to the wind blowing past her as stared at the key that hadn¡¯t yet been inserted into the lock. Could it be she¡¯d happened to run into a thief?!

    A woman then walked out the door with a bag of trash in her hand. The moment their eyes met, Lan Jinyao was dumbfounded.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is maybe, probably...my home, right?¡± Chen Meimei had bought this apartment, right? Or, had she guessed wrong, and it was actually a rented apartment?

    The woman gave her a friendly smile. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the former homeowner, right? This apartment was sold to me today. Hmm, didn¡¯t you know about this? It was a man who sold it to me!¡±

    What? Her apartment was sold without her knowledge?!

    Did Old Chen sell it? No, Old Chen had always given Chen Meimei free-rein and left her to mingle with whoever she liked. Why would he intervene for a small matter like this?

    Suddenly, a figure shed in her mind.

    ¡°Fu Bainian...¡±

    When the woman heard this name, the smile on her face grew more prominent. ¡°Right, that was his name! That man was very handsome, and he just so happens to be living opposite this apartment. By the way, you¡¯re his wife, right? He said that if you were toe here, I should tell you to go across the street to find him!¡±

    So it really was Fu Bainian!

    Lan Jinyao ced the key in the woman¡¯s hand and dashed downstairs with balled fists.

    Seemingly expecting her, the door to Fu Bainian¡¯s apartment was open. Lan Jinyao entered withrge strides and found that everything from her apartment had been moved into this ce.

    ¡°Fu Bainian!¡± She rushed into the bedroom, but there was no one inside.

    However, she could hear the sounds of someone taking a shower in the bathroom.

    Lan Jinyao left the bedroom and went toy down on the couch. Her pillow was still on the couch, but Chen Meimei¡¯s Hello Kitty quilt was spread over Fu Bainian¡¯s bed.

    After what seemed like a century had passed, Fu Bainian walked out of the bathroom wearing a dark red robe.

    ¡°Chen Meile came to borrow money from me today, so I sold Chen Meimei¡¯s apartment and gave all the money to her,¡± Fu Bainian earnestly said. There wasn¡¯t the slightest trace of deceit in his expression.

    ......

    Earlier that morning in Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s President office.

    Chen Meile sat on a leather sofa in the office. ¡°Why are you looking for me? You wouldn¡¯t be thinking of inviting me for dinner, right?¡± she asked Fu Bainian.

    ¡°I want to bribe you.¡±

    Fu Bainian stood up from his chair and walked over to Chen Meile before shoving a cheque at her.

    Chen Meile swept a nce at the number on the cheque. She was so shocked that her eyes widened and she began to stutter. ¡°I-I have nothing to do with you, so why are you giving me a cheque? What is it that you¡¯re bribing me to do?¡±

    ¡°I want to pursue Chen Meimei seriously, so I sold the apartment that she registered under my name. I know she wouldn¡¯t want the money, so I¡¯ll give it to you. Anyway, you¡¯re her sister, and you treat her well.¡±

    Chen Meile was frozen for a moment before she reacted. Flinging the cheque around in one hand, she reclined on the sofa as sheughed hysterically.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, I never expected that you would one day go after Chen Meimei!¡±

    ......

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t tell Lan Jinyao how arrogant and bratty Chen Meile had acted at the time. She seemed to see a bright future ahead for Chen Meimei; like a peasant bing andlord.

 Chapter 59 - The Presidentâ€™s Wife Pursuit Scheme (4)

    <h4>Chapter 59 - The President¡¯s Wife Pursuit Scheme (4)</h4>

    ¡°So, for the sake of my apartment¡¯s money, Chen Meile sold me out? Her own little sister?¡±

    Fu Bainian sat down beside her and indifferently asked, ¡°Are you her sister?¡±

    Fine! Just forget about it for now.

    ¡°Chen Meile felt sorry after watching you pursue me for so long. So, now that I¡¯m finally chasing you, she wants you to act more domineering!¡±

    Lan Jinyao slightly furrowed her brows. ¡°What kind of logic is that? Even if you wanted to make a stand, you shouldn¡¯t have sold my apartment, alright? Where will I live now? Don¡¯t tell me that I should live here, in your ce?¡±

    If she lived with Fu Bainian, could she still be domineering? That¡¯s preposterous! Not getting kicked out to sleep on the streets was already very good.

    Fu Bainian nodded, looking extremely serious.

    Lan Jinyao stared at him for a moment before she abruptly got up from the couch and stormed into the bedroom, followed by the loud thud of the door mming closed. Fu Bainian, who¡¯d remained seated on the couch, could still seemingly hear the sound of the door being locked by her.

    He looked towards the door, and suddenly, a smile appeared across his face.

    Lan Jinyao stared at the ceiling as shey down on unfamiliar bed sheets, her nose filled with the scent of an unfamiliar shower gel. She couldn¡¯t fall asleep for a long time.

    As night fell, Lan Jinyao stubbornly kept her eyes open and sharpened her ears to listen to any movementsing from outside. Yet, as time passed, there still wasn¡¯t any noiseing from outside the door. Fu Bainian must¡¯ve slept on the couch, right?

    Lan Jinyao finally closed her eyes.

    The night was quiet and tranquil.

    The clock on the wall filled the room with the sounds of faint ticking.

    The curtains were fluttering with the night breeze, allowing the silvery-white moonlight to spill onto the woman¡¯s peaceful face.

    Ten minutester though, the door made a quiet click as it was slowly opened, followed by a shadow entering the room and the door gently closing once the shadow was inside. The key in the figure¡¯s palm glinted under the moonlight.

    The figure closed the window and curtains, then climbed onto the bed andy down beside Lan Jinyao.

    The woman¡¯s red lips were right in front of his eyes, and Fu Bainian felt his heart bing warm. For a long while, he just stared at those red lips before kissing them with yearning. The passionate kiss seemed to disturb the woman¡¯s dreams, and she let out a soft moan.

    Fu Bainian suddenly released Lan Jinyao. It felt like his body was on fire.

    ¡°When I hold your hand, know that it¡¯ll be for a lifetime.¡±

    Holding the woman¡¯s hand, he gently slipped a ring he¡¯d bought a long time ago onto the woman¡¯s finger. After doing that, he pulled the woman into his arms and closed his eyes.

    ......

    When Lan Jinyao woke up the next morning, her mind was sluggish as if she was still dreaming.

    She¡¯d had a bad dreamst night. In her dream, she was kissed by a man, and then there was a pair of hands that pulled her into endless darkness.

    Then, when she¡¯d just awoken, she¡¯d found that her arms were tightly wrapped around Fu Bainian¡¯s waist, while his arm was under her neck. Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes were wide open in shock for the next ten minutes.

    Once she¡¯d managed topose herself, she shot up from the bed and covered her chest with her hands as she shouted, ¡°Fu Bainian, wake up!¡±

    Fu Bainian had just woke up, so his eyes were still blurry, but after looking at his surroundings, he suddenly said, ¡°Why are you in my bed?¡±

    Why are you in my bed??

    These innocent sounding words constantly echoed in Lan Jinyao¡¯s head, while the maic voice paralysed her thoughts.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, why are you here?¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t budge from his reclined position on the bed, his tone still nonchnt. ¡°This is my room.¡±

    Lan Jinyao took a few deep breaths, trying not to let her emotions crumble.

    ¡°I know this is your room, but I clearly locked you outsidest night. So, howe you¡¯re here in the bed now? M-moreover, you were holding me in your sleep!¡± she tried asking again.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression looked helpless. He got up from the bed, then put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her into the bathroom. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t dwell on these small problems. Hurry and wash up. A car should be here to pick you up in a moment. Li Qi called me and said that your shooting location for the next few days has changed. Remember to take care of yourself. If you miss me, just give me a call; I may consider going and visiting you.¡±

    The man¡¯s breath fanned softly behind her ears, and Lan Jinyao felt her heart beating a little faster.

    In the bathroom, once she saw Chen Meimei¡¯s face in the mirror, she finally sobered before screaming, ¡°Fu Bainian, you have a key to the room, right?!¡±

    Fu Bainian leaned against the door as he stared at her. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a fact that can easily be worked out? This is my room...of course, it¡¯ll be our room soon.¡±

    After that, he looked at the watch on his wrist and reminded her. ¡°Time is running out, yet you still haven¡¯t brushed your teeth?¡±

    Lan Jinyao squeezed out the toothpaste and started angrily brushing her teeth, but the more she thought, the more she felt flustered. Then, she vaguely said, ¡°Fu Bainian, when you¡¯re at thepany you aren¡¯t like this. All the female employees say that you¡¯re an aloof man behind your back. Where¡¯s your aloofness?¡±

    If he appeared so caring like this at thepany, how many broken hearts would there be? And, how many fantasies would be shattered?

    ¡°...¡± Aloof? Really? Why didn¡¯t he know this!?

    Fu Bainian silently thought for a while before he showed her a charming smile and said, ¡°In fact, I think that because I¡¯m a handsome man, I don¡¯t need to womanise to show off my charm. Of course, you¡¯re not amongst those women. Not to mention, Lan Jinyao, you seem to have forgotten the fact that you¡¯re my wife. Besides, you¡¯re not the same as before!¡±

    The Lan Jinyao in Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes always dressed simply and neat, and never wore too many essories. Her aura was always elegant and distant, so people didn¡¯t dare approach her easily, as if they were afraid to defile her purity. Only after one got close to her would they discovered that she was different. She would be more lively, and when she was angry, she wouldn¡¯t care for her image and would talk loudly. But, he liked her like this too.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the same? Why don¡¯t you just say that I¡¯m currently living in someone else¡¯s body?¡±

    She quickly cleaned herself up and went out with her bag. As she stepped out of the apartment, Fu Bainian even waved to her and said, ¡°Let me taste the bitterness that Chen Meimei suffered in the past. Don¡¯t get caught by me so easily, okay?¡±

    Lan Jinyao sped up, but even so, she could still hear the man¡¯s evilugh behind her.

 Chapter 60 - Suspicions Arise (1)

    <h4>Chapter 60 - Suspicions Arise (1)</h4>

    Inside a dimly lit room where the lights weren¡¯t turned on, and the curtains were still closed. There was only a thin ray of light entering from a small gap in the curtains and spilling onto the wooden floor.

    Hidden in the dark room, there was a man wearing house clothes. He was sitting on a chair with aplicated look.

    About ten minutester, the door of his room was opened and Xu Jin¡¯ge, who was wearing a nightgown, entered. She briskly walked towards the man and rubbed his hair. ¡°Brother, what¡¯s the matter? Why are you sitting here in a daze so early in the morning?¡±

    Suddenly, Xu Jin¡¯ge eximed as a thought urred to her, and the corners of her mouth cracked into a crafty smile as she teased, ¡°I know! Did my Brother meet the person who is destined for him? Spring is already over, yet you¡¯re just starting to think about love.¡±

    Her fingers identally touched the man¡¯s cheek, and a sharp exhale was heard in the dark room.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s fingers froze, and she quickly walked to the switch on the wall to turn on the lights, instantly lighting up the room in a bright glow. She stared nkly at Xu Yibei, and her hand on the switch didn¡¯t move for quite some time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t turn on the light...!¡±

    However, it was already toote. As these words were spoken, Xu Jin¡¯ge had already seen his face.

    A woman¡¯s high screech rang throughout the room. ¡°Brother! Who gave you those wounds on your face?! This is too much! How could they hit you like this? Tell me, who did this? I will help you sort them out!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge hurriedly left the room to get the first aid kit, and Xu Yibei rubbed the split on the corner of his mouth. The expression reflected in his eyes was dark and unclear.

    Soon, Xu Jin¡¯ge returned with the first aid kit, and she gently applied iodine to Xu Yibei¡¯s wounds with a cotton swab. asionally, a sharp hiss would escape his mouth, and Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s hands would tremble in response.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Sobs could be heard in her voice. ¡°Tell me, who did this to you?¡±

    Xu Yibei faintly nced at her and said quietly, ¡°It was Fu Bainian. Do you still want to help your brother deal with him?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge had an awkward expression on her face.

    She asked again, ¡°Why did Fu Bainian beat you up? Did you offend him somehow?¡±

    Xu Yibei sneered, and the movement tugged at the cut on his mouth which made him hiss in pain again.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t offend Fu Bainian. Instead, I want to ask you, how did you offend his wife? Fu Bainian doesn¡¯t hit women, so he decided to beat me, your brother, instead. If it weren¡¯t because of you, then the rtionship between Fu Bainian and I would still be quite alright. Every time your brother gets beaten, it¡¯s because of you.¡±

    Xu Yibei was just venting; there was no me in his tone.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge rubbed his cheek. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll massage you.¡±

    ¡°So tell me, how did you offend Chen Meimei?¡± Xu Yibei asked while enjoying the service from his little sister, seemingly no intentions of letting Xu Jin¡¯ge get away.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge stopped her movements and stammered, ¡°It was just that...when we were filming, I identally hit her on the face. But, of course, it wasn¡¯t my fault. At that time we were filming, and I just followed the script. She was the one who was absent-minded and didn¡¯t dodge it.¡±

    Xu Yibei sneered. What a good sister!

    ¡°Mum taught you to be elegant and noble since small, but what kind of attitude are you now disying?¡±

    When Xu Yibei said this, his voice was slightly cold. At that, Xu Jin¡¯ge hung her head, and her eyes reddened. Perhaps it was because this was the first time her brother who¡¯d always pampered her had talked to her in such a tone, but she couldn¡¯t stand it.

    She was choking on her sobs as she said, ¡°That woman...Chen Meimei, is so fat and rude, so why does Fu Bainian like her so much? And, why are you also helping her now? I said that it wasn¡¯t on purpose. You guys are really too much. In the past, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t like her at all, but why now...¡±

    She liked Fu Bainian so much, so how could she not know his thoughts. He¡¯d clearly hated Chen Meimei before!

    As Xu Yibei listened to her, his expression became even moreplicated.

    That¡¯s right, Fu Bainian had hated Chen Meimei; this was a fact known by many people. Once, Chen Meimei had charged into a meeting room and confessed to Fu Bainian. Fu Bainian, who¡¯d been interrupted in the middle of a meeting, was furious. In front of all the upper-management personnel, he¡¯d said, ¡°Chen Meimei, don¡¯t waste your efforts! I will never like you! Us being together is impossible in this lifetime.¡±

    Although Xu Yibei wasn¡¯t present at the time, he could easily imagine the scene; a girl had confessed in front of everyone but was humiliated in return. No matter how carefree and shameless Chen Meimei was, she wouldn¡¯t feel so good upon hearing this, right?

    However, who would¡¯ve ever guessed that the man who¡¯d said ¡®I will never like you¡¯ with such a determined tone, would now turn to chase after Chen Meimei. Not only had Fu Bainian asked him to deliver her lunch, but after she¡¯d been bullied, he¡¯d also secretly paid those bullies back for her.

    It wasn¡¯t only Xu Jin¡¯ge who was unable to understand Fu Bainian because even him, her brother, was also unable to understand.

    ¡°Do you feel like Chen Meimei is different from before?¡± he suddenly asked Xu Jin¡¯ge.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge wiped her tears away and coldly snorted, ¡°Of course she¡¯s different. In the past, Chen Meimei was merely thick-skinned. But now, she¡¯s shameless, vicious, and merciless. I think that what happened to Shen Wei¡¯an was her doing. Because Shen Wei¡¯an pped her face, Chen Meimei harboured a grudge against her and took revenge. I also heard that a video was exposed, but it was suppressed not long after.¡±

    Xu Yibei¡¯s brows wrinkled as he listened to her.

    What he was referring to was Chen Meimei¡¯s personality. Compared to when they¡¯d first met a long time ago, the Chen Meimei he¡¯d recently seen on set gave off apletely different impression. How could someone¡¯s personality change so much? Could love really make a personpletely change? What¡¯s more, Fu Bainian had clearly said those words in the past, but now he was making such an effort to chase after Chen Meimei every day. Wasn¡¯t this equivalent to pping his own face? ording to what Xu Yibei knew of Fu Bainian, Fu Bainian was a person that cared about his reputation.

    ¡°When you¡¯re filming with Chen Meimeiter, remember to pay attention to her. I think Bainian¡¯s attitude is quite strange!¡± said Xu Yibei.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°Mhmm, I¡¯ll pay much attention to her. Maybe, if my personality were also to change, Bainian would fall for me!¡±

    Seeing that his little sister was utterly misunderstanding his meaning, and even wearing a smug expression, Xu Yibei only shook his head and sighed.

    It looked like this matter had to be observed by himself. There must be something wrong; only, they didn¡¯t know what it was.

    ¡°Alright, stop talking, I have to change my clothes and leave. I might be gone for a long time, so remember to visit meter!

    Xu Yibei smiled helplessly. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t make trouble, I¡¯ll definitely visit you.¡±

 Chapter 61 - Suspicions Arise (2)

    <h4>Chapter 61 - Suspicions Arise (2)</h4>

    This time, the ce where Rouge Fermentation¡¯s crew had chosen for the shoot was a resort vi with a ssical atmosphere. The area often attracted a bunch of tourists who admired traditional culture.

    The trees were tall with thick aerial roots that were tangled and that hung down from the top of the trees. The ground was filled with clusters of small shrubs which were blooming with various tiny wildflowers that were colourful and beautiful.

    Sitting in the car, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes were fixed on the scenery outside the window. Sometimes, she would use her phone to shoot one or two short videos.

    ¡°Is this a holiday or a filming location? With such beautiful scenery, I might be reluctant to leave after living here,¡± she sighed softly. ¡°What a beautiful view!¡±

    Li Qi had his eyes closed to rest, and upon hearing her sigh, he opened them. ncing outside, nothing but green vegetation entered his vision.

    ¡°It is beautiful. If you want to live here, you can buy a ce...that is, if you¡¯re not afraid of ghosts,¡± he said.

    ¡°Are there ghosts here?¡± Lan Jinyao looked at him in horror.

    Li Qi smiled mysteriously.

    ¡°He¡¯s lying to you!¡± the driver chimed in. ¡°This is a famous holiday resort; how could there be ghosts? It¡¯s just that there are more flowers and trees around.¡±

    Lan Jinyao breathed out in relief.

    Once they¡¯d arrived at the resort, the Director let all the actors get some rest before they would spend the remainder of the afternoon and evening filming. Lan Jinyao had had a good restst night, so after she¡¯d arrived at the resort, she decided to stroll around. The scenery was charming, leaving her feeling refreshed in the midst of a vast expanse of nts.

    There was a lotus pond behind the vi which imitated the lotus ponds of ancient times that would be found in the backyards ofrge households. Inside, there were various colours of koi.

    Lan Jinyao sat in the pavilion and took pictures of her surroundings.

    As she was checking the pictures she¡¯d just taken, she saw a piece of clothing peeking out from behind one of the tree trunks. But, when she turned and stared at the tree trunk, there was nothing there.

    She rolled her eyes and suddenly smiled. Then, she pretended as if nothing had happened and continued to take pictures. While she was pretending to concentrate on taking pictures, she saw a piece of clothing once again reveal itself from behind the big tree. The design on the clothes seemed so familiar, and she recalled having seen it somewhere before.

    Right, she saw it when she was at the Fu residence. Those clothes belong to Xu Jin¡¯ge!

    What was that woman up to, being all sneaky behind her?

    Lan Jinyao quietly walked towards the tree with light steps and then, before Xu Jin¡¯ge managed to poke her head out, she pped her on the shoulder and eximed, ¡±Hey! What are you doing here?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge, who was shocked, retreated a few steps back before releasing a loud scream.

    The scream was so high-pitched that Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but cover her ears. Xu Jin¡¯ge slumped to the ground, her foot caught in a rat trap. Her beautiful high-heeled shoe had been crushed, and a few drops of bright red blood oozed from the wound around her ankle.

    That must hurt! Lan Jinyao thought. No wonder Xu Jin¡¯ge would cry due to the pain.

    A thought raced through Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind, and she realised right away what Xu Jin¡¯ge was up to when she saw her being all sneaky by herself. At that, Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression couldn¡¯t help but turn cold.

    ¡°Hey, help me!¡± Although Xu Jin¡¯ge was crying, she was still acting arrogant with amanding tone.

    Lan Jinyao crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Xu Jin¡¯ge. ¡°Did you want to harm me? Hehe, don¡¯t you think that your situation now is just like the saying ¡®you reap what you sow¡¯?¡±

    She hadn¡¯t anticipated that Xu Jin¡¯ge would ever be this childish, so it seemed that she¡¯d overestimated this woman in the end. She didn¡¯t think that Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s heart would be so simr to Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s. Lan Jinyao looked down at the rat trap and flinched, terrified to imagine what would¡¯ve happened if she¡¯d been the one to step on it.

    Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t worn high heels today, but a pair of ts made of soft fabric. If her foot had been the one caught in the rat trap, it wouldn¡¯t have been just a simple cut; it was likely that it would¡¯ve pierced her flesh too.

    ¡°Xu Jin¡¯ge, this is what it means to reap what you sow!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s cries increased in volume, herdy-like image utterly destroyed.

    She pointed at Lan Jinyao while crying, and angrily said, ¡°Chen Meimei, I already said that it wasn¡¯t my doing. Hurry up and call someone to help me!¡±

    Lan Jinyao snorted. ¡°You¡¯re asking me for help, yet you still act like this? You should wisen up!¡±

    She then turned and left, leaving Xu Jin¡¯ge crying in the bushes.

    Li Qi was drinking tea in the living room when she returned. Upon seeing her enter, he promptly said, ¡°I thought that only the environment here is good, but the tea here is delicious. Come and have a taste!¡±

    Lan Jinyao took the teacup from his hand and nonchntly said, ¡°Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s foot is caught in a rat trap. She¡¯s currently in the bushes crying her lungs out. You should ask someone to help her.¡±

    ¡°What? Caught in a rat trap?¡± Li Qi thought quickly before asking, ¡°That woman wouldn¡¯t be thinking of harming you, right? I¡¯ll go and see. What if this dys the evening filming?!¡±

    Since it was nearing noon, Lan Jinyao retreated to her room after she¡¯d had her lunch. She had to start shootingter, so she wanted to rest first.

    Just as she was half asleep, she heard someone knocking on the door. She rolled over and continued to sleep, ignoring the knocksing from outside. After a while, the knocking stopped, but Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t pay it too much mind.

    By the time she woke up, it was already 1.30 in the afternoon. She freshened up her face and re-did her makeup. However, just as she opened the door and was about to go out, a basin of water was sshed onto her body. This made Lan Jinyao, who¡¯d just woken up, shiver from the cold. Lan Jinyao inhaled sharply as she looked at the angered Xu Jin¡¯ge who stood in front of her with a basin in her hands.

    At that moment, Lan Jinyao thought of this woman as her nemesis. Anything bad that urred to her must somehow be rted to this woman.

    ¡°Xu Jin¡¯ge, weren¡¯t you done acting like a mad woman?! You¡¯re crazy!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge swung her arms and threw the basin to the ground. The basin was immediately covered with a web of thin cracks.

    She then pulled an old man to stand in front of Lan Jinyao as she fiercely red at her. ¡°Uncle, exin it to her!¡±

    The old man was about sixty-something years old. His hands were held together in front of his body, and his expression was awkward; he seemed very embarrassed. Then, he said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°I deeply apologise. Because there were a lot of rats inside the vi recently, a rumour spread that the resort was haunted. Previously, our staff had used mouse cages and rat poison to deal with the issue, but they didn¡¯t work, so they decided to use a rat trap. However, we made a mark on the big tree next to it so that we would know where it was. I am extremely sorry for letting Miss get hurt.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was confused. She didn¡¯t understand why Xu Jin¡¯ge would find someone just to exin all this to her.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, I told you, this matter wasn¡¯t my doing at all. As for your conduct of not helping me when I was in trouble, it was shameful!¡±

    After saying this, Xu Jin¡¯ge flung her long hair over her shoulder and limped away in a huff.

    Lan Jinyao, soaking wet, returned to the bathroom.

    ¡°That crazy bitch!¡± If she hadn¡¯t have called for help, who knew if someone would¡¯ve discovered such a hidden ce until the afternoon!

 Chapter 62 - Suspicions Arise (3)

    <h4>Chapter 62 - Suspicions Arise (3)</h4>

    When Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s foot had been caught in the rat trap, the mp had removed a small chunk of skin from her ankle. Due to this, she¡¯d asked the staff to wrap a thickyer of gauze over her foot, yet she refused to settle down and chose to jump around instead.

    While a makeup artist was applying makeup on Lan Jinyao, Xu Jin¡¯ge was sitting on a stool nearby. Whenever Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t paying attention, Xu Jin¡¯ge would stealthily nce at her. But, when Lan Jinyao would look at her, Xu Jin¡¯ge would quickly nce away and pretend as if nothing had happened.

    Lan Jinyao was suspicious and wondered how many more tricks Xu Jin¡¯ge had up her sleeve. So, even after Xu Jin¡¯ge had poured a basin of cold water over her that afternoon, she¡¯d decided not to pursue the matter. If Xu Jin¡¯ge still wanted to try something, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t mind spending time with her.

    But, Xu Jin¡¯ge was just watching her, that¡¯s all. She didn¡¯t do anything disruptive.

    In this afternoon¡¯s scene, the second female lead was feigning an illness to get sympathy, and since Xu Jin¡¯ge just happened to be injured, it wouldn¡¯t affect anything as all she had to do wasy on the bed. An embroidered quilt would cover her body, so no one would be able to see.

    The candles illuminating the ancient style room were so bright that it seemed like it was daytime. The makeup artist had applied a thickyer of foundation to Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s face, making her looked like a painted wall. Lan Jinyao wanted tough upon seeing her.

    ¡°Sister, you came to visit me? Please forgive me, I¡¯m feeling unwell and can only lie in bed!¡±

    Lan Jinyao quickly stepped forward and held her hand as she softly said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, you should continue resting for now!¡±

    As their hands were sped together, Xu Jin¡¯ge applied slight force to her fingers, and her sharp nails almost pierced the skin on the back of Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand.

    Lan Jinyao reacted by yanking her hand back, which resulted in Xu Jin¡¯ge almost falling to the ground. However, a fake smile was still stered across her face.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge seemed angry, but she endured it as she gritted her teeth. The re she gave Lan Jinyao was so vicious that it appeared like she wanted to maul her.

    While the two women were secretly bickering, the shot came out particrly good.

    ¡°You two make the best partners. Here, have a look, the results are perfect!¡± n excitedly eximed.

    Lan Jinyao drew closer to take a look and noticed that it was indeed excellent. Especially Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s expression. Even though it was the normal expression Xu Jin¡¯ge would show Lan Jinyao, it matched her character perfectly.

    Later that evening, when Lan Jinyao and Li Qi were sitting in the hall drinking tea, Xu Jin¡¯ge walked in supported by her Assistant. Watching her limping, Li Qi couldn¡¯t help but smile and say to Lan Jinyao, ¡°Look, she was so unlucky that when she was wandering around the vi, she stepped on a rat trap. There¡¯s a saying for this, what was it again...?¡±

    Lan Jinyao chimed in. ¡°If one¡¯s character is bad, then one¡¯s luck will drop!¡±

    Li Qi pped his thigh. ¡°Oh! Yes, that was it.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Lan Jinyao suddenly said. ¡°At that time, she wasn¡¯t really just wandering around; I think she might¡¯ve been secretly following me. When I approached her, she was so shocked that she stepped on the rat trap. That¡¯s why I thought that it was her who ced the rat trap there.¡±

    ¡°Xu Jin¡¯ge was following you?¡±

    Li Qi looked over in Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s direction. Although they were all in the same hall, Xu Jin¡¯ge was sitting quite far away from them. In this traditionally styled hall, the chairs were arranged in two rows on both sides of the hall, with the corridor in between. Li Qi and Lan Jinyao sat near the main seat, while Xu Jin¡¯ge had chosen to sit near the entrance, ncing at them from time to time.

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t mentioned it, I wouldn¡¯t have realised it. You see how often Xu Jin¡¯ge looks at you?¡± Li Qi¡¯s expression became weird. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t fancy you, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao almost spat out her tea at his remark.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±

    Although Lan Jinyao was smiling, deep inside she felt that it was increasingly strange. It seemed that after arriving at the vi today, she felt that Xu Jin¡¯ge was behaving oddly. It wasn¡¯t quite like Xu Jin¡¯ge was looking for opportunity to scheme against her, because if Xu Jin¡¯ge really wanted to do something to her, she might¡¯ve alreadye to her long ago. But, if Xu Jin¡¯ge didn¡¯t intend to harm her, she couldn¡¯t guess what the real reason was for all the staring.

    The first time Lan Jinyao had met Xu Jin¡¯ge was at the restaurant. At that time, Xu Jin¡¯ge was having lunch with Fu Bainian. She remembered that at the time, there was a lot of news about Xu Jin¡¯ge and Fu Bainian; enough to fill up the sky. The second time she met Xu Jin¡¯ge again was at the Fu residence.

    The only thing she had inmon with Xu Jin¡¯ge was about Fu Bainian.

    Soon, an idea popped into Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind. Maybe Xu Jin¡¯ge wanted to observe her, and then think about how to snatch Fu Bainian away!

    Lan Jinyao guessed that Xu Jin¡¯ge wouldn¡¯t stop, so she secretly thought of a n.

    There weren¡¯t that many scenes to shoot that evening, and they had to be filmed in the same room as before. But, these scenes were the climax of the film. Lan Jinyao, who was acting as the female lead, would be forced into a desperate situation without any way of retreat, whichter lead to her being reborn.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge, who was ying the second female lead, now held a silver hairpin as she stood up. Her eyes were narrowed, and she smiled viciously as she slowly approached the female lead, step by step. The female lead, who was forced into a corner, weakly curled her body into herself and looked at the other party with tearful eyes. Her body constantly trembled, causing the smile on Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s face to be more malicious.

    ¡°This face of yours really makes people nauseous!¡±

    The silver hairpin swept ferociously across Lan Jinyao¡¯s cheek. In that split moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s pupils abruptly shrunk. She was genuinely worried that Xu Jin¡¯ge would use this opportunity to damage her face.

    As she closed her eyes, a tear rolled down her cheek.

    ¡°Sis-sister...why...why are you so ruthless?¡± she sobbed softly, her voice wobbling as she questioned.

    ¡°Cut!¡±

    n spoke to the makeup artist. ¡°Hurry and change her makeup. Right, the wound on her face, try to make it a little more realistic; it¡¯s best to make it a bit more bloody. This shot will certainly arouse a deep emotional resonance in the heart of the audience.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± the makeup artist responded and quickly went to change Lan Jinyao¡¯s makeup.

    At that moment, Xu Jin¡¯ge, who was holding the silver hairpin, didn¡¯t move for a long time, her eyes glued to Lan Jinyao. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

    The makeup artist then pushed Xu Jin¡¯ge. ¡°Jin¡¯ge, can you move aside? I have to change Chen Meimei¡¯s makeup!¡±

    Everyone thought that Xu Jin¡¯ge would get angry. However, contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations, once the makeup artist pushed her she silently moved to the side.

    Lan Jinyao looked at her in amazement and saw Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s mouth opening and closing as if she was muttering something. Reading Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s lips, it seemed that she was saying, ¡°Not the same, it was truly not the same.¡±

    Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t sure why, but she had a bad omen in her heart.

 Chapter 63 - Sowing Dissension (1)

    <h4>Chapter 63 - Sowing Dissension (1)</h4>

    At 10 PM, Lan Jinyao had juste out of the bathroom when she saw that her phone screen was on. She thought it was a notification from a news app, but when she took a look, she found that it was a text message.

    ¡°Do you miss me?¡±

    It was a text from Fu Bainian.

    Lan Jinyao stared at the text message, and suddenly, Fu Bainian¡¯s face with his deep eyes popped into her mind. The corner of her lips raised into a faint arc.

    So, she decisively sent a text back. ¡°I don¡¯t miss you!!!¡±

    Before long, she received another text message. Lan Jinyao thought that Fu Bainian must currently be staring at his phone. She looked at the time for when the first message came; it was half an hour ago.

    Thinking of this, the smile on her lips widened.

    ¡°But I miss you!¡±

    At the end of the second text, there was even a cute emoji, which was simply unimaginable. Great President Fu, who was as cold as ice, could unexpectedly y with emojis.

    Lan Jinyaoy on the bed as she looked at the text. She was thinking about how to reply to him, but after a while, she still didn¡¯t type a word and instead took a ring out of her bag.

    A hexagon shaped diamond sparkled under the light.

    She suddenly recalled how before, when they¡¯d decided to get a marriage certificate, Fu Bainian had given her a ring. It was a pair with the one he had on his finger, and it was a very ordinary ring; the type of ring that anyone could buy in a jewellery store. Later, when the groom hadn¡¯t appeared at the wedding ceremony, she¡¯d be aughingstock. Furious, she¡¯d thrown the ring onto a dressing table in the presence of Mother Fu. She still remembered the expression on Mother Fu¡¯s face at that time; shame and regret.

    Looking carefully, she discovered that the ring waspletely different from the previous one. The diamond was slightly more prominent, and the design was clearly more beautiful. It looked like it was meticulously designed with the utmost care.

    When she¡¯d woken up in Fu Bainian¡¯s bed that morning, she¡¯d felt something on her finger. But, at that time, she hadn¡¯t paid it any attention. She¡¯d only noticed it after getting in the car and had then taken advantage of when Li Qi had closed his eyes to rest to quickly slip the ring into her bag.

    On a whim, she sent Fu Bainian a text message, asking him, ¡°Why is this ring different from the previous one?¡±

    ¡°Because that ring was for Chen Meimei, and this ring originally belonged to you!¡±

    This sentence wasn¡¯t a text message. Instead, it was a real voice which drifted through the door of her room.

    Like a snapped string, Lan Jinyao shot up from her bed and rushed to the door withrge strides before slowly unlocking it. The next second, President Fu¡¯s noble and threatening face appeared before her eyes.

    Fu Bainian pushed the door open wider and walked in, then tightly hugged her.

    Lan Jinyao heard him say, ¡°I lost. I missed you so very much, although it was only a day that passed.¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt her heart thumping wildly, and she let Fu Bainian hug her as she clenched her hands at her side. Yet, she didn¡¯t push him away.

    After a while, he released her. With a low voice, he said in her ears in a slightly wronged tone, ¡°But, you didn¡¯t miss me.¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything. In fact, even during her free time, his figure would appear in her mind, but she subconsciously ignored it.

    She¡¯d initially thought that as long as they were holding hands that they could be happy for a lifetime. Even if she was wearing Chen Meimei¡¯s body and face, they could slowly nurture their feelings. But,ter, reality gave her a heavy blow and let her understand how ridiculous her dream was.

    She wasn¡¯t Chen Meimei, but she might not be able to escape Chen Meimei¡¯s identity in her lifetime, which caused many problems between them. She had a career, and she also had a grievance that had yet to be settled. She wanted to take revenge, but she also didn¡¯t want him to get involved.

    In fact, the most important thing was that she was worried about was being hurt.

    In over 20 years of her life, this was the first time she¡¯d met someone that she liked. Her love had a rtivelyte awakening, and the ones who fell in lovete were quite affectionate. After loving once, there would be no second time, so she was anxious about being hurt.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, howe you¡¯re suddenly here?¡±

    ¡°I was worried that you missed me, so I came!¡± he righteously answered.

    Lan Jinyao quietly muttered, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you missed me?¡±

    When she looked at Fu Bainian again, she saw the evil smile on his face that was toote for him to hide.

    After looking around the room, Fu Bainian asked her, ¡°There¡¯s only one bed?¡±

    Before Lan Jinyao could respond, she heard him continue, ¡°However, this bed is quite big. It¡¯s just the right size for the two of us.¡±

    ¡°For the two of us?! Who said that I wanted to sleep with you...?!¡±

    An hourter, Lan Jinyao had already shut her eyes and had fallen asleep. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Fu Bainian watched her sleeping, a smile forming on his face.

    She¡¯d obviously said that she liked him before, so now she was ying hard to get?

    In the middle of the night, Fu Bainian had just lied down when he heard movements at the door. It was a very quiet voice, but it was particrly evident in the silence of the night; someone was at the door.

    Fu Bainian slightly frowned.

    The shooting of Rouge Fermentation would take several days, so all the rooms in this vi had been booked in advance. Logically speaking, excluding the crew members, there should be no outsiders here. In that case, could it be someone from the crew?

    The first thing he thought of was Rouge Fermentation¡¯s male lead. That man was an honest teen idol with dewy eyes that could shock anyone who gazed into them.

    He carefully unwrapped his arm from Lan Jinyao¡¯s waist, then lightly walked step by step towards the door. The dark room was extremely quiet, so he could hear the sounds of the person outside opening the door with a key.

    Fu Bainian watched the lock rotating, the tight frown on his face expressing his displeasure. No matter who the person outside was, as long as he had the key to this room, there was no excuse. What¡¯s more, Lan Jinyao seemedpletely unaware of this.

    The moment the door opened, Xu Jin¡¯ge stood nkly outside as she met the angry re of a man. The rage within his eyes was terrible, making her want to run away in terror.

    ¡°Bai-Bainian, you¡¯re here?¡± she stuttered, her hands restlessly clutching her clothes.

    Upon seeing that it was Xu Jin¡¯ge who¡¯d unlocked the door, Fu Bainian felt relieved. Fortunately, it was only this woman who was standing outside. However, when he recalled the red mark on Lan Jinyao¡¯s face that couldn¡¯t even be covered with foundation, he found it almost unbearable.

 Chapter 64 - Sowing Dissension (2)

    <h4>Chapter 64 - Sowing Dissension (2)</h4>

    On the small te stone path in front of the vi, the streetmps on both sides glowed dimly. Two people, one tall and one short, were standing in the mottled shade of arge tree, their shadows shrouding the stone path ahead.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge hung her head low, while her hands were sped in front of her body. She uneasily fidgeted with her fingers and didn¡¯t dare to look up at the man standing beside her. She stood there quietly like a well-behaved cat.

    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± She nkly stared at him for a second before saying, ¡°Oh! Yes...it¡¯s quitete now.¡±

    Fu Bainian stopped in his tracks and turned sideways to look at her. ¡°Since it''s already sote, then why did you show up at Meimei¡¯s door? Also, you¡¯ve got a key to her room. Say, what were you up to?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge felt a burst of lingering fear at the thought of the injuries on Xu Yibei''s face. When Fu Bainian got angry, he was genuinely frightening.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge then shook her head and answered, ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m not up to anything at all. I just wanted to check whether she was already asleep or not!¡±

    ¡°And then?¡± asked Fu Bainian.

    ¡°And then...¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge lowered her voice and hesitated before she said, ¡°I wanted to see exactly what kind of woman she was, and what traits she possessed that suddenly made you fall for her. I wanted to...learn from her!¡±

    Thest three words she muttered were very faint, seemingly as soft as a mosquito¡¯s buzz.

    Fu Bainian immediately guessed Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s intention, so he said, ¡°My Dad likes you a lot, so he may prefer you to be his daughter-inw, but I have the final say concerning my own marriage. I want to spend all my life with the woman I like. Besides, I''m already married to her now.¡±

    He was implying that even if Xu Jin¡¯ge had learnt anything from Chen Meimei, it wouldn¡¯t be of any use.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge understood the hint behind his words, so she clenched her fists and involuntarily raised her voice, asking, ¡°Why?!¡±

    In the quiet night, Fu Bainian¡¯s voice sounded exceptionally clear and smooth as he said, ¡°Because, it¡¯s not going to be possible for me to fall for you in this lifetime. Besides, feelings and affection can¡¯t be forced.¡±

    Can''t be forced? ¡°Haha...¡±ughed Xu Jin¡¯ge.

    Herughter in the silence of the night sounded somewhat spooky.

    ¡°You¡¯ve said the same thing to Chen Meimei in the past, but what about now? In the end, didn¡¯t you still...¡± fall for her?

    Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s remaining words were caught in her throat as she started sobbing with streams of tears flowing down her cheeks.

    Fu Bainian turned his face away from her because he couldn¡¯t tell her that things were not the same as before and that someone else¡¯s soul was residing in the current Chen Meimei¡¯s body.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge tugged at his sleeve and uttered while choking with sobs, ¡°Bainian, this is unfair! You¡¯re being unfair to me.¡±

    When Fu Bainian heard this, he removed her hand off his sleeve before calmly saying, ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as absolute fairness in this world!¡±

    ¡°Then tell me, why did you suddenly fall in love with Chen Meimei? I initially thought that it would be impossible, but it still happened. Therefore, if you don¡¯t tell me why, I won¡¯t give up.¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge stood in front of him, and blocked his way, seemingly not wanting him to leave.

    Fu Bainian felt a headache start when he saw Xu Jin¡¯ge acting this way. The incident regarding Chen Meimei was outrageous, so he had no way of exining it.

    When Xu Jin¡¯ge saw that he wasn¡¯t going to utter a single word, she felt as if there was hope. She reasoned that he must¡¯ve had some unspeakable thoughts, or, that he had some kind of secret agreement with Chen Meimei.

    The IQ of Xu Jin¡¯ge, who was currently blinded by love, seemed to have dropped to an insufficient degree. Because, if she was rational enough, she¡¯d have been able to guess that if Fu Bainian really had some unspeakable thoughts, or if he really had some kind of secret agreement with Chen Meimei, then he wouldn¡¯t have gone to the vi sote at night just to apany Chen Meimei.

    Under the streetmps, the man remained silent while the woman waited for him to answer.

    Back in the room.

    Lan Jinyao had been dreaming, but then, she¡¯d abruptly woken up from her dream. She couldn''t remember what the dream was about; she just felt that it was a strange one.

    When she looked around the room, she didn¡¯t see Fu Bainian.

    ¡°Did he go home already?¡±

    But, it was already sote, so that couldn¡¯t be!

    While she was thinking this, she sat up from the bed and soon after, she heard a woman¡¯s voice from not too far away outside. She then put on some clothes and walked outside.

    In the dark, Lan Jinyao bent down and moved forward cautiously and stealthily; like a thief in darkness.

    After a while, she saw two figures standing on the small te stone path ahead, which was illuminated by the streetmps. Upon a closer look, she saw Xu Jin¡¯ge, whose eyes were watery as if she¡¯d been crying, and Fu Bainian with his back facing the gate. He stood there under the tree and said something to Xu Jin¡¯ge.

    It was already sote at night; what was Xu Jin¡¯ge doing there instead of sleeping? What were they talking about over there?

    Lan Jinyao felt somewhat displeased upon witnessing this scene.

    She wasn¡¯t standing very far away, but the two¡¯s voices weren¡¯t very loud, so she couldn¡¯t quite hear what they were saying. But, judging from her past experiences, it certainly wasn¡¯t anything good. Xu Jin¡¯ge was a scheming woman, so wasn¡¯t everything about how she wanted to get into the Fu family and be the Fu family¡¯s daughter-inw?

    After remaining silent for a long time, Fu Bainian finally spoke with a faint voice, ¡°That¡¯s because...I like her present temperament and attitude!¡±

    In the end, he decided to tell a lie and fudge the issue.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge immediately turned her tears intoughter and said, ¡°I understand, so that means that I still have a chance, right?¡±

    Fu Bainian was worried that she would continue nagging at him, so he didn¡¯t answer her question and instead said to her, ¡°You should hurry back to your room and sleep!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge fervently nodded. ¡°Hmm, I''ll go back right away! Can you...give me a hug?!¡±

    Her eyes were sparkling, and her appearance looked quite pitiful as she asked this, but Fu Bainian still didn¡¯t give in and refused her request instead.

    ¡°Sorry!¡± he replied in a low voice.

    Although Lan Jinyao had never said it before, Fu Bainian guessed that she would undoubtedly mind if she knew about this. Last time, he didn¡¯t handle that matter for Lan Jinyao properly, so from then on, whenever they interacted with one another, she¡¯d always pull a cold face and decline his help. That was also the case whenever he approached her.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge was quite disappointed when he apologised.

    She lowered her head, her tone filled with disappointment as she said, ¡°It''s fine!¡±

    Yet, the moment Fu Bainian turned around, she tightly hugged him from behind.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge then said, "I''m sorry! Just let me hug you for a while, just for a little while longer.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was hiding in the shadow of a tree nearby, so when she saw this scene in front of her, her expression immediately changed. She quickly turned around and returned to her room. She then locked the door andy on the bed, panting heavily. It looked like she¡¯d gotten quite mad this time.

    ¡°He¡¯s too much! Fu Bainian, did youe to the vi in the middle of the night just to have a private rendezvous with Xu Jin¡¯ge?¡±

    She ferociously hit the bed head a few times, but her anger still didn¡¯t subside. How she wished that she could hit Fu Bainian like this several times more.

    When Fu Bainian returned to the vi and went to enter the room, he noticed that the door, which had initially been left slightly open, had now been locked.

    ¡°Was it the wind?¡±

    He looked around but then realised that there was no wind.

 Chapter 65 - Sowing Dissension (3)

    <h4>Chapter 65 - Sowing Dissension (3)</h4>

    The next morning, when Lan Jinyao woke up, she saw a pair of pitch-ck eyes staring at her. It scared her out of her wits so much that she was instantly wide-awake, without any traces of sleepiness left.

    ¡°Good morning!¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian...¡±

    Lan Jinyao extended her arms and pushed him away while eximing, ¡°Y-you need to get out of here, now!¡±

    Fu Bainian just nced at her innocently. Lan Jinyao then quickly climbed down from the bed and rushed into the bathroom.

    As she was brushing her teeth, she thought: Last night, she¡¯d clearly closed the door! How did Fu Bainian manage to get inside? Even if he¡¯d managed to get the keys, he wouldn¡¯t be able to open the door because she¡¯d locked it. Unless...Fu Bainian had called a locksmith over to unlock the door for him.

    This was all too much!

    As she was scowling in front of the mirror, a tall figure appeared at the door of the bathroom.

    ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    Fu Bainian, who was leaning against the door, looked at her with a profound expression; his gaze intense. Lan Jinyao just coldly snorted at him and didn¡¯t bother to answer his question.

    Her expression had remained cold the entire time he¡¯d been talking to her, so Fu Bainian was able to easily guess what she was thinking about. After a while, when she still hadn¡¯t uttered a single word, he quickly exined, ¡°There¡¯s nothing going on between Xu Jin¡¯ge and me. Last night, I just wanted to make things clear to her; nothing more.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then I can promise you that from now on, I won''t meet with her alone again!¡± Fu Bainian dered before adding, ¡°If she wants to see me for any urgent matters, then I''ll bring you along with me!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao saw Fu Bainian swearing such an oath, the remaining trace of anger in her heartpletely subsided. But, she still pretended to be calm and unmoved as she indifferently said, ¡°That¡¯s none of my business. If you want to see her, then feel free to do so!¡±

    ¡°You really don''t mind?¡± Fu Bainian chuckled, his smile revealing a trace of provocative.

    Lan Jinyaopletely ignored Fu Bainian and started applying her makeup in front of the mirror.

    Seeing her like this, Fu Bainian continued. ¡°But I mind! I just want to be with the woman I love. Moreover, my Mum is looking forward to us giving her a grandchild soon!¡±

    Upon hearing thatst part, the hand that Lan Jinyao had been using to pat the serum onto her skin immediately stiffened and her cheeks slightly flushed red.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, it¡¯s time for you to go to work!¡±

    When he saw the tint of red on her cheeks, Fu Bainian¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°Okay, I''m leaving first!¡±

    After he¡¯d left the bathroom, Lan Jinyao stopped moving. The topic that Fu Bainian had brought up earlier had actually never crossed her mind before. The two of them liked each other, and they were also legally married. So, sooner orter they had to think about having children.

    It was just that she still had more important things to do at the moment. She hadn¡¯t taken revenge nor had she regained the things that had belonged to her yet. If she were to get pregnant now, the baby would only be a burden. She then suddenly recalled the time in which she used to spend her days alone in that spacious house.

    At that time, the servants had been willfully sent away by her. She thought that, as long as she was left alone at home, her parents would be worried ande back to apany her. But, she then gradually realised that that was just wishful thinking. Even if they were to return home once or twice, that was only because of business; they didn¡¯t even have time to give her a hug.

    She¡¯d always pretended not to care, and had smiled at everyone while pretending to be very happy every day. But, truth be told, she¡¯d actually cared about a lot of things deep in her heart. Since she¡¯d known that it was useless even if she poured out her feelings, she¡¯d chosen to remain silent instead.

    Fu Bainian, if you¡¯re willing to wait for me, I¡¯ll bear you a cute baby.

    Lan Jinyao secretly made a promise in her heart.

    Later that morning, Lan Jinyao was in a pretty good mood when she started filming. However, she realised that Xu Jin¡¯ge was still the same as before. She liked to stare at her no matter what, but what was there to see anyway?

    After they¡¯d finished filming a scene, Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s expression grew stranger by the second, making it impossible for Lan Jinyao to ignore her even if she wanted to.

    During lunchtime, Xu Jin¡¯ge unexpectedly stood in front of her for the first time. At that moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s entire body subconsciously stiffened, thinking that Xu Jin¡¯ge was going to y a trick on her again. Unexpectedly, Xu Jin¡¯ge didn¡¯t do anything at all. Instead, she sat in the chair opposite Lan Jinyao and said, ¡°I know that it was you who called someone to save mest time, so I apologise for throwing a basin of water on you!¡±

    Lan Jinyao continued eating indifferently, but in her heart, she already suspected a perilous situation. If Xu Jin¡¯ge was acting at this moment, then her acting skills were really superb because Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t notice any other emotion hidden behind her words. Her tone sounded unusually sincere this time.

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m apologising to you, so you ought to at least answer me!¡±

    Lan Jinyao swallowed the rice in her mouth and nodded. ¡°Okay! I ept your apology; is there anything else you wish to say?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge was acting weirder by the minute! She was known to be haughty, yet she knew how to apologise?

    However, Lan Jinyao soon noticed that Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s gaze was growing increasingly odd.

    A momentter, Xu Jin¡¯ge said, ¡°You know that I like Fu Bainian, right?!¡±

    ¡°I know, but we¡¯re already married. Besides, there are so many women who fancy my husband. If I started caring about every one of them, then wouldn¡¯t I tire myself to death?!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge felt suffocated when she heard Lan Jinyao¡¯s casual and indifferent tone of voice, and a trace of anger revealed itself on her face.

    Soon after, Lan Jinyao understood what Xu Jin¡¯ge was up to.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge slightly lifted her chin, her eyes revealing a hint of disdain as she said, ¡°Chen Meimei, how could those womenpare with me? At the very least, they haven''t even had the chance to get close to Fu Bainian, yet my rtionship is far more intimate with him than those women could ever dream to hope. Last night I asked Fu Bainian, and he said that your marriage was all nned by Mother Fu. Due to this, it was impossible for him to disobey Mother Fu¡¯s arrangements.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things!¡± replied Lan Jinyao. Had it not been for Fu Bainian rifying things with her this morning, she might have really been deceived by this woman!

    She then put down her chopsticks and indifferently said, ¡°I understand Fu Bainian¡¯s feelings very clearly, so I don''t need you to exin things.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge suddenly lowered her voice, her eyes seemingly carrying a kind of inexplicable self-confidence.

    That gaze caused Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart to feel somewhat cautious and rmed, and her initial confidence started to waver momentarily.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, let me tell you something!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge looked around and saw that there was no one else nearby. She then whispered, ¡°If Fu Bainian really loved you, then he wouldn''t have told me your secret. That devastating secret of yours can make you lose your standing in an instant!¡±

    That devastating secret of yours can make you lose your standing in an instant!

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s pupils abruptly shrunk, revealing her real emotions.

    She stared at the bright smile on Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s face, and suddenly, it felt as if the sky was clouded with gloominess as her world copsed into nothingness.

 Chapter 66 - Sowing Dissension (4)

    <h4>Chapter 66 - Sowing Dissension (4)</h4>

    A few seconds ago, Fu Bainian was still whispering words of love in Lan Jinyao¡¯s ear, saying that she was the only one he liked and that he wanted to have a baby with her.

    And now, Xu Jin¡¯ge was whispering in her ear, telling her: If Fu Bainian really loved you, then he wouldn''t have told me your secret. That devastating secret of yours can make you lose your standing in an instant!

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s thoughts were so chaotic that it seemed like many bees were buzzing around in her mind, letting her see bursts of shbacks. Her mind was constantly reying Fu Bainian¡¯s and Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s words.

    At this moment, her heart was utterly confused.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge covered her mouth andughed;ughing so hard that even her body started shaking.

    ¡°Chen Meimei...oh, no, it should be Lan Jinyao!¡± uttered Xu Jin¡¯ge. She then looked around and upon seeing that no one would be able to hear her, she continued, ¡°I couldn¡¯tprehend it at first. I knew how much Fu Bainian hated that fatty, Chen Meimei, and nearly all of Blue Hall Entertainment knew that too. So, how could he suddenly fall in love with Chen Meimei? It would be impossible, unless...the person he liked was actually someone else.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression remained calm and collected, but her hand under the table instantly tightened. She lowered her head to keep Xu Jin¡¯ge from seeing the current emotions running through her eyes.

    Lan Jinyao felt a sharp chill run down her spine. That chilliness then ran along her limbs and filled her heart with a burst of coldness.

    ¡°No one knows this secret, right?¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge then leaned towards her ear and softly added, ¡°Bainian personally told me thisst night as proof that he didn¡¯t like you!¡±

    After hearing all that, Lan Jinyao loosened her clenched fists. She raised her head and smiled at Xu Jin¡¯ge, who had a smug look on her face. ¡°You said that Fu Bainian doesn¡¯t like me, and to prove this to you he didn''t hesitate to make up such a ridiculous lie. Then, let me ask you, why would the almighty Great President Fu pretend to like me just to deceive me?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge calmly replied, ¡°Since you¡¯ve asked, I''ll tell you why. Firstly, because Aunty likes you, Bainian wanted to be a good son and fulfil his filial piety. Secondly, it¡¯s because of your parents'' achievements abroad. Did you really think that Fu Bainian only owned Blue Hall Entertainment? Of course not! He¡¯s also involved with the pharmaceutical and consumer goods¡¯ market, and the Lan Family will be a good stepping stone for him to enter the market overseas.¡±

    Lan Jinyao''s expression finally changed, but she was an expert at acting.

    ¡°Xu Jin¡¯ge, this lie would only deceive children. I didn''t expect for you to believe it too.¡±

    No one knew just how flustered her heart was at this moment. She¡¯d witnessed just how deep Fu Bainian¡¯s feelings were towards her. Some time ago, he¡¯d even asked her for a divorce because of Lan Xin. But, what if what Xu Jin¡¯ge had said was true? Fu Bainian didn¡¯t actually like her, but the Lan Family behind her?

    She didn''t believe it, but she couldn¡¯t help harbouring suspicions. If Fu Bainian had really liked her for so long, then why had she never before sensed a pair of eyes always staring at her from somewhere? Why had Fu Bainian never mentioned this in the past?

    All these questions seemed to point to one answer, and that was: In the past, Fu Bainian had nned all of this out, but he hadn¡¯t been ready to execute it. However, the time was now ripe.

    Lan Jinyao leisurely stood up and condescendingly looked down at Xu Jin¡¯ge before indifferently saying, ¡°Oh, is that so? Did you really think that I¡¯d believe your nonsense? Since there¡¯s still time, you ought to start thinking about your lifelong happiness and stop clinging to Fu Bainian. You should save yourself before you end up growing too old and remaining unmarried for the rest of your life.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s expression instantly changed upon hearing this.

    Lan Jinyao swept her a nce before turning around and leaving.

    Five minutester, Xu Jin¡¯ge, who was still sitting there, abruptlyughed.

    ¡°Haha, that Lan Jinyao was unexpectedly quite difficult to deal with as even what I¡¯d said was unable to frighten her. However, no matter how strong a person is, they¡¯ll eventually let the cat out of the bag.¡±

    Although Lan Jinyao had looked calm earlier, Xu Jin¡¯ge, as an actress herself, understood the smallest changes in facial expression. Just now, she didn¡¯t miss Lan Jinyao¡¯s minute change in appearance in that split second. Unexpectedly, there really was a different person in Chen Meimei''s body! This was truly unfathomable. No wonder her Brother had said that Chen Meimei wasn¡¯t the same as before. She¡¯d finally managed to attain results after so many days of observation.

    With this secret in her hand, she doubted that things would remain so harmonious between Fu Bainian and Lan Jinyao!

    She immediately dialled Fu Changning''s phone number.

    ¡°Hey, Changning! I¡¯ve been quite busy filming the past few days, so I didn¡¯t have any time to hang out with you. I happen to be free at the end of this month, so I¡¯ll treat you to a meal when the timees!¡±

    ¡°No problem, it''s just clothes! I happen to have a membership card for that store, so you can buy as much as you want on me. Hmm, okay, let¡¯s settle for that then, bye!¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Xu Jin¡¯ge revealed acent smile.

    Later that afternoon, Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t in a very good mood. Every time she acted with Xu Jin¡¯ge, that woman would smile at her without reason like a psychopath. Take now, for example...

    ¡°Cut! Jin¡¯ge, you aren¡¯t supposed tough here; you ought to be angry! Angry! Do you understand?¡±

    n was bing anxious to the point where he was about to explode, and he was continually using the script in his hand to fan himself.

    ¡°Didn''t your teachers ever teach you the difference betweenughter and anger when you were in school? Even Chen Meimei, who¡¯s never been to an art school before, knows that. How could you not know?!¡±

    Those words were a bit harsh, but Xu Jin¡¯ge wasn¡¯t angry at all. Instead, she beamed a smile at n, and adorably stuck out her tongue before softly saying, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, it seems that I wasn¡¯t in the right emotional state earlier! I¡¯ll concentrate better right away.¡±

    ¡°She got scolded like that, yet she was still able tough. I''m afraid that in this entertainment circle only Xu Jin¡¯ge is capable of that. I heard that someone saw President Fu''s car this morning. Could it be that he¡¯s here for Xu Jin¡¯ge? If that¡¯s true, then all of this makes sense.¡±

    Upon hearing the staff members whispering to each other nearby, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart felt increasingly heavy. She knew why Xu Jin¡¯ge wasughing, and that was because she¡¯d turned managed to the tables in her odds for one round.

    n loosened his furrowed brows and impatiently said, ¡°Let''s do it once more! If it doesn''t work out this time, then I suggest you go back to school and study acting and art again.¡±

    This was already the third time, so anyone would start feeling impatient by now. Not just n, even the rest of the staff present had begun to feel a little frustrated. It was just that they didn¡¯t dare say anything because of the difference in status.

 Chapter 67 - Sowing Dissension (5)

    <h4>Chapter 67 - Sowing Dissension (5)</h4>

    Since thest time Fu Bainian had visited the vi, he¡¯d unexpectedly not reappeared after that. When Lan Jinyao was lying in bed at night, she was thinking that if all that Xu Jin¡¯ge had said was true, then Fu Bainian was truly an expert in showbiz because whenever he was facing her, she seemed to only discern deep affection through his eyes.

    Now that she¡¯d had a short break, she couldn¡¯t help but send Fu Bainian a text message: Hey, are you currently busy with something?

    This was clearly a very normal greeting, but she felt inexplicably guilty because Xu Jin¡¯ge had said before that Fu Bainian was busy expanding his business opportunities abroad.

    After the text message was sent, it seemed to have sunk to the bottom of the sea as there was no reply for an extremely long time.

    ¡°Meimei, you''re up next!¡±

    She nced at the phone screen again before replying, ¡°Okay, I''ll be right over.¡±

    Still, no new text message came in.

    Fu Bainian, are you actually really busy at the moment, or is it that you just don¡¯t want to answer me?

    After shelving her thoughts for another time, she put her phone in her bag and then walked towards the traditionally decorated room. This scene was between her and the male lead. Basically, Xu Jin¡¯ge wasn¡¯t involved, so this scene was shot quite smoothly.

    Following that, just as the makeup artist was redoing her makeup, the male lead suddenly walked over.

    The male lead for Rouge Fermentation was a teen idol that had debuted not too long ago. He was quite young and he looked charming as whenever he smiled, two little tiger teeth would be revealed. Nowadays, the audience¡¯s insight was all the more sinister, and their taste was also bing increasingly picky. This kind of teen idol was precisely what the audience currently liked.

    ¡°Big Sis Meimei, you did really well just now. It seems that after filming this drama, I¡¯ll have certainly made some progress by acting alongside you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao slightly nodded at him, showing a generous and natural smile. ¡°Thank you for thepliment! Likewise, I¡¯m also learning a lot from you, so we ought to improve together.¡±

    When Li Ya received herpliment, he looked away as if he was a little shy.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard horrible rumours about Big Sis Meimei in the past, but your image is unexpectedlypletely different from that hearsay. I personally find you very outstanding; no matter if it was in acting or in any other aspect.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s forehead was filled with ck lines when she heard this. Truth be told, there was no way of measuring the extent of Chen Meimei¡¯s bad history. Even if one were to count with ten fingers, it would still be uncountable.

    She put on a fake smile and said, ¡°Haha...is that so? Those are all rumours...and can¡¯t be trusted.¡±

    Li Ya seemed to be in high spirits. He straightforwardly sat down beside her and chattered on. ¡°Yes, indeed! Only after seeing you in person did I finally realise how misleading the rumours are. They all say that you don''t have any acting skills. However, you are clearly more amazing than any of those current popr actresses. The public also says that you¡¯re always shamelessly chasing after President Fu from Blue Hall Entertainment, but I don¡¯t think so. You¡¯re a very independent woman, and you¡¯re not the kind of person that would rely on...¡±

    He seemed to have realised that his words weren¡¯t very appropriate, and he forcefully swallowed hisst few words.

    Lan Jinyao knew what he¡¯d wanted to say next; he must have wanted to say either rely on a man or her family. However, she didn¡¯t mind it because all of these things were done by Chen Meimei, so it had nothing to do with her. Besides, she didn''t care about those kinds of things at all. That was, as long as thements didn¡¯t bring about any substantial harm to her, then she was fine with it.

    ¡°Actually, what you just said isn¡¯t entirely false. I did chase President Fu before, but that was because I really liked him, so some of the things I did might¡¯ve been a little overboard and resulted in those remarks. Since it was something that I did, I¡¯m not afraid of what others think about it.¡±

    Li Ya gave her a thumbs up and said, ¡°You¡¯re really open-minded! Say, can someone like me have the honour of bing friends with you?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao was puzzled as she looked at Li Ya. Did he mean friend or boyfriend? He¡¯d asked that in such a bashful manner...was she just overthinking things?

    After a while, Lan Jinyao startedughing and patted Li Ya¡¯s shoulder. She imitated Chen Meimei as she readily said, ¡°Of course we can! With my personality, I can be good friends with anyone.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, haha!¡± Li Ya looked up and awkwardly smiled at her.

    After Li Ya left, the makeup artist asked Lan Jinyao, ¡°Meimei, don¡¯t tell me that you couldn¡¯t tell that that teen idol actually fancies you?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lan Jinyao pretended to be ignorant. ¡°Is that so? Howe I didn¡¯t sense that? You must be wrong!¡±

    ¡°Sigh! You only have President Fu in your eyes, so how can there still be any spots left for other people? I must say, you look fantastic since you¡¯ve slimmed down. Your looks, in general, aren¡¯t that bad, it¡¯s just that it was a little more chubby before. Now that you¡¯ve slimmed down, who knows how many bees and butterflies you¡¯ll attract?¡± The makeup artist pointed towards the direction in which Li Ya had left and added, ¡°Oh, that one¡¯s not bad; a lot of people on the Inte are mouring to marry him.¡±

    Lan Jinyao absent-mindedly answered with a ¡®mhmm¡¯ while she reached into her bag and took out her mobile phone.

    She stared at the phone screen and saw that there still weren¡¯t any text messages yet. She didn¡¯t know why, but she started to feel her insides tingling with irritation. Thus, she angrily threw her phone back into her bag.

    No one noticed that Xu Jin¡¯ge, who currently had no scenes, was secretly hiding in a dark corner nearby. As she watched Lan Jinyao¡¯s movements, her lips curled up into a cold and eerie smile.

    At night, Xu Jin¡¯ge went to Lan Jinyao¡¯s room again. This time she didn¡¯t use a key to unlock her door and had instead pushed the door open and walked in. Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao had just finished taking a bath and was checking the news on her phone on the bed.

    The shooting of Rouge Fermentation¡¯s hadn¡¯t finished yet, but its official Weibo had already begun to promote it. It was unknown which staff member had posted a photo of Lan Jinyao and Li Ya sitting and talking together online. Although Li Ya wasn¡¯t very popr yet, the previous incident regarding Lan Jinyao and Fu Bainian¡¯s divorce was quiterge-scale, so the group of ¡®Sherlock Holmes¡¯ fans had already started to specte about things.

    They came up with posts like Lan Jinyao having an extramarital affair after marriage, and something about Great President Fu being tragically cheated on...all kinds of eye-catching headlines that one could think of were there. In any case, their imaginations were overrated.

    Following that, not just Li Ya¡¯s Weibo, but also Chen Meimei¡¯s Weibo had nearly crashed.

    Lan Jinyao opened one random post. The photo was taken at a very precise angle, and it seemed that the person was hiding somewhere very close to her when the picture was taken. She carefully thought back to that moment and recalled that there were too many people around her at that time. There was not only the makeup artist but also other staff members. Even if she¡¯d wanted to find out who the photographer was, that would prove to be quite tricky.

    She¡¯d initially wanted to take this opportunity to post a Weibo message to rify this matter. She¡¯d already edited the content, and it was definitely official, but, after waiting for a long time, her hand still moved to the delete button.

    It looked like it was better to save this as a draft first. She just wanted to see what kind of reaction Fu Bainian would have after he¡¯d seen the news.

    Lan Jinyao suddenly had expectations and was looking forward to seeing his reaction.

 Chapter 68 - Sowing Dissension (6)

    <h4>Chapter 68 - Sowing Dissension (6)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s attention was focused on her phone when Xu Jin¡¯ge came in. It wasn¡¯t until a long while had passed that she finally noticed that there was another person in the room. But, by then, Xu Jin¡¯ge had already sat down at the bedside.

    ¡°What are you here for this time?¡± Lan Jinyao asked cautiously.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge swept a quick nce around the room before her gazended on the phone in Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand. She then haughtily said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re currently checking Weibo? I guess you must¡¯ve already seen the online news then!¡±

    Lan Jinyao thought for a second and immediately made a guess, so she asked, ¡°You were the one who posted those photos online?!¡±

    To Lan Jinyao¡¯s surprise, Xu Jin¡¯ge didn¡¯t immediately refute her question. On the contrary, Xu Jin¡¯ge admitted it. ¡°That¡¯s right, I took all those photos. Didn''t you want to find out what Fu Bainian really thinks of you? You can take a good look now, whether he truly cares about you or not!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge said this with absolute determination, causing a peculiar feeling to bubble up within Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Alright, then I''ll just wait and see!¡± answered Lan Jinyao as she gestured towards the door. ¡°I¡¯m going to rest now, so please leave!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge stood up, but she didn¡¯t immediately leave. Instead, she stared at Lan Jinyao with a peculiar smile before she unhurriedly said, ¡°I hope that you can remain optimistic and open-minded when the timees!¡±

    After Xu Jin¡¯ge had left, Lan Jinyao threw her phone on the bed and tucked her entire body under the nket. She¡¯d already felt slightly uneasy and annoyed, but now she felt even worse.

    There was a subtle feeling of uneasiness within her heart. It seemed that from the moment she¡¯d woken up in Chen Meimei¡¯s body, she¡¯d gained some sort of keen intuition.

    The next day, Li Ya didn¡¯t look very cheerful; he seemed discontent and appeared as if he had fallen ill. When Lan Jinyao walked towards him, he just swept her a quick nce before looking away again. He wasn¡¯t smiling nor was he as enthusiastic as the day before.

    Although Lan Jinyao found his behaviour odd, she didn''t ask any further questions.

    It wasn¡¯t until that afternoon that she finally understand why Li Ya was acting so weirdly. She¡¯d received a text message from Fu Bainian, which consisted of only a few short words: I¡¯d feel jealous!

    All the news on Weibo concerning Lan Jinyao and Li Ya had been cleanly deleted by someone, and only a few active verified inte celebrities were still forwarding the news. But, the number of shares was very meagre because as soon as those posts were forwarded, they would be instantly deleted. Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s official Weibo had also issued a statement stating that there was nothing between the two and that those photos were just a publicity stunt for the new drama.

    Now that the official Weibo had refuted the rumours, the news had already faded away.

    Lan Jinyao secretly made a call to Li Qi and asked him if this matter was settled by Fu Bainian, and she immediately got an affirmative answer.

    Li Qi had left after only staying one week at the vi, saying that he needed to make arrangements for her next work. When Lan Jinyao had asked him what kind of work, he¡¯d acted all secretive and had refused to talk about it. Thus, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t bother to pursue the matter nor question him further. She¡¯d just assumed that Li Qi might¡¯ve gone to chase after He Xiaoyun.

    In a few days¡¯ time, the drama would be officially finalised. After that, no matter how much Xu Jin¡¯ge wanted to sow dissension, she wouldn''t be able to affect her anymore. As for the issue between her and Fu Bainian, Lan Jinyao had decided to put it aside for now since she had more important things to do at the moment. Because...Shen Wei¡¯an was going to be discharged from the hospital soon.

    ...

    ¡°Jun Hao, I truly love you with all my heart. Why are you still not willing to believe me?¡±

    This scene was yed by the male lead and the second female lead. The second female lead was snivelling; her appearance seemingly not that bad. Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao sat not too far away and was quietly watching this, asionally fiddling with her phone.

    The prop dagger in Li Ya¡¯s hand had been ruthlessly thrust into the pit of the second female lead¡¯s stomach, and blood dripped out of the wound.

    Eventually, the woman''s sight gradually blurred and faded, but her hand still stubbornly held onto Li Ya''s clothes, refusing to let go even after her death.

    What a moving scene! Lan Jinyao suddenly thought of something and quickly aimed her phone at the two people on set.

    She didn''t turn on her phone¡¯s sh, so everything was quietly and stealthily recorded.

    In the evening, after 6 PM, there were two more scenes. Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s part was alreadypletely done, and all that was left were the scenes between the male lead and the female lead.

    However, after the Weibo incident, Li Ya¡¯s movements at certain times appeared to be somewhat tense. Others might not have noticed that, but Lan Jinyao, who was acting alongside him, could see it very distinctly. For example, when the male lead and female lead had to stare into each other¡¯s eyes affectionately, Li Ya would subconsciously evade her gaze. Also, when he was embracing her, she could feel his arms tense up.

    He wasn¡¯t acting like usual at all, even though no one had noticed it. But, luckily, today''s filming session went smoothly all the way to the end.

    When Li Ya went to the back garden, Lan Jinyao followed him.

    ¡°Hi!¡±

    She then walked over and stood beside him.

    When Li Ya saw that it was Lan Jinyao, his gaze evaded her for a just a split second, yet that subtle motion was caught by Lan Jinyao¡¯s sharp eyes.

    ¡°Are you still worrying about the news articles on Weibo?¡±

    Li Ya subconsciously nodded, but when he finally managed to react, he quickly shook his head and said, ¡°No-no I¡¯m not!¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled upon seeing his reaction before she sighed and said, ¡°It doesn''t matter. Those news articles won''t affect your poprity. On the contrary, it¡¯s advantageous for your future development. You didn¡¯t even see mine from back then; I was practically scolded all the way to the top of the search results each time! If I worried about all the gossip people spread about me, then I probably would¡¯ve died from depression by now.¡±

    Li Ya softly concurred, then asked, ¡°The news on Weibo states that we¡¯re...those words are truly unpleasant to hear. You really don¡¯t mind at all?¡±

    Truth to be told, thosements and news articles were truly hurtful towards an average married woman, but she¡¯d already experienced death once, so what else could drown her? She could only force out a brighter smile as she moved along her journey from now on.

    ¡°Of course I mind, but there¡¯s nothing to be done about it. Since I¡¯ve chosen to walk this path, then I have to bear the thistles, thorns, and setbacks along the way. This path seems bright and shiny, but in fact, it¡¯s not easy at all.¡± Lan Jinyao sighed before she continued, ¡°So, we have to be tougher and grow stronger!¡±

    Li Ya finally cheered up and beamed a bright smile. ¡°Mm! You''re right. I was initially worried that you¡¯d get a bad impression of me because of this incident!¡±

    ¡°Haha, of course not!¡±

    She wouldn¡¯t, but whether Fu Bainian would or not was something else.

    Their conversation ended up untangling the knots in their hearts.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t stay for long as she was worried that a new scandal would pop up because Xu Jin¡¯ge was practically everywhere.

    However, when she had returned to the set, she saw Xu Jin¡¯ge taking her phone out of her bag without permission. Looking at Xu Jin¡¯ge being all secretive, Lan Jinyao knew that that woman was up to no good. Suddenly, an idea appeared in Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind.

 Chapter 69 - Sowing Dissension (7)

    <h4>Chapter 69 - Sowing Dissension (7)</h4>

    After Lan Jinyao had woken up in Chen Meimei''s body, she hadn¡¯t set up a password for her phone. And now, she could only helplessly watch as Xu Jin¡¯ge unlocked her phone screen. She then saw Xu Jin¡¯geughing evilly; it looked like she was scheming something terrible.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge sure was childish.

    Lan Jinyao remained calm as she walked up behind Xu Jin¡¯ge to check what she was doing. Xu Jin¡¯ge was intently staring at her phone¡¯s screen, so she didn¡¯t notice that there was someone behind her. The crew members standing nearby saw what was happening, but no one spoke up to warn her.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge first checked her photo album and searched through it. When she finally found the photos that were secretly taken by Lan Jinyao during herst scene, she deleted them one by one. Lan Jinyao noticed that Xu Jin¡¯ge had initially wanted to put the phone back after she was done, but she then hesitated for a minute before she unlocked her phone again, clicking on her SMS app.

    Following that, Xu Jin¡¯ge tapped on Fu Bainian¡¯s name. Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression immediately sunk when she saw Xu Jin¡¯ge reading through the messages.

    It looked like she was right! It wasn¡¯t that Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t texted her back. Rather, someone had tampered with her phone when she wasn¡¯t paying attention, and as such, the text messages sent by Fu Bainian had been deleted without a trace.

    When Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s finger hovered on the delete button again, Lan Jinyao quickly extended her hand and snatched the phone back from her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that your current actions can be deemed as theft? Xu Jin¡¯ge, don¡¯t you have any discipline?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Xu Jin¡¯ge turned slightly abashed, but after a second, her expression had already changed back to one of arrogance. Xu Jin¡¯ge widened her eyes as she impartially said, ¡°I didn¡¯t steal your phone. I just took a look and nothing more.¡±

    ¡°Then, what were you looking for? And, if I may ask, does the text messages in my phone rte to you in any way, Miss Xu?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge liked Fu Bainian, and that was something she couldn¡¯t do anything about. However, Lan Jinyao absolutely wouldn¡¯t allow this woman to interfere in her rtionship with Fu Bainian. Even if it were just a small misunderstanding, she would never condone it!

    ¡°The text messages aren¡¯t rted to me,¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge calmly answered, her ego halved as she continued, ¡°But, what about those photos...what were you nning to do with them, huh? Post them on the Inte?¡±

    ¡°Do you think that everyone is like you? Do you really think that you can justify anything by resorting to this?¡± Lan Jinyao swung the phone in her hand, and uttered, ¡°That. Is. Not. Possible! If you really want to prove something, then your actions only prove that you¡¯re stupid! Doing things like this is truly boring, so please conduct yourself.¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s chest was frantically heaving up and down as she angrily stared at Lan Jinyao. But, she didn¡¯t say anything to refute Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, don''t get toocent.¡±

    After a long while, Xu Jin¡¯ge only managed to utter this one sentence after calming down a bit.

    Lan Jinyao snorted at her before casually saying, ¡°What was the point of deleting the text messages that Fu Bainian had sent me? What right does someone like you, who loves to delete other people''s text messages, have to say this? Xu Jin¡¯ge, if you dare do this again, then don¡¯t me my fists!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge subconsciously took a step back before saying, ¡°I''m leaving tomorrow. Hopefully, no one will trouble you in the future!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be better with you gone!¡± rebuked Lan Jinyao. But, I won¡¯t just let this matter go!

    Lan Jinyao had a premonition that Xu Jin¡¯ge, this troublesome woman, would be a significant obstacle between herself and Fu Bainian in the future.

    That night, Fu Bainian called Lan Jinyao. When Lan Jinyao, who wasying on the bed heard his voice, she felt warmth envelop her heart. At this moment, everything in the surroundings seemed to have faded; leaving behind just the two of them.

    Fu Bainian sounded a little tired, so Lan Jinyao asked, ¡°Have you been busytely? I texted you plenty of times, but you never answered!¡±

    Wasn¡¯t it just acting wronged? She could also do it! Moreover, her acting wouldn¡¯t be any worse than Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s.

    As expected, Fu Bainian felt even more wronged than her as he said, ¡°Dear Wife, I honestly replied! Every time you sent a message, I replied. Perhaps, the signal was bad, so you didn¡¯t receive my messages!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with my phone¡¯s signal!¡± replied Lan Jinyao with a slightly angry voice.

    After that, Fu Bainian¡¯s tone softened quite a bit as he continued, ¡°Then, perhaps, my phone¡¯s signal was bad, but I honestly did reply!¡±

    Upon hearing his reply, Lan Jinyao suddenly felt that there was no meaning in continuing like this, so she couldn¡¯t help but tell the truth. ¡°Alright, you did text me back, and I may have received your text messages, but...someone deleted them. I heard some bad things today, and that¡¯s why I didn''t feel very happy.¡±

    At times, Lan Jinyao had no choice but to give in to Fu Bainian; his IQ was top-notch! She¡¯d onlyined a little, but he¡¯d already figured out the rest.

    ¡°It was Xu Jin¡¯ge, right? She deleted the text messages on your phone. She was speaking ill of me in front of you, isn¡¯t that so? Our rtionship is only as good as it is because of my parents. There''s really nothing between her and me!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips slowly curled up into a smile.

    She then said, ¡°She likes you a lot, and she always made me feel uneasy somehow.¡± She didn¡¯t feel this kind of uneasiness even when she was facing Lan Xin.

    The man on the other end of the phone chuckled, and then Lan Jinyao heard him say, ¡°I¡¯d initially thought that I was the only one who felt this way, but surprisingly, that wasn¡¯t the case. Do you know what this implies? It means you''ve fully epted me now.¡±

    ¡°And then what?¡± Did he miss the most crucial point?

    After pondering for a moment, Fu Bainian quickly replied, ¡°Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s acting skills are actually quite good, so her agency has decided to send her abroad to advance in Hollywood. Thus, she won''t be staying here for long.¡±

    ¡°Was it your idea?¡±

    A long while had passed before she heard Fu Bainian softly acknowledging, ¡°Mm!¡±

    It turned out that he¡¯d already settled everything, and here she thought that...

    ¡°So, now that you know Xu Jin¡¯ge is going to go abroad soon do you feel reluctant to part with her?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Fu Bainian stayed silent for a moment before he continued, ¡°I just hope that there won¡¯t be a second Xu Jin¡¯geing between us.¡±

    His voice carried a heavy hint of fatigue as he spoke. Like the ticking sounds of an ancient morning bell, it rammed at Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart.

    As long as he was Fu Bainian, and as long as she was Chen Meimei, how could there be no second opportunity for Xu Jin¡¯ge toe between them?

    They still had a long way ahead of them.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, I¡¯m not outstanding enough, and that¡¯s why other women always think that they still have a chance. They must all think that Chen Meimei''s persistence has touched you!¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s voice slightly trembled as she added, ¡°So...Fu Bainian, would you ever tell others my true identity?¡±

    Bainian personally told me that you¡¯re really Lan Jinyao as proof that he didn¡¯t like you.

    When Lan Jinyao heard Fu Bainian answer in the negative, she softly chuckled. Xu Jin¡¯ge was truly something else! To think that she¡¯d managed to guess, all on her own, something as unbelievable as Lan Jinyao¡¯s rebirth.

 Chapter 70 - Sowing Dissension (8)

    <h4>Chapter 70 - Sowing Dissension (8)</h4>

    Four dayster, the wrap party was held at a hotel in the city. Lan Jinyao was surprised to see that Fu Bainian was also present.

    Taking advantage of the fact that all the people around them were chatting, Lan Jinyao tapped Fu Bainian¡¯s hand under the table and asked him in a low voice, ¡°Howe you¡¯re here? It¡¯s not because of me, right?¡±

    When Fu Bainian heard that, he casually replied, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things.¡±

    Soon after, n rified Lan Jinyao¡¯s doubts when he held up his wine ss and said, ¡°Everyone, here''s to President Fu! It was all thanks to his financial support and investment that we managed to sessfully wrap up the drama!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was totally baffled. As far as she knew, Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t invested in the drama at all. However, looking at everyone¡¯s reaction, it seemed that they were all aware that he had. She was the only one who didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Of course, besides President Fu, we also have to toast Meimei! She was a major contributor in our team!¡±

    While n was talking, he winked at Lan Jinyao.

    When everyone raised their wine ss to toast to Lan Jinyao, a clear and cold humph resounded throughout the room.

    Only then did Lan Jinyao take note of Xu Jin¡¯ge, who was sitting next to the Assistant Director.

    Lan Jinyao saw that Xu Jin¡¯ge still looked as arrogant as ever, so she supposed that Xu Jin¡¯ge probably didn¡¯t know yet that she was going to be forced to go abroad soon.

    Amidst the banquet, Fu Bainian left for a while, but Lan Jinyao didn''t care too much since n was walking towards her. He then told her, ¡°Your acting skills are superb. I certainly didn''t pick the wrong person for the role. I have another uing work; are you interested in participating? Your role will still be the female lead, how about that?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m interested! It¡¯s my honour to work with you again. But, around when does the shoot start? I may need to schedule things beforehand on my end so that, when the timees, I still have a time slot...¡±

    She had to attend Chen Zetao¡¯s movie audition soon, and she must definitely win that role because that film would be the stepping-stone towards the movie Goddess title. If Shen Wei¡¯an was smart enough, then she would undoubtedly join the audition.

    n snapped his fingers and said, ¡°No problem at all! The script hasn''t even been written yet.¡±

    Lan Jinyao: ¡°...¡±

    Fine! So, it¡¯s turned out to be a nk cheque.

    n patted her on the shoulder before adding, ¡°Don''t despair, when Rouge Fermentationes out, you''re going to be a big hit! You have to believe in your abilities, and you also have to believe in mine!¡±

    ¡°We ought to thank your lucky stars for that!¡± Lan Jinyao indifferently responded.

    ......

    Xu Jin¡¯ge stood in the corridor outside the bathroom and looked in front of her from time to time. When Fu Bainian had left earlier, she¡¯d quickly followed behind him.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Fu Bainian came out of the bathroom. When he saw Xu Jin¡¯ge, he frowned and asked, ¡°Were you waiting for me?¡±

    ¡°Mhm! There''s something I want to talk to you about,¡± said Xu Jin''ge with a sweet smile on her face.

    Fu Bainian nodded. ¡°If you have something to say, then just say it!¡±

    His expression was icy, so the smile on Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s face gradually faded. She walked over to Fu Bainian and extended her hand to hold his hand.

    However, in the next second, Fu Bainian put his hand into his pocket. The hand that Xu Jin¡¯ge had extended froze in the air for a long while before she slowly withdrew it, her expression somewhat disappointed.

    ¡°The agency has asked me to go abroad to develop my acting career. Was that your decision?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s voice sounded a bit weak, with a hint of grievances. She knew that acting like this was the most useful way to make one feel sympathy and take pity on her.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t nod or shake his head. Instead, he just casually said, ¡°Your current acting skills aren¡¯t bad, but they¡¯re just above average. Going abroad will be greatly beneficial to your future development. Besides, you should be more sensible now and realise what you really want.¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge stubbornly lifted her head and passionately stared at him. ¡°Fu Bainian, I don¡¯t want to go abroad. I¡¯m already an adult; I know what I want!¡±

    Her voice was a little loud, so everyone who¡¯d gone to the bathroom looked towards them.

    ¡°Are you sure you know what you want?¡± Fu Bainian''s expression darkened a little as he asked her this question.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s eyes were a little red, but she stubbornly refused to look away and loudly replied, ¡°Of course I know! What I want is..."

    Her words came to an abrupt end.

    Lan Jinyao stood not too far away and quietly observed them.

    In the next second, Xu Jin¡¯ge quickly tiptoed and tightly hugged Fu Bainian before he noticed the person standing nearby in the corridor. Xu Jin¡¯ge choked with sobs as she whispered in his ear, ¡°Don''t send me abroad! Otherwise, I won¡¯t keep Chen Meimei''s secret any longer. She¡¯s, in fact, Lan Jinyao, right?! What a shocking fact! I don''t know what Old Chen would think if he learned about this.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s body stiffened upon hearing that and his gaze which was staring at the wall gradually deepened.

    ¡°This is my only request! I just want to stay here!¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge softly stated.

    She then slowly released Fu Bainian and looked at the empty corridor, her lips slightly curled upwards.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, do you agree to my request or not?¡± she asked again with a nasally voice, sounding slightly rusty.

    Fu Bainian frowned and looked a little perplexed as he asked, ¡°How did you know that? Who else knows about this?¡±

    He knew very well that this secret mustn¡¯t be told to anyone, or else, it would be just as Xu Jin¡¯ge had said. Just the Chen family alone wouldn¡¯t let her get away with this.

    At this instant, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression dramatically darkened, seemingly shrouding him in the depths of a coldyer of frost brimming with gloominess. Xu Jin¡¯ge felt somewhat terrified when she saw him like this.

    ¡°No one else!¡± She shook her head before she continued, ¡°I didn''t tell anyone. I discovered this secret on my own, so no one knows about it besides me. However, if you insist on sending me abroad, then I can''t guarantee that no one else will know about it.¡±

    This was a simple threat, but apparently, this threat just so happened to be Fu Bainian¡¯s weakness.

    After a while, Fu Bainian slightly nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll make the proper arrangements for thister!¡±

    Following that, he intently stared at Xu Jin¡¯ge before turning around and walking away.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge, who was still standing on the same spot, watched the man¡¯s departing figure. Her smile then became all the more dazzling.

    When Fu Bainian returned to the room, those present were already starting to get drunk. He swept a quick nce around the room, but he didn¡¯t see Lan Jinyao anywhere.

    n was already drunk, and when he saw Fu Bainian enter, he smiled and said, ¡°Why did it take you so long to get back? Meimei went to look for you, but why hasn''t shee back yet?¡±

    ¡°She went to look for me? When did she leave?¡± asked Fu Bainian with contracted pupils.

    n leisurely said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while already. Didn¡¯t you see her on your way back? Could it be that she¡¯s already left?¡±

    At this moment, Fu Bainian finally understood why Xu Jin¡¯ge had suddenly hugged him. He then instantly changed his mind. Jinyao was right; Xu Jin¡¯ge was indeed trouble.

 Chapter 71 - Cold War (1)

    <h4>Chapter 71 - Cold War (1)</h4>

    At the top of Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s building, Lan Jinyao was leaning against the wall, her eyesight blurry.

    The dark sky was glittering with a few bright stars, and the cool breeze asionally caressed her hair.

    In this situation, she recalled that night. She stood here as she watched Shen Wei¡¯an shouting hysterically, ming all the injustices in this world. At that time, Lan Jinyao had only felt sad, but now, she understood that there was no such thing as fairness in this world.

    Back then, she hadn¡¯t known what love was, and she hadn¡¯t understood the meaning of a life.

    But now, she understood that love wasn¡¯t equal to life. For a lifetime, it was just way too long, thorny, and full of disappointments.

    As Lan Jinyao looked up at the quiet sky, a silent shadow appeared from the stairway. The figure stopped and looked around for a while before continuing to Lan Jinyao and sitting beside her.

    Lan Jinyao tilted her head to look at Lan Xin, the corner of her mouth raising to form a sneer.

    She¡¯d thought she was the only one who¡¯d wanted to calm down here for a while when upset. She hadn¡¯t expected that she could meet an acquaintance here.

    In that split moment, the previous grudge between them seemed to disappear, and Lan Jinyao faintly asked, ¡°Do you still like Fu Bainian?¡±

    Staring at the face that was identical to her old one, Lan Jinyao felt something shing in her mind. But, it shed too fast, just like a white light, and before she could even catch it, it disappeared. She couldn¡¯t remember what it was, no matter how hard she tried.

    Lan Xin was staring into the distance for a long while and snapped back to reality when she heard the question. She swept a nce at Lan Jinyao before she faintly smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the truth. Actually, I don¡¯t like Fu Bainian at all. Although it¡¯s undeniable that the man is indeed handsome, I only have one person in my heart. I will never fall in love with another in my life.¡±

    ¡°You have someone you like?¡±

    This answer was beyond Lan Jinyao¡¯s expectation. She¡¯d thought that this woman was all about Fu Bainian. That day, in the restaurant, Lan Xin had suffered not only from her usation but also from the malicious res of the people in the restaurant. For a woman, if she had no particr purpose, people would hardly believe that it was true love.

    Lan Xin nodded. ¡°Yeah, but I can only like him from afar. I can never get close, and I can¡¯t get close either.¡±

    The way Lan Xin spoke was slightly strange. Lan Jinyao was confused, but her curiosity was roused.

    ¡°Why? If you like someone, then you should pursue him!¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t approve of destroying someone¡¯s family.¡±

    Lan Xin suddenly burst intoughter at her words.

    She looked towards Lan Jinyao. ¡°I hadn¡¯t expected that your morality would be so strong. I won¡¯t destroy someone¡¯s family; I would never do that!¡±

    Lan Jinyao thought: weren¡¯t you trying to break Fu Bainian and me up before? Just so you know, we already have a marriage certificate, so byw, we¡¯re already a family.

    As if she¡¯d guessed Lan Jinyao¡¯s thoughts, Lan Xin¡¯s smile became even more prominent, her eyes which bent down and made her looked adorable.

    She said, ¡°You still remember that matter? Haven¡¯t you already reconciled with Fu Bainian? Actually, I know that what I did was wrong. I also felt very ashamed in my heart, but I had no choice; I had to do it. I¡¯m really sorry for hurting you!¡±

    The reason she¡¯d had to do it was to get close to Fu Bainian? Wasn¡¯t it to break them apart? The questions in Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind grewrger.

    Although the face in front of her looked exactly like her former self, she continuously felt that she couldn¡¯t tell what Lan Xin was thinking. She clearly didn¡¯t look all that old, but why did it seem that she was much more reserved than her peers? She seemedpletely differentpared to Xu Jin¡¯ge.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you another secret!¡±

    Lan Xin blinked. Her eyes were twinkling as if they contained starlight. Lan Jinyao suddenly felt that Lan Xin¡¯s current smile was somewhat dangerous. It was simr to a mischievous grin that someone would have before they pulled a prank. She subconsciously thought that the secret Lan Xin was going to tell her wouldn¡¯t be a pleasant secret.

    ¡°Actually...Fu Bainian has someone he likes!¡±

    Lan Xin had deliberately dragged out her words for suspense, and her tone was somewhat smug.

    However, the next second, the smugness on her face slowly faded. She looked at Lan Jinyao in puzzlement and asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you upset? Or, are you with Fu Bainian because of a reason other than love?¡±

    The corners of Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curved upwards. At this moment, Lan Xin had an innocent look about her that matched her age.

    Lan Jinyao shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be upset. What you want to say is that the person Fu Bainian likes is the dead actress, Lan Jinyao, right? I don¡¯t really care about this. After all, she¡¯s already dead.¡±

    Sometimes, fate was genuinely wonderful. Two people who¡¯d been opposing each other not long ago could, at this moment, talk like a pair of old friends who¡¯d known each other for a long time.

    Just when Lan Jinyao was sighing inwardly, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

    Obviously, Lan Xin wasn¡¯t happy.

    In that moment, Lan Jinyao could almost see a surging emotion within her eyes. This emotion came without warning, which made Lan Jinyao feel a little confused.

    After a long while, Lan Xin finally calmed down and stared at Lan Jinyao with her bright eyes as she stated, ¡°She¡¯s not dead. She lives forever in my heart!¡±

    Upon hearing the first half of her sentence, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart thumped hard, and she thought that her secret had been discovered. But, when she heard thetter phrase, she was relieved.

    ¡°I¡¯m her fan; the type that will always protect her.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was quite moved when she heard that. Her eyes softened as she asked, ¡°Is it because you closely resemble her? Or maybe, it¡¯s purely her acting you like? Or, even her personality?¡±

    She didn¡¯t know how many of her fans would remember her in their hearts after her death.

    ¡°Because she was just like me; very lonely.¡±

    At that moment, listening to Lan Xin¡¯s serious tone when spoke those words, the smile on Lan Jinyao¡¯s face finally disappeared.

    That¡¯s right; no one could understand her loneliness. Even though she¡¯d entered the entertainment industry and had learnt to smile intimately at anyone; the emotions buried deep inside her had never changed.

    As the clock struck 9 PM, the time when Lan Jinyao had fallen off the building, Lan Xin stood up and looked down at the dark staircase.

    ¡°Do you want toe over and see? I heard that for people who die from falling off a building, their souls always linger below. At night, we might see signs of the soul!¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head. ¡°No!¡±

    Her legs turned to jelly. Although she was standing on the roof of the very building she¡¯d died from, she still hadn¡¯t ovee her trauma.

    This time, she figured that she¡¯de here for nothing.

 Chapter 72 - Cold War (2)

    <h4>Chapter 72 - Cold War (2)</h4>

    Before 12 PM, Fu Bainian had searched the entire building and still hadn¡¯t found any trace of Lan Jinyao.

    When he came to the top building, there was a figure visible within the shadows. In that second, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression was absent-minded. It seemed like he could see Lan Jinyao standing there as if she hadn¡¯t fallen!

    However, as he walked closer, he woke up from his dream. The person standing there wasn¡¯t Lan Jinyao. Instead, it was the person who had the same face as Lan Jinyao; Lan Xin.

    ¡°What are you doing here sote at night?¡±

    Lan Xin stared at him with a burning gaze. Then, she suddenly smiled. It was a kind of coquettish smile that resembled the one Lan Jinyao used to use as the female lead in some dramas. She slowly walked towards Fu Bainian and softly said, ¡°Then, what is President Fu doing here thiste? Could it be to remember the past?¡±

    Fu Bainian swiftly nced at her. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things. I just came here to find someone.¡±

    ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± The smile on Lan Xin¡¯s mouth was gradually increasing.

    Fu Bainian just ignored her and looked around, but he didn¡¯t see the one he was looking for, so he turned to leave. But, his sleeve was caught just as he turned around.

    ¡°It seems that you really like Chen Meimei. What a pity, I thought that you could have the same...¡±

    The same what?

    Lan Xin didn¡¯t continue, and Fu Bainian didn¡¯t bother to ask.

    He only said, ¡°My current situation is good enough; I¡¯m very satisfied!¡±

    Then, he hurriedly walked towards the stairs while behind him, a woman¡¯sughter echoed under the silent night sky. Thatugh sounded ethereal, giving goosebumps to anyone who heard it.

    Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao, who¡¯d already returned home, had already washed up and gone to bed.

    She had more than 20 missed calls on her phone screen. The phone¡¯s notification light constantly shed in the dark room, making it obvious.

    When the exhausted Fu Bainian returned home, he saw the shoes lined up at the doorway. The pair of high-heeled shoes were the one that Lan Jinyao had worn at the party this evening; she was back!

    Due to this, he immediately rushed inside. There were no lights on in the living room, and it was extremely quiet, so he tiptoed into the bedroom.

    The bedroom door wasn¡¯t locked; he could go in as long as he twisted the doorknob.

    The quilt on the bed was raised, revealing only a head that was facing away from the door.

    At this moment, he felt that his restless heart calm down. He lightly stalked forward as to not make any sound, and sat on the bed.

    Fu Bainian remembered that thest time she¡¯d been sulking, she¡¯d locked him outside in anger. But, this time, she hadn¡¯t locked the door. Did that mean she was retreating? Or, did it mean that she wasn¡¯t all that angry at him?

    His fingertips gently caressed her cheek as he was afraid that his movement would disturb her sleep. After quite some time, he nted a soft kiss on her lips.

    ¡°Jinyao, don¡¯t worry, Xu Jin¡¯ge will leave!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was right, Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s presence would have too much of an impact on their feelings. She had too many childish methods, just like a mischievous kid with endless energy that could cause endless headaches for adults.

    Perhaps she was tired due to filming, but Lan Jinyao was deep asleep, and she ended up sleeping until 8 AM. When she awoke, the room was so dark that it wasn¡¯t until she¡¯d opened the curtains that she realised that the sun had risen high in the sky. She stood in front of the window for a while before heading to the bathroom.

    After freshening up, she went straight downstairs. The table had already been spread with breakfast; all of which were her favourite foods.

    Lan Jinyao looked around the room, and after she was sure that she was alone, she sat down and slowly started enjoying her breakfast.

    ¡°The taste isn¡¯t bad, but don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll forgive you yet! You actually dared to have a rendezvous with another woman!¡± When Lan Jinyao recalled the scene she¡¯d witnessedst night, she felt that her heart was in a bad mood. At that time, her way of handling things was too weak, and she¡¯d immediately turned around and left. She should¡¯ve just gone over and pushed Xu Jin¡¯ge away; it didn¡¯t matter that she was about to be sent away.

    When she was eating breakfast, Li Qi called her. As a Manager, Li Qi was simply too unqualified. In the past, he¡¯d never left her side, but ever since she¡¯d be Chen Meimei, Li Qi seemed to have loosened his control and no longer made many demands.

    Thus, when she answered the phone, Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but mock him. ¡°What? After disappearing for such a long time, you¡¯re suddenly calling me? Are you going to tell me the good news? Did she ept you? When will the wedding be?¡±

    Li Qi unhappily replied, ¡°I am here for you, but I¡¯m busy. When would I be chasing after a girl? Don¡¯t you want to act in Chen Zetao¡¯s film? Although, President Fu is also invested in the film, so it¡¯s easy to decide if you want to act. However, you still have to go through the standard procedures, so I¡¯ll help you to get an audition spot for next month!¡±

    Lan Jinyao slowly put down the chopsticks in her hand. ¡°If I remember correctly, Director Chen Zetao has already given me a spot. It seems that you don¡¯t have to trouble yourself?¡±

    Hadn¡¯t Chen Zetao visited herst time to tell her this?

    Li Qi chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s not the point. The main point is that in order for you to sessfully pass the audition, and to be the genuine female lead, we have to first arrange for you to have training.¡±

    ¡°Training?¡± Did she mishear him? She still needed training? When she¡¯d first entered Blue Hall Entertainment, she¡¯d been ced into training. It could be said that most of her time as a budding artist had been spent in the training room practising.

    If she had to go back to training again, Lan Jinyao felt that it was a waste of time. This time, it was better to take on one endorsement or more.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Chen Meimei: although you¡¯ve participated in TV dramas before, in some department you simply can¡¯t fake it. When you first entered thepany, no form of training was arranged for you,¡± he paused before continuing, this time bringing up other points. ¡°Listen, even if your acting skills are convincing to the Directors and investors, there¡¯ll still be backstabbing people who¡¯ll say that you rely on rtionships, or by entering through the back door. Even if you use your own strengths, would those people ever believe it?¡±

    What Li Qi meant was that gossip is a fearful thing. This was often true in this industry.

    Lan Jinyao thought for a while and said to Li Qi, ¡°I believe in my acting skills. I think that training ispletely useless. However, I promise you that I¡¯ll go to thepanyter today.¡±

    In reality, she wasn¡¯t at all worried about what people would say about her; she was just worried that her identity would be discovered. After all, Chen Meimei and Lan Jinyao were two totally different people.

 Chapter 73 - Cold War (3)

    <h4>Chapter 73 - Cold War (3)</h4>

    ¡°Quiet, the President¡¯s wife is here!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao, who was wearing sunsses, stepped into the building, she heard the girl at the front desk whispering when she passed them.

    Her expression didn¡¯t change and she just kept walking to the elevator. The moment before the elevator doors closed, she saw the two girls at the front desk lean closer to each other again from the corner of her eye.

    The higher the elevator went, the stranger the atmosphere became; especially when she arrived at the office and saw the weird look that Li Qi was giving her.

    ¡°Is there something on my face?¡±

    Li Qi frantically shook his head. ¡°N-no. I just want to ask: did you somehow provoke President Fu? Or, do you two not have harmonious night activities? I heard that when President Fu was in the meeting this morning, he scolded everyone because of a small mistake!¡±

    ¡°Why does this have anything to do with me?¡± If someone must be angry, then it should be her. Whenever she recalled those two people hugging so intimately a few days ago, her heart always turned sour.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression was too innocent, so Li Qi slightly doubted her. ¡°Does it really have nothing to do with you? Everyone in thepany thinks it does, and even President Fu¡¯s best friend, Shen Yu, thinks so too.¡±

    Lan Jinyao: ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Anyway, enough about that, let¡¯s talk business! Thepany just epted a group of neers, so you¡¯ll be training with them. I¡¯ve also arranged all your uing appointments into a schedule for you. After one month, you¡¯ll be going to the audition. In addition, there¡¯ll be an advertisement around the same time so you can do them together!¡±

    Lan Jinyao stood there listening to Li Qi¡¯s endless talk and had to pause him with a gesture, as she noticed that the more he talked; the more excited he grew.

    ¡°You sounds like you have confidence in me?¡± As far as she knew, he¡¯d used to avoid Chen Meimei in the past.

    Li Qi smiled with embarrassment. ¡°Hey, that was the past, things are different now. What¡¯s more, you¡¯ve never participated in any training, but you¡¯re already such a pro. To say that you¡¯re a genius wouldn¡¯t be a lie.¡±

    Those words were what he honestly felt. Li Qi had never met such a good actress before who¡¯d never undergone any training; it was if she was born with a natural talent for the entertainment industry. Her talent had astonished him and won him over. At the time Chen Meimei had sought him out, it was the wisest decision she could¡¯ve made, even though she¡¯d been ridiculed by him.

    ¡°There¡¯s the final announcement for Rouge Fermentation this afternoon, and after that, you¡¯ll need toe to thepany for training starting tomorrow!¡±

    Lan Jinyao propped her chin up and asked him, ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it. What else would there be?¡±

    ¡°So, you called me to thepany today just to tell me about my work schedule?¡± You could¡¯ve just said all that over the phone, alright? Why bother making mee here?!

    Li Qi only replied with a grin, which Lan Jinyao detected the hint of a plot from.

    ¡°Okay! Actually, Shen Yu told me that he would owe me a favour if I called you.¡±

    Just after he said that Shen Yu strode in.

    Li Qi patted Lan Jinyao¡¯s shoulder and said to her on his way out, ¡°Just give me a call this afternoon, I¡¯ll pick you up then!¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t move from her seat as she watched Shen Yu sit down on the seat Li Qi had vacated a moment ago. She didn¡¯t say anything and just waited for Shen Yu to exin his reasons for calling her over.

    Unexpectedly, once Shen Yu sat down, he sighed and asked her, ¡°You feel it too, right? The cold atmosphere in thepany.¡± He pointed upstairs.

    Lan Jinyao shrugged. ¡°It really has nothing to do with me!¡±

    Shen Yu intently stared at her, not making a sound.

    They continued staring at each other for a good while before Lan Jinyao decided topromise. ¡°Okay okay, just wait, the rtionship between us will get better.¡± As long as that woman leaves, things will definitely get better.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t understand where a woman¡¯s sense of security came from. It didn¡¯t matter how childish the opponent was as everything depended on his attitude, and, unfortunately, it was this that had caused Xu Jin¡¯ge to be so unyielding. This in turn had led to her continuously stepping between them.

    Now, Shen Yu was forced to feel a sense of powerlessness. It was just like the saying: the emperor isn¡¯t worried, but his eunuchs are worried to death.

    ¡°Alright. I have to go downstairs for a stroll now, do you want to go down together?¡± Lan Jinyao then stood up and left the room.

    Once Shen Yu was left alone in the office, he released a long sigh.

    He felt that the most challenging conversations were with stubborn women. In the past, it was Lan Jinyao, and now, it was Chen Meimei. He felt that there was nothing but headaches waiting for him in the future.

    ¡°President Fu, you should ask for more happiness for yourself!¡±

    ......

    In a quiet cafe, Xu Jin¡¯ge was leaning against the window as she slowly stirred the coffee in front of her with a spoon. On the seat opposite her, there was a pile of bags from many famous clothing brands.

    Fu Changning had gone to thevatory, but she might be returning soon.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge looked a little nervous, her eyes never straying from the bags opposite her.

    A minuteter, Fu Changning returned to her seat. She was a young and beautiful girl, her bright eyes gleaming. They were the kind of eyes that could steal everyone¡¯s attention.

    She stared straight at Xu Jin¡¯ge, and suddenly, she extended her hand and shook it in front of Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s face. ¡°Jin¡¯ge, are you okay? Why do you look so worried?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge looked depressed, her eyes revealing a glimpse of sorrow. Truth be told, acting wasn¡¯t difficult for her, let alone acting in front of a girl who was so naive.

    ¡°Changning, I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯m going abroad!¡±

    Fu Changning didn¡¯t notice the hidden meaning behind her sentence. She said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s good. Are you going to enter Hollywood? Goodness, then you¡¯ll definitely be more amazing in the future. I really envy you!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge let out a long sigh. ¡°Where is it that good? How can things overseaspare to your hometown, your friends?¡±

    She¡¯d now exined things clearly enough, so Fu Changning finally understood.

    ¡°Jin¡¯ge, judging from your tone, it seems that you don¡¯t want to go abroad?¡± she asked in confusion. ¡°But, why?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge continued sighing and didn¡¯t exin further, but Fu Changning seemed to understand as she eximed, ¡°Ooh! I understand. You don¡¯t want to part with my brother, right? Because my brother has always been in the country, you aren¡¯t willing to leave, right?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge nodded as she looked at Fu Changning with an expectant look. ¡°Can you help me? I want to stay here.¡±

    ¡°Then just don¡¯t go abroad!¡± Isn¡¯t this easily solved? Why did Jin¡¯ge need her help? Fu Changning didn¡¯t quite understand.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s hands were quietly clenched, and she showed an aggrieved expression as she whispered, ¡°But, Bainian wishes for me to go abroad. He¡¯s worried that I¡¯ll destroy the rtionship between him and Chen Meimei. However, he clearly doesn¡¯t like Chen Meimei.¡±

    ¡°Then, how do you want me to help you?¡±

    The little fish had taken the bait. A corner of Xu Jin¡¯ge mouth curved ever so faintly. It was so faint that it went unnoticed.

    ¡°Come here, I¡¯ll tell you...¡±

    In the cafe, the two women drew closer to each other and started whispering.

 Chapter 74 - Cold War (4)

    <h4>Chapter 74 - Cold War (4)</h4>

    #My wife is ignoring me, what should I do?? Waiting for online suggestions, quick, quick, quick!!#

    The topic had been posted, and the number of people in the discussion had skyrocketed. It didn¡¯t take long for it climb up on the search list, and the Weibo with Chen Meimei¡¯s photo was also at the top.

    During that time, she was attending Rouge Fermentation¡¯s promotion. Wearing a long dress, Lan Jinyao was the tallest amongst the entire crew. Standing there alone, her tall figure easily defeated the group of supporting roles, and even the male lead was barely on her level. Of course, that was even when his hair erected into spikes with hairspray.

    Standing on the stage, Lan Jinyao had delicate makeup on her face and a perfect smile. When she stood in front of the camera, she looked like a goddess.

    Everyone was surprised to find that the fatty Chen Meimei had turned into such a beauty.

    Fu Bainian was sitting in front of aputer and watching the live broadcast, the corner of his mouth rising slightly. The real Lan Jinyao was back, and she would go far.

    The notifications on his phone had piled up with suggestions fromizens. He read them one by one.

    ¡°A proper cold shoulder is necessary, provided that you haven¡¯t done anything wrong!¡±

    Toughening up his attitude? But, unfortunately, he really had done something wrong.

    ¡°Your wife doesn¡¯t care about you? Her temper is too vtile. Hurry and take a break. By the way, it just so happens that I¡¯m currently missing a wife.¡±

    You want my wife? No way!

    ¡°Wine, a diamond, and roses! Women like that stuff.¡±

    Hmm, that¡¯s right! She already has a diamond ring, so then it¡¯s just wine and roses. Maybe he could use this announcement of the drama as a celebration. Fu Bainian inwardly nodded at the thought and immediately asked Qian Ran to prepare a bottle of wine and a bouquet of roses.

    During this time, Lan Jinyao was smiling towards the cameras as it was now the question and answer segment with the reporters. Li Qi, who was sitting below the stage watching her, was breaking out in a cold sweat. When the reporters asked about the drama, she smoothly answered them, but when the reporters asked about her personal life, she only uttered a few words. Sometimes she just replied vaguely, which made Li Qi feelpletely relieved.

    However, a reporter suddenly asked about the dispute between her and Xu Jin¡¯ge. Even though she was the second female lead, Xu Jin¡¯ge didn¡¯t attend the promotion of the drama, which was enough for the imagination of all the reporters present to run wild.

    ¡°Rumours say that you and Xu Jin¡¯ge are at odds with one another and that you even fought on set; is this true?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s smile stiffened in ce for a split second at the question. She really didn¡¯t want to speak about that woman. However, all the reporters in the audience were experienced, and if she didn¡¯t exin this matter, it would just get worse.

    Thinking of this, she softly said, ¡°I don¡¯t know where this rumour that I¡¯m at odds with Xu Jin¡¯ge came from, but in fact, our rtionship is excellent. She¡¯s a good friend of Bainian, so of course, I talk to her as well. As for the fight you just mentioned, no such thing ever happened!¡±

    After pausing for a moment, she added, ¡°As for why Jin¡¯ge didn¡¯t attend this promotion, it¡¯s probably because her recent schedule is packed and she had no time toe!¡±

    Li Qi, who was seated in the audience, wanted to give her a big thumbs up; she could lie without changing her expression. He¡¯d really underestimated Chen Meimei in the past!

    Sitting in the cafe, Xu Jin¡¯ge suddenly sneeze.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good idea,¡± Fu Changning awkwardly said. ¡°If my brother found out, I would face a tragic death. Moreover, are you sure that my brother only married Chen Meimei because of her family¡¯s business? Why do I feel that my brother really likes her?¡±

    In the cafe, the live broadcast was ying. Fu Changning suddenly saw the woman with a calm and beautiful smile, and for a moment, she gaped in awe.

    ¡°Chen Meimei seems...¡± To be getting more beautiful.

    She stared at the TV screen and whispered, ¡°Why do I feel like the current Chen Meimei is a perfect match for my brother? Look, whether it¡¯s height or background, they fit together.¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge followed her line of sight, and her face suddenly darkened.

    Indeed, amongst the crew, Chen Meimei was definitely a lot thinner. Even her corbone was visible, but...

    ¡°That isn¡¯t Chen Meimei! It¡¯s Lan Jinyao!¡± she muttered under her breath.

    Fu Changning frowned. ¡°What did you say? I didn¡¯t quite catch it; what did you say about Chen Meimei?¡±

    ¡°Changning, just help me this one time, okay? It should be me who¡¯s paired with Bainian. Moreover, Uncle also likes me a lot, doesn¡¯t he?¡± She grabbed Fu Changning¡¯s hands and shook them like a spoiled child. ¡°Please? Will you help me?¡±

    Fu Changning thought for a while before she nodded and reluctantly responded. ¡°Alright! But just this once. In addition, if my brother notices that something is fishy, you can¡¯t drag me down with you or else I¡¯m as good as dead.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge smiled.

    7 in the evening.

    Fu Bainian was on his way home with flowers and red wine when Fu Changning called him. The noisy sounds on the other end of the phone made Fu Bainian frown.

    ¡°Where are you, Changning?¡±

    His only reply was Fu Changning¡¯s giggling and a man¡¯s voice in the background seemingly persuading her to drink more.

    ¡°Big Brother...do you have time to pick me up? I¡¯m in a bar...on Maple Road. I seem to have drunk too much, and I feel dizzy now. My vision seems like it¡¯s doubled...¡±

    Fu Changning was speaking whileughing like she was really drunk.

    Fu Bainian stopped his car. He nced at the flowers and red wine on the back seat before sighing and steering the car in the direction of Maple Road.

    ......

    In a noisy bar, a woman with smoky makeup was holding a guitar as she sang on the stage. The man under the stage watched her with an infatuated gaze, the wine ss quickly warming in his hand.

    Lan Jinyao tapped Li Qi on the head. ¡°Hey! Do you like her that much?¡±

    Li Qi replied without facing her, ¡°You tell me. After pursuing her for so long with great difficulty, I finally got her. This happiness of mine has just started.¡±

    Lan Jinyao clicked her tongue.

    This Li Qi was smart. In the past, he was like a sly fox, and he was treacherous, it¡¯s just that it had now increased. It was only in front of He Xiaoyun that he was like a teenager who¡¯d fallen in love for the first time. He would even blush.

    When Lan Jinyao and Li Qiughed, they didn¡¯t realise that in a corner of the bar, someone was staring at her.

    ¡°Chen Meimei...¡±

    Lan Jinyao heard someone call her name, so she turned and was greeted by the sight of Xu Jin¡¯ge in a pink sweater.

    ¡°Xu Jin¡¯ge? Are looking for me for something? It wouldn¡¯t be that you wanted to say your farewells, right?¡±

    Li Qi was confused as he watched the two of them. ¡°Farewells? Where are you going, Jin¡¯ge?¡±

 Chapter 75 - Cold War (5)

    <h4>Chapter 75 - Cold War (5)</h4>

    After the song was finished, the whole bar apuded. Many people stood up while pping and shouting, ¡°One more, one more...!¡±

    Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao and the others were in their own little world.

    The scenes were gradually progressing, and everyone had an important role. Their lives were just like the writing of a script.

    Today, Xu Jin¡¯ge only had a lightyer of makeup on, which gave off a rxed impressionpared to how annoying her personality actually was. She casually smiled before she said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ming to say goodbye. I hope that before I leave the n doesn¡¯t change!¡±

    She thought that if Fu Bainian wanted her to go abroad, then she couldn¡¯t refuse. But, even if she couldn¡¯t use that secret to threaten them, she still had other methods.

    Lan Jinyao suddenly had a feeling that the woman in front of her was scheming something.

    Perhaps she was just overthinking things! Lan Jinyao thought. After Xu Jin¡¯ge had said her piece, she turned and left, leaving Li Qi dumbfounded as he watched her departing figure. He then said, ¡°She¡¯s leaving? Just like that?¡±

    Although Lan Jinyao was utterly confused, she didn¡¯t think too much about it. ¡°As you can see, she really left.¡±

    ¡°Is that woman out of her mind? She especially approached you just to say all that?¡± Li Qi asked, utterly puzzled. He couldn¡¯t help but guess at her motives. ¡°Did she see what you said during Rouge Fermentation¡¯s promotion interview and was touched?¡±

    Lan Jinyao suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. ¡°If everyone in the crew knew that my words were fake, don¡¯t you think that Xu Jin¡¯ge would realise it too? Why would she believe it?¡±

    Li Qi thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he said, ¡°I think that judging by Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s tone just now she wants to remind...no, it was to warn you of something! It was like she thought that the matter of her going abroad would change!¡±

    Although he had no idea what was going on, he could guess it by spection alone; it must be rted to the cold atmosphere around President Fu this morning. When a third party stepped in, it was one of the most troublesome things. But, fortunately, his He Xiaoyun wouldn¡¯t be like this.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s mood became heavy at Li Qi¡¯s words.

    After a while, she faintly said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Since Fu Bainian has opened his mouth, then she must go abroad. Despite knowing that she can¡¯t stay abroad for long, who can guess the future?¡±

    She downed a mouthful of wine and leaned back on her seat, looking reckless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t drink so fiercely; it¡¯ll save you from getting drunkter. What¡¯s more, I still have to send you home!¡±

    ¡°What does it matter? If I were really drunkter on, you could just call Fu Bainian toe and take me home. He did something wrong anyway. I¡¯m just giving him a chance to redeem himself,¡± she said as she carelessly smiled.

    Obviously, it was just a joke, but Li Qi took it seriously. His hand on Lan Jinyao¡¯s ss was immediately removed, and he made a ¡®go on¡¯ gesture. ¡°Please, you continue to drink. I¡¯ll call President Fu toeter, just be aware that you¡¯ll experience the pressure we¡¯ve all felt in thepany today, and you¡¯ll be scared.¡±

    Lan Jinyao chuckled, and her hair scattered in front of her face and shoulders. She was still calm, contrary to her noisy surroundings.

    After a moment, Lan Jinyao stood up and went to thevatory.

    Just at this moment, Fu Bainian¡¯s tall figure appeared at the entrance of the bar. Wearing a suit, he looked astute and capable. Li Qi saw him with just a nce, but he couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue and sigh. ¡°President Fu¡¯s eyes are really good. Who would¡¯ve thought that this marriage would help Chen Meimei turn over a new leaf? Not just her aura, but even her character had be better. She¡¯s now like a goddess.¡±

    Li Qi thought that Fu Bainian hade to pick Chen Meimei up, but unexpectedly, after Fu Bainian¡¯s sharp eyes swept over the entire bar, he walked to the corner. Li Qi was able to see an obviously drunk woman dressed in pink resting her upper body over the table in front of her.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Xu Jin¡¯ge? Didn¡¯t she leave? Why did shee back? Moreover, she lookspletely drunk,¡± he mumbled in confusion.

    He saw Fu Bainian immediately pick her up without the slightest hesitation using the kind of hold that was usually found in romantic princess stories. After that, he carried her out of the bar.

    Watching this scene, Li Qi was left with a stunned expression.

    ¡°Crap! What was that?! As it turns out, it wasn¡¯t that Xu Jin¡¯ge was showering affection on an uninterested party, but rather, it was mutual consent!¡± he kept muttering. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what would¡¯ve happened if Chen Meimei had seen that!¡±

    President Fu, you bring it on yourself, so don¡¯t me others!

    He then looked in the direction of thevatory and his eyes promptly widened. What was he going to do now? Fu Bainian had just carried Xu Jin¡¯ge out of the bar...in time for Chen Meimei to see it all.

    Li Qi desperately prayed in his heart that she hadn¡¯t seen anything, but apparently, it was useless.

    That woman was nkly staring at the entrance as if she was stunned. With her current behaviour, how could she not have seen anything?

    After a moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s stunned look ttened into a neutral expression. She casually returned to the seat beside Li Qi and dazedly stared at the empty ss in front of her.

    Just as Li Qi was racking his brains on how tofort her, Lan Jinyao spoke up. Her voice was cold and calm,cking any emotion. ¡°It looks like no one will be picking me up tonight.¡±

    There was a slight trace of regret in her tone, and Li Qi didn¡¯t know why, but he seemed to be able to hear the sadness in her heart.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. Regarding this matter, as the wife, you have to ask your husband honestly,¡± Li Qi took the ss in her hand away as he softly consoled her.

    Lan Jinyao felt like her mind was in disarray. Judging from what Xu Jin¡¯ge had said, there really might be a change in the decision of her going abroad. Perhaps, Xu Jin¡¯ge was right. That woman seemed to be able to change Fu Bainian¡¯s mind easily.

    ¡°Look, if you never say anything, even when there¡¯s a misunderstanding between you both, how could this matter be solved so easily? People who¡¯re good at using their mouths seem to be able to get close to others without any problems. But for you, you¡¯ll only end up pushing your loved ones further away if you continue to act like this.¡±

    The distance between them had already grown, hadn¡¯t it?

    Li Qi spoke again, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s just a misunderstanding?¡±

    Misunderstanding?

    But, how was that possible? That woman had shed her dazzlingly pink sweater in front of her only a moment ago, so how could she be mistaken?

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll send you back, and while we¡¯re at it, let¡¯s go take a look. If President Fu really is that kind of person, I¡¯ll absolutely support you if you want to change jobs. We won¡¯t stay with Blue Hall Entertainment!¡±

    After that, Li Qi tugged Lan Jinyao out of her chair and calmly walked outside.

    Lan Jinyao was perplexed as she followed after him.

 Chapter 76 - Her Counterattack (1)

    <h4>Chapter 76 - Her Counterattack (1)</h4>

    As night fell, the wind swept in carrying thest of the day¡¯s warmth, and bringing with it a refreshing coolness.

    Li Qi¡¯s car moved slowly in the dark as it followed behind the Land Rover.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the road to your neighbourhood. Where is he going?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?!¡± Lan Jinyao replied with a sneer.

    Li Qi didn¡¯t ask her again. However, in the quiet space of the car, Lan Jinyao¡¯s thinking seemed clear. Seeing this familiar road, she suddenly said, ¡°I know this road; this is the way to the Fu residence.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Isn¡¯t this just too tant? As expected of President Fu! Li Qi gasped inwardly.

    Before long, they neared the Fu residence. Looking at the magnificent European architecture, Li Qi asked her again, ¡°Are we going to continue following them?¡±

    Of course, she wanted to follow them! But...

    ¡°Pull up here; I¡¯m going alone. I want to see what they¡¯re up to.¡±

    In that split second, Li Qi was so shocked by her imposing manner that he abruptly braked, causing the car to suddenly stop.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s brows were slightly knitted as she stared at him.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t on purpose!¡± He quickly changed the subject. ¡°Hurry up and go before it bes toote to change anything.¡±

    Lan Jinyao got out of the car and stalked towards the Fu residence. Previously, she¡¯d alwayse with Fu Bainian, but now she wasing by herself to catch him having an affair. A strange feeling rose within her heart.

    In the dark, the ce ahead was brightly lit. Lan Jinyao squinted into the distance and saw that after Fu Bainian had entered the house, a particr room upstairs lit up. She distinctly remembered that that room wasn¡¯t Fu Bainian¡¯s bedroom. Subconsciously, her pace sped up.

    Mother Fu was surprised when she saw her, and she pulled Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand and beamed. ¡°You''re here, Meimei? Bainian just arrived, so why didn¡¯t youe together?¡±

    ¡°Uhh...we¡¯d actually made an appointment toe together, but then, I had something to do at thest minute. So, I let Bainiane back first.¡±

    Mother Fu¡¯s expression made the strange feeling within Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart increase. Mother Fu clearly didn¡¯t like Xu Jin¡¯ge, so why would she just watch and not stop her son from bringing another woman home? Moreover, not even the slightest trace of disgust showed on her face.

    Thus, Lan Jinyao decided to probe first.

    ¡°Mum, is Bainian upstairs? I¡¯m going to find him!¡±

    The expression on Mother Fu¡¯s face seemed to brighten even more, and she gently patted Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand. ¡°Good! I am happy to see you two together like this!¡±

    Lan Jinyao hummed in response and headed upstairs.

    As her slippers squeaked with every step, her mind became clearer. Something was off, and she might¡¯ve really misunderstood this time. The woman that Fu Bainian had carried out of the bar might not have been Xu Jin¡¯ge. If that so, then, who was that person?

    Just when she was about to knock on the door, the door opened, and Fu Bainian walked out. Through the small crack visible when the door had opened, she looked inside and saw the face of the woman lying on the bed. The person asleep on the bed was Fu Changning. The next second, her line of sight moved to the side, and she found that the pink sweater hanging up was the same as Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s.

    At that moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart suddenly became enlightened. It seemed that everything was smoothly arranged.

    It appeared that Fu Changning still didn¡¯t like Chen Meimei, and she¡¯d joined hands with Xu Jin¡¯ge in retaliation. Lan Jinyao never would¡¯ve thought that these two brats woulde up with such a childish idea. What¡¯s even more ridiculous was that this childish trick almost fooled her.

    Lan Jinyao felt ridiculous, yet at the same time, she felt unhappy.

    When Fu Bainian saw her standing before the door, he was astonished at first before it turned into pleasant surprise. ¡°Howe you¡¯re suddenly here? You didn¡¯t call me to pick you up!¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth twitched and she muttered, ¡°Aren¡¯t we fighting at the moment?¡±

    Fu Bainian smiled in delight. ¡°But I didn¡¯t agree to it. It¡¯s just you fighting with yourself.¡±

    Recalling the exquisite breakfast on the table this morning, Lan Jinyao realised that it was only her who was sulking.

    ¡°Changning is asleep? Howe she went to the bar?¡±

    Being the sharp-minded person Fu Bainian was, he immediately caught the main point of her sentence and asked, ¡°How do you know she went to a bar?¡±

    How did she know? Of course, it was because Fu Changning and Xu Jin¡¯ge had intentionally let her see them. Xu Jin¡¯ge must¡¯ve been worried that she wouldn¡¯t see her, so she¡¯d purposely swayed in front of her. In the bar, her and Fu Changning¡¯s pink clothes were extremely eye-catching.

    ¡°I just saw you. I was about toe to you, but then I saw you carrying Changning as you left!¡± she smiled with a hint of awkwardness. ¡°At first sight, I thought you were carrying...carrying Xu Jin¡¯ge. The rtionship between the two of them is really good! It¡¯s so good that even when they go clubbing, they have makeup and dress exactly the same.¡±

    Lan Jinyao knew that without her saying much, Fu Bainian could understand her meaning. Following that, she studied Fu Bainian¡¯s attitude.

    After being silent for a while, Fu Bainian only uttered one dark sentence, ¡°I got it!¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and said nothing.

    She could¡¯ve overlooked a rival in love, but this, even her own sister-inw had helped an outsider to deal with her. Lan Jinyao felt sorry for herself...no; she should be feeling sorry for Chen Meimei.

    This night, Lan Jinyao ended up staying at the Fu residence. While Fu Bainian was working on some business matters in the study, she studied a script in the bedroom. Before, Chen Zetao had specifically looked for her, hoping that she could participate in the audition. Chen Zetao had seen that she intended to take part, so before he¡¯d left, he left her the script.

    Since she¡¯d already gotten the script, it was definitely better to prepare in advance of the audition rather than memorise everything on the spot.

    When the time came, a staff member would give the auditioning artists an excerpt to read. Not only would they have to memorise it on the spot, but they would also have to perform it. The script in her hand could be considered a discrete backdoor from Chen Zetao. However, Chen Zetao was just too trusting of Chen Meimei as he wasn¡¯t at all worried that she would leak the script.

    As she was reading through the script, Fu Bainian¡¯s suit pocket started vibrating from where it was hanging.

    She looked up but didn¡¯t get up to answer it; she just shouted at Fu Bainian a couple of times. Since he was in the study, she was unsure whether he¡¯d heard her. So, getting up, Lan Jinyao walked over and reached her hand into his suit pocket. From Fu Bainian¡¯s pocket, she not only withdrew his phone but a Givenchy lipstick.

    Lan Jinyao had never used this kind of soft pink colour before, and she¡¯d never seen it on Chen Meimei¡¯s dressing table either. Then, when she opened the lid, she saw that half of the lipstick had already been used.

    Fu Bainian pushed the door open and walked in just in time to see Lan Jinyao holding the lipstick.

    In that split second, the room became eerily silent.

 Chapter 77 - Her Counterattack (2)

    <h4>Chapter 77 - Her Counterattack (2)</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Mother Fu¡¯s eyes switched back and forth from looking between the two people as she frowned and muttered.

    When they¡¯de back, they¡¯d both seemed to be very happy, and she¡¯d thought that the hard times were over. Unexpectedly though, one second they wereughing, and then the next second they had cold expressions.

    Of course, it was only Chen Meimei who had a cold expression. Mother Fu shifted her sight and red at her son, her eyes expressing her displeasure. Such a shrewd son! Why did he refuse to fix things? You just sit there and care about your own meal!

    Watching this, Mother Fu became anxious. She picked up a bunch of greens with chopsticks and ced them into Lan Jinyao¡¯s bowl, smiling as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Meimei? You don¡¯t like the food?¡±

    Lan Jinyao forced out a smile and shook her head. ¡°No, the food is great! It¡¯s just that my mood isn¡¯t that good!¡±

    Fu Bainian, who¡¯d been eavesdropping, immediately butted in and quietly said, ¡°I really don¡¯t know why that lipstick was in my pocket. Maybe it¡¯s Ningning¡¯s, or...my wife, you should believe me.¡±

    At this moment, Father Fu, who¡¯d been silent until now, spoke up. He had a solemn look on his face, and his voice was grave. ¡°Ningning doesn¡¯t use lipstick, she uses lip gloss.¡±

    Listening to his statement made Lan Jinyao wonder: Old Man Fu is really knowledgeable! He could even differentiate between lipstick and lip gloss. However, is it really a good idea to embarrass your own son like this?

    It appeared that it wasn¡¯t only Fu Changning in this family who disliked Chen Meimei. It seemed that even Fu Guosheng disliked her.

    Lan Jinyao looked at Fu Bainian. ¡°Since Dad has disproved your excuse, how will you exin it now?¡±

    When Lan Jinyao called Fu Guosheng ¡®Dad¡¯, his eyes discreetly widened.

    Fu Bainian was speechless. The atmosphere around the table turned frigid; even Mother Fu¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t so good. Lan Jinyao studied everyone¡¯s demeanour and decided to stop.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Xu Jin¡¯ge going abroad? I heard there¡¯s a change regarding this matter?¡± she asked Fu Bainian.

    Unexpectedly, she suddenly shifted the topic. Fu Bainian was stunned at how fast she¡¯d changed the subject before he vaguely replied, ¡°There¡¯s a slight problem with it, but I¡¯ll handle it properly. Around next week a foreign managementpany will most likely be taking care of Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s schedule.¡±

    Lan Jinyao had had an inkling that the only reason Xu Jin¡¯ge could be so sure that there¡¯d be a change of ns regarding her going abroad was if her Father had intervened. Now that she¡¯d heard Fu Bainian say that there was a slight problem, her suspicions became even more concrete in her mind.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s alright if Xu Jin¡¯ge doesn¡¯t go abroad!¡±

    While saying this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression and tone were indifferent.

    At that moment, Fu Bainian¡¯s grip on his chopsticks abruptly tightened.

    What does she mean by saying that? Did she want to argue again? Or, something even more serious...He didn¡¯t dare think about it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Chen Meimei, we already have a marriage certificate, and the whole world already knows about the rtionship between us. Even if you wanted to retreat, you don¡¯t have a way out,¡± Fu Bainian was seething as he said this, his voice terribly low.

    When Lan Jinyao heard this, she knew that he¡¯d misunderstood.

    She casually exined, ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant. Let¡¯s talk after dinner.¡±

    After dinner, Mother Fu pulled Fu Guosheng away for a while. The servants in the house had also finished working, so the hall was unusually quiet.

    ¡°What did you want to say?¡±

    Fu Bainian sat on the couch. His fringe fell on his forehead, shadowing the look in his eyes.

    Lan Jinyao noticed that his palms were tightly sped together. Looking at his appearance, his mood didn¡¯t seem so great, but he made an effort to restrain himself and didn¡¯t speak.

    "There was never any trust between us!¡± he added.

    Fu Bainian felt frustrated having his love was questioned by his beloved.

    Lan Jinyao sat down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. Their temperatures abruptly rose due to the intimate contact.

    ¡°My distrustes from you,¡± she softly replied.

    ¡°Fu Bainian,¡± she called his name, her voice still soft as she spoke, ¡°I saw it. During Rouge Fermentation¡¯s wrap up party, Xu Jin¡¯ge hugged you in the corridor. Her eyes were filled with provocation and contempt as she looked at me. Also, long before that, when we were at the vi, I was standing behind you that night. Although I couldn¡¯t hear what you two were saying, it was enough for me to misunderstand.¡±

    If she was still the Lan Jinyao of the past who wouldn¡¯t fall in love with anyone, and if her heart hadn¡¯t let anyone in, she could¡¯ve easily turned a blind eye to everything. However, for the current her, it was impossible. She was jealous.

    Li Qi was right; she should just tell him. Otherwise, how would Fu Bainian know why she was so angry? Additionally, how would Fu Bainian know how big of a threat Xu Jin¡¯ge was to the two of them?

    ¡°I really don¡¯t have a rtionship with Xu Jin¡¯ge. You should understand it yourself...¡±

    She interrupted him by slowly saying, ¡°Yes, I do understand. But, even if I understand, do you think that I wouldn¡¯t be jealous? Xu Jin¡¯ge knows my real identity. On that day, she personally told me that this secret was told to her by you, to prove that you didn¡¯t love me.¡±

    ¡°How could-¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s hands abruptly clenched into fists, his anger visible in the pulsing vein in his forehead.

    ¡°I never told anyone your secret!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge had discovered this secret herself and had then raised an issue to try and bargain with him. She didn¡¯t want to go abroad, so she¡¯d threatened him with this. But, he didn¡¯t think that Xu Jin¡¯ge would go to such lengths of using this secret to instigate an argument between himself and Lan Jinyao!

    Clenching his fists, a cracking sound could be heard from his knuckles. The sound repeatedly echoing in Lan Jinyao¡¯s eardrums.

    She suddenly held Fu Bainian¡¯s hands, her lips raising into a smile. ¡°Fortunately, I told you all of this. So, it wasn¡¯t you who told her my secret?¡±

    Judging from the expression on Fu Bainian¡¯s face, Lan Jinyao had already guessed the truth without hearing the answer.

    Meanwhile, Fu Changning¡¯s bedroom door quietly opened, and a head poked out from the top of the stairs to look below.

    Lan Jinyao seemed to have noticed her, but she didn¡¯t look up, and just continued saying, ¡°The lipstick is Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s, but it wasn¡¯t Xu Jin¡¯ge who put it in your pocket. The person who put the lipstick there is Changning! Bainian, your sister seems to really dislike me!¡±

    She thought that Fu Bainian would at least say that he would deal with Fu Changning. However, unexpectedly, his next words were beyond Lan Jinyao¡¯s expectations.

    Fu Bainian said, ¡°She likes you a lot; she just doesn¡¯t know it. In the past, she used to constantly pester Shen Yu for your autograph!¡±

    At that moment, Fu Changning suddenly froze from where she was hidden on the stairs. She¡¯d only ever asked for one person¡¯s autograph in her life, and that person was: Lan. Jin. Yao!

 Chapter 78 - Her Counterattack (3)

    <h4>Chapter 78 - Her Counterattack (3)</h4>

    Inside the morous bar, Xu Jin¡¯ge wasying on the counter of the bar alone, downing ss after ss of wine. She was crying while downing her drinks, seemingly very broken-hearted. Several men, who¡¯d attempted to approach her, were driven away by her fierce ranting.

    As an actress, Shen Wei¡¯an rarely visited ces such as bars. Firstly, because of her image, and secondly, because there was always paparazzi behind her. Furthermore, she was always worried about being caught in a scandal. Today, however, she was in a horrible mood, so she wanted toe here, get drunk, and vent her feelings.

    But, as soon as she¡¯d sat down at the bar, she¡¯d heard the whining of a woman beside her that sounded as irritating as a fly. She frowned and thought about switching to another spot, but when she saw the face of the woman, she suddenly gave up that idea.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge was the daughter of a real estate tycoon, and she used to host international artists but was now working under the banner of Blue Hall Entertainment. It seemed that she was quite close with President Fu.

    When Shen Wei¡¯an saw the sorry sight of Xu Jin¡¯ge snivelling next to her; she held back her smile and shifted closer. She then handed Xu Jin¡¯ge a ss of wine and asked with a tender smile, ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you Jin¡¯ge? Why are you here drinking all by yourself? Where¡¯s President Fu? Howe I don¡¯t see him around?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge quickly lifted her head and red at her. ¡°Although I¡¯ve lost to Chen Meimei, I still have enough energy left to deal with a powerless person like you. So, I''m warning you, don¡¯t mess with me.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s expression changed slightly upon hearing that.

    And, in the next second, she suddenly started giggling joyfully; so much so that her body began shaking as she wasughing.

    ¡°How could you lose to Chen Meimei when you¡¯re so outstanding? It looks like President Fu has quite bad taste!¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge sobbed hysterically, seemingly enveloped by immense sorrow. She choked on her sobs as she said, ¡°How could I possibly lose to Chen Meimei? I¡¯m prettier than her, and my family background is on par with hers! So, how did I possibly lose to her?! I just lost to that soul inside her body.¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Shen Wei chuckled before she sneered at her and said, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re really drunk.¡±

    ¡°What do you understand?¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge looked just like a grumpy cat, fiercely ring at Shen Wei¡¯an. ¡°Tell me, what do you know? If it was Chen Meimei, I wouldn¡¯t have lost to her in this lifetime, but she¡¯s not Chen Meimei. She¡¯s Lan Jinyao; a woman who I¡¯ll never be able to defeat! I won¡¯t be able to defeat her, because Fu Bainian is deeply in love with her.¡±

    Upon hearing the name ¡®Lan Jinyao¡¯ Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s pupils immediately contracted, and she froze on the spot. Meanwhile, the ss in her hand fell to the ground and shattered.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s lips trembled as she asked.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge was immersed in her sorrow, so she didn¡¯t notice the peculiarity in Shen Wei''an. She downed another mouthful of wine and muttered to herself, ¡°She¡¯s Lan Jinyao; the same Lan Jinyao who supposedly died some time ago!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s eyes spun as she tightly gripped Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s arm.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying to me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Xu Jin¡¯ge shook off her hand and then stumbled out of the bar.

    Looking at Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s departing figure, Shen Wei¡¯an remained seated in a daze. Those words she¡¯d just heard were so shocking that she remained in a trance for quite a long while.

    It seemed as if a gaping hole had opened up in her heart, revealing a fathomless ck hole.

    ¡°Wasn''t Lan Jinyao already dead? Why did shee back? Lan Jinyao, are you an evil spirit? How was it possible for her soul to enter Chen Meimei¡¯s body?¡±

    The bartender stared at Shen Wei¡¯an, who¡¯d seemingly gone mad as she wasughing and crying at the same time, and handed her another ss of wine.

    ......

    Atst, Xu Jin¡¯ge was about to go abroad. Before she left, she sent Fu Bainian a text message when she was at the airport. The contents of the message seemed to have brought her a kind of mournful peace.

    Lan Jinyao, who was just about to go out, saw the phone buzzing on the table. When she picked it up and looked at it, she smiled. Fu Bainian just happened toe over as well, so she softly read out the message to him. ¡°Bainian, I''m about to get on the ne. After I leave this time, I don''t know when I cane back to see you, so can youe and see me off? Think of it as a farewell between friends, alright?¡±

    Lan Jinyao then humorously remarked, ¡°What should we do? This is so sad; I¡¯m about to cry...¡±

    Fu Bainian strode over to Lan Jinyao, but he didn¡¯t take the phone from her hand. He instead wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace before he kissed her red lips.

    After a while, Lan Jinyao heard him whispering into her ear with a low voice. ¡°Howe I hadn¡¯t noticed that you were so naughty? Moreover...you¡¯re actually jealous!¡±

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes at him. In the past, how would she have ever dared to say such a thing? At that time, she hadn¡¯t even dared joke around with the Great President Fu, alright?! Because, if she wasn¡¯t careful enough, her future could¡¯ve been ruined. In Blue Hall Entertainment, there was this saying that when President Fu was in a good mood, he would be amiable towards everyone. However, if he were in a bad mood, even his best friend Shen Yu wouldn¡¯t be spared from a scolding.

    She tapped Fu Bainian¡¯s chest with her fingertips and asked him, ¡°Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s so pitiful, are you really not going to send her off?!¡±

    Fu Bainian pretended to ponder about this for a moment, then he quickly smiled and said, ¡°Now that I¡¯m rereading this text message, Xu Jin¡¯ge indeed seems to be quite pitiful. But, there¡¯s a person who¡¯s even more pitiful than her. If I go, she¡¯ll feel sad, and if she gets sad, I won¡¯t feel good either.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao red at him for a second but then her lips slowly lifted into a smile.

    Following that, she unlocked his phone and searched for Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s number before dialling it. As soon as the call connected, she could hear Xu Jin¡¯ge excited voice.

    ¡°Bainian, could it be that you¡¯ve changed your mind?¡± Xu Jin¡¯ge asked and then paused for a while before continuing in a coquettish voice, ¡°Or, you haven¡¯t changed your mind at all?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nced at Fu Bainian and saw him helplessly shaking his head, so she didn¡¯t say anything.

    Xu Jin¡¯ge hadn¡¯t heard Fu Bainian speak, so she became somewhat uneasy and spoke again, ¡°Then, are youing to see me off? I¡¯m currently alone at the airport; the ne will take off in about an hour, so you¡¯ll still make it if youe now.¡±

    Lan Jinyao thought: If Fu Bainian really went to see Xu Jin¡¯ge off at the airport, then, when the timees, Xu Jin¡¯ge would most likely start another conflict. Or, she might feel hopeful again and decide to stay.

    ¡°Fu Bainian won¡¯t go to the airport, so you should just give up!¡± Lan Jinyao coldly dered.

    When Xu Jin¡¯ge heard Lan Jinyao on the other end of the phone, her voice immediately went up in pitch, causing Lan Jinyao to yank the phone away from her ear.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Bainian? Give the phone to him!¡±

    Lan Jinyao shrugged and then handed the phone to Fu Bainian. ¡°She¡¯s asking for you.¡± From Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s tone of voice, she sounded as if Lan Jinyao had hidden Fu Bainian away somewhere.

    Fu Bainian took the phone and said, ¡°I¡¯m currently next to my wife. Since you¡¯ve decided to go abroad, then just be good and stay abroad. When you think things through, your life will be much more beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Such moving words.¡±

    Fu Bainian smirked seductively. ¡°In any case, we''ve just solved a big hurdle!¡±

 Chapter 79 - Lan Xinâ€™s Conspiracy (1)

    <h4>Chapter 79 - Lan Xin¡¯s Conspiracy (1)</h4>

    This morning, Li Qi felt that Chen Meimei was in a particrly good mood. From the moment she got on the van until now, she¡¯d had a smile from ear to ear. This sight gave him goosebumps because she looked just like someone with dementia.

    However, Lan Jinyao¡¯s smile instantly disappeared without a trace as soon as they arrived at thepany''s training ground.

    Inside the wide room, the wall opposite the door was covered with ss mirrors which reflected every corner of the practice room. Lan Jinyao swept a nce around the room and saw that all the girls seemed to be around 18-19 years old. When she stood beside them, she indeed looked quite a few years older.

    She couldn¡¯t help but turn around and re at Li Qi. ¡°These are the new people you were talking about?¡± They were indeed newbies, but they most probably hadn¡¯t even graduated from school yet!

    Li Qi awkwardly rubbed his nose and said, ¡°This was quite obvious though, right? I thought you knew that although you¡¯re older, you don¡¯t look your age. So, others won¡¯t know if you don¡¯t tell.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t know if it was because of Li Qi¡¯s words, but a burst ofughter echoed in the practice room.

    Lan Jinyao red at the girl who¡¯dughed, and walked over to the group of girls. She then stopped in front of a girl, and said with a condescending look, ¡°Hey, what right do you have tough at me? The two of us are about the same age, isn¡¯t that so?¡±

    Lan Jinyao lightly kicked Lan Xin, who was sitting on the ground and drinking water. Following that, Lan Xin lifted her head and stared at Lan Jinyao; her eyes seemingly containing the trace of a sneer.

    ¡°I¡¯d initially thought that Fu Bainian could take care of everything, but I didn''t expect for you toe here. Do you know where this is? This is the training ground for neers. Why have you, someone who¡¯s already acted as a female lead in a serialised drama,e here to join in the excitement?¡±

    Rouge Fermentation yet hadn¡¯t been broadcasted, but it had already caused quite a stir. Everyone was quite impressed by Chen Meimei¡¯s appearance at the promotion interview.

    However, this group of neers didn¡¯t seem to know this. When they heard Lan Xin mention that, the way they looked at Lan Jinyaopletely changed as they thought: She¡¯s just someone who¡¯se through the back door. The agency has squeezed her in with a bunch of neers like us to waste time in order to block rumours that may arise in the future.

    ¡°I was determined to continue walking this path, so I came here to practice. However, you...you¡¯re not nning on entering the entertainment industry, right?! So, what are you doing here? Could it also be to join in the fun?¡±

    Lan Xin looked down, her expression indifferent.

    Right when Lan Jinyao thought that she¡¯d poked at someone¡¯s sore spot, Lan Xin suddenlyughed. She was still staring at the ground as she lightheartedlyughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m just trying to earn a living, alright? Although this line of work is tiring, it¡¯s quick money. I was short on money, so I came here.¡±

    Lan Jinyao silently knew that Lan Xin wasn¡¯t telling the truth. She¡¯d been in the entertainment industry for so long already that her intuition couldn¡¯t be wrong. That split second of silence earlier was enough to prove that Lan Xin was lying. However, she had no intention of exposing her, because everyone had their little secrets.

    She then said to Lan Xin, ¡°You actually dared to say this. There are so many people listening here that if word were to spread in the future, I reckon that you won¡¯t have any fans left by then.¡±

    The two of them were actually joking with one another. Their rtionship was honestly much friendlier now as if all the unpleasantries from the past had already turned into dust and had been buried in the ground.

    When Li Qi saw Lan Xin, his eyes were fixated on her face. He didn''t seem to find his behaviour impolite at all. While his line of sight was glued to Lan Xin¡¯s face, he also muttered by himself, ¡°So alike; it''s truly too simr! I''ve never seen anyone look so alike before...¡±

    Unless...they were twins!

    However, that wasn¡¯t right! After Lan Jinyao had entered thepany, she was under his and Shen Yu¡¯s supervision, so it wasn¡¯t possible for them to be unaware of her having a twin sister that looked so much like her.

    ¡°Li Qi, what are you muttering about?¡±

    ¡°It''s nothing much. I''ll go first; I¡¯m going to go arrange youring schedule.¡±

    Li Qi waved goodbye to Lan Jinyao and turned around to leave. However, before he went, he nced back in their direction once again, and in that split second, he had seemingly seen a strange delusion. When Lan Jinyao and Lan Xin stood together, the smiles on their faces looked so alike; even the curvatures of their smiles were identical.

    Li Qi was startled when this strange thought popped up in his heart, so he didn¡¯t dare look back anymore and quickly left.

    The choreography instructor hadn¡¯t arrived yet. But, at this moment, the mood in the practice room wasn¡¯t very good.

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t you feel that the mood in here is a bit off?¡±

    Lan Jinyao, who was warming up, was lightly shoved by Lan Xin as she asked this.

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about it?¡± Lan Jinyao stopped and looked at her, bbergasted.

    Upon hearing that, Lan Xin suddenly pointed at their surroundings. When Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes followed along the direction that Lan Xin was pointing at, she realised that all those gazes, which were initially fixated on them, had abruptly moved away. Following this, Lan Jinyao immediately understood what Lan Xin meant.

    Then, a sneer appeared on Lan Jinyao¡¯s face as she said, ¡°You¡¯ll get used to this in the future!¡±

    ¡°I have a feeling that you¡¯re very calm? It''s as if...you¡¯d already guessed that this would happen.¡±

    ¡°Kind of! Because, after all, I¡¯ve stayed with a production team before!¡±

    There were some things that once one had experienced them before, it wouldn¡¯t be so surprising the second time. This was a kind of human survival instinct.

    One of them was an above-board person who went through the back door and didn¡¯t know how to conceal that fact. While the other one didn¡¯t have any love for the acting profession and just wanted to make money. These were things that people disdained the most. Hence, it didn¡¯t take long before Lan Jinyao and Lan Xin were isted by all the others in the group.

    The neers¡¯ training was nothing more than singing, dancing, and physical fitness. The foundation of acting would only be taught to neers in the future after they¡¯d chosen a direction to specialise in.

    When they were dancing, Lan Jinyao¡¯s movements were natural and freestyle, just like a gust of wind that was free and unrestrained. Even the power and speed of her actions were just right; her disy of skills making the others gape in awe.

    ¡°You¡¯re really good!¡± praised the choreography instructor.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, the general opinion of the world is that you¡¯re an idiot, but it looks like you aren¡¯t one,¡± remarked Lan Xin, who was standing beside her.

    Lan Jinyao indifferently smiles.

    She looked like a genius to outsiders, but only she knew she wasn¡¯t one. During her first time, she¡¯d worked so many times harder than others to achieve this, which resulted in the others being impressed by her current performance.

    In the middle of their break, Lan Xin walked over to Lan Jinyao again and said to her, ¡°Chen Meimei, I couldn¡¯t make out at first that you were a genius! It¡¯s said that true geniuses don¡¯t care about the stares of others, and it seems that this is truly the case.¡±

    Lan Jinyao chucked. After drinking a mouthful of water, she indifferently said, ¡°Not a genius, but...¡±

    The two were gazing at each other with locked stares.

    After pausing for a while, Lan Jinyao continued, ¡°Sweat!¡±

 Chapter 80 - Lan Xinâ€™s Conspiracy (2)

    <h4>Chapter 80 - Lan Xin¡¯s Conspiracy (2)</h4>

    At 5 PM, Lan Jinyao had just finished her training when Mother Fu called, telling her that she must go home with Fu Bainian for dinner and that she¡¯d prepared Chen Meimei¡¯s favourite dishes.

    Lan Jinyao felt a headache start at the thought of Chen Meimei¡¯s favourite dishes. Because, in Chen Meimei¡¯s diet, fish and meat would always be included.

    On their way, Lan Jinyao euphemistically asked, ¡°Fu Bainian, do you know what kind of food Chen Meimei had liked to eat?¡±

    She was just casually asking this, but Fu Bainian¡¯s expression slightly changed upon hearing her question. He gripped the steering wheel and pretended to be absent-minded as he asked her back, ¡°Why are you suddenly asking about Chen Meimei?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nced at his hands on the steering wheel. Although she was puzzled over his action, she didn¡¯t question him further. Instead, she answered Fu Bainian¡¯s question, ¡°Because every time I go home, Mother always prepares a big table of...you know what I¡¯m talking about! She must have thought that I like it, but in fact, hehe!¡±

    Fu Bainian breathed a sigh of relief and then said, ¡°When you were filming some time ago, you lost too much weight. It¡¯s time for you to eat more nourishment now to make up for it. Otherwise, your body won¡¯t be able to take it.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth twitched, and she remained silent.

    When they returned to the Fu Residence, Lan Jinyao saw Fu Changning lying on the sofa in the living room.

    Fu Changning seemed to have been listening to the noises in the hallway this whole time. The moment she saw the two of theme in, she immediately straightened her back and returned to watching the TV. Seeing this left Lan Jinyao puzzled and made her wonder whether Fu Changning was up to something.

    However, there was no still movement from Fu Changning even after they¡¯d finished dining. Her behaviour this time was entirely different from her past obnoxious self as she was now excessively quiet.

    After dinner, Fu Bainian went to the study while Mother Fu went out for a walk. Thus, only Lan Jinyao and Fu Changning were left in the vast living room, staring at the TV. The TV was currently ying an idol drama, which was also one of Lan Jinyao¡¯s earlier works. Now that Lan Jinyao could see her acting, she saw that it was slightly lousy back then. However, this was an idol drama targeted at a younger audience, so the required acting skills weren¡¯t so high. In any case, she still thought that her acting sucked back then.

    Now that she saw Fu Changning staring fixedly at the screen, it seemed that Fu Bainian was right about Fu Changning being a big fan of hers.

    It was rather quiet in the living room except for the noisesing from the TV. Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t want to watch that boring idol drama at all and wanted to go back to her bedroom to check the news on her phone. Unexpectedly, as soon as she stood up, Fu Changning, who was sitting next to her, also stood up and turned off the TV to follow her.

    ¡°Fu Changning, what do you want?¡±

    Lan Jinyao turned around too abruptly and startled Fu Changning, who was following behind her. If she hadn''t swiftly caught Fu Changning''s hand, she reckoned that Fu Changning would¡¯ve already fallen down the stairs.

    It was only after Fu Changning had stabilised herself that Lan Jinyao loosened her grip.

    Lan Jinyao then frowned and asked again, ¡°Fu Changning, Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s already gone. Even if you¡¯re nning something, you shouldy low for a bit. The affection between your brother and me isn¡¯t something that you can destroy so easily just by ying a few tricks. Besides, no matter how much you don''t like me, I''m still your Sister-inw!¡±

    Lan Jinyao said all that in quick-fire session which stunned Fu Changning and made her unable to recover even after a long while. When she went upstairs, she heard Fu Changning¡¯s soft voice behind her. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. How about this: youe with me!¡±

    To think that Fu Changning didn¡¯t use any sharp words to refute her! Lan Jinyao found this quite unusual.

    She followed behind Fu Changning and arrived in front of the room that was supposedly out of reach for others. In fact, no one knew that she¡¯d stepped in there before. She¡¯d even read Fu Bainian¡¯s diary, and at that time, she was still wondering who on earth the woman was that Fu Bainian loved so dearly. To her surprise, it turned out to be herself.

    But, why did Fu Changning bring her here? Could it be that Fu Changning wanted to tell her something like ¡®my Brother actually has someone he loves, so don''t bother him anymore¡¯ to scare her off?

    The more Lan Jinyao thought, the more she felt that she was right. So, this time, Fu Changning¡¯s little trick was going to be futile.

    She quietly followed Fu Changning into the room.

    Fu Changning opened a drawer and took something out. It looked like a photo album or something simr. Lan Jinyao immediately had a premonition: that album in Fu Changning¡¯s hand couldn¡¯t be her album, right?

    When Fu Changning opened the photo album in front of her, Lan Jinyao had to sigh again. Her premonition was urate; the person in every photo was her.

    ¡°The person in these photos, you must know her, right? Her name is Lan Jinyao. She was the popr actress and top artist under the banner of Blue Hall Entertainment. However, this year, she fell from a building and died on the spot. No one knew why she¡¯d been chosen as the main trainee and had trained to be the top artist of thepany back then but...that was because she''s the woman that my Brother loves!¡±

    As Fu Changning said this, her eyes were fixated on Lan Jinyao, as if to observe her every reaction.

    The corners of Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth slightly lifted. If Fu Changning only had this trick up her sleeves, then she guessed that Fu Changning would be disappointed today.

    ¡°Changning, are you trying to persuade me to leave your Brother by telling me all of this? I heard from Fu Bainian that you really like Lan Jinyao. Are you saying that your Brother¡¯s life ought to be spent in memory of a dead person?¡±

    What Lan Jinyao didn''t expect was that Fu Changning actually shook her head when she said that. Fu Changning hesitated before she stammered and said, ¡°I-I didn''t know this before...¡±

    Her words were unclear, making Lan Jinyao even more confused after listening to her.

    Fu Changning then continued, ¡°When you heard those words earlier, didn¡¯t you feel sad or jealous?¡±

    Lan Jinyao thought: How can I be jealous of myself? Although she thought this, she couldn¡¯t say it.

    Lan Jinyao quickly returned to her senses and had seemingly thought of an answer. She told Fu Changning, ¡°If Lan Jinyao were still alive, I would definitely be jealous, but now that she¡¯s dead, I won¡¯t argue with a dead person. Besides, those are things of the past, so I should let bygones be bygones. Next time, I¡¯ll tell Fu Bainian that he shouldn¡¯t keep that stuff around anymore.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fu Changning abruptly became emotional, and her voice wasced with sadness and soft sobs.

    ¡°Why do you say that? Lan Jinyao isn¡¯t dead, right? I know my Brother, he wouldn¡¯t suddenly fall in love with another woman, unless...that person was Lan Jinyao!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao heard this, she froze, but she forced herself to remain calm and silent.

    Following that, Fu Changning choked on her sobs as she said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won''t tell others about this, but my Brother really loves you. The things that I did in the past were idiotic and childish; please forgive me!¡±

    This sudden reversal of the plot shocked Lan Jinyao so much so that she was unable to react for a while.

    However, her heart was now feeling heavier. First, it was Fu Bainian, then Xu Jin¡¯ge, and now, Fu Changning. She didn¡¯t know how long it would take before the whole world knew of her true identity, so she had to speed up her pace from now on.

 Chapter 81 - Lan Xinâ€™s Conspiracy (3)

    <h4>Chapter 81 - Lan Xin¡¯s Conspiracy (3)</h4>

    Before Lan Jinyao had time to n further, she suddenly discovered something; something which changed her, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s, and Lan Xin¡¯s future.

    When Lan Jinyao arrived at the practice room, it was still very early, around 8 AM. In the practice room, only Lan Xin was there practising the dance steps from the day before. Lan Xin was spinning and jumping; her movements and demeanour appearing extremely serious. Lan Jinyao was watching from the side, seemingly looking at her former self in those mirrors.

    How could there be someone so simr to her in this world? No wonder Fu Bainian had mistaken Lan Xin as her at that time.

    While Lan Jinyao was deep in thought, Lan Xin paused and interrupted her thoughts. ¡°What are you thinking about so seriously? Do you want to practice together?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking...¡± Lan Jinyao stared at Lan Xin¡¯s face and suddenly asked, ¡°Did you have stic surgery?¡±

    Lan Xin was startled by the sudden question as Lan Jinyao¡¯s tone didn¡¯t contain even the slightest trace of jesting.

    A momentter, Lan Xin finally smiled and said, ¡°Yes! This face is gorgeous, don¡¯t you agree? Lan Jinyao also looked like this, and she gained quite a lot of fans; perhaps I can, with this same face, be the second Lan Jinyao.¡±

    All the disorderly thoughts in Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind were interrupted by Lan Xin¡¯s casual words.

    The thought of Lan Xin trying to make herself look like her former self and then bing famous overnight was just ridiculous, but... Lan Jinyao thought again: how many of her fans really liked her because of her face?

    ¡°You went through stic surgery just to be famous. You must¡¯ve suffered a lot!¡±

    Lan Xin was dazed for a second before she snapped out of it and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! However, the moment I stepped into the operating room, my heart was actually happy.¡±

    Lan Jinyao noticed a trace of nostalgia sh through Lan Xin¡¯s eyes.

    Gradually, more trainees entered the room, and so the conversation between the two ended.

    Lan Jinyao had initially thought that Lan Xin and herself would be no better off than before, but a neer had, unexpectedly, taken the initiative to talk to them. Or, to be exact, talk to her.

    The girl was called Xiaomin; she¡¯d just turned 19 years old and was a student at an art school. She had yet to graduate but had already been scouted by Blue Hall Entertainment, and directly signed under thepany.

    She had a beautiful, youthful face, and crystal clear eyes; her entire being exuded a pleasant feeling.

    ¡°Big Sis Meimei, can you give me an autograph? I¡¯ve seen the drama that you starred in as the female lead when it aired. It was really great! My parents kept praising you and even remarked: ¡®How great would it be if I was as talented as you¡¯!¡±

    Xiaomin handed Lan Jinyao a pen, and then extended her fair arm, looking at her with a pleading face as she asked, ¡°Pretty please?¡±

    Lan Jinyao faintly smiled and said, ¡°Of course!¡±

    Following that, she signed Chen Meimei¡¯s name on Xiaomin¡¯s arm with a not-so-pretty looking signature.

    Xiaomin was a very lively girl, and she exined to Lan Jinyao that because the rest of the girls hadn¡¯t previously talked to them, she¡¯d thought that they were very fierce people. Thus, she hadn¡¯t dared approach them, but now it seemed that they were really nice. They didn¡¯t put on any airs, and it didn''t seem like they¡¯de in through the back door at all.

    When Lan Jinyao listened to these words, she silently sighed in her heart. Sure enough, she was still young and spoke so bluntly, seemingly not afraid of offending people.

    Afterwards, when Lan Xin had gone to the bathroom, she insisted on dragging Lan Jinyao along. And, as soon as they got there, the favourable impression that Lan Jinyao had in her heart instantly vanished into thin air.

    ¡°Big Sis Meimei, since you¡¯ve autographed my arm, I can now have it tattooed!¡±

    The girl''s sweet words had now be a very ironic joke.

    In the mirror in front of the sink, that girl, who was brightly smiling a moment ago, was currently frowning and continuously scrubbing at the autograph on her arm with hand soap. The delicate skin on her arm was now red from all her scrubbing. While she was rubbing, she was softly murmuring, ¡°What kind of ink was this? Why is it so difficult to scrub off? If I¡¯d known earlier, I would¡¯ve used an easier to clean gel ink pen.¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at Lan Xin with aplicated look on her face and softly asked, ¡°You brought me here just to see this?¡±

    Lan Xin lightly grunted before saying, ¡°I can see that your character isn¡¯t bad, so you¡¯re a friend worth making. I wanted to remind you that in the entertainment industry, people¡¯s hearts are sinister, so you shouldn¡¯t let others step on you like that. That girl is so young yet so shrewd; I''m sure that she¡¯s not a simple person. I bet that she must¡¯ve wanted to use you as a stepping stone.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao heard these words, the look in her eyes was conflicted. If she¡¯d known Lan Xin from the beginning, then she wouldn¡¯t have be like this now. It was only after she¡¯d died that she finally managed to see certain people¡¯s true colours.

    But, things were different now; she wasn¡¯t the same gullible person from before.

    After hearing Lan Xin say those words, Lan Jinyao smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s all right! If she wants to use me as a stepping stone, then so be it! As long as she has the ability to do so!¡±

    Lan Xin seemed angered by her words. After stammering ¡®y-you¡¯ several times, no other words were uttered as she angrily turned around and left.

    Lan Jinyao nced at Xiaomin, who was vigorously scrubbing her arm, and a glimmer of light shed through her eyes. Her lips then curled up in a smirk as she turned around and left.

    When Lan Jinyao clocked off work, she saw a huge stack of papers and documents in Lan Xin¡¯s backpack. She had wanted to immediately leave at first, but just as she was about to turn around, the three words ¡®Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯ printed on a piece of paper sticking out of the bag caught her eye.

    How long did it take for information to travel from the nerves of the eyeball to the brain?

    It only took a second. Lan Jinyao instantly stopped moving and then she slowly walked towards Lan Xin¡¯s backpack.

    By this time, most of the girls in the group had already gone home. Lan Xin had gone to the bathroom, so only Lan Jinyao was left in the practice room. Lan Jinyao didn''t stop and kept on walking until she arrived in front of Lan Xin¡¯s bag one minuteter.

    She extended her hand and slowly picked up the stack of papers and documents, looking through them one by one. Some of them were old newspapers, some were pages cut out from magazines, but all of them were about Shen Wei¡¯an.

    Not long after, she saw a news clipping. The news clipping was a report on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s fall from the elevated tform. In the attached picture, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s head was marked by a red pen and was ruthlessly crossed out in the middle; it seemed that the tip of the pen had prated through the paper, leaving a hole in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand that was holding onto the newspaper slightly tightened andplex emotions shed through her narrowed eyes.

    Lan Jinyao suddenly remembered the scene where Shen Wei¡¯an had fallen from the elevated tform. At that time, Xu Hao had said that the wire had been tampered with by someone. In addition, on the video that Xu Hao had distributed, it was clear that there was another person present that day. Who on earth was that person?

    When Lan Jinyao saw the news clipping, she finally understood something.

    Soon after that, she quickly put the stack of documents back in their original ce and left the practice room as if nothing had happened.

 Chapter 82 - Lan Xinâ€™s Conspiracy (4)

    <h4>Chapter 82 - Lan Xin¡¯s Conspiracy (4)</h4>

    ¡°Lan Xin said that she underwent stic surgery! But, I¡¯m not certain whether that face of hers has really gone under the knife or not!¡±

    In the quiet bedroom, Lan Jinyao leaned against the bedhead as she contemted what she¡¯d witnessed during the day. However, she was still unable to figure out what the rtionship between Lan Xin and Shen Wei¡¯an was.

    That night on the rooftop, Lan Xin had told her that she didn''t like Fu Bainian and that the reason she¡¯d gotten close to him was due to a specific purpose. Now, she could boldly guess that Lan Xin¡¯s goal was to enter the entertainment industry the quickest way possible, so what should happen next would be...to get close to Shen Wei¡¯an.

    ¡°I''m not a stic surgeon, so I can''t tell if Lan Xin¡¯s face has gone under the knife or not. If she has, what was her purpose? But, if she hasn''t, then...¡± Fu Bainian said as he dried his hair and then sat down next to her.

    They were sitting very close to each other, so as soon as Lan Jinyao turned her head, she could see the look of doubt in Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Then why does she look so much like me?¡± Lan Jinyao interrupted and finished his words.

    Following that, Fu Bainian then asked, ¡°Do you have a twin sister or something? Lan Xin¡¯s surname is also Lan; perhaps she¡¯s rted to you!¡±

    Lan Jinyao followed his reasoning and thought that it might be possible. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll have to find a chanceter to give my Father¡¯s Secretary a call.¡±

    ¡°Why don''t you call your Father directly? Are you worried about your identity?¡± asked Fu Bainian. At the funeral, he didn¡¯t remember seeing Lan Jinyao¡¯s parents, and at the time, he¡¯d found that very strange. It seemed that ever since Lan Jinyao had joined thepany, until her funeral, he had never seen her parents.

    When he said that, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t look very happy; it seemed that she didn¡¯t like mentioning this topic. Lan Jinyao just faintly replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m worried that my identity will be found out!¡±

    She had, in fact, wanted to say that her parents didn''t care at all.

    Lan Jinyao obviously wanted to avoid this topic, and Fu Bainian could see that at a nce. He then held Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand and gently said, ¡°You have me now, and I¡¯ll stay by your side for a lifetime.¡±

    A lifetime...

    Upon hearing that, Lan Jinyao finally smiled. She felt a rush of warmth in her heart as she leaned against Fu Bainian¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Oh right, please help me investigate Lan Xin¡¯s background! I keep having a strange feeling in my heart whenever I confront Lan Xin, and I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because of her identical looking face!¡±

    An identical face to hers...if it wasn¡¯t stic surgery, then, could it really be her twin sister?

    Fu Bainian nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll follow up on that tomorrow!¡±

    ...

    When Lan Jinyao arrived in the practice room, she immediately sensed that the mood was a bit off. Lan Xin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look very good, as if a dark cloud was hovering over her head. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was practising on their own, and Xiaomin was sitting alone in front of the wall with a bottle of mineral water in her hand, seemingly in a daze!

    As soon as she put her bag down, Xiaomin walked over to her with a smile on her face. There wasn¡¯t a trace of the disgust that Lan Jinyao had seen on her face in the bathroom.

    Lan Jinyao felt as if there was a hungry beast baring its bangs and brandishing its ws in front of her.

    ¡°Big Sis Meimei, you¡¯re finally here! Howe you¡¯re sote today?¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled and said, ¡°The rm clock was broken, so I got up a bitter!¡±

    Her rm clock wasn¡¯t actually broken; it was just adjusted by a certain person. When she¡¯d opened her eyes this morning, the curtains were still closed, and the room was dark. The moment she¡¯d picked up the rm clock, she¡¯d immediately noticed that something was wrong.

    She thought that she¡¯d slept for a long time, but the time on the rm clock showed that it was still very early in the morning. It was only after she¡¯d opened the curtains that she realised howte it was.

    By the time she¡¯d walked out of the bedroom, Fu Bainian was already nowhere in sight, and an exquisitely prepared breakfast was waiting for her on the table.

    Xiaomin bumped into Lan Jinyao¡¯s shoulder and ambiguously winked at her. ¡°Big Sis Meimei, you¡¯re truly awesome, but I think you should button up your shirt first. When I look at you from this direction, I can easily see those hickeys.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s face instantly reddened when she heard thatst part.

    ¡°Okay, okay, quickly go and practice now! We have physical training tomorrow, so there¡¯s a high chance that there won''t be any more dancing sses in the program!¡± Lan Jinyao urged Xiaomin as she quickly adjusted the buttons on her top.

    Xiaomin grinned as she ran to the group of girls and began to dance. Lan Jinyao was about to start dancing when Lan Xin walked over to her. Lan Xin, who¡¯d already been dancing for a while, had a ruddyplexion and a few clear beads of sweat hanging on her forehead. She was currently holding a towel to wipe off her perspiration.

    ¡°You seemed to be having a good time talking to her?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shrugged and replied, ¡°Isn''t this how things work in the entertainment industry?¡±

    Her meaning was very obvious: it was just feigning civility; who wasn¡¯t capable of that? When she smiled at that woman, that didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t silently guarding against her.

    Lan Xin nced at Xiaomin, and then lightly said, ¡°You should be careful then!¡±

    The mood between Lan Xin and Xiaomin seemed to be a tad off. When Lan Xin had nced at Xiaomin earlier, Lan Jinyao had detected the trace of hostility in her eyes. Something must¡¯ve had happened between the two of them.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s observation was spot on. In the next few days, Lan Xinpletely showed her how ruthless a woman could be.

    In the afternoon, Shen Yu came over and announced that an uing advertisement would pick an artist from under Blue Hall Entertainment. ¡°I hope that everyone will intensify your training and grab this chance!¡± When these words were spoken by Shen Yu, they sounded extraordinarily encouraging and left everyone in high spirits.

    A small advertisement was nothing in Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes, but it was a different story for the current Chen Meimei.

    After Shen Yu had left, she said to Lan Xin, ¡°I want to get this advertisement!¡±

    Lan Xin¡¯s attitude, however, remained indifferent as she softly said, ¡°If you want to take it then go for it! I''m not interested in advertisements!¡±

    The moment those words left her mouth, a bunch of sneers were heard throughout the practice room.

    ¡°A certain person really thinks that this ad was tailor-made for her as it appears she thinks she can give it away as she wishes. It seems that she¡¯s being too happy too soon. It isn¡¯t even known yet who¡¯ll be selected when the timees!¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t care about them, and just said to Lan Xin, ¡°Thanks!¡±

    As long as Lan Xin didn¡¯t participate, those other girls were no threat to her.

    The group had initially thought that vocal training would be next, but at this moment they¡¯dpletely set it aside. This was because the advertisement nned by the advertisingpany was about ballet, and this had once again raised the bar for the neers.

    Lan Jinyao had studied ballet before, but that was only for a brief period. She estimated that she¡¯d already forgotten all those movements by now. However, she believed that it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to pick up ballet again.

    Lan Xin started to take action right when everyone confidently started their special training regimes.

 Chapter 83 - Lan Xinâ€™s Conspiracy (5)

    <h4>Chapter 83 - Lan Xin¡¯s Conspiracy (5)</h4>

    On a hot sunny day, there was no air conditioning in the practice room, and only a soft breeze would asionally blow in from the doorway. A group of girls were brimming with fighting spirit as they followed the dance instructor¡¯s training. Everyone seemed to be very energetic as they danced, while sweat dripped down their foreheads.

    Compared with the rest of the group, Lan Jinyao was much more rxed. She twirled like a graceful white swan with her neck straight and lengthened.

    ¡°How can she dance so well? Could it be that she hides at home every day to practice?¡±

    ¡°Maybe the teacher taught her in private! In any case, she got in through the back door, so she has a lot of privileges!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    All kinds of mockingments incessantly echoed in the practice room, yet Lan Jinyao remained calm and undistracted.

    Whenever she had a break, she would think: These neers were still too inexperienced! Not to mention the fact that she was their senior, but she was also Fu Bainian¡¯s wife. If they were smart enough, they wouldn¡¯t be gossiping in front of her like this. In fact, if they were doing this in an ordinarypany, then they would¡¯ve immediately had to pack up and leave.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t tell them how broad-minded she was; she just let this matter go since they were still too young and inexperienced.

    Following that, as she was practising, she suddenly heard a pitiful shriek next to her. That one scream made her momentarily freeze before she fell to the ground. However, she didn¡¯t immediately get up and instead turned her head to look in the direction where the shriek hade from.

    The one who¡¯d screamed was Xiaomin!

    Lan Jinyao had then subconsciously looked at Lan Xin, who was sitting quite a distance away from Xiaomin. Lan Xin was currently drinking water, and her movements were very natural. Her demeanour was no different than usual like there was nothing out of the ordinary.

    Soon after, arge group of people gathered around Xiaomin. Under the ballet shoes that she¡¯d taken off, there were small ss shards that were stained a horrific scarlet.

    Xiaomin¡¯splexion turned pale, and as her hand was about to reach her toes, it was caught by another girl.

    ¡°Quickly take her to the hospital!¡±

    Xiaomin¡¯s interpersonal skills were quite good, so she was promptly carried out by someone. Meanwhile, blood continuously dripped out of the thumb that was pierced by the broken ss shards.

    Not long after, the practice room once again became peaceful. Lan Jinyao wiped the sweat off her face and walked towards Lan Xin. This woman was as calm as ever. She was able to drink water without blinking even under such circumstances.

    ¡°Those ss shards, did you put them in Xiaomin¡¯s ballet shoes?¡±

    Lan Xin nced at her and then asked, ¡°Did you see me doing that?¡±

    Instead of answering, Lan Jinyao remained silent. She hadn¡¯t seen her doing that, but she could guess it; her intuition couldn¡¯t be wrong.

    Unexpectedly, Lan Xinughed as she continued, ¡°You didn¡¯t see it in person, so don¡¯t jump to conclusions so easily. You also said it yourself; everything is as such in the entertainment industry. When one climbs one step higher, they would have no choice but to face these kinds of issues. Who knows? Maybe Xiaomin blocked a certain person¡¯s path, or perhaps someone just found her an eyesore and yed a trick on her!¡±

    Lan Xin¡¯s words were reasonable, and Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t find a reason to refute her.

    ¡°All right! I didn¡¯t see you do it!¡±

    Lan Jinyao subconsciously believed that this matter was somehow rted to Lan Xin, but she had no substantial evidence.

    It didn¡¯t take long before the group of girls came back, and they started gossiping as soon as they entered the practice room. The discussions sounded more exciting than ever.

    ¡°Hey! What do you girls think? How could there be ss shards inside Xiaomin¡¯s shoes?¡±

    ¡°It must be that some people found Xiaomin irksome and so they wanted to teach her a lesson!¡±

    The person who said this also nced in Lan Xin¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Xiaomin¡¯s a cheerful girl and treats everyone well; she didn¡¯t even ignore those two over there. I just can¡¯t understand what a certain person is thinking to resort to such lowly tricks.¡±

    Lan Jinyao silently observed that, although the group had used such extreme words to describe the person who¡¯d put the ss shards in the shoes, there was no emotion visible in Lan Xin¡¯s dark eyes. She looked like an old monk who¡¯d entered into a meditative state. Upon seeing her like this, Lan Jinyao began to doubt her intuition.

    In the afternoon, when it was about time to clock off work, Xiaomin came back with her feet wrapped in gauze. She informed the group that the doctor had said that, fortunately, the wound wasn¡¯t very deep, so she could recover in about a week.

    Xiaomin didn¡¯t seem to know who¡¯d done that to her. Following that, she just quietly sat against the wall by herself and looked back and forth at everyone who was dancing. A trace of irritation then shed through her eyes.

    After work, a group of people gathered around her once more and inquired if she was alright.

    Lan Jinyao walked over and casually asked, ¡°Is your foot alright?¡±

    She just casually asked, but someone couldn¡¯t wait and started fanning the mes. That person scornfully said, ¡°Chen Meimei, you must be looking forward to seeing Xiaomin¡¯s foot injury, right? Her foot was hurt, so you lost apetitor. However, don¡¯t forget that there is still us! Are you also nning on putting ss shards in our shoes?¡±

    How could Lan Jinyao not know that this girl had deliberately said these provocative words? She didn¡¯t exin and just indifferently said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to resort to those kinds of things. If it¡¯s something I want, then I can get it fair and square.¡±

    That girl rebuked again, ¡°That¡¯s just what you say, but who¡¯ll believe those words?¡±

    ¡°I believe her!¡±

    The person who¡¯d said that was Xiaomin.

    That aggressive little girl saw Xiaomin speak up and looked at her in shock. ¡°Xiaomin, you...¡±

    Xiaomin smiled at Lan Jinyao. She still had the same bright smile on her face as she said, ¡°I believe that Big Sis Meimei wouldn¡¯t do something like this. In fact, she''s really an amazing person. She¡¯s better than all of us, so I don''t think she has any reason to do this!¡±

    Lan Jinyao sneered in her heart. She wasn¡¯t well-received by the group to start with, and now Xiaomin was actually drawing more ck clouds towards her.

    ¡°That¡¯s right; I don¡¯t even see you girls aspetitors! So, why would I even need to resort to such despicable means?¡± said Lan Jinyao in a cold voice. Even Lan Xin, who was standing nearby, was stunned by her suddenly chilly words.

    After saying all that, Lan Jinyao then walked out of the practice room with her bag in her hand.

    ¡°Tsk, what¡¯s she bragging about? Wasn¡¯t she just abusing her powers as the daughter of the Chen family? As expected, a daughter of a nouveau riche family doesn¡¯t have any self-restraint!¡±

    ¡°Don''t forget, there¡¯s still President Fu behind Chen Meimei. You have to be careful with what you say in the future unless you don''t want to stay here anymore.¡±

    ¡°What? President Fu only married Chen Meimei because of pressure from his Mother. Everyone here knows that President Fu doesn¡¯t like Chen Meimei; he was just acting along with the circumstances.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao heard those words, she coldly snorted and quickened her pace.

 Chapter 84 - Lan Xinâ€™s Conspiracy (6)

    <h4>Chapter 84 - Lan Xin¡¯s Conspiracy (6)</h4>

    ¡°The whole world knows that President Fu doesn¡¯t like Chen Meimei!¡±

    ¡°President Fu only married Chen Meimei because of pressure from his Mother.¡±

    ¡°He was just acting along with the circumstances!¡±

    These words echoed over and over in Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind. Even though she kept telling herself that that bunch of girls were just talking nonsense, she still felt anger boiling in her heart, and she arrived home with a dejected expression.

    After Fu Bainian had sold Chen Meimei¡¯s house, he¡¯d moved everything from Chen Meimei¡¯s room to his ce, and that included the recliner ced on her balcony.

    Whenever she felt down, she would pour herself a ss of red wine and sit on the recliner on the balcony, slowly savouring her ss of wine sip by sip.

    It was currently around 9 PM, and since Fu Bainian had gone to attend a business dinner and hadn¡¯t returned yet, Lan Jinyao was sitting alone on the recliner, looking at the scenery in front of her from the balcony. It seemed that all the lights in this neighbourhood were lit around this time.

    She stared at her old apartment opposite the balcony and saw that a new person had seemingly moved in. Before this, she¡¯d met the couple that was living there after she¡¯d moved out. This time, however, the new owner of the apartment appeared to be a very young man, but she couldn¡¯t see the figure very clearly due to the distance and the reflection of the lights.

    While Lan Jinyao was inadvertently staring at theplex across from her, that young man seemed to also be looking in her direction. In this dimly lit night, it was quite difficult to see things clearly, so when she felt that gaze on her, she subconsciously felt a bit ufortable.

    She then quickly returned inside, but the man was still standing there, staring at her balcony. When she saw this, she couldn¡¯t help but frown.

    Meanwhile, her phone suddenly rang with a call from Fu Bainian.

    ¡°Hello?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re downstairs? All right, give me a minute, I¡¯ll be right down!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao had gotten off work she¡¯d been in a bad mood, so she¡¯d gone straight home. It was only now that she remembered that she hadn¡¯t eaten dinner, but luckily she wasn¡¯t too hungry.

    Fu Bainian was already waiting for her downstairs, so Lan Jinyao quickly changed her clothes and went out wearing an oversized hat. At the gate of themunity, a ck car was parked by the side of the road. Lan Jinyao had spotted the car at a nce when she¡¯d arrived at the gate.

    ¡°You¡¯re so considerate. How did you know that I hadn¡¯t had dinner yet?¡± Lan Jinyao gave Fu Bainian a bear hug as soon as she got into the car.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s lips curled up into a smile, and he gently said, ¡°Of course I know! Because, someone told me that tonight you might be too angry to eat, so he called me and asked me to take you to dinner.¡±

    ¡°Li Qi called you?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡±

    Okay! It seemed like what had happened in the practice room was already known to everyone.

    Fu Bainian pondered for a moment before he said, ¡°If you don¡¯t feelfortable over there, then you don¡¯t have to participate in the neer training because you¡¯re not a neer anyway! Besides, it¡¯s just a waste of time for you to hang out with that bunch of girls all day.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nced at him suspiciously and asked, ¡°Hey! That¡¯s not what you saidst time.¡±

    ¡°The past is done, and the present is now; I can¡¯t just let my dear wife suffer like this! Besides, you never talk to me about anything work-rted!¡±

    Hearing this made Lan Jinyao feel slightly wronged, so she gloomily said, ¡°I just wanted to fix my issues myself.¡±

    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I¡¯ve never intervened!¡±

    Fu Bainian was staring ahead, his eyes focused on the road. Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao was staring at the side of his face, emotions welling up in her heart.

    ¡°Thank you, Fu Bainian!¡± Not for not intervening, but for understanding and trusting me.

    Lan Jinyao didn''t expect to see Xiaomin in the restaurant. Xiaomin¡¯s foot was injured, and although it wasn¡¯t anything serious, she had still sustained an injury after all; shouldn¡¯t she be resting at home instead? Yet, she¡¯de all the way to a restaurant to eat dinner.

    There was only one set of cutlery on Xiaomin¡¯s table, and there weren¡¯t many dishes, so it seemed that she was here alone.

    Eating alone in a restaurant seems kind of romantic.

    When Fu Bainian saw her staring at the table, he asked, ¡°An artist from thepany?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡±

    Xiaomin had seemingly sensed Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze, or, maybe this was something she¡¯d nned, but when she¡¯d lifted her head and looked over in Lan Jinyao¡¯s direction, she appeared to be pleasantly surprised.

    Following that, Xiaomin trotted to their table and sat down on a chair uninvited as she eximed, ¡°Big Sis Meimei, you''re also here for dinner?!¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± replied Lan Jinyao nonchntly.

    Xiaomin nced at Fu Bainian before quickly asking, ¡°Big Sis Meimei, now that President Fu is apanying you, you must be feeling better now. Today, those people really went overboard; you mustn¡¯t take those words to heart. I believe that that matter has nothing to do with you.¡±

    At first, Lan Jinyao was confused as to why Xiaomin would deliberately mention this matter, but not long after she finally understood as Fu Bainian asked Xiaomin, ¡°What did those girls say to Meimei?¡±

    His voice sounded somewhat gloomy like he¡¯d been born with an imposing air.

    Xiaomin nced at Lan Jinyao and appeared slightly awkward. However, the next second, she told Fu Bainian a spiced up version of events. She then stammered as she said, ¡°B-but because I found ss shards in my shoes, everyone else thought that it was Big Sis Meimei¡¯s doing. Thus, they said a few bad things about her behind her back. When Big Sis Meimei heard their usations, she was quite depressed. In short, they were saying that President Fu, you...you don¡¯t love Big Sis Meimei at all and that your marriage was just a political marriage. So, even if they say something behind her back, no one will get justice for Big Sis Meimei.¡±

    Lan Jinyao silently thought: This little girl sure was something! Her foot was injured, so she, of course, didn¡¯t want to let this matter go easily. But, since she couldn¡¯t figure out who was the main culprit by herself, she wanted to borrow Fu Bainian¡¯s hand to teach those girls a lesson.

    ¡°Meimei, you didn''t tell me any of this!¡±

    Fu Bainian held her hand, publicly disying his affection without the slightest scruple.

    Upon seeing their hands sped together, Xiaomin¡¯s lips almost unnoticeably lifted in the corners.

    ¡°I already told you that I¡¯ll take care of these things by myself!¡± uttered Lan Jinyao as she pinched her brows, feigning a displeased expression.

    Xiaomin then said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°Big Sis Meimei, I won¡¯t disturb you two anymore, enjoy your meal. I¡¯m leaving first.¡±

    After Xiaomin had left the restaurant, Lan Jinyao suddenly pulled back her hand and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not nning to intervene in this matter, right?¡±

    If Fu Bainian made a move, then it would be a big deal!

    Fu Bainian snorted, not denying nor conceding.

    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t tell her. Someone had alreadye knocking on his door, so if he didn¡¯t do anything, then Lan Jinyao¡¯s standing would only be worse. He had to at least let those people know that they didn¡¯t get married because of their family connection, but because of love.

 Chapter 85 - Lan Xinâ€™s Conspiracy (7)

    <h4>Chapter 85 - Lan Xin¡¯s Conspiracy (7)</h4>

    When the weekend arrived, the results of the investigation into Lan Xin were in.

    In the office, Fu Bainian stared at the information before him for a long time. The first page recorded Lan Xin¡¯s life abroad, while the remaining two pages documented her university achievements and stic surgery information. There was no photo that could prove whether her face had really gone under the knife or not.

    With a businessman¡¯s keen instinct, Fu Bainian subconsciously believed that the information collected was iplete, because Lan Xin¡¯s history wasn¡¯t very detailed. Her parents were unknown, there was no mention of rtives, and there was no record of how or why she¡¯d gone abroad.

    When Fu Bainian had received the information, he¡¯d asked Shen Yu if there was anything more, but all that Shen Yu could say was that was all the details they could find. Unfortunately, what was there wasn¡¯t any different from the average person.

    But, it was exactly because it was too normal that doubts rose within his heart.

    After staying in the office for a while, Fu Bainian left with the information.

    During the weekend, except for the security guards and several cleaners, there were only a few people working overtime left in thepany. As the elevator went down, it stopped at the 12th floor, and a man and a woman entered, seemingly quarrelling over something.

    Impatience was visible on the man¡¯s face as his hands pushed the woman away as she continuously leaned against him, his tone irritated as he said, ¡°This really isn¡¯t my decision; it¡¯s a decision that¡¯se from the top. So, tell me, what is the use of you asking me?¡±

    The man then gave a long sigh and said, ¡°Let me give you some advice: if you have the free time to cry in front of me, then you¡¯d be better of going and finding anotherpany. Blue Hall Entertainment isn¡¯t able to keep you any longer. Additionally, if you go to anotherpany in the future, remember to control your mouth...¡±

    Apparently just noticing that Fu Bainian was also in the elevator, the man abruptly shut his mouth and smiled with embarrassment. ¡°President Fu!¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡± Fu Bainian indifferently responded.

    Following the man¡¯s call of ¡®President Fu¡¯, the woman¡¯s sight became glued to Fu Bainian. Her expression was torn between joy and confusion, reflecting the battle currently being waged in her head.

    The elevator quickly arrived on the ground floor. Fu Bainian nced at the woman who looked like she had something to tell him before he got off the elevator as soon as the doors opened.

    Sure enough, just as he reached the hall, the woman ran to catch up with him. She then pulled on his sleeve and cried, ¡°Pres-president!¡±

    Fu Bainian stopped in his tracks.

    ¡°Could you please not drive me out? I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose, I thought...¡±

    Thought what? Thought that his rtionship with Chen Meimei was so bad that they could bully her without consequences? Unnecessarily gossip behind her back?

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression turned cold.

    The woman released her grip, and her eyes gradually became red. She held back her tears as she whispered, ¡°I can apologise! As long as Chen Meimei forgives me, you¡¯ll let me stay, right, President Fu?¡±

    It seemed like she was seeing herst ray of hope in him as her eyes were gleaming.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s thin lips were pursed. ¡°This was my decision; it has nothing to do with Chen Meimei! I suggest that you go to another managementpany. Of course, that¡¯s if otherpanies are willing to ept you!¡±

    If Blue Hall Entertainment didn¡¯t want her, why would anotherpany bother to ept her? What¡¯s more, she was just a neer who¡¯d undergone a few days of training, nothing more.

    The woman finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, and she opened her mouth to cry, beyond caring about her image.

    The sharp noise made Fu Bainian frowned in displeasure. He waved at the security guard standing in the hall and indifferently ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t let her disturb everyone. Hurry up and take her away.¡±

    The woman stared at him in shock. At that moment, her eyes reflected abination of ruthlessness and hate.

    ......

    Today was the final day to rehearse. Next Wednesday, the advertisingpany woulde to pick the artist for the role, so everyone was staying close for training.

    The dance instructor pped her hands and said to everyone, ¡°All right, now go and change into the clothes that you¡¯ll have to wear tomorrow. Let¡¯s do a rehearsal practice.¡±

    Everyone went to the changing room. Suddenly, Xiaomin gave another scream. Lan Jinyao, who was standing beside her, frowned and covered her ears to prevent her eardrums from being hurt by the high pitched scream.

    When she¡¯d arrived at the practice room this morning, she¡¯d discovered that there was one person missing. When she¡¯d asked Lan Xin about it, she¡¯d learnt that the person in question had been kicked out. As for why, Lan Xin had only said how was she supposed to know that.

    Of course, Lan Jinyao knew the reason. When she¡¯d gone to the restaurantst night, Xiaomin had appeared in front of her and Fu Bainian to say bad things about the other trainees.

    When she¡¯d asked Fu Bainian not to intervene, he was vague and had immediately changed the topic.

    The person who¡¯d screamed this time was again Xiaomin.

    Not long after, a bunch of people crowded around Xiaomin¡¯s locker. When they looked inside, they discovered that her dance clothes had been cut into pieces. Then, when Xiaomin went to take it out with one hand, the fabric fell apart into shreds.

    Xiaomin copsed into tears as she grabbed the tattered fabric and turned to everyone to scream, ¡°Who did this? Why would you do this to me?! Why can¡¯t we justpete fair and square? Why would you do such a despicable thing? Could it be that you have no confidence in yourself?!¡±

    The advertisementpany¡¯s uniform dance clothes were specially made by the designer of thepany. Everyone only had one set of clothes. Now that Xiaomin¡¯s clothes had been ruined, she¡¯dpletely lost the qualification to participate in the selection.

    For a moment, everyone was deathly quiet. Nheless, Lan Jinyao found that some of the people present still discreetly nced at her.

    It wasn¡¯t surprising, to be honest. She¡¯d previously said that she must get this advertisement, so it¡¯s no wonder that everyone would look at her with that kind of gaze.

    Lan Jinyao thought it wasn¡¯t worth exining though, so she just grabbed her clothes and left.

    She knew that Xiaomin¡¯s words weren¡¯t aimed at her, but thinking about it from another angle, Xiaomin¡¯s words still pushed her toward the edge of a cliff. Fortunately, such a thing had happened before, so even if someone suspected her, they wouldn¡¯t dare say anything.

    While she was changing her clothes, everyone dispersed, leaving only Xiaomin who was holding her dance clothes as she wept.

    Seeing hering back, Xiaomin threw away the clothes and said to her, ¡°Big Sis Meimei, can you help me? Those people all think that it¡¯s your doing! I believe in you, so as long as you¡¯re willing to help me, then those people will also realise that you aren¡¯t deliberately targeting me.¡±

    Lan Jinyao raised her brows and smiled tauntingly. ¡°Why would I care if those people believe that I¡¯m not doing it? No matter what the facts are, would anyone dare say anything?¡±

    Xiaomin stared at her, somewhat desperate.

    Lan Jinyao then heard her quietly mutter, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re not afraid at all, so why would you do something like this?¡±

    Lan Jinyao just ignored her and left.

 Chapter 86 - Identity Exposure (1)

    <h4>Chapter 86 - Identity Exposure (1)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao was the first to leave the practice room after rehearsal had finished. She¡¯d received a text message from Fu Bainian in the afternoon, saying that the information about Lan Xin was already in his hands.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s curiosity was greatly peaked when it came to Lan Xin. Therefore, she was impatient to go and have a look.

    But, when she was barely a few steps out of thepany, Lan Xin caught up to her. Walking side by side, you could see that Lan Jinyao was taller than Lan Xin, and with her walking with arge stride, Lan Xin had to force herself to keep up.

    ¡°Hey! I heard your conversation before. That woman actually dared to threaten you...¡±

    Lan Jinyao indifferently responded, ¡°That couldn¡¯t be count as a threat!¡±

    At most, it was a suggestion. While Xiaomin could help Lan Jinyao to clear her name, she would only do so if Lan Jinyao helped her to participate in the selection. It was a suggestion built from self-interest.

    However, Xiaomin had ignored one thing. Lan Jinyao¡¯s reasoning was obvious, so she knew what her choice would be. If she helped Xiaomin, she would have anotherpetitor. Although she didn¡¯t consider any of the other girls a threat, she wouldn¡¯t find apetitor for herself.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t agree to help her? This makes me feel very surprised and happy!¡±

    ¡°Happy because I lost apetitor?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re not being taken advantage of by others,¡± Lan Xin responded.

    Yes, it was such a simple trick, so how could she be fooled?

    ¡°I wanted to let those people know that I¡¯m not just Fu Bainian¡¯s wife byw, but that our hearts are also tightly tied together; that¡¯s all.¡±

    As she was saying this, her eyes seemed to be filled with a zing me.

    Lan Xin gave her a thumbs up. ¡°So, you¡¯re showing off your capability now? You¡¯re awesome, truly awesome!¡±

    A momentter, Lan Jinyao reached her parking space. Just as Lan Xin was about to turn and leave, Lan Jinyao suddenly called out, ¡°Wait a minute, I still want to ask you a question. Those things, did you do them?¡±

    ¡°My reply is still the same; did you see me doing any of that?¡± Lan Xin¡¯s voice was cold.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze became prating, and she pushed her voice lower as she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t see you do any of it, but I found some things in your backpack. If Xiaomin also saw those things, I think you might have done those things to her!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, this is just your guess.¡±

    She turned her back on Lan Jinyao. That slender body seemed even thinner under the wide shirt.

    Lan Jinyao realised that her hands were tightly clenched at her sides. At this moment, she was even more confident that all those little tricks were Lan Xin¡¯s doing. It was nothing more than a warning. Unfortunately, the person who was warned actually thought that she was blocking the culprit¡¯s way, causing her to be framed, and Xiaomin unable to realise that it was a warning from Lan Xin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; whatever you¡¯re collecting that information for, I won¡¯t utter a word,¡± she paused before continuing, ¡°But, Xiaomin doesn¡¯t seem to realise that you¡¯re warning her. I feel I should remind you that you shouldn¡¯t do this again in the future, as it will only alert the enemy. Even if Xiaomin knows about that information, what could she guess?¡±

    Lan Xin was silent for a long while, and then she suddenly smiled, her tone rxed as she said, ¡°Yeah, even if she found out, what could she guess? I was just making a big deal out of it myself.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your reminder!¡± She waved at Lan Jinyao and then headed to the bus stop across the street.

    Lan Jinyao shook her head, started the car, and drove home.

    Fu Bainian wasn¡¯t at home. After she¡¯d entered the house, she went straight to the study. This study wasn¡¯t as good as the one in the Fu residence, but it was still quite spacious, and it was filled with all kinds of professional books.

    As soon as she pushed the door open and walked in, she spotted the sealed document on the table.

    The brown cover was sealed by a piece of string that was wrapped around it, and as soon as sat on the couch, she immediately opened the document¡¯s seal. As she slowly read through the information, her brows wrinkled even tighter. It wasn¡¯t until she saw the stic surgery page that she released a breath.

    ¡°So it was like that!¡±

    Fu Bainian came in just as she was rubbing her chest in relief, and he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the sight.

    ¡°What happened to you? Heartache?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nced at him before throwing the information she¡¯d finished reading back on the table. She then said to him, ¡°So, she really underwent stic surgery. I thought that she was another soul that had been reborn in my body after it had climbed out of the coffin!¡±

    ¡°Your body has been burnt into ash; could it still climb out? It¡¯s not easy, is it?¡± Fu Bainian¡¯s mood seemed to be pretty good as he even cracked a joke with her.

    Then, he asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s your twin sister that your parents abandoned or something?¡±

    ¡°I asked my Father¡¯s Secretary, and there¡¯s no such possibility. I¡¯m the only child in my family; there is no one else. Moreover, my Father is a workaholic. He believes that only a strong woman like my Mother could be worthy of him, so...¡±

    Fu Bainian sat down beside her to gather her in his arms and ask, ¡°So, after you¡¯ve seen the documents with the proof of her stic surgery, can you finally breathe a sigh of relief?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    As long as nothing supernatural had happened, then everything was fine. She didn¡¯t believe it before, but now she had to.

    ......

    Chen family residence.

    Thisrge house had the air of thest century. It contained an old simple style from the past, with ancient carvings on the pirs at the doorway.

    The massive red doors slowly opened, and the two uniformed servants standing in the doorway slightly bent their waists and made a respectful gesture.

    Shen Wei¡¯an, standing at the entrance, was wearing a long dress thatpletely contrasted with the mansion as it was gorgeous and brightly coloured. She looked down at her long skirt and felt her heartbeat speeding up.

    After a moment of hesitation, she drew in a deep breath and slowly stepped forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Mr Chen!¡±

    The servants¡¯ expressions froze at her sentence, and one of them said to her, ¡°I apologise, but our Master isn¡¯t here at the moment. He¡¯s currently abroad to handle business, and it will take a few days to return. Pleasee back in a few days, Miss!¡±

    How could he not be here?! Shen Wei¡¯an clenched her hands into fists.

    She peeked into the living room, and sure enough, no one was there except the servants.

    However, she couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Fu Bainian already knew everything, so he would definitely help Lan Jinyao. Her time was running out; she had to find someone capable of going against Fu Bainian, and the Chen family was undoubtedly the best choice.

    Imagined this: How could a rich Father, who loved his daughter more than his own life, watch as a stranger upied his daughter¡¯s body without doing anything?

 Chapter 87 - Identity Exposure (2)

    <h4>Chapter 87 - Identity Exposure (2)</h4>

    As the minutes went by, the sun gradually grew hotter. A thinyer of sweat had already formed on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s forehead under the sunlight.

    The two servants guarding the door refused to let Shen Wei¡¯an enter further.

    The impatient Shen Wei¡¯an eventuallypromised and asked the servants, ¡°Then, when will Mr Chen return?¡±

    ¡°The exact date isn¡¯t certain. If there¡¯s something urgent, you can leave a phone number, and we¡¯ll let you know when Master has returned!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an pondered for a moment and felt that this was the only option remaining, so she left her phone number.

    Just as she turned to leave, a window in one of the rooms upstairs opened, and a loud female voice travelled down, ¡°Wait-¡±

    Chen Meile quickly went downstairs and stood in the yard a momentter. She was wearing high heels, making her tall enough to look down at Shen Wei¡¯an.

    ¡°Why¡¯re you looking for my Father?¡± Chen Meile looked at Shen Wei¡¯an with her arms folded across her chest.

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s gaze swept over her before she frowned and asked, ¡°Are you currently in charge?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that look of yours?¡± Chen Meile disdainfully asked. ¡°This is my home; of course I¡¯m in charge!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an had never been looked at with such an expression before. For a moment, anger soared within her heart. However, for the secret she knew, she had no choice but to give in for the time being, so she revealed a false smile.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t take offence; I don¡¯t mean it. It¡¯s just because the things I want to say today are extremely important, so...¡± she paused, but instead of continuing her words, she asked, ¡°Can I go in and have a cup of tea?¡±

    Chen Meile slightly raised her chin and examined Shen Wei¡¯an. After several moments, she nodded.

    Different from the simple decorations outside, the inside of the mansion appeared somewhat too luxurious. The wall along the stairs was covered with valuable ancient paintings, and there were a lot of antique vases in the corner. Shen Wei¡¯an didn¡¯t understand much, but even she could see that those things were exquisite. However, those exquisite things appeared to be randomly ced.

    She couldn¡¯t help but inwardly think: He¡¯s a wealthy localndlord! He ces everything at home and can¡¯t wait to see it all pileup.

    As Shen Wei¡¯an was examining the furnishing in the room, Chen Meile made tea while observing her. When she saw the contempt flit by in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s eyes, the corner of her mouth raised to form a scornful smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that Miss Shen doesn¡¯t have these things at home! One picture alone costs more than a million dors! I¡¯m also sure that Miss Shen can¡¯t afford it!¡±

    Chen Meile didn¡¯t have a good impression of this woman. Previously, because of this woman, Chen Meimei¡¯s photo was on the front page headlines for several days, which almost made her have a bad reputation. Although Chen Meile had settled the matter, she still remembered that all the fault could be ced on this woman¡¯s head. If this woman hadn¡¯t talked rubbish, then Chen Meimei wouldn¡¯t have appeared in the headlines.

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face turned an unnatural shade of blue. She lowered her gaze, smiling as she said, ¡°You¡¯re right! I¡¯m an artist, so how can I buy any of these things?¡±

    Chen Meile was gloating inside, yet she couldn¡¯t help but utter, ¡°But, our Meimei is an artist too, and she can afford it. Therefore, it seems like it depends on one¡¯s fate too. Unlike a certain someone who uses all types of methods, but in the end still suffers a double loss after trying to trick the enemy.¡±

    As she spoke, she covered her mouth and giggled, vividly portraying the image of a viin.

    Shen Wei¡¯an had to breathe out a long sigh of relief before she was able to calm her anger.

    This situation was just like she¡¯d expected. As long as she managed to achieve her purpose, then this would all be worth it.

    ¡°At least I¡¯m still alive and can control my own body, right?¡±

    She picked up a cup of tea and sipped it, the suffocation within her heart gradually dispersing.

    Chen Meile noticed the weirdness of this statement, and she frowned at Shen Wei¡¯an as she asked, ¡°What do you mean by this?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Chen Meimei¡¯s biological sister? Didn¡¯t you notice that there¡¯s something different about her? I investigated Chen Meimei in order to pursue Fu Bainian, and found that she previously had a car ident, right? If you¡¯re attentive enough, you can definitely notice that the current Chen Meimei isn¡¯t the same as the previous Chen Meimei.¡±

    The atmosphere in the living room suddenly turned heavy. Chen Meile then waved her hand at the group of servants. ¡°All of you get out. I have something to talk about with Miss Shen!¡±

    Soon, all the servants had left the room.

    ¡°What is it that you want to say, Miss Shen?¡±

    The fish had taken the bait. The corners of Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s mouth slowly lifted, revealing a smug expression.

    ¡°What I want to say is...¡± she purposefully dragged out her words and then continued to say, ¡°The current Chen Meimei is no longer your sister. Another soul lives in her body!¡±

    After Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s slow and steady exnation, she calmly put down the teacup and waited for Chen Meile¡¯s reaction.

    What kind of reaction will Chen Meile have after hearing all this? Will it be a question or rage? She was suddenly looking forward to it.

    However, Chen Meile just stared at her for a long time before abruptly bursting into a fit ofughter. It was the same as before; she didn¡¯t care about her image at all. Meanwhile, Shen Wei¡¯an, who was beingughed at, furrowed her brows.

    After a while, theughter suddenly stopped.

    Chen Meile looked at her with a serious look. She softened her voice and said, ¡°Miss Shen, I suggest that you ask your Manager to help you find a reliable psychiatric hospital. It¡¯s best to find a hospital that won¡¯t leak any rumours of their patients. Otherwise, I estimate that the whole world will soon know that Miss Shen has paranoia.¡±

    ¡°I know that you don¡¯t believe me, but I really dide here today for this matter. Have you never thought why Fu Bainian, who loathed Chen Meimei, suddenly changed his mind? Not only did he marry her, but he also decided to live with her like a real married couple. Think about it: Why did Chen Meimei, who had no acting experience, suddenly manage to get a female lead role?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an then slowly added, ¡°Look, you¡¯re her sister, so you must have noticed a slight difference, but you just subconsciously ignored it. This is because Chen Meimei has changed and be ssy, more likeable, and has brought credit to the Chen family, so you would also follow along and feel happy.¡±

    It seemed like the living room had turned into a huge sauna, making it difficult for Chen Meile to breathe.

    It was like a massive ck hole had appeared and was trying to suck her in.

    The smile on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face lookedcent, but she felt that it was extremely irksome.

 Chapter 88 - Identity Exposure (3)

    <h4>Chapter 88 - Identity Exposure (3)</h4>

    In the living room, no one spoke. It felt like it had been silent for a century, and there was only the faint sound of two people breathing.

    After ten minutes had passed, time began to flow once more.

    Chen Meile tried her best to restrain her inner emotions from affecting her expression and body movements.

    ¡°Okay! Since Miss Shen has said this, if there is really nothing wrong with Miss Shen¡¯s head, then I think that Miss Shen must have solid evidence. That¡¯s why you came to our home, right?¡±

    Chen Meile leaned on the couch, her expression restored to its indifferent look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any evidence!¡± The smile on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°Because it¡¯s all too unimaginable. If I really had evidence, I would¡¯ve already told the world. I came here today to tell you about my findings, that''s all, it doesn''t matter to me. The Chen family should do the rest of the investigation work!¡±

    Chen Meile was unmoved, and just sneered, ¡°You nned it out well, but, I¡¯ll tell you now, why should I investigate something that is so unlikely?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you can choose not to investigate, what does it matter? Anyway, I just came to tell you my findings, that¡¯s all, it doesn¡¯t matter to me. I just think that someone is using Chen Meimei¡¯s body to do bad things. When the timees, it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing for you and the Chen family,¡± Shen Wei¡¯an said to provoke her.

    ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you want to prove that Chen Meimei actually died in that car ident?¡±

    Chen Meile suddenly raised her voice as she said, ¡°Someone, send the guest off! I still suggest that Miss Shen visits a doctor. Otherwise, your situation will only get worse.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯splexion was ashen as she was sent out by a servant, and the living room regained its quietness. Chen Meile sat alone on the couch, lost in her thoughts with her brows tightly wrinkled.

    After quite a while, she muttered, ¡°Even if it¡¯s true, what does it have to do with Shen Wei¡¯an? Why is she suddenly meddling in this matter? What does she get from it?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, she¡¯s really insane! She could actually fabricate such a lie.¡±

    Even after thinking for a long time, Chen Meile still couldn¡¯t figure out a reason, so she grabbed her car keys and headed out.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you believe it? Chen Meile, what are you avoiding? Or, did you want to raise a puppet and be the only person who can inherit all of Old Chen¡¯s wealth?¡±

    After stepping out of the Chen mansion, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s mouth continuously pped, not stopping for at least half a minute.

    The more she thought about it, the more irritated she felt. Anyone with eyes could see the change in Chen Meimei. How can one personpletely be another person? While Chen Meimei¡¯s appearance hadn¡¯t changed, her personality and behaviour had changed almost overnight. That was all she could think of; she believed that Xu Jin¡¯ge, who¡¯d been drunk, wouldn¡¯t tell a lie.

    ¡°Since she doesn¡¯t believe me, then I will find a way to convince her! Lan Jinyao, even if you could start over a thousand times, I won¡¯t let you live!¡±

    As if to express her ruthlessness, Shen Wei¡¯an crushed a small patch of grass on the roadside under her foot, not stopping until her shoe was stained green.

    ......

    In the evening, Lan Jinyao suddenly received a call from Chen Meile. Chen Meile¡¯s voice was still as loud and high-pitched as before. She told her to go to the usual ce. The two sisters hadn¡¯t met up for quite a long while now, so she asked Lan Jinyao to hurry up and go.

    After she¡¯d finished saying what she wanted to, Chen Meile hung up the phone. Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao stared at the phone,pletely dumbfounded.

    A momentter, she asked, ¡°Where do Chen Meimei and Chen Meile usually meet?¡± Is it the bar that she often goes to?

    Fu Bainian seriously thought about it for a while and asked her, ¡°Do you want me to check?¡±

    Upon saying that, he received an eye roll from Lan Jinyao!

    Fu Bainian said innocently, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me with such a look. I didn¡¯t know Chen Meimei at all before, so why would I pay attention to where the sisters would often meet?¡±

    Lan Jinyao thought that made sense. ¡°All right, I forgive you!¡±

    ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°What I''m going to do? I can¡¯t call her back and ask her where is the usual ce is, can I?¡±

    It looked like she could only go to that bar to try her luck.

    Half an hourter, Lan Jinyao arrived at the entrance of the bar. Li Qi, who hadn¡¯t been seen for several days, was actually sitting in the bar together with He Xiaoyun. They were seemingly chatting away happily.

    She poked her head inside and looked around, and to her surprise, she really spotted Chen Meile. The woman was wearing a pair of high heels and sitting at the bar. She was spiritedly encouraging the bartender to drink with her and asionally teasing him, resulting in the handsome young guy to flush a deep red.

    Lan Jinyao shook her head as she smiled in amusement before making her way towards the bar.

    ¡°Sis!¡± She sat down beside Chen Meile and ordered a ss of wine.

    ¡°You¡¯re so bad. Be careful that the other party doesn¡¯ty a hand on youter.¡± Lan Jinyao nced at the bartender as she ambiguously smiled.

    Chen Meile imagined it in her head. ¡°You dare joke with your sister; I see that your skin is itching, huh?¡±

    ¡°Haha, no, nothing. Come, let¡¯s have a drink!¡±

    The two each downed a ss of alcohol. The two sisters of the Chen family were both bold and unrestrained, so even when drinking, they were naturally like men. A ss of alcohol was nothing.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the matter that you came looking for me today, Sis? You wouldn¡¯t be thinking of introducing me to someone again, right? I was finally able to catch Fu Bainian after so much difficulty, so please don¡¯t give me any trouble.¡±

    As soon as she finished saying this, her forehead suffered a p. Lan Jinyao rubbed her forehead and exaggerated her tone as she called, ¡°Sis-¡±

    ¡°What nonsense are you spewing? I know that it wasn¡¯t easy for you to catch Fu Bainian. Not only do I know, but the whole world knows how good Fu Bainian is, yet he¡¯s now been bound by Old Chen¡¯s fatty. I¡¯m looking for you today, merely to meet up. The two of us haven¡¯t hung out for quite a while.¡±

    Indeed, Chen Meile was a very good sister to Chen Meimei. So good, that no words could describe it.

    ¡°Hey, Hottie, hurry and give my sister a ss of her favourite drink!¡± Chen Meile waved at the bartender.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t sure whether it was the lighting in the bar that was shing too often which made her have an illusion or not. She felt that Chen Meile was acting weird when she told the bartender to make her favourite drink.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, the person really in your body is Lan Jinyao, right?¡±

    She didn¡¯t know why, but Xu Jin¡¯ge¡¯s words suddenly echoed in her mind, which made her have a bad feeling.

 Chapter 89 - Identity Exposure (4)

    <h4>Chapter 89 - Identity Exposure (4)</h4>

    The colourful lights in the bar were shing brightly and were almost dazzling everyone¡¯s eyes.

    This was a battle involving Chen Meimei¡¯s identity, and the two women, each with their own thoughts, were smiling rigorously.

    The bartender was mixing the cocktail, pouring a few different kinds of alcohols in it until it turned a particrly nice colour. At that moment, Lan Jinyao noticed that the handsome guy was subconsciously ncing at her, and something abruptly shed in her mind.

    Lan Jinyao turned to look at a certain spot in the bar, the look in her eyes unclear.

    Judging from Chen Meile¡¯s character, she wouldn¡¯t just invite her here to drink. Once before was for a party between friends, and another time was when Chen Zetao was introduced to her. It seemed like saying they hadn¡¯t hung out together for a long time was too far-fetched, right?

    Momentster, a cocktail was ced in front of Lan Jinyao. Chen Meile held up her ss. ¡°Come, drink!¡±

    The colour of this cocktail was pretty good, but, did Chen Meimei really like this drink?

    Lan Jinyao frowned as she stared at the cocktail in front of her. She said to Chen Meimei, ¡°Sis, you wouldn¡¯t be...forgetting what alcohol I like, right?¡±

    As she was saying this, she passed her previous wine ss to the bartender. ¡°Just give me a ss of the previous wine.¡±

    The bartender spread out his hands towards Chen Meile and shrugged his shoulders. Then he turned to Lan Jinyao to pour her the wine.

    Lan Jinyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Just now that was so close. Chen Meile must have heard the rumours, so she wanted to test her. Fortunately, she¡¯d guessed correctly.

    ¡°Haha, look at my goldfish memory! This pretty boy is new, so how could he know what wine you like?¡± Chen Meileughed and wanted this opportunity to take this matter off her mind.

    Lan Jinyao just quietly drank the wine and didn¡¯t pursue the matter.

    In her opinion, Chen Meile¡¯s attitude towards anything was carefree, except Fu Bainian. So, she allowed Chen Meile to take this matter off her mind in a behaviour simr to Chen Meimei¡¯s character.

    However, the uneasiness in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart was growing stronger. She didn¡¯t know what other tricks were waiting for her after this.

    That evening, Lan Jinyao had to act cautiously, as she was afraid that she would make a mistake.

    Fortunately, the evening was passed safely.

    The two sisters stayed at the bar until 10 PM. During that period, Fu Bainian called Lan Jinyao to say that he would pick her up.

    As she and Chen Meile walked out of the bar, they saw a car parked by the roadside.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Fu Bainian¡¯s car? He¡¯s so sweet now. In the past, he used to be very indifferent towards you, but things look great now. It¡¯s his turn to chase after you.¡±

    ¡°Go, hurry! I wonder how long he waited outside?¡± Chen Meile said as she pushed her.

    While saying this though, Chen Meile¡¯s eyes seemed distant.

    Lan Jinyao then turned to nce at her. ¡°I¡¯m going then! Take care of yourself.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t far to the car, but Lan Jinyao took every step cautiously. She could feel that Chen Meile¡¯s eyes were staring at her, and it was the kind of feeling that made her body be rigid as she walked.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t look back, so she didn¡¯t see that while Chen Meile was watching her walk towards the Land Rover, her eyes were filled with aplicated expression.

    ¡°What did Chen Meile say to you? Your movements looks stiff.¡± After getting in the car, Fu Bainian cupped her face and asked, ¡°And, you don¡¯t look happy either.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s brows creased, like she was thinking hard about something. After a while, she opened her mouth to say, ¡°I feel that Chen Meile was weird today. Maybe she already knows my identity? She was the closest person to Chen Meimei after all.¡±

    As she said this, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression also became serious, and he asked, ¡°Have you discovered something?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, I just feel it; that¡¯s all. Tonight felt very strange. If she doesn¡¯t notice anything, then I don¡¯t think that she¡¯ll test me again.¡± She frowned and continued, ¡°That was really close just now! I was almost exposed, but luckily I was quick-witted!¡±

    Unexpectedly, Fu Bainian shook his head. ¡°Chen Meile is much smarter and shrewder than Chen Meimei. If she were testing you, then you wouldn¡¯t have been able to detect it. If she intentionally made you aware, then she must have found the answer she was seeking, and she may have just wanted to give you a heads-up.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s heartbeats picked up speed once more.

    It didn¡¯t matter if other people knew, as what she feared most was the Chen Family knowing. By then, she might experience difficulty surviving.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the only thing that can be done is to take one step at a time!¡±

    Fu Bainian then started the car to drive home.

    Lan Jinyao suspiciously nced at him and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you look worried? Did you expect something like this to ur?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself; there will always be a solution.¡± Fu Bainian reached out his hand and rubbed her head.

    Although Lan Jinyao had Fu Bainian¡¯s assurances, she still wasn¡¯t very reassured. If Chen Meile knew about her identity, then it was just a matter of time before the Chen Family would also learn about it. Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t figure out why everyone could so calmly ept this kind of ridiculous phenomenon. Is there no one who doubted the validity of this strange reality?

    That night, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t sleep well. She hadn¡¯t dreamt of her death for a long time, and Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s malicious smile was the root of her nightmares.

    She struggled and wept in her sleep, yet she still couldn¡¯t wake up. She felt like her soul was being ripped away from this body.

    Fu Bainian was awoken when heard the pained groans escape Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth. He touched her forehead, but he only felt ice-cold sweat.

    The next second he turned the light on and stared at her lying on the bed. Her face was ashen, and her brows were tightly creased together as if she was trapped in a nightmare.

    ¡°Jinyao, wake up! Jinyao-¡±

    He patted her cheeks. Her cold temperature almost making him subconsciously move his hand away.

    ¡°Jinyao...¡±

    No matter how hard he called out, she was trapped in her dreams and wouldn¡¯t wake up. Fu Bainian¡¯s brows were slightly creased. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head, and he lifted the hand that was cupping Lan Jinyao¡¯s cheek to pinch her nose.

    Unable to breath, the dreaming Lan Jinyao¡¯s brow wrinkled even tighter. Thirty secondster, her eyelids flew open and stared at Fu Bainian in confusion as she gasped for fresh air.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s fingers were still pinching her nose.

    His expression looked awkward as he said, ¡°I was worried that you couldn¡¯t wake up.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression was nk. ¡°You can let me go now; I can''t breathe.¡±

    Fu Bainian released his fingers, and a momentter, his kissnded on her lips.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you settle this matter, so, when you¡¯re sleeping, don¡¯t think about it anymore; it¡¯ll just worry me.¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared into the man¡¯s ck pupils for a while before nodding.

 Chapter 90 - Chen Meileâ€™s Choice

    <h4>Chapter 90 - Chen Meile¡¯s Choice</h4>

    Chen Meile leaned against the couch in Fu Bainian¡¯s office, her legs crossed. A pair of crimson high-heeled shoes covered her feet, and one leg was stretched under the coffee table, while the other leg was hanging over her knee.

    She was just about to light a cigarette when Fu Bainian stopped her. ¡°Smoking isn¡¯t allowed in the office!¡±

    ¡°Oh! Sorry, I forgot this was your office.¡± Chen Meile put the cigarette away and smiled, slightly coldly. ¡°I feel agitated when I don¡¯t smoke, so if President Fu has something to say, please be quick!¡±

    The woman¡¯s expression looked a little impatient,pletely different from her previously easy-going look. Perhaps, as he¡¯d suspected, Chen Meile already knew about that matter.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s pupils shrunk. If things really were like what he thought, it would be difficult to handle. Chen Meile was somewhat difficult to deal withpared to Chen Meimei.

    ¡°I presume you already have your suspicions about that matter? I hope you can help hide it,¡± he said, directly getting to the point.

    ¡°Which matter? Why I don¡¯t understand what President Fu means?¡± Chen Meile smiled, pretending not to understand.

    She wants him to personally admit it!

    Realising this, the corners of Fu Bainian¡¯s mouth raised slightly.

    ¡°You obviously know already, so why should I say it? Since things have be like this, it¡¯s God¡¯s will.¡±

    As he finished saying that, a red high-heel flew towards his head. Fu Bainian¡¯s body dodged quickly to the side, and the high-heeled shoe hit the wall behind him, leaving a shallow scratch.

    ¡°What¡¯s God¡¯s will?! Fu Bainian, I¡¯m telling you, Chen Meimei died because of you. The reason she was in a car ident was also your fault. She loved you so much, yet you didn¡¯t see her at all. Chen Meimei was just slightly fat, but besides that, she couldn¡¯t bepared with other women-¡±

    Fu Bainian interrupted Chen Meile before she could finish.

    He said faintly, ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry for Chen Meimei¡¯s death. However, loving someone can¡¯t be forced. Chen Meimei is no worse than any other women, but, in my heart, there is already someone whom I¡¯ve loved for a long time. My heart can only fit her alone.¡±

    Upon hearing Fu Bainian saying this in such a faint tone, Chen Meile was inwardly shocked.

    I see. Of course, with such an outstanding man, it was weird how he didn¡¯t have any scandals. There wasn¡¯t a single woman that he liked? She should have guessed it long ago. At this moment, Chen Meile suddenly recalled when she got a phone call from Chen Meimei. It was a weird phone call. Chen Meimei had asked if Chen Meimei had ever mentioned Lan Jinyao before. Although she was puzzled at the time, she¡¯d subconsciously ignored it. Now, thinking about it again, perhaps at that time, her body had already be upied by another soul.

    Chen Meile suddenly wanted to p her own face. As a sister of Chen Meimei¡¯s, it was ridiculous that she¡¯d never guessed about this.

    ¡°You can¡¯t escape the responsibility of Chen Meimei getting into a car ident!¡± Chen Meile repeated loudly, her eyes slightly red.

    Fu Bainian said in a low voice, ¡°The way I acted towards Chen Meimei before was my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have told her that I would never fall for her. I should¡¯ve just told her that there was still a possibility between us. That one day, I might¡¯ve fallen for her, and then let her wait for an impossible reason. That is what I should¡¯ve done, right?¡±

    To his response, another high-heeled shoe flew towards him, and Fu Bainian barely managed to escape danger once again.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have appeared in Chen Meimei¡¯s life!¡± Chen Meile began to weep. ¡°But, who should I me? It was me who introduced you to her. If there weren¡¯t that drinking party to begin with, our Chen Meimei would still be that simple-minded little girl that wouldn¡¯t be sad nor cry for any man, and she wouldn¡¯t have ended that!¡±

    Fu Bainian breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Chen Meile understood everything, so he didn¡¯t need to worry about the exposure of Lan Jinyao¡¯s identity for a while. At least, he didn¡¯t have to worry about how to deal with Old Chen for the time being.

    ¡°Fu Bainian...¡±

    Just as Fu Bainian¡¯s body started to rx, he heard Chen Meile call his name. He then looked up, only to see the corners of Chen Meile¡¯s mouth raising slowly to form a sly smile.

    She asked, ¡°If she died once again, could Meimeie back?¡±

    The ethereal voice was filled with a creepy chill, and upon hearing that, Fu Bainian¡¯s clenched hands suddenly tightened.

    ¡°Killing people is illegal. Chen Meile, I hope that you can understand this. Don¡¯t let emotions dominate your proud rationality.¡±

    Chen Meile lifted her head, seemingly wanting to hold back the tears in her eyes. However, from Fu Bainian¡¯s view, he could still see the tears that were continuously escaping from the corners of her eyes.

    The most painful thing in the world is to be parted by death. Everything in this world was trivial except for life and death. He understood Chen Meile¡¯s current feelings very well; it felt as if the whole world had utterly copsed. He had experienced this feeling before, and it had felt like his heart had been hollowed out and that his soul had left his body.

    He didn¡¯t say anything more and instead went to pick up her shoes and ce them next to her feet.

    ¡°Chen Meimei is already dead; what else can you do? Could it be that you want to kill another person? Can¡¯t you...¡± he paused, realising that his words were a little bit coldblooded. He then mulled it over for a moment before continuing, ¡°Let Lan Jinyao be your sister. Her soul is now in the body of Chen Meimei, living happily.¡±

    Chen Meile stood up on her bare feet and looked him right in the eyes. ¡°Fu Bainian, put yourself in my shoes, can you treat Chen Meimei as Lan Jinyao and love her? Let me ask you: If Chen Meimei was still Chen Meimei, but she was just pretending to be Lan Jinyao and living in your world; how would you react? Have you never given a thought about how soul possessing could ever exist in this world?¡±

    Fu Bainian was instantly stunned by her outburst.

    He¡¯d never thought about this possibility like Chen Meile had said, but, it wasn¡¯t impossible either.

    As if he¡¯d been silent for a century, Fu Bainian let out a long sigh. ¡°If you love someone, you just know. Although this situation might be impossible, you¡¯ll never mistake the person you love.¡±

    When he was with Lan Xin, he¡¯d always had a strange feeling. Although Lan Xin had the same movements and the same face, he¡¯d felt that that person before him was bing increasingly unfamiliar.

    ¡°After you¡¯ve said so much, what is your choice, Chen Meile?¡±

    Chen Meile stared at him as tears continuously rolled down her cheeks. She quickly put on her shoes, pushed Fu Bainian away, and then ran out of the office.

    When Lan Jinyao arrived, her body was knocked into, and she saw Chen Meile crying as she passed by.

    She pushed the office door open, and asked as she walked in, ¡°What was her choice?¡±

    ¡°Maybe choosing to conceal the secret, or maybe to kill you; who knows?¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt coldness slowly creep its way down her spine.

 Chapter 91 - Harmed By Someone (1)

    <h4>Chapter 91 - Harmed By Someone (1)</h4>

    Today was the day of the audition, so Li Qi went to thepany early in the morning to stop her. Seeing that time was running out, Lan Jinyao was anxious and quickly shook off his hand. ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m going to bete.¡±

    Li Qi grabbed her hand and refused to let go. ¡°Meimei, don¡¯t get anxious and slowly listen to me; don¡¯t go to this audition. The drama you¡¯ll be in next will have an attached advertisement instead. When we shoot that advertisement, we can¡¯t take part in this one.¡±

    Lan Jinyao frowned. ¡°Why?¡±

    Her mind subconsciously told her that the reason Li Qi would say this must be because something had happened.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me...then I¡¯ll let Fu Bainian deal with you!¡±

    Li Qi bitterly made a ¡®go on¡¯ gesture to her. ¡°If you want toin, then do it! Anyway, I¡¯m doing this for your own good.¡±

    ¡°Is this rted to Fu Bainian?¡± she asked suspiciously.

    Li Qi quickly shook his head in response. ¡°No, this has nothing to do with President Fu. All right, I¡¯ll tell you the truth!¡± He wasn¡¯t brave enough to let President Fu be the scapegoat. If President Fu were to find out and get angry, the one who would suffer would be him.

    ¡°Spit it out, quick!¡± Lan Jinyao urged as she nced at her watch.

    ¡°I just received some news. This advertisement has already assigned the female lead role at thest moment. So, although this group of neers will be going to the audition, it¡¯s just for formality, nothing more. I¡¯m just worried that after you¡¯ve made an all-out effort, but still don¡¯t get the role, how disappointed you¡¯ll be.¡±

    Lan Jinyao frowned and asked coldly, ¡°Who is the person assigned as the female lead role in the advertisement?¡±

    ¡°Sh-shen Wei¡¯an!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all the more reason that I have to go!¡± she smiled coldly. ¡°When the newses out that Shen Wei¡¯an was able to climb to such a high branch, she¡¯ll be regarded as amazing! Don¡¯t stop me. Even if I fail, at least I have gained experience, right?¡±

    Li Qi reluctantly let go of her. ¡°You still don¡¯t have enough experience? You¡¯ve already starred as the main lead in a TV series.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± Lan Jinyao gave him a look. ¡°Didn¡¯t someone say that I don¡¯t have enough experience, so that¡¯s why I have toe and train with the neers?¡±

    Her words choked Li Qi''s response. ¡°Forget it. Go, go; I¡¯ll apany you!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao and Li Qi arrived at the audition venue, all the neers under Blue Hall Entertainment were already waiting in the hall. In addition, there were also a few new faces that Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t seen before that she assumed were sent by otherpanies for the audition.

    ¡°She actually came. It¡¯s really unfair; she clearly has President Fu covering her back, and she¡¯s already starred in a drama before. Howe she counts as a neer? I can¡¯t believe that she¡¯s here to join in the fun.¡±

    ¡°Lower your voice. Did you forget what happened to Yan Ling?¡±

    Yan Ling was the neer who¡¯d spread gossip behind Lan Jinyao¡¯s back. In the end, due to Xiaomin¡¯s acting in front of Fu Bainian, she was finally driven out of Blue Hall Entertainment.

    Rumour said that she¡¯dpletely changed her profession, and no corporations were willing to ept her.

    It was no wonder that everyone would constantly talk about this matter.

    Lan Jinyao swept a nce across the two girls who¡¯d spoken, noticing that they were artists from Blue Hall Entertainment. She silently snorted. They were really giving theirpany a lot of face.

    Li Qi, who was beside her, tugged at her sleeve. Then, in a low voice, he said, ¡°You should pay attention to this forter. If, when the resultse out, you aren¡¯t selected, don¡¯t be too upset.¡±

    ¡°I know!¡±

    In the entertainment industry, if there was a predetermined candidate, then there was a 99% chance that others wouldn¡¯t be selected. The other 1% was a factor influenced by unpredictability.

    She¡¯d initially only wanted to give her career a boost, but now that Shen Wei¡¯an wanted to interfere in this, then her purpose would also change ordingly.

    Shen Wei¡¯an wouldn¡¯t care about a small advertisement. In that case, that woman¡¯s purpose definitely wasn¡¯t so simple. Therefore, she had to take a good look this time. Thest time someone had exposed her scandal, so this time, who was supporting that woman from behind the scenes?

    The first person to audition had already gone in, but Shen Wei¡¯an hadn¡¯t arrived yet.

    After waiting for a while, she asked Li Qi, ¡°Why isn¡¯t she here yet? Don¡¯t tell me that the predetermined candidate wouldn¡¯t bothering at all?¡±

    As soon as she asked this, Li Qi denied it. ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible. Shen Wei¡¯an will definitelye. Even if it¡¯s just a formality, the advertisingpany won¡¯t allow her not toe.¡±

    Indeed, it would be difficult to appease the great deal of anger that would arise if that happened. Thinking this way, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart rxed.

    Even if Shen Wei¡¯an were a sly fox, there woulde a day that she would reveal her tail. And, what she had to do now was force Shen Wei¡¯an into a desperate situation. She wanted Shen Wei¡¯an to personally admit her crime from that time, and then spend the rest of her life in prison.

    It was the third person¡¯s turn to go in. When the two people who¡¯d gone in earlier hade out, they¡¯d both looked dejected. It seemed that the results hade out, and that they weren¡¯t chosen.

    Lan Jinyao and Li Qi looked at each other, each seeing an understanding on the other¡¯s face. It seemed like it really was predetermined.

    It wasn¡¯t until the fifth person¡¯s turn that Shen Wei¡¯an finally appeared. She was wearing a maxi skirt with an embroidered white t-shirt and a pair of t shoes that were visible when she walked. Her outfit gave off an impression of youthfulness.

    As she passed the group of neers, her chin was slightly lifted, making her look like a proud peacock. It was only when she passed Lan Jinyao that she stopped and swept an indifferent nce her way. At that moment, Lan Jinyao seemed to see a corner of Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s mouth curve ever so slightly.

    Although Lan Jinyao was calm and collected on the surface, her clenched hands at her sides tightened, and her nails pierced into the flesh of her palms.

    Apparently noticing that little movement, the smile on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s mouth widened.

    She lightly said, ¡°Chen Meimei, I didn¡¯t expect you to be at an audition for neers! You haven¡¯t go in yet, right? Since that¡¯s the case, I suggest you go home now to save yourself from even more disappointment.¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s smiling face, unable to take her eyes off her. At that moment, she suddenly felt that she¡¯d never known this woman. She was not only vicious; she was more capable than Lan Jinyao had imagined her to be. It hadn¡¯t been long, yet it looked like Shen Wei¡¯an had hidden her true self exceptionally well.

    Consequently, she also smiled. ¡°That¡¯s not certain you know. The results haven¡¯te out yet, so it¡¯s still unknown who¡¯ll be the one to face disappointment when the timees.¡±

    The smile on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face faded, and she snorted before walking towards the office.

    The moment the door closed, almost everyone sighed.

    ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an came too! It seems that we¡¯repletely without a chance!¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    Lan Jinyao swept her gaze across all the girls who were sighing, the corners of her mouth lifting.

 Chapter 92 - Harmed By Someone (2)

    <h4>Chapter 92 - Harmed By Someone (2)</h4>

    Exactly twenty-five minutes and four seconds had passed after Shen Wei¡¯an had gone in the office, and that was a whole five minutes longer than the rest.

    Lan Jinyao thought as she shifted her gaze from her watch, and the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth slightly lowered. When Shen Wei¡¯an walked out from the room, a haughty smile was stered on her face as she intentionally stopped in front of Lan Jinyao and contemptuously said, ¡°Chen Meimei, howe you¡¯re still here? Don¡¯t tell me that you actually think that you still stand a chance? Haha, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so naive.¡±

    Lan Jinyao looked around and saw that many people had already started wavering upon hearing this, and her eyes grew cold as she retorted, ¡°The results aren¡¯t out yet, and you¡¯re already so sure that no one else stands a chance? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve climbed onto a certain big tree again!¡±

    When she said this so explicitly, Li Qi, who was standing next to her, immediately tugged at her arm, signalling her with his eyes to not say anything further.

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s expression slightly changed at this point, and her tone wasn¡¯t as unyielding as before as she shifted her gaze and looked at the others before coldly stating, ¡°I, Shen Wei¡¯an, have always done things based on strength and spoken through my actions; even if you and the others here audition, your performances won¡¯t be able to surpass mine! So, I advise you all to just give up and don¡¯t hold onto too much hope!¡±

    After saying this, Shen Wei¡¯an turned and left.

    Lan Jinyao lowered her head and said to Li Qi, ¡°Did you notice that when I said those words earlier, Shen Wei¡¯an didn¡¯t dare look me in the eye? You must know that showing that kind of expression means that she was silently admitting it.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± asked Li Qi, obviously doubting her words.

    ¡°I understand her!¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Li Qi chuckled and patted her on the shoulder as he said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. It¡¯s your turn now; hurry and go!¡±

    As Lan Jinyao walked towards the office, she noticed that it was pitch-ck inside with the floor-to-ceiling windows blocked by curtains that didn¡¯t allow even a tiny bit of light to shine through. She then saw that there was a small stage with several people sitting in front of it. Those must be the investors, judging panel members, and others that the advertisingpany had invited.

    In addition, there was a person sitting in the corner behind them, but it was too dark to see that person¡¯s face clearly. She could only guess by looking at the appearance that it was a man.

    Don¡¯t tell her that this was Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s patron? If that was really the case, then things would be more difficult to deal with. Lan Jinyao frowned as silently thought.

    This was a makeshift stage, but it looked quite stable. When Lan Jinyao stood on it, a beam of white light was directed at her from the side, forming a bright round spotlight on the ground.

    ¡°You can start!¡±

    Lan Jinyao then started to dance on stage, her rxed posture forming soft contours as she whirled and leapt. When she danced, her expression was focused and conscientious, and she seemed to have turned into a graceful white swan.

    There was no music in the room, and even the sound of breathing was faint, so only her graceful steps resounded as she intently danced.

    ¡°Meimei, bear this in mind: This advertisement¡¯s goal is to illustrate the final results of the client¡¯s product. So, when you¡¯re dancing, try to let your hair flutter in the air. If the result is good, then maybe we can even break this one rule. Uhh...even though it¡¯s a long shot, it¡¯s worth a try!¡±

    A long shot? No, as long as she could stand there, then she would have endless hope.

    At this moment, everyone forgot to breathe as they immersed themselves in that white swan¡¯s graceful moves on stage until she finished her dance and bowed towards them.

    In that instant, thunderous apuse echoed within the room.

    ¡°Very good!¡±

    ¡°Wonderful!¡±

    Ovee with praises, Lan Jinyao revealed a radiant smile on her face.

    However, she¡¯d noticed that the person sitting at the back remained silent, and as time went by, her heart grew heavier by the minute. This was because, once the judges sitting in front had drawn their conclusions after deliberating for a while, their eyes fell on the man behind them, seemingly asking for the man¡¯s opinion.

    Lan Jinyao then saw the man raise his hand before the spotlight on her was extinguished, leaving her shrouded in darkness.

    Following that, light footsteps sounded in the quiet room as the man stood up and slowly walked towards Lan Jinyao.

    As he got closer, Lan Jinyao could feel him breathing. The man was indeed very tall, even taller than Chen Meimei, who was 180 cms tall.

    The man¡¯s body seemed to be sprayed with some kind of unknown cologne which gave off a very faint sweet scent, but that smell felt somewhat familiar to Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to still show up at the audition after you¡¯d heard the inside information!¡± The man¡¯s voice was very deep and low, and as Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t see things very clearly in the dark, she felt all the more that his voice sounded extremely familiar when she heard him speak. It was just that she couldn¡¯t remember where she¡¯d heard it before.

    However, saying this meant that the man was admitting that he was Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s patron, and the Big Boss who¡¯d already decided on Shen Wei¡¯an for this ad.

    Lan Jinyao took two steps back and distanced herself from him before she said, ¡°Are you telling me that I ought to have given up just because I¡¯d heard the inside information? If that was really the case, then even I, Chen Meimei, will look down on myself! I want to get this ad, but from how things look now, it seems that there¡¯s no more hope.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re giving up just like that?¡± The man chuckled and continued, ¡°Since you¡¯re already in this audition, why don¡¯t you have any confidence in yourself? You must¡¯ve seen the hidden cameras around this room, right? So, you¡¯re not confident in yourself.¡±

    For some reason, the man¡¯s voice seemed to be masked with extreme mockery, especially after she¡¯d said thosest few words earlier.

    Lan Jinyao shook her head and retorted, ¡°No! The reason I¡¯m saying all of this is not because I¡¯m not confident, but because of the predetermined oue of this audition.¡±

    ¡°So, I can leave now, right?¡±

    When Lan Jinyao said this, she did feel quite regrettable in her heart. Who would¡¯ve thought that Shen Wei¡¯an would seek a patron this time? And, one that valued her to boot! To think that he¡¯d even personallye to this kind of selection round.

    ¡°Wait!¡± The man took hold of her arm when she was about to leave.

    Lan Jinyao turned back and looked at him as she asked, ¡°May I ask if there is anything else?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that President Fu isn¡¯t helping you with this! I mean, you seem to want this ad a lot!¡± The man¡¯s voice sounded delighted as he continued, ¡°You¡¯re his wife, right? Why isn¡¯t he intervening with this matter?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an was also an artist under Blue Hall Entertainment, so as long as Fu Bainian intervened, Shen Wei¡¯an absolutely wouldn¡¯t have a part in this ad. Lan Jinyao already understood this point.

    ¡°That¡¯s because...¡±

    She trailed off before she softly continued, ¡°Fu Bainian respects the fruits of mybour and my personal values.¡±

    After saying this, Lan Jinyao turned around and strode out of the room,pletely ignoring the man¡¯s peculiar gaze behind her.

    As soon as she walked out, Li Qi grabbed her to his side and asked, ¡°How was it? How did it go?¡±

    She sighed and then replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that this ad will go to Shen Wei¡¯an this time.¡±

    Upon hearing her say that, the rest of the participants who¡¯d wavered earlier felt even more hopeless.

 Chapter 93 - Harmed By Someone (3)

    <h4>Chapter 93 - Harmed By Someone (3)</h4>

    On their way back to thepany, Li Qi and Lan Jinyao sat quietly in the van, neither of them speaking. Lan Jinyao nced at Li Qi, who seemed to be more disappointed than herself.

    When she saw him like this, all the unpleasantness in her heart thoroughly dissolved.

    ¡°Hey! Say, why do you seem more disappointed than I am? Didn¡¯t you try to persuade me to not participate in this audition before? Saying that the oue had already been decided? You already knew the results beforehand, right?¡±

    Li Qi kneaded his be and sighed restlessly. ¡°Although I knew the results, I didn¡¯t have this kind of feeling in my heart. But, now that you¡¯ve given it your all, with the oue still the same, I can¡¯t help but feel awful. It feels like all your efforts were in vain.¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this before? That none of my efforts will be in vain, because they will turn into the most valuable experiences for me hereafter.¡±

    Whenparing it with experience, the results weren¡¯t as important anymore.

    Li Qi nodded, yet he was still dispirited and downcast as he said, ¡°Yes! Experience is the most important part, but aren''t you upset about this? I heard that the former Chen Meimei hated to see this kind of situation the most. Whoever wanted topare their background and power with yours would¡¯ve definitely found themselves hit on the head with adle. Besides, you now not only have the Chen family backing you, but you also have President Fu!¡±

    ¡°Hmm!¡± Lan Jinyao nodded her head in a pretending manner as she said, ¡°I¡¯ll think about what you¡¯ve said! Isn''t it just a mere Shen Wei¡¯an? Even if she¡¯s found a powerful patron, we can still knock her off her pedestal.¡±

    Li Qi quickly waved his hand and said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I said!¡±

    Lan Jinyao burst intoughter when she heard him.

    Although the results for the audition weren¡¯t out yet, the winner had already been predetermined, so there probably wouldn¡¯t be any changes to that. However, Lan Jinyao still had to carry on with the neer training.

    In the afternoon, when Lan Jinyao was in the middle of practising, Lan Xin walked up to her and patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Although you didn¡¯t get the ad this time, don''t be discouraged! The best is yet toe!¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and said, "I know; there¡¯ll be more opportunities in the future!"

    They stared at each other and then smiled.

    And, right at this moment, Xiaomin walked over with a group of girls following behind her. The girls didn¡¯t carry the same arrogance that they¡¯d shown thest time, and instead, a harmonious smile was currently stered on their faces.

    Xiaomin sat down in front of Lan Jinyao and held her hands as she softlyforted, ¡°Big Sis Meimei, I know that you must be very sad right now, but don¡¯t worry, the results aren¡¯t out yet, so, anything is possible.¡±

    Lan Xin couldn¡¯t help but coldly sneer at her words. ¡°That¡¯s right; the results aren¡¯t out yet. Tsk, such an easy thing for you to say! Everyone here already knows that Shen Wei¡¯an had been decided on from the beginning. Say, what do you mean by saying that? Do you want Meimei to feel disappointment all over again? Just cut it out with your act and your ulterior motives!¡±

    ¡°Lan Xin, how can you talk to me like that? Aren¡¯t you just taking advantage of the fact that you have a face that looks like that of the movie Goddess, so you don¡¯t take any of us seriously? What are you-¡±

    Lan Jinyao interrupted the little girl and sternly said, ¡°Okay, stop it, let¡¯s not argue! I know that everyone is worried about me and that you¡¯re doing this for my own good, but let¡¯s not spoil our rtionship over something like this.¡±

    As to whether it was really for her own good or not, everyone understood it clearly in their hearts.

    ¡°Lan Xin, don¡¯t be angry; they didn¡¯t do that on purpose,¡± Xiaomin exined with a smile.

    Upon hearing this, Lan Xin just swept her a quick look and said nothing else.

    After two hours of training, Li Qi hurriedly rushed into the practice room. His eyes were squinted into crescent shapes as he smiled, and everyone could see that he was in a good mood.

    ¡°Meimei, there¡¯s good news, the results are out!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was puzzled when she heard this. The results are out, but why was he so happy? Could it be... Her eyes immediately widened, and a daring thought popped up in her mind.

    Li Qi¡¯s voice was loud enough for everyone to hear as he announced, ¡°Meimei, the results are out, and the winning candidate of this advertisement is you, not Shen Wei¡¯an!¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± Lan Xin walked over to Li Qi, looking even happier than Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°It¡¯s absolutely true!¡± answered Li Qi. He then lowered his voice as he said, ¡°Meimei, didn''t you say that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s patron was there, sitting behind those judges? Logically speaking, there was no reason for a change then! Could it be that he finds you better-looking than Shen Wei¡¯an, and he¡¯s taken a fancy to you?¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, his arm was severely pinched by Lan Jinyao. ¡°Uhh, do you really think that¡¯s possible?¡± she vaguely asked.

    Following this, Li Qi quickly shook his head in denial.

    ¡°However, now that you mention it, I¡¯ve remembered something. After I finished my dance, that man came up to me and asked me some weird questions. I didn¡¯t say much at the time; I just answered a few questions and then walked straight out of the room!¡±

    Li Qi asked, ¡°What kind of questions did the man ask?¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao pondered thoughtfully before replying, ¡°Nothing special actually, but he did mention Fu Bainian.¡±

    ¡°Oh! I understand now!¡± eximed Li Qi all of a sudden. He then added, ¡°President Fu must have intervened in this matter. Why don''t you ask him?¡±

    Lan Jinyao subconsciously denied this idea as she believed that Fu Bainian wouldn¡¯t have interfered in this. As to why that man would suddenly mention Fu Bainian, that was still unknown.

    ¡°Alright then, when I get home tonight, I¡¯ll ask him!¡±

    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow morning. This advertisement will be shot as a film series, and there¡¯s also a lot of camera shots. They¡¯ve requested to shoot the ad outdoors; our first stop will be the ss Bridge.¡±

    The ss Bridge? Isn¡¯t that a bit too extreme to start with?! Lan Jinyao silently cursed. Perhaps, when she was standing there, she¡¯d be so scared that she¡¯d be kneeling on the ground instead.

    ......

    As a matter of fact, when Lan Jinyao stood in front of the ss Bridge, she froze and couldn¡¯t take another step further. In front of the ss Bridge was a sturdy pir made of stainless steel and, right at this moment, Lan Jinyao had her hands tightly sped around it. The skin on the back of her hands was very thin, so even her blue veins were clearly visible.

    On top of the bridge, the air was very refreshing; one could even smell the faint fragrance of flowers from time to time. Besides, the weather was quite lovely today. It wasn¡¯t overly hot at this moment as a light breeze would asionally blow over.

    There was such magnificent scenery, yet Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but feel her body trembling at the sight of it. She looked at her hands and tried to exert some force to move, but she still couldn''t let go of the pir.

    She was too scared at the moment, so much so that beads of sweat started forming on her forehead.

    The makeup artist then quickly rushed over to re-apply her makeup.

    "You don¡¯t look very well. I don¡¯t want you to make me doubt that I¡¯ve made the wrong decision by deciding on you at thest moment.¡±

    The man who spoke was the same person that Lan Jinyao had seen in the office that day, his voice sounding the same. But this time, she could clearly see the man¡¯s face. It was just an ordinary-looking face, but on his forehead, there was a scar which was covered by his hair.

    Lan Jinyao took a deep breath before she said to the man, ¡°I won¡¯t make you regret your decision. Instead, I¡¯ll let you know that you¡¯re a very wise person.¡±

    In fact, Lan Jinyao felt somewhat puzzled. Logically speaking, this man didn¡¯t have toe in person to the set. Li Qi had said that this man was the Young Master of the advertisingpany, so he was the person in charge.

    The man smiled and said, ¡°In that case, I wish you all the best of luck.¡±

    The moment he turned away, it seemed like he¡¯d intentionally swept a quick look at her hands before he left.

 Chapter 94 - Harmed By Someone (4)

    <h4>Chapter 94 - Harmed By Someone (4)</h4>

    This was the first advertisement she¡¯d had after she¡¯d be Chen Meimei. Lan Jinyao secretly encouraged herself in her heart; she would do her utmost best to shoot this advertisement well.

    Even though she¡¯d silently told herself countless times: Lan Jinyao, press on! You can do it!; she was still too nervous to let go of the pir and Li Qi, who was standing on the sidelines, was even more anxious than her when he saw her like that. He quickly shoved a bottle of mineral water into the hands of the staff member next to him, and then strode over.

    ¡°Come! First, take a deep breath, then close your eyes and imagine that you¡¯re in arge field. Meimei, follow me and try to visualise that!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao closed her eyes, Li Qi¡¯s hand fell on hers. Then, loosening her fingers one by one, he held her hand in his and guided her away from the pir one step at a time.

    Although Lan Jinyao tried her best to visualise that scenery, her steps were still very cautious, and as she walked, the beads of sweat on her forehead glistened under the bright sunlight.

    ¡°Can you smell it? The faint sweet floral fragrance floating in the air? Ites from the flowers blooming on the prairie, and under your feet, there¡¯s arge field of lush green grass, can you feel it as well? Are you able to see this exuberant scenery?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded, her expression gradually rxing.

    When Li Qi saw the smile on Lan Jinyao¡¯s face, he let go of her hand and softly said, ¡°Great, now, slowly open your eyes.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao slowly opened her eyes, she saw the bottomless abyss under the ss Bridge, and her pupils instantly contracted as she shrieked, ¡°Li Qi!¡±

    Li Qi was currently standing more than a meter away from Lan Jinyao, so if she didn¡¯t move, she would never be able to reach the hand that Li Qi had extended towards her.

    ¡°Hey, rx and walk around a bit; you don¡¯t really feel that scared anymore, right? Look, you¡¯re already in the middle of the bridge now.¡± Li Qi slowly encouraged her as he added, ¡°I¡¯m right here. You only need to take a few steps forward and you¡¯ll reach me.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao mustered up the courage to take a step forward, Li Qi took another step back.

    His smile looked somewhat devilish as he said, ¡°Meimei, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re angry now? In that case,e here and hit me then!¡±

    What was that about Li Qi being a gentleman? All that was just a facade! This person with that hateful expression was, in fact, the real him! Lan Jinyao silently thought and spitefully red at him.

    She tried not to look at the view under her feet, and just focused on the scene before her eyes as she walked forward step by step while also chanting, ¡°Nothing will happen; I¡¯ll arrive over there safe and sound.¡±

    The production team had already wasted a lot of time because of her. Meanwhile, the Young Master was enjoying his tea in a pavilion in front of the ss Bridge, asionally ncing at her.

    After a while, Lan Jinyao finally arrived at the starting point, and Li Qi smiled beside her and said, ¡°Your courage deserves to be praised! You actually used a full ten minutes to finish a one minute stroll.¡±

    ¡°Makeup artist, help her re-apply her makeup!¡± Jiang Cheng walked over and nonchntly said, ¡°You¡¯ve already wasted ten minutes, I can¡¯t let you continue wasting our time. Just start right away when you¡¯re done re-applying the makeup.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and took this chance to rest a bit. Maybe it was because she was too nervous at the moment, but her stomach felt a bit ufortable.

    ¡°Meimei,e over here and have some water!¡±

    Li Qi then handed her a bottle of water.

    Lan Jinyao took two mouthfuls of water and then got up to walk to the ss Bridge. While she was standing there, that ufortable feeling had seemingly got worse, and her stomach had started to hurt a little.

    No, she had to endure this since she couldn¡¯t waste any more precious time! Otherwise, when the timees, the people wouldn¡¯t be criticising Shen Wei¡¯an about having found a patron, but her, Chen Meimei, and reprimanding her for taking advantage of her position to enter through the back door.

    Outside the tourist area.

    A staff member had stopped a woman who was gasping for air. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss, ess to this area has been restricted today as someone¡¯s filming inside. Tourists aren¡¯t allowed to go in.¡±

    The woman took off her mask and said to the staff member, ¡°Can I go in now?¡±

    ¡°L-Lan Jinyao?¡±

    The staff member was so stunned upon seeing her face that he started stammering.

    ¡°Yes, of course, you can go in! But, before that, could you please give me an autograph?¡±

    Lan Xin patiently signed Lan Jinyao¡¯s name on the notebook handed to her by the staff member. When she was done, she put her mask back on and strode inside.

    The staff member happily stared at the autograph in his notebook for a while, but then he realised that something didn¡¯t seem right. He looked in the direction that the woman had run towards, and then murmured to himself, ¡°Wait, why doesn¡¯t this signature look the same as the signature on the poster? Could it be that she¡¯s changed her style?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I got Lan Jinyao¡¯s autograph!¡±

    ¡°What? Lan Jinyao?! Isn¡¯t she dead?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Then, who was that woman from a moment ago? Quickly go in and bring her out of there! Otherwise...¡±

    The two staff members then hurried after Lan Xin.

    When Li Qi intently stared at the figure on the ss Bridge, he frowned and muttered, ¡°Could it be that she hasn¡¯t ovee her fear yet? Why does herplexion look even worse now?¡±

    Suddenly, someone appeared beside him and said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s not a fear of heights, it¡¯s her tummy aching.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Li Qi started to notice that Lan Jinyao was touching her stomach one moment, and then removing her hand the next moment. It seemed that she wanted to rub her stomach.

    Li Qi, who was overly sensitive, realised at once that something might go wrong if things continued like this. He quickly asked Lan Xin, ¡°How did you know? Her drink, did someone...?¡±

    His words were quite vague, but Lan Xin immediately understood what he was trying to say and nodded. ¡°Yes, I just realised that as well.¡±

    ¡°You came all the way here just for this?¡±

    What was wrong with Li Qi¡¯s intuition?

    Lan Xin frowned and then said, ¡°Now is not the time to discuss this. But, let me say this, Chen Meimei and I are good friends, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m here to warn her. You had better yell stop now; otherwise, things will only get worse when something happens to her.¡±

    ¡°Director, could you stop filming for a moment?!¡±

    With this, Lan Jinyao was saved, and she immediately ran towards the restroom with aposed expression on her face under the astounded look of everyone present.

    Five minutester, Lan Jinyao walked out of the restroom. However, just as Li Qi was about to drag her back to the set, his hand was flung away as Jinyao turned back and rushed into the restroom once again.

    ¡°Li Qi, I think I need some medicine!¡±

    Li Qi rubbed his forehead as he thought: This wasn¡¯t good, she¡¯s seriously unwell!

    Lan Xin took out a box of medicine from her pocket and handed it to Li Qi as she said, ¡°I¡¯ve already bought the medicine!¡±

    When Li Qi saw this, he was once again bbergasted.

    ¡°Was this matter rted to you?¡± He stared at the medicine in his hand and was wondering if he should give it to Chen Meimei.

    Lan Xin shook her head. ¡°No, but I know who did this! I¡¯ll exin it to her afterwards. I''m leaving first.¡±

    After Lan Xin had left, Li Qi spoke with a voice filled with doubts, ¡°She¡¯s really treating Chen Meimei too well!¡± So well that he found it strange.

 Chapter 95 - Tread On A Worm And It Will Turn (1)

    <h4>Chapter 95 - Tread On A Worm And It Will Turn (1)</h4>

    ¡°Chen Meimei, it seems like my decision was a mistake!¡±

    After Lan Jinyao had finished drinking the medicine, she heard Jiang Cheng say those words to her which in turn made her feel as if she was struck by lightning. She was brain-dead at the moment, staring at Jiang Cheng¡¯s back as he walked into the distance.

    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked while tugging at Li Qi¡¯s cor.

    Li Qi heaved a long sigh as he exined, ¡°What else could it be? That person must be disappointed in you. You said that he¡¯d initially decided on Shen Wei¡¯an, but then... Let¡¯s assume that that person had been convinced by your acting skills and thus chose you, but then, things turn out like this instead. Say, in such a situation, do you still think that he would look at you in a good light?¡±

    As he was talking, his tone grew all the more agitated, and it was to the point that he even brought up Lan Jinyao in front of her. ¡°You know the artist who I used to lead in the past, Lan Jinyao? She¡¯d never encountered this kind of situation at all, but, even if she had, she would¡¯ve done her utmost to turn the tables. Although she normally appeared weak and gentle, she was a very tough woman beneath the surface!¡±

    ¡°Do you reminiscence the past a lot?¡± Lan Jinyao suddenly asked, her expression somewhat perplexed.

    Li Qi didn¡¯t even think before he replied, ¡°Of course, the past is for reminiscing. Ah, I don¡¯t mean it that way. I just think that you shouldn¡¯t give up like this. This is an opportunity that you¡¯ve fought very hard for. I think you should go over and fight for it one more time.¡±

    In the end, he added, ¡°Of course, the precondition is that you have to ovee your own mental hurdle first. However, the issue about your diarrhoea is rtively more serious at the moment.¡±

    Lan Jinyao subconsciously rubbed her stomach and frowned as she asked, ¡°How could this be? Somebody must¡¯ve drugged me, right? Also, why would Lan Xin especiallye all this way to bring me medicine? Could it be that she knows something?¡±

    Li Qi shrugged in response to her consecutive questions. ¡°You have to ask her that yourself; how would I know?¡±

    However, as someone had drugged her, then this matter was more severe than expected. It was known that artists must have the appropriate tricks up their sleeves in order to survive in this industry, but if their methods were meant for harming others, then it wouldn¡¯t matter even if they fell from grace.

    When Lan Jinyao went to find Lan Xin, Li Qi secretly gave Fu Bainian a call.

    ¡°President Fu, nothing serious has happened...it¡¯s just that, someone slippedxatives in Meimei¡¯s drink. Luckily the situation has already been alleviated!¡±

    Soon after that, Li Qi heard the man¡¯s cold voice on the phone. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that being drugged is not considered a big deal? What if it wasn¡¯txative but poison or a drug that causes an allergic reaction instead?¡±

    Li Qi was scolded speechless by Fu Bainian, and he couldn¡¯t help but silently think: Were things really as grave as President Fu imagined?

    He suddenly felt that making this call was aplete mistake.

    ¡°Who drugged Meimei?¡±

    ¡°This...we don¡¯t know yet, but we¡¯ve already checked if it was an artist from ourpany.¡±

    ¡°In that case, you don¡¯t have to worry about this anymore. Stay close and take care of Meimei; I¡¯ll send someone else to proceed with the investigation.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll closely follow Meimei.¡±

    After hanging up, Li Qi breathed a long sigh of relief. In the future, he ought to do this kind of thing less often.

    ...

    As night fell, Lan Jinyao was the only one left standing in front of the ss Bridge. Behind her was arge in, but in front of her, apart from a tform made of ss, there was only the bottomless abyss that could make one¡¯s body numb just by staring at it.

    Lan Jinyao was currently trying to ovee her fear, so she worked hard to not think of the abyss below her feet by looking ahead and trying to move forward step by step. Li Qi was right; even if she were able to convince Jiang Cheng to give her another chance, it would be useless if she wasn¡¯t able to ovee her fear.

    Under the night sky, the visibility was much lower, so the fear in her mind decreased by quite a bit.

    And, eventually, she managed to stroll all the way to the middle of the ss Bridge. She then realised that her legs weren¡¯t shaking anymore. There was a light breeze caressing her face, bringing her a veryfortable and soothing feeling.

    Following that, she closed her eyes and embraced the tranquillity.

    After a while, a beam of light suddenly lit up the night sky, making her abruptly open her eyes and, right at that instant, her gaze fell on the person standing in front of her.

    ¡°That visage from earlier was gorgeous! If you can keep this up, then that would be great!¡±

    The person who¡¯d photographed her was the Director for the advertisement series.

    ¡°But, it¡¯s evening now. Won¡¯t the lights and so on be an issue?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no problem. Our Big Boss is standing over there, so who dares to object?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes followed the direction that the Director was pointing at and saw Jiang Cheng standing at the end of the bridge. Jiang Cheng, who¡¯d had a disappointed expression on his face during the day, was now fervently staring at her.

    When their gazes met, Lan Jinyao suddenly waved towards him and shouted, ¡°Thank you for giving me another chance!¡±

    However, when Jiang Cheng saw her wave at him, he merely looked away indifferently. He then turned and walked toward the pavilion before he quietly sat down. Upon seeing this, the smile tugging at the corners of Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth brightened.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s condition was very good this time, so theypleted all the shots on the ss Bridge in just half an hour.

    ¡°Wonderful! I think we should¡¯ve done it like this from the start. Chen Meimei, you¡¯re really amazing! The most difficult obstacle that one has to ovee is their inner fear. You did an outstanding job. Looks like President Jiang didn¡¯t choose the wrong person after all.¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled at his words.

    She¡¯d truly had a hard time before she¡¯d passed this hurdle. Following this, it was time to settle the scores! That person who¡¯d slipped drugs in her drink, she must find them.

    When Lan Jinyao returned to the practice room, things were still the same. The group still acted indifferent towards her, while Xiaomin rushed up to her and said, ¡°Big Sis Meimei, congrats! I¡¯d heard that this ad originally belonged to Shen Wei¡¯an, but you ultimately seized it. You¡¯re truly amazing!¡±

    Lan Jinyao just casually acknowledged her words before she nced around the practice room, trying to make out a difference in someone¡¯s expression. However, she was soon disappointed because everyone¡¯s gazes looked more or less the same; they were either filled with envy or jealousy.

    ¡°Big Sis Meimei, why do you look so unhappy?¡±

    As soon as Xiaomin asked that, Lan Jinyao replied, ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m certainly very unhappy because this advertisement almost fell through due to some mishaps. Apart from my personal reasons, there was another reason behind this, and that is: someone slipped drugs into my drink! If that persones forward now to admit her mistake and promise that she won¡¯t do it ever again; I¡¯ll forgive her. But, if she doesn¡¯t step forward, then I¡¯m making it clear right here today that, from now on, there won¡¯t be any more room for her in the entertainment industry!¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze finallynded on Xiaomin when she¡¯d finished looking around the room.

    ¡°Xiaomin, what do you think?¡±

    Xiaomin fervently nodded at her question and answered, ¡°Yes, what Big Sis Meimei said is right; the person who drugged you is really too despicable and hateful.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I know right? Wait until I catch her! By then, her future is game over.¡±

    As she was talking, Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up into a chilling smile.

 Chapter 96 - Tread On A Worm And It Will Turn (2)

    <h4>Chapter 96 - Tread On A Worm And It Will Turn (2)</h4>

    At five o¡¯clock in the morning, Lan Jinyao was sound asleep when her phone rang. She woke up in a daze and stared at her phone screen. Seeing that it was from an unknown number, she pressed on the decline button and didn¡¯t answer it.

    One hourter, the phone rang again. This time, Lan Jinyao woke up once more but was no longer sleepy.

    She stared at the two different numbers on her phone screen and became somewhat hesitant. In her previous life, her number was leaked by someone and she¡¯d thought that that was due to the carelessness of the staff. Following that, her phone was ringing off the hook during the following two days, so she¡¯d had to change her sim card right away; only then did she get to enjoy a moment of peace.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering the phone?¡± asked Fu Bainian as he stared at her.

    Lan Jinyao shook her head to indicate that it was nothing and then epted the call.

    The call was from Xiaomin. The usually optimistic and cheerful girl was currently pitifully crying over the phone, sobbing so loudly that even her words were unclear.

    Lan Jinyao immediately asked her, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    However, Xiaomin didn¡¯t tell Lan Jinyao precisely what had happened to her and just said that she wanted to meet Lan Jinyao downstairs, at the cafe of thepany building.

    Lan Jinyao remained silent for a moment before a kind of understanding suddenly emerged in her mind. She put her phone away for a moment and asked Fu Bainian, ¡°Xiaomin was the one behind the drug incident?¡±

    Fu Bainian conceded and said, ¡°From the investigation so far, it was confirmed that she was the one who did it. But, as for whether she was instructed to do so or not, we don¡¯t know yet.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±

    Lan Jinyao then told Xiaomin, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s meet there at 8 AM.¡±

    When Fu Bainian heard that, he frowned with displeasure. ¡°Why did you agree to her request? Since she dared to slip drugs in your drink, then she would definitely dare to do something else.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry,¡±forted Lan Jinyao. She then patted him on the head with a smile on her face and added, ¡°I have luck on my side!¡±

    Fu Bainian, however, turned over and pressed her under his body, and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Lan Jinyao, do you think you¡¯re a nine-tailed fox? Do you think that the Heavens will still bestow you with countless lives? You were given a second chance maybe just this once. If something happens to you again, what am I to do? Do you want me to apany you?¡±

    He was a little emotional, so his voice became subconsciously louder. As they were gazing into each other¡¯s eyes, Lan Jinyao felt somewhat stupefied.

    After a long silence, she then softly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect myself.¡±

    In the cafe, Xiaomin wore huge sunsses and was asionally looking here and there. She looked suspicious, like a thief afraid of being recognised.

    When Lan Jinyao sat down on the opposite side, Xiaomin¡¯s head was still facing the window, not having noticed her arrival. Thus, when Lan Jinyao coughed twice, she startled Xiaomin, who was all tense as she looked at her.

    ¡°Xiaomin, what are you doing?¡±

    Truth be told, a neer didn¡¯t need to dress up like this as there wouldn¡¯t be any paparazzi secretly following her.

    As soon as Xiaomin saw Lan Jinyao in front of her, she took off her sunsses. Lan Jinyao was startled upon seeing her red eyes, and immediately asked, ¡°What on earth happened?¡±

    ¡°Chen Meimei, stop acting like you care about me. You clearly knew about the things that I¡¯d done, but you never exposed me. You watched me act like a clown, and then you let Fu Bainian sort me out from behind the scenes. I¡¯ve never met someone as hypocritical as you before!¡±

    A while ago, she was still begging her on the phone, yet now she did a one-eighty and was finding faults with her instead.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression immediately sunk following her words. ¡°Before this, I was just guessing, but now I¡¯m certain. So, please tell me, why did you do those things? The past incidents concerning your shredded clothes and those ss shards found in your shoes weren¡¯t my doing at all.¡±

    This woman was clearly the one who¡¯d acted like she was her biggest fan ever and then backstabbed her. So, how dare she call her a hypocrite now?! This woman must have a screw loose in her brain!

    In a short while, Xiaomin¡¯s loftiness faded as she lowered her head and quietly said, ¡°In the beginning, it was because I was jealous of you. You were only slightly above average, but why were you so lucky? Not just President Fu, but almost everyone could easily be subdued by Lan Xin to take your side. Moreover, Li Qi was thepany¡¯s best Manager, yet he was snatched away by you as well...¡±

    Xiaomin was choking with emotions as she spoke, so her words were barely understandable.

    Lan Jinyao was speechless when she heard those words. Truthfully, who amongst the artists in thepany didn¡¯t want to be managed by Li Qi? She¡¯d relied on her own abilities to persuade Li Qi to lead her. The only gift that the Heavens had bestowed on her was a chance to live a new life and nothing more.

    ¡°Then, what was the other reason for doing those awful things after that?¡± asked Lan Jinyao indifferently.

    Xiaomin wiped her tears and said, ¡°I-it was Shen Wei¡¯an. That woman also doesn¡¯t like you, hence, she asked me to put the drug in your drink. Although I hate you a lot, I didn¡¯t put the drug that she¡¯d given to me in your drink; I just put in a littlexative and nothing more. You made me lose my chance to audition, so I didn¡¯t want you to make it smoothly through the ad shoot.¡±

    Hearing the name ¡®Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯ made Lan Jinyao break out in a cold sweat.

    What if Xiaomin hadn¡¯t reced the drug? She didn¡¯t dare imagine the oue. To think that even a neer under Blue Hall Entertainment had been controlled by Shen Wei¡¯an; that woman¡¯s hand already extended so far.

    ¡°And the drug? Did you bring the drug that Shen Wei¡¯an gave you?¡±

    Xiaomin hesitated for a moment before she took a small bottle out of her bag and ced it in front of Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, I¡¯ve confessed everything. Then, could you please do me a favour? I really don¡¯t want to leave the entertainment industry. I love acting, so I don''t want to lose my only chance to pursue that. Please, I¡¯m begging you...¡±

    Xiaomin earnestly stared at Lan Jinyao and choked with sobs as she said, ¡°I promise that I won¡¯t do those things again...I¡¯ll correct my behaviour.¡±

    The small bottle contained white pills, but thebel had been torn off, so it was hard to tell what kind of drug it was.

    Following that, Lan Jinyao took out a white-coloured pill the size of a nail from the bottle and ced it in the palm of her hand. She then took a sniff and frowned as she questioned Xiaomin, ¡°It smells like an orange, are these vitamin pills?¡±

    ¡°How could it be vitamins? You might assume that because you didn¡¯t see the look on that woman''s face when she handed this bottle to me.¡±

    ¡°As for what these are, I can¡¯t say for now, but I¡¯ll look into it. So, you want me to forgive you?¡± Of course, I could. As soon as Lan Jinyao asked that, she took a box of medicine from her bag and dumped the contents into a ss of water in front of Xiaomin.

    She ced the ss of water in front of Xiaomin and said, ¡°Drink it! I¡¯ll forgive you after you¡¯ve downed this ss of water. Didn¡¯t you say that you want to stay in the entertainment industry?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t very clear about what Fu Bainian had done behind the scenes, but she could vaguely guess what had happened when she saw Xiaomin acting like this.

    Because, as soon as she ced the water in front of Xiaomin, that little girl with slightly reddened eyes didn¡¯t even hesitate for a moment before she downed the ss. Only after she¡¯d finished the drink did she ask, ¡°Big Sis Meimei, what did you put in the drink?¡±

    Lan Jinyao chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll find outter, but I suggest you don¡¯t leave the cafe yet.¡±

    With these words, she stood up and left.

    After a while, Xiaomin hugged her stomach and ran towards the bathroom.

 Chapter 97 - Tread On A Worm And It Will Turn (3)

    <h4>Chapter 97 - Tread On A Worm And It Will Turn (3)</h4>

    When Lan Jinyao returned to thepany, she heard that Shen Wei¡¯an had already cancelled her contract with thepany, and that was done precisely on the same day that she¡¯d gone to shoot the advertisement. Shen Yu had not agreed at first, but Shen Wei¡¯an was too resolute about her decision. So, in the end, she¡¯d had topensate more than 20 million for the breach of contract before she was allowed to leave.

    The other staff members also said that Shen Wei¡¯an had nted a light peck on Shen Yu¡¯s cheek on her way out, and before Shen Yu had managed to react, her figure was already nowhere in sight.

    When Lan Jinyao heard this, she smiled. It seemed that no matter how Shen Wei¡¯an degraded herself, her feelings wouldn¡¯t change. For such a long time, she¡¯d just remained by Shen Yu¡¯s side and silently watched him from afar. Though she liked him, she¡¯d never openly exposed her feelings.

    Lan Jinyao had initially thought that Shen Wei¡¯an was in a hurry to terminate her contract because that incident was exposed, but sheter discovered that that was not the case. In fact, no one in thepany was aware of the incident where Shen Wei¡¯an had instructed Xiaomin to drug her drink, and there were no rumours at all.

    What happened afterwards verified that Shen Wei¡¯an had joined an entertainment agency under the banner of River Group Corporation. And, River Group Entertainment was currently neck and neck with Blue Hall Entertainment.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t expect Shen Wei¡¯an to be so bold. Shen Wei¡¯an had not only openly confronted her, but she¡¯d also rmended a new production to Lan Jinyao in a friendly manner. The only thing was that Shen Wei¡¯an was to act as the female lead, and Lan Jinyao the second female lead.

    In the past, Shen Wei¡¯an had alwaysined that Lan Jinyao blocked her path. Even at thatst moment, right before she¡¯d pushed Lan Jinyao down the building, she¡¯d stillined.

    Without you, my future would be even brighter, and all eyes wouldn¡¯t continually be centred around you. Additionally, people would notice me behind you. Even Shen Yu could only see you.

    Anyone who¡¯d ever made Shen Wei¡¯an feel that they were a threat to her had been imposed with a reason along the lines of: You were too dazzling and blocked my path, so without you, I would be better off.

    Shen Wei¡¯an felt justified saying such ridiculous and unreasonable words.

    In the office, Lan Jinyao was currently reading the script that she¡¯d received from Shen Wei¡¯an. Unmistakably, the investor was also Jiang Cheng, and while Shen Wei¡¯an would be acting as the female lead, Xu Hao would be the male lead.

    Li Qi long-windedly said, ¡°Meimei, you can leave this script be and not take part in it. Although the remuneration offered by the investors this time is a sky-high price, you have to believe in your future worth. Besides, a script like this is bad for your current image.¡±

    Lan Jinyao held the script and sneered. Exactly! A vicious, merciless, and evil second female lead, who asionally made an uproar to sabotage the rtionship between male lead and female lead, no matter where she stood, she would be hated by the public.

    ¡°It seems that it wasn''t easy for Shen Wei¡¯an to find such a script.¡±

    ¡°I know right! I¡¯ve never heard of this screenwriter before!¡± Li Qi pointed at himself and then added, ¡°You must know that I¡¯m a gold medal Manager in the entertainment industry, so there¡¯s no screenwriter that I¡¯ve never heard of. You can see exactly how much effort she had put into this matter this time around.¡±

    He then sternly emphasised, ¡°I¡¯m seriously telling you, you''re not allowed to pick up this script! I will help you find a better one, alright?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head upon hearing that and said, ¡°I want to take part in it, and I¡¯ll make Shen Wei¡¯an cooperate with my schedule!¡±

    This was a rare opportunity that was delivered straight to her door, so how could she not make good use of it? She¡¯d finally gotten a chance to act together with Shen Wei¡¯an again! Haha, theirst coboration must surely be imprinted in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s mind even now!

    ¡°Oh dear, what are you up to this time? Have you already forgotten about the scandal fromst time? That was definitely associated with Shen Wei¡¯an and Xu Hao. You¡¯re clearly ying with fire, so let¡¯s not bother with it, alright?¡± Li Qi sped his hands and looked at her with an expression full of hope and anticipation.

    ¡°Can¡¯t do it!¡± replied Lan Jinyao nonchntly while shaking her head.

    It didn¡¯t matter what Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s goal was; since she dared to exploit Xiaomin to drug her drink, then Shen Wei¡¯an would undoubtedly have another trick up her sleeve. Besides, this was a golden opportunity for Shen Wei¡¯an to make a move, and if she really did, then that would be even better! Wasn''t there a saying that goes: Tread on a worm and it will turn?

    Lan Jinyao guessed that Shen Wei¡¯an was, most likely, already aware that Xiaomin had revealed everything. Hence, Shen Wei¡¯an would certainly make a move this time, so she only had to patiently wait for that moment.

    ¡°I understand now that artists who are too opinionated are truly troublesome to manage. Can¡¯t you just listen to me for once? We don''tck any scripts, do we?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s choice was firm, so Li Qi had no choice but topromise as he rubbed his head and said, ¡°However! Let me be frank about this beforehand. If any other news item pops up when the timees, you¡¯re not allowed to deal with it yourself. You must let thepany¡¯s PR team help you handle the aftermath.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Lan Jinyao smiled and rebuked, ¡°Why can¡¯t you just wish me a bit more luck?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, fine! Good luck, all the best, and may you have a smooth and pleasant journey!¡±

    Lan Jinyao handed the bottle she¡¯d received from Xiaomin to Li Qi. ¡°Alright! When you have time, please help me investigate what kind of drug this is and, by the way, no matter what the results are, don¡¯t tell Fu Bainian.¡±

    ...

    In the afternoon, Lan Jinyao went back to the practice room as it was herst day there. Li Qi had initially told her that she didn¡¯t need to go back anymore because it was herst day anyway, so it wouldn¡¯t matter. But, Lan Jinyao had insisted that one ought to finish what one started.

    Truth to be told, she just wanted to see Lan Xin. The two of them had fought over the same guy before but had unexpectedly be good friends now. When she thought of what a bizarre thing fate was, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh again.

    Lan Jinyao had just stepped into the practice room when Xiaomin rushed over to her side. She sincerely gave her a bow and said, ¡°Big Sis Meimei, thank you!¡±

    While everyone was looking bbergasted in their direction, Xiaomin tiptoed and whispered in Lan Jinyao¡¯s ear, ¡°Big Sis Meimei, Shen Wei¡¯an came to find me today; she already knows about the drug incident. Have you found out what the drug was? I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯s going to harm you again!¡±

    Lan Jinyao patted Xiaomin¡¯s shoulder in appreciation and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you¡¯re able to amend for your mistakes. However, I advise you not to deal with Shen Wei¡¯an in the future; that woman¡¯s simply too unscrupulous. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll handle it properly.¡±

    In fact, she¡¯d prepared for the worst which was; if she couldn¡¯t win, then she would face death again. But, before this, she¡¯d let Shen Wei¡¯an receive her deserved punishment.

    In the corridor behind the practice room, Lan Jinyao and Lan Xin leaned against the wall.

    ¡°Hey! The chances are that we¡¯ll see each other less from now on. Don¡¯t you have anything you want to say to me?¡±

    ¡°Say what?¡±

    Lan Jinyao rolled her eyes and smiled as she said, ¡°How about you tell me why you''re so interested in Shen Wei¡¯an?¡±

    Lan Xin shot her a nce and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Fine! Since you still don¡¯t want to talk, I won¡¯t ask further.¡± Lan Jinyao shrugged and added, ¡°In that case, no matter what you want to do next, take care of yourself and be careful.¡±

    She could see that Lan Xin and Shen Wei¡¯an were definitely not standing on the same side.

 Chapter 98 - Tread On A Worm And It Will Turn (4)

    <h4>Chapter 98 - Tread On A Worm And It Will Turn (4)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao had already anticipated that Shen Wei¡¯an would move against her again, but to her surprise, Shen Wei¡¯an had unexpectedly chosen to y the same old trick.

    When she inadvertently saw Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s gaze hovering above her ss of water, she guessed that Shen Wei¡¯an intended to add something to her drink again. She thought that perhaps the move she¡¯d made against Shen Wei¡¯an thest time must¡¯ve been deeply imprinted in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s memories!

    When Lan Jinyao went to the hotel bathroom, she received a call from Li Qi.

    She quickly picked it up and asked in a hushed voice, ¡°Are the results out yet? What was in the bottle?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not anything severe; it¡¯s just a slight aphrodisiac. I still don¡¯t feel at ease with you alone over there, so I¡¯ll rush over now. You should take care of yourself first, and don¡¯t randomly put something in your mouth.¡±

    Following that, Lan Jinyao half-heartedly acknowledged his words, while the look in her eyes became all the more profound.

    One horrible sex scandal was enough to totally ruin an artist. Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s means sure were vicious. It looked like she¡¯d underestimated this woman! To think that she would even stoop so low as to use such a despicable trick.

    Shen Wei¡¯an was currently also present in the room, discussing the script with the Director. However, Lan Jinyao reckoned that, very soon, this woman would find a chance to leave, and by then only the Director and herself would be left alone in the hotel room.

    Unexpectedly, even though Shen Wei¡¯an was still as ruthless as before, her IQ hadn¡¯t improved one bit after all this time. Previously, Lan Jinyao had thought of Shen Wei¡¯an as a friend, so she wholeheartedly believed in Shen Wei¡¯an and wouldn¡¯t take any precautions against her. But, to Chen Meimei, Shen Wei¡¯an was just a stranger, and they were strangers that had nothing to do with each other. So, this could only give rise to one thought; either rape or theft.

    However, since she¡¯d already stepped into the tiger¡¯s den, Shen Wei¡¯an must¡¯ve certainly deployed her scheme. Then, no matter what happenedter, there would surely be reporters present to take pictures.

    Suddenly, Lan Jinyao remembered thest scandal involving Shen Wei¡¯an and the real estate tycoon¡¯s affair. At that time, the real estate tycoon¡¯s wife had appeared and a heated discussion had abruptly followed. Could it be that Shen Wei¡¯an wanted to imitate that incident and impose all that she had suffered back then on to her? If that was the case, then she estimated that the aftermath would be quite challenging to deal with.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Meimei fell asleep in the bathroom? I''ll go and check!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an stopped in front of the bathroom and knocked on the door before softly asking, ¡°Chen Meimei, are you all right? The Director has already be somewhat impatient from all this waiting. This opportunity was quite hard toe by, so I hope that you¡¯ll cherish it. I really look forward to working with you again.¡±

    ¡°I understand; I¡¯ll be right out!¡± replied Lan Jinyao as she lowered her head to fiddle with her phone.

    A few minutester, she leisurely walked out of the bathroom and sat down at the same spot as before. ced in front of her was a ss of water, and it was the same ss of water that Shen Wei¡¯an had taken along with her when she¡¯d excused herself to refill the sses not too long ago.

    Earlier, Lan Jinyao had asked Shen Wei¡¯an over the phone why they had to meet up at a hotel. Shen Wei¡¯an had exined that this new production was to be kept confidential from the outside world, so no paparazzi was allowed to know about this. Hence, the only safe option would be to meet at a hotel.

    That was such a crude reason, yet Shen Wei¡¯an had unexpectedly thought that she¡¯d believed her words.

    While the three of them were discussing the plot of the script, only the Director was behaving like a normal person. It seemed that he was oblivious to what Shen Wei¡¯an was scheming.

    Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t touched the ss of water on the tabletop in front of her at all.

    After a while, Shen Wei¡¯an nced at the ss of water out of the corner of her eye and then smiled as she said, ¡°The two of us have already expressed our views, so let us also hear what Meimei has to say about the script. Or, Meimei, you could also share your views on certain parts of the plot.¡±

    Trying to trick her into drinking that ss of water? Lan Jinyao inwardly sneered after hearing those words.

    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just share some of my thoughts! The plot is that the female lead will win the favour of the male lead due to her delicate and weak temperament, but I still feel that this kind of plot isn¡¯t enough to stir one¡¯s emotions. So, how can we actually get the audience to fully immerse themselves with the character? And, what must be done to make the audience wholeheartedly feel that the female lead is a delicate and pitiful girl?¡±

    The Director¡¯s interest was piqued, and his eyes fell on Lan Jinyao. ¡°Oh? Is the plot stillcking something? What does Meimei think is missing then?¡±

    At that moment, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s phone suddenly rang, so she looked down at her phone screen and then said with regret, ¡°You guys continue; I need to excuse myself for a bit to take this call.¡±

    Seeing Shen Wei¡¯an leave, Lan Jinyao then sat down beside the Director and said with a smile, ¡°Director, it seems that we are thinking in the same direction. An actor has to have spirit to fully devote themselves to their art to be called a real actor.¡±

    Lan Jinyao had already lost count of the times she¡¯d said these kinds of extravagant words. But, whenever she said this, it made those listening quite cheerful.

    ¡°I didn''t expect you to be so enlightened at such a young age, that¡¯s very good!¡± The Director then said a few more words in session, ¡°The younger generation will surpass us in no time!¡±

    ¡°Shall we discuss the storyline first?¡± Lan Jinyao then suddenly thought of something and asked again, ¡°If we make some changes to the plot, will the screenwriter have an opinion on this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no problem at all!¡±

    Taking advantage of Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s absence, the two of them discussed the development of the storyline.

    ...

    Once night had fallen, Shen Wei¡¯an put on her hat and sat in the car parked on the roadside. Following that, she made a call.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s room 303 at the Hundred Fortune Hotel!¡±

    From the car¡¯s rearview mirror, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s expression appeared to be sinister and vicious.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, no matter how lucky you are, when the reporters arrive, you won¡¯t be able to exin things clearly even if you have ten more mouths! I said this before, but I won¡¯t be hiding behind your shadow all my life! The moon is shining so brightly and beautifully tonight, so this should also belong to me, hahaha...¡±

    Ten minutester, the Hundred Fortune Hotel was surrounded by a crowd of reporters.

    ¡°Room 303!¡±

    It was unknown who¡¯d suddenly shouted, but the reporters immediately rushed towards the elevator upon hearing that. Meanwhile, the hotel security guards quickly surrounded the crowd of reporters, but they didn¡¯t manage to block all of them. A small group still managed to slip through to take the elevator.

    In front of room 303, a reporter who was holding a microphone rang the doorbell.

    After a while, someone finally came to open the door, and when the door was opened, the overwhelming built-in lights lit up.

    Following that, everyone froze.

    Fu Bainian stood in the doorway with a dark expression and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that everyone was so interested in Meimei¡¯s and my private life.¡±

    Lan Jinyao poked her head out from behind him and beamed a smile at the reporters.

    Seeing this, the atmosphere instantly became awkward.

    When Shen Wei¡¯an showed up in front of the hotel together with the Director¡¯s wife, the Director walked out of another room with a script in his hand.

    ¡°It sure is lively here...¡± remarked the Director with a smile on his face.

    This kind of scene wasn¡¯t what Shen Wei¡¯an had expected to see, and Lan Jinyao happened to witness her face turn pale on the spot.

    ¡°You guys...¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an pointed at Lan Jinyao and just managed to spit out these two words before she suffered a p to the face.

    She stared at the Director¡¯s wife, baffled. However, thetter didn¡¯t even give her another nce as she immediately dragged her husband away and left.

 Chapter 99 - Who Is The Mastermind? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 99 - Who Is The Mastermind? (1)</h4>

    ¡°How was the taste of being pped, Shen Wei¡¯an? Must be unpleasant, right?¡±

    After the reporters had left, Lan Jinyao came out from behind Fu Bainian¡¯s and smiled at the gloomy Shen Wei¡¯an.

    Shen Wei¡¯an covered her reddened cheek and nced at Fu Bainian before she uttered in embarrassment, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression was still all smiles, though ¡®I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ was written all across her face.

    Shen Wei¡¯an said again, ¡°I just went out to answer a phone call. How could things have be like this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, how could things have be like this?¡± Lan Jinyao then turned to look at Fu Bainian and chuckled. ¡°Bainian, howe you¡¯re here? Did you know beforehand that someone wanted to take advantage of me to create hype? To think that even the Director¡¯s wife had been invited over; you¡¯re quite amazing!¡±

    She¡¯d already guessed that Shen Wei¡¯an would do something to her, but she hadn¡¯t expected that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s smooth-talking was so great that even the Director¡¯s wife woulde over. She¡¯d thought that it would just be the reporters.

    Fu Bainian swept a cold nce over Shen Wei¡¯an before he closed the door.

    In the quiet room, Lan Jinyao stuck her ear on the door and listened to the movements outside.

    The steam rising from the ss of hot water ced on the table had gradually disappeared, but Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t drink a gulp of it.

    The next day, Lan Jinyao received a phone call from the Director. In the end, the second female lead had still been reced. The middle-aged man was quite embarrassed when he was talking to her, and he said that it was the top management¡¯s decision. After hanging up the phone, Lan Jinyao sighed. She wasn¡¯t that sad over it, but she did feel that it was slightly regrettable since the changes made in the script were quite good after all. If she was the second female lead, she guessed she would''ve severely oppressed Shen Wei''an.

    What¡¯s more, is that the moment she saw Shen Wei¡¯an arriving with the Director¡¯s wife, she¡¯d already guessed that she had no chance with this film.

    Not long after the call from the Director, Lan Jinyao received another call from Lan Xin asking her to meet up at the bar that they¡¯d previously met at.

    The neer training had just finished, and a Manager hadn¡¯t yet been arranged for Lan Xin by thepany when her career went on hiatus. If she had to describe this with her own words, then she would say that she was idle to the point of growing mould.

    When Lan Jinyao arrived at the bar, Lan Xin was already drinking. She was sipping on a strong alcoholic beverage, and noticing Lan Jinyao¡¯s arrival, she waved towards her.

    ¡°Hey, tell me, how long will it take for me to reach your position? You shot an ad and toppled the rest of the women¡¯s enthusiasm. It was amazing!¡±

    ¡°Just take it slow. Anyway, you have plenty of time!¡±

    In this industry, who didn¡¯t walk this path? Compared to anyone else, she was lucky to be given a second chance to live, that¡¯s all.

    Lan Xin seemed to be a little drunk, her eyes bing slightly blurry.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, how could I have so much time? I¡¯m not afraid to spend a lifetime to doing one thing, but I worry that when I go forward, that person also moves forward. I must close the distance between us as soon as possible!¡± her tone was somewhat frustrated as she spoke.

    Lan Jinyao nodded as she listened to Lan Xin¡¯s words. It seemed that she¡¯d fallen in love with a particr person and wanted to close the distance between them. Those words were well said.

    ¡°Come on, drink with me!¡± Lan Xin raised her ss and clinked it against Lan Jinyao¡¯s ss. ¡°We won¡¯t go home tonight until we¡¯re drunk. From tomorrow, I¡¯ll start to work harder!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Seeing Lan Xin¡¯s fighting spirit, she didn¡¯t decline further and downed her wine.

    However, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t expect to be drunk after only drinking one ss of alcohol. Additionally, it wasn¡¯t the half-awake kind of drunk. She instantly fainted into unconsciousness.

    When she woke upter, she discovered that she was lying on the bed in the room above the bar. Lan Xin was lying on the couch.

    Lan Jinyao felt like her head was going to explode, and her throat was terribly dry. As she called out to Lan Xin, she was surprised that her voice was so shockingly hoarse.

    She quickly got out of bed, poured herself a ss of cold water, and downed it. It was only then that she felt better.

    ¡°Lan Xin, Lan Xin, wake up...¡±

    After shaking her several times, Lan Xin gradually started waking up. She drowsily looked at Lan Jinyao. ¡°Meimei? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why were we so drunkst night? I feel like I¡¯m done for.¡±

    When she connected her phone to a charger by the bed so that she could turn it on, a series of missed calls appeared on the screen. Her phone was almost exploding due to the amount of information it was abruptly receiving.

    ¡°Fu Bainian is looking for you?¡± Lan Xin stood up and stretched her stiff muscles.

    Lan Jinyao took a deep breath and shoved her phone in front of Lan Xin. ¡°Look at it! Most of them are from Fu Bainian. I guess the volcano has already erupted. When I go home, I¡¯m going to be burnt into charcoal.¡±

    Lan Xin bit her lower lip as she disyed an apologetic look. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I also drank too muchst night. I guess He Xiaoyun helped move us into this room.¡±

    Because they often went to this bar they were already familiar with each other. Due to this, of course, He Xiaoyun would help them find a room, but...when Lan Jinyao¡¯s gazended on the couch, a thread of doubt shed in her eyes.

    Lan Jinyao was fully armed and ready to leave the bar. She was worried that someone would take her photo at the entrance of the bar, so her pace was fast. After all, lodging for the night in a bar wasn¡¯t good for an artist¡¯s image.

    She was walking fast, but just as she was outside the bar, she identally bumped into a man. She didn¡¯t pay much attention to the man and merely threw out a ¡®sorry¡¯ as she left.

    After getting in her car, she gave Fu Bainian a call. On the phone, his voice sounded extremely anxious as he immediately asked her once the call connected, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at...I¡¯ll exin it to you once I¡¯m home!¡±

    ¡°All right. Drive slowly!¡±

    Although it sounded like he was suppressing his anger, he still didn¡¯t forget to care about her welfare. Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up into a smile.

    As she started the car, she saw Lan Xin standing by the entrance to the bar through the car window. The woman was casually walking away with a pleased look and a faint smile stered on her face.

    She muttered under her breath, ¡°I hope you can still be so carefree after you be popr!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao returned home, Fu Bainian was sitting on the couch watching the news. Seeing her return home, he seemed relieved.

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t turned on your phone soon I might¡¯ve called the police!¡± he told her as he pulled her to sit down beside him and pointing to the news on the TV.

    Upon seeing arge amount of blood being disyed on the news, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened.

 Chapter 100 - Who Is The Mastermind? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 100 - Who Is The Mastermind? (2)</h4>

    Last night, two female artists were threatened, one after the other. The Public Security Bureau had immediately set up an incident team after the ident had urred. At present, the incident team was conducting an investigation.

    Although the faces were blurred with mosaics, Lan Jinyao could still recognise one of them as Shen Wei¡¯an. She didn¡¯t know who the other one was.

    Fu Bainian tightly clenched her hand. ¡°You didn¡¯te backst night, and I was really worried.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was drunkst night, so I stayed at the bar. I didn¡¯t know something like this would happen.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like the matter reported in the news didn¡¯t exist within the entertainment industry, but generally speaking, the level of confidentiality surrounding an artist¡¯s residence was very high. It wasn¡¯t like they were ced that ordinary people could enter as they wished.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re alright, but don¡¯t worry me anymore,¡± his voice was light and devoid of the slightest trace of me. Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart warmed. All the way home she¡¯d been extremely nervous as she¡¯d thought that Fu Bainian would be angry with her.

    What Fu Bainian didn¡¯t say was that he¡¯d called everyone who might be in contact with her, and he¡¯d searched anywhere that she could gost night. At the time, he¡¯d had the intention of turning the entire city upside down to find her.

    Lan Jinyao leaned against his chest and focused her attention on the TV.

    A momentter, she suddenly asked Fu Bainian, ¡°One of the two people is Shen Wei¡¯an, but who is the other person?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a lesser-known artist in the industry, an 18-line singer who hasn¡¯t filmed any TV series!¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t say the actress¡¯ name, so Lan Jinyao thought that he probably didn¡¯t know her name. She asked again, ¡°What¡¯s the connection between them? I mean, their rtionship outside of the entertainment industry.¡±

    ¡°It''s not yet known.¡±

    The news wasn¡¯t long, and it soon finished. Lan Jinyao took the remote and reyed the news again.

    Although there wasn¡¯t an outline of the rooms on the news, the ce where the blood was smeared was recorded in a close-up shot by the reporter. Lan Jinyao observed that the bloodshed on both sides waspletely different. In the room of the unknown artist, the blood was spread out over arge area, while the blood in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s room seemed to have been deliberately smeared by someone. Looking at the shape, it looked like there were words that had been erased.

    Lan Jinyao turned to look at Fu Bainian. When her gaze fell on his face, he nodded. ¡°I also noticed that.¡±

    Not only did Lan Jinyao and Fu Bainian notice this particr detail, but once the news was broadcasted, there was an amazing amount of forwarding on the inte. Theizens with sharp eyes had opened up the discussion on the topic. The most talked about was Jack the Ripper or a homicidal maniac.

    Even other actresses had forwarded the news, saying that they were afraid they would be the next target.

    At this moment, the entire entertainment industry was anxious.

    Very soon, the results of the investigations conducted by the incident team were exposed by the paparazzi. The police officers of the team had thoroughly questioned Shen Wei¡¯an. However, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s answer was that she didn¡¯t know; it was already like that when she woke up. Shen Wei¡¯an, who was beating about the bush, immediately had a close-up shot taken by the paparazzi.

    When the video was posted online, the inte exploded once again, and the enthusiasm continued to rise without a sign of going down.

    Lan Jinyao roughly took a look and found that there were two types of discussions. The first was that Shen Wei¡¯an had offended someone. This version was quickly denied though because if Shen Wei¡¯an really had offended someone, then what about the other actress? The other version was that a perverted psychopath had appeared in the city, so following that, more female artists¡¯ homes were going to be stained red with blood. The number of supporters for this second version was rapidly increasing.

    ¡°Which version do you prefer?¡± Lan Jinyao asked Fu Bainian during breakfast the next morning. Instead of answering, Fu Bainian raised his head and asked her, ¡°Where were you that night?¡±

    Lan Jinyao, who was abruptly questioned, was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Do you suspect that it was me, Fu Bainian?¡± Lan Jinyao asked as she put down her chopsticks.

    ¡°I don¡¯t; I merely asked you to remind you. Before, Shen Wei¡¯an was able to n the incident in the hotel, and although those reporters didn¡¯t get anything, they still took pictures. Those with discerning eyes know that there¡¯s a grudge between you and Shen Wei¡¯an. No matter the size of the contradiction, it constitutes your motivation to do this.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart felt heavy.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, those photos will be exposed soon, and the police will call you in for questioning. At that time, it doesn¡¯t matter who did this, as it will have a great impact on your image.¡± At that time, even if the truth is revealed, this will be the first impression ignorant people will have of her when mentioning her.

    ¡°Then what do you think I should do now? Should I strike first?¡±

    Fu Bainian pondered for a moment before he sighed, ¡°That¡¯s the only solution.¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt helpless. No matter what happened, as long as it was something rted to Shen Wei¡¯an, it would always manage to drag her down; even if it had nothing to do with her.

    That afternoon, Lan Jinyao left to shoot an ad. The images takenst time at the ss Bridge were quite beautiful and had caused many advertisingpanies to notice her. Thus, the shooting schedule for the second short film of the series was bumped up by a week.

    As soon as Li Qi saw her, he worriedly said to her, ¡°I estimate that the media wille to you regarding this matter for a few days. We have to think of a way to deal with it first.¡±

    As expected of a top Manager. Li Qi¡¯s brain was turning very fast, and all possibilities were expected.

    Lan Jinyao guessed some of the questions that he might ask, so she voluntarily confessed. ¡°I was with Lan Xin that night. We were drinking in the bar where He Xiaoyun works. Once we were drunk, Xiaoyun helped us to the room above the bar, and we both slept until the next morning.¡±

    ¡°Just two people? This will be a bit difficult to deal with. All right, don¡¯t worry, let me think about countermeasures.¡±

    Seeing that he was slightly upset, Lan Jinyao added, ¡°Isn¡¯t there three people? He Xiaoyun happened to be working the night shift at that time. What¡¯s more, there were quite a lot of people in the bar.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right; we¡¯ll deal with it this way. Everyone in the bar can be your witness. I¡¯ll contact a reporterter and anonymously provide information. It¡¯s unlikely that this news will be big, so it won¡¯t have much of an impact on your reputation. But, this way we can avoid you being dragged into Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s case.¡±

    Lan Jinyao thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°Go and arrange it. I¡¯m leaving now.¡±

    Initially, this matter should¡¯ve been easily uncovered and done with, but what Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t anticipate was that a problem would arise between her and Fu Bainian because of this.

    The root cause of the problem was buried from then on.

 Chapter 101 - Who Is The Mastermind? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 101 - Who Is The Mastermind? (3)</h4>

    The filming location of the advertisement was indoors, and it took just over an hour for Lan Jinyao toplete the shoot. When she came out of the studio, Li Qi was already waiting for her.

    ¡°Howe you¡¯ve arranged it all so quickly?¡± Lan Jinyao asked him.

    Li Qi snapped his fingers. ¡°When I handle things, you can rest assured! Where to next? Am I sending you home?¡±

    Lan Jinyao had initially wanted to go home. However, she suddenly thought of something, so she said to Li Qi, ¡°We won¡¯t go home; let¡¯s go see Xiaoyun together! Didn¡¯t you tell mest time that you wanted to let her enter the entertainment industry? Let¡¯s ask her for her opinion. If she agrees, I can help her.¡±

    Li Qi was immediately happy upon hearing her say that. ¡°Okay. If you¡¯re willing to say a few words to President Fu, maybe Xiaoyun will have a chance to appear in a film.¡±

    ¡°Look at your foolish behaviour!¡± Lan Jinyao shook her head as sheughed. It seemed that Li Qi had already fallen too deeply in love and couldn¡¯t free himself for the rest of his life.

    They arrived at the bar rather early, so there were only a few people milling about. He Xiaoyun was busy adjusting her guitar backstage.

    ¡°Li Qi, can you go out for a while? I have something to ask Xiaoyun.¡±

    Li Qi hesitated, but seeing that Xiaoyun didn¡¯t object, he went out.

    It was still quite early in the day, so the other singers hadn¡¯t arrived yet. He Xiaoyun and Lan Jinyao were the only people in the restroom. After Lan Jinyao closed the door, she went to sit beside He Xiaoyun.

    ¡°I came here today because I want to ask you something.¡±

    In actual fact, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s case had nothing to do with her, so she could just ignore it and leave it to the police to handle. However, her intuition told her that there must be someone in the dark wanting to deal with Shen Wei¡¯an, and that person was the mastermind behind this matter. She already suspected a person in her heart, but she wasn¡¯t sure yet.

    ¡°Ok, what do you want to ask?¡±

    ¡°When Lan Xin and I were drinking at the bar the other night and wereter drunk, was it you who helped us to the room upstairs?¡±

    On that day, Lan Jinyao had felt that the words Lan Xin had said to her while drunk were strange. At that time, she¡¯d just thought that Lan Xin had someone she liked, but now it seemed that she¡¯d misinterpreted Lan Xin¡¯s meaning.

    He Xiaoyun recalled the situation on that day, then shook her head. ¡°The bar had originally prepared a few rooms for VIP guests. You both were drunk that night, and Lan Xin had said that she didn¡¯t trust you to drive, so she helped you get a room, but...¡±

    ¡°But what?¡± Lan Jinyao quickly asked.

    ¡°But...Lan Xin left after that, and came back at twelve. At that time, I was on stage and about to sing thest song, so I happened to see hering in, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention to her at the time. Only, I felt that it was a little strange; why did she leave ande back again? After that, I thought that it might be because she didn¡¯t feel reassured leaving you here to sleep alone. Therefore, I didn¡¯t ask you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was silent. At this moment, the answer buried in her heart gradually surfaced.

    Lan Xin had lied to her that day. She¡¯d said that the room was arranged by He Xiaoyun. But then, why would she have lied to her?

    She suddenly remembered what Li Qi had said to her. They had to be a step ahead and prove that she wasn¡¯t on the scene of the crimes at that time, so they had to create a news story and bet everything on it working. What if this matter was really Lan Xin¡¯s doing? Then, she would be the best alibi for Lan Xin.

    However, what Lan Xin didn¡¯t expect was for He Xiaoyun to sing thest song and spot her returning to the bar.

    ¡°Lan Xin, she... Did something happen?¡± He Xiaoyun asked. ¡°Could it be that what happened to Shen Wei¡¯an that day was rted to her?¡±

    As expected from someone who sang in a bar. He Xiaoyun had seen countless kinds of people, and even her way of thinking was exquisite and sharp, she guessed it right away.

    Lan Jinyao quickly made a silencing gesture to her. ¡°Shush! Lower your voice. Be careful, or others might hear you. I¡¯m only guessing, that¡¯s all.¡±

    He Xiaoyun nodded and asked in a small voice, ¡°Is there a grudge between Lan Xin and Shen Wei¡¯an?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing!¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression darkened.

    Although He Xiaoyun had only asked one question, her question had hit the most crucial point. As a Chinese person who¡¯d lived abroad, it was reasonable to say that Lan Xin couldn¡¯t possibly have had contact with Shen Wei¡¯an before. So, what was the grudge between them? Lan Xin always carried a backpack full of information about Shen Wei¡¯an; what more did she want to find out about her?

    One question after another emerged within Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind. Her thoughts were spinning, making it difficult for her to think clearly.

    After a long time, she said to He Xiaoyun, ¡°This matter is extremely important, so I hope that you can help me keep it a secret. Don¡¯t tell anyone, including Li Qi.¡±

    He Xiaoyun was as bold as before, and she responded without hesitation, ¡°No problem!¡±

    The other night, all Lan Jinyao had had to drink was a ss of wine before she¡¯d be drunk. Lan Jinyao had begun to doubt her capacity for alcohol. So, this time, she didn¡¯t touch anything with a strong alcohol content and only ordered a ss of fruit wine to slowly sip.

    When she got hometer that evening, it wasn¡¯t veryte, just past 6 PM.

    However, what surprised Lan Jinyao was that Fu Bainian, who¡¯d always previously been busy with work, was actually at home.

    The study door was open, so she walked in and looked at him as she asked, ¡°You came home early today?¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t lift his head and only hummed in response, ¡°Mhm.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t pay his response too much attention as she didn¡¯t like to bother him when he was dealing with business. Before leaving, she closed the door behind her.

    Once the study door was closed and Lan Jinyao had left, Fu Bainian raised his head. He absent-mindedly stared at the doorway. On the table in front of him, there was a closed folder.

    After some time had passed, Fu Bainian took out his phone from his pocket. With his eyes staring fixedly at the device for a moment, his thumb almost cracked the screen due to force he was exerting as he pinched it.

    It waster in the evening that Lan Jinyao finally sensed that something was wrong. It should be known that President Fu, who¡¯d always been aloof while he was at work, would typically speak non-stop when he was at home. However, while in the bedroom today, he seemed a lot quieter.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, are you worried about something?¡±

    Lan Jinyao reached out her finger and poked his chest. ¡°Do you still remember what you said before? We must be honest with each other. Otherwise, those small misunderstandings will destroy the feelings between us.¡±

    Fu Bainian stared at her for a long time. When Lan Jinyao thought that he would finally speak, he only uttered one sentence, ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte, let¡¯s sleep!¡±

 Chapter 102 - Her Suitor (1)

    <h4>Chapter 102 - Her Suitor (1)</h4>

    The next day, Lan Jinyao discovered the root of the problem after watching the news.

    When Li Qiter came to pick her up, Lan Jinyao started berating her right after she entered the car. ¡°Was that news report your doing? If I¡¯d known that the news you¡¯d been talking about was this, I would¡¯ve rather epted a police investigation.

    "I¡¯ve been wronged! The news that I arranged to go out hasn¡¯t been published yet. Also, I didn¡¯t even know that you were with the President of River Group Corporation that night...¡±

    Li Qi''s words were not yet finished when he was quickly interrupted by Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°I was with Lan Xin that night, not the President of River Group Corporation at all. Wait a minute...aren¡¯t you the one who divulged this information to the journalists?¡±

    In this industry, the direction of entertainment news was generally controlled by journalist or PR departments. If Li Qi didn''t leak the topic of this news, then there was only one possibility left. A journalist had intentionally started the rumours.

    Lan Jinyao frowned at the thought. This brazen behaviour would likely offend the managementpany she was with. Who was it that was so bold and daring tomit this act?

    ¡°Meimei, could it possibly be President Fu¡¯s doing? Didn¡¯t you say that President Fu had also noticed this incident?¡±

    Upon saying this, Lan Jinyao threw a re towards him. ¡°You think that Fu Bainian is a person who ys such tricks? Why he woulde up with something like that in order to cover up a potentially sensational news story for me, resulting in him looking like a foolish husband with a cheating wife?¡±

    Li Qi smiled in embarrassment. ¡°I was just bbering without thinking things through. Don¡¯t be angry; it might increase your wrinkles. Our President Fu is certainly not such a stupid person, but he loves you. Whether it¡¯s men or women, when ites to love it¡¯s all the same; a person¡¯s IQ will be slightly skewed.¡±

    Exactly! When a person¡¯s IQ was impaired, it would be easy to head down a blind alley.

    Thinking this way, Lan Jinyao felt a little wronged. ¡°He must¡¯ve been angryst night because he ignored me when I talked to him!¡±

    Li Qi was amazed by that. ¡°President Fu¡¯s temper in his private time is quite...childish. He¡¯s usually so cold on the outside.¡±

    Lan Jinyao swept him a nce out of the corner of her eyes, and Li Qi immediately went silent.

    Both of them were then quiet for the rest of the journey.

    Lan Jinyao had initially thought that as long as she exined, the misunderstanding between her and Fu Bainian would be solved. But, she didn¡¯t expect that things would be worse after herst interview program; it even managed to overshadow the attention on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s case.

    This interview program focused on the entertainment industry and had be very popr as it especially reported on the private lives of actors and singers. Additionally, the ones that they invited on the show were all big shots.

    Beforeing, Li Qi told her: With your current poprity, you still aren¡¯t well known enough to get on this program, so you have to thank me. After you appear on this show, your poprity will definitely increase.

    She looked at Li Qi¡¯s appearance, noticing that he was pleased with himself.

    Lan Jinyao replied cooly, ¡°That¡¯s great, but, I heard that the host is an experienced person in the industry. Moreover, this program specialising in digging into people¡¯s privacy. Are you sure that the host won¡¯t ask questions that are difficult to answer?¡±

    Li Qi smirked and said, ¡°Do you still have a secret that you can¡¯t let people know? Or, a secret that you don¡¯t want to be known by President Fu?¡±

    Lan Jinyao gave him a look.

    ¡°Okay, okay, don¡¯t worry, the host has a sense of propriety. This program says that it digs into people¡¯s privacy, but actually, it only asks some superficial questions, that¡¯s all. Also, they follow a script, so it¡¯s unlikely that they''ll ask question that you don¡¯t wish to answer.¡±

    Li Qi patted her shoulder as he followed her into the building.

    This program wasn¡¯t a live broadcast, so if there was any dissatisfaction, one could discuss it with the TV station and cut it out before the program aired.

    Lan Jinyao remembered that she had never participated in this type of program in the past. She¡¯d thought it was because either Li Qi or Shen Yu had wanted to train her into an outstanding actress, so she wasn¡¯t allowed to appear on such a program. Later on, she¡¯d learnt that it was all because Fu Bainian had intervened.

    Suddenly remembering this, Lan Jinyao asked Li Qi, ¡°Does Fu Bainian know that I¡¯m going to participate in this program?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, why...? I thought that you¡¯d tell him!¡± Li Qi¡¯s expression was filled with confusion.

    Following that, Li Qi¡¯s wail rang out around them.

    It was only when Lan Jinyao was standing on the stage did she realise that Li Qi had dug a big hole for her to fall into this time. Fu Bainian was still sulking, yet here she was getting involved with Jiang Cheng once more.

    There was a segment in the program where they invited someone who had a good rtionship with her to question. In this industry, there were only a few people who had a good rtionship with Chen Meimei, so the only person she could think of was Chen Zetao.

    However, Lan Jinyao gaped in surprise when she saw the man who appeared from backstage.

    Jiang Cheng?!

    The male lead from this morning¡¯s scandal!

    When the President of River Group Corporation took a seat next to her, Lan Jinyao could feel her smile quickly freezing.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind was nk. Why did the program¡¯s production team think that Jiang Cheng was someone who had a good rtionship with her? Even if they wanted to invite a big-time boss, they should¡¯ve asked her husband, Fu Bainian, okay? Jiang Cheng truly had it easy joining in the fun while creating trouble for her!

    She kept on telling herself inwardly that this was just a show, so she had to be tolerant and generous, and smile when she needed to. However, as soon as she thought of Fu Bainian¡¯s dark face and the cold air surrounding him that seemed to be like an air conditioner, she felt like crying in her heart.

    When Jiang Cheng sat down, he gave her a polite smile, and then turned to the host to say, ¡°When I was invited to be on this show today, it was quite unexpected.¡±

    The host smiled and said, ¡°Is it because President Jiang doesn¡¯t usually participate in such programs? Or, is it because other shows are afraid to invite President Jiang?¡±

    Jiang Cheng pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°If I have to give a response, it¡¯s because your program is rather special and daring! TV shows don¡¯t normally invite a businessman to participate in this kind of program.¡±

    When this was said, the two menughed.

    As she was listening to Jiang Cheng¡¯s maicughter, Lan Jinyao was surprised: As a businessman, you can actually participate in this kind of show, and you seem to be quite happy.

    ¡°Since you, President Jiang, have such a good rtionship with Meimei, have you ever considered poaching Meimei for yourpany?¡±

    Lan Jinyao silently cursed. No wonder this program¡¯s ratings were so high that it managed to pressure other TV stations that broadcasted simr entertainment programs. As soon as it started, the host dared to ask such an explosive question. It would be odd if it weren¡¯t popr.

    Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze slowlynded on her.

 Chapter 103 - Her Suitor (2)

    <h4>Chapter 103 - Her Suitor (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao suddenly felt that the man currently sitting next to her wasn¡¯t the same as the one she¡¯d seen when she was shooting the ad. At that time, he was serious and focused, and he had never smiled when speaking to her. If it wasn¡¯t for him giving the ad to her after it was originally promised to Shen Wei¡¯an, and watching her shooting the ad at the ss Bridge in the middle of the night, Lan Jinyao might¡¯ve thought that this man had feelings for her.

    However, at this moment, what she sensed from him was very different; this man could actually smile.

    Although Jiang Cheng was the first to show up in this kind of program, the audience was extremely enthusiastic. Every word he spoke was followed by thunderous apuse that came from below the stage.

    When the host asked whether he would poach Chen Meimei to hispany, the audience was beyond excited. Everyone¡¯s gaze was fixed upon Jiang Cheng; even Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze was focused on the man.

    Lan Jinyao wondered what it would look like on camera when she looked in Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction, and Jiang Cheng looked in hers. Even if one said that their gazes were affectionate, it wasn''t excessively so.

    ¡°There¡¯s no such n for the time being, but...¡±

    The audience sighed in disappointment upon hearing the first part, but then became excited once more after hearing the word ¡®but¡¯.

    ¡°Oh, ¡®but¡¯ what? Our audience is very interested in President Jiang¡¯s answer!¡± the host said to lead the topic to its climax.

    Jiang Cheng nced at Lan Jinyao before he said, ¡°But, I¡¯m very interested in Meimei. If she wants toe to ourpany to develop, I would definitely wee her.¡±

    Ambiguous words like those were feared greatly in the entertainment industry as they could let a person¡¯s imagination run wild.

    Lan Jinyaoughed. ¡°Thank you for you thinking so highly of my work, President Jiang. As for switching managementpanies, I¡¯ve never considered it.¡±

    Her statement prevented the host from asking the next question.

    Jiang Cheng only appeared on the show for ten minutes before he left. In the remaining time, the host asked some questions regarding the future of Lan Jinyao¡¯s career, as well as some things between her and Fu Bainian. A celebrity in the entertainment industry was there to entertain the public, and with the issues surrounding her rtionship being quiteplicated to begin with, it was harmless to mention them.

    Later, the host also mentioned her weight loss experience.

    Chen Meimei, who¡¯d looked as plump as pumpkin, had turned into such rich and fair beauty. It was her weight loss that had made her more confident.

    Lan Jinyao smiled mysteriously as she said, ¡°Of course, I have a secret method. If you love someone very much, and he¡¯s not interested in your fat body, you will surely gain the motivation to lose weight.¡±

    In fact, what things couldn¡¯t you ovee after you¡¯d died once?

    After the show finished recording, the host jokingly said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°Actually, we¡¯d initially wanted to invite President Fu toe on today¡¯s program. After all, President Fu is the most suitable candidate. However, after considering your rtionship with President Fu, we consequently invited President Jiang toe instead. I¡¯d previously heard that your rtionship with President Jiang was very good, but only after personally seeing it did I learn that the rtionship between the both of you is really enviable. To think that President Jiang, who never appears in public, actually agreed to the invitation from our production team!¡±

    These words made Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart fill with doubt. Was the rtionship between Jiang Cheng and Chen Meimei really that good? Why had she never heard about it? In addition, was Jiang Cheng really invited by the production team? If so, why did he agree?

    Lan Jinyao had a lot of questions swirling around in her mind, but it didn¡¯t show on her face.

    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t expect him to take the time to participate on this show!¡±

    After exchanging a couple of words with the host, Lan Jinyao walked out of the office building. Li Qi was waiting for her in a restaurant. As soon as she was seated, the waiter began to serve them.

    ¡°It was your first time recording this kind of program; how do you feel?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shrugged. ¡°Not bad, but I have a feeling that maybe someone is done for.¡±

    ¡°Who? It won¡¯t be me, right?¡± Li Qi was frightened.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t answer and instead said, ¡°Today¡¯s program invited a special guest. I¡¯m guessing that you don¡¯t know who it was?¡±

    Li Qi was puzzled by her words, so he asked her, ¡°Don¡¯t they only invite people in the entertainment industry on this kind of interview program? Since you were the main guest, then the person who was invited was someone familiar with you, and famous too. In short; was it Chen Zetao?¡±

    ¡°Your thoughts mirror mine, but, you¡¯re wrong! The person invited by the program was Jiang Cheng,¡± her tone became agitated. ¡°It was Jiang Cheng! Say, don¡¯t you feel it¡¯s strange? He¡¯s a businessman! To think that he actually participated in this program; does he intend to change jobs and be an actor?¡±

    Since she became agitated as she was saying this, Lan Jinyao abruptly stood up. The patrons of the restaurant stared at her, even though her face was covered by a pair ofrge sunsses.

    Li Qi quickly pulled her down. ¡°Don¡¯t get so agitated! Can¡¯t we just sit down and talk?¡±

    When she¡¯d mentioned Jiang Cheng, Lan Jinyao thought of the news this morning. The news was obviously using her and Jiang Cheng to create a sensation. As for why, Lan Jinyao thought that she might understand it now.

    ¡°I think that this matter isn¡¯t so simple.¡± After learning that the special guest was Jiang Cheng, Li Qi¡¯s brows creased and his expression became serious.

    After carefully thinking about it, Li Qi said, ¡°This matter is definitely rted to the news this morning. If it wasn¡¯t for the show¡¯s own poprity, then there is only one possibility...¡±

    ¡°Jiang Cheng-¡±

    Lan Jinyao and Li Qi said in unison.

    ¡°You and I are thinking the same,¡± Lan Jinyao said.

    The protagonists of the scandal were her and Jiang Cheng, and the location was the bar. When she¡¯d just left the bar, how did Jiang Cheng coincidentally end up standing next to her when the reporter had taken the picture?

    Lan Jinyao suddenly recalled that when she¡¯de out of the bar that day, it seemed like she¡¯d bumped into a man. At that time, she¡¯d only said sorry and left in a hurry as she¡¯d been worried about the paparazzi taking a photo of her. She didn¡¯t expect it to really happen.

    ¡°You keep insisting that you were at the bar with Lan Xin that day, so where was Lan Xin?¡± Li Qi suddenly asked.

    ¡°Lan Xin came outter.¡±

    She added, ¡°Lan Xin must be unaware of this incident.¡±

    ¡°How are you so sure?¡± Li Qi asked.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure!¡± Because, she knew why Lan Xin had gotten drunk that day. As for the scandal, she was certain that it had nothing to do with Lan Xin.

    Li Qi froze as he was about to pick up food from a dish with chopsticks, and he asked her, ¡°What are Jiang Cheng¡¯s intentions? Why would he want to be in a scandal with you?¡±

    ¡°Maybe...¡±

    Li Qi continued, ¡°President Jiang wants to pursue you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s brows slightly furrowed. Was Jiang Cheng her suitor? She didn¡¯t think it would be that simple.

 Chapter 104 - Misunderstanding (1)

    <h4>Chapter 104 - Misunderstanding (1)</h4>

    In the evening, Lan Jinyao sat on the recliner on the balcony. She loved sitting at this little spot. When the breeze caressed her face, it was veryfortable and made her rx.

    She held her phone in her hand and thought for quite a while before finally dialling Lan Xin¡¯s phone.

    Between her and Shen Wei¡¯an, there was a hostility as deep as the sea that tied her for a lifetime. If she didn¡¯t make a move first, she would continue being bound forever. But Lan Xin? What did her rtion have to do with Shen Wei¡¯an? Lan Xin had had stic surgery to change her face, but was it because she was a fan, or did she have another purpose?

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me.¡±

    When she suddenly received a phone call from Lan Jinyao, Lan Xin was seemingly bbergasted. After a moment of silence, she responded, ¡°Meimei? Howe you¡¯re calling me sote? Do you want to ask me out for a drink?¡±

    On the phone, the woman¡¯s voice sounded calm. It seemed that after Lan Jinyao had met Lan Xin, she noticed that she faced everyone with this attitude. She was neither arrogant or impatient. Only two times her emotions had leaked, and they seemed to contain the hint of a conspiracy. The first time was when she¡¯d used that face to deliberately approach Fu Bainian, and the second time was when she was drunk...

    ¡°After ourst time getting drunk, something major urred. How would I dare apany you to drink again?¡± she said while chuckling and subtly trying to probe her out.

    Lan Xin was silent for two or three seconds, and then said in the same rxed tone, ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t expect that your tolerance for alcohol was so bad. It¡¯s not good if you can''t drink a lot, especially if you¡¯re in the entertainment industry.¡±

    Obviously, Lan Xin wanted to shift the topic to the previous matter, but how could Lan Jinyao fulfil her wish. The whole reason she¡¯d made this call today was to figure everything out.

    ¡°Lan Xin, there¡¯s something that I feel is odd. When I went to the bar the other day, I identally mentioned our previous matter with He Xiaoyun, but she said that you left the bar, and thenter you came back again. Were you worried about me?¡±

    Lan Xin was hesitant to answer. Lan Jinyao heard a long sigh over the phone, as though she was taking a deep breath.

    After a while, Lan Xin said, ¡°If I say that I was worried about you, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t believe me. So, Chen Meimei, what do you want to know that you called me tonight? No matter what you want to know, I must first say that I have a bottom line, and no one can touch it.¡±

    Lan Jinyao held the phone and didn¡¯t speak. Since Lan Xin had said this, it meant that she was discreetly admitting it.

    ¡°That matter was your doing, right?¡±

    Lan Xin released a ridicule filledughed that travelled through the phone. She then said, ¡°Yes, it was my doing. I just wanted to give her a warning, that¡¯s all, but what about it? The police can¡¯t figure out who did it, and those stupid fans of Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s don¡¯t harbour suspicions about me...¡±

    She paused, and suddenly lowered her voice. ¡°So, Chen Meimei, will you report me?¡±

    ¡°If I were going to report you, I wouldn¡¯t be calling you right now. You have your bottom line, but did you know that what you¡¯ve done has affected me? Those rumours point to me, and I¡¯m extremely troubled. Before you did this, didn¡¯t you think about me? You said that...we¡¯re friends.¡±

    When she said thest part, her voice was lowered.

    ¡°Yes, we are friends, but Chen Meimei, do you know why we became friends? Before you, I had no friends.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s emotions were rattled. She didn¡¯t expect Lan Xin to say such things. She¡¯d thought that since Lan Xin was good at disguising her true self, she could befriend anyone as long as she wanted.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know!¡± She¡¯d thought that friend were friends, and that they could be friends if they had the same personalities and hobbies. But, now it didn¡¯t seem that way.

    ¡°It¡¯s because you and a past friend of mine are very simr. She was the only friend I¡¯ve ever had, so that''s why we could be friends!¡±

    Lan Jinyao suddenly asked, ¡°So, what you want to do is rted to your friend?¡± Could it be that she wasn''t the only one that Shen Wei''an had schemed against? Were there other victims as well?

    This time though, Lan Xin didn¡¯t go silent; she immediately hung up the phone instead. Lan Jinyao stared at the phone screen, lost in her thoughts. She thought that she¡¯d managed to touch Lan Xin¡¯s bottom line.

    ......

    At a luxurious vi, lush green Boston Ivy covered the walls. A ss greenhouse was filled with red roses, and there was a stone bench made of marble.

    A man was sitting on the stone bench letting a pot of tea steep before slowly tasting it.

    Not far from the man, Shen Wei¡¯an wore ten cm high heels as she leisurely walked towards him. Anger was visible on her face, and her eyes seemed to be burning with small mes.

    The leather purse in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s hand was mmed fiercely on the table in front of the man, and a few drops of brownish yellow liquid spilled out of the man¡¯s cup.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze fell upon the brownish yellow droplets, the thoughts running through his mind veiled in his eyes.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, you said that you would help me!¡±

    That night, when she was drunk, a group of men had surrounded her. Even though her face was covered with tears, she still couldn¡¯t push them away. It was then that this man had appeared in front of her like a God descending from heaven to stand in front of her and block her from those men. Following that, she was graced with the sight of the sorry appearance of those men.

    She¡¯d thought that this is probably what it feels like when you fall in love with another person! Her heart had lost its excited beating because of this man.

    She¡¯d used a secret as an exchange, and the man had decided to help her.

    However, the ad that initially should¡¯ve belonged to her became that woman¡¯s. Yet, when she was subjected to countless threats, this man was busy creating a scandal with the woman who was the cause for all cmity in her life. That woman continuously stood in her way, resulting in her losing her chances to seed again and again.

    Jiang Cheng poured another cup of tea, and then quietly tasted it. Once he¡¯d finished his drink, he looked up at her and said with dissatisfaction, ¡°To be an outstanding artist, you must first be an elegant woman, and never lose yourposure and elegance; no matter what.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an was angered by his words. She took a few deep breaths and managed to calm down before saying to him, ¡°I''ll regain myposure, but please keep your promise. I won''t argue with you over the fact that you secretly gave the ad to Chen Meimei, but why do you have to get into a scandal with her now? Don''t tell me that you want to poach her into ourpany?¡±

    The man chuckled. "I''ve already said it before, at the interview. I won¡¯t secretly poach her. I will snatch her from that man''s side fair and square.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Shen Wei¡¯an stared at him in disbelief.

    ¡°Shocked? Actually, you don¡¯t have to be, because she originally belonged to me.¡±

    In that split moment, Shen Wei¡¯an saw madness shed within the man¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 105 - Misunderstanding (2)

    <h4>Chapter 105 - Misunderstanding (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao had thought that thest advertisement would be taken indoors, but when Li Qi came to pick her up, he said that it had been changed to outdoors.

    Lan Jinyao looked at the road ahead of her, and noticing that it was the road to thepany, she asked with confusion, ¡°Do we have to go to thepany first?¡±

    The Assistant sitting in the front seat said, ¡°Big Sis Meimei, the shooting location this time is on thepany rooftop. Didn¡¯t Big Bro Li tell you?¡±

    ¡°Company rooftop?!¡± her voice unconsciously rose, and her pupils abruptly shrunk.

    The driver looked at her in surprise. Li Qi asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you still afraid of heights? Thest time we had to walk over the ss Bridge, but this time our feet will be touching the ground, so why are you afraid?¡±

    Lan Jinyao: ¡°...¡±

    How could she say that she wasn¡¯t still afraid of heights, but she was afraid to stand there! However, how could she use such a strange reason!

    ¡°No...¡±

    Li Qi patted his chest. ¡°That¡¯s good. I thought you were still afraid of heights. Otherwise, things would be difficult if you were. President Jiang was willing to give you a chance, but I¡¯m not so sure he¡¯ll be willing to give you a second chance.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± A bad premonition abruptly rose within her heart.

    ¡°Because, this time you¡¯ll be standing on the perimeter wall of the rooftop. You don¡¯t have to worry though; I¡¯ll personally check the security facilities and won''t let you encounter any problems. There¡¯ll be simr security measures below the building as well.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes were filled with nervousness, even though she was trying to suppress it.

    She asked Li Qi in a shaking voice, ¡°Why does it have to be on the rooftop? Can''t we just take a shot of the location and then edit it inter? Or, can¡¯t we borrow another location to shoot this?¡±

    Lan Jinyao still remembered the scene of that night. When she thought of it in passing, she felt nothing. But, when she¡¯d gone to thepany rooftop alone thest time, she couldn¡¯t even stand up, let alone daring to look down.

    Li Qi put his hands on her shoulders and asked with confusion, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that you¡¯re not afraid of heights? Meimei, do you have something that you aren¡¯t telling me? You see, you¡¯re covered in sweat just thinking about it.¡±

    The Assistant quickly took a tissue and wiped the sweat from her forehead for her.

    ¡°Li Qi, I don¡¯t think I can do it!¡± She lowered her head to cover up the fear in her eyes.

    Thest time, it was dark as it was nighttime, and although there was another person on the rooftop, they couldn¡¯t see each other¡¯s expressions. But, it would be different this time. All the fears hidden deep within her heart would be exposed under the sun, and then it would be discovered by everyone.

    With this secret in mind, Lan Jinyao had the restless Li Qifort her. ¡°Meimei, there¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be done. Do you remember what happened when you were on the ss Bridge? You didn¡¯t even dare open your eyes, but thenter, didn''t you still ovee it? There¡¯s nothing in life that can¡¯t be ovee; it only depends on whether you want to or not.¡±

    She gripped Li Qi¡¯s hand tightly, thinking that she must be using too much strength as the skin on the back of Li Qi¡¯s hand was turning blue.

    ¡°But, you don¡¯t know, Li Qi. You don¡¯t know anything at all. I¡¯m terrified...¡± She closed her eyes, let her eyelids cover the tears welling in her eyes.

    Li Qi and the Assistant looked at each other, both of them frowning.

    ¡°Big Bro Li, this situation regarding Big Sis Meimei is somewhat serious. We just mentioned that the filming location will be on the rooftop, and her mood has fluctuated so intensely. When she stands on the rooftop, I¡¯m worried she¡¯ll get into an ident.¡±

    ¡°Bah, stop jinxing her! There are security facilities in ce, and there¡¯s no possibility of any idents!¡±

    He said to Lan Jinyao again, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Meimei. Let us go and see how it goes first. If it¡¯s not going to work, I¡¯ll discuss it with President Jiang and see if I can change the n. However, I do hope you can tell me the reason? Don¡¯t lie to me; you know that I won¡¯t believe those lies. You managed to walk across the ss Bridgest time, so you¡¯re not afraid of heights, right?¡±

    However, Lan Jinyao shook her head, refusing to say anything.

    Five minutester, the van stopped outside thepany building. Li Qi took her arm and apanied her into the elevator.

    ¡°Meimei, can you do it?¡±

    Lan Jinyao looked at her reflection in the elevator mirror. She appeared haggard, and herplexion was so pale that not even the makeup she was wearing could cover it.

    Lan Jinyao shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll try!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was extremely worried inside. She was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t dare open her eyes when she was standing on the rooftop.

    And, in fact, that¡¯s what ended up happening. Three minutester, Lan Jinyao was standing on the roof while the makeup artist touched up her makeup, and another staff member was attaching the safety chains.

    She nced around, noticing that this time Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t there.

    Li Qi still seemed to be quite worried as he stood by her side and kept asking her, ¡°Are you alright? Can you go up?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll try!¡±

    However, the moment her eyesnded on the perimeter wall, Lan Jinyao felt a burst of dizziness. Her eyes became blurry, and her legs wobbled. Fortunately, Li Qi was standing beside her and quickly supported her.

    The worry in Li Qi¡¯s eyes grew more pronounced.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have breakfast this morning, so it must be anemia,¡± she said before forcing a smile.

    Li Qi waved towards the Assistant. ¡°Xiao Lin, Meimei is anaemic, so go help her buy some glucose. Buy the type that is taken orally. Also, bring breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you have breakfast before going out?¡± Li Qi asked her.

    Lan Jinyao was silent.

    How could she say that when Fu Bainian had left this morning the table was empty, and there were only a few cans of cold milk left in the fridge.

    When she¡¯d left, she¡¯d subconsciously ignored this problem. She wanted Fu Bainian to slow down, and hoped that time would lessen his anger. However, the situation seemed to be getting worse.

    Lan Jinyao had thought that after she¡¯d finished thisst ad, there¡¯d be no need for her to ever see Jiang Cheng again. At that time, no matter what exnation Fu Bainian wanted, she would be able to tell him then.

    Seeing that Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t speak, Li Qi decided not to ask further. After checking the belt and steel rope around her waist, he patted Lan Jinyao¡¯s back. ¡°If you can¡¯t tell me, don¡¯t force yourself. Remember to shout if you have any problems. I¡¯ll watch you from over there.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded, then she took a deep breath and walked towards the wall.

    She closed her eyes and an image of a dark night sky appeared in her mind. The woman sitting on the perimeter wall was crying hysterically, and as she carefully walked closer step by step, the woman reached out her hand to her.

    Under the sun, sweat slowly seeped out of Lan Jinyao¡¯s forehead.

 Chapter 106 - Misunderstanding (3)

    <h4>Chapter 106 - Misunderstanding (3)</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯ll have a slice of cake and a ss of soy milk, please!¡±

    Xiao Lin, with a piece of grape candy in her hand, was standing in the cafe buying breakfast when she saw a familiar figure pass by outside. So, she hurriedly grabbed the bag of breakfast and followed him. ¡°Good morning, President Fu!¡±

    Fu Bainian stopped in his tracks and indifferently acknowledged her before asking, ¡°Howe you¡¯re at thepany? Where is she?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xiao Lin didn¡¯t even need to guess who Fu Bainian was referring to as she promptly replied, ¡°Big Sis Meimei is currently shooting thest part of the ad series at ourpany¡¯s rooftop, but her condition isn¡¯t very good today. She didn¡¯t even have breakfast this morning, so she felt a bit anaemic. Big Bro Li asked me toe down and buy some breakfast for her.¡±

    At that instant, Xiao Lin noticed that Fu Bainian¡¯s hands were clenched into fists for a very brief moment before he loosened them again, yet the expression on his face remained somewhat remorseful.

    ¡°She¡¯s currently on the rooftop? Give me the breakfast; I¡¯ll bring it up to her and take a look at the situation.¡±

    Xiaolin nkly stared at him for a while before she acknowledged Fu Bainian¡¯s words, and handed him the stic bag. Following that, his figure quickly disappeared from her sight as he walked into the building.

    Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao was standing in front of the perimeter wall on the rooftop, though she didn¡¯t dare open her eyes.

    Li Qi¡¯s brows creased together as he stared at her from behind.

    When the Director saw this, he started roaring, ¡°Chen Meimei, why on earth are you dilly-dallying? Could this ce be scarier than the ss Bridge?! Don¡¯t tell me that your courage can¡¯t even bepared to that of a little mouse?¡±

    However, no matter how loud the Director yelled, it seemed like Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t hear anything.

    She slowly opened her eyes, but tears were blurring her vision, and she felt as if she¡¯d fallen off the building.

    Under the watchful eyes of the crew, Lan Jinyao turned around and clutched her head as she crouched down. She leaned against the wall and started crying loudly; her emotions were in such turmoil that she was on the verge of breaking down.

    ¡°Waah...¡±

    She¡¯d only taken a quick glimpse, but she was already trembling from head to toe. The fear came from the depths of her heart, so it was beyond her control.

    Then, a towering shadow suddenly appeared in front of Lan Jinyao, blocking the sunlight above her head. The man squatted down and extended his hand to pull her into his embrace before gently patting her on the back.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, brave it out; isn¡¯t this just a simple mental obstacle? I believe you can ovee it, and you have to believe in yourself too.¡±

    Lan Jinyao raised her head and stared at the man with teary eyes. She then tightly clutched the man¡¯s clothes and said in a loud voice, ¡°You don¡¯t understand! None of you understands this dreadful feeling! I¡¯m petrified!¡±

    Perhaps, Fu Bainian was the only person in this world that would understand the darkness in her heart.

    ¡°I understand! Ipletely understand!¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s chin rested on Lan Jinyao¡¯s head, and a maic voice sounded next to her ear, ¡°I know what you¡¯ve been through; about the shadow residing in the depths of your soul that doesn¡¯t allow you to sleep soundly at night. I understand all of that. So, Meimei, you must ovee this obstacle. You must believe in yourself!¡±

    Upon hearing that, Lan Jinyao forgot to cry and forgot about her fear; she just stared at the man in front of her.

    It felt as if a century had passed before she slowly opened her mouth to ask the man in a hoarse voice, ¡°Tell me, what do you understand? What do you know?¡±

    Jiang Cheng lowered his head and leaned by her ear to whisper, ¡°I know that our Chen Meimei has changed. She has be thinner, more beautiful, and more confident. Although I really liked your past self, the current you is even greater, more...¡± Enchanting.

    From a distance, the two of them appeared to be intimately hugging and kissing under the sunshine.

    One was the President of River Group Corporation with no previous scandals, while the other was a married woman. Yet, their postures looked so intimate. Upon seeing this, Li Qi sighed.

    He knew that Chen Meimei¡¯s current state wasn¡¯t very stable, so he wanted to go over and separate the two of them. If another scandal broke out at this time, he¡¯d have no choice but to take the consequences.

    But, before he reached them, he heard the sound of a heavy ss object falling and breaking on the ground behind him.

    When Li Qi turned around, he felt despair as he saw Fu Bainian standing at the head of the stairway, ring at Lan Jinyao and Jiang Cheng. What else in this world could make one feel even more desperate than the current scenario in front of him?

    Before, just a scandal alone had made Fu Bainian so angry that his entire body emitted a cold aura at work, yet now, he¡¯d personally seen them being so intimate. Li Qi reckoned that this current situation would lead to millions of dead bodies with bloodshed spreading for thousands of miles.

    Halting his thoughts, he quickly ran over to the two and firmly pushed Jiang Cheng away as he uttered with an apologetic smile, ¡°President Jiang, President Fu is here.¡±

    He then turned to Lan Jinyao and asked, ¡°Meimei, are you alright?¡±

    Following that, Fu Bainian walked over and picked up the teary-eyed Lan Jinyao in a princess carry before proceeding towards the stairway. When he reached the stairs, he halted in his tracks and said to Li Qi in an icy tone, ¡°Li Qi, since she¡¯s so scared of heights, you shouldn¡¯t have let Meimei take this ad. For thisst ad, you better tell President Jiang to find someone better qualified to finish it! Meimei isn¡¯t doing this anymore.¡±

    After that, Fu Bainian disappeared from the crowd with Lan Jinyao in his arms.

    From how things looked, Lan Jinyao¡¯s current state of mind was indeed not good; tears were still gliding down her face, yet she didn¡¯t seem to notice that she was crying.

    Fu Bainian intensely stared at her as he carried her all the way to his office.

    When they arrived in his office, Fu Bainian quickly carried Lan Jinyao to the bed in the lounge area. He then grabbed some tissues and wiped the tears from Lan Jinyao¡¯s cheeks as he gently said, ¡°Since you¡¯re feeling so unwell, why are you persevering? Doing this won¡¯t win you back the things you want; you¡¯re only hurting yourself, do you understand?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao hugged Fu Bainian and softly said, ¡°Fu Bainian, I¡¯m scared...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be scared. I¡¯m right by your side, and I¡¯ll always be with you!¡±

    The two of them snuggled up together and stayed like this for a long time. Only when the sunlight shone through the window and spread into the room did Lan Jinyao get up from bed to sit beside Fu Bainian.

    ¡°Just now, did you feel hurt? Jiang Cheng, he...¡±

    Fu Bainian seemed to have guessed what she wanted to say, so he immediately interrupted her and said, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    After saying that, he inwardly sneered at his words. Fu Bainian, just admit it! You were so jealous that you were about to go crazy! You were so sad that you felt like dying, yet you¡¯re now acting like a hypocrite and won¡¯t dare admit it? What are you afraid of?

    ¡°Huh? Oh, I see, and here I thought...¡± Lan Jinyao had initially thought that he would feel jealous, but it looked like she¡¯d been overthinking things.

    After a while, she suddenly heard Fu Bainian say, ¡°In the future, even if you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯m still going to intervene with your matters.¡±

    That Jiang Cheng bore inclinations towards Meimei that he shouldn¡¯t have. In that case, he would just let that guy see who he was messing with!

    At this moment, a small me seemed to be burning in Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 107 - A Different Fu Bainian (1)

    <h4>Chapter 107 - A Different Fu Bainian (1)</h4>

    Although Jiang Cheng had let the Director change the scene for thest ad, Lan Jinyao still didn¡¯t go to the shoot. She learnedter that Fu Bainian was the one who¡¯d declined it. Fu Bainian had even told Li Qi not to tell her that they¡¯d switched the shooting location.

    When Li Qi told Lan Jinyao about this, she asked him, ¡°Does this count as you betraying President Fu?¡±

    Li Qi hurriedly shook his head and said, ¡°I just wanted to inform you and nothing else. I feel that Jiang Cheng doesn¡¯t hold any ill intentions towards you. In that kind of circumstance, even if there were no Jiang Cheng, I¡¯d have done the same. You must know that at that time, you looked as if you were about to copse. That scene was truly scary.¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled. ¡°I believe in my intuition! Since Fu Bainian declined the ad for me, then let¡¯s just forget about it!¡±

    Even if thest ad wasn¡¯tpleted, the shampoo ad series was still broadcasted on all the major TV stations. Moreover, on the shampoo website, there was a paragraph exining: The unfinished story will be shown to all consumers with our future achievements. We hope that everyone will continue supporting us.

    Lan Jinyao inadvertently visited the official website and saw that exnation. At first nce, this approach was quite creative. Hence, she reckoned that other advertising agencies would also follow suit and imitate this idea!

    In the afternoon, Fu Changning called and told them to go home for dinner. Typically, this kind of dinner invitation call was done by her Mother-inw. However, since Fu Changning had learned that she was Lan Jinyao, she¡¯d put away her thorns and had opened up to her.

    In fact, Fu Changning also owned her own ce, but she didn¡¯t stay there that much and would asionally visit Fu Bainian and stay at his ce for a few days. But, after she¡¯d learnt of Lan Jinyao¡¯s identity, she began to live at home more often.

    These were things that Fu Bainian had told Lan Jinyaoter on.

    Following that, Lan Jinyao first finished a photoshoot at the studio, and then took the elevator to go to Fu Bainian¡¯s office to find him. At the same time, Qian Ran was holding onto a pile of documents and was preparing to go there as well, but several folders on top had fallen off the pile on his way.

    ¡°Let me help you!¡± Lan Jinyao bent down to help Qian Ran pick up the files.

    The words ¡®River Group Corporation¡¯ printed on those documents caught her eyes. But, as she was about to open them to take a closer look, her movements suddenly paused and she hesitated for a moment before she gave the documents back to Qian Ran.

    ¡°Is Bainian currently very busy?¡±

    ¡°President Fu might be a bit busier these days as thepany has a lot of things that need to be dealt with by him personally.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lan Jinyao nodded, but a lot of question marks popped up in her mind. Could it really be like what Xu Jin¡¯ge had said? That Fu Bainian was nning to expand his business overseas?

    When she thought up to this point, she stopped Qian Ran again and asked, ¡°Does thepany n to train a new batch of neers soon?¡±

    Lan Jinyao noticed that when she¡¯d asked this question, the smile on Qian Ran¡¯s face had seemingly turned unnatural and he replied, ¡°Haha, yes, so President Fu will be a bit busier these days because of this. By the way, are you looking for President Fu?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Let¡¯s go in together!¡±

    And, right then, Fu Bainian heard the noise outside and shouted, ¡°Qian Ran,e in!¡±

    ¡°What are you dawdling about for...?¡±

    As he was speaking, Fu Bainian saw Lan Jinyao following Qian Ran. It dawned on him that Qian Ran must¡¯ve been standing outside talking to Lan Jinyao, so he hadn¡¯te in earlier.

    ¡°You can leave the documents here and go back,¡± dered Fu Bainian.

    Qian Ran nced at him and then strode out. Their meaningful exchange didn¡¯t escape Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes.

    Lan Jinyao sat down on the sofa and said to Fu Bainian, ¡°Changning called earlier and told me that Mum is urging us to go home for dinner tonight. I immediately came over after finishing the photoshoot.¡±

    Fu Bainian set the documents aside and sat next to her on the sofa before asking, ¡°Say, you¡¯re doing so much here and there; filming a new drama on one side, and then promoting it next. Don¡¯t you feel tired?¡±

    As he was speaking, he tugged the hair lingering on her forehead away to the back; his movements were gentle and natural.

    Lan Jinyao quickly shook her head when she heard this.

    The current workload was twice as much as before, but she didn¡¯t feel tired at all. Shen Wei¡¯an was still alive and well, so she couldn¡¯t let go yet. Besides, whenever she saw anything rted to Shen Wei¡¯an on the news, she would feel recharged and would be brimming with fighting spirit.

    But, apparently, that wasn¡¯t the answer that Fu Bainian had wanted to hear. He paused for a moment and then said to her, ¡°If you feel tired, I can ask Li Qi to offload some unnecessary promotional activities for you. You just need to focus on filming the new drama with ease and nothing else...¡±

    Lan Jinyao had already guessed what he wanted to say, so she quickly interrupted him. ¡°It¡¯s fine; I¡¯m really not tired. At this moment, there are truly too many things waiting for me to do, but you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    Fu Bainian was clearly unhappy with her response as his lips were tightly pressed together and he didn¡¯t look at her.

    After a few moments of silence, Lan Jinyaopromised and added, ¡°If I feel tired, I¡¯ll let you know, alright? But, if there¡¯s something weighing on your mind, I hope that you¡¯ll tell me too.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t understand why Fu Bainian wanted to investigate everything about River Group Corporation. River Group Corporation and Blue Hall Entertainment werepetitors in the entertainment industry, so it was imusible for them to have any business dealings. If Fu Bainian really wanted to take a shot at River Group Corporation, then in her opinion that would only bring more loss to hispany, and there was nothing to gain from it.

    Jiang Family¡¯s properties were no less than those in Fu Bainian¡¯s hands, so Lan Jinyao was worried that Fu Bainian would lose his rationality and do something regretful. She knew just how dangerous that man was.

    Fu Bainian only nodded after a long while and said, ¡°I will. I promise you!¡±

    When evening arrived, the two returned to the Fu Residence. Fu Changning was sitting on the sofa when they walked in, so she immediately got up and greeted them.

    ¡°Sister-inw, could you please sign here for me? I have a colleague who¡¯s a huge fan of yours!¡±

    Fu Changning had already started her internship at an ountancy firm.

    Fu Changning was holding onto a tiny diary. As soon as she handed it over, Fu Bainian snatched it from her and asked with a deep voice, ¡°Did you mention those matters to your colleagues?¡±

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t!¡± Fu Changning pursed her lips, extremely dissatisfied with Fu Bainian¡¯s tone of voice. She then added, ¡°How could I tell others? I haven¡¯t even told our parents!¡±

    Meanwhile, Fu Guosheng heard this and asked, ¡°What¡¯s all this about? What haven¡¯t you told us yet?¡±

    Fu Changning red at Fu Bainian before she marched to Fu Guosheng¡¯s side with a smile on her face.

    Seeing this, Lan Jinyao then quickly said, ¡°You may have misunderstood Changning!¡±

    The person who Fu Changning¡¯s colleague liked could very well be the current Chen Meimei.

    Fu Bainian nodded in response, but hisplexion still didn¡¯t look very good. He then walked upstairs, and Lan Jinyao was left staring at his back, feeling baffled.

    Why was he so moody? This wasn¡¯t a big issue, right?

 Chapter 108 - A Different Fu Bainian (2)

    <h4>Chapter 108 - A Different Fu Bainian (2)</h4>

    After dinner, Lan Jinyao sat on her bed browsing Weibo to around 10 PM when sleepiness struck her and she fell asleep with her phone in her hand.

    When she woke up the next morning, she noticed that the spot beside her was empty. She then touched the bedsheet with her hand and felt an ice-cold sensation, so she immediately withdrew her hand. It suddenly dawned on her that Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t returned to the room all night.

    She hurriedly got out of bed and washed up. After changing her clothes, she grabbed her phone to go downstairs. However, when she picked up her phone, she noticed that she¡¯d received a missed call from someone. The number looked somewhat familiar, but she didn¡¯t bother with it and instead walked out of the room and down the stairs.

    On her way down, Lan Jinyao saw that breakfast had already been prepared, and she heard Changning say, ¡°I¡¯m going to wake Sister-inw up for breakfast!¡±

    Fu Bainian was already sitting at the table and told Fu Changning, ¡°Let your Sister-inw sleep a while longer. She¡¯s normally very busy at work and doesn¡¯t have many chances to sleep in.¡±

    Fu Changning then sat down next to him and coquettishly said, ¡°Brother, this is where you''re wrong. Since Sister-inw is so busy at work, why don¡¯t you just let her rest and get Li Qi to arrange for less work for her?¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t answer her question and instead said, ¡°Hurry up and eat.¡± He then went silent.

    Lan Jinyao swept a nce at Fu Bainian¡¯s back and then walked over to his side and sat down at the table as if nothing had happened.

    ¡°Sister-inw, you¡¯re up already!¡±

    ¡°Yup!¡± answered Lan Jinyao with a smile.

    At the same time, Fu Bainian looked up at her, and Lan Jinyao noticed that he had dark circles under his eyes. Moreover, his voice had sounded slightly hoarse when he speaking to Changning earlier.

    Lan Jinyao lowered her head and quietly ate her breakfast. The Fu Family had always adhered to a tradition of not talking while eating, so she didn¡¯t speak and didn¡¯t attract anyone¡¯s attention.

    After eating breakfast, Fu Bainian left for his study right away. Lan Jinyao stared at his departing figure and was about to follow him, but someone seized her arm, so she had no choice but to halt her steps.

    ¡°Mum? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Lan Jinyao turned around and saw her Mother-inw, Hong Lian, incessantly winking at her.

    ¡°Changning, after you finish your breakfast go to work earlier; don¡¯t just stay in the living room. I have something to discuss with Meimei.¡±

    Changning conceded and grabbed her bag before swiftly leaving, like a gust of wind.

    The two sat down on the sofa. The entertainment news happened to be ying on the TV right at this moment, thus Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes fell on the screen. She then saw her face appear. This was a broadcast from when she¡¯d participated in the interview program. The direction of the camera changed and soon fell on Jiang Cheng, zooming in on his smiling face.

    When Lan Jinyao looked away, she saw her Mother-inw intently staring at the TV screen. Only when the program had finished broadcasting did her Mother-inw retract her gaze and pat her hand, looking as kind as usual.

    ¡°Meimei,st night, Bainian worked until veryte in the study. I peeked in from outside and saw that there were a lot of papers piled up on his desk. Perhaps, he was worried about disturbing you sote at night, so he instead went to the room next door and slept there!¡±

    The room next door? Wasn¡¯t that the locked room?

    ¡°Mum, until what time did Bainian work yesterday?¡± It was the same as when he was in his office. The papers that Qian Ran had brought in were piled up like a mountain. What project was he working on recently? Why didn¡¯t she know about it?

    Hong Lian sighed and then said, ¡°When I took a look, it was already past 2 AM. After he¡¯d finished dinner, he sat down with his Father for a while and then went into the study and never came out again. Meimei, you were so in love with Bainian in the past, and now that Bainian has finally married you and brought you home, I hope that you can show him some more care. All is fine even if we don¡¯t participate in this kind of program!¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt somewhat guilty. If it were Chen Meimei, this probably wouldn¡¯t have happened. Chen Meimei loved Fu Bainian so much. So much so, that even if she¡¯d continued pestering him, Chen Meimei certainly wouldn¡¯t have let Fu Bainian work until it was sote. She also loved this man, but, in the end, her love wasn¡¯t as deep as that of Chen Meimei¡¯s. To her, even the hatred hidden deep inside her heart was slightly more important than Fu Bainian.

    Seeing Lan Jinyao lower her head without answering, Hong Lian sighed again and then earnestly said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to me you for being too busy with your work; I just don¡¯t want to see you tire yourself out by working so hard. Back then you only joined thepany to pursue Bainian, and now that you¡¯ve already married into our family you should spend more time with Bainian.¡±

    ¡°Mum, I¡¯ll take note of this, and I won¡¯t participate in these kinds of programs in the future.¡±

    She¡¯d always thought that since Fu Bainian loved her dearly, she could enjoy his pampering unscrupulously. But, truth to be told, no matter how big-hearted Fu Bainian was, he would still get tired one day!

    Lan Jinyao then recalled the day when she¡¯d asked Fu Bainian whether he was hurt when he saw Jiang Cheng embracing her, but Fu Bainian had said no. He was clearly lying at that time. How could she not have seen through it? She must¡¯ve been really stupid.

    Having received her assurances, Hong Lianughed and said, ¡°All¡¯s good then! Meimei, could you go up and check on Bainian? I¡¯m worried that his body won¡¯t be able to cope with the long hours. In any case, I¡¯m unable to persuade my son as you can see; the only person who can do that is you. Meimei, at least persuade him to rest for a while, okay?¡±

    Lan Jinyao earnestly nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go now!¡±

    In fact, her eyes had already reddened a bit, but she tried hard to ignore it and pretend that she wasn¡¯t going to cry.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t like the fact that Jiang Cheng was approaching her, and he also didn¡¯t want her to continue walking down this path of revenge on her own because he was clearly by her side and was always there for her. Of course, Lan Jinyao understood all of this. It was just that she wanted to stick to her principles.

    When confronted with this issue, she was still unable to change her way of thinking.

    After the small talk, Lan Jinyao went upstairs. When she passed by the room next to Fu Bainian¡¯s study, she extended her hand out of curiosity and twisted the door handle. Sure enough, the door was locked. She let go of the door handle, but then an iprehensible feeling bubbled up in her heart.

    She already knew about the secrets hidden in this room. Besides, they were already married, so she couldn¡¯tprehend why Fu Bainian would still lock this room. Could it be that there was something else hidden in there that she wasn¡¯t aware of?

    Lan Jinyao stood there thinking for a long while before halting her thoughts and proceeding to Fu Bainian''s study.

    The study wasn¡¯t locked, and the door was left half-open, so when Lan Jinyao was still standing in the corridor, she could see Fu Bainian flipping through the documents.

    ¡°Fu Bainian!¡± she called while walking in. She then stopped in front of his desk and stared at him.

    At that moment, Lan Jinyao saw a trace of panic sh through Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes when he looked up.

    He quickly closed the folder he was reading as if he didn¡¯t want her to see the contents of the documents inside.

 Chapter 109 - A Different Fu Bainian (3)

    <h4>Chapter 109 - A Different Fu Bainian (3)</h4>

    Fu Bainian was a handsome man with a tall, slender build, and wherever he went all eyes would follow him. He walked in the spotlight and lived like a movie star.

    Lan Jinyao knew that in Blue Hall Entertainment alone, many female artists had a crush on him. Outsiders saw him as an aloof, resolute, and fearless person.

    A man like him, who didn¡¯t even have to see others eye to eye, what on earth could make him show that kind of expression from a second ago?

    Was he panic-stricken just now? Lan Jinyao contemted. That must be it; she couldn¡¯t have been wrong. That document on Fu Bainian¡¯s desk, which he didn¡¯t want her to see...was it something rted to Jiang Cheng?

    She was startled when that thought crossed her mind.

    When Fu Bainian put the folder away in the drawer, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t question him further about it and insteadmented, ¡°You seem to be very busy these past few days. Mum told me earlier that you only went to rest after 2 AMst night, and I didn¡¯t even know that. Say, would you think that I¡¯m not as good as Chen Meimei?¡±

    She knew just how suitable she was for the entertainment industry; as long as she wanted to, she could fool anyone with her acting.

    Speaking up to here, she tried hard to put on a pitiful appearance and made it seem as if Fu Bainian was the one in the wrong.

    Following that, Fu Bainian sighed and said, ¡°There is no way topare the two of you. The one I love is you, not Chen Meimei.¡±

    That was right, the person he loved was her, but how long would this lovest? Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t want to think about this right now; she just wanted to quickly finish what had to be done.

    Lan Jinyao was about to call Li Qi and ask him to cancel all those unnecessary activities when her phone suddenly rang. She stared at the unfamiliar number shing on her screen and frowned.

    If she remembered correctly, this was already the third time that she¡¯d received a call from this number.

    Could it be someone she was acquainted with?

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t think too much into it and answered the call.

    ¡°Hello?!¡±

    The person on the other end remained silent for a moment and then gleefully said, ¡°I finally managed to get through to you, and here I thought that this number was not in use.¡±

    It was Jiang Cheng; his voice carrying a trace of delight.

    ¡°...How did you get my number?¡±

    ¡°Uh...is that surprising? I¡¯m able to get in touch with your Manager, so did you really think that I wouldn¡¯t be able to get your number?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s tone sounded quite different than usual; it was brimming with delight this time.

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao remained silent.

    Jiang Cheng then added, ¡°It was just that your phone was either off or on with no one answering, so I¡¯d initially thought that your Manager was trying to fob me off. I didn¡¯t expect to get through to you today.¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao started to get a bit impatient, but she then recalled those words that Jiang Cheng had told her a few days ago and patiently asked, ¡°For President Jiang to call me in person, is there something you would like to discuss?¡±

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re quite interested in Shen Wei¡¯an. Ourpany has recently invested in a new TV series. If you¡¯re willing toe over, I can keep the female lead role for you.¡±

    Filming again with Shen Wei¡¯an? Thinking up to here, Lan Jinyao suddenly felt a burst of excitement. She felt quite regretful when things had turned out like that for the ad series. She didn¡¯t expect for a new chance toe knocking at her door so soon.

    ¡°What about Shen Wei¡¯an? What kind of role would she y?¡± She was quite interested in this offer, but she didn¡¯t agree immediately.

    Lan Jinyao went to the balcony to answer the call, so she hadn¡¯t noticed that Fu Bainian had appeared at the door of the bedroom. Fu Bainian, who was standing behind her, suddenly halted his steps when he heard her answer the call.

    He stared at her quietly and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice grew louder as heughed and said, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re extremely interested in this matter. Shen Wei¡¯an will act as the second female lead, but if you¡¯re willing to participate in this drama, we can re-evaluate Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s role with the scriptwriter.¡±

    The conditions that he had offered were very tempting. Lan Jinyao was more certain than ever that Jiang Cheng had approached her with an ulterior motive, and, more importantly, he also knew her secret.

    ¡°President Jiang, as far as I know, Shen Wei¡¯an has already epted a role for another drama. Besides, after that previous incident, I¡¯ve heard that she¡¯d decided to take a break from filming for a while and won¡¯t ept any new work!¡±

    After a while, she heard the silent Jiang Cheng say, ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an was originally signed under Blue Hall Entertainment, so she had to pay a penalty fee for breaching the contract when she left. That fee was 20 million, and I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re well aware of this!¡±

    Of course, she knew that it was 20 million. Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s departure had made her spit out a big mouthful of blood.

    ¡°Why, are you saying that the penalty fee for the contract that Shen Wei¡¯an signed with yourpany is even higher than that?¡±

    To her surprise, Jiang Cheng denied her and response, ¡°No, the penalty fee is zero, but there¡¯s one use stating that if she doesn¡¯t cooperate with thepany¡¯s arrangements, then she can no longer do this line of work anymore for the rest of her life. Shen Wei¡¯an is a smart person, so she knows what to choose. Now that she¡¯s an artist under the banner of ourpany, we¡¯ll certainly let her exhibit her biggest value.¡±

    After listening to Jiang Cheng¡¯s words, Lan Jinyao suddenly felt a cold shiver run down her spine and a chill in her heart.

    As expected of River Group Corporation¡¯s Young Master. When confronted with such authority and power, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t dare to underestimate him.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that if I don¡¯t participate, you¡¯ll arrange some other work for Shen Wei¡¯an, and when that happens, I¡¯ll never be able to reach that woman again?¡±

    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer her butughed instead. Lan Jinyao then understood that he¡¯d silently admitted to it.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao started hesitating, but she felt quite conflicted in her heart. She wanted to approach Shen Wei¡¯an without regards for anything and drag that woman down from the peak. But, when her thoughts got to here, Fu Bainian¡¯s face suddenly shed in her mind. She was currently wondering whether Fu Bainian¡¯s anger had already subsided or not.

    It wasn¡¯t just Jiang Cheng who was waiting for her answer. Fu Bainian, who was standing at the door, was also waiting.

    Fu Bainian subconsciously clenched his hands into fists, and it seemed that a storm was brewing in his heart.

    Don¡¯t ept his offer, don¡¯t!

    Lan Jinyao didn''t notice the person standing behind her. She was currently immersed in her thoughts.

    One one side there was Shen Wei¡¯an, and on the other side, there was Fu Bainian. One side made her feel the pain and hatred of the past, while the other made her made her feel happy and look forward to the future.

    This was a treacherous ridge. Lan Jinyao was extremely hesitant; she wasn¡¯t sure whether she could cross over it sessfully.

    After a long while, she took a deep breath and softly said, ¡°President Jiang, please let me think about it! I¡¯ll give you an answer in three days!¡±

    She didn¡¯t agree nor refuse.

    However, this answer made Jiang Cheng feel delighted but made Fu Bainian feel dejected.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s hands loosened, and he quietly turned around and walked away.

    At this instant, Lan Jinyao seemed to have sensed something, so she immediately turned around but didn¡¯t see anything. The corridor in front of the bedroom was still empty.

 Chapter 110 - A Different Fu Bainian (4)

    <h4>Chapter 110 - A Different Fu Bainian (4)</h4>

    ¡°What do you want to do?!¡±

    A woman let out a high-pitched scream that echoed throughout the office, the sound reverberating for a long time.

    Apanying the shriek was a loud bang and a dull vibration as Shen Wei¡¯an mmed the tabletop in front of her.

    Her hands were propped up on the tabletop as she stared at the man sitting behind the desk with a condemning look full of anger, and her breathing was uneven as she gasped for air.

    Jiang Cheng, who was sitting on a cortex office chair, slightly looked up and nced at her indifferently as he retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t forget who you¡¯re talking to at this moment! Who gave you the audacity to behave so atrociously in my office?¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s body was currently emitting a dangerous and cold aura. His intense gaze made Shen Wei¡¯an feel somewhat intimidated, so she slowly removed her hands from the table.

    However, she didn¡¯t want her fear to be noticed by Jiang Cheng, so she turned around and headed to the lounge area, then sat down on the sofa.

    ¡°President Jiang, the first time you came to find me...this isn¡¯t what you said back then. At that time, you promised that you would help me. But, what about now? Don¡¯t tell me that you want to go back on your words?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an propped up her head with one hand and peered at Jiang Cheng out of the corner of her eye.

    Following this, Jiang Cheng replied indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t intend to go back on my words. I have my own arrangements!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this then? You rejected my role for the previous TV series, and now want me to y as a supporting role alongside Chen Meimei? Who are you trying to help?¡± her volume subconsciously rose as she questioned him, her voice carrying a hint of resentment.

    Hearing that made Jiang Cheng frown impatiently.

    His voice was deep and low as he coldly replied, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about who I¡¯m trying to help. You should know that the moment you signed that contract with ourpany, you¡¯ve alreadypletely cut off your way out. Just think about it: Are you currently worse off here than when you were under the banner of Blue Hall Entertainment?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s expression instantly sunk when Blue Hall Entertainment was brought up.

    ¡°This is just your perception. In fact, when I was in Blue Hall Entertainment, even though Fu Bainian was the one in charge, he never made things difficult for me.¡±

    What she¡¯d said was the truth, but when Jiang Cheng heard this, he suddenly burst intoughter. Moreover, hisugh was permeated with ridicule.

    After a while, Jiang Cheng stoppedughing and said, ¡°How innocent you are! Did you really think that since he didn¡¯t hurt you before, he wouldn¡¯t do so in the future? Don¡¯t forget, Chen Meimei is his wife. In that body resides the soul of the woman that he¡¯s deeply in love with, not to mention, Fu Bainian is well-known for his schemes. He didn¡¯t touch you back then just to pave the way for Chen Meimei to y with you little by little until yourst breath.¡±

    Jiang Cheng paused, and the smile on his face widened as he continued, ¡°You¡¯ve already realised this in your heart. Otherwise, why did you rush to end your contract with Blue Hall Entertainment before you found your next patron? You were even willing to pay such a hefty penalty fee. You must¡¯ve seen my sudden appearance as yourst straw to clutch at, right?¡±

    Speaking up to here, Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice suddenly darkened.

    ¡°So, remember, the next time you speak, don¡¯t forget to show some respect.¡± He pointed towards the door and added, ¡°If you¡¯re done talking, then quickly get out of here.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an was extremely angered by his word. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have any bargaining chips in her hands. Even though herplexion had turned pale, she still struggled to pull off a smile.

    ¡°OK, I¡¯m leaving, but there¡¯s still one thing I¡¯m curious about. The person that President Jiang likes; is it the former Chen Meimei or the current Lan Jinyao?¡±

    In that instant, Jiang Cheng¡¯s cold aura faded and his lips curled up into a smile as he softly said, ¡°You¡¯ve already guessed the answer, so why bother asking?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an clenched her hands into fists and angrily strode out of the room, the click-ck sound of her stilettos echoing in the corridor as she walked away.

    Jiang Cheng, how almighty you are for arranging everything! Since you¡¯re cing me and that woman, Lan Jinyao, in the same production team, just you wait and see! Let¡¯s see who¡¯ll have thestugh in the end!

    ...

    ¡°Meimei, did you have a fight with President Fu?¡±

    Lan Jinyao had just set foot in thepany¡¯s entrance when she was stopped by Shen Yu.

    She nced at the hand grasping her arm, then looked around at the peopleing and going and coughed twice. ¡°Watch your image; quickly let go of my hand.¡±

    Following that, Shen Yu noticed the peculiar gazes around him, so he hastily let go and smiled awkwardly at Lan Jinyao. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, I wasn¡¯t paying attention earlier. I only wanted to ask: Did you quarrel with President Fu? I walked into the office this morning and got scolded for no reason at all. President Fu¡¯s angry fit was so sudden that all I could think of was that something had happened between the two of you. Your love life doesn¡¯t seem to be very harmonious.¡±

    Lan Jinyao extended a hand and patted him on his shoulder. ¡°Shen Yu, if you keep letting your imagination run wild like this, I think you¡¯re not very far away from reaching menopause. The rtionship between you and President Fu is very good, so, it¡¯s definitely not because of me.¡±

    Shen Yu obviously didn¡¯t believe her and asked again, ¡°It¡¯s really not because of you?¡±

    His rhetorical question made Lan Jinyao feel muddleheaded. She ought to have given him an affirmative answer and say that it wasn¡¯t because of her, but instead, the words got stuck in her throat, and she hesitated.

    In the past few days, Fu Bainian¡¯s peculiar behaviour was very obvious, so how could she not have seen it? But, whenever she asked him, he would always act indifferent about it and wouldn¡¯t tell her anything. If it were in the past, Fu Bainian would¡¯ve shared his thoughts with her, and even if he were unhappy, he¡¯d still express it. However, ever since the shooting of thatst advertisement, Fu Bainian wasn¡¯t willing to share his thoughts with her anymore.

    Some people said that the rtionship between a husband and wife starts with the secretion of hormones, and ends with lessmunication over time.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao suddenly wasn¡¯t so sure of what to answer anymore.

    Seeing Lan Jinyao¡¯s hesitation, Shen Yu pped his hands and looked at her with an empathetic expression. ¡°I hit the nail on the head, right? As expected, there was something wrong between you two. Everyone knows that President Fu is a very reserved person. Normally, most people can¡¯t read his mind even when they look him straight in the eyes, but you, on the other hand, look just like a little simple-minded white rabbit. It would¡¯ve been weird if you¡¯d actually managed to figure out why he¡¯s angry.¡±

    After a long period of silence, Lan Jinyao looked up at Shen Yu and murmured, ¡°Perhaps, what you¡¯ve said is right. Fu Bainian is, in fact, really angry with me; it¡¯s just that he doesn¡¯t want to say it out loud.¡±

    After having understood this point, she asked Shen Yu, ¡°He¡¯s currently in his office, right? I¡¯m going to look for him now.¡±

 Chapter 111 - Quarreling For The First Time (1)

    <h4>Chapter 111 - Quarreling For The First Time (1)</h4>

    While Lan Jinyao was standing in the elevator, she started to get a bit nervous, and her heart thumped incessantly. Her gaze was fixated on the ascending numbers as she inwardly scolded herself for being stupid.

    That day on the rooftop she was overwhelmed by helplessness, so she¡¯d temporarily lost her rationality and had epted Jiang Cheng¡¯s embrace in front of so many people. After that, she¡¯d asked Fu Bainian if he minded, and had heard him indifferently reply that he didn¡¯t.

    She was so stupid! If Fu Bainian honestly hadn¡¯t minded, then that would¡¯ve meant that he didn¡¯t love her at all. She thought about it from a different perspective. Fu Bainian loved her dearly, but he was still a man after all. How could he not be jealous and mind her being hugged by another man?

    Fu Bainian was for sure deeply hurt about what had happened that day!

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but smack her head as she muttered, ¡°Lan Jinyao, how can you be so stupid and dense? What if Fu Bainian was working until the wee hours not because he was busy, but because he wanted to use work to numb himself instead? Or, maybe, he simply didn¡¯t want to stay in the same room as you.¡±

    The more she thought about it, the worse she felt deep down in her heart. As she was staring at the reflection in the mirror, she suddenly extended a finger to poke herself and at the same time she scolded, ¡°You¡¯re so stupid, really stupid...¡±

    Right at that moment, the elevator door suddenly opened, and an employee walked in with a startled expression. Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao froze, leaving her finger hanging in the air.

    ¡°Madam, I...am I really that stupid?¡±

    The employee had a sullen look on his face as he stared at her with a somewhat aggrieved expression.

    Lan Jinyao slightly frowned and quickly exined, ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about you...¡±

    Another employee who was following the first employee widened his eyes and blurted out, ¡°Is it possible that Madam was talking about me? But, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, did I?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Lan Jinyao was utterly speechless. She then stepped aside on her own initiative to let the two employees pass and stand behind her.

    She was already in a bad mood, so she didn¡¯t want to repeat the same thing. The elevator door slowly closed and started ascending once more. The two employees, who were standing behind her, were on tenterhooks and nervously stared at her.

    When she got out of the elevator, she heard the two employees discuss anxiously, ¡°Did we offend the Madam somehow?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that we¡¯re getting fired?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, how would I know? But, there must certainly be some criticism. You must surely not have been to the office of the President¡¯s Secretary, right? The atmosphere over there is extremely cold and intense. Those poor secretaries, I bet they¡¯re nearly frozen to death by now. I heard it was because the Madam...¡±

    The elevator slowly ascended, and the voices of the pair gradually faded.

    Lan Jinyao then leisurely walked towards the President¡¯s office and pondered about how to start and what to say when she saw Fu Bainian.

    The words those two employees had said earlier, as well as their nervous expressions, had made Lan Jinyao realise how important she was to Fu Bainian. So, she felt even more heavy-hearted now.

    After a while, she halted in front of the office and was about to knock when Qian Ran stopped her.

    Qian Ran softly told her, ¡°President Fu has instructed that he¡¯s very busy now, so no one is to go in and disturb him.¡±

    Lan Jinyao obviously understood this. No wonder when she¡¯d arrived she hadn¡¯t seen Qian Ran. It turned out that he was standing guard at the door not letting anyone go in and disturb Fu Bainian!

    She then asked Qian Ran, ¡°Not even I am allowed to go in?¡±

    Qian Ran¡¯s expression was a little awkward. He remained silent for a moment before he replied, ¡°President Fu specially told me that if it was you, then I definitely couldn¡¯t let you go in because you would divert his attention.¡±

    Qian Ran had even used the formal ¡®you¡¯ to address her. When Lan Jinyao heard this, she coldly snorted. ¡°What if I insist on going in?¡±

    Qian Ran helplessly blocked her path. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry!¡±

    Sandwiched between the President and the Madam left Qian Ran feeling like he was standing between an iceberg and an ocean of fire; no matter which side he leaned towards, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape ¡®death¡¯!

    He heaved a long sigh, and his face almost creased into a chrysanthemum as he expressed, ¡°Madam, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to let you in, but this is what President Fu has instructed. Can youe another day? Or, maybe you should give President Fu a call first? If you rashly go in now, I¡¯ll be put in a tough position.¡±

    Lan Jinyao gnashed her teeth and said, ¡°Fu Bainian, very good! You won¡¯t even let me go in!¡±

    She¡¯d initially wanted to console Fu Bainian, but at this very moment, Qian Ran¡¯s deadpan words had made her furious.

    With no choice left, she turned around to go. But, just as Qian Ran breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly walked a few steps back, bypassed Qian Ran, and shouted at the door, ¡°Fu Bainian!!¡±

    Following that, she made way to the elevator again.

    In the next second, irregr footsteps could be heard from the office before the door opened in front of Qian Ran, who was currently mourning with his head hung low. Qian Ran was inwardly thinking: He was done for this time! He¡¯d pleased neither side!

    The elevator door opened in front of Lan Jinyao, but she didn¡¯t step in and instead turned around to stare at Fu Bainian, who was standing at the doorway.

    Neither of them spoke for a long time until Fu Bainian opened his mouth and dimly said, ¡°Come in!¡±

    Lan Jinyao no longer insisted and followed him in. However, before she walked in, she ferociously red at Qian Ran standing in the doorway, her eyes clearly indicating, ¡®Humph, you¡¯re a viin who wanted to drive a wedge between us!¡¯.

    At this sight, Qian Ran felt wronged and speechless. He was clearly just following President Fu¡¯s orders. He took the risk of offending Lan Jinyao and had sent her away with great difficulty. Why did President Fu have toe out? Could it be that President Fu wanted to send him to the gallows?!

    Under Lan Jinyao¡¯s intense re, Qian Ran helplessly forced a smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re so early today; you¡¯ve got something urgent to discuss with me?¡±

    Lan Jinyao sceptically eyed Fu Bainian in front of her. Howe she felt that Fu Bainian didn¡¯t seem angry? She didn¡¯t feel any of that so-called cold atmosphere at all.

    Soon after, Fu Bainian asked again, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡±

    Lan Jinyao then probed, ¡°Qian Ran said that you¡¯re very busy now, so you¡¯re not letting anyone in.¡±

    Fu Bainian faintly replied, ¡°Yea, I¡¯m a bit busy!¡±

    He sat next to her, then skillfully and elegantly prepared a pot of tea before pouring her a cup.

    Lan Jinyao calmly took the cup, and then said, ¡°I came over today to discuss something with you...¡±

    She said that she was here to discuss something but, in fact, she¡¯d already made a decision. She didn¡¯t want to live amongst danger and nightmares. Her happiness was just within her reach, yet she was still hesitating. Could she really reach out her hand towards that? This kind of wavering feeling was genuinely awful.

    Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Fu Bainian.

    He said, ¡°Try it, it¡¯s a newly bought Oolong tea of the finest grade.¡±

    Afterwards, Lan Jinyao dejectedly drank her tea. Howe she felt that Fu Bainian had done that on purpose?

 Chapter 112 - Quarreling For The First Time (2)

    <h4>Chapter 112 - Quarreling For The First Time (2)</h4>

    Brewing and tasting tea was about appreciation, but Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t one who knew how to fully enjoy a cup of tea. Fu Bainian had meticulously prepared a cup of Oolong tea for her, yet she just downed the cup in one go. Aside from a subtle acerbic taste, she couldn¡¯t taste anything else. She drank it too quickly.

    After finishing the tea, she put the teacup on the coffee table and said to Fu Bannian, ¡°What I wanted to say was...¡±

    ¡°I know!¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s words were interrupted once again. This time, she was sure that Fu Bainian was doing it on purpose.

    ¡°You already know about it? Then, do you consent?¡± She was referring to the new drama that Jiang Cheng had invested in.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately said, ¡°I don¡¯t! I have something to discuss with you too. I don¡¯t mind you participating in the audition for Chen Zetao¡¯s new film, but the prerequisite is that you have to participate in one of the new productions that Blue Hall Entertainment has invested in. The shooting for this drama happens to be right before Chen Zetao¡¯s film, so the timing is perfect.¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, you did this on purpose! Why now, of all times?!¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s voice suddenly rose several pitches higher.

    Fu Bainian stood up and sat down in his office chair after walking over to his desk. His voice sounded somewhat chilly as he said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I did this on purpose. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re an artist under Blue Hall Entertainment, so no matter what kind of script you take on, you have to take thepany¡¯s interests into ount. Now, the new drama that ourpany has invested in conflicts with that of River Group Corporation¡¯s. I believe you know what one to choose.¡±

    Lan Jinyao bit her lower lip and didn¡¯t say anything as she was furious at this moment.

    She used to have a good temper in the past, but after experiencing all those incidents, her emotions were getting more out of control and would easily fluctuate.

    ¡°Is this non-negotiable?¡± she probed, sounding a bit aggrieved.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± asked Fu Bainian in reply.

    Lan Jinyao took a deep breath, and then gathered up her courage to say, ¡°How about just this once? I promise, there will be no next time! Ourpany has many artists, so it doesn¡¯t have to specifically be me, right? Moreover, Shen Wei¡¯an will also act in that new drama, so when the timees, I will be able to do whatever I want to her.¡±

    She didn¡¯t realise that her words had touched Fu Bainian¡¯s raw nerve, and his expression instantly darkened.

    Fu Bainian sneered bitterly at her. ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve already made a decision, so why pretend that you want to discuss this with me? Aren¡¯t you here to simply announce your decision?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! There are plenty of artists in ourpany, and many of them can surely take part in this new production if required, but have you ever pondered about this thoroughly? What about River Group Corporation? Shen Wei¡¯an is theirpany¡¯s artist; why didn¡¯t that man let her y the female lead role? Why did he ask you, an outsider, to y this role?¡±

    His tone was quite harsh this time, and as Lan Jinyao listened to him, her heart felt pained.

    It wasn¡¯t that Lan Jinyao had never thought about why Jiang Cheng would do this. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Jiang Cheng showing her kindness without reason or cause must be because he had ulterior motives. In short, his intention wouldn¡¯t be anything good. However, he had delivered this opportunity right at her doorsteps. If she didn¡¯t seize this chance, then she¡¯d certainly regret it in the future.

    She really didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity.

    After remaining silent for a while, Lan Jinyao suddenly asked, ¡°Then, Bainian, can you assure me that Shen Wei¡¯an will return to make an appearance in the new drama that Blue Hall Entertainment has invested in?¡±

    Her tone was very soft, seemingly carrying the trace of a prayer in it.

    Fu Bainian looked away. His thin lips were tightly pressed together, and he didn¡¯t answer her.

    The answer, of course, was no.

    ¡°That¡¯s a no, right?!¡± Lan Jinyao bitterlyughed and added, ¡°Then, let me go and take part in the other drama! I¡¯ll take care of myself, and as for what you¡¯re worried about...I¡¯ll take note of that too.¡±

    Hearing this, Fu Bainian finally opened his mouth and asked, ¡°You know what I¡¯m worried about? You won¡¯t know, you don¡¯t know anything. So, that¡¯s why you can say this. Chen Meimei, I¡¯m telling you, since you¡¯ve signed a contract with thepany, then you have to respect the decision made by the top-level management.¡±

    Lan Jinyao ultimately ran out of patience and sneered coldly, ¡°Top-level management? Fu Bainian, are you trying to be dictatorial?¡±

    People were always like this. When quarreling with others, their IQ would drastically plummet to zero, and they would then speak irresponsibly.

    Lan Jinyao felt that something had already torn down herst bit of rationality. She only had one thought in her mind, and that was: Someone wanted to stop her from avenging herself, but she couldn¡¯t let external factors shake her resolve.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, are you done? Now, please get out!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s train of thought was interrupted. She stared at Fu Bainian in disbelief and asked, ¡°You''re kicking me out? Fu Bainian, you¡¯ve truly gone too far! Since you¡¯ve said what you wanted to say, then I¡¯m also telling you that this time, I¡¯m definitely going!¡±

    He was honestly too much! To think that he¡¯d treat her like those other women in thepany. They were a married couple and were supposed to stay together for a lifetime. Not to mention, was she, Lan Jinyao, so easy to bully?

    The mes of anger were welling up, sparkling intensely in her heart.

    ¡°You! Shut up and don¡¯t say anything more!¡± Fu Bainian kneaded his temples and felt as if someone was continually drilling in his head due to the severe pain.

    Lan Jinyao bit her lower lip and didn¡¯t speak. Herplexion had turned pale, and her eyes had reddened.

    She just stared at Fu Bainian in a daze. Meanwhile, Fu Bainian stood in front of the window and stared at the outside world, unwilling to face her. His back was ramrod straight, giving off a distant vibe and telling others to stay a thousand miles away from him.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore. We both need time and some space to calm down,¡± her voice was weak as she quietly sobbed.

    Behind Fu Bainian, the tears continued rolling down Lan Jinyao¡¯s face.

    Perhaps, they needed more time to get along with each other to understand one another¡¯s intentions, as right now, she couldn¡¯t quite grasp Fu Bainian¡¯s way of thinking.

    She didn¡¯t understand; she had already given him her promise. It was just filming a drama. She wouldn¡¯t let herself get hurt, and she also wouldn¡¯t let Jiang Cheng get close to her. So, she didn¡¯t understand what Fu Bainian still had to worry about.

    Before Lan Jinyao walked out of the room, she¡¯d already wiped her tears away. However, her eyes were still a little red, so one could see that she¡¯d cried earlier.

    It was only after Lan Jinyao¡¯s figure had disappeared into the distance that Qian Ran dared to step out of the corner. He stared at the tightly closed door and sighed while shaking his head.

    What was the current situation? President Fu was such an outstanding person, yet now that Chen Meimei had managed to win him over, she didn¡¯t know how to cherish him any more. To think that they quarrelled over a new drama; that was truly worrisome. If it was another woman and President Fu had said no to her, that other person would¡¯ve definitely not epted the offer from River Group Corporation. Unexpectedly, Chen Meimei was quite unyielding.

    He then murmured, ¡°I¡¯m sure things won¡¯t end here. Fortunately, I was quick on my feet and hid. Otherwise, I¡¯d have been burned to death by this fire already.¡±

    Qian Ran had guessed correctly, and it didn¡¯t take long before he heard the sound of documentsnding on the floor inside the office. He was so startled that he started quivering, and even his neck had shrunk like a scared turtle.

 Chapter 113 - Quarreling For The First Time (3)

    <h4>Chapter 113 - Quarreling For The First Time (3)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao was hesitant at first, but Fu Bainian¡¯s current attitude allowed her to made a decision.

    In any case, because of this matter, they were now quarreling. So, why should she discard this opportunity too? Wouldn¡¯t she suffer a double loss then?

    As she walked out of thepany, Lan Jinyao dialled Li Qi¡¯s phone.

    ¡°Li Qi, I want to tell you something.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Meimei, I also want to tell you something.¡±

    It was noisy on the other end of the phone like he was in a bar or something.

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s matter hadn¡¯t urred too long ago, and yet it had already been smoothed out, without implicating Lan Jinyao. The scandal between herself and Jiang Cheng had also been covered up. She thought that thetter issue must¡¯ve been solved by Fu Bainian.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first!¡± she interrupted Li Qi.

    ¡°Okay, okay, you speak first.¡±

    ¡°Apany me to the River Group Corporation tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do there?¡±

    ¡°Audition!¡±

    Lan Jinyao had wisely moved the phone away from her ear slightly. The next second, Li Qi¡¯s shout could be heard from inside the phone in her hand.

    ¡°What?! You said that you¡¯re going to the River Group Corporation to audition?! Young Lady, are the activities that I¡¯ve recently arranged for you not to your liking? To think that you¡¯re going to our arch-enemy camp. Even though the entertainmentpany under the River Group Corporation allocate a lot of funds to their new production, it¡¯s still not as good as our Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about it thoroughly, and I want to go,¡± Lan Jinyao said calmly.

    At this moment, her tone didn¡¯t contain the slightest trace of anger or resentment. She felt calm now as though she was no different from tranquil water.

    ¡°What about President Fu?¡± Li Qi probed.

    Lan Jinyao thought she was calm already, but the moment she heard that name from Li Qi¡¯s mouth, she exploded in that instant.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention him to me!¡± she unexpectedly blurted.

    Li Qi, on the other side of the phone, was stunned by her bellow. He froze for a long time.

    ¡°What happened? Are you two quarreling?¡± Li Qi asked.

    Lan Jinyao refused to say anything more.

    Being the shrewd person that Li Qi was, he immediately understood her silence.

    ¡°Does President Fu disagree?¡± he asked again.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if he disagrees; I¡¯ve already made my decision,¡± Lan Jinyao huffed in anger.

    Li Qi chuckled. ¡°Your decision is useless. Your contract is still with President Fu.¡±

    ¡°Li Qi, I¡¯m seriously telling you that we¡¯re not discussing this anymore. We will be there on time tomorrow morning at 8. In addition, Shen Wei¡¯an will alsoe. I don¡¯t want to arriveter than her, so please pay attention.¡±

    She hurriedly finished her talk and hung up before Li Qi could respond.

    As Li Qi was in a bar, he didn¡¯t clearly hear what He Xiaoyun asked him as he stared at his phone. After a moment of hesitation, he dialled Fu Bainian¡¯s phone.

    ¡°President Fu, Meimei just called me and told me to pick her up tomorrow morning to go to the River Group Corporation. Do you know of this?¡±

    After a quite long time, Li Qi heard two words from the other end. ¡°I know.¡±

    Then, the phone was abruptly hung up.

    Li Qi was dumbfounded as he looked at the phone, then he asked He Xiaoyun, ¡°What do you think President Fu meant? Does he agree or disagree? What the heck did he means by ¡®I know¡¯? He knows, but I know nothing.¡±

    He Xiaoyun smiled and said to him, ¡°You should go with Meimei tomorrow. Rx, no matter what decision President Fu has made, it won¡¯t affect Meimei¡¯s decision. If President Fu doesn¡¯t agree, he¡¯ll do something to stop her tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right!¡±

    After leaving thepany, Lan Jinyao went straight home. She¡¯d initially wanted to sit in a cafe for a while, but then she¡¯d realised she couldn¡¯t be exposed in front of the public. So, after thinking twice, she dropped that thought.

    Since she¡¯d promised her Mother-inw to reduce her workload, Li Qi was particrly excited and had immediately decreased all her activities. She was currently moreid-back than any of those outdated artists in thepany.

    After returning home, Lan Jinyao dialled Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone.

    Unexpectedly, the person answering the phone was not Jiang Cheng, but a woman. The woman¡¯s voice was one that she didn¡¯t ever want to hear in her life.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, you are really something. I¡¯ve really underestimated you in the past. I wouldn¡¯t have expected that not only did you seduce Fu Bainian, but you¡¯re also busy fooling around with Jiang Cheng. Aren¡¯t you afraid of capsizing when you step on so many boats at once?¡±

    Lan Jinyao sneered. ¡°You¡¯re still safe and sound even though you¡¯ve done so many bad things, so why would I have an ident, Shen Wei¡¯an? Anyway, give the phone to Jiang Cheng, I have something to tell him.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an let out a weird chuckle before saying to her, ¡°Jiang Cheng is in the bathroom, we just got out of bed. Just call him backter!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an then hung up.

    Lan Jinyao was baffled. Could it be that Jiang Cheng and Shen Wei¡¯an had that kind of rtionship? Then, why did he make her the female lead, and Shen Wei¡¯an the second female lead?

    Why was he doing this?

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind had no other thoughts; she didn¡¯t understand Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s intentions. If it was Fu Bainian, she might not stop to ponder it, but the other party was Jiang Cheng. She had no feelings for him at all, let alone feeling jealous as Shen Wei¡¯an imagined!

    Not long after the phone was hung up, Jiang Cheng called her back. Lan Jinyao epted the call and asked, ¡°What do you want this time? Aren¡¯t you done yet? Give the phone to Jiang Chengter!¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m Jiang Cheng.¡±

    ¡°Oh...I¡¯ll go to yourpany for the audition tomorrow. Tell Shen Wei¡¯an not to bete.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re agreeing?¡± Jiang Cheng seemed to be particrly happy.

    ¡°Yep, I agree. I¡¯ll be there on time tomorrow.¡± Jiang Cheng might regret thister, but since she¡¯d already joined the production team, she wouldn¡¯t let things go smoothly for Shen Wei¡¯an. Maybe this TV series would be abolishedter.

    In fact, after she was reborn, Lan Jinyao felt that she could no longer be called a qualified actor. She¡¯d lost her pursuit for art and the basic qualities as an actor.

    Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t returned yet even though it was now dark. Lan Jinyao had already showered andy down on the bed while holding her phone. The address book had been flipped over by her, but all along she could not keep herself calm.

    She wanted to call Fu Bainian, but she was also worried that he would be angry.

    ¡°Ughh-¡±

    After a while, a long sigh escaped her mouth.

 Chapter 114 - Quarreling For The First Time (4)

    <h4>Chapter 114 - Quarreling For The First Time (4)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing her phone ring. In that split second, she was so excited when she saw the word ¡®Fu¡¯ on the screen, but unfortunately, after another look, she realised that it was actually Fu Changning who was calling.

    Fu Changning was currently bing more intimate with her, and it had quickly surpassed her rtionship with Fu Bainian.

    Thinking of Fu Bainian, she snorted coldly.

    However, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t think that Fu Changning¡¯s words would make her even angrier.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter that you¡¯re calling me thiste, Changning?¡±

    Fu Changning stammered as she asked her, ¡°S-sis-inw, are...are you quarreling with my brother recently? It¡¯s already sote, yet why hasn¡¯t my Brother gone home?¡±

    ¡°How do you know that Fu Bainian isn¡¯t home?¡± she quickly asked.

    ¡°Because...my Brother, he¡¯s in the bar right now, and I happen to be here...¡±

    Fu Changning hadn¡¯t finished speaking when she was interrupted by Lan Jinyao hurriedly saying, ¡°Look after Bainian, I¡¯ll be right over.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Stepping outside, Lan Jinyao was greeted with a bright and colourful night scene. In this pleasure-seeking city, people¡¯s nightlife had just begun. She immediately got in the car and drove to the bar.

    A whileter, she arrived outside the bar. A figure in pink was standing by the bar entrance, looking around anxiously. Lan Jinyao then ran over to Fu Changning and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your Brother? Hurry and take me to him.¡±

    Fu Changning hung her head low while fiddling with her fingers; she kept silent for a long time.

    Lan Jinyao was getting impatient, so she asked her again, ¡°Changning, quickly tell me! Where is your Brother?¡±

    ¡°My Brother...has already left. I didn¡¯t follow him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s driving while drunk? Doesn¡¯t he don¡¯t want to live anymore?!¡± Lan Jinyao eximed. Then, she asked, ¡°Did you see the direction your Brother went?¡±

    Fu Changning gritted her teeth and pointed to a direction. Lan Jinyao looked at the direction her finger was pointing at in a daze. That was the way to the Fu residence. Was Fu Bainian determined not to see her?

    Lan Jinyao clenched her fists tightly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Changning, we chase after your Brother,¡± she said high spiritedly, the distress in her eyes not so obvious in the dark.

    Fu Changning finally raised her head, a smile gracing her lips as she looked at Lan Jinyao. The two returned to Fu residence together. The moment they saw the car parked outside, they breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°It seems that your Brother didn¡¯t drink too much!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s strange. I saw it with my own eyes, Brother, he looked very depressed, and drank ss after ss. I tried to persuade him to stop, but he wouldn¡¯t listen. He was able toe back safely because his alcohol tolerance is good. In the past, he drank quite a lot when he attended banquets, but he¡¯d vomit after drinking and had stomach problems. After that, he restrained himself. It was just that my Brother hadn''t drunk like this for a long time.¡±

    Lan Jinyao saw the distress in Fu Changning¡¯s eyes when she was talking about this.

    The two didn¡¯t rm anyone as they went in, and Lan Jinyao went straight upstairs. Right then, Fu Changning noticed that Lan Jinyao was wearing a pair of slippers.

    She bit her lower lip, feeling touched.

    Fu Bainian wasn¡¯t in the bedroom. After Lan Jinyao came out of the bedroom, she stood by the room that was always locked. She pushed the door, but it didn¡¯t open. This time, the door was locked from the inside. It seemed that Fu Bainian was really inside.

    Lan Jinyao leaned against the door, her eyes sad.

    Fu Bainian, what secrets are hidden behind this door? Why do you hide in there and shut me out? Could it be that, besides my work, there is something else in there that I don¡¯t know about?

    Two minutester, Lan Jinyao slipped out of the house by taking advantage of the darkness and went straight home. Lying alone on the double bed, she no longer felt sleepy.

    Her eyes were wide open, looking at the ceiling.

    In the dark.

    Fu Bainian was lying on the big bed in the locked room. This room was no different from any other ce, but, only he knew that there was a morbid soul shut within. He didn''t dare to mention it to anyone, and only Changning knew, but Changning was too young. She thought it was love. It wasn¡¯t. It was crazier than love; it was his morbid obsession towards one person.

    Instead of closing his eyes, he took out a photo album and slowly flipped through it. asionally, his finger gently slid over the woman¡¯s delicate face in the picture, his caress simr to that of a lover.

    A twisted obsession was lingering in his eyes.

    In the past, he used to look at her from afar and didn¡¯t deliberately approach her. There was such a vast chasm separating the pair.

    Later, he wasn¡¯t satisfied with only watching; he wanted to take her as his and had even prepared a ring. Unfortunately, the person had died before the ring was presented.

    It was God who took pity him so that he had another chance to meet her. They registered a marriage and formed a family. He¡¯d thought that this was what he¡¯d asked for.

    Humans were always like this; the more they got, the more they wanted.

    For most people, he stood at the peak of sess with a happy family, and numerous properties, but he still wasn¡¯t satisfied. Fu Bainian wondered if he was really too greedy, resulting in their current predicament. However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Jiang Cheng harboured ulterior motives, and it was only Lan Jinyao who didn¡¯t realise it.

    She also didn¡¯t understand how dangerous that man was.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time that Fu Bainian had felt a sense of danger. It was just that the sense of danger hade from himself back then, and now it wasing from someone else.

    Now that a small gap had been created between them, what should he do next?

    He really didn''t want to be like this. He didn''t want their rtionship to shatter into nothing.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s brows creased tightly. He held the photo album in his arms and gradually closed his eyes.

    The next day sunlight filled the room. When Fu Bainian was awakened by the blinding sun, he saw a figure standing by the window. Standing against the light, he thought it was that person, so the word ¡®Jinyao¡¯ slipped from between his lips. However, when the person standing by the window turned around, he knew that he¡¯d been mistaken.

    ¡°Brother, are you still drunk? Take a good look; I¡¯m Changning!¡±

    Fu Bainian groaned and sat up from the bed. He hadn¡¯t changed his clothesst night, so they were covered with the smell of alcohol, making him frown.

    Obviously, Changning also smelled it. The girl pinched her nose and said with displeasure, ¡°Hurry up and wash, thene down for breakfast. I¡¯m going down first.¡±

    When Fu Bainian went downstairs, he found that everyone in the room was staring at him.

    ¡°What is it?¡± his voice was slightly hoarse.

    The two elders didn¡¯t speak, but Fu Changning couldn¡¯t restrain herself and said to him, ¡°When you were drunkst night, I called Sis-inw. She immediately went to the bar, even forgetting to change her slippers. But, then you left the bar, and Sis-inw had to follow you back with me.¡±

    ¡°Where is she? Upstairs?¡± Fu Bainian asked.

    Fu Changning shook her head. ¡°I think Sis-inw leftst night.¡±

    As she spoke, Fu Changning¡¯s voice was choked up as she asked him, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sleep in the bedroom? If you were in the bedroom, Sis-inw wouldn¡¯t have left.¡±

    The next second, Fu Bainian dashed out of the room before anyone could react.

 Chapter 115 - Quarreling For The First Time (5)

    <h4>Chapter 115 - Quarreling For The First Time (5)</h4>

    Li Qi¡¯s phone rang as he prepared to go to the River Group Corporation, and the gazes of the three people in the van all focused on him.

    Li Qi nced at his phone screen before he said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°Meimei, it¡¯s a call from President Fu. Do you want to pick it up, or should I pick it up?¡±

    ¡°Pick it up and listen to what he says,¡± Lan Jinyao said indifferently.

    ¡°Oh, ok!¡± Li Qi responded. His mind had already thought about the situation a thousand times.

    In fact, everyone in the car knew why Fu Bainian was calling; it must be about whether Chen Meimei could join River Group Corporation. It was called an audition, but in fact, it was just for a formality as the the female lead role had already been given to Chen Meimei.

    ¡°President Fu.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re on the way to the River Group Corporation audition, and it¡¯ll be another ten minutes before we arrive.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    The exmation made Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart leap up to her throat. Then, Li Qi¡¯s voice was calm again. It was just that they¡¯d been talking over the phone for a few minutes, and she couldn¡¯t hear what they were talking about at all.

    Seeing Li Qi hanging up the phone, Lan Jinyao quickly asked, ¡°What is it? Is he...still opposed to me going there?¡±

    Li Qi nodded. ¡°Yes, President Fu isn¡¯t allowing you to participate in River Group Corporation¡¯s audition.¡±

    ¡°If I still insist on going?¡± Lan Jinyao was furious.

    Li Qi¡¯s eyes started darting everywhere as he stammered, ¡°President Fu said...that you¡¯re an artist signed under Blue Hall Entertainment. If you vite the contract and do something against the interests of thepany, thepany will consider terminating their contract with you, and you¡¯ll have to pay a huge penalty.¡±

    The driver, along with the Assistant, sucked in a cold gasp of air as they both stared at Li Qi in shock.

    At that moment, the van had already stopped by the roadside.

    ¡°What do we do now, Meimei?¡± Xiaolin asked. ¡°Are we going back like this?¡±

    Lan Jinyao gritted her teeth as she said to Xiaolin, ¡°Canction of the contract it is then! Let''s go back and bookmark the cancetion date, and thene back. Xiaolin, call President Jiang first and tell him that we may not have the time to go over now. If he''s willing to wait...¡±

    Xiaolin nodded, pulled out her phone, and made a call.

    Li Qi sighed in relief. Since they could go back, it proved that things weren¡¯t so serious. However, soon he found out that things were much worse than he thought.

    After Lan Jinyao returned to thepany, she went straight towards the President¡¯s office. When she entered, the door was closed behind her with a loud bang. In the past ten years, no one had dared do that before.

    Li Qi stared at the closed door in front of him; his eyes opened wide. Chen Meimei sure has guts; this wasn''t something that was easy to do.

    Fu Bainian was wearing a suit as he sat behind the desk reading documents. He looked shrewd and capable, but when he looked up at Lan Jinyao, she discovered the purplish shade under his eyes. Fu Bainian usually paid great attention to his personal image and charm. This was Lan Jinyao¡¯s first time seeing him going to work with dark circles. The anger surging within her heart seemed to have dissipated slightly.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, don¡¯t you believe in me?¡± Lan Jinyao stood in front of the desk and red at him. ¡°I¡¯ve clearly promised you before that it¡¯ll just be filming this one time, nothing more. Why aren¡¯t you willing to change your mind? Can¡¯t you let me go just this once?¡±

    Fu Bainian only looked up and nced at her once before burying his head in the piles of documents again.

    Upon hearing Lan Jinyao ask this, he answered faintly without lifting his head, ¡°It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t believe in you, but...I don¡¯t believe in myself.¡±

    He clearly knew that she wasn¡¯t only going to film this one time. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have immediately epted the TV drama without even carefully thinking about it. Right after Jiang Cheng had said to her that Shen Wei¡¯an would y as the second female lead, she hadn¡¯t even hesitated to have a big argument with him. He knew she was determined, but he still disagreed because he didn¡¯t believe in himself.

    He didn''t believe in his charm, and that he could make her indifferent towards other men. He also doubted his ability to protect her from the slightest ident when she was dealing with Shen Wei''an.

    Hecked so much self-confidence that he only wished for Lan Jinyao, the woman that he loved dearly, to be nearby.

    ¡°Fu Bainian...¡± Lan Jinyao was shocked. She didn¡¯t think that Fu Bainian would say such helpless words.

    However, she only felt guilty for one second, because the next second, she discovered that his tone changed. It became cold and formal, causing the only remaining part of remorse in her heart topletely vanish.

    He lifted his head and looked at her with a cold look, and formally said, ¡°Chen Meimei, I hope you will think it over carefully. Your current cooperation with River Group Corporation has already damaged the interests of ourpany. Therefore, please stop your cooperation with River Group Corporation immediately. Otherwise, we will rescind our contract, and you''ll have to pay a huge penalty for breach of contract.¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian-!¡±

    Lan Jinyao suddenly raised her voice, ¡°Who promised me at the beginning that he would help me?! You wouldn¡¯t be forgetting about that, would you?¡±

    She really hated Fu Bainian talking to her in this formal tone because it made her feel that there was no rtionship between them, let alone one of as a husband and wife or lover. This kind of feeling was awful.

    ¡°Of course I remember!¡± Fu Bainian¡¯s tone was still indifferent and calm. ¡°But, now it¡¯s not the same as back then. I have to consider thepany¡¯s best interests.¡±

    What nonsense about interests?! It was merely an excuse to fob her off.

    Lan Jinyao abruptly felt a small me grow within her heart, burning all her rationality into ashes.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, why can¡¯t you take a step back?¡±

    Lan Jinyao took a deep breath and lowered her voice. In fact, when she was like this, it meant that all her patience had been depleted.

    Of course, Fu Bainian understood her. Currently, his hands under the desk were clenched so tightly that veins were visible. He was repressing his emotions with everything he had.

    ¡°There¡¯ll be no more discussions on this matter.¡±

    Outside the office, Li Qi was anxiously pacing; his head was filled with thoughts. President Fu and Chen Meimei had quarreled so badly. Chen Meimei was also a tough woman. They wouldn¡¯t fight each other in the office, right?

    Just as he was anxiously walking around in circles, Shen Yu appeared holding a pile of documents.

    ¡°Huh? Director Shen, are you recing Qian Ran as President Fu¡¯s Assistant now? Why is it you who¡¯s sending the documents?¡±

    Shen Yu¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look very good. He pondered for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

 Chapter 116 - Quarreling For The First Time (6)

    <h4>Chapter 116 - Quarreling For The First Time (6)</h4>

    ¡°These documents are critical, and they¡¯re not about Blue Hall Entertainment. So, it¡¯ll be me who¡¯ll deliver them for the time being.¡±

    While saying this, Shen Yu¡¯s expression was solemn.

    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Li Qi nodded as he responded, no trace of doubt on his face.

    In fact, Li Qi had already heard that thepany would be expanding. President Fu had started nning everything in the past year. Besides Blue Hall Entertainment, Fu family¡¯s properties could be found in every trade.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Shen Yu asked. ¡°What are you doing in front of President Fu¡¯s office? Are you also changing professions to guarding the door?¡±

    Shen Yu¡¯s expression rxed when he said this; there was even a faint smile on his face. However, he soon couldn¡¯t smile anymore!

    ¡°Fu Bainian! Don¡¯t bully me too much...¡±

    A sharp female voice came from inside the office. Chen Meimei¡¯s lung capacity wasrge, and her voice was high. After the car ident, she would always speak with a soft voice, which had made everyone forget that she used to be a tough woman that was capable of causing the copse of a building with one scream.

    Li Qi rubbed his ear, and then he spread out his hands towards Shen Yu. ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you heard; our Madam Fu is quarreling with the President. If you enter now, you¡¯ll only be setting fire to yourself, so you should stay here with me! It¡¯ll be better after they finish quarreling.¡±

    Shen Yu hardly hesitated as he resolutely said, ¡°No, these things are very important, so I must go in now. Move aside and don¡¯t block the door.¡±

    ¡°Bro, remember that you¡¯re deciding this by yourself,¡± Li Qi said as he stepped aside.

    Shen Yu knocked on the office door, but the quarrel continued inside.

    By now, Lan Jinyao¡¯s fair cheeks had flushed red due to anger, and even her foundation couldn¡¯t cover it. Meanwhile, Fu Bainian was as motionless as a mountain. He sat stiffly behind the desk and stared at the documents before him without looking up as if he was ignoring her.

    Just as Shen Yu came in, he heard Lan Jinyao say, ¡°Fu Bainian, since this is the case, then we have nothing to talk about. Give me the termination contract!¡±

    Even after standing there stunned for a while, Shen Yu still couldn¡¯t return to his senses.

    While their always astute President Fu actually pulled out a document from the desk drawer. Shen Yu came closer to have a look and saw it really was a termination contract.

    And thus, his palm mmed down on the document. In that second, two pairs of eyes instantly focused on him.

    ¡°This document can¡¯t be signed now!¡± he braced himself as he spoke.

    Lan Jinyao knitted her perfectly shaped brows and asked him coldly, ¡°Why not?¡±

    Shen Yu sarcastically smiled. ¡°I have urgent business, so set aside the termination contract for now. President Fu needs to look at this document first. Please wait a moment, Madam.¡±

    At such time, anyone would need a stepping stone, and now that someone was willing to be a stepping stone, she just had to go with the flow.

    Lan Jinyao shrugged. ¡°Alright.¡±

    She went to sit on the couch and looked outside the window with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

    Shen Yu¡¯s voice resounded in the office as he talked just loud enough for her to hear.

    ¡°Boss, this is a piece ofnd that we recently bid for. Please have a look at the oue of the bid. It''s a pity, but we didn''t win this time. I feel a little puzzled, as the other party''s price was just slightly higher than ours.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s face be grave at this statement.

    He massaged his temples, and said, ¡°Thepany has a traitor. Investigate this matter quickly. I don¡¯t want simr things to happen in the future.¡±

    Shen Yu voiced his agreement. However, he didn¡¯t immediately leave, and it looked like he was hesitating to say something.

    At that moment, Lan Jinyao found that Shen Yu¡¯s gaze seemed to be set on her.

    Suspicions immediately rose inside her. Is the following matter somehow rted to her? Although she¡¯d cooperated with Jiang Cheng, she didn¡¯t intend to be a traitor. Moreover, she wasn¡¯t a person on the same boat as Jiang Cheng.

    Obviously, Fu Bainian also realised this particr detail. He said to Shen Yu, ¡°She¡¯s not rted. If you have anything to say, just say it.¡±

    This sentence made Lan Jinyao felt mildly happy inside. It seemed that Fu Bainian hadn¡¯tpletely lost all faith in her.

    Shen Yu hesitated for some time, but he finally clenched his jaw and said, ¡°Boss, this piece ofnd was awarded to River Group Company, and these following documents are also rted to River Group Corporation. I think that what we¡¯ve done to River Group Corporation has been noticed by Jiang Cheng. He is now continuously attacking us as a warning. Do we need to stop, Boss?¡±

    Fu Bainian swept a nce at Lan Jinyao, whose eyes were looking everywhere but at him before he said to Shen Yu, ¡°Proceed as nned. This isn¡¯t Jiang Cheng¡¯s warning to us, but our deration of war against him. Although B City is a prosperous city, it¡¯s mainly just thatrge piece ofnd. If we want to expand, there will eventually be conflict.¡±

    Shen Yu responded in a low voice, ¡°Yes, then I will arrange the following matters. However, I¡¯m worried that old institutions die hard. Even if the Jiang family no longer have a foothold in B City, our corporation¡¯s properties will also take a big hit. Currently, the profits of our other businesses have already started to significantly decline.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao subconsciously frowned.

    Before Fu Bainian could respond, she had already stood up and quickly walked over to say, ¡°Bainian, you can¡¯t be so radical. What Shen Yu is saying is right.¡±

    Fu Bainian ignored her, and instead waved his hand to let Shen Yu leave first.

    After Shen Yu had left, the office returned to its quiet state. The two remaining people stared at each other as if they were engaged in a silent war.

    After some time, Fu Bainian opened his mouth to say, ¡°This is something rted to the business world; you don¡¯t understand anything. Just mind your own business.¡±

    ¡°How can I not understand? Shen Yu said that ourpany would receive the impact. You can¡¯t be persistently wilful; you have to consider other people. You have to think it through clearly. If you do this, then you are nothing but selfish.¡± She thought that besides being emotional about their rtionship, Fu Bainian was calm and cool-headed. But now, it appeared that he¡¯dpletely lost all rationality.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, is it your own selfishness acting up or mine? Why¡¯re you stopping me from doing this? Are you doing this for that man?¡±

    He was rambling incoherently, but at this moment, he had no control over himself.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, that¡¯s enough!¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes finally reddened.

    The atmosphere was locked in a stalemate like a dense and sticky covering the two, causing them unable to breathe.

    Fu Bainian tightly clenched his jaw but didn¡¯t utter a word, hisplexion unsightly.

 Chapter 117 - Quarreling For The First Time (7)

    <h4>Chapter 117 - Quarreling For The First Time (7)</h4>

    Li Qi had been anxiously listening to the couple quarreling, but he didn¡¯t expect that someone woulde to join in the chaos and create more trouble at this time. The moment he saw the person walking out of the elevator, his entire body froze.

    No more than ten secondster, a man in a casual business suit was already standing before him.

    ¡°P-President Jiang! Are youing to look for our President Fu? It may not be convenient at the moment.¡±

    His voice was stuttering as things couldn¡¯t get any worse. When Shen Yu came out of the office, he should¡¯ve quickly left with him rather than waiting and standing guard outside.

    ¡°I¡¯ming to look for your President Fu. I also know what¡¯s going on in the office at this moment.¡±

    The corner of the man¡¯s mouth raised slightly, forming a smug smile.

    ¡°Listen, they¡¯ve started to quarrel.¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his voice and said to him, ¡°Do you know what the biggest weakness of your President Fu is? It¡¯s his self-righteous affection; he loves Chen Meimei too deeply. However, this love will ruin them both.¡±

    At this moment, thoughts were running rampant in Li Qi¡¯s mind. No wonder this man has be a rival that President Fu cares about. It turns out that he was the person who knew President Fu the best.

    ¡°Now, please let me in!¡±

    Li Qi shook his head and spread out his arms to prevent Jiang Cheng from entering.

    Jiang Cheng showed a sneer at the corner of his mouth. He said, ¡°You can¡¯t stop me.¡±

    Li Qi was really unable to stop him as with just a light push from Jiang Cheng, his small body swayed to the side. Jiang Cheng immediately pushed the door open and entered without even knocking on the door.

    ¡°What are you two quarreling about?¡±

    The loud voice of a man rang in the office. At that moment, Fu Bainian, who was sitting on the office chair, abruptly stood up and stared coldly at Jiang Cheng who was standing at the doorway. Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao was startled by Fu Bainian¡¯s sudden movement.

    With a smile stered on his face, Jiang Cheng slowly walked to Lan Jinyao¡¯s side and looked at the pair.

    Lan Jinyao became nervous due to his sudden appearance.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked in an unfriendly tone.

    Jiang Cheng seemed to ignore her attitude. Maybe it was because his mood was jovial, so even if Lan Jinyao talked to him in this tone, he still looked at Fu Bainian with a smile. He didn¡¯t appear angry at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to look for you, of course. We talked about it letting you y the female lead role before, so I didn¡¯t expect for our ns to suddenly change. When I received the call this morning, I immediately rushed here, and then I realised that it was President Fu who refused to let you go.¡±

    As he was saying this, Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes stared straight at Fu Bainian, ridicule gleaming in his eyes.

    ¡°President Fu, are you worried that after your artist cooperated with mypany, she would be like Shen Wei¡¯an and switch over to ourpany? It seems that President Fu doesn''t believe in the artists in hispany,¡± he chuckled, not showing the slightest trace of hostility.

    Lan Jinyao and Fu Bainian simultaneously clenched their fists.

    Jiang Cheng was indeed a master negotiator. He¡¯d managed to use a simple word or two to easily provoke someone''s mood. When Lan Jinyao heard Shen Wei''an¡¯s name, her decision to y it the role was strengthened. While for Fu Bainian, when he heard the words ¡®switch over to ourpany¡¯ and ¡®President Fu doesn''t believe in the artists in hispany¡¯, his blood seemed to be frozen by a deep chill.

    Not long ago, Lan Jinyao was still using him: Fu Bainian, you don¡¯t believe in me, right?

    That sentence was the most profound fear hidden within his heart.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, don¡¯t interfere with things between Meimei and me. As for business matters, I refuse to change my mind.¡±

    Jiang Cheng chuckled. ¡°Of course, this will be done ording to President Fu¡¯smand. Now, I just want to ask, will you let Meimei go to mypany for an audition or not? Everyone is waiting for her; even Shen Wei¡¯an ising!¡±

    ¡°Going!¡±

    ¡°Not going!¡±

    The two spoke at the same time. After Fu Bainian and Lan Jinyao finished speaking, their eyes locked with small sparks.

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s name was already like an obstacle in Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind. It couldn¡¯t be ovee unless she finished these matters.

    Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng was the thorn in Fu Bainian¡¯s heart that he couldn¡¯t free himself of for a lifetime.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s gaze was glued tightly to Lan Jinyao¡¯s face. Then, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Chen Meimei, don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re still an employee under Blue Hall Entertainment.¡±

    Lan Jinyao became furious when she heard that. She picked up the termination contract on the desk to sign it. However, just as her hand went to grab the pen, it was stopped by Fu Bainian. The man gritted his teeth as he asked her, ¡°Chen Meimei, you dare to sign it?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare?¡± Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t intimidated by Fu Bainian¡¯s menacing gaze. She struggled to raise her hand.

    The next moment, Fu Bainian¡¯s hand was also held in someone¡¯s grip. Then, Lan Jinyao noticed that the veins on his arm were protruding from the force of Jiang Cheng¡¯s grip.

    ¡°President Fu, aren''t you going a bit overboard? Since your employee has already made a decision, why are you make things difficult for her? If her heart isn¡¯t with you, what good is it to keep her?¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt a headache forming. ¡°Jiang Cheng, please don¡¯t cause more trouble, alright? We¡¯re currently talking about work matters.¡±

    Fu Bainian finally released her hand.

    His dark eyes were filled with sorrow.

    ¡°Think carefully, Chen Meimei; do you have the money to pay the penalty fee? You should be clear that Chen Meile won¡¯t help you, and she won¡¯t let the Chen family help you either.¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao suddenly hesitated. With her anger gradually dissipating, her rational gained the upper hand. She was very clear about what she was doing.

    Right then, Jiang Cheng, who was standing at the side, suddenly opened his mouth. He said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°I can help you pay the penalty fee. Just treat it as remuneration from the TV series, so you don¡¯t have to worry. If you want to sign, just sign it!¡±

    This sentence seemed to ignite Fu Bainian¡¯s anger. Before Lan Jinyao could react, his fist hadnded squarely on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. A corner of Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth was cut by Fu Bainian¡¯s fist, and a few drops of blood seeped out.

    ¡°You started it, Fu Bainian!¡±

    Jiang Cheng wasn''t polite at all and immediately retaliated with his fistnding on Fu Bainian¡¯s face. The documents on the desk were then swept to the ground.

    Watching the two men fighting, Lan Jinyao became anxious and rushed to the door. ¡°Li Qi, quickly call the security guard!¡±

    Ten minutester, both men were bruised and panting on the floor.

    Lan Jinyao held Fu Bainian¡¯s face, tears continuously rolling down her cheeks as she repeatedly said, ¡°I won¡¯t sign, don¡¯t fight anymore...¡±

 Chapter 118 - In Name Only (1)

    <h4>Chapter 118 - In Name Only (1)</h4>

    The incident that had urred in Blue Hall Entertainment President¡¯s office that morning had already spread throughout thepany. Although, while almost everyone knew about it, nobody dared to talk about it.

    In the end, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t sign the termination contract. That morning, after Jiang and Fu Bainian were pulled apart, Lan Jinyao cried and threw the contract into the paper shredder. The contract was destroyed in front of Fu Bainian. Later, Jiang Cheng had left with bruises on his face. Before he¡¯d left though, Lan Jinyao noticed that his face was utterly gloomy.

    But, even so, he still said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°I can coordinate with your schedule, and I¡¯ll keep the female lead role for you. However, I hope that you can solve this problem as soon as possible, don¡¯t let the production team wait for you for too long.¡±

    At that time, Lan Jinyao was embraced Fu Bainian and was crying non-stop, so she barely heard those words.

    After that, with the excuse of work, Fu Bainian had someone lead her out of the office.

    That night, Fu Bainian worked until veryte before returning home. When he came back, Lan Jinyao had already fallen asleep, and there wasn¡¯t even the most basic of exchanges between them. It was when Lan Jinyao woke up the next morning that she found that something was wrong. Fu Bainian had returned home, but he¡¯d stayed in the guest room that night.

    During breakfast, Fu Bainian said to her, ¡°Go! If you want to go, go!¡±

    When Fu Bainian said these words, his eyes avoided looking at her, and his tone was incredibly dull. Lan Jinyao noticed this, but she didn¡¯t think about it too much. She¡¯d always thought that time will smooth everything and that the rtionship between them would get better.

    However, what Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t realise was that time could not only smooth down the conflicts between people but that it could also make some matters worse.

    And, at that time, she could only helplessly watch as the distance between them grew wider.

    On Monday morning, Li Qi came to pick her up. Once Lan Jinyao was settled in the car, he asked her, ¡°Did President Fu consent? Last time it turned into a disaster, so I didn¡¯t think that you would still be so unswerving in doing what you want to do. Although I admire your courage, is it really alright doing this?¡±

    Xiaolin also hesitantly asked, ¡°Does this affect the feelings between husband and wife?¡±

    Lan Jinyao groaned as she clutched her head. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it already affected? Fu Bainian nowpletely ignores me.¡±

    Although Fu Bainian was very intimate at night when he would tuck her quilt around her, it was only a dream. After waking up, Fu Bainian would treat her as if she was merely air.

    ¡°Meimei, only you can do it. You''re so amazing, climbing up like this. If it was me, I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t dare. If my Xiaoyun told me to resign, I wouldn¡¯t say anything and just immediately submit a resignation letter,¡± Li Qi said earnestly to her.

    Xiaolin smiled sweetly before she said smugly, ¡°That''s because Brother Li isn¡¯t daring enough, but Sister Mei is very brave.¡±

    Li Qi stuck up a finger and shook it. ¡°No, it¡¯s not because I''m too timid, but because I am so affectionate that I¡¯m willing to do anything for my love; including losing my job. Of course, everyone¡¯s values and worldviews are different. This can¡¯t be generalised as it depends on the person, right?¡±

    Xiaolin nodded. ¡°So, that¡¯s how it is!¡±

    After listening to this, Lan Jinyao looked absent-minded, and she murmured, ¡°Is that really so?¡±

    Fu Bainian cared too much about those things because he was too affectionate, while she deemed those things as less important and didn¡¯t let them affect the feelings between the two of them. So, did this mean that she didn''t love him deeply enough?

    Ten minutester, the van stopped outside the River Group Corporation building.

    Seeing her lost in thought, Li Qi shook his hand in front of her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You wouldn¡¯t be just realising all this and don¡¯t want to go in, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing! Let¡¯s go!¡± It was just that she didn''t know whether Shen Wei''an hade yet. If Shen Wei''an was also here, she estimated that that woman¡¯splexion certainly wouldn''t look any better. She¡¯d been oppressed right after she¡¯d jumped to River Group Corporation, so Shen Wei''an must be very angry right now!

    Li Qi hummed in response and motioned for Xiaolin to quickly follow her, while he stood on the same spot and dialled Fu Bainian¡¯s phone.

    ¡°President Fu, Meimei has gone in. Are you really letting her participate in the filming of the TV series?¡±

    A man¡¯s light ¡®hmm'' was heard through the phone.

    Li Qi asked again, ¡°But, what about the drama ourpany invested in? Is it going to be on left hold, or are we looking for another candidate?¡±

    ¡°Proceed ording to the n. The female lead spot will be left vacant as I have someone else in mind for it.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Li Qi frowned in puzzlement.

    President Fu has someone else in mind? Why didn¡¯t he know about this?

    In the President¡¯s office, after hanging up the call, Fu Bainian stared at his phone screen, lost in thought as he received a text message from Fu Changning.

    ¡°Brother, if you really love Sis-inw, then I don''t think you need to hold onto things so tightly, just rx, and maybe the conflict between the both of you won¡¯t intensify. If it doesn¡¯t work, then just let go, I don¡¯t want to see you suffering.¡±

    Let go? How can that be possible?!

    Since I don¡¯t want to let you suffer, then I will bear all the pain alone!

    Fu Bainian would always remember that night when he was lying in that locked room filled with secrets. While he was immersed in his sorrow, his wife was just outside the door, listening to the movements inside.

    The next day he¡¯d run out after her, but he didn¡¯t manage to catch up with her. He¡¯d returned home, only to find that the bedroom door was locked. She hadn¡¯t gone out yet. At that moment, he¡¯d felt a pain simr to countless needles piercing his heart. So, this how it felt to be shut out by your loved ones?

    It was he who¡¯d hurt Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart and shattered it into pieces.

    Since she wanted to do the drama, he would let her do it. Fu Bainian secretly vowed in his heart that he would never force her again. He would wait for her to willingly return to his side.

    Changning was right; if he continued like this, then no matter how thick the line keeping them together was, it would eventually snap. He should slowly learn to rx a little bit so that things wouldn''t be so painful for both of them.

    After a long time, Fu Bainian then dialled the inner line to let Qian Ran call Shen Yu toe to his office.

    Shen Yu stepped into the office with a piece of information in his hands. It was a new TV drama that Fu Bainian had invested in. The original female lead was supposed to be Lan Jinyao, but now he¡¯d decided to change it to someone else.

 Chapter 119 - In Name Only (2)

    <h4>Chapter 119 - In Name Only (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao was struggling to a pimple on her face in the car, while Li Qi was reading some news on his phone. In the entertainment industry, the news would change as almost every minute; no one knew who would fall in the next second. Therefore, they were always concerned about thetest entertainment news.

    Usually, when Li Qi was reading the news, he would talk or exim a lot like a fifteen-year-old girl. But today, he was just quietly staring at his phone screen without saying a word.

    Xiaolin was the first to notice Li Qi¡¯s bizarre behaviour.

    ¡°Bro Li, why are you so quiet today? Did you find any significant news?¡± Xiaolin asked as she moved closer to see his phone.

    Li Qi subconsciously hid his phone when he suddenly saw a face appear beside him. This move was so quick and conspicuous that even Lan Jinyao, who was busy dealing with the pimple on her face lifted her head and looked at him.

    How clever was Lan Jinyao? With just a mere nce she understood Li Qi¡¯s behaviour.

    She asked, ¡°Is there more news? About me?¡±

    Li Qi nodded.

    Xiaolin started getting agitated. ¡°Are people saying bad things about Sis Meimei again on the Inte? Those online rumours are really too much. They don¡¯t know how good Sis Meimei is, but they still love to talk rubbish. In the end, the one who gets hurt is always Sis Meimei.¡±

    Compared to Xiaolin¡¯s emotions, Lan Jinyao didn''t feel much towards this because there were many urrences of this happening. As long as she led a good life, what did that have to do with others? Those noisy people weren''t leading a life as good as hers.

    Lan Jinyao continued to squeeze the pimple on her face. She had just started when Xiaolin grabbed her hands and eximed, ¡°Sis Meimei, do you want your face to be disfigured? If you squeeze a pimple with makeup still on your face, it¡¯ll get infected. Just apply some medicer, it¡¯ll soon get better.¡±

    Lan Jinyao gloomily muttered, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve gotten one, so I didn¡¯t expect one to pop up today. Looks like it might be a hormonal imbnce.¡±

    Soon though, her attention was once again attracted to Li Qi, and she was no longer focusing on the pimple on her face.

    ¡°Li Qi, why are you being so secretive? What is the news about? Just tell us.¡±

    Li Qiughed somewhat ufortably. ¡°It¡¯s really nothing, just some messy things. I¡¯ll let you have a look if you want to.¡±

    After that, he passed his phone to Lan Jinyao. She looked at the phone but didn¡¯t see any significant news. Isn¡¯t this just thetest entertainment news? What was the reason for hiding this?

    However, just as Lan Jinyao wanted to return the phone to Li Qi, a thought suddenly urred to her, and she opened up the web browser history and the news that Li Qi had just read immediately appeared on the screen. Lan Jinyao looked at the erged photo, anger bubbling forth in her heart.

    ¡°Who''s hyping things up? Jiang Cheng?¡± Lan Jinyao sneered. ¡°Did he want the show to be a hit before it was even filmed? To think he used such news to cause a fuss!¡±

    There were two people in the photo, one was herself, and the other was Jiang Cheng. In the background was the bar where He Xiaoyun worked. This was nothing new as this news had been posted before. The only difference was that this time, the article had attached a magnified photo of Jiang Cheng and Fu Bainian¡¯s fight from the other day.

    The popr married actress Chen Meimei was caught cheating! Her new lover and old lover are in a love-hate feud.

    At that time, in Fu Bainian¡¯s office, it was obvious that there was only the three of them. Beside Jiang Cheng, she couldn¡¯t think of anyone else who would expose such boring news.

    ¡°Meimei, don''t get agitated. President Jiang may be doing it for the promotion of the new drama. This is just a marketing trick. There are plenty of people in the entertainment industry who do this. We still need to be on our way to shoot the drama, so don''t put this small matter in your heart to avoid exhausting yourself due to anger.¡±

    Lan Jinyao said coldly, ¡°Whether Jiang Cheng wants to publicise the drama or stir up trouble, we all know the truth in our hearts. Anyways, as I said, after I finish filming this TV series, I don¡¯t want to have anything more to do with that man. Every one of them is a treacherous and cunning person who only wants to take advantage of others.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t merely referring to Jiang Cheng, but also to Shen Wei¡¯an. Both of them were just as cunning as each other in her eyes.

    ¡°Yeah, he isn¡¯t a good person! To think that he even wants to drive a wedge between Big Sis Meimei and President Fu!¡± Xiaolin echoed.

    Li Qi seemed to ponder something before he said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°Meimei, no matter what happens out there theseing 4 weeks, you don''t have to worry about it. Just set your mind at ease and focus on filming. These entertainment sites will stop making a big deal out of this when the audience gets tired of it. If anything happens, leave it all to me.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded but then felt that something was amiss.

    She asked, ¡°Why did you say that? Do you know something?¡±

    Li Qi magnanimously looked at her and said, ¡°The news has alreadye out, so no matter who was behind this, other news stations will consecutively publish it too. At that time, the rumours on the inte will certainly be even worse. I''m a little worried that the misunderstanding between you and President Fu will be worse.¡±

    ¡°Can the situation between us be worse than it is now?¡± Lan Jinyao sighed. ¡°That seems impossible. No matter how it will worsen, to what extent could it get? It will be fine after this month is over. By that time, all the confusion will have been sorted out.¡±

    Li Qi patted her shoulder in aforting manner. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine. It¡¯s just that during filming, I heard that President Jiang would alsoe, so you should pay attention.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Speaking of Jiang Cheng, a touch of worry rapidly shed in Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes. That man seemed to have suddenly broken into her world. He was like an intruder getting closer step by step with a hidden agenda. Not only did Fu Bainian feel ufortable, but he also made her feel inexplicably flustered.

    This time they went to film at Movie City, which was filled with ancient decorations. Entering Movie City was equivalent to isting oneself from the outside world.

    It was only Lan Jinyao who was paying attention to the news outside.

    Every time she saw the news, she would tightly frown. The media, as Li Qi had said, were trying to sow discord between her and Fu Bainian. Not only did they say that she was having an affair, but they had also said that their rtionship had long been damaged. And, because they wanted to leave some face for the two families, they didn''t apply for a divorce, but that Fu Bainian had already found a new love.

    Thosest four words in the news inexplicably stung her eyes.

    When she asked Li Qi about it, she heard him say, ¡°Those media sites just wrote it all without basis. They even said that you and President Fu have gotten a divorce, but is that the truth?¡±

    Thinking this way, Lan Jinyao finally got a little peace of mind. However, she always felt that things the media reported on weren¡¯t entirely unfounded.

 Chapter 120 - In Name Only (3)

    <h4>Chapter 120 - In Name Only (3)</h4>

    On the first day in H City, Lan Jinyao saw Jiang Cheng and Shen Wei¡¯an together. The two of them were sitting on the grass under the tent set up by the staff. Shen Wei¡¯an held a script in her hand and was seemingly discussing the plot with Jiang Cheng.

    When Lan Jinyao saw that scene, she harrumphed coldly and felt somewhat disdainful as she thought: If one wanted to discuss business and management with Jiang Cheng that was still alright. However, to discuss a script...could he even recognise the difference between a good and bad plot? After sneering, she pondered again: Don¡¯t tell her that Shen Wei¡¯an had joined hands with Jiang Cheng to deal with her? If this drama production was really a trap set for her by them, then she reckoned that the road ahead wouldn¡¯t be so easy this time.

    However, this didn¡¯t seem to be the case. She saw that Shen Wei¡¯an was talking non-stop on her own, and Jiang Cheng seemed to be replying with ack of interest, his expression cold like usual.

    These two appeared harmonious but were in fact divided at heart; why were they together? How did Jiang Cheng find out about her secret? Could it be that Shen Wei¡¯an was the one who told him?

    Li Qi, who was standing beside her, lightly nudged her and asked, ¡°Meimei, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head and replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡±

    After that, she turned around and saw Li Qi staring at her with a peculiar look in his eyes. She immediately guessed what he was thinking.

    ¡°Li Qi, behave while we¡¯re at work and stop overthinking things!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Li Qi awkwardly smiled at her and rubbed his nose.

    Having arrived at H City, Lan Jinyao knew that she would be very busy in theing period. Besides filming, she had a lot of things to do. So, as soon as she¡¯d arrived, she¡¯d sent a text message to Fu Bainian, consisting of only four words: ¡°Arrived safe and sound.¡±

    This was the first time that she hadn¡¯t received any reply or call from Fu Bainian, but Lan Jinyao had long expected this, so she didn¡¯t mind and turned off her phone. She then found a quiet ce to go over the script.

    Jiang Cheng appeared to be looking for someone and wandered around the ce by himself. When he saw Lan Jinyao sitting under a tree, he immediately strode over and said with a surprised expression, ¡°You¡¯re here! I initially thought that you couldn''t make it this morning.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t depart with the production team; she¡¯d arrivedter with Li Qi.

    She indifferently acknowledged his words and only swept Jiang Cheng a quick look before returning her gaze to the script in her hand. Jiang Cheng¡¯s current expression waspletely different from when he¡¯d faced Shen Wei¡¯an earlier, which dispelled the doubts she had in her heart.

    Following this, a thought had suddenly shed into Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind, so she looked up and said to Jiang Cheng, ¡°President Jiang, I hope that no matter what kind of publicity we do in the future, please do not involve my private life in it as that will only make things difficult for me! And, that will also have a certain impact on my personal life.¡±

    ¡°Private life?¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled at this and added, ¡°What kind of publicity will affect your private life? Chen Meimei, what kind of person do you see me as?¡±

    His words ought to have been spoken in a weighty tone, yet his voice sounded extraordinarily gentle and there was even a faint smile stered on his face. Seeing this made Lan Jinyao feel that he was very contradictory, just like a patient with split personality disorder.

    Lan Jinyao ignored the strange feeling in her heart and answered, ¡°Maybe I was wrong about President Jiang, but today¡¯s news made me very unhappy after reading it.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression sunk. He then said, ¡°I understand!¡±

    His tone seemed to carry a trace of anger this time, but why was he angry? Lan Jinyao was a little puzzled at this. Could it be that he wasn¡¯t the one behind this? But, apart from Jiang Cheng, she couldn¡¯t think of anyone else who could have done such a thing.

    After a while, Jiang Cheng walked away and Shen Wei¡¯an, who¡¯d been hiding in a corner this whole time, finally made her appearance. She put on herrge-framed sunsses as she walked towards Lan Jinyao and sat down in front of her.

    Lan Jinyao ignored her and continued reading the script in her hand.

    Shen Wei¡¯an looked around and saw that no one was nearby beforementing, ¡°Lan Jinyao, you¡¯re upying someone else¡¯s body, but aren¡¯t you afraid that the spirit of the deceased will return to find you?¡±

    These words had seemingly touched Lan Jinyao¡¯s raw nerve as she abruptly put down the script and stared at Shen Wei¡¯an with a chilly gaze. ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an, what about you? You personallymitted those sins, and your hands are stained with blood, aren¡¯t you afraid that those you¡¯ve killed wille back to find you? Did you really think that in this world, one could be reborn after they die? If it wasn¡¯t evil spirits, then what else could it be?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face turned white after she¡¯d listened to this and her hand had subconsciously covered her neck. Lan Jinyao saw that action and shifted her gaze to Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s neck, noticing that something was hanging around her neck with a red cord.

    Seeing this, Lan Jinyao smiled and added, ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an, you¡¯re actually very afraid of that, right? After all, no one knows whether gods or demons are real or not. Otherwise, why would you want to ward off evil spirits?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s smiling expression was somewhat malicious. In the past, she would¡¯ve never shown such a smile as that wasn¡¯t in line with her elegant and graceful personality. However, ever since she¡¯d be Chen Meimei, she¡¯d subconsciously tried to fathom Chen Meimei¡¯s behaviour and habits. As a result, she¡¯d started to behave like a different person as if she¡¯d been gradually influenced.

    In fact, she admired Chen Meimei¡¯s personality. At least, Chen Meimei wouldn¡¯t allow a woman like Shen Wei¡¯an to approach her at all.

    Shen Wei¡¯an subconsciously retracted her hand and roared, ¡°Lan Jinyao, you won¡¯t remain arrogant for too much longer! Jiang Cheng will be mine alone, and you¡¯ll eventually end up with nothing! You¡¯ll even lose Fu Bainian!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an was yelling at her like a victim, but Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression remained indifferent.

    She then asked, ¡°You fell in love with Jiang Cheng? But, he doesn¡¯t seem to like you though! I remember that you used to like Director Shen; he¡¯s such an outstanding man that you must have coveted him for a long time, right? It¡¯s such a pity that he¡¯d already found his other half to spend his life with. Don¡¯t tell me that you were so depressed you decided to shift to another target? I¡¯m apprehensive about your marriage! Say, what kind of man would like a ruthless woman like you?¡±

    ¡°You...¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s finger, which was pointing at Lan Jinyao, was trembling due to anger. After she uttered ¡®you¡¯ several times, she picked up a cup of tea and threw it at Lan Jinyao. Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t guard against her sudden move which resulted in her being sshed with tea.

    When Lan Jinyao was about to retaliate, a shriek suddenly resounded in the area. She swiftly threw away the teacup, and porcin pieces smashed everywhere when itnded on the ground.

    When everyone arrived on the scene, they saw Lan Jinyao¡¯s sorry figure as she stood there with her drenched clothes, while Shen Wei¡¯an looked around frantically.

 Chapter 121 - In Name Only (4)

    <h4>Chapter 121 - In Name Only (4)</h4>

    In the quiet office, Fu Bainian was staring intently at his phone screen, his gaze fixated on the message sent by Lan Jinyao.

    ¡®Arrived safe and sound¡¯, these four simple words made him feel inexplicably at ease.

    After struggling for a while, he finally typed out a reply, but after a moment of hesitation, he deleted everything.

    Brother, you must let Sister-inw know how important you are to her. A cold war is never the best way to solve a problem, and I don¡¯t rmend you both continue this way. Don¡¯t push each other too hard, as only then will the rtionship be more stable.

    I can see that Sister-inw loves you, you must believe in yourself.

    Changning was right; they really should calm down and take things easy, especially himself. These days, he felt that his mental state had really worsened.

    While Fu Bainian was pondering all of this, his phone suddenly rang.

    It was Li Qi calling him. As soon as the phone was answered, Li Qi started talking in a very low voice, but it was extremely noisy on his end, so Fu Bainian couldn¡¯t hear him clearly. Fu Bainian felt that his patience had been drained away by Li Qi¡¯s mosquito voice.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t had your meal yet?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Li Qi was puzzled by his words.

    ¡°Speak louder!¡± Fu Bainian kneaded his be in irritation.

    ¡°Oh, President Fu, something has happened on my side. Meimei had just arrived on set, yet Shen Wei¡¯an poured tea on her. Anyway, I didn¡¯t witness the situation at the time, but hearing that scream from afar, it sounded quite pitiable.¡± Although he wasn¡¯t sure who¡¯d exactly screamed, this didn¡¯t stop him from adding details to the story.

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian clenched his hands into fists, but his voice was still indifferent. Without the slightest emotional fluctuations apparent in his tone, he said to Li Qi, ¡°I got it. Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°...there¡¯s nothing else for the time being!¡±

    Following that, Fu Bainian immediately hung up.

    Li Qi looked at his phone, feeling stupefied. Did he hang up just like that? Howe he didn¡¯t ask whether Chen Meimei was scalded or injured? He¡¯d especially made that phone call to inform him about this, yet he¡¯d just said ¡®I got it¡¯, and that was it?

    Li Qi asked himself, ¡°Could it be that rtionship issues have truly arisen between President Fu and Chen Meimei?¡±

    After Lan Jinyao was soaked with the tea sshed by Shen Wei¡¯an, Assistant Xiaolin led her to change clothes and touch up her makeup. Shen Wei¡¯an was taken away by Jiang Cheng. Lan Jinyao felt that she would never forget the way Shen Wei¡¯an had looked when she¡¯d turned to look at her, her gaze filled with resentment.

    She wasn¡¯t the person who¡¯d done wrong, so why did Shen Wei¡¯an make herself look like a victim all the time?

    Lan Jinyao felt that she¡¯d been really blind in the past.

    When the shoot for the first scene had begun, Shen Wei¡¯an stood by one side and stared at her. Lan Jinyao could a piercing gaze on her all the time, just like a sharp sword pointing at her.

    After Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s previous work was cancelled, Jiang Cheng had invested in this drama and invited Xu Hao to star in it as well. Even though Xu Hao was there, Lan Jinyao saw it as nothing. Xu Hao¡¯s actions, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem very natural. Lan Jinyao felt that Xu Hao probably liked Shen Wei¡¯an to a certain degree, but it was just a one-sided love from his side and Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s eyes were never on Xu Hao.

    Shen Wei¡¯an didn¡¯t make an appearance in this first scene, so everything went by smoothly.

    In the evening, after taking a bath, Lan Jinyao hesitated for a long time before she finally turned on her mobile and texted Fu Bainian. She reported to Fu Bainian what had happened on that day, yet she didn¡¯t receive any reply from him. She reckoned that Fu Bainian was furious with her.

    After a while, Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t take it anymore and called him, but then she realised that his phone was turned off.

    Later, when she checked Weibo, she received a lot of new messages. Most of them were messages like ¡®congrats with your breakup¡¯ and ¡®happy divorce¡¯. Many people said that Fu Bainian didn¡¯t like her so she might as well pull back as soon as possible to save herself from falling deeper. Others said that their rtionship had long since died out and that it was now an in name only marriage.

    Lan Jinyao looked at the news, and for the first time, she felt so angry that she wanted to throw her phone away. No wonder Li Qi had said those weird things to her beforeing here. Being a Manager with sharp senses, Li Qi had anticipated all of this long ago.

    That night, Lan Jinyao felt as if she suffered from insomnia.

    The next day, Lan Jinyao got up early. When she went out for a stroll, she spotted a surreptitious figure dashing through the corridor. Lan Jinyao¡¯s first thought was that there was paparazzi around. She subconsciously followed him and wanted to check out the situation. Following that, she realised that everything she had known about Xu Hao had been subverted.

    The man guarding Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s door was not paparazzi, but Xu Hao. He was wearing casual apparel and a cap. At first nce, he looked no different from the paparazzi. The most important thing was that he actually had a camera in his hand.

    Lan Jinyao hid in the corner; she wanted to see what Xu Hao was up to.

    Now, it was still very early in the morning, and since the sun had just risen, Shen Wei¡¯an probably hadn¡¯t gotten up yet. Lan Jinyao stealthily watched Xu Hao¡¯s movements, but it seemed that he was also waiting for Shen Wei¡¯an to appear.

    About thirty minutester, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s door finally opened.

    It was currently around 6 AM, and the Shen Wei¡¯an whom Lan Jinyao used to know would never have woken up before 8 AM. Lan Jinyao thought: Could Shen Wei¡¯an have changed her habits? The next second, she saw Xu Hao, who was guarding the door, ducking to the side.

    When she retracted her gaze and looked in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s direction again, she discovered that aside from Shen Wei¡¯an, a man had followed her out of the room. She could only view that man¡¯s back, and from that, she guessed that he must be quite good looking. But, when the man turned around, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    That person was a very popr model in the entertainment industry. She¡¯d heard that not long ago, he and his wife had made it on the front page by publicly disying their affection. This was still a very hot topic receiving a lot of high praise from citizens.

    What was the man¡¯s name again? Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t recall it at this moment.

    When Lan Jinyao was about to take out her phone to take a picture, the man had already turned around and left. After seeing the man off, Shen Wei¡¯an went back into her room.

    Seeing this, Lan Jinyao was quite discontented, but then her eyes fell on the camera in Xu Hao¡¯s hand.

    The memory card for this kind of digital camera could be backed up.

    She stared at the digital camera and a smile slowly crept up on her face.

    Since Shen Wei¡¯an liked scandals so much, then this time, she would be a ¡®good person¡¯ and help her get back on the front page one more time.

 Chapter 122 - Falling From Grace (1)

    <h4>Chapter 122 - Falling From Grace (1)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao recalled that on the second day after she¡¯d arrived on set, she¡¯d asked Jiang Cheng, ¡°What if this drama makes you lose money?¡± and Jiang Cheng had answered, ¡°Since I¡¯ve chosen this industry, then there¡¯s bound to be profit and loss. No one could guarantee a profit all the time.¡±

    She then asked again, ¡°What if it was not by force majeure, but due to human factors?¡±

    Hearing this, Jiang Cheng pondered for a moment before he suddenly changed his previously serious attitude and replied with a smile, ¡°Truth to be told, I haven¡¯t invested much money in this drama. I had long guessed that this drama wouldn¡¯t result in anything. In fact, the actors have already guessed this oue, but they still choose to cooperate anyway as they all have their own purposes they want to achieve.¡±

    Jiang Cheng said that he¡¯d already guessed that, so he didn¡¯t invest much money in the drama. He also said that he didn¡¯t lose money, but made a profit instead. As to why he¡¯d made a profit, he exined it vaguely and only mentioned that he¡¯d achieved his goal.

    As he had said himself, he was already aware of what her real objective was and what she wanted to do.

    Therefore, even though that man was neither a staff member nor part of the production team, he could also enter the set unimpeded and find Shen Wei¡¯an without a hitch.

    Lan Jinyao thought that she was a step toote and was unexpectedly forestalled by Xu Hao.

    Under the watchful eyes of so many people, after Shen Wei¡¯an had sshed tea on Lan Jinyao, Li Qi started to keep close to Lan Jinyao. Whenever Shen Wei¡¯an neared Lan Jinyao, he would stand guard in front of Lan Jinyao, precautiously staring at Shen Wei¡¯an.

    Lan Jinyao deliberately let the production team stagger her part, but Li Qi had unexpectedly started keeping watch over her.

    On the set, Shen Wei¡¯an and Xu Hao were currently acting together in a scene, and her acting skills were still as showy as usual. Xu Hao¡¯s acting, on the other hand, was more professional.

    Everyone was focused on the two people in the scene. Lan Jinyao looked around and then lowered her voice and said to Li Qi, ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom!¡±

    ¡°Alright, if you need me...¡±

    Lan Jinyao hurriedly interrupted and said, ¡°No need! You stay right here; you don¡¯t need to follow me.¡±

    After saying this, she felt that she¡¯d overreacted, so she gently added, ¡°My phone is here, and Shen Wei¡¯an might y another trick on me when she takes a rest. Please help me keep an eye out, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Li Qi nodded upon hearing this.

    In fact, Li Qi was an extremely clever person. He¡¯d been with Lan Jinyao for so long already that even if he wasn¡¯t very clear about her affairs, he understood one thing and that was: the rtionship between her and Shen Wei¡¯an wasn¡¯t good. It could be said that the rtionship between her and Shen Wei''an was as ipatible as fire and water. If Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t want to talk about it, then he wouldn¡¯t ask.

    Lan Jinyao went to Xu Hao¡¯s room, but he was very cautious and had locked his door. Lan Jinyao stood in a daze at the doorway. If she¡¯d guessed correctly, the things that Xu Hao had photographed must be in this room. But, how could she get in there without alerting Xu Hao?

    While Lan Jinyao was lost in her thoughts, she was suddenly patted on the shoulder by someone. She turned around, and when she saw the man¡¯s face, she let out a cry of surprise. ¡°You...¡±

    Her mouth was covered, and her words were cut off.

    ¡°You have a problem with Xu Hao? If you want to sabotage him, I can help you!¡±

    The person who¡¯d spoken was Jiang Cheng, he stayed almost every day on set these days and never left. It was as if he didn¡¯t have to manage his other properties at all.

    Lan Jinyao wanted to deny his earlier question, but then she saw the string of keys that Jiang Cheng was dangling in front of her. There was the spare key to Xu Hao¡¯s room!

    Jiang Cheng smiled somewhat equivocally at her. ¡°I said that I can help you.¡±

    He thought that she was trying to y a trick on Xu Hao? If that was really so, then he¡¯d indeed misunderstood her.

    Lan Jinyao tried to hide her actual intention and her eyes spun around a few times. ¡°I don¡¯t have any problems with Xu Hao,¡± she said. ¡°I just passed by here on my way to my room to get something.¡±

    ¡°Oh~¡± Jiang Cheng elongated his tone and looked at her with a smirk.

    Lan Jinyao was a very good actress. She could fool anyone if she wanted to, but at this moment, in the eyes of this canny, sessful man, her acting skills made her look like a clown performing aical act instead. He obviously knew everything yet he pretended not to know anything at all.

    Following this, Lan Jinyao was about to go back to her room when Jiang Cheng put the key in her hand and whispered, ¡°Here¡¯s the key. Whatever you want to do, I won¡¯t stop you. As I said, not everyone present is here for money; they all have their own objectives.¡±

    Then, Jiang Cheng left as if nothing had ever happened.

    Lan Jinyao stared at the key in her hand and frowned. What exactly did he want? She didn¡¯t believe that she had enough charm to make Jiang Cheng give her a helping hand. This man must have other motives.

    Something shed through Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind, but it quickly disappeared before she could grasp it.

    Currently, it was quiet in her surroundings as everyone had gone to watch the recording, so Lan Jinyao was alone as she stood in the corridor. She stared at the key in her hand again and gritted her teeth before quickly unlocking the door.

    All the rooms here were the same, so Lan Jinyao finished looking through all the drawers very soon. She opened them one by one, only to find that there was nothing inside them.

    She searched the wardrobe, drawers, and even the spot behind the toilet tank where things could be hidden. Lan Jinyao, like a thief, rummaged through the stuff in the room, but she still couldn¡¯t find the thing she wanted.

    After a while, Lan Jinyao stopped searching. Now, she had two options. One was to keep looking, and the other was to wait for that man toe another time.

    After thinking about it for a while, Lan Jinyao decisively chose the first option.

    Her eyes then fell on the notebook. When Xu Hao had arrived, his Manager was carrying a bag with him. At that time, Li Qi had jokingly asked Xu Hao¡¯s Manager.¡°Are you here on holiday? Such a big bag must be loaded with clothes, right?¡±

    Presumably, that bag wasn¡¯t filled with clothes, but with a camera and aptop instead. Clothes were just an excuse to pull the wool over everyone¡¯s eyes.

    Honestly, why would an actor bring aptop with him when he was there to shoot a drama? At a nce, one would deduce that his purpose wasn¡¯t that simple. Come to think of it, Xu Hao hade prepared this time.

    Following that, Lan Jinyao closed the door and turned on Xu Hao¡¯sptop.

    After anxiously having turned theptop on, she saw a password prompt on the screen; the moment she saw that she really wanted to smash thatptop.

 Chapter 123 - Falling From Grace (2)

    <h4>Chapter 123 - Falling From Grace (2)</h4>

    As expected, the owner would set-up a password if there were secret files stored in theptop. It was the same as a house full of treasures; it would always be locked for security reasons.

    The moment Lan Jinyao saw the password prompt, she made a bold conjecture in her heart. She quickly ran to the bathroom, and sure enough, she saw a broken camera in the trash can. The memory card was most likely already flushed down the toilet.

    After confirming her suspicions, Lan Jinyao walked back to the desk and stopped in front of theptop again.

    ¡°What exactly is the password? Xu Hao¡¯s name in pinyin? His birthday? Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s name and birthday?¡±

    She tried entering them one by one, but none of them was right, and her patience was running out as the word ¡®wrong password¡¯ popped up more frequently.

    ¡°This will be thest try, if it¡¯s still not right, then...¡±

    With the input of four numbers, theptop was unlocked and the desktop popped up.

    Seeing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. As she¡¯d expected, Xu Hao¡¯s password was actually Lan Xin¡¯s name in pinyin. Sure enough, Xu Hao and Lan Xin were acquainted. Both of them paid close attention to all of Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s movements. In that case, the reason why Xu Hao had gotten close to Shen Wei¡¯an must be for the sake of Lan Xin.

    After ten minutes, Lan Jinyao had smoothly made a backup of all the files.

    Meanwhile, during the break on set, Shen Wei¡¯an happened to stand near the spot where Lan Jinyao¡¯s bag was located. Li Qi was quick on his feet and quickly took Lan Jinyao¡¯s bag in his hands before cautiously asking, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an looked around the set and said with a sneer, ¡°Why? Chen Meimei doesn¡¯t dare to watch me perform? Was she worried that the limelight would be stolen by me?¡±

    ¡°She went to the bathroom!¡±

    Li Qi didn¡¯t like Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s manner of speaking, and somehow hearing it made him feel ufortable.

    ¡°Oh? She went to the bathroom? How long has it been already? Don¡¯t tell me that she fell into thetrine?¡±

    Following that, Shen Wei¡¯an smirked at Li Qi and then sat down at the side to rest.

    Li Qi finally realised something and quickly checked the time. More than ten minutes had passed already...why wasn¡¯t she back yet? He wanted to go take a look, but he was worried about Lan Jinyao¡¯s bag, so he took the bag and went to find her.

    When Lan Jinyao came out of the room, she saw Li Qi rushing over with her bag in his hands. The two of them nearly bumped into each other.

    Li Qi stared at the phone in her hand and said, ¡°Meimei, your phone...¡±

    Lan Jinyao nced at the phone in her hand and casually said, ¡°When I was in the bathroom earlier, I realised that I left my phone in the room. I don¡¯t have any scenes at the moment, so I took the chance toe back and get it.¡±

    Li Qi didn¡¯t have the slightest trace of suspicion when she said that. He handed the bag to her and said, ¡°You were right! Shen Wei¡¯an really had her eyes on your bag. Now that you¡¯re filming together on the same set, you¡¯ve got to be careful. Don¡¯t let me see what happened a few days ago repeat itself, or else I¡¯ll inform President Fu!¡±

    His threat, which didn¡¯t really count as a threat, made Lan Jinyao baffled.

    ¡°What did you say? Did you tell Fu about thest incident?¡±

    Li Qi didn¡¯t expect her to overreact like this, so he sheepishly smiled and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. I mentioned it casually, but you don¡¯t have to worry because President Fu wasn¡¯t angry.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao abruptly smiled. Li Qi thought that she was worried that Fu Bainian would be angry at her for insisting oning here, yet she got bullied in the end. But, in fact, what she was worried about was that Fu Bainian, who was so deeply in love with her, was starting to give up on her.

    Li Qi gave him a call, yet when she sent him a text message, she didn¡¯t receive any reply. When she called him after that, his phone was already turned off.

    ¡°Meimei, don¡¯tugh!¡± Li Qi started to feel anxious when he saw her sad smiling expression.

    ¡°Li Qi!¡± Lan Jinyao tightly clung onto his sleeve and asked, ¡°Was I being too willful? Do you think Fu Bainian is angry with me? Or, is he giving up on me?¡±

    Often, when one bashed their head against a brick wall, they wouldn¡¯t be persuaded so easily. Li Qi understood that, and at this moment, this woman in front of him was bashing her head against a brick wall.

    ¡°Without a doubt, he¡¯s...giving up on you!¡± A shrill female voice rang out behind them.

    Shen Wei¡¯an walked over to their side. The break was over, and the crew was ready to start the next scene.

    The Director, standing not too far away, was about to call Shen Wei¡¯an but was stopped by Jiang Cheng next to him. The Director stared at Jiang Cheng with a puzzled look, and he then heard him say, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a bit! You can rest for another ten minutes.¡±

    Most of the staff loved to gossip and were more than happy to watch a show, so they didn¡¯t mind and naturally didn¡¯t intervene.

    Things were aplete mess now. Li Qi had initially thought that Chen Meimei, this troublemaker, wouldn¡¯t forgive Shen Wei¡¯an this time and if things got worse, then the two of them might even get into a fistfight. However, just as he was getting all the more anxious, he suddenly saw Chen Meimei, who was initially brimming with anger, reveal a smile.

    In that split second, Li Qi had seemingly seen a trace of fighting spirit sh through her eyes.

    His gaze then fell on Shen Wei¡¯an, and he understood why. As expected, it was because of Shen Wei¡¯an.

    Lan Jinyao looked towards Shen Wei¡¯an and dered, ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an, you¡¯re not fit to intervene in our matters. Let me tell you, I, Chen Meimei, am not someone you can mess with so easily. I still haven¡¯t returned that cup of tea to you!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an coldly snorted and rebuked, ¡°Sure enough! I¡¯m waiting!¡±

    The development of the current situation was beyond Jiang Cheng¡¯s expectations, and his eyes looked a little disappointed as he said to the Director, ¡°Enough rest, let¡¯s begin.¡±

    The Director immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, ¡°Wei¡¯an,e here quickly. It¡¯s time for the next scene.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be right there!¡±

    When Shen Wei¡¯an turned around to leave, Lan Jinyao forcefully grabbed her arm. The spot she tightly held onto turned slightly red. She closed in and whispered in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s ear, ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an, you¡¯ve got guts! You clearly know the reason why I¡¯m participating in this drama, yet you didn¡¯t care to avoid me and instead met with me head-on. You think you have Jiang Cheng backing you? Haha, don¡¯t you forget, Jiang Cheng told me that he doesn¡¯t like you!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao had said these words, she¡¯d inadvertently swept a nce in Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction, and Shen Wei¡¯an had followed her gaze. The blood in her fingertips slowly receded, and because the warmth of blood flow didn¡¯t reach the nerve endings, her fingers were as cold as ice.

    ¡°Are you scared now?¡± Lan Jinyao loosened her grip and then imitated Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s usual expression by covering her mouth and haughtilyughing with a smug look on her face.

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯splexion was as pale as a zombie as she walked back to the set.

    Lan Jinyao stared at her rigid figure fading into the distance, her expression somewhat ugly.

    Shen Wei¡¯an, howe we¡¯ve be like this? You¡¯re so arrogant, who can enter your heart?

 Chapter 124 - Falling From Grace (3)

    <h4>Chapter 124 - Falling From Grace (3)</h4>

    ¡°Fu Bainian-!¡±

    Shen Yu¡¯s angry voice echoed inside the office.

    His hands were ced on the desk as he looked down at the man sitting in the chair behind it. At this moment, in this office, there was no boss and subordinate; only close friends.

    He was practically shouting at Fu Bainian¡¯s expressionless face.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this, do you hear me? We are now falling deeper and deeper! You can¡¯t let your emotions control your rationality, don¡¯t lose your mind!¡±

    Apparently, since Shen Yu didn¡¯t usually yell at people, his voice sounded a little hoarse. After he¡¯d finished shouting, he coughed violently.

    Fu Bainian furrowed his brows, stood up from the chair, and then went to the coffee table and poured a cup of tea. ¡°Are you done shouting? Here, moisten your throat.¡±

    Shen Yu took the cup of tea, and after he¡¯d finished downing the drink, he said, ¡°Fu Bainian, I¡¯m serious, I also have shares in those stocks. I can¡¯t let you continue down this path, or we¡¯ll all suffer a huge financial loss. Jiang Cheng is clearly waiting for that!¡±

    After frantically saying all that, he stared straight at Fu Bainian, waiting for his answer.

    ¡°Are you done?¡± Fu Bainian said indifferently in response.

    ¡°Let me emphasise my point again; I¡¯m utterly serious this time! If you don¡¯t stop, then I will withdraw my investment!¡±

    The two men red at each other for a minute before Fu Bainian said, ¡°Ok!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shen Yu hurriedly asked. ¡°Are you agreeing to stop?¡±

    However, Fu Bainian shook his head. ¡°You leave first, and I¡¯ll consider this matter again!¡±

    Listening to his ambiguous words, Shen Yu seemingly sighed in relief. He patted Fu Bainian¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Alright, think about it carefully, I won¡¯t bother you. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    After the office door closed behind Shen Yu, Fu Bainian sat on the couch and stared at the cup of hot tea, lost in his thoughts.

    After a while, his phone rang. It was a new text message.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, I haven¡¯t given up yet, so our marriage can''t be considered as over! No matter what other people say, I will not believe it!!!¡±

    Fu Bainian stared at thest sentence, especially the exmation marks, for a long time. Suddenly, he smiled. It was a very shallow smile, but the corners of his mouth still rose slightly.

    Half an hourter, Shen Yu received a phone call from Fu Bainian. The voice was as cold as usual. ¡°Shen Yu, stop it!¡±

    Shen Yu was in the hall. After receiving the call, he couldn¡¯t help cheering. His money was saved, at least for the time being.

    After he¡¯d calmed down, he found that everyone around him was staring at him. He gave those people a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯m so happy today; I¡¯ll treat you all to dinner tonight!¡±

    And thus, everyone in the hall started cheering.

    ......

    In the evening, it was Lan Jinyao¡¯s turn to perform. She stood under the shadow of the tree, holding a long sword. Her figure was wrapped in a long white dress that fluttered along with her movements. Her actions were swift, yet elegant. She was flying fast with grace.

    There were pink petals raining down around her; somended on the ground, and somended on her white clothes.

    Such a magnificent scene stunned the crew.

    Xiaolin pulled out her phone and aimed the camera at Lan Jinyao as she was performing her sword dance.

    The woman captured in the camera looked cold, like a white lotus in the snow that exuded a chilly aroma.

    ¡°Brother Li, you see, Sis Meimei is really beautiful, right? She looks like a fairy spirit dancing in the breeze. Those eyes of hers are mesmerising.¡±

    Li Qi was staring fixedly at the figure under the tree, unable to shift his eyes away. He unconsciously whispered, ¡°Yeah, such a beautiful person, I seem to have seen her!¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± asked Xiaolin in puzzlement.

    However, Li Qi didn¡¯t answer her question.

    A beatter, Xiaolin asked him again, ¡°Brother Li, say, can I upload this clip to Weibo in advance? If it¡¯s posted, it¡¯ll definitely cause a sensation.¡±

    Li Qi¡¯s attention was finally pulled back by her. He nced at the video on the phone and eximed, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the pixels of your phone¡¯s camera to be quite so clear!¡±

    ¡°Of course, just don¡¯t look at the brand of my phone!¡± Remembering her question, she asked again, ¡°What do you say, can I post it online? Regarding this, Jiang Cheng hasn¡¯t set any rules, right?¡±

    ¡°About this...you have to ask Jiang Cheng. I can¡¯t make the decision.¡±

    At that moment, Li Qi found that everyone on set was staring at the pure white figure. Then, there was the sharp sound of a sword whistling through the air, and Xu Hao appeared. His face was masked by a ck cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with viciousness. A ck and white figure, shing in the air with their swords, were in an unusually intense fight.

    Suddenly, Shen Wei¡¯an appeared. She stood behind the group of staff members without anyone noticing her.

    Xiaolin was still recording everything. Her camera wasn¡¯t only focusing on the fight between Lan Jinyao and Xu Hao, but also the surprised or stunned expressions of the staff.

    Suddenly, a small movement caught her attention. A woman standing amongst the crowd bent down and picked up a small stone. Just as everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the performance, Shen Wei¡¯an threw the stone in her hand. The light shone on the long sword, reflecting a white light on a spot where a dark shadow suddenly appeared.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s right hand abruptly stopped moving, and Xu Hao¡¯s sword stabbed into her chest.

    ¡°AHHH-¡±

    By the time the scream was heard, it was alreadyte.

    The white figure had been stained with blood.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss; it¡¯s just fake blood!¡± Li Qi yelled at Xiaolin, who was standing next to him.

    Xiaolin examined the situation and patted her chest in relief, muttering under her breath, ¡°But, it looks like real blood. Fortunately, it¡¯s just a blood bag prepared by the staff in advance.¡±

    However, Li Qi¡¯s expression soon changed, and he rushed to Lan Jinyao¡¯s side inrge strides. As Xiaolin followed closely behind him, she looked back at the crowd and found that Shen Wei¡¯an had disappeared.

    ¡°Huh, where is she?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was lying on the ground. Li Qi quickly supported her head as he nervously asked, ¡°How could it be like this?! Wasn¡¯t the sword in Xu Hao¡¯s hand just a prop? What kind of prop is so sharp?¡±

    Xu Hao was also stunned. He nkly looked at the sword in his hand and unconsciously muttered, ¡°How could it be like this?¡±

    When Jiang Cheng came closer, he was greeted with the sight of a figure dressed in white lying on the ground, and a group of people surrounding her.

    He suddenly felt a burst of dizziness and almost fell to the ground.

 Chapter 125 - Falling From Grace (4)

    <h4>Chapter 125 - Falling From Grace (4)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao felt dizzy as she slightly opened her eyelids. Surrounded by a pure white light, she seemed to see Fu Bainian¡¯s figure within.

    She reached out to touch the man. However, after waving her hand in the air several times in an attempt to touch him, she realised it was fruitless, and her hand powerlessly fell to the bed.

    When Lan Jinyaopletely opened her eyes, it urred to her that it was just a hallucination. She was all alone in the empty ward.

    Lan Jinyao smiled. ¡°Fu Bainian, why haven¡¯t youe?¡±

    Her smile looked somewhat wan.

    Lan Jinyao then closed her eyes again. Twenty minutester, Xiaolin quietly walked in, holding a thermos.

    Xiaolin gently called out her name, ¡°Sis Meimei, are you awake?¡±

    ¡°Mhh,¡± Lan Jinyao responded weakly and opened her eyes. ¡°Xiaolin, President Fu...has hee yet?

    Xiaolin shook her head. ¡°No. What¡¯s wrong? Do you want me to call President Fu? In this kind of situation, he should visit.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, in this kind of situation, he really should have visited, but he hasn¡¯t, right?¡± she chuckled, and due to that, her wound stretched. Due to the pain, she sucked in a sharp gasp.

    ¡°Maybe President Fu is busy, and because the production team is very good at keeping work confidential, he doesn¡¯t know yet! Sis Meimei, don¡¯t overthink things, and just focus on recuperating properly!¡± Xiaolin was anxious and quickly consoled her.

    What a clumsy excuse! Fu Bainian knew everything; there was no way to hide anything from him.

    Seeing her like this, Xiaolin was depressed, so she tried to change the topic. ¡°Sis Meimei, I don¡¯t think your injury was an ident. That night I saw...¡±

    ¡°Saw what?¡± Li Qi, who¡¯d suddenly opened the door and walked in, asked urgently.

    However, Xiaolin didn¡¯t say anything once she saw that there was an additional person in the room. Initially, Lan Jinyao¡¯s curiosity was piqued, and upon seeing Li Qi enter the room, a thought came to mind. Because of this, she decided to wait until she and Xiaolin were both alone to ask her.

    ¡°What did you see that night?¡± Li Qi questioned once more.

    Xiaolin was unwilling to speak at first, but due to Li Qi¡¯s interrogation, she said loudly, ¡°The sword in Xu Hao¡¯s hand was only a prop, so how could it pierce Sis Meimei¡¯s chest? Fortunately, the stab wasn¡¯t deep and it only grazed her flesh. If it had pierced any deeper, Sis Meimei might be dead by now.¡±

    To Xiaolin, it felt like she had an injury matching Lan Jinyao¡¯s on her body, and after she¡¯d finished speaking, she started crying.

    Li Qi quickly persuaded her to stop her crying. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t cry anymore. Don¡¯t disturb Meimei¡¯s rest!¡±

    Xiaolin stopped crying, and then said in a choked voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go out. Sis Meimei needs to rest properly.¡±

    While walking out, Xiaolin turned her head to look at Lan Jinyao. Her expression was hesitant like she had something to tell her. However, since Li Qi was still in the room, it wasn¡¯t a convenient time to talk.

    Her rtion with Li Qi was very good, so to say that they were close wasn¡¯t excessive. Then, why was Xiaolin avoiding Li Qi, and wanted to let only her know? Unless what she¡¯d seen was the reason why Lan Jinyao had received an injury and she didn¡¯t want to disclose it. After all, if it had been just a little more serious, then Lan Jinyao wouldn¡¯t exist anymore.

    After Li Qi took Xiaolin out of the ward, Lan Jinyao was left alone in the room. She was lying on the hospital bed, unable to sleep as she was thinking about everything that had happened the past few days. She had to tidy up her thoughts.

    In fact, this injury, she¡¯d anticipated it a little. No, rather than expected, she¡¯d even yed a role in adding fuel to the situation, intensify the conflict between her and Shen Wei¡¯an. That way, she could speed up the brewing of hatred in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s heart.

    Yes, hatred. The moment before Lan Jinyao had fallen from the rooftop; she¡¯d already seen that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s vicious heart hiding under her smile was filled with hatred.

    Therefore, Lan Jinyao felt that the matter this time must be connected to Shen Wei¡¯an. As long as she could collect the evidence, then that woman was done for.

    In the afternoon, Jiang Cheng came to visit her. When he came to the hospital, he had a basket of fruit in his hands. Lan Jinyao gave a quick look at the basket and noticed that it was all fruit which she liked to eat.

    ¡°I didn¡¯te to see you in the morning because I had to deal with everything on set. It turns out that Xu Hao¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t a prop prepared by the crew. Someone had reced it, and the prop sword was found in the pond in the back.¡±

    Lan Jinyao had already guessed everything, so when Jiang Cheng told her this, she wasn¡¯t surprised at all.

    ¡°Why do I feel that you already know all this?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.

    ¡°I guessed it!¡± Lan Jinyao replied casually. Then, she said, ¡°So, have you found out who changed the swords?¡±

    Jiang Cheng asked in reply, ¡°Haven¡¯t you already guessed it?¡±

    ¡°I just want to confirm it!¡± In fact, if Jiang Cheng had investigated, then there must currently be evidence in his hands. Since she¡¯d guessed it all by intuition, she couldn¡¯t prove anything based on that alone.

    Jiang Cheng sat down on the chair in the room, a smile suddenly gleaming in his eyes. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, isn¡¯t it hard to deal with Shen Wei¡¯an? Now, I have evidence that Shen Wei¡¯an hurt you in my hands. So, I want to ask you, are you interested in making a deal with me?¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t have to ask as she could roughly guess what kind of deal he wanted.

    This time, she didn¡¯t hesitate to answer Jiang Cheng. ¡°I¡¯m not interested!¡±

    Her resolute tone stunned Jiang Cheng. A beatter, he burst into delightedughter. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ask me what the terms of my deal are? Why are you so anxious to refuse?¡±

    ¡°President Jiang is a sessful businessman, and for a sessful businessman, all the deals can be used to make a profit. I don¡¯t want to save a little only to lose a lotter.¡±

    Her analysis was reasonable. Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng was left speechless.

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s not mention the deal for the time being, just recuperate properly. As for the person who injured you, I won¡¯t intervene. I¡¯ll just wait for you to teach her a lesson yourself!¡±

    Jiang Cheng got up and was about to leave when Lan Jinyao thought of something. She quickly called, ¡°Hold on, since I¡¯ll be staying in the hospital, what about the drama?¡±

    ¡°Sorry to make you worry about the drama. Don¡¯t worry about it; I¡¯ll try to get the Director to shift your scenes around as much as possible first. If that doesn¡¯t work, then we¡¯ll use a stuntman.¡±

    Lan Jinyao agreed. ¡°Okay!¡±

    Her purpose had almost been achieved, so it didn¡¯t matter if she didn¡¯t go.

 Chapter 126 - Falling From Grace (5)

    <h4>Chapter 126 - Falling From Grace (5)</h4>

    In the evening, Lan Jinyao was sitting on the hospital bed, holding a magazine that the nurse had given her and slowly flipping through it.

    When Xiaolin came to visit again, she was extremely secretive. Seeing that no one was in the room, she quickly closed the door. Once she sat down, she asked Lan Jinyao, ¡°Sis Meimei, Brother Li has already here today, so he won¡¯te again this evening, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao realised that Xiaolin had something to say to her, so she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think he will. Is there something that you want to tell me, Xiaolin?¡±

    Xiaolin nodded. ¡°I have something that I want Sis Meimei to look at. Since I¡¯ve already seen it, I can¡¯t just pretend that I don¡¯t know anything and let Sis Meimei be injured for nothing.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s curiosity was piqued.

    Xiaolin pulled out her phone from her pocket and handed it to Lan Jinyao. ¡°Take a look at it yourself, Sis Meimei. This is the video that I took that day, and it shows the truth about your injury.¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at the video ying on the phone without blinking. While watching, she sighed, ¡°Xiaolin, your skills are pretty good; maybe you should change professions to be a cameraman.¡±

    Xiaolin shyly bowed her head. ¡°It¡¯s just a hobby and not good enough to show in public.¡±

    After that, she urged Lan Jinyao, ¡°Sis Meimei, this isn¡¯t the point, alright? You should fast-forward the video and y the part where you and Xu Hao fought.¡±

    Seeing her eagerness, Lan Jinyao smiled and in repeatedly said, ¡°Okay, okay!¡±

    She stroked the video progress bar below the screen with her finger, and the movement of the figures on the screen sped up. Soon, she stopped and looked at the woman on the screen in shock.

    In the dark, no one noticed Shen Wei¡¯an throwing a small stone. It distracted Xu Hao and consequently, the sword in his hand, which had been reced, pierced Lan Jinyao¡¯s chest.

    Although Lan Jinyao had already guessed everything, once she saw the madness and resentment in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s eyes at that moment, she still couldn¡¯t stop herself from trembling, as though she had no self-control.

    Even though it was dark, the resentment in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s eyes was visible.

    Xiaolin gripped her hand. ¡°Sis Meimei, don¡¯t be afraid. Now that you¡¯re in the hospital, what would Shen Wei¡¯an dare do to you?¡±

    The girl¡¯s palm was hot, and it drove away her chilliness. As Lan Jinyao turned her head to look at Xiaolin sitting beside the bed, an idea popped in her mind.

    ¡°Xiaolin, can you do something for me? I¡¯m worried that Shen Wei¡¯an won¡¯t just leave the matter at that. She¡¯ll definitely kill me next time!¡± The look in her eyes was somewhat frightened.

    Xiaolin frowned, and then solemnly nodded. ¡°Alright, I will help you. Just tell me what I can do, Sis Meimei!¡±

    ¡°I suspect that Shen Wei¡¯an swapped the swords. If we can find evidence, we can prove that Shen Wei¡¯an deliberately tried to kill me. I want you to help me find that evidence!¡±

    ¡°Me? Can I?¡± Xiaolin looked at her incredulously.

    Lan Jinyao nodded. ¡°Believe in yourself, Xiaolin, you can surely do it.¡±

    If it was Li Qi, Jiang Cheng would undoubtedly have some precautions against him. But, if it was the simple and naive Xiaolin, Jiang Cheng may let down his guard.

    Seeing that Lan Jinyao trusted her so much, Xiaolin¡¯s eyes welled with emotions and soon glistened.

    A beatter, Xiaolin asked her, ¡°But, I don¡¯t know how to find evidence. This video on my phone identally caught Shen Wei¡¯an; it wasn¡¯t intentional.¡±

    Lan Jinyao knew that Xiaolin wasn¡¯t very confident.

    She softly said to Xiaolin, ¡°I know where the evidence is; President Jiang has it. If you can steal the evidence and give it to me, Shen Wei¡¯an will be done for.¡±

    Once Xiaolin heard the name ¡®President Jiang¡¯, she was instantly afraid. ¡°The evidence is with President Jiang? Sis Meimei, I¡¯m afraid, I don¡¯t dare do anything to him.¡±

    Lan Jinyao crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself as she said in a pained voice, ¡°Could it be that I should just ept my injury?¡±

    And thus, for the next half an hour, Lan Jinyao tried to convince Xiaolin. Eventually, Xiaolin was brainwashed and promised to help her find the evidence.

    However, their n couldn¡¯t keep up with reality. Xiaolin found the evidence they needed, but it was snatched away by Shen Wei¡¯an.

    When Xiaolin, who med herself, stood crying in front of Lan Jinyao, Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t vent her anger any longer.

    She could only suppress the irritation within her heart and gently console Xiaolin. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Even if it was discovered by Shen Wei¡¯an, there is nothing she can do about it.¡±

    ¡°But...but this way we can¡¯t get Shen Wei¡¯an charged with a crime!¡±

    ¡°Nevermind, we are verypassionate people. Let her off just this one time for now. That woman is so rotten that she¡¯ll certainly make another move,¡± she tried tofort the sobbing Xiaolin, as well as her agitated heart.

    ¡°Make another move?!¡± Xiaolin couldn¡¯t help but scream. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ll be hurt again, Sis Meimei?¡±

    Before Lan Jinyao could open her mouth to respond, Xiaolin shouted, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of Shen Wei¡¯an, I can stay by your side and protect you! I won¡¯t let that woman hurt you again!¡±

    As a result, Lan Jinyao smiled. ¡°How could I be hurt so easily? Not to mention, with the lesson this time, I¡¯ll definitely be more cautious in the future.¡±

    Xiaolin felt relieved, and told her, ¡°Then, you should be careful, I¡¯m leaving now.¡±

    After Xiaolin had left, Lan Jinyao turned off all the lights in the room. In the darkness, her ck eyes were shining brightly.

    Since the evidence was snatched away by Shen Wei¡¯an, then she had to let that woman off for now. But, her purpose couldn¡¯t be abandoned halfway; she had to give that woman a little lesson.

    The next day, Shen Wei''an¡¯s name was on the most searched list. The first one was: The popr actress Shen Wei''an once again hooks up with a married man andes between the married couple¡¯s rtionship. Since then, Shen Wei''an¡¯s name has be a synonym for ¡®mistress¡¯. The second one was: Shen Wei''an deliberately makes things difficult for the production crew and the actress she¡¯s acting along with, even causing them deliberate harm.

    Lan Jinyao looked at the news on her phone, a corner of her mouth lifting.

    Shen Wei¡¯an, although I can¡¯t promote you personally, these things aren¡¯t too much different. Don¡¯t you like fame? I¡¯ll let you taste the feeling of falling from grace!

    Soon, the production crew leaked the news about the decision to remove Shen Wei''an from the cast. In response, Jiang Cheng only said eight words in front of the reporters, ¡°She¡¯s vicious, merciless, and her conduct is poor.¡±

    Consequently, the public¡¯s opinion was confirmed by this one sentence.

    Afterwards, Lan Jinyao never saw Shen Wei¡¯an among the production crew again. Lan Jinyao thought that she might¡¯ve left with the evidence and was preparing to make aeback.

    However, Lan Jinyao still wondered about one thing; had Shen Wei¡¯an found out about the evidence on her own or had someone deliberately revealed it to her?

 Chapter 127 - Falling From Grace (6)

    <h4>Chapter 127 - Falling From Grace (6)</h4>

    Movie City was only a few hundred meters away from the nearest hospital. While Xu Hao was ming himself for making a mistake, he realised that Chen Meimei had stolen his photos. Due to this, he never entered the hospital.

    Currently, he was preparing to apologise to Chen Meimei who was still in the hospital and admit his mistake.

    A bouquet was clenched in one of Xu Hao¡¯s hands as he casually strolled along the brightly lit street. As it was still quite early, there were many people around. To avoid being recognised, Xu Hao was wearing a cap on his head.

    However, when he was at the hospital entrance, he realised that he was being followed. As his shadow stretched in front of him from the street lights, he discovered another shadow besides his own. Xu Hao abruptly turned around, but before he could do anything, his mouth was covered, and a knife was pressed against his neck.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make any noise, just follow me. I won¡¯t hurt you!¡±

    When Xu Hao heard the woman¡¯s voice, he knew who was pressing the knife against his neck.

    ¡°Where are you going to take me?¡±

    ¡°To a quiet ce. I have something to tell you.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s voice sounded tense, and her eyes darted everywhere as she scrutinised her surroundings.

    Xu Hao nodded. ¡°Okay, but move the knife away from my neck. A knife doesn¡¯t care who it injures, and I don¡¯t want to die when your hand identally trembles.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an hesitated for a moment before finally removing the knife. Xu Hao threw away the flowers in his hand and followed Shen Wei¡¯an. He was still unaware that the sword in his hand back then had been switched by Shen Wei¡¯an.

    About ten minutester, Shen Wei¡¯an had led Xu Hao to a motel. Seeing the simple and crude building before him, Xu Hao hesitated. But, when he saw Shen Wei¡¯an enter without any hesitation, he followed her.

    Thendy was a fat woman, and her eyes held disdain when she looked at them. There seemed to be a misunderstanding.

    Xu Hao pressed his cap down to block most of his face and continued walking without exining anything.

    Shen Wei¡¯an opened the door to a room and let him in.

    Seeing the huge suitcase and the simplistic decorations in the room, Xu Hao asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay in a hotel? You have money, right?¡±

    When Shen Wei¡¯an replied, her tone was odd. Additionally, her hands seemed to be badly shaking.

    ¡°How could I stay in a hotel? There¡¯ll be reporters waiting for me in the hotel nearby. They can¡¯t wait for me to fall and forever disappear from the entertainment industry.¡± Shen Wei¡¯an held her head with both hands, asionally clutching her long hair.

    Xu Hao thought: Haven¡¯t you already fallen?

    Then, he asked, ¡°So, why¡¯re you looking for me? They all say that you threw a stone, which led to the sword in my hand piercing Chen Meimei¡¯s chest. Is that true?¡± Xu Hao softly asked as he sat down beside Shen Wei¡¯an, gently putting his hand on top her head.

    Whether it was to an outsider¡¯s point of view, or to Shen Wei''an¡¯s eyes, he was a very reliable guy. It seemed that even Shen Wei''an thought that he genuinely liked her. However, how could he possibly like a woman who used underhanded means and would sell her own conscience and body in order to climb to the top of the entertainment industry?

    Needless to say, Xu Hao was an outstanding actor.

    Even he was almost fooled by his skills.

    Shen Wei¡¯an shook her head, her expression crumbling. ¡°Do you know that the female lead role was supposed to be mine? But, because of Chen Meimei, Jiang Cheng not only changed me into the second female lead, he even had the screenwriter rewrite my scenes. I thought that he and I were on the same page.¡±

    You weren¡¯t even aware of who you wererades in arms with, so you deserve to be in your current messy situation. Xu Hao¡¯s lips curled up into a sarcastic smile. You¡¯ll soon disappear.

    ¡°Then, that thing, was it your doing?¡± he repeated his question.

    ¡°How could that be my doing?!¡± Shen Wei¡¯an shouted in helplessness.

    Xu Hao raised his brows. He thought it was Shen Wei¡¯an. But, besides Shen Wei¡¯an, who else had a motive? Was it Chen Meimei herself? No way, because she didn¡¯t have a reason!

    As he was lost in his thoughts, Shen Wei¡¯an abruptly grabbed his sleeve and stared at him with a expectant look. ¡°Xu Hao, don¡¯t you believe me? I admit that I threw the stone at that time, but that was just me being mischievous. I never would¡¯ve dreamed in a million years that someone would change your sword. I thought at first...it was yours!¡±

    Xu Hao, who was being used, widened his eyes. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! I have no reason to do that!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an smiled. ¡°Who knows, maybe you just wanted to help me?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an rested her head on Xu Hao¡¯s chest. She didn¡¯t even notice that Xu Hao¡¯s body had stiffened.

    She said softly, ¡°Xu Hao, I have to leave. There¡¯s no more ce for me here now. Do you know who Shao Jun¡¯s wife is? His wife belongs to the second generation of an official¡¯s family, and since she doesn¡¯t she want to see me, what else can I do?¡±

    Xu Hao knew a little about Shao Jun. Shao Jun had an excellent figure, almost close to the golden ratio of a model, and Xu Hao had heard things about his wife as well. She was a very powerful woman, but no one knew her background. But, what he didn''t think of was that Shao Jun¡¯s wife belonged to the second generation of an official¡¯s family.

    With such a low-key woman, it was really difficult to imagine.

    ¡°What are you gonna do now?¡± Xu Hao asked her.

    Shen Wei¡¯an choked as she said with a sad tone, ¡°I have no other way, I can only leave and go to a ce where no one can find me. I have to recuperate and build up energy. The reason I looked for you today was to bid farewell, and also, I want to ask a favour from you. All the ounts in my bank are frozen, so I want to borrow some money from you.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an seemed to be ashamed to say that; so much that she didn¡¯t dare look straight at Xu Hao.

    ¡°Your ounts have been frozen? Who did it? Was it that woman?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an shook her head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t Shao Jun¡¯s wife, but Jiang Cheng! In the name of breaching his contract, he asked the legal department of thepany to submit relevant documents to my bank. All my money is gone. The man even ndered me by saying that I had misappropriated thepany''s property, but the cheque was clearly given to me by him!¡±

    Xu Hao calmly analysed the situation, and after a while, he said to her, ¡°You fell for his trap!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that anymore, just lend me some money, please. I will make aeback! That woman is still living well, so how can I be defeated by her?¡±

 Chapter 128 - Despair (1)

    <h4>Chapter 128 - Despair (1)</h4>

    The woman looked insane, and Xu Hao frowned as he pulled out his wallet.

    ¡°Here you go. There¡¯s a hundred thousand in this card; it¡¯s enough for you to use for a while. The password is six zeroes.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an wiped her tears and grabbed his hand, expressing her thanks. ¡°Thank you. I have to catch a ne now. I will return the money to you when Ie back.¡±

    ¡°No need, just remember to keep in touch with me.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an nodded in response. She didn¡¯t stay any longer and immediately left. She was in a hurry as though there was something terrible chasing behind her.

    Xu Hao also left the room after Shen Wei¡¯an had gone. He watched as Shen Wei¡¯an got on a taxi, the car leaving in the direction of the airport. Standing under the streetlight, he dialled the first number in his address phone book.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me, Xu Hao!¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, why¡¯re you calling me thiste?¡± thenguid voice of female came through the phone.

    Xu Hao creased his brows, and asked, ¡°Are you drinking again?¡±

    There was no reply from the other side of the phone for a moment. Just as Xu Hao thought that the phone would be hung up, the woman said, ¡°Mmh, I¡¯m drinking again, because I¡¯m happy, I¡¯m freaking happy. Shen Wei¡¯an ended up like this...¡±

    But then, her tone abruptly changed and became fierce, ¡°But, she shouldn¡¯t just end up like this. She can¡¯t get away with it. She hasn¡¯t entered prison yet!¡±

    ¡°Lan Xin, don¡¯t get agitated. I¡¯m calling you to tell you something important.¡± His tone showing more patience as he continued, ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an looked for me just now and borrowed a hundred thousand from me. She said that she had to leave, and that¡¯ll shee back someday.¡±

    ¡°Where is she now?¡± the woman¡¯s voice was somewhat anxious.

    ¡°She just left for the airport. I estimate that she¡¯ll arrive at the airport in half an hour. If you want to chase her, it¡¯s still...¡± not toote.

    Before Xu Hao could finish speaking, the phone call had been disconnected.

    He stared at the phone in his hand in disappointment. He¡¯d thought that he could speak to her some more. Although those videos were exposed by others, he also had a part in it!

    A taxi drove slowly under the night sky, but when it was halfway to its destination, it was called to a stop.

    ¡°Stop! Turn around now; we¡¯re not going to the airport; go to the dock.¡±

    ¡°Miss, this road doesn¡¯t allow U-turns, I¡¯ll be caught by the road surveince cameras.¡±

    The driver didn¡¯t stop, and continued to drive forward.

    Just as he finished speaking, a knife was pressed against his neck. The hands holding the steering wheel trembled, and the car almost hit the road safety barrier.

    ¡°Go to the dock right now!¡± the female¡¯s hoarse voice wasced with an imposing tone.

    The driver was so scared he broke into a cold sweat. ¡°O-okay, I¡¯ll immediately turn around, no no, turn around now, right now.¡±

    And thus, the road surveince cameras captured this scene.

    The taxi driver couldn¡¯t care less about viting the rules or not as the taxi sped towards the docks. Even the red traffic lights were ignored and bypassed.

    ¡°You musn¡¯t act rashly because if I die, I shall drag you with me.¡±

    At that moment, the driver saw her face from the rearview mirror. Then, an exmation was heard in the speeding car. ¡°You¡¯re Shen Wei¡¯an?! I¡¯m your fan!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an sneered. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to still have fans?¡±

    ¡°Of course you have,¡± the driver quickly said. ¡°You still have a solid support club.¡±

    The knife which was pressed against the driver¡¯s neck slightly loosened.

    Shen Wei¡¯an said, ¡°Yes, I was no worse than that woman. It was all her fault! She blocked the road in front of me, and if it weren¡¯t for Fu Bainian, that woman couldn¡¯t havee this far. No one would continuously block bad press for her! And, she wouldn¡¯t get to take every opportunity given to her!¡±

    An hourter, Shen Wei¡¯an stood in front of the dock.

    She said to the driver, ¡°Since you¡¯re my fan, I won¡¯t pay the fare, but I¡¯ll give you my autograph instead!¡±

    The driver nodded repeatedly. ¡°Sure!¡±

    After Shen Wei¡¯an left though, her autograph was thrown under the soles of the taxi driver. The man spit on it as he said, ¡°Bah! As for your signature, no one would want it. To think I had the bad luck to run into such a woman today.¡±

    The sea breeze caressed the long, ck hair of a woman. She was like a witch standing under the night sky with a vicious smile upon her lips.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xu Hao. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but since I now have no way out, I can¡¯t believe anyone.¡±

    She watched the waves rolling in the distance, a profound expression in her fathomless eyes.

    Half an hourter, Lan Xin arrived at the airport, only toe for nothing.

    ......

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, I hope that you¡¯ll be a little more dedicated to your work. Even if Shen Wei¡¯an is no longer a member of the production team, you can¡¯t leave halfway. The female lead role of this drama belongs to you, and this drama will also be a step towards many of your future works. So, I hope that with Shen Wei¡¯an gone now, you can finish the drama well.¡±

    Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t shown such a cold expression for some time.

    His expression reminded Lan Jinyao of the old dean who always looked very strict. And, when Jiang Cheng stood in front of her, she was slightly entranced.

    At this moment, her emotions and rationality were in a fierce collision.

    In her head seemed there were two voices, one was screaming: Fu Bainian is already furious. She couldn¡¯t continue to stay here any longer; she had to leave quickly.

    The other was saying: Your ethics and professionalism have been thrown away. You can¡¯t leave halfway through a project. If you go, you will no longer be a qualified actor.

    Lan Jinyao was now struggling with her inner emotions. On the other side, Jiang Cheng had already seen her conflicted expression.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, if Fu Bainian really loves you, he should support your work, not blindly stop you nor doubt you!¡±

    Those bold and unconstrained words were undoubtedly the best means of convincing people.

    Lan Jinyao started to waver.

    He continued, ¡°I¡¯ve found a recement for the second female lead. If you stay, we can continue shooting tomorrow. Meimei, although we signed a contract, you know that I can¡¯t use the contents of the contract to bind you or threaten you. If you say you want to go, I won¡¯t stop you. I just hope that you can think about it.¡±

    In the end, Lan Jinyao nodded and said, ¡°After I finish this drama, the cooperation between us is over.¡±

    Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Of course!¡±

    As long as Shen Wei¡¯an was still somewhere in the world, how can the cooperation between them bepleted?

    Lan Jinyao, this is your vulnerability!

 Chapter 129 - Despair (2)

    <h4>Chapter 129 - Despair (2)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s uncertain whether this drama will continue after everything that happened with Shen Wei¡¯an. If it doesn¡¯t continue, wouldn¡¯t Chen Meimei being home tonight? Don¡¯t you think so, Fu Bainian? Hey, where are you going?¡±

    Twenty minutes ago, Fu Bainian was still working overtime at thepany, but then he¡¯d returned home to an empty living room. All of this was caused by Shen Yu¡¯s simple guess.

    The moment he opened the door, his sight darted to the slippers on the shoe rack. Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t returned yet.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t turn on the light. Instead, he sat on the couch and started tough. ¡°Fu Bainian, look at your appearance...¡±

    Abruptly, a light shed in the dark living room; it was a new text message being sent to his phone.

    For the past few days, he hadn¡¯t deleted any messages sent by Lan Jinyao. All were left in his inbox, but he hadn¡¯t replied to any of them. Although he wanted to hear her voice, he didn''t want to call her, and he instead chose to work to paralyse himself.

    Fu Bainian, just let me go, okay?

    He never wanted to hear that kind of plea for a second time.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, do you miss me? I miss you so much, but I still won¡¯t return for a while. There are rules on the contract, so I can only return home once I finish the shoot, remember to wait for me!¡±

    Fu Bainian rigidly stared at the text message on the phone. After a good while, there was the sound of a heavy object falling to the floor in the deathly quiet living room. The phone screen shattering with the impact.

    He¡¯d thought that he wasn¡¯t a violent person but recently, in a short period, he¡¯d already smashed two phones.

    Fu Bainian clutched his head, his expression somewhat pained.

    In the dark, a series of footsteps was heard rushing into the room.

    ¡°Brother, are you alright? I just heard a loud noiseing from the living room...¡±

    The moment the light turned on, Fu Changning yelled, ¡°Brother, what happened to you?!¡±

    She rushed over and supported the man lying on the couch.

    After a while, Fu Bainian replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just a headache. Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Sis-inw isn¡¯t here, and yet you don¡¯t go home to eat, so Mum told me to here to see you. Brother, why don¡¯t youe home and stay for about two days? Just stay until Sis-inw returns, okay?¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s sightnded on the smashed phone. A beatter, he nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The two of them got on the car and returned to the Fu residence.

    In H City. Lan Jinyao stared at her phone in a daze. After a while, she murmured, ¡°Did he cklist my number? Why is that his phone is always turned off every time I call, yet Li Qi can get through?¡±

    She thought for a moment and suddenly waved at Li Qi, who was calling for her.

    Li Qi came over and looked at her in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Meimei? Is there something wrong with your phone? I¡¯ll check it for you. The Director is calling you, so hurry up and find him.¡±

    But, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t give him her phone. Instead, she extended her hand towards him. ¡°Lend me your phone.¡±

    Li Qi was confused, but he still gave her his phone.

    With an uneasy feeling, Lan Jinyao once again dialled Fu Bainian¡¯s phone. When she heard the familiar female voice on the phone, her heart calmed down.

    She gave the confused Li Qi a smile as she returned the phone to him before walking towards the set.

    Li Qi stared at the outgoing call and was still puzzled.

    The drama didn¡¯t seem to be affected by the absence of Shen Wei¡¯an. The day after Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s news was in the media, a person who was going to be recing her appeared. This made Lan Jinyao suspect, not for the first time, whether it was guessed what would happen. Due to this, Jiang Cheng was able to arrange all of this in advance.

    However, over the next few days, everything went surprisingly smoothly. It was just that she felt that her physical condition wasn¡¯t very good. She wasn¡¯t sure what was wrong though.

    It was until one day, when she suddenly woke up from her dreams, that she realised that her period waste.

    Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, Lan Jinyao was dumbfounded as she stared at herself. There seemed to be no other abnormality except that herplexion wasn¡¯t very good.

    Taking advantage of the dark, she covered herselfpletely, then went to the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test. She was like a thief. She would take two steps before stopping and looking around, afraid that someone would follow her.

    When Lan Jinyao saw the results, she screamed and attracted the attention of Li Qi and Xiaolin.

    ¡°What happened? Sis Meimei, did you see a cockroach?¡±

    ¡°What happened, Meimei?¡±

    Upon seeing two shadows appear through the blurry ss door of the bathroom, Lan Jinyao subconsciously threw the pregnancy test into the toilet and flushed it away.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing; I just saw a cockroach.¡± Her eyes were darting everywhere.

    Xiaolin whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, but this room definitely isn¡¯t clean. I¡¯ve seen a cockroach too before. I told Li Qi, but he still doesn¡¯t believe me.¡±

    Li Qi indeed didn''t believe it; whether it was before, or at this moment.

    He looked at Lan Jinyao, suspicions rising in his heart. It didn¡¯t show up on his face as he said, ¡°How about you change to another room tomorrow, Meimei?¡±

    Lan Jinyao quickly refused. ¡°No point, we won¡¯t be here for much longer, we return home after three days.¡±

    Three dayster, the show officially wrapped up. Following this, there was editing and publicity. But, on the day Lan Jinyao decided to join the production team, she told Jiang Cheng that thetter promotions must be handled by Jiang Cheng as she wouldn¡¯t attend.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Then, just be careful as the bathroom floor is quite slippery; don¡¯t slip when you see another cockroach.¡±

    After saying a few words, Li Qi dragged Xiaolin away.

    Lan Jinyao didn''t notice the strange look Li Qi gave her. She couldn''t help smiling. She had intended to send Fu Bainian a text message, but it suddenly urred to her that she would be back in a few days anyway.

    She thought: Who told Fu Bainian to not reply to her text messages or pick up her calls!

    However, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t think that when she would return home three dayster, that between her and Fu Bainian, there would be a vast ravine separating them. In the middle of the abyss, the further one walked, the more one suffered.

    And, at that time, the happy news that would¡¯ve made everyone happy was never announced...even her miscarriage.

 Chapter 130 - Despair (3)

    <h4>Chapter 130 - Despair (3)</h4>

    The van drove smoothly on the road, and Lan Jinyao leaned against the window as she watched the scenery blurring past outside. All along, a faint smile was stered on her lips. Although it was very faint, anyone could see that she was happy at this moment.

    Xiaolin asked her, ¡°Sis Meimei, do you miss President Fu so much that you wish you could fly home to see him?¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t avoid admitting what she was feeling and nodded, ¡°Yes! I miss him very much.¡±

    Immersed in her joy, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t notice the strange expression on Li Qi¡¯s face as he sat next to Xiaolin.

    Li Qi asked tentatively, ¡°Meimei, say, shooting a movie is so tiring, and once you do it, you¡¯ll be away from home for at least ten days to half a month. Would President Fu feel ufortable about this?¡±

    Of course, he would feel ufortable! Back then, she and Fu Bainian had even quarrelled because of this.

    ¡°Then, have you ever thought of retiring and focusing on taking care of your own family? Anyway, many female stars aren¡¯t likely to act for their entire life; they all want to be the centre of their own family instead.¡±

    Lan Jinyao thought that he¡¯d guessed her situation, so she said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it, so, after this drama, don¡¯t give me any jobs for the time being. I want to take a good rest for a while, then...¡± Then concentrate on nourishing my body so I can give birth to a beautiful and lovely baby.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Li Qi stood up excitedly and hit his head on the car roof. As he slumped to his seat, he was rubbing his head. Despite grimacing in pain, he was still grinning.

    Xiaolin teased him, ¡°Brother Li, howe you seem happier than our President Fu?¡±

    Li Qi gave her a look. Of course, he was happier than President Fu! God knows how much pressure he¡¯d had to bear with organising Chen Meimei¡¯s schedule, and the cold pressure that President Fu directed at him would almost freeze him to death. Moreover, some situations were being brewed at an immeasurable pace, and he didn¡¯t want to see a bad ending for anyone involved.

    However, Li Qi didn¡¯t think that after he returned this time, some situations would have worsened.

    When Lan Jinyao returned, Fu Bainian still wasn¡¯t home yet. She thought that when she¡¯d called him in the past few days, he didn¡¯t pick up because he was very busy, or because he was still angry. Due to this, she decided to give him a surprise.

    In the quite living room, Lan Jinyao was lying on the couch and waiting for Fu Bainian toe home. She didn¡¯t dare y with her phone as she was worried that there might be radiation from it, and the programs on TV were very dull. So, she just picked up a magazine and read it. As the sky gradually darkened, drowsiness struck her, and while holding the magazine, Lan Jinyao slowly closed her eyes.

    At about 9 in the evening, Lan Jinyao suddenly woke up from a nightmare. It was a dream that hadn¡¯t appeared for a long time, and now that she was once again having it, it made her feel uneasy. Lan Jinyao patted her chest as she repeatedly told herself, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Shen Wei¡¯an has nothing now, so even if she escapes far away, she wille back. I just need to wait for her.¡±

    Her rapid heartbeat finally slowed and returned to its normal frequency.

    Then, Lan Jinyao remembered that she was alone in the house as Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t returned yet.

    So, she called Fu Bainian¡¯s phone but was greeted by an automatic voice on the other side: The number you have dialled has been disconnected.

    ¡°Why is his phone still turned off? That¡¯s not reasonable. I got freaking cklisted! Fu Bainian, just wait until you get home to settle this score with me! You¡¯re being angry for much too long,¡± Lan Jinyao scolded and cursed, the phone in her hand about to be crushed by her grip.

    A minute passed before Lan Jinyao next called Qian Ran¡¯s phone. If Fu Bainian was working overtime at thepany, as Fu Bainian¡¯s Assistant, Qian Ran would definitely stay overtime as well. Qian Ran¡¯s phone was immediately answered.

    ¡°Madam!¡± Qian Ran greeted respectfully.

    ¡°Is Fu Bainian still at thepany? Let him answer the phone. His phone is turned off, and I have no other way to find him,¡± Lan Jinyao angrily said.

    Sensing that her tone was off and that she was on the verge of erupting, Qian Ran quickly replied, ¡°President Fu isn¡¯t deliberately not picking up your call; he changed his phone number.¡±

    Unexpectedly, this sentence caused Lan Jinyao to erupt. She asked coldly, ¡°Why would he change his number?¡±

    Qian Ran was at a loss for words.

    Lan Jinyao covered her lower abdomen with her hand, and tried hard to keep her anger at bay as she asked again, ¡°Where¡¯s Fu Bainian? Is he still at thepany?¡±

    Qian Ran, on the other side of the phone, felt his brows tightly creasing. He kept onmenting inside: Finished, it¡¯s all finished this time!

    ¡°President Fu left work earlier...but he went to a business dinner tonight. He might get home veryte, so don¡¯t wait for him.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s intuition said that there was something wrong with Qian Ran¡¯s words, but she didn¡¯t inquire further. She only said ¡°okay¡± and hung up.

    Qian Ran was clearly lying to her. If there was a business dinner, then shouldn¡¯t Qian Ran be apanying Fu Bainian? ording to Qian Ran¡¯s IQ, why would he blurt out such unbelievable lies? Lan Jinyao quickly figured it out. Because Qian Ran had suddenly received a call from her, he was so nervous that he couldn¡¯t think of a good excuse.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt so annoyed that her hands nestled on her lower abdomen trembled slightly.

    Fu Bainian, you¡¯ve loved me for so long already...you wouldn¡¯t just let me go, right?

    However, her heart could no longer remain calm.

    Lan Jinyao sat on the couch as she stared quietly at a corner of the room, lost in her thoughts. The moon outside the window ascended with each passing minute. It was gettingte, but there was still no sign of movement at the door; Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t returned yet.

    ¡°Baby, why do you think your Father¡¯s temper is so strange? He¡¯s been angry for so long, but do you think your Daddy forgive Mummy? If Mummy tells your Daddy about your existence, do you think he¡¯ll be happy?¡± He would be, right?

    She started to foolishlyugh by herself.

    By the time Fu Bainian came home, it was already midnight.

    The tears in Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes had long dried up. She heard someone ringing the doorbell and quickly rushed to open the door. The scene outside made her body suddenly freeze.

    Fu Bainian was drunk. His head was drooping, his eyes seemed to be unable to open, and his arm was looped around a woman¡¯s body. It could be seen that the woman¡¯s body was supporting most of his weight.

    ¡°President Fu drank too much, so I sent him home.¡± The woman smiled sweetly, her gaze neither obsequious nor supercilious.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt as if she was about to be struck down.

    She forcibly held back the sadness in her heart and smiled back at the woman with a gentle smile. ¡°I¡¯m very thankful for you sending my husband home. It¡¯s really worrying, how did he get so drunk?¡±

    She took over supporting Fu Bainian and started walking him into the bedroom with difficulty.

    Behind them, Lan Jinyao heard the woman softlymenting something that seemed devoid of maliciousness.

    ¡°President Fu was extremely sad. He told me a lot of his heartfelt thoughts, but since you are his wife, he should¡¯ve told you, right?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Lan Jinyao¡¯s body became cold.

 Chapter 131 - Despair (4)

    <h4>Chapter 131 - Despair (4)</h4>

    Inside the pitch-ck bedroom, Lan Jinyao carried Fu Bainian with great difficulty to the bed. She then pulled the curtains aside and opened the window, letting a cool breeze blow in and carry away the strong smell of alcohol.

    That woman¡¯s words repeatedly echoed in her ears. Her words didn¡¯t contain any malice, but, to a woman, those words were clearly provocative. Which woman in this world would like it when her husband tells all his innermost thoughts to another woman, and not to herself?

    Lan Jinyao despairingly tried tofort herself. I was just too busy, so Fu Bainian didn¡¯t have a chance to tell me anything.

    The moonlight shining through the window left a soft sheen on Fu Bainian¡¯s face; his expression appeared much softer like this. Lan Jinyao extended her hand and gently patted his face. ¡°Fu Bainian, have you fallen asleep?¡±

    Fu Bainian lightly grunted, but he didn¡¯t open his eyes.

    Upon seeing this, Lan Jinyao shook her head and walked to the bathroom. She brought back a basin of warm water to help him wash up. Lan Jinyao had never done anything like this before, so her movements were somewhat rusty, and Fu Bainian, who was lying on the bed, slightly frowned, seemingly feeling a bit ufortable.

    ¡°Fu Bainian...¡±

    She called him again, but there was still no response. It looked like he¡¯d genuinely KO¡¯d this time.

    Then, Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand that was unbuttoning his shirt abruptly froze when she saw a bright red lipstick print on Fu Bainian¡¯s chest, the rim of her eyes instantly turning red. In general, women were extremely susceptible to lipstick colours, and she, as an actress, woulde in contact with different colours all the time. And, at this moment, she noticed that the lipstick print on Fu Bainian¡¯s chest was the same colour as the lipstick worn by the woman who¡¯d taken him home earlier. It was a very sensual bright red.

    That dazzling red in contrast with the silvery-white moonlight gradually manifested into that woman¡¯s face in front of her eyes. Her expression was filled with ridicule; that woman was currently mocking her.

    Lan Jinyao grabbed the towel and rubbed the red tint off with force; so much so that Fu Bainian¡¯s flesh turned red and started to sting. He then awkwardly held out his hand due to the difort and waved her hand away before covering his chest. His hand shielded the red stain.

    Witnessing this, Lan Jinyao seemed to have gone mad as she fiercely tossed the towel on Fu Bainian¡¯s chest. Her tears uncontrobly streamed down her face, and a feeling of nausea surged in her heart as she ran towards the bathroom.

    There was an earth-shattering sound of vomiting in the restroom that echoed in the stillness of the night.

    However, her stomach was empty, and she didn¡¯t manage to spit anything out. Contrariwise, her tears continued to stream down like a string of pearls to the floor.

    ¡°How did things be like this between us? Fu Bainian, I asked you to wait for me, but why aren¡¯t you willing to do so?¡±

    She broke down and sat on the ice-cold floor, wailing. Her tears on the floor were absorbed by the fabric of her clothes, causing her skirt to be partially wet, but she didn¡¯t seem to notice.

    Meanwhile, in the quiet bedroom, Fu Bainian was sleeping restlessly; his brows were tightly furrowed together. In his dream, he seemed to endlessly hear a woman¡¯s mournful cry. He wanted to go console her, but his head felt too heavy so he couldn¡¯t budge at all.

    After a long while, Lan Jinyao stood up, her head feeling groggy and distended as she walked out of the bathroom. When she passed by the bedside, she nced at Fu Bainian¡¯s chest and her vision blurred once again. She quickly walked out of the bedroom and mmed the door shut. She curled up on the sofa and slept there for the rest of the night.

    In her sleep, she kept shouting the name of a man, and then kept repeating a sentence: Fu Bainian, you promised me that you¡¯d never let me down and never let me feel hurt or sad...

    The next morning, Fu Bainian had already left when she woke up. She wasying on the bed in the bedroom and was covered with a thin quilt. Moreover, the basin of water that she¡¯d brought into the roomst night had already been taken away. It was evident at a nce that Fu Bainian was the one who did all of this.

    She massaged her aching head and crawled out of bed with great difficulty. She then walked out to the lounge area, but there was no sight of Fu Bainian. In the dining room, there was breakfast on the table. The rice congee was still steaming hot, so it seemed that Fu Bainian had left not to long ago.

    Lan Jinyao stared at the breakfast, and her lips curled up into a sneer.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, if you don¡¯t love me anymore, why should you be so nice to me? If you still love me, why do you do all of this and hurt me?¡±

    Lan Jinyao sat down at the table and expressionlessly ate her breakfast. She was trying to suppress her inner agitation as she didn¡¯t want to feel any negative emotions and hurt the baby as a consequence.

    After finishing her breakfast, Lan Jinyao went out. She decided to go out on her own and take a stroll. When she was in a better mood, she would try having a good talk with Fu Bainian. Maybe the incidentst night was just a misunderstanding. She didn¡¯t want to be sad over something that might have been a misunderstanding.

    Fu Changning happened to be on holiday and called Lan Jinyao. As soon as she opened her mouth, she said sweetly, ¡°Sister-inw!¡± Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao felt a bubble of warmth in her heart.

    ¡°Sister-inw, you don¡¯t have to work theseing days, and I happen to be free. Let me apany you on a stroll. Your work is really tiring, so let me help you rx a bit, alright?¡±

    Lan Jinyao had just returned home to have a good rest, and coincidentally, Fu Changning was also on annual leave. Knowing that she was back, Changning wanted to apany her.

    How could there be so many coincidences in this world? Qian Ran must have said something to Fu Bainian, and then Fu Bainian called Fu Changning today.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re free,e over and keep mepany! I happen to have nothing to do these days, and I was afraid that I wouldn¡¯t be able to find anyone to go shopping with me.¡±

    She immediately agreed and made an appointment to meet at a shopping mall.

    Lan Jinyao, who was disguised, saw Fu Changning at the entrance of the mall. The energetic Fu Changning waved at her with a bright smile on her face.

    ¡°Sister-inw, over here!¡±

    ¡°Did you arrive early?!¡±

    ¡°Nope, I also just arrived.¡±

    The two proceeded arm-in-arm, and Lan Jinyao thought: Her current situation wasn¡¯t that bad. At least she could still smile.

    However, very soon, she would know that even if it were a fake smile, she wouldn¡¯t be able to squeeze it out.

 Chapter 132 - Thatâ€™s Fu Bainianâ€™s Card

    <h4>Chapter 132 - That¡¯s Fu Bainian¡¯s Card</h4>

    As thergest integrated clothing shopping mall in the city, this ce had the most high-end clothing lines and the most convenient and fastest shopping system.

    Fu Changning was a shopaholic; as long as she went to a shopping mall, she wouldn¡¯t leave without buying loads of things. Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t the same as her though, she just purely wanted toe out to get some fresh air.

    Not long after the two arrived at the mall, Fu Changning dragged Lan Jinyao to a shop where they were selling thetest styles of business attire. As soon as they entered, they saw a long row of small women¡¯s suits presented in an orderly manner. Fu Changning dragged her to and fro in the store. She alsoined, ¡°In the past, you could wear whatever you wanted to school, unlike now, where you can¡¯t even wear a skirt that exposes your thighs. If it¡¯s too sexy, it¡¯s not allowed. You have to dress up like this instead.¡±

    Lan Jinyao picked up a small suit, and ced it over her body to check twice and said, ¡°These clothes are also very nice. They¡¯re very mature and elegant, with a different kind of charm!¡±

    ¡°Sister-inw, you have such a sweet tongue. Alright, I¡¯ll take two of them.¡± Afterwards, Fu Changning happily went to choose her outfits.

    Not long after, the two stepped into a men¡¯s clothing store. The moment they entered, Lan Jinyao halted and asked, ¡°What are we doing here?¡±

    ¡°Sister-inw, we¡¯re here to buy menswear of course. Why don¡¯t you go in and pick out some suits for my Brother?¡±

    Fu Changning¡¯s coquettish act was very unyielding, and Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t able to resist, so she was dragged into the store. These were all haute couture suits; all tailor-made for sessful men in the business world.

    ¡°Could you please pick out a few suits for my Brother?¡± Fu Changning pleaded as she shook Lan Jinyao¡¯s arm.

    It seemed that after the two had gotten married, Fu Bainian¡¯s clothes were all chosen by her, so she was quite familiar with Fu Bainian¡¯s taste and style. It wasn¡¯t difficult to choose a few outfits, but with the current situation, it would be difficult for her to gift them to him.

    Being unable to resist Fu Changning¡¯s pleading, Lan Jinyao chose several suits in ordance with Fu Bainian¡¯s style.

    These suits were quite expensive, but she didn¡¯t hesitate at all when she swiped the card. However, when it came to signing, her movements suddenly paused.

    The shop assistant saw that Lan Jinyao was hesitating. It seemed that more than a hundred thousand worth of sales was about to fly away, so the shop assistant quickly asked, ¡°Madam, is there anything wrong?¡±

    By this time, Fu Changning had walked up to Lan Jinyao¡¯s side to check. She nced at her before her gaze fell on the signature record, her eyes instantly widening. ¡°Brother? Isn¡¯t that my Brother¡¯s signature? Wait, no, my Brother¡¯s signature isn¡¯t that ugly; my Brother¡¯s signature looks much more sophisticated.¡±

    She looked up and asked the shop assistant, ¡°What¡¯s this all about? Did someone steal my Brother¡¯s credit card?¡±

    Confused by her question, the shop assistant stared at the record for a long time before shaking her head. ¡°This...we don¡¯t know, but it was a woman who swiped the card at the time. It seemed to be a secondary card, so it wouldn¡¯t be fraud, right?¡±

    A woman...

    Upon hearing this, Fu Changning¡¯s expression grew somewhat baffled, and she said to Lan Jinyao, ¡°Sister-inw, don¡¯t fret, I¡¯ll give my Brother a call to ask what this is all about. Please don¡¯t get anxious!¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled at her and nodded. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t.¡±

    Even Fu Changning, who¡¯d never experienced love before knew what this signified, so how could she not think of it? Was this referring to the so-called saying ¡®keeping a mistress in a golden house¡¯? A secret mistress? Nothing was sadder than something like this.

    When Fu Changning went to make a phone call, Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze remained fixated on the graceful-looking font on the register. One¡¯s writing represented oneself. She must be a very beautiful woman. Could she be the same woman fromst night? There were so many people who fancied Fu Bainian, yet he never paid them any heed. The only exception was that woman fromst night. He got drunk and let that woman take him home. He even let the woman ce such an ambiguous mark on his chest. If they weren¡¯t close, then how could something like that happen?

    Lan Jinyao felt that she¡¯d already forced herself to a dead end, and in front of her was hell¡¯s fiery gate. Unfortunately, she was unable to take a step back. She couldn¡¯t help but keep overthinking things as the facts were ced in front of her.

    Soon, Fu Changning said with a bitter face, ¡°Sister-inw, my Brother¡¯s phone has been turned off.¡±

    ¡°Never mind, I don¡¯t want these anymore!¡± Lan Jinyao withdrew her card and walked out of the store, leaving behind the shop assistant and the anguished store manager to stare at each other in dismay.

    Fu Changning hastily followed her out.

    She was worried to death at the moment! Big Brother had specially called her this morning and asked her to take leave to spend some time with her Sister-inw. Yet, Big Brother himself had caused such a disaster. He¡¯d said that he was only momentarily giving Sister-inw the cold shoulder, so who made him brazenly provoke other women? And, unexpectedly, this was seen by Sister-inw. This was really too much!

    Fu Changning angrily cursed at her Brother more than a dozen times as she trotted after Lan Jinyao. ¡°Sister-inw, wait for me; don¡¯t walk so fast!¡±

    Lan Jinyao sat down in a cafe outside the shopping mall. She¡¯d initially wanted to order herself a cup of ck coffee and use the bitter taste of the drink to cover up the bitter taste in her heart. However, she changed her mind at thest minute. ¡°Please give me a cup of hot milk!¡±

    She didn¡¯t know whether all pregnant women were so sentimental and moody, but she knew that her heart was currently filled with sorrow, anger, and some other negative emotions. These were all horrible emotions for the baby, but she couldn¡¯t help it!

    Fu Changning gasped for air as she sat down opposite her and quickly exined, ¡°Sister-inw, you have to believe in my Brother, he¡¯s definitely a very affectionate person. Although I¡¯m still not sure what his intentions are, I can swear that you¡¯re the only one he loves.¡±

    Lan Jinyao asked her with a smile that was not quite a smile, ¡°You swear? Are you able to vouch on behalf of your Brother?¡±

    Fu Changning puffed up her cheeks and after a while dered, ¡°I can! If my Brother fell in love with someone else, then let thunder...¡±

    Before she could finish her sentence, Lan Jinyao lifted her hand and covered her mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense! What if your Brother really... be careful about making this vow a reality.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t! Sister-inw, you must believe me.¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt the start of a headache. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore, shall we? Let¡¯s talk about something interesting.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Fu Changning sighed helplessly.

    Then, she noticed the cup of steaming hot milk in front of Lan Jinyao. She was astounded as she asked, ¡°Sister-inw, why did youe to a cafe to only drink milk?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand under the table subconsciously stroked her lower abdomen. She smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I finally get to rest, so I don¡¯t want to drink too much coffee that can be harmful to the body.¡±

    Since this baby had been created, no matter what happened between her and Fu Bainian in the future, she would take good care of it.

    Only, one could never predict what would happen in the future, and Lan Jinyao never would¡¯ve thought that she and this baby weren¡¯t destined to be together.

 Chapter 133 - Yin Yun Showing Off (1)

    <h4>Chapter 133 - Yin Yun Showing Off (1)</h4>

    In the end, Lan Jinyao failed to tell Fu Bainian that she was pregnant since she never had a chance to. That was because, on the one hand, Fu Bainian went on a business trip and, on the other hand, she¡¯d figured out the identity of the woman from that night.

    Competition in the entertainment industry was very tough; as an actor, if you paid too much attention to the entertainment news, it would increase the pressure you felt. But, if you didn¡¯t check it, then you would miss out on a lot of things being said about yourself, and you¡¯d never know what kind of news that was.

    After shopping around, Lan Jinyao called Qian Ran because Fu Bainian¡¯s phone was turned off, and not only her, but Fu Changning also couldn¡¯t reach him. Qian Ran informed her that Fu Bainian had gone abroad to handle a multinational corporate partnership, thus his phone might be temporarily shut down to avoid hindering the negotiations.

    Following that, she had nothing else to do, so she began browsing Weibo. This was a habit that she¡¯d had since long ago. As soon as she logged on to Weibo, she saw that her page had exploded withments, and noticed that one of the female artists who was ranked amongst the top eighteenth artists with no gossip about them had suddenly risen to the number one spot on the headlines. She randomly scanned through her newsfeed and broke out in a cold sweat.

    It seemed that from the beginning, there had been an unwritten rule in the entertainment industry. Whenever an artist got into a scandal involving an extramarital affair, no matter if it were the artist or the counterpart, this would always be big news, and the heat of it could outweigh nearly all other entertainment news.

    Before the shoot, she¡¯d seen a few rumours on the Inte, but she didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. Now that she looked at it, paparazzi couldn¡¯t make an omelette without breaking eggs, so if there were no loopholes, how could they find out? Those people must have found a loophole that even she¡¯d failed to notice!

    Such as that woman¡¯s existence.

    Thinking up to here, she called Qian Ran again and bluntly asked, ¡°When I went home that night, you said that Fu Bainian had gone to a banquet. Which banquet did he actually attend?¡±

    Qian Ran hesitated for a long time before he uttered, ¡°President Fu took part in the wrap party of the drama ourpany invested in.¡±

    A wrap party? Fu Bainian had only invested in one drama during this period of time. In the beginning, Fu Bainian had asked her to take on the female lead role for this drama, but she shot it down due to her agreement with Jiang Cheng. Then, she¡¯d thought that the drama had been set aside, but to her surprise, that wasn¡¯t the case. On the day she¡¯d returned, the drama was also finalised with a wrap party.

    If she wasn¡¯t wrong, then that woman was the female lead that Fu Bainian had found to rece her!

    ¡°Qian Ran, answer me honestly. The female lead for that drama is that woman, right? And, the two of them attended the wrap party together, right?¡± Only like this would things make sense.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    ¡°The scandal concerning that woman and Fu Bainian; was it really just all hype to promote the drama?¡± asked Lan Jinyao.

    Then, after a long moment of silence, Qian Ran no longer wanted to answer her questions. He hurriedly said, ¡°Madam, I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m currently quite busy. How about I report back to you about these things another time?¡±

    Lan Jinyao had yet to respond before Qian Ran had hung up. She stared at the unlit screen for a second before angrily throwing it on the bed and holding onto a pillow, drifting away in her thoughts.

    Fu Bainian, to honour an artist, do you need to do it in person? Did you find that woman promising? Or, do you think of her as a better wife candidate?

    Sometimes, when one thought too much into things, one would be deterred. Lan Jinyao felt like she was caught in a never-ending nightmare that was difficult to wake up from.

    The next morning, Lan Jinyao woke up and heard someone knocking on the door. She opened her eyes but was still in a daze. Only after the knocking continued for a long time did she finally get out of bed and walk over. However, right when she was about to open the door, the door opened on its own.

    Lan Jinyao stared at the woman standing in the doorway, and then shifted her gaze to the shiny key in the woman¡¯s hand.

    After a long moment of silence, Lan Jinyao regained her senses and stiffly asked the woman, ¡°Howe you...you have a key to my house?¡±

    Currently standing in front of Lan Jinyao was the woman who¡¯d recently be the hottest topic on Weibo; the one with whom Fu Bainian had a scandal with. She was the female artist who¡¯d risen from the eighteenth rank to the top ranking artist overnight.

    ¡°Oh, you mean this? President Fu gave it to me. Qian Ran said that there was a vital document that had to be signed, but President Fu brought it back home. I happened to have the keys to your house, so I came to get it!¡±

    What Yin Yun said was so just and forceful that Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t find any grounds to refute her.

    It took her quite a long while before she retracted her gaze and stepped aside to let Yin Yun in.

    If Lan Jinyao was just slightly more rational or sensible, then she wouldn¡¯t have let this woman in and would¡¯ve instead gone to the study to get the document herself. However, rationality was something that was easily influenced by one¡¯s emotions.

    Lan Jinyao could only helplessly watch as Yin Yun wandered around her living room before she advanced to Fu Bainian¡¯s study, where she got the document that Qian Ran needed.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt as if the temperature around her had dropped. The pressure was so intense that she couldn¡¯t breathe, and she felt a dull pain in her heart.

    Yin Yun stopped in front of her and asked with concern, ¡°What happened?¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt her head hurt more intensely when she saw Yin Yun¡¯s false concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Now that you¡¯ve gotten what you were looking for, please hurry up and leave!¡±

    Yin Yun pretended to care and asked again, ¡°Are you really okay? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re thinking there¡¯s something between me and President Fu?¡±

    The anger in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart instantly red up when she heard this, and she quickly rebuked, ¡°Why would I think that way? Someone was willing to work so hard for my husband, so of course, I¡¯m happy; why wouldn¡¯t I be? For a young artist like you to go from being listed as the eighteenth rank, and to then rise to fame like this, was all thanks to my husband. It¡¯s your luck and blessing that my husband is willing to support you, and you know how to repay his gratitude, so that¡¯s a very good thing.¡±

    Her words demoted Yin Yun again and again, yet Yin Yun was still able to pull off a sweet smile in front of her.

    ¡°As long as Madam doesn¡¯t misunderstand, then all¡¯s good. I was worried that since President Fu treats me so well, Madam would...uhm, let me not say any more; otherwise, you¡¯ll find me annoying. Qian Ran is still waiting for me, so I¡¯m leaving first.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Lan Jinyao suddenly called her to a stop.

    Hearing this, Yin Yun turned around and stared at her with a smile on her face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Lan Jinyao strode over and then held out her hand. ¡°Give me the key. I don¡¯t want an outsider to have the key to our house.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yin Yun was bewildered.

    Without further ado, Lan Jinyao reached out and grabbed the key from Yin Yun¡¯s hand.

    ¡°If Fu Bainian asks you about this, you can tell him that I¡¯m not happy!¡±

    After leaving these words behind, Lan Jinyao turned around and walked back inside.

 Chapter 134 - Yin Yun Showing Off (2)

    <h4>Chapter 134 - Yin Yun Showing Off (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao clenched the key tightly in her hand, her mind in a mess. She¡¯d obviously started to have doubts, but due to her swelling rage, these details were overlooked. The key in her hand was clutched so tightly that the hollow of her palm had started to hurt.

    After a long time had passed, Lan Jinyao tossed the key away. The key slid along the smooth floor into a corner under the cab.

    She clutched her head and dejectedly cried. Maybe it was due to her being pregnant, but she felt less optimistic than before. The former her would always justifiably say to Fu Bainian, ¡°If you make me sad, you¡¯ll regret it in the future.¡± However, now she didn¡¯t think that way any longer, and she could only helplessly ask herself, ¡°What should I do? What should I do...?¡±

    Around noon, she waszing around and didn''t want to move anymore; she felt as if she was done for. Who knows? Maybe Shen Wei''an was living happily and freely somewhere in this world, yet her own life had be such a mess now.

    Her stomach growled, and at the same time, the doorbell rang. Lan Jinyao felt her blood boiling with anger as she strode to the door and opened it, roaring, ¡°What do you want?! I¡¯m telling you, Fu Bainian and I aren¡¯t divorced yet...¡±

    In the next second, Lan Jinyao froze and Fu Changning, who was carrying takeout, also nkly stared at her.

    ¡°Divorce? Sis-inw, you want to divorce my Brother?¡± Fu Changning¡¯s expression instantly worsened and she quicked grabbed Lan Jinyao¡¯s arm to pull her inside, towards the living room.

    Lan Jinyao massaged her aching head and said, ¡°Howe it¡¯s you? I initially thought that that woman came back.¡±

    Fu Changning quickly put down the takeout and nervously asked, ¡°What happened? Did a womane to bother you? And, what do you mean by divorce? My Brother loves you so much, so he would never allow you to mention divorce!¡±

    Would he really not allow her to get a divorce? That woman had already openly appeared amidst the two of them, so how could he possibly not allow her to divorce? Lan Jinyao coldly sneered at this thought.

    ¡°Sis-inw, please don¡¯t give me that look; you¡¯re scaring me!¡±

    Fu Changning tightly clenched her hand, feeling somewhat sorrowful. She wondered: Was this all because of the rotten idea that she¡¯d proposed to her Brother that the rtionship between the two had be so rigid? If so, then wouldn¡¯t she be a sinner condemned for a thousand years?

    Seeing Fu Changning¡¯s nervous expression, Lan Jinyao patted her hand and said, ¡°Calm down. I¡¯m just angry with your Brother alone, not you; it¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    ¡°How could this be not my fault?¡± Fu Changning murmured in a low voice.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t hear what she was muttering about and didn¡¯t ask further. Then, her gaze fell on the takeout. ¡°Changning, you brought me food? I was just starving a moment ago.¡±

    ¡°Yep! I brought you some ginseng chicken soup. It¡¯s very fragrant, and there are many Chinese herbs in it, so it¡¯s very nourishing!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand froze.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to eat rice! I¡¯ll leave the ginseng chicken soup for you to drink. You must take care and nourish your body too.¡±

    Fu Changning¡¯s expression turned cloudy when she heard this. She declined and said, ¡°How can I do that? I brought it over for Sis-inw!¡±

    Lan Jinyao merelyughed as she picked up the box with rice in it and started eating, leaving the big bowl of ginseng chicken soup untouched.

    In the afternoon, Fu Changning said that she would stay to watch a movie with her. Lan Jinyao had initially wanted to send her away, but she thought about it again and let Changning stay anyway. After all, having someone apany her was better than staying foolishly alone.

    Not long after, Lan Jinyao felt d that Fu Changning had stayed because, in the afternoon, Yin Yun came again. Yin Yun seemed to know that Lan Jinyao was at home, so she came once again to loiter around, making Lan Jinyao feel that she was doing it on purpose.

    Fu Changning went to answer the door this time. At first, she was quite polite and asked, ¡°Hello, who are you looking for?¡±

    But, soon after, when Fu Changning got a clearer look at Yin Yun¡¯s face, she immediately walked out and purposely shut the door behind her. It was precisely this move of hers that made Lan Jinyao certain who the person standing outside might be. She quickly got up from the sofa to walk to the door, peering out through the peephole.

    As expected, the person standing there was Yin Yun.

    Fu Changning¡¯s expression ckened as she asked Yin Yun, ¡°What qualifications do you have toe looking for my Sis-inw? Did my Brother give you that right? Don¡¯t overestimate yourself; you¡¯re merely an actress that my Brother brought back to anger my Sis-inw. Your role is to strengthen the bond between my Brother and Sis-inw; not break them up!¡±

    Yin Yun retorted, ¡°Fu Changning, aren¡¯t you being a little too naive? Do you really think that all I am is an actress invited here by your Brother? Don¡¯t forget; I¡¯m also a woman, and I know what your Brother needs. What he needs is a warm family, not a wife who only knows how to act.¡±

    While listening to their conversation, Lan Jinyao¡¯s hands tightly clenched into fists; her fingernails were almost embedding themselves into the hollows of her palms.

    ¡°Yin Yun, don¡¯t go overboard! How can you understand my Brother¡¯s thoughts? My Brother has been in love with my Sis-inw for a very long time already.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t understand, but I do know that any affection between two people can deteriorate, and now, the person who your Brother likes is me! Between the two of them, only the divorce papers are missing.¡±

    Yin Yun seemed to have guessed that Lan Jinyao was standing behind the door as she appeared to be staring at it. Lan Jinyao once again began to shed tears when she heard those words, and her body slowly slid down the door before she curled up into a ball. Following that, Changning was still quarrelling with Yin Yun, but Lan Jinyao no longer wanted to listen to the details.

    After half an hour, Yin Yun had finally left, and Fu Changning rang the doorbell. For a long while, Lan Jinyao just sat there on the ground without getting up, ignoring the ringing of the doorbell.

    Eventually, Fu Changning stopped ringing and ced her ear against the door before softly asking, ¡°Sis-inw, you...are you crying?¡±

    Lan Jinyao covered her mouth and tried hard not to let herself make a sound, but she was shaking all over, so the sound couldn¡¯t be held back at all.

    As a result, Fu Changning also began to choke with sobs. ¡°Sis-inw, this is all my fault! Why did Ie up with this rotten idea? I¡¯ve unexpectedly let the wolf into the house! That woman is as stubborn as a cow, so it was nearly impossible to drive her away.¡±

    Lan Jinyao steadied herself and softly said, ¡°Changning, I don¡¯t me you. That woman is so self-confident because of Fu Bainian. She repeatedly came over to provoke me all because Fu Bainian allowed her to do so; he gave that woman all her courage.¡±

    Fu Changning then continued, ¡°Sis-inw, could you please let me in now? I just want to apany you while my Brother¡¯s away on a business trip and unreachable. When he¡¯s back, I¡¯ll surely ask him about this! Please give my Brother another chance, alright? At the very least, you ought to personally ask him about this!¡±

    Lan Jinyao rubbed away her tears and then opened the door.

    After Fu Changning walked in, Lan Jinyao hugged her and cried, ¡°I won¡¯t get a divorce from your Brother.¡±

 Chapter 135 - Yin Yun Showing Off (3)

    <h4>Chapter 135 - Yin Yun Showing Off (3)</h4>

    A weekter, Fu Bainian finally returned from his business trip. Unfortunately, Lan Jinyao was thest to know about his return. Moreover, she only found out about it from Li Qi when he casually mentioned it. After Fu Bainian hade back from abroad, he immediately checked-in at a hotel near thepany; he didn¡¯t go home.

    In the following days, that woman would repeatedly hover around Lan Jinyao¡¯s ce. It seemed as if Yin Yun wished for Lan Jinyao to quickly move out so that she could marry Fu Bainian. In the beginning, Yin Yun would still act friendly towards them, but afterwards, she became all the more arrogant and didn¡¯t bother to conceal her feelings for Fu Bainian in the slightest.

    Sometimes, Fu Changning would stay over, and as soon as Yin Yun came over, Fu Changning would answer the door with a kitchen knife in her hand, scaring Yin Yun so much that she would flee in defeat. At first, her actions had also startled Lan Jinyao, but then Lan Jinyao realised that Fu Changning was just ying around to scare Yin Yun away, so she didn¡¯t care too much.

    Following that, Fu Changning basically moved in and apanied her day and night.

    However, Lan Jinyao¡¯s mood was getting worse every day. She would sometimes think about things that she¡¯d never thought about in the past. She shed tears over the changes of seasons and had lost quite a lot of weight over time. Chen Meimei¡¯s weight in the past probably equalled thrice of her current weight.

    One morning, Li Qi called her and worriedly asked, ¡°Meimei, do you want to get back to work? At least work can numb your nerves, and you won¡¯t be so upset like you are now.¡±

    Lan Jinyao asked him, ¡°You¡¯ve already seen the news?¡±

    Li Qi slightly grunted as he replied, ¡°Who in this circle wouldn¡¯t notice that news report? The Inte is currently in an uproar, so it¡¯s difficult for one not to know about this. I went to our PR department to ask them about this, but they said...¡±

    ¡°They said that it was Fu Bainian¡¯s intention, right?¡± She had already guessed that that was the case. Otherwise, which artist would be so daring to brazenly get into a scandal with their Boss and make it known to all? If Fu Bainian didn¡¯t allow this, who¡¯d dare to do this? Not even the PR department dared to handle this matter.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Qian Ran said that as soon as President Fu came back from abroad, he immediately checked-in at a hotel nearby the office and stayed there... Meimei, do you want toe back to work?¡±

    After a moment of silence, Lan Jinyao told him, ¡°I¡¯d like to take a break for a while, so don¡¯t arrange any work for me.¡±

    I know what your Brother needs. What he needs is a warm family, not a wife who only knows how to act.

    Yin Yun¡¯s aggressive words echoed in her ears, making her heart ache. Yin Yun was right. Fu Bainian had long asked her whether her vengeance was more important than her future happiness. And now, due to her obsession with revenge, she¡¯d ruined her future happiness with her own hands, yet Shen Wei¡¯an was still atrge.

    Lan Jinyao questioned if she regretted her decision, but she was unable to find the answer.

    After Li Qi acknowledged her words, he told her not to feel so down because the affection between a husband and wife was like this, so she shouldn¡¯t worry too much as things would turn out fer. After he gave her a few words of advice, he was about to hang up the phone when Lan Jinyao stopped him.

    Lan Jinyao quickly asked, ¡°Li Qi, could you please give me Fu Bainian¡¯s room number? I want to find him and talk things out.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask Qian Ran about itter for you.¡± Li Qi then added, ¡°Do you want me to apany you there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when the timees!¡± Lan Jinyao then hung up the phone.

    Li Qi¡¯s execution was swift, and very soon Fu Bainian¡¯s room number was sent to her. After Lan Jinyao got the room number, she didn¡¯t inform anyone and went to change into another outfit, leaving armed to the teeth. She was going to find Fu Bainian at the hotel and on the way there, her heart was beating uncontrobly due to anxiety. Fu Bainian had a home of his own, so why would he stay at a hotel? If he didn¡¯t want to see her, then she could move out.

    When one acted on impulse, they could easily make the wrong choice, so Lan Jinyao desperately thought: Don¡¯t be impulsive, don¡¯t be impulsive. She ced her hand on her abdomen and told herself, ¡°Fu Bainian will like this child for sure.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao arrived at the hotel, she didn¡¯t remain long on the first floor and instead rode the lift to find Fu Bainian. She then arrived in front of his room and rang the doorbell.

    Not long after, the door was opened, but the person standing in front of her was Yin Yun. When Lan Jinyao saw that delicate-looking face before her, her head started to ache. This was clearly Fu Bainian¡¯s room number, so why was Yin Yun here?

    When Yin Yun saw her, a trace of panic shed in her eyes, and she subconsciously wanted to close the door, but Lan Jinyao was quick on her feet and prevented that.

    ¡°Is Fu Bainian in there? Let me in now!¡±

    Yin Yun blocked her path and coldly said, ¡°Fu Bainian isn¡¯t here, this is my room. I won¡¯t let you in.¡±

    The sound of running water could clearly be heard, so there must be someone inside. Lan Jinyao tried to push her way in, but Yin Yun was on guard, and since she was worried about hurting her child, she didn¡¯t dare use too much strength. In the end, she had, unexpectedly, not moved even a step forward.

    ¡°Get out of my way!¡±

    Lan Jinyao pped Yin Yun across her face, and Yin Yun red at her and was about to fight back, but Lan Jinyao quickly pushed her aside and entered the room.

    Then, in the next second, it seemed as if time had stopped and all the air in the room seemed to be gradually dissipating. Lan Jinyao stood there frozen on the spot and stared at the man who¡¯d juste out of the bathroom in a bathrobe. At this instant, she felt like a fish out of water thatcked oxygen and feeling like she was about to faint.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression was indifferent, but he didn¡¯t look her in the eye.

    ¡°Were you looking for me?¡± he dully asked as he walked to the bedside and sat down on the bed. Henguidly leant against the bedhead, holding a magazine in his hand; he was unusually calm.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡±

    She asked through gritted teeth, trying hard to hold back her tears.

    Fu Bainian looked up and swept her a nce before shifting his gaze away again. ¡°I know exactly what I¡¯m doing,¡± he said. ¡°Things are as you have seen, what else do you want to say? If you don¡¯t have anything to say, then quickly get out of here. I need to rest.¡±

    Lan Jinyao just stood there, not moving an inch. It seemed as if her feet were glued to the spot. ¡°Fu Bainian, why are you driving me away? Is it because of this woman?¡±

    Yin Yun walked over and tried to pull her towards the exit. ¡°President Fu already said so himself, so why are you still dawdling? How unsightly would it be if you don¡¯t hurry up and leave? To think that you have so many fans. If news about this travelled then your image and reputation would be ruined.¡±

    The tears that Lan Jinyao had tried to hold back finally streamed down her cheeks.

    She seemed to be crying all the time these days, which was quite unsightly; and this was all because of the man standing in front of her.

 Chapter 136 - Sheâ€™s Merely An Actress

    <h4>Chapter 136 - She¡¯s Merely An Actress</h4>

    ¡°Fu Bainian, what on earth do you want? If you want a divorce, just say it! Why make things soplicated, resulting in others seeing me as a joke?¡±

    Her vision waspletely blurred with the tears that continuously streamed down her face, and she couldn¡¯t make out Fu Bainian¡¯s expression anymore.

    Upon hearing that, Fu Bainian¡¯s hand slightly tightened around the magazine in his grip. The veins on the back of his hand were popping out, but he didn¡¯t say anything and didn¡¯t spare Lan Jinyao another nce, his expression immensely cold.

    ¡°But...¡± Lan Jinyao shook off Yin Yun¡¯s hand and shouted at Fu Bainian, ¡°You won¡¯t get what you¡¯re wishing for! I won¡¯t divorce you!¡±

    After firing off this one sentence, Lan Jinyao scurried away and nearly ran into a waiter with a serving cart.

    In the room, Yin Yun remained silent and rubbed her aching hand, which was flung away a moment ago. She then walked to the bedside and stood in front of Fu Bainian. ¡°She left, but if she doesn¡¯t want a divorce, it¡¯s going to be difficult to settle this matter. Shall we step up our game?¡±

    Yin Yun smiled a little ambiguously as she extended her hands towards Fu Bainian¡¯s neck, but her hands were blocked mid-air by Fu Bainian, who warned her with a darkened expression, ¡°Don¡¯t you forget your ce.¡±

    The atmosphere turned a little stiff at this point, so Yin Yun quickly withdrew her hands with a slightly unpleasant expression. At this moment, the waiter with the serving cart also knocked on the door.

    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be angry anymore, the food is here! Let¡¯s go eat; I¡¯m starving!¡±

    Soon after, the waiter brought the food in and set the table for them. Yin Yun started eating and asked Fu Bainian, ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating?¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t answer her question. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on thetest entertainment magazine in his hand. On the first page was arge photo of him and Yin Yun. The title above the picture was bright red and dazzling to the eyes, which read: Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s President having an extramarital affair, publicly disying his affection with his new me in a high-profile manner.

    He exerted a lot of strength with his fingers, and the paper was almost crumpled.

    ¡°What if Chen Meimei doesn¡¯t want to divorce you? What would you do then? But, I¡¯ve heard of Chen Meimei¡¯s past, and it seems that she likes you a lot; she said that she didn¡¯t want a divorce, which was within my expectations. She obviously loves you dearly and finally married you after great difficulty. How could she possibly be willing to give up so easily?¡±

    After a moment of silence, Fu Bainian closed the magazine in his hand and said, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want a divorce, then I won¡¯t divorce her!¡±

    A moment ago, he¡¯d seen how upset she was. The former Lan Jinyao wouldn¡¯t easily cry, and even if she felt sad, she wouldn¡¯t show it. But, she¡¯d cried earlier.

    What shocked Fu Bainian the most was that even though she¡¯d cried like that, she was determined not to divorce him. If it were the old Chen Meimei, he definitely would¡¯ve expected her to say that. But, there was currently another person¡¯s soul in Chen Meimei¡¯s body. The person who he was madly in love with, Lan Jinyao.

    Since she¡¯d said that, did that mean that she was on the same page as him?

    Thinking up to this point, he felt a surge of happiness in his heart. But, then Fu Bainian remembered what had happened in the past few days, and his brows tightly furrowed together.

    ...

    Lan Jinyao ran out of the hotel crying. She wore a pair of huge sunsses, but one could still see her tears continuously rolling down her cheeks from under her sses.

    It was unknown where Fu Changning had heard the news, but she¡¯d rushed over to the hotel. When she saw Lan Jinyao, she quickly grabbed her hand and anxiously asked, ¡°Sis-inw, what happened? Why are you crying like this? Please tell me what happened, alright? Is my Brother in the hotel? Who else is there?¡±

    Lan Jinyao kept shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t ask me; I don¡¯t know...¡±

    There were a lot of people going in and out of the hotel. Soon, someone noticed this scene and stopped to take pictures with their mobile. Fu Changning saw this and roared, ¡°What are you taking pictures for?! Haven¡¯t you ever seen a person cry before?!¡±

    Following that, she grabbed Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand and walked away before hailing a taxi and getting in.

    ¡°Sis-inw, I¡¯ll go home with you. When we get home, can we talk about it?¡± Fu Changning looked at her nervously.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand subconsciously stroked her lower abdomen as she nodded. She gazed out of the window, looking slightly dazed.

    When they arrived back home, Lan Jinyaoy on the bed, her mood still as depressed as before, but she was no longer shedding tears.

    Fu Changning sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her anxiously. ¡°Sis-inw, can you tell me what you saw earlier? In fact, there are many circumstances where what you see with your own eyes may not be true. You¡¯re closely involved in this, so you might not see things clearly, while I¡¯m a spectator who could perceive things more clearly. If you tell me, I can help you analyse the situation.¡±

    Sometimes, when a person ran into a dead-end, they would panic, and even if they encountered an easy problem, they wouldn¡¯t necessarily be able toe up with a solution to solve it.

    Lan Jinyao nodded. ¡°I understand all this, but what I saw was your Brother and Yin Yun in the same room. Although nothing was happening between them at that moment, it¡¯s impossible to know whether something has happened before.¡±

    She recalled the scene she saw at the hotel. Back then, when Jiang Cheng had pulled her into his embrace, was Fu Bainian¡¯s mood the same as how she felt a moment ago?

    In fact, they could¡¯ve had a happy ending. Why would Fu Bainian make such a scene?

    Fu Changning had said that he wanted to make her jealous and wanted her to know how important he was to her. If it was really like Fu Changning had said, then she already understood it by now, so why would Fu Bainian continue acting this way? There was no reason for that, unless...he¡¯d really fallen for that woman.

    Their marriage was already in such a state; was there really still a need to grasp onto it?

    Lan Jinyao felt as if she¡¯d fallen into a swamp and was trapped there, unable to take another step forward.

    Baby, what do you think mummy should do?

    But, what could a formless child tell her?

    ¡°Sis-inw, if you really don¡¯t feel like talking, then have a good rest. I¡¯ll be here for you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and closed her eyes.

    Time went by, but she didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all even though she was exhausted.

    It was almost evening when Fu Changning¡¯s phone rang. She took a glimpse at the person who was finally asleep and quickly muted her phone. She then walked out of the room to answer Fu Bainian¡¯s call.

    ¡°Brother, you¡¯re finally willing to answer the phone, and here I thought that you¡¯d disappeared. Just tell me, what¡¯s going on between you and that woman, Yin Yun?! Sis-inw went to the hotel today to catch you guys, and when she came back, she cried so much that even I can¡¯t stand watching her like this anymore.¡±

    She said all of this in one go, but Fu Bainian merely responded, ¡°You, take good care of your Sis-inw.¡±

    Fu Changning wanted to continue questioning him, but she realised that Fu Bainian had already hung up on her.

    She angrily stomped her foot and roared, ¡°Brother, you scoundrel!¡±

 Chapter 137 - Estranged (1)

    <h4>Chapter 137 - Estranged (1)</h4>

    At dawn, there was a cool breeze asionally blowing. Lan Jinyao was sitting on a bench in the park, allowing the breeze to caress her long hair, while not far away, a grey-haired couple were walking hand in hand.

    The old couple¡¯s youthful features were long gone, and one could only see their wrinkled appearances, but the smiles on their faces looked so genuine.

    Lan Jinyao found that it had been a while since she¡¯d sat alone on a park bench, just watching the scenery. In the stillness, everything surrounding her seemed extremely beautiful.

    Shortly after, her gazended on the empty spot beside her, and the smile on her lips twitched, gradually disappearing while a trace of destion surfaced in her eyes.

    ¡®To hold hands and grow old together¡¯, for the current her, how seemingly distant was this motto?! If they couldn¡¯t even get past the present barrier, how could they talk about the future? Fu Bainian, he...was he now nning to let go of her hand?

    Then, all of a sudden, her phone rang and interrupted her wandering thoughts. She picked up her phone and stared at the screen; it was a call from Chen Meile.

    Lan Jinyao recalled that ever since Chen Meile had found out about the truth, she hadn¡¯t called her anymore. So, when she picked up the call, she felt somewhat nervous.

    ¡°Sis...¡± she tentatively called.

    Chen Meile coldly said, ¡°There¡¯s currently no one else around me, so you don¡¯t have to address me like that. Hearing that makes me feel bad.¡±

    The first person Lan Jinyao had seen when she¡¯d opened her eyes was Chen Meile. She knew Chen Meile¡¯s personality better than anyone else. Although her temperament seemed fierce, and she did things decisively and ruthlessly, she was very affectionate and caring towards her family members. When Lan Jinyao had stayed as Chen Meimei, she¡¯d received a lot of scolding from Chen Meile, but Chen Meile had also shown her no less concern. When it was necessary to beat around the bush; she would, and when she had to be straightforward; she would do so as well. She was a very frank person.

    Even though she knew Chen Meile¡¯s temper, to hear such words so suddenly, she still felt a little sad in her heart.

    Lan Jinyao then lowered her voice, and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m already used to calling you this way, so it¡¯s a bit difficult to change this in such a short period. For you to call me, is there anything I can help you with?¡±

    Chen Meile remained silent on the other end of the phone for a while before replying, ¡°Dad will have his birthday banquet in a few days. I didn¡¯t tell the old man about all this, so this time you have to be there, and you can¡¯t let the cat out of the bag. If need be, I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled. At least Chen Meile didn¡¯t tell Old Chen about this.

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be there when the timees.¡±

    Chen Meile then added, ¡°Bring Fu Bainian along with you. That scandal Fu Bainian got in gave Dad a headache. I don¡¯t care what method you use, but even if it¡¯s just putting on a show, you have to pretend to be a happy and loving couple.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I understand.¡±

    Their rtionship was currently in a very bad state; perhaps this was an excellent opportunity to mend it. Even if she wasn¡¯t doing it for her own sake, she had to do it for their baby¡¯s sake.

    As the sun gradually rose above the horizon, Lan Jinyao put away her phone and stood up, slowly walking back home. The park was very closeby, only a few minutes away from her ce. As she was walking, Lan Jinyao decided that from now on, she¡¯d take a walk in the park every day to rx her mind. Only with a happy mood could she give birth to a jolly baby.

    At night, Fu Changning called her again and said that she¡¯de over to apany her but, in the end, her good intentions were rejected by Lan Jinyao. Fu Changning had apanied her all these days, but even if it were annual leave, she¡¯d have used up all of her days of leave already, right? Whichpany would want an intern who asks for a leave of absence every day?

    She said that she¡¯d be fine on her own, and told Fu Changning to go to work before hanging up.

    After dinner, Lan Jinyao went to bed and not long after shey down, she heard a noiseing from the main door. Initially, she was scared out of her wits, thinking that it was a thief. Then, she remembered that there was no way a thief coulde into this neighbourhood to steal things as there were security cameras at every corner. There were no overlooked areas nor blind spots.

    In that case, who was it?

    It was Fu Bainian! Lan Jinyao heard the sound of familiar footsteps, cautious and solemn, as if afraid of disturbing her sleep.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao herself didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, but she immediately closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

    Not long after, the door was opened, and Fu Bainian came in. In the pitch-ck room, Lan Jinyao closed her eyes, but there was a narrow slit through which she saw a tall figure walk towards her.

    Fu Bainian sat down on the bedside and gently caressed Lan Jinyao¡¯s forehead with his hand. The warmth of his palm made Lan Jinyao¡¯s heartbeat lose its usual rhythm, and she tried hard to suppress her own breathing, trying to make it as light and slow-moving as possible to make it appear as if she was in a deep sleep.

    Fu Bainian remained silent, and only after a long time had passed did he retract his hand and bend down, lightly nting a kiss on Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips. Soon after, he stood up and walked away, gently closing the door behind him.

    As soon as the sound of his footsteps faded, Lan Jinyao opened her eyes. Her palms were soaked in a cold sweat, and she extended her hand to caress her lips, feeling somewhat perplexed.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, what exactly do you want? If you still love me, then why would you do that? If you don¡¯t love me, then...why did you kiss me?¡±

    At this moment, her initially calm heart was utterly thrown into disorder.

    Baby, could you please tell mummy what exactly is on your daddy¡¯s mind?

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips slightly opened and then closed again; she knew that she couldn¡¯t get an answer to her question.

    The next morning, Lan Jinyao woke up early. She walked to the guest room next door to have a look, and then lowered her head in disappointment.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t sleep in the guest roomst night. He¡¯d onlye back for a short while, and then he¡¯d left again. Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t even need to think about where he went; she was confident that he must¡¯ve gone back to the hotel. As to whether Yin Yun was there or not, she didn¡¯t know.

    However, the more she thought about it, the sadder she felt. Lan Jinyao forced herself to stop thinking about it. She sorted out her emotions and then went to prepare breakfast.

    Chen Meile had said that the day after tomorrow would be Old Chen¡¯s birthday. His birthday banquet this time must be very grand, so she ought to choose a beautiful evening dress to wear. She then gently rubbed her abdomen, and her lips slowly curled up into a smile. She estimated that it would still take a while before her belly would show, so she would wait until then before telling Fu Bainian.

    If Fu Bainian still wouldn¡¯t show any restraint when the timees, then she wouldn¡¯t insist on it any longer.

 Chapter 138 - Estranged (2)

    <h4>Chapter 138 - Estranged (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao would¡¯ve preferred to have her evening dress custom made by a well-known designer, rather than a ready-to-wear dress that could be bought in a high-ss clothing store. However, there wasn¡¯t enough time for that anymore, so she took her credit card and went out to buy a ready-made one.

    And, unexpectedly, Lan Jinyao ended up in a very awkward spot.

    Lan Jinyao spent more than an hour choosing a suitable evening dress, and the shop assistant was all smiles as she wrapped up the dress for her. Then, another shop assistant walked up to her and handed back her credit card as she said, ¡°Madam, I¡¯m sorry, but your card has been frozen, and you temporarily can¡¯t use it.¡±

    She¡¯d been using this card all along, so howe it was suddenly frozen? Did Fu Bainian do it?

    When she¡¯d left home, she didn¡¯t bring anything else with her as such a situation had never crossed her mind before. Now, the situation had turned somewhat awkward.

    ¡°Could you do a home delivery ande with me to get the money?¡±

    When she asked this, the shop assistants shook their heads and answered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we don¡¯t do home deliveries.¡±

    ¡°Then, what if I pay extra for delivery?¡± she asked again, a little annoyed.

    A woman, who seemed to be the Manager, walked over and smiled at her. ¡°If you pay the delivery fee first, we can deliver it for you.¡±

    This was a rule set by the store, and Lan Jinyao understood that, but a wave of groundless anger filled her heart. She couldn¡¯t help raising her voice as she spoke, ¡°What kind of customer service is this? Is this how you treat your customers?¡±

    And, that was when something even more embarrassing happened.

    When Lan Jinyao threw down the clothes and left, arge number of reporters suddenly appeared in front of the store. The moment she heard the clicking sounds and camera shes, a lot of news headlines instantly surged to her mind.

    Headlines such as ¡®Popr actress Chen Meimei didn''t have any money to pay the bill and turned hostile on the spot¡¯ and ¡®Chen Meimei was refused credit by the clothing store and flew into a rage¡¯ popped up in her mind. Even if she wasn¡¯t a reporter, she was able toe up with dozens of headlines every minute. Compared with the headlines, the current situation with the paparazzi was much more shocking.

    Witnessing this scenario, Lan Jinyao started to feel anxious and was in a hurry to leave. She knew that it was toote to escape, but there was no other way. If she continued to stay, the situation would only turn out worseter, and by then, she¡¯d be in an even more embarrassing and awful predicament.

    Thus, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t think too much into it and promptly scurried away as soon as she walked out of the store.

    The situation was terrible, and as she was rushing, her sses were knocked off her face. She didn¡¯t know whether it was deliberate or not, but her bare face was exposed to the cameras, causing her panic to increase dramatically.

    And, at this time, her hand was suddenly pulled on by someone, to which Lan Jinyao subconsciously struggled a few times before realising that the person was quite strong so she couldn¡¯t break free. That person then pulled her back into the clothing store.

    Following that, Lan Jinyao had a good look at that person¡¯s face.

    It turned out to be Jiang Cheng!

    All that had happened seemed to be a deliberate scheme by someone as everything was so coincidental. However, it didn¡¯t make sense, because Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t have known that Fu Bainian would have her credit card frozen. It was also impossible for him to know that she¡¯de to this clothing store at this time.

    Jiang Cheng seemed to have had guessed her thoughts, so he smiled at her and said, ¡°My appearance here is just a coincidence. Fu Bainian¡¯s recent scandal, although it was very unfavourable towards you, ourpany¡¯s publicity isn¡¯t less than that; I don¡¯t want you to get into that kind of scandal.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was a little confused by his words. Meanwhile, the reporters were blocked by the security guards and couldn¡¯t enter the store, but they were patient and refused to leave.

    ¡°Miss, do you still want that evening dress?¡±

    Seeing that Jiang Cheng was wearing clothing from expensive brands, the observant Manager immediately came over and inquired. It was as if Lan Jinyao losing her temper earlier at her didn¡¯t happen at all.

    Lan Jinyao frowned and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want it anymore.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± asked Jiang Cheng with raised eyebrows. ¡°If you go out like this now, what will the media writeter? Although I know that it may not look good if I pay the bill for you, at the very least it would save you some face, right?¡±

    He then told the Manager, ¡°Bring me the evening dress that she picked out earlier.¡±

    Following that, Jiang Chang handed his card to the Manager, who was all smiles as she took it. And, immediately after, another shop assistant quickly handed the clothing bag over to Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t mean any harm, I still want to say that a husband really shouldn¡¯t let his wife go shopping alone without money. If I hadn¡¯t happened to meet you today, who knows how Fu Bainian would¡¯ve reacted when you were on the news.¡±

    While saying all of this, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression was sombre.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s mood was affected by his words, and when itbined with her initial bad mood, it caused her to be even more on edge.

    ¡°Since he dares to get into that kind of scandal, then he won¡¯t care what kind of scandal I¡¯ll get into!¡± stated Lan Jinyao angrily.

    Unexpectedly, her actions in a fit of pique made her step into a trap designed by Jiang Cheng.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips slightly curled up into a smirk as he took the bag from Lan Jinyao, and tightly held her hand with his other hand. He slightly lowered his head and whispered in her ear, ¡°Since you think that he doesn¡¯t care, why don¡¯t we give it a try?! Follow me out, and openly stand beside me in front of the media.¡±

    Fu Bainian cared before, but what about now? Would he mind if he saw her and Jiang Cheng in a scandal? At this instant, Lan Jinyao abruptly wanted to know the answer.

    Thus, she turned towards Jiang Cheng and nodded.

    Little did she know that she¡¯d already set foot in a trap.

    Seeing her reaction, Jiang Cheng suddenly revealed a profound smile.

    The two of them then walked out hand in hand. Lan Jinyao slightly raised her chin, her expression impable. She was an excellent actress, to begin with, so this act was just child¡¯s y to her.

    Those shing camera lights lit up again, apanied by clicking sounds, but Lan Jinyao was no longer afraid, and she didn¡¯t panic. At this moment, even she didn¡¯t realise that, and her mood slowly brightened.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s car was parked on the side of the road. Before Lan Jinyao entered the vehicle, she hesitated a bit. But, when she saw the smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face, as well as the crowd of reporters behind her, she gritted her teeth and got into the car.

    ¡°Do you want to go home or do you want to continue shopping?¡±

    Lan Jinyao kneaded her forehead and indifferently said, ¡°Home!¡±

 Chapter 139 - Estranged (3)

    <h4>Chapter 139 - Estranged (3)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao was left somewhat disappointed because when her scandal with Jiang Cheng was all over the ce, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t do anything about it. Even the PR team under Blue Hall Entertainment didn¡¯te out to resolve it.

    However, Fu Bainian woulde back home every night around the same time every day. He would stealthily enter her room and remain there for a while. He would use his hand to stroke her hair, her cheek, and kiss her lips. Sometimes, he¡¯d get overly passionate, but he would always manage to stop in time thanks to his strong self-control.

    And, every time, after half an hour, he would quietly leave without leaving any traces behind, pretending as if he¡¯d nevere back.

    Lan Jinyao felt that whenever Fu Bainian kissed her, she¡¯d feel him showing a sorrowful expression. She could feel his sorrow, but she couldn¡¯tprehend where it came from.

    At Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s headquarters.

    Inside the President¡¯s office.

    Fu Bainian¡¯sputer was still ying the entertainment news, and one could see a boisterous scene on his screen. The moment he saw the sunsses being knocked off Lan Jinyao¡¯s face, his hands on the table tightly clenched into fists.

    Shen Yu was sitting on the chair next to him and had propped himself up with one hand on the table. His gaze shifted from theputer screen to Fu Bainian¡¯s tightly clenched fists.

    After a while, the video ended with a thumbnail of Jiang Cheng and Lan Jinyao holding hands.

    Shen Yu took out a folder and threw it on the tabletop. The leather folder slid across the table and stopped right in front of Fu Bainian. These were all photos that he¡¯d received from the media. You said that you didn¡¯t want me to interfere, so I didn¡¯t do anything. These are all backup files, the same as those circting on the Inte.

    ¡°The man you were suspecting was Jiang Cheng?¡± Shen Yu suddenly asked.

    Abruptly, the temperature in the office dropped, and the air became chilly, making one unable to breathe.

    After a long moment of silence, Fu Bainian shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, but Jiang Cheng is the biggest suspect. When that man first made his appearance, I already knew that he wasn¡¯t so simple.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you asked me to look into him from the beginning!¡± Shen Yu deducted. He¡¯d initially thought that Fu Bainian was jealous at that time; he didn¡¯t expect that there was such a deep meaning behind this.

    ¡°But, there¡¯s nothing wrong with his data!¡± Shen Yu thought for a moment before adding, ¡°How did you find out that there was something wrong?¡±

    Fu Bainian was tapping his fingers on the tabletop as he stared into Shen Yu¡¯s eyes. In this instant, his gaze looked extremely intense. ¡°Intuition!¡±

    Shen Yu gave him a thumbs up and said, ¡°Great! By the way, how¡¯s your injury? Did you go to the hospital for a check-up?¡±

    Fu Bainian shook his head. ¡°No, if I do that she¡¯ll find out.¡±

    Shen Yu clicked his tongue and sighed, and right at that moment, he saw an unsusceptible look in Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes. Even if he was misunderstood, it didn¡¯t matter. He was willing to block everything troublesome for her.

    Then, he suddenly remembered a saying that had circted the Inte a long time ago. It was a sentimental saying that tugged at heartstrings: I love you, but that has nothing to do with you!

    Haha, how hypocritical.

    Shen Yu shook his head again, feeling that his thoughts were somewhat amusing.

    At this moment, Fu Bainian¡¯s phone suddenly rang. Even though it continuously rang, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t answer it. Shen Yu swept him a surprised nce and asked, ¡°Howe you¡¯re not answering the phone? Is it inconvenient with me here?¡±

    Thus, Shen Yu conscientiously got up and prepared to leave. Following this, the phone stopped ringing, and then started ringing again not long after. Shen Yu¡¯s expression turned somewhat peculiar at this point, and he turned around to walk back to his seat. He then picked up Fu Bainian¡¯s phone from the table. Upon seeing the name constantly shing on the screen, Shen Yu¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. It was actually Chen Meimei!

    Right at that instant, countless thoughts shed through Shen Yu¡¯s mind, and without exception, the one thought that kept recurring was: Chen Meimei was too thick-skinned! Fu Bainian¡¯s scandal was currently causing such a public uproar. Moreover, Fu Bainian and Yin Yun were openly disying their affection all over the ce, yet she still called?! If another woman was in her shoes, he reckoned that that woman would¡¯ve been so ashamed that she¡¯d have filed for divorce long ago.

    However, Shen Yu quite admired Chen Meimei. She had decided on Fu Bainian for this lifetime, and even when there was someone as brilliant as Jiang Cheng pursuing her, she didn¡¯t waver at all. Her heart was devoted to Fu Bainian alone; an infatuated woman like her was tough toe by nowadays.

    ¡°Chen Meimei¡¯s calling you. Why don¡¯t you answer it? There¡¯s no one here, so you don¡¯t have to be so suspicious.¡±

    Shen Yu handed the phone to Fu Bainian, but Fu Bainian didn¡¯t take it.

    ¡°Maybe she has something important to discuss?¡±

    Hearing this, Fu Bainian nced at Shen Yu, but he still didn¡¯t answer the phone. On the contrary, his actions made Shen Yu so anxious that he got up and answered the call himself.

    ¡°Meimei, you¡¯re looking for President Fu? He¡¯s currently in a meeting. Why don¡¯t you ry your message to me and I¡¯ll pass it on to him when he¡¯s finished?¡±

    As he was speaking, Shen Yu was winking at Fu Bainian and mouthing: She seems very unhappy.

    Fu Bainian swept him a nce before retracting his gaze and getting up to make himself a cup of tea.

    ¡°Well, then, you can call backter!¡±

    After Shen Yu hung up the phone, he sat down opposite Fu Bainian and stared at him for a long time before he released a sigh.

    ¡°If you want to ask, go ahead. I won¡¯tugh at you. Meimei told you to call her back when you have time. If you don¡¯t call her back in an hour, she¡¯ll call back instead. I told her that you were in a meeting so that it would take that long. Anyway, it¡¯s up to you!¡±

    Shen Yu then ced the phone on the coffee table before getting up and leaving.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s hand that was holding onto the teacup was seemingly frozen as he stared at his phone. Then, after a long while, he heaved a long sigh.

    ¡°If there were no one else between us, and there was no hatred or conspiracy between us, how wonderful would it be?!¡± he murmured, mocking himself.

    An hour passed before Lan Jinyao received a phone call from Fu Bainian. The moment the call connected, Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up into a faint smile.

    ¡°Shen Yu told me that you were looking for me?¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, I just want to let you know that Old Chen¡¯s birthday banquet is in a few days, and you have toe with me. Even if it¡¯s just pretending or putting on a show, I won¡¯t permit any mistakes to be made,¡± she put on an unyielding front as she said this.

    There was no answer for a long time, but Lan Jinyao waited quietly.

    A momentter, Fu Bainian finally agreed.

 Chapter 140 - Estranged (4)

    <h4>Chapter 140 - Estranged (4)</h4>

    Old Chen¡¯s birthday banquet was held in his courtyard. The decorations were as splendid as ever, so even if one said that it was packed with gold and silver, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. The walls inside the house were covered with eye-catching, ancient paintings. With just a nce, one could see that the value was extraordinary. Additionally, there were antique vases in every corner, making theposition exceptionally dazzling.

    Although those in the business world didn¡¯t really like Old Chen¡¯s interior design since it resembled that of a local tycoon, most of the guests who stepped into the Chen family¡¯s residence couldn¡¯t help but stare at those antiques with curiosity. The rare antiques were a sight to behold.

    If this were some other collectors¡¯ residence, they surely wouldn¡¯t take out such exquisite antiques for others to appreciate, let alone put them in such obvious spots in the living room.

    The banquet would begin in about half an hour, so not many people had arrived yet. Most of them had grabbed a ss of red wine as they wandered around the living room, admiring the antiques and paintings.

    Lan Jinyao changed into her evening dress at home, and as she stared at her slender figure in the mirror, she nodded with satisfaction.

    She was wearing a ck evening dress that was floor-length and backless, which entuated her perfect curves and illuminated her white-jade skin. The only thing she was unsatisfied with was the fact that she was too thin! Chen Meimei was initially very tall, but since she¡¯d recently lost weight, she appeared much taller now.

    Lan Jinyao turned in front of the mirror and then straightened her back. At least she still had some meat in the right ces so that the evening dress could be held up and looked alright.

    Fu Bainian had already changed into a suit and was waiting for her outside. The moment he saw here out, the trace of a shimmer shed through his eyes before quickly disappearing and returning to calmness once again. Of course, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t miss the look in his eyes, so she looked at him with a charming smile and softly asked, ¡°Do I look nice?¡±

    Fu Bainian nodded and indifferently replied, ¡°Mhm!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was initially still smiling, but when she remembered the fact that Yin Yun could use Fu Bainian¡¯s secondary card to buy clothes, while her card was frozen, she felt furious. What if she hadn¡¯t run into Jiang Cheng at the clothing store? Wouldn¡¯t she have made the headlines again? Since Fu Bainian had entered her life, that kind of embarrassing headline seemed to have appeared more than once already! No matter if it was being stood up on her wedding day or those kinds of extramarital affair scandals; all of them were rted to Fu Bainian.

    Thinking up to here, Lan Jinyao felt her mood worsen for no reason. It was just like when she was staying alone at home these days; she¡¯d always lose her temper for no reason, and asionally, it was because of a small matter.

    Lan Jinyao clenched her fists, trying to calm her inner anger.

    She loved this man dearly; she couldn¡¯t push him away.

    ¡°In half an hour or so, the banquet will start. Would you minding with me to get my hair done?¡±

    Lan Jinyao asked tactfully, but Fu Bainian answered her decisively, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Lan Jinyao wore high heels, so she happened to be the same height as Fu Bainian. She looked down and stared at her ring finger; the diamonds were shining under the bright light, reflecting a colourful lustre, like the most brilliant stars in the sky. Then, she looked up and stared at Fu Bainian¡¯s ring finger; the ring was still there.

    She smiled. Even though Fu Bainian¡¯s recent scandals were unceasing, he never took off the wedding ring, which was a testimony to their vows.

    She¡¯d been in the entertainment industry for a long time, and she¡¯d seen many of these things happen in the past. When such scandals happened, those men usually wouldn¡¯t wear their wedding rings.

    After getting in the car, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere turned somewhat weird.

    After a while, Lan Jinyao suddenly asked, ¡°Fu Bainian, do you know which hairdresser I want to go to?¡±

    She¡¯d always called him by his first andst name, while in the presence of others, she¡¯d call him a bit more intimately. But, she¡¯d never felt that there was anything wrong with this.

    ¡°The one you used to go to?¡± Fu Bainian blurted this out without any thought, and after saying that, he froze for a few seconds. He then tightly pursed his lips, as if determined not to speak any more.

    The corners of Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth slowly lifted upon hearing this.

    It turned out that he still remembers where her favourite hairdresser was located. This thought made her happy again.

    The car proceeded at a regr speed, but Lan Jinyao soon discovered that Fu Bainian wasn¡¯t going the correct way at all. Even if it was a detour, this way was unnecessary.

    ¡°You im to remember?¡± This clearly wasn¡¯t the way, yet he dared to lie through his teeth.

    Fu Bainian turned to look at her and indifferently replied, ¡°Of course, I remember. Mrs Fu, please don¡¯t doubt my memory, but you have to go somewhere with me before we go to the hairdresser.¡±

    Where? Wasn¡¯t it already toote now?

    Lan Jinyao nced at the time on her phone screen. Although she had a lot of questions in her mind, she didn¡¯t retort and let Fu Bainian drive towards a business district.

    This was where all the luxurious stores selling top clothing brands were.

    ¡°Why did you bring me here? We have to go to the birthday banquet; not shop for clothes.¡±

    Hearing this, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression darkened. Tonight was the first time, after such a long time, that he¡¯d held her hand again. Yet, he¡¯d actually brought her to a clothing store. When Lan Jinyao realised that this was the same clothing store as the one fromst time, her mood instantly changed and she wasn¡¯t happy at all.

    In the store, Fu Bainian walked around a few times, looking at all the evening dresses avable. After a while, he finally decided on a ck dress that appeared slightly more conservative than the one she had on. Then, as if giving out an order, he said, ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left, so quickly change into this one.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was a little reluctant at first, but she was the one who¡¯d asked him for a favour after all, so she quickly went into the fitting room and changed into the other dress. When she was done, she stared at herself in the mirror; the dress was unexpectedly a perfect fit for her. But, wasn¡¯t it a bit too tight?

    Soon after, she walked out of the fitting room, and Fu Bainian nced at her from top to bottom before nodding with satisfaction. He then proceeded to head to the counter and pay for the dress.

    When they left the store, Lan Jinyao faintly heard murmuring behind her.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say she wasn¡¯t favoured anymore? From how things look, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case?¡±

    ¡°How can you tell from the surface? They¡¯re public figures, so of course, they¡¯ve got to pay attention to their image!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, but we¡¯ve offended her before, so I¡¯m afraid that our sales will be impacted in the future. Don¡¯t you think so?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry...¡±

    Lan Jinyao ignored the whispers and asked, ¡°My dress was fine, so why did you want me to change into another one all of a sudden?¡±

    In the next second, Fu Bainian threw the bag containing the other evening dress into the trash can.

    ¡°You want a reason? Then, I¡¯ll tell you: One reason is because there¡¯s too much exposure, and the other is because...that man bought it for you.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up slightly, yet she still retorted, ¡°But, I paid Jiang Cheng back afterwards.¡±

    ¡°That still won¡¯t do! Just wear this, it looks good on you.¡±

 Chapter 141 - Messing Up (1)

    <h4>Chapter 141 - Messing Up (1)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao and Fu Bainian arrived at the Chen household half an hourter. Grabbing a box with exquisite packaging, Lan Jinyao handed it to Fu Bainian. ¡°I heard that he¡¯s fond of expensive things. These are a pair of jade carvings that I brought back from abroad; they mean longevity.¡±

    ¡°Give them to him yourselfter; I prepared my own gift,¡± Fu Bainian said as he picked up a box from the back seat.

    ¡°Let me take a look at what¡¯s inside.¡± Lan Jinyao quickly snatched the box.

    The box had a ma attached to its cover and looked stylish without any special packaging. Lan Jinyao opened the box as soon as it was in her hands. Inside, there was also a jade carving. It seems to be a Qilin, but there was only one piece.

    ¡°Is this thing customised? You just ordered one though, aren¡¯t you too stingy? Not to mention, it¡¯s so small.¡± Lan Jinyao closed the box, casting it a look filled with disdain.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t refute her as he took back the gift with one hand, while the other reached out to take Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand. Then, they walked side by side towards the Chen residence.

    Chen Meile had been waiting for them at the door, and as soon as she saw Lan Jinyao, she frowned and said, ¡°Why did you arrive sote? The banquet has already started, quickly follow me in!¡±

    Donning a crimson evening dress, Chen Meile looked like a tempting rose in full bloom. However, the moment her eyesnded on the two of them, she no longer had a smile on her face.

    Lan Jinyao lowered her eyes to hide her feeling of self-remorse; it was her soul that was upying Chen Meimei¡¯s body.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s hand, which was holding onto hers, slightly tightened as he said, ¡°This is the will of Heaven!¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded, her eyes reddening as she thought: Fu Bainian always seems to be able to guess her thoughts. At this moment, even though she didn¡¯t say anything, he was able to guess everything from her expression.

    Thinking up to here, she took a deep breath and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, this is the will of Heaven!¡±

    Perhaps, she was given a chance to reincarnate in order to fulfil Fu Bainian¡¯s love. Or, it was to let her personally settle her scores with Shen Wei¡¯an. In any case, she wouldn¡¯t live in vain this time!

    At this moment, determination was clearly visible in Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes.

    During the birthday banquet, the usually serious and strict Old Chen actually had a smile on his face.

    Chen Meile gifted him a Buddha sculpture made from gold. With just one look at the shiny object, one could see that it was worth a lot. Old Chen couldn¡¯t help but smile until his eyes turned into crescents and he continuously approved, ¡°Very good, very good!¡±

    Thus, as soon as Lan Jinyao thought of Fu Bainian¡¯s gift, she inwardly sighed. Old Chen had always been the kind of person who liked to be richly bedecked, and the gifts given to him by others were mainly of exceptional value. The higher the value, the happier he was, and he didn¡¯t conceal his feelings at all.

    When Chen Meile was presenting the gift to Old Chen, she cast Lan Jinyao a meaningful nce.

    Old Chen doted on Chen Meimei after all, so when he saw Fu Bainian, the smile on his face somewhat disappeared, and hemented, ¡°What¡¯s going on with the recent scandals? Meimei married you because she loves you. You mustn¡¯t let her suffer any grievances.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s lips curled up into a faint smile, and he replied, ¡°I love her dearly, so of course I won¡¯t let her feel wronged.¡±

    When he said these words, Lan Jinyao peered up at him. She was trying to discern whether he was putting on a show for Old Chen, or if he sincerely meant what he said. But, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression was impable, so no one could clearly discern what he was thinking about.

    On the other hand, when Old Chen heard those words, he instantly burst intoughter.

    Fu Bainian took advantage of this opportunity to present his gift box to Old Chen. Instead of epting it, he said, ¡°Open it for me!¡±

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t bear to look at this and wanted to cover her eyes.

    Fu Bainian opened the box in front of Old Chen, and then Lan Jinyao witnessed a surprising scene. Old Chen seemed to like this small toy a lot as his eyes were wide open and he stared at the gift with an obvious look of astonishment.

    ¡°Hey, Bainian, how did you find this thing? I collected one a few years ago, and strenuously searched for the other one, yet I couldn¡¯t find it. You¡¯re truly considerate.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was astounded; she didn¡¯t expect Fu Bainian to understand Old Chen so well. However, she now believed that Fu Bainian must have put in a lot of thought into this gift.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression remained calm as he exined, ¡°A friend of mine happened to have this, and I thought that you would like it. So, I bought it from him.¡±

    When he said this, Old Chen was even happier. In fact, what made Old Chen even more content wasn¡¯t Fu Bainian¡¯s attitude, but the looks those people surrounding them gave him. Who didn¡¯t envy him for having such a blessed daughter and good son-inw?

    The first half of the banquet was very tranquil, but the second half wasn¡¯t peaceful at all, because...Jiang Cheng appeared.

    Jiang Cheng had quietly entered, avoiding anyone¡¯s notice. It was only now that he chose to suddenly appear in front of Lan Jinyao.

    Following the second half of the banquet, Fu Bainian was dragged over by a group of people to talk about work and future business developments. Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t want to join those boring talks, so she just stayed in a corner and drank by herself. In the face of the many guests and Old Chen, she wanted to remain as quiet as possible and not speak when she didn¡¯t have to, to not expose anything.

    Even Chen Meile reminded her to be more careful. Things like rebirth and soul switching were truly too bizarre to speak of, so Chen Meile didn¡¯t tell Old Chen about this to avoid him getting broken-hearted.

    And, right at this moment, Jiang Cheng appeared.

    Jiang Cheng held a ss of wine and stood behind her as he abruptly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Fu Bainian to apany you tonight. Here I thought that you¡¯d be stood up again by him!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was scared witless by the sudden voice behind her, and she quickly turned around, spilling a bit of wine as she did so.

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t attend this kind of asion, then he would no longer be called Fu Bainian.¡± Having seen things unfold tonight, she was now certain that Fu Bainian had her in his heart. As for those matters that made her broken-hearted, there must be a hidden meaning behind all that. She was sure that Fu Bainian was a person of the same mind and body.

    ¡°Haha, it seems that you¡¯re quite stubborn. Even though you were hurt to this point, you still unwaveringly love Fu Bainian. I think I¡¯m falling deeper for you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao slightly smiled and said, ¡°But, I don¡¯t like you.¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze became profound as he continued, ¡°Is that so? Then, I¡¯ll make you fall in love with me.¡±

 Chapter 142 - Messing Up (2)

    <h4>Chapter 142 - Messing Up (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s intuition told her that Jiang Cheng was dangerous, as she felt something unusual from his gaze.

    Although he¡¯d helped her before, she subconsciously wanted to flee the scene.

    With the ss of wine in her hand, Lan Jinyao walked towards Chen Meile. Chen Meile was currently joking around with a group of men; her stance seemingly charming tonight. Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t afraid to impose on Chen Meile and directly went to stand beside her.

    ¡°Howe you¡¯re here instead of apanying your Bainian?!¡± taunted Chen Meile with a slight smile.

    Lan Jinyao immediately understood that Chen Meile was intentionally putting on an act in front of the group, so she just smiled and replied, ¡°Does he even need me to apany him? He¡¯s got enoughpany; he¡¯s surrounded by arge group of men.¡±

    Her words made the group of men burst intoughter.

    Someone then said, ¡°If President Fu was surrounded by a group of women instead, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯d be the first to squeeze in.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t get angry at his words. Instead, she just smiled and didn¡¯t respond.

    Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng had followed her and squeezed into their circle. Upon seeing him, those men showed a surprised expression and, one after another, they went up to greet him.

    The Jiang family¡¯s Young Master was usually very low-profile. Generally speaking, he often wouldn¡¯t show up for banquets held by well-known families in the city. The Jiang family had said that he was abroad, but in recent years, he¡¯d frequently appear in front of the cameras. This had rmed a lot of people, thinking that Jiang Cheng was back to open up new territory and expand his business. However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, he¡¯d unexpectedly chosen to only invest in the entertainment industry, and he¡¯d quietly stayed there.

    At the moment, many people were talking to Jiang Cheng, yet he didn¡¯t even move an inch and just stood there beside Lan Jinyao, indifferently acknowledging one or two words from the others.

    Almost everyone made out the fact that wherever Lan Jinyao went, Jiang family¡¯s Young Master would also be there. This obviously hinted at something.

    Lan Jinyao started to get somewhat annoyed, yet there was still a big smile stered on her face.

    When Chen Meile saw this, she bluntly joked, ¡°Howe President Jiang always likes to stand beside our Meimei? Could it be that you like her? But, Meimei¡¯s already a married woman!¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re such a joker.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze once again fell on Lan Jinyao as he added, ¡°I just feel that Chen Meimei has changed a lot, as if she¡¯s apletely different person now, so I was astonished and I was wondering what made her change so much. She doesn¡¯t seem like her old self at all.¡±

    When the people next to him heard this, they went along with him one after another. ¡°Of course that¡¯s due to President Fu! President Jiang, you didn¡¯t know this? Love has the power to change a person!¡±

    Following that, the atmosphere became quite intense. Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao and Chen Meile¡¯s smiles began to falter.

    Others might not understand the meaning behind Jiang Cheng¡¯s words, but Lan Jinyao did. Chen Meile didn¡¯t understand at first, but she had sharp senses so as soon as Jiang Cheng finished saying that, she quickly put down her wine ss and took this opportunity to go to the bathroom, dragging Lan Jinyao along with her.

    The Chen family¡¯s bathroom was very luxurious. When Chen Meile dragged her in, her expression immediately sank as she asked, ¡°Aside from me, there are also others who know about that matter, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao pursed her lips and didn¡¯t reply. In fact, she also didn¡¯t know how many people knew about that. Those around her who¡¯d noticed something, and those who hadn¡¯t; they all seemingly had the probability of knowing something.

    Seeing her like this made Chen Meile quite frustrated. ¡°Jiang Cheng knows, right? Did you tell him?¡±

    ¡°This is such a serious matter, so how could I have told him?!¡±

    Chen Meile stared at her for a long time before nodding, and said, ¡°Alright, Jiang Cheng is a dangerous person; you had better stay away from him. I don¡¯t believe that he¡¯s approaching you because he likes you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao acknowledged her words and silently grumbled, ¡°It actually never crossed my mind that he would like me.¡±

    Soon after that, Chen Meile specifically told her before leaving, ¡°Tonight is extremely significant, so I don¡¯t want anything to go wrong. Don¡¯t be deceived by Father¡¯s energetic self because his health isn¡¯t the best at the moment.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. She then remained in the hallway for a bit longer before going back to the lounge.

    When she arrived, she saw Jiang Cheng and the group talking jovially. She didn¡¯t head over to their direction and instead found herself a quiet spot nearby. Not long after, Old Chen waved towards her and motioned for her to go over.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s thoughts were in a mess. Old Chen was only a few steps away from her, yet she nkly walked over at a snail¡¯s pace.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Were you worried that I¡¯d ask you about your love affairs? Howe you showed such an unwilling expression when this old man called you over?¡±

    Old Chen stared at her with a big smile on his face.

    Lan Jinyao smiled and quickly replied, ¡°No, I was just worried that you¡¯d feel sad over this. Those reporters love scribbling nonsense and giving others headaches.¡±

    ¡°So, that is to say that none of it is true?¡± asked Old Chen again.

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Lan Jinyao sat down next to him and continued, ¡°Could it be that you still don¡¯t believe me? Fu Bainian already exined things to you earlier, yet you still doubt his words. Alright then, let¡¯s take a step back; even if you don¡¯t believe in him, you ought to believe in your daughter¡¯s charm!¡±

    ¡°Haha...that¡¯s right, you¡¯ve truly changed a lot and you¡¯re so slender now. However, I still liked your previous figure better! Being a bit fat means that you¡¯re blessed.¡±

    Lan Jinyao recalled the moment when she¡¯d woken up. That kind of weight... Remembering this, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit depressed. Was she only a little bit fat? Old Chen¡¯s tolerance towards his daughter was truly tremendous. As expected, as long as it was his own daughter, no matter how she looked, she¡¯d look perfect in his eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! She has indeed changed a lot!¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice suddenly rang behind her.

    Lan Jinyao clenched her hands into fists. Howe this fellow was like a ghost that kept haunting her?

    ¡°Old Chen, Meimei¡¯s persona is all the more popr and well-liked now. She¡¯ll certainly shine at the top of the entertainment industry in the future.¡±

    Old Chen not only was a nouveau riche in other¡¯s eyes, but he especially liked it when others spoke kind words. After Jiang Cheng said this, heughed so hard until his eyes turned into crescents, and he said, ¡°In the beginning, this girl made a huge ruckus just to get into the entertainment industry. There was no other way, so I could only spend some money to let her in. At that time, she couldn¡¯t do anything and only had eyes for my Son-inw. Now, everything is fine as both her career and family is doing well. Meimei¡¯s truly amazing!¡±

    Jiang Cheng followed suit and echoed, ¡°That¡¯s quite an amazing feat.¡±

    He seemed to be suggesting something else, but Old Chen liked to y dumb, so he justughed at his words and didn¡¯t ask further.

    Lan Jinyao, who was scared witless, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m leaving first to have a word with President Jiang.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Old Chen openly answered, and then said to her, ¡°Just pay attention to your image a little, since there are reporters out there! Bainian is also watching, so don¡¯t get into any scandals.¡±

    The corners of Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth curled up afterwards. Even Old Chen had realised that Jiang Cheng came with ulterior motives.

 Chapter 143 - Messing Up (3)

    <h4>Chapter 143 - Messing Up (3)</h4>

    In the courtyard, it wasn¡¯t as noisy as inside, and the night was quiet and tranquil. Lan Jinyao walked to a big tree in the courtyard and sat down at the bench underneath it. Jiang Cheng followed her closely and sat down right next to her.

    Now that there were no outsiders, Lan Jinyao skipped the superfluous words and bluntly asked, ¡°Jiang Cheng, what do you honestly want to achieve by doing this?¡±

    Jiang Chengughed and replied, ¡°What I want to achieve? Don¡¯t you know that already?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like guessing games!¡± Lan Jinyao emphasised in a heavy tone, sounding slightly angry.

    Indeed, no one wanted to be like a bird seized in the palm of someone¡¯s hand. That feeling was just horrible. It felt as if one¡¯s life and death was in the hands of others.

    Jiang Cheng slightly bent over and closed the distance between them. He stared at her, smiled, and said, ¡°Could it be that you still don¡¯t get it? I think my actions are quite obvious. Besides, I don¡¯t like you questioning me in such an impatient manner; I helped you the other day.¡±

    With the mention of the matter from a few days ago, Lan Jinyao snorted and didn¡¯t refute him.

    When Jiang Cheng saw her like this, heughed again, looking extremely happy.

    He then added, ¡°Were you worried that I¡¯d tell someone your secret? So, you hastily dragged me out here? In fact, you don¡¯t have to worry since I won¡¯t tell anyone, I just want to keep this secret with me. But...you rashly taking me here, aren¡¯t you afraid that Fu Bainian will get jealous? Is it that you overly trust Fu Bainian or the other way around?¡±

    Lan Jinyao followed his gaze and saw Fu Bainian standing in front of the door. It was unknown how long he¡¯d stood there for, but he was staring in their direction with a dark look in his eyes.

    ¡°Look, he doesn¡¯t seem very happy!¡±

    Jiang Cheng was very close to Lan Jinyao, and from a distance, their postures seemed to be very intimate. When this crossed her mind, Lan Jinyao quickly stood up and coldly uttered, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re scheming, but I do know that you won¡¯t seed! Jiang Cheng, you¡¯re a very outstanding person, so I really don¡¯t want to end up hating you.¡±

    After saying that, Lan Jinyao lifted her dress and trotted towards Fu Bainian. When she arrived in front of Fu Bainian, she lost her footing and leaned forward, nearly falling to the ground. Meanwhile, Fu Bainian, who remained indifferent at first, saw this and without a second thought, immediately extended his hand and caught Lan Jinyao.

    Following this, Lan Jinyaoy in Fu Bainian¡¯s arms in a panicked state for five seconds before quickly snapping out of it and tightly embracing Fu Bainian, revealing a bright smile on her face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be offended; I just wanted to make things clear to him.¡±

    Fu Bainian helped her stand up, and then indifferently said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Then, he turned around and walked towards the living room. Seeing him leave, Lan Jinyao hastily followed him.

    ¡°What a lie that you don¡¯t mind!¡± she muttered in a low voice. ¡°It was written all over your face, yet you said you don¡¯t mind. You¡¯re clearly saying one thing, and meaning another.¡±

    Fu Bainian pretended he didn¡¯t hear anything.

    When the couple stood together, they undoubtedly looked like a very eye-catching painting. No matter where Fu Bainian went, Lan Jinyao followed suit. Sometimes she¡¯d coquettishly joke around with him. Even though she didn¡¯t get any response from him, she seemed to enjoy and never tire of it.

    Then, half an hourter, Fu Bainian finally reacted and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home in a bit!¡±

    Lan Jinyao hesitated as she said, ¡°But, Dad told us to stay for the night; even Chen Meile asked earlier. So, how about we stay here for a night?¡±

    In fact, she felt as if they hadn¡¯t slept together on the same bed for more than a century already. Although Fu Bainian secretly came back every night to see her, he¡¯d soon leave again every time. Though she didn¡¯t understand the reason for doing so, she felt that Fu Bainian must be keeping something from her.

    Fu Bainian, without hesitation, replied, ¡°No, we can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± muttered Lan Jinyao in response.

    ¡°Because you¡¯ll expose yourself. Besides, Chen Meile was just being polite in front of Father-inw. Did you really think that she¡¯d want you to stay?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao felt that she was seemingly looked down upon by Fu Bainian.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back in a moment!¡± Lan Jinyao quietly uttered in a voice filled with disappointment.

    After Chen Meile had learnt that she wasn¡¯t the real Chen Meimei, her attitude towards her changed. Actually, it was effortless for one to perceive whether Chen Meile¡¯s words from earlier were polite or not.

    Not long after, the two of them quietly slipped away and walked side by side towards the courtyard.

    While they were walking, Lan Jinyao asked, ¡°We didn¡¯t say anything to Dad before we left; that¡¯s not very nice, right? How about we go back and notify him?¡±

    ¡°You keep saying ¡®Dad¡¯ again and again, looks like that word is already a part of you.¡±

    ¡°...Alright, let¡¯s just go home then!¡±

    After getting in the car, Lan Jinyao asked, ¡°Jiang Cheng kept pestering me earlier. Do you want to know what he said to me?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you call him to go out?¡±

    ¡°...That¡¯s not important, the main point is, do you want to know?¡±

    Fu Bainian remained silent for a long time before he answered, ¡°I don¡¯t want to know!¡±

    Lan Jinyao: ¡°...¡±

    Following that, she didn¡¯t speak anymore. She fiddled around with her fingers, feeling a little disgruntled.

    At this moment, she looked like an angry concubine, and the corner of Fu Bainian¡¯s mouth slightly arched up in an untraceable smile.

    No one noticed that a tall figure was standing at courtyard¡¯s gate, staring at them all this while. Under the moonlight, this man¡¯s gaze looked somewhat gloomy and sinister.

    When they got home, Lan Jinyao directly plopped on the sofa. Although she hadn¡¯t stood for a very long time today, she still felt extremely tired.

    Fu Bainian nced at her and then brought out her pyjamas for her. ¡°Go wash up and then go to bed; don¡¯t sleep on the sofa, it¡¯s not veryfy.¡±

    Lan Jinyao reached for the pyjamas, and thenzily answered, ¡°Okay!¡±

    Afterwards, she justy there, not moving for a long time.

    Lan Jinyao was thinking: Should she tell Fu Bainian about her pregnancy? After all, Fu Bainian had been acting weird recently, so she didn''t know what he¡¯d do. If she rashly told him, she was afraid that something terrible might happen.

    After hesitating for a while, Lan Jinyao decided to tell Fu Bainian anyway. She then went into the bathroom with her pyjamas and noticed that the bathtub was already filled. She tested the water temperature, and it was just right.

    After taking a rxing bath, Lan Jinyao walked out of the bathroom and saw that Fu Bainian had already changed into a suit. When he saw hering out, he casually said, ¡°Shen Yu just called, so I¡¯m going out and might note back tonight. You can sleep first!¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lan Jinyao nkly replied, staring at Fu Bainian¡¯s disappearing figure.

    After a long time, she suddenly remembered that she hadn¡¯t said anything yet.

 Chapter 144 - A Battle Of Wits Against Yin Yun (1)

    <h4>Chapter 144 - A Battle Of Wits Against Yin Yun (1)</h4>

    Since Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t take on any work, she quietly stayed at home and would sometimes go to the park for a stroll, sitting there to enjoy the view for a while. And, from time to time, she¡¯d feel that she was bing mouldy from having nothing to do. But, even so, when Li Qi would call to ask if she wanted to take on a new ad, she¡¯d still reject the offer. Besides, bearing the grand title: ¡®the President¡¯s Wife¡¯, Li Qi didn¡¯t dare force her.

    That night, after Lan Jinyao had decided to read a book to kill some time before bed, she suddenly received another call from Jiang Cheng. In Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes, this mysterious man always seemed to be harbouring unfathomable motives. Thus, when Lan Jinyao saw that familiar number, she immediately declined the call.

    In the past, Jiang Cheng was always very patient, and whenever the first call was declined, a second call would immediatelye through. However, after Lan Jinyao had refused the call today, her phone didn¡¯t ring again for a while. A few minutester, Jiang Cheng sent her a text message instead, and Lan Jinyao immediately frowned upon seeing the contents.

    What on earth did Jiang Cheng want? She was obviously a married woman, yet he kept pestering her to no end. What was his purpose, exactly? Could it be that he was one of Chen Meimei¡¯s admirer in the early years, so when he returned home, heunched an offensive against her?

    Lan Jinyao pondered for a while and thought that although the probability was minuscule, it wasn¡¯t wholly improbable.

    She then recalled the incident from some time ago; the fire that she¡¯d nearly all but forgotten. That in-looking man who¡¯d trapped her in that room back then had ended up being caught in the ze and buried along with it. This incident was sufficient enough evidence to prove that Chen Meimei also had her own unique charm.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s text message read: I¡¯m currently downstairs at your ce. I need you to apany me to a business banquet.

    Commanding her boldly like this...did he really think that she was his subordinate, who must do as he says?

    Following that, Lan Jinyao promptly deleted the message, and then put down her mobile to continue reading. She was reading a parenting book which contained some general knowledge on prenatal education. Lan Jinyao stared at those beautiful baby pictures, and a smile slowly tugged at her lips. Each baby looked so cute. Her and Fu Bainian¡¯s baby would be very cute too; after all, their genes were outstanding!

    However, her smile didn¡¯tst long, as Jiang Cheng called again. This time around, Lan Jinyao turned off her phone since just listening to the ringing alone annoyed her.

    A few minutester, she heard someone knocking on the door, so she hurriedly put the book away in the drawer and went to open the door. She then saw from the peephole that the person standing outside was Jiang Cheng.

    ¡°President Jiang, what on earth do you want?!¡± Lan Jinyao opened the door and angrily asked.

    Her tone sounded extremely irritated; if it were another person who was familiar with the situation, then they would¡¯ve certainly left and not lingered any longer. However, Jiang Cheng was obviously the kind of person who liked to feign ignorance. So, even though he could discern the impatience in her tone, he was still able to pull off a smile in this situation.

    ¡°Nothing really. Did you read the text message I sent you earlier?¡±

    Lan Jinyao coldly replied, ¡°I deleted it!¡±

    At the Chen family banquet, Jiang Cheng kept mentioning the fact that she wasn¡¯t the same as before in front of Old Chen. At that time, Lan Jinyao felt as if her heart was in her throat. Now, her favourable impression towards Jiang Cheng had disappeared entirely.

    ¡°Alright! Then, I¡¯ll tell you one more time; I¡¯m going to a business dinner, so are you going with me or not? Oh right, President Fu will also be present, and...¡± Jiang Cheng intentionally paused for a few seconds before continuing, ¡°He¡¯ll bring his femalepanion with him. As to who that is, you should be able to guess, right?¡±

    ¡°Yin Yun?¡± Lan Jinyao blurted out, her expression instantly sinking.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips curled up as he said, ¡°Correct, that¡¯s her. President Fu has been very high-profile recently, and wherever he goes, he brings that woman. It seems as if he wants the whole world to know. No wonder the paparazzi follows him around all day long; for as long as they follow President Fu, they¡¯ll be able to get a scoop every day.¡±

    Lan Jinyao then indifferently remarked, ¡°I was already aware of this, so there¡¯s no need for President Jiang to repeat it to me.¡±

    ¡°Then, are you stilling with me today? I heard that President Fu is nning to cast Yin Yun for the new movie he¡¯s invested in. Are you sure that you don¡¯t want to join the banquet?¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t want to tell him too much and just said, ¡°Bainian has invested in a lot of movies, so I¡¯m not sure which one you mean. Yin Yun is one of Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s artists, so of course, she can get a share of thepany¡¯s resources.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a clever person, so how can you not know which one I¡¯m talking about? There¡¯s not much time left; if you really don¡¯t want to go, then I¡¯ll leave now.¡±

    Jiang Cheng spoke very decisively this time, utterly unlike his past persistent self.

    Following that, a thought suddenly urred to Lan Jinyao. The movie that Jiang Cheng was referring to was ¡®Twilight¡¯, and only that film was rted to her. At that time, Chen Zetao had also especiallye to find her to say that the production for the movie wouldn¡¯t start so soon, so it could definitely fit her schedule.

    She¡¯d initially wanted to finish off Shen Wei¡¯an, and then continue filming with ease. But, unexpected things had happened like Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s disappearance and her pregnancy.

    Jiang Cheng turned around and was about to leave when Lan Jinyao hurriedly asked, ¡°The movie you just mentioned, is that the one directed by Director Chen, ¡®Twilight¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Mhmm, why? Have you changed your mind and want to join me?¡± Jiang Cheng turned around and smirked at her with satisfaction.

    This time, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t hesitate at all before replying, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go, why shouldn¡¯t I? President Jiang, please wait for a bit; I¡¯ll quickly go change.¡±

    After Lan Jinyao went back inside, Jiang Cheng¡¯s smile gradually faded, and his expression darkened.

    ¡°Since...that method didn¡¯t work, then I¡¯ll just switch to a different approach. One day, I¡¯ll be able to catch you again.¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s eerie voice echoed throughout the empty corridor.

    About ten minutester, Lan Jinyao followed Jiang Cheng outside. The sky had darkened entirely now, eclipsing nearly all the light in the surroundings and leaving behind only the bright lights on the nearby streets.

    Jiang Cheng had said that many investors and first-tier actors would be present at this business dinner.

    As he was speaking, Lan Jinyao just casually acknowledged his words, seemingly not paying attention to what he was saying.

    ¡°There are so many artists under the banner of Blue Hall Entertainment, yet President Fu only takes Yin Yun along with him. Say, is President Fu set on making Yin Yun famous?¡±

    Lan Jinyao turned to look at him and refuted, ¡°He has the right to make any artist under thepany famous, as long as he¡¯s willing to.¡±

    Jiang Cheng was choked by her words and didn¡¯t say anything more. However, there was still a smile stered on his face, one which could make anyone feel fidgety with one look as if everything was in his control.

 Chapter 145 - A Battle Of Wits Against Yin Yun (2)

    <h4>Chapter 145 - A Battle Of Wits Against Yin Yun (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao recalled the night she¡¯d died. Back then, she¡¯d attended a party simr to this one, and at that time, Shen Wei¡¯an hadn¡¯t yet broken the mould, and their rtionship was still very good. That day, she¡¯d stood in the corner, quietly drinking wine and listening to Shen Wei¡¯an bber about her ns. And, Shen Wei¡¯an had always fantasised about a luxurious lifestyle.

    Afterwards, Fu Bainian came, and he¡¯d attracted a lot of attention as he walked in, stealing the spotlight. At that time, there were no women around him, and there had never been any scandals. His reputation was so clean that it was inconceivable that he was part of the entertainment industry.

    It waster that Lan Jinyao learnt the reason why Fu Bainian was so clean; he already had someone in his heart, and that person was her.

    However, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t understand one thing. They were finally together now, yet Fu Bainian¡¯s attitude towards her had be so odd. She could feel that Fu Bainian loved her dearly, but the things he¡¯d done in the past few days somehow made her feel uneasy.

    This time, when Lan Jinyao linked arms with Jiang Cheng as they walked in, they immediately attracted all the attention. In that instant, she detected Fu Bainian¡¯s infuriated gaze on her, like he seemingly wanted to rush over to her side. However, his expression remained as unreadable as usual.

    Jiang Cheng pulled her along, step by step, towards Fu Bainian. When the two men¡¯s eyes met in midair, sparks flew everywhere; one with a look of provocation, one with anger.

    As soon as Lan Jinyao entered the hall, the dance began. Fu Bainian and Yin Yun were forced aside by the dancing crowd. When Jiang Cheng saw the two of them, he took Lan Jinyao over and stood in front of Fu Bainian.

    Yin Yun was dressed very sexily tonight, and her lips were painted a bright red which reminded Lan Jinyao of the lipstick print on Fu Bainian¡¯s body the night she¡¯d first met Yin Yun. As Lan Jinyao recollected this, her expression darkened.

    Yin Yun stared at her provokingly, and then coquettishly said, ¡°Bainian, let¡¯s go dance too!¡±

    Just as Yin Yun¡¯s hand was about to seize Fu Bainian¡¯s arm, Lan Jinyao stepped in between them and grabbed Yin Yun¡¯s hand, blocking her from Fu Bainian.

    When those present saw this scene, they came to a sudden realisation: So, it turned out that there were no extramarital affairs, but a marriage battle instead!

    The people who watched the scene unfold had their eyes locked on the four of them, but Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t mind their gazes. She shook off Yin Yun¡¯s hand and took Fu Bainian¡¯s hand in hers.

    She then sweetly smiled and said, ¡°Darling, let¡¯s go dance!¡±

    Fu Bainian conceded and put his arms around her waist before he brought her to the dance floor. Meanwhile, Yin Yun was ring at her. If there weren¡¯t so many people around at the moment, Lan Jinyao reckoned that Yin Yun would be stomping her feet in a rage.

    Lan Jinyao, on the other hand, thought that this wasn¡¯t enough, and proceeded to lean her head on Fu Bainian¡¯s shoulder. That affectionate disy not only made Yin Yun look away angrily, but also made Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression sink.

    Yin Yun then suddenly spoke, ¡°President Jiang, let¡¯s go and dance too!¡±

    On the dance floor, the four of them danced back and forth in circles but remained inseparable. Yin Yun and Jiang Cheng would dance to Lan Jinyao and Fu Bainian¡¯s side from time to time, and after a while, Jiang Cheng suddenly smiled and asked, ¡°President Fu, do you mind changing dancing partners in a minute?¡±

    Before Fu Bainian could say anything, Lan Jinyao was a step ahead of him and stated, ¡°I do mind!¡±

    Yin Yun smiled, and said, ¡°Miss Chen sure isn¡¯t magnanimous. It¡¯s just a dance, what are you worried about?¡±

    ¡°Haha!¡± Lan Jinyao smiled insincerely and answered, ¡°Please address me as Mrs. Fu. Besides, it¡¯s just a dance, so why can¡¯t you just dance with someone else instead of insisting on dancing with my hubby?¡±

    When she addressed him as ¡®hubby¡¯, Fu Bainian¡¯s lips slightly curled up into a faint smile before heughed.

    When Lan Jinyao heard hisughter, she red at him and softly grumbled, ¡°What are youughing at? This is all because of you.¡±

    Fu Bainian then led her to the side, their steps adept and graceful.

    Finally, we¡¯ve escaped from those two annoying people! At this thought, Lan Jinyao instantly felt a little better.

    At the end of the song, people in twos and threes began to get together again. Lan Jinyao had drunk a bit earlier, and now she had to use thedies¡¯ room. So, she told Fu Bainian that she would go to the bathroom. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw Yin Yun standing outside in the hallway, waiting for her.

    Lan Jinyao had initially wanted to ignore her, but as she passed by Yin Yun, Yin Yun reached out her hand and blocked her path.

    Yin Yun¡¯s lips were curled up in a faint smile, and this sight reminded Lan Jinyao of those actresses who acted as those vicious and bad to the bone supporting roles in melodramatic soap operas.

    If Yin Yun were to act as a vicious supporting role, Lan Jinyao estimated that she¡¯d be able to be popr in one fell swoop.

    ¡°A good dog doesn¡¯t block someone¡¯s path. Could it be that you haven¡¯t heard of this saying before?¡± She coldly red at the hand that Yin Yun was using to block her.

    Yin Yun coldly snorted. ¡°I have something to say to you.¡±

    ¡°But, I have nothing to say to you!¡±

    Lan Jinyao raised her hand and waved away Yin Yun¡¯s hand. She was about to return to the hall, but in the next second, she was pulled to a stop by Yin Yun.

    ¡°What on earth do you want?!¡± Lan Jinyao coldly asked. In fact, at this moment, her patience had already been exhausted; she didn¡¯t want to see this woman at all.

    Yin Yun leaned against the wall, her expression like that of a fierce blooming flower, emitting a venomous smell. It would look extremely delicate, but it was contaminated with enough venom to corrode everything.

    And, the flower, covered with venom, was stretching its petals towards her in an attempt to devour her.

    ¡°You must listen to me. If I were you, I would know that it would be better to withdraw early, than to keep a marriage that has already lost its passion and heat. That¡¯ll save you from losing everything when the timees.¡±

    What a sincere piece of advice! Lan Jinyao sneered and said, ¡°Even if I have to guard this marriage till my death, I won''t give it up to others; especially not to a certain person harbouring evil designs. Do you want to marry into the Fu family? Wait for your next life!¡±

    Yin Yun¡¯s expression sunk as she coldly rebuked, ¡°Why can¡¯t you discern good from bad? How long do you think Fu Bainian will preserve this marriage? When Fu Bainian acquires everything in the Chen family, he¡¯ll soon kick you out and be with me.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao smiled. She¡¯d initially thought that Yin Yun would reveal something earth-shattering, but it turned out to be just this. How funny! Fu Bainian didn¡¯t even tell Yin Yun her secret, so how close could they be? Everything was just a facade.

    In the beginning, Lan Jinyao was still a little worried, but after hearing this, thest bit of worry in her heartpletely disappeared. Fu Bainian had known since long ago that she wasn¡¯t Chen Meimei, so how could this count as using her for his benefits?

 Chapter 146 - A Battle Of Wits Against Yin Yun (3)

    <h4>Chapter 146 - A Battle Of Wits Against Yin Yun (3)</h4>

    When the banquet ended, Lan Jinyao took the initiative to go outside. She stood at the hotel¡¯s doorway and waited for Fu Bainian. Tonight, no matter if he were going home or not, she¡¯d keep him.

    Seeing Lan Jinyao leave, Jiang Cheng instantly followed her out. After she¡¯d waited for a while, Jiang Cheng went to stand next to her and whispered, ¡°I brought you here; do you need me to be a gentleman and send you back?¡±

    ¡°No need!¡± Lan Jinyao immediately declined his offer. ¡°Bainian ising out soon, so I¡¯ll just wait for him to go home together.¡±

    Jiang Cheng sneered with a sarcastic smile and said, ¡°Go home together? As far as I know, President Fu hasn¡¯t been living at home for a long time already. I bet that you guys haven¡¯t even shared a bed for quite a while, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was speechless when Jiang Cheng asked this. He was telling the truth, so upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s hands instantly clenched into fists.

    After a long moment of silence, Lan Jinyao suddenly asked, ¡°You seem to be very clear about Fu Bainian¡¯s matters? You even know when hees home and when he doesn¡¯t!¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt as if she¡¯d touched the source of his scheme.

    The moment this question was asked, Jiang Cheng¡¯s face suddenly darkened, and Lan Jinyao keenly noticed this. She then neared him a little and inquired further. ¡°You¡¯re secretly investigating Fu Bainian, and know about his each and every move, right?¡±

    ¡°So, what if that¡¯s true?¡±

    Jiang Cheng was seen through by Lan Jinyao, so he simply admitted to it. However, Lan Jinyao, on the other, froze when he did so.

    ¡°Why are you doing that?¡± It was very unbelievable for someone as straightforward and upright as him to resort to these kinds of despicable means.

    Jiang Cheng had seemingly read her mind as he mockingly said, ¡°I¡¯ve never said that I was a straightforward and upright person. Additionally, I¡¯ve also never said that I wouldn¡¯t resort to despicable and shameless means. You were the one who thought of me like that.¡±

    ¡°As to why I¡¯m doing all of that, I thought you knew already.¡± Jiang Cheng paused for a second before lowering his voice and whispering in her ear, ¡°I want you. You belong to me, not to Fu Bainian.¡±

    This time, he no longer addressed Fu Bainian as ¡®President Fu¡¯, but directly addressed him by his name. His voice was brimming with possessiveness, which frightened Lan Jinyao.

    Then, Lan Jinyao quickly pushed him away and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never belonged to you! Jiang Cheng, if possible, I¡¯d rather not have you in my life.¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression instantly sunk upon hearing this one sentence. ¡°I¡¯ll leave first!¡±

    He seemingly hated to hear her say those kinds of hurtful words. He briskly turned around and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the distance as he bolted away.

    Lan Jinyao slightly frowned as she stared at his disappearing figure. The one that Jiang Cheng liked; was that her, Lan Jinyao, or Chen Meimei?

    It seemed that she could only now grasp Jiang Cheng¡¯s intentions.

    Following that, Fu Bainian came up behind her and asked, ¡°What did he say to you just now?¡±

    His sudden appearance startled Lan Jinyao. She abruptly turned around and saw Fu Bainian standing there with one hand ced on his belt, and also Yin Yun, who stubbornly clung to him like glue.

    Lan Jinyao shook her head and was going to say it was nothing, but when her words came out of her mouth, they changed again. ¡°He told me to pay attention as there¡¯s a certain someone harbouring ulterior motives out there who is eyeing the ¡®Mrs. Fu¡¯ position.¡±

    Hearing this, Fu Bainian lightly nced at Yin Yun and then dully said, ¡°No, that won¡¯t happen.¡±

    Lan Jinyao haughtily smiled and took Fu Bainian¡¯s hand before coquettishly saying in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go home together!¡±

    Her smile seemed to have returned to the same smile as before; it was so pure, it gently stirred his heart. Thus, Fu Bainian couldn¡¯t help but nod.

    Afterwards, Lan Jinyao smiled triumphantly at Yin Yun, and then walked away with Fu Bainian, side by side.

    Meanwhile, Yin Yun was angrily yelling behind them, ¡°Fu Bainian-¡±

    Fu Bainian halted and, at the same time, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°President Fu, are you sure you want to go back with Chen Meimei?¡± Yin Yun solemnly asked. ¡°Are you certain about that?¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s intuition told her that there must be something going on between Yin Yun and Fu Bainian that she didn¡¯t know about. But, this had absolutely nothing to do with love, because when Fu Bainian was looking at Yin Yun, his gaze was utterly devoid of it.

    Lan Jinyao suddenly tightened her grip on Fu Bainian¡¯s hand. Her fingertips were a bit cold, and Fu Bainian felt it. He slightly turned his face and saw a feeble pleading look in Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes.

    Don¡¯t go...

    Her eyes seemed to be conveying this to him.

    Fu Bainian hesitated for a moment before finally telling Yin Yun, ¡°You go back by yourself! I¡¯m...going home tonight!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression instantly lightened up like a ray of lovely spring sunshine and flowers in full bloom. Fu Bainian nkly stared at her for a long while before his lips curled up into a faint smile.

    ¡°Hubby, let¡¯s go home!¡±

    She then looked back at Yin Yun, who seemed to be furious as she stood there, staring at them for a long time. Her eyes were burning with anger, yet she didn¡¯t say another word after that.

    Lan Jinyao was particrly happy and was softly humming a song in the front passenger seat.

    When Fu Bainian saw that bright smile on her face, he suddenly felt that his dull mood from the past few days had immediately disappeared into nothingness.

    ¡°You seem very happy.¡±

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Of course!¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t understand why she was so happy, because he didn¡¯t know that in the past she¡¯d been depressed to the point that her heart had almost drowned with despair. There had been countless moments where she¡¯d told herself: Forget it, even if you can¡¯t go on, don¡¯t let yourself feel sad and don¡¯t hurt your heart.

    However, she¡¯d persevered and told herself: Fu Bainian wasn¡¯t that kind of person. Although he¡¯d done those hurtful things, he must¡¯ve had his reasons for doing so and couldn¡¯t tell her his feelings.

    ¡°Why...did you show up with Jiang Cheng today?¡±

    Fu Bainian was somewhat hesitant when he asked this. He focused on the road ahead, but his hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel, and this movement exposed his inner tension.

    When Lan Jinyao heard this, she smiled all the more brightly and asked back, ¡°Do you care about that a lot?¡±

    The answer she got was, without doubt, silence.

    Lan Jinyao deliberately waited for a while before answering, ¡°That¡¯s because Jiang Cheng had said that he was going to take me to catch a couple in the act. As a result, I went there and saw you with Yin Yun.¡±

    She suddenly lowered her voice, and pretended to be fierce as she ferociously stated, ¡°Fu Bainian, let me tell you, I absolutely won¡¯t divorce you!¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared into Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes and repeated, ¡°I absolutely refuse!¡±

 Chapter 147 - You Dare Say You Donâ€™t Love Me? (1)

    <h4>Chapter 147 - You Dare Say You Don¡¯t Love Me? (1)</h4>

    When Lan Jinyao got home, she immediately locked the door. Fu Bainian stood in the living room in his suit, watching her movements. When Lan Jinyao had finished taking her bath, she walked into the living room and looked at Fu Bainian¡¯s actions; he was seemingly still nning to go out. Seeing this, she rushed up in front of Fu Bainian and fiercely red at him.

    ¡°Where are you going? You said that you¡¯d stay home tonight.¡±

    Lan Jinyao felt that, at this moment, she was like a sorrowful deserted woman, racking her brains to keep her husband for the night.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere; you can go and get some rest!¡± Fu Bainian rarely showed such a gentle expression these days, so Lan Jinyao felt even weirder when he said that.

    Lan Jinyao nced at Fu Bainian, then sat down on the sofa, seemingly as if she was going to keep watch over Fu Bainian. ¡°Go take a bath first, I¡¯ll wait for you here; I¡¯ve got something to tell youter.¡±

    Lan Jinyao had made up her mind. Those words must be said today, and she believed that everything would be all right eventually.

    Fu Bainian stared at her for a while before walking into the bathroom. He then saw that his pyjamas were ced in the bathroom and that the hot water was already prepared. Soon after, Lan Jinyao noticed that Fu Bainian was taking his sweet time in the bath and thought: He¡¯s taking way too long in there!

    When Fu Bainian finally dawdled out of the bathroom, Lan Jinyao saw him walking towards the guest room. Back then, when Fu Bainian had asked her to move in, the guest room was always locked, leaving only the sofa and the spacious master bedroom as options.

    At that time, she¡¯d felt that it was unjust, so she chose to make do with the sofa.

    However, now she¡¯d adopted Fu Bainian¡¯s manner, locking the guest room and holding the key tightly in her hand. Fu Bainian continued to search the spot where they usually kept the keys, yet he still couldn¡¯t find it. He then stopped in front of Lan Jinyao and eyed her suspiciously, faintly asking, ¡°Where¡¯s the key to the guest room?¡±

    Lan Jinyao feigned ignorance and asked in response, ¡°Are there any guestsing to stay over tonight?¡±

    Fu Bainian then understood that she¡¯d hidden the key, and he raised his eyebrows at her. ¡°You hid the key?¡±

    Lan Jinyao put her hands behind her back and stared at Fu Bainian with her head held up high. She stubbornly answered, ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve hidden it, what about it? There¡¯s the master bedroom, yet you want to sleep in the guest room. That¡¯s so humble of you, Fu Bainian!¡±

    In fact, now that she thought about it carefully, she found herself quite humble too. If it was her past self, she reckoned that she would¡¯ve made herself scarce long ago. Besides, she was never one to regret her actions. Yet, now she was unable to let go; she¡¯d fallen in love with this man, so she could no longer give up on loving him.

    Fu Bainian clenched his teeth and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m very humble; now give me the key!¡±

    The key was hidden in Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand behind her back. Fu Bainian noticed it at a nce and reached out to grab the key from her. Lan Jinyao stubbornly refused to give him the key and would push him with her hand from time to time. She obviously didn¡¯t use a lot of strength, but Fu Bainian suddenly groaned.

    Lan Jinyao thought that she¡¯d touched the side of Fu Bainian¡¯s arm. There must be a wound there.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She stared at Fu Bainian with a burning gaze.

    At this instant, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression became somewhat unnatural, and he even deliberately dodged her gaze.

    Lan Jinyao suddenly stood up and forcefully asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Your hand is injured, right?¡±

    Fu Bainian remained silent and didn¡¯t fight with her over the key anymore; he went straight to the master bedroom andy on one side of the bed. Lan Jinyao quickly followed suit. When she saw him lying on the bed, she quietly started to lift his sleeves. However, her movements were detected by Fu Bainian, who quickly pushed her hand away, not letting her touch his arm.

    ¡°You¡¯re injured!¡± Lan Jinyao was even more certain of this now. ¡°Quickly let me take a look.¡±

    Fu Bainian frowned and avoided her. When he saw that he couldn¡¯t dodge her anymore, he simply reached out and pulled her into his arms to prevent her from doing anything else.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, just let me take a quick look, alright?¡± she softly pleaded.

    Lan Jinyao believed that she vaguely understood why Fu Bainian had been acting weirdtely. He didn¡¯te home and always pretended to be cold towards her. He¡¯d hurt his arm, so he¡¯d deliberately kept her in the dark about this. He even went through that act with Yin Yun just to anger her.

    Lan Jinyao felt that she must¡¯ve guessed correctly, but she had to find a way to confirm this.

    Although she was in Fu Bainian¡¯s embrace, her hands weren¡¯t restless at all. She then found an opening and reached out to touch his arm.

    ¡°Let me take a look. I promise that I won¡¯t be sad, alright?¡±

    Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t seen her acting this coquettish before, so he became momentarily soft-hearted, and didn¡¯t use much strength to restrain her anymore. He let Lan Jinyao lift up the sleeves of his bathrobe to reveal the gauze wrapped around his arm, giving off the strong smell of medicine.

    Since he¡¯d taken a bath earlier, the edges of the gauze were somewhat soaked. Lan Jinyao stared at the dark red bloodstain on the gauze, and her eyes reddened a little. She asked in a muffled voice, ¡°You were nning to go to the hospital earlier to change the bandage, right? You were afraid I would discover it, so you stayed in a hotel these days, isn¡¯t that so? But, how did you get injured?¡±

    She asked these several questions in session, her voice filled with heartache. But, Fu Bainian just remained silent. He then used his free hand to pat her on the back, gentlyforting her as he answered, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Lan Jinyao suddenly remembered that after Fu Bainian hade back from his business trip, he¡¯d checked-in at a hotel and didn¡¯t return home. He was still fine before he went on his business trip, so she estimated that he¡¯d gotten injured when he was abroad.

    At this moment, feelings of self-remorse surged, almost flooding her heart. It turned out that Fu Bainian was avoiding her because he was worried about her feeling sad, but she kept threading her way through a blind alley and almost couldn¡¯t get out.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, it was because of you that I was so upset before. You have to admit your mistake!¡± she eloquently stated, but her eyes were still red and on the verge of tears.

    Fu Bainianplied and softly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but at that time, I couldn¡¯t tell anyone.¡±

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you? Am I not the person closest to you?¡±

    Some people say that a married couple had the closest bond on earth; they were people who joined hands and grew old together. Even parents and children couldn¡¯tpare with this level of intimacy. Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t understand. When Fu Bainian encountered such situations, why did he always want to bear everything alone?

    She could clearly be there for him and share his burdens.

 Chapter 148 - You Dare Say You Donâ€™t Love Me? (2)

    <h4>Chapter 148 - You Dare Say You Don¡¯t Love Me? (2)</h4>

    In the quiet room, Lan Jinyao was waiting for Fu Bainian¡¯s answer. However, after she¡¯d asked that sentence, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t say anything for a long while.

    This kind of stiff ambience made Lan Jinyao very ufortable. If she were alone, she would rather things stay quiet and tranquil, but whenever she was with Fu Bainian, she¡¯d constantly want to talk some more. After all, they were a married couple who ought to tell each other everything.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, promise me that you won¡¯t do this again in the future.¡± She looked him in the eye and firmly threatened him.

    However, such a threat didn¡¯t seem to work as Fu Bainian just half-heartedly acknowledged her words. With one look at his expression, one could see that he was simply indulging her and didn¡¯t intend to follow her words at all.

    Lan Jinyao was rendered speechless. In any case, she couldn¡¯t just grab him and beat some sense into him, right?!

    Then, she suddenly remembered the cause of the injury and asked Fu Bainian, ¡°You got injured when you were abroad, right? How was it possible for you to get injured on a business trip?¡±

    Since his arm was wrapped in severalyers of gauze, she couldn¡¯t see what kind of wound it was, nor what might have caused it. She could only guess that since Fu Bainian had chosen to hide this matter from her, it must be extremely severe.

    ¡°It was just an ident; it¡¯s not a big deal!¡±

    Here we go again, Lan Jinyao thought. Yet, she wasn¡¯t angry at his perfunctory attitude.

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t ask further. However, Fu Bainian, you have to promise me that you¡¯ll be careful in the future.¡±

    Fu Bainian then recalled something, and his expression darkened for a moment as he replied, ¡°I promise you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to be careless!¡± Lan Jinyao reiterated.

    Hearing this, Fu Bainian solemnly nodded.

    Finally, Fu Bainian asked, ¡°Oh right, you said earlier that you had something to tell me. What is it?¡±

    ¡°I...I¡¯m pregnant!¡±

    Fu Bainian froze for a second, and then asked with a look of astonishment, ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    Lan Jinyao poked his chest and repeated, ¡°I said, I¡¯m pregnant.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, and he loudly repeated, ¡°I¡¯m going to be a dad, I¡¯m going to be a dad...¡±

    Lan Jinyao leaned happily against his chest now that the boulder pressing against her heart had finally lifted and disappeared. She¡¯d initially thought that Fu Bainian wouldn¡¯t like children. Anyone in her shoes who had seen the situation from before would feel insecure; after all, a man with zero scandals suddenly appeared in public with an artist from the eighteenth tier, leaving an ambiguous impression behind.

    However, everything was clear now.

    ¡°Look at how happy you are!¡±

    Lan Jinyaoy beside him, her eyes shining brightly and brimming with joy as if the ck clouds hovering over her head all this while had dissipated in an instant.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep!¡± She hugged Fu Bainian and tried her best to avoid the wound on his arm.

    Lan Jinyao soon fell asleep, but in the middle of the night, she suddenly woke up when the urge to vomit hit her. She quickly got out of bed and rushed barefoot into the bathroom without even turning on the lights. She leaned forward and retched into the toilet bowl. However, her stomach was empty, so nothing came out.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, I feel so ufortable...¡±

    Afterwards, she stood up by supporting her hand on the wall. She felt a bit dizzy and only softly called Fu Bainian¡¯s name, afraid of waking him up. She stood in the bathroom for a while before she finally recovered and felt a bit better. She cradled her head with one hand and walked back to the bedroom.

    Lan Jinyao was worried about waking Fu Bainian, so when she went toy down on the bed, her every movement was cautious. Lan Jinyao lowered her head and saw that Fu Bainian was frowning in his sleep.

    He clearly looked ecstatic before he went to bed, so why was he frowning in his sleep? Was he having a nightmare? Or, was there something weighing on his mind?

    Upon seeing this, Lan Jinyao also frowned.

    She stared at Fu Bainian¡¯s face in the dark for a while before finallyying down again. However, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, Fu Bainian¡¯s frowning expression would appear in her mind.

    Why would you get injured? Why were you not willing to tell me about it? Fu Bainian, will you meet with danger again in the future?

    The next morning, Lan Jinyao got up veryte. The drawn curtains blocked the sunlight, so she didn¡¯t know howte it was. Fu Bainian was nowhere to be seen, and the spot beside her felt cold; it seemed that he must¡¯ve woken up long ago. She rubbed her sore temples before reaching for her phone to check the time.

    Lan Jinyao reached out towards the nightstand and searched for her phone for a long time, but she couldn¡¯t find it. So, getting up, she saw that her phone wasn¡¯t there. Her phone was usually ced on the nightstand, but it wasn¡¯t there today.

    She puzzled over it as she walked out of the bedroom, finding Fu Bainian right in the middle of eating breakfast. When he saw here out, he hurried to her side to support her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sleep a little longer?¡±

    Seeing him being careful like this, Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help feeling amused and said, ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m just pregnant, so I can still walk. You''re way too nervous!¡±

    Fu Bainian, on the other hand, was extremely serious as he said, ¡°You have to be careful, you¡¯re not only one person now.¡±

    When she heard that, Lan Jinyaoughed into her sleeve.

    She then remembered her phone, and asked, ¡°Did you put my phone away? Why can¡¯t I find it anywhere?¡±

    Fu Bainian dully said, ¡°I¡¯ve put it away; you can¡¯t touch any electronics now. There¡¯s radiation, so it¡¯s not good for the baby. You must give birth to a beautiful and healthy child.¡±

    His attitude couldn¡¯t help but make Lan Jinyao feel a little sour in her heart, and she bitterly said, ¡°Before this, I''ve never seen you being so nice and so careful towards me. Now that there¡¯s two of us, your attitude has drastically changed. Say, is our baby more important than me? Could it be that you don¡¯t love me anymore?¡±

    Generally speaking, one would get a headache when women behave irrationally for no reason. However, Fu Bainian seemed to be enjoying it.

    Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t happy, so he gingerly coaxed and consoled her.

    As a result, Lan Jinyao became happy once again. But, she still intended to fight for certain things, so she quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m fine with not touching anything else, but my phone can¡¯t be confiscated. I¡¯ve already stopped taking on work, so I¡¯ll really die from boredom without my phone.¡±

    After a period of her acting dainty and coquettish, Fu Bainian reluctantly fished out her phone from his pocket and handed it to her. Then, Lan Jinyao was all smiles and kissed him on the lips.

    After dinner, Lan Jinyao had said that she would apany Fu Bainian to the hospital to change his bandages. However, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t let her go so she felt unhappy and asked him with a long face, ¡°Back then, when you were in the hotel, did you ask Yin Yun to change your bandages? Or else, why would she be there that day?¡±

    Fu Bainian held his forehead and sighed. This matter couldn¡¯t be kept unsaid forever, so he still had to exin things himself.

 Chapter 149 - You Dare Say You Donâ€™t Love Me? (3)

    <h4>Chapter 149 - You Dare Say You Don¡¯t Love Me? (3)</h4>

    As soon as Lan Jinyao mentioned this matter, Fu Bainianpromised.

    ¡°Fine, you cane with me, but you¡¯re not allowed to go into the hospital. There are too many germs and all kinds of viruses; even the smell of disinfectant can be unbearable...¡±

    Lan Jinyao immediately interrupted him and said, ¡°Okay, fine...I¡¯m not going in. I promise that I¡¯ll just stay outside and watch you enter.¡±

    Fu Bainian held her hand and strode out, his behaviour as cautious and as careful as before, seemingly afraid that she might identally fall or bump into something.

    Seeing this, the corners of Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth arched up, and she teasingly said, ¡°Fu Bainian, you¡¯re bing quite long-winded now!¡±

    Fu Bainian just listened and didn¡¯t bother refuting.

    While in the car, Fu Bainian often asked her a question or two, e.g. ¡°Do you feel ufortable anywhere?¡± or ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± and so on. Lan Jinyao felt her patience quickly decline, so at the end of the day, she simply ignored Fu Bainian and let him talk all by himself.

    However, Fu Bainian¡¯s attitude had changed drasticallypared to previously. Before, he was aloof, indifferent, and had even apanied that pesky Yin Yun from time to time to show off in front of her, making her feel irritated at the sight of it.

    When he arrived at the hospital, Fu Bainian looked at her hesitantly and asked, ¡°How about youe in with me and do a check-up in passing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright; I won¡¯t go in. You were right, the smell of hospitals make me feel ufortable. As for the physical examination, I¡¯ve already made an appointment for that, but it¡¯s not today.¡±

    Fu Bainian then reiterated, ¡°Then, you stay in the car and don¡¯t go walking around on your own. There are too many peopleing to and fro, so it¡¯s not very safe.¡±

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at his words. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry. You should hurry up and go in. If you continue dawdling like this, the doctors and nurses all will clock off work before you know it.¡±

    Not long after had Fu Bainian left, Lan Jinyao¡¯s phone rang. It was Chen Zetao. Only now did she suddenly remember what Jiang Cheng had told her that night. He¡¯d said that Fu Bainian was intending to push Yin Yun forward and promote her, so most likely, Yin Yun would get the female lead role for this movie that he¡¯d invested in.

    However, she was now...

    Lan Jinyao stared at her belly and thought: No matter what her current attitude was, Fu Bainian would certainly not agree.

    After hesitating for a moment, she finally answered the call.

    ¡°Director Chen, it¡¯s been a while. Why did you suddenly call me? Did you miss me?¡±

    Lan Jinyao deliberately joked with Chen Zetao as soon as she spoke. However, she hadn¡¯t forgotten that matter between Chen Zetao and Chen Meimei. Who said that Chen Meimei didn¡¯t possess any charms? In fact, she had a lot of admirers! The two people who struck her the most were Chen Zetao, and the John Doe who¡¯d previously kidnapped her.

    Chen Zetao awkwardly coughed twice and cleared his throat before saying, ¡°You should¡¯ve already guessed the reason why I¡¯m calling you. Recently, you¡¯ve been refusing to take on roles because of President Fu¡¯s affairs. However, the production for the movie ¡®Twilight¡¯ can¡¯t be postponed any longer, so I wanted to ask you what your ns are regarding this.¡±

    Before Lan Jinyao could answer, she heard Chen Zetao continue to say, ¡°I¡¯ve seen all the recent entertainment news, and I presume to guess that you must be feeling depressed after seeing the scandal blown out of proportion like this. Fu Bainian didn¡¯t fancy you in the past, yet you were thick-skinned enough to continue pursuing him and was even willing to follow him around like his little tail. I can¡¯t give you much advice, but now that such a thing has happened, I suddenly feel very regretful. If only I could¡¯ve stopped you at that time...¡±

    It seemed that Chen Zetao had been quite worried about her.

    Lan Jinyao lightly smiled as she said, ¡°Things between Fu Bainian and I are not as bad as what outsiders think, nor is it like what¡¯s written in the entertainment news. Only we understand what is going on between us, and all I can tell you is one thing; I¡¯m doing very well. Besides, I¡¯ve never regretted my choices.¡±

    It seemed that Chen Zetao was choked by her words as he didn''t reply for a long time.

    ¡°About this movie, I¡¯d initially given you my word, but now I think I might need to think about it some more before deciding!¡± After all, the baby in her stomach was more important.

    Chen Zetao then said, ¡°Alright, think about it and let me know. I didn¡¯t want to say this at first, but you ought to know that Yin Yun will be present at the audition and everyone from our crew, including all the investors and sponsors, know that Yin Yun was someone rmended by President Fu. When the timees, Yin Yun will have a very high chance ofnding the lead role.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression darkened upon hearing this. Sure enough, Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t lied to her; Fu Bainian had really rmended Yin Yun. Then, the reason behind this, was that just an act? Or, did he really want to support Yin Yun and promote her?

    ¡°Director Chen, let me think about it first! I¡¯m not certain...¡±

    Not certain whether she could act with her present condition or not. She had to wait for the doctor to examine her first, and then ask the doctor about it. She didn¡¯t want to lose her child; she loved her child as much as Fu Bainian did.

    Chen Zetao pondered for a moment, and then said to her, ¡°Okay, fine. But, I hope that the next time we meet, you can treat me as a friend and not as a stranger like now.¡±

    Lan Jinyao understood what Chen Zetao was trying to say; he minded the way she addressed him.

    ¡°Of course, we are friends, after all. When I see you in the future, I won¡¯t call you Director Chen anymore and just call you by your name. I reckon that when that happens, people may think that I¡¯ming in through the back door.¡±

    Chen Zetaoughed and said, ¡°Abouting in through the back door, this only proves that you have better connections than others, and they can¡¯t prove anything else. Moreover, you¡¯ve already demonstrated your abilities... Let¡¯s go with that for now, and I¡¯ll wait for your call. But, you must know that time is running out, so you¡¯d better hurry and be quick.¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡±

    Right after Lan Jinyao had hung up the call, she saw Fu Bainianing out of the hospital and walking back towards the car. Fu Bainian saw her with the phone in her hand, and gently asked, ¡°The wait must¡¯ve bored you; let me take you home! Do you want Changning toe and stay with you?¡±

    ¡°No need, I want to go back and rest for a while becausest night...¡±

    She suddenly realised that she¡¯d almost spilt the beans and abruptly stopped.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t seem very satisfied with her hiding something from him and immediately asked, ¡°What happenedst night?¡±

    Looking at his nervous expression, Lan Jinyao suddenly recalled something and said, ¡°Last night, you were murmuring some things, which woke me up and I couldn¡¯t sleep after that for a long while. Is there something bothering you?¡±

    Fu Bainian was initially facing her, but the moment she¡¯d asked that question, he¡¯d instantly averted his eyes.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about; it¡¯s just some work-rted matters. When we get back, you should get a good rest! Don¡¯t overthink things so much.¡±

    Lan Jinyao acknowledged Fu Bainian in a low voice, her gazending on his arm.

    He was obviously injured, but he still refused to tell her about it. Fu Bainian, was he worried that she¡¯d be sad or uneasy after knowing the truth?

    What was the story behind all of this; how did he get injured?

 Chapter 150 - Suspecting It Was Shen Weiâ€™anâ€™s Corpse (1)

    <h4>Chapter 150 - Suspecting It Was Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s Corpse (1)</h4>

    In the evening, Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t yet returned, and Lan Jinyao was sitting on the sofa watching the news. Since the drama starring her had been broadcast, her poprity continued to rise, even managing to surpass her poprity from her previous life. However, when one became more popr, more scandals would follow suit. The media had posted many of those earlier scandals about her and Jiang Cheng without evidence; then a certain inte celebrity hadmented that those scandals might be for the sake of hyping things up before the drama¡¯s release. Soon after that, the storm had calmed down, and no onemented on this anymore.

    Following that, Fu Bainian and Yin Yun¡¯s scandal brought the media¡¯s attention back to the previous news reports.

    Nearly all the entertainment news agencies used photos of Lan Jinyao and Jiang Cheng or images of Fu Bainian and Yin Yun as their front cover. When Lan Jinyao saw the TV host hyping things up with her exaggerated words, she could only speechlessly shake her head and press a button on the remote control to switch channels.

    Afterzily switching channels several times, Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze suddenly locked on a particr scene on the TV.

    It was a case of a murder and body dumping. The reporter was currently interviewing the police at the wastnds in the western suburbs, and behind the policeman, a young girl was kneeling on the ground, wailing. Beside her, there was a body covered with a white cloth.

    However, the moment Lan Jinyao switched to this channel, she saw the crying girl¡¯s face. That was Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s Assistant! She was probably the only person in this world who thought Shen Wei¡¯an was a good person.

    The girl was crying and grieving so sadly, that corpse covered with a white cloth...whose was it?

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s!

    Shen Wei¡¯an had meticulously nned everything and then fled the city, yet now she made her appearance in such a way. This was Heaven¡¯s will!

    Lan Jinyao looked at the TV screen andughed. Sheughed so hard that she started tearing up. She¡¯d wanted to take revenge for such a long time, but she didn¡¯t expect that Shen Wei¡¯an would actually die by someone else¡¯s hands.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt that she was like a female ghost with deep grudges who would vanish in a puff of smoke once her enemy died.

    Lan Jinyao now felt empty in her heart. After a while, she finally stoppedughing and extended her hand to stroke her lower abdomen, her eyes gradually softening.

    ¡°She died just like this! That¡¯s also good, I¡¯m alive, and you¡¯re dead. Shen Wei¡¯an, if your soul is still there, will you think that Heaven is being unfair to you again? You¡¯ve killed me, but I¡¯ve been miraculously reborn...¡±

    Even though Fu Bainian was very busy these days, he¡¯d still make an effort toe back home on time at 8 PM every day. And, Yin Yun also never appeared in front of Lan Jinyao again. Though, in the end, Lan Jinyao still didn¡¯t manage to find out what was going on between Fu Bainian and Yin Yun.

    When Fu Bainian came back, Lan Jinyao was rubbing her eyes. Under the brightly lit lights, her red eyes made her appear as if she¡¯d cried. When Fu Bainian saw this, he quickened his pace and strode to the sofa. He then sat down next to Lan Jinyao and brushed the corners of her eyes, asking with a dejected gaze, ¡°You¡¯ve been crying? You must¡¯ve seen some nonsensical news again, right? Those paparazzi like to scribble nonsense. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll ask the PR team to get rid of all of that, and I¡¯ll make sure that there are no traces left, alright?¡±

    His words were very gentle, and he specially lowered his voice as he consoled her. His cello-like and suave voice stirred Lan Jinyao¡¯s tranquil heart.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t cry because of gossip!¡± Ever since she took over Chen Meimei¡¯s body, she¡¯d gone through a lot of those things. Chen Meimei¡¯s life was unlucky to begin with, and as soon as she made an appearance on screen, she would be scolded like mad by groups of people, but Chen Meimei herself didn¡¯t mind. She was single-mindedly focused on Fu Bainian, and little did she know that her body would be taken over by Lan Jinyao once she¡¯d died. After experiencing all those things, gossip no longer affected her.

    After all, the man being gossipped about was sitting right next to her, so what else did she need to care about?

    ¡°Then why did you cry?¡± Fu Bainian immediately became a little nervous and added, ¡°I heard that women will have prenatal depression once pregnant and always get mood swings; crying one time andughing at another. When things don¡¯t go their way, they would...¡±

    Thosest words, mit suicide¡¯ were held back in his throat before he spoke them.

    Lan Jinyao rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°What are you saying? There¡¯s no such thing! Besides, I wasn¡¯t crying at all; I wasughing.¡±

    And your eyes got red fromughter? Who¡¯d believe that?

    Fu Bainian, with his acute senses, certainly didn¡¯t believe her words. However, in front of his wife, he must go with the flow and act along with her.

    So, Fu Bainian asked, ¡°Then, why were youughing?¡±

    ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an...she¡¯s dead!¡± Lan Jinyao dully said, her tone sounding somewhat relieved as if all the hatred she¡¯d harboured in the past had disappeared along with it.

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian froze, and only recovered after a long while as he muttered, ¡°She¡¯s dead? That is indeed some good news for you.¡±

    Only now did Fu Bainian finally believe that his wife was indeedughing and not crying.

    Fu Bainian gently pulled Lan Jinyao into his arms and said, ¡°You¡¯re feeling a bit mncholic now, right? As if a goal that you¡¯ve been striving for has finally been aplished.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded; his metaphor was quite vivid and true to life.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, do you want to hear a story about Shen Wei¡¯an and me?¡±

    In fact, Fu Bainian was quite clear about those things between her and Shen Wei¡¯an, but at this moment, Lan Jinyao had asked this question in such a sad tone, making his heart ache for her. So, Fu Bainian let her lean on his shoulder and gently responded, ¡°Tell me about it!¡±

    Some things, when said out loud, might make one¡¯s heart feel less ufortable.

    Lan Jinyao told Fu Bainian about the past. Back then, when she¡¯d entered the entertainment industry, she¡¯d always liked to be alone. She wasn¡¯t sleek or sophisticated, she was unworldly and didn¡¯t attract a lot of attention. She¡¯d only gotten along with Shen Wei¡¯an, but Shen Wei¡¯an was too arrogant, and her interpersonal connections weren¡¯t so good. At that time, the rtionship between the two of them was still quite good.

    When she got to to the part about their rtionship, Lan Jinyao silently added, ¡°That was only my one-sided opinion.¡±

    Indeed, Shen Wei¡¯an had never thought the same way. Shen Wei¡¯an had always believed that Lan Jinyao was standing in her way, blocking her path.

    She told Fu Bainian that at that time, she was very lonely because she and Shen Wei¡¯an had different worldviews and values, and that it was only a matter of time before they parted ways, but she didn¡¯t want to be alone.

    Fu Bainian tightened his arms around her. ¡°You were never alone.¡±

    When she was done recounting her past, Lan Jinyao heaved a long sigh. She suddenly felt that her mood had seemingly calmed down.

    Then, Fu Bainian suddenly asked, ¡°How can you be so sure that the person who died was Shen Wei¡¯an?¡±

    When she heard this, Lan Jinyao felt ridiculous. That¡¯s right, what could an Assistant prove? What could those unsubstantiated spections from the media prove?

 Chapter 151 - Suspecting It Was Shen Weiâ€™anâ€™s Corpse (2)

    <h4>Chapter 151 - Suspecting It Was Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s Corpse (2)</h4>

    The next day, the murder case of a popr actress had swept across all the media channels. Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s Assistant was crying hysterically with a runny nose in front of the camera, repeatedly confirming that it was Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s corpse.

    Lan Jinyao reyed the scene several times as she stared at the TV, just to verify that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s Assistant wasn¡¯t acting and was instead telling the truth.

    However, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s death was bizarre. The police said that she¡¯d drowned and that her entire body, including her face, had been submerged in the water for too long. Due to this, her face had been disfigured, and since it was such a disturbing sight, it was best not to show it to avoid scaring the fans and negatively impacting their emotions.

    From start to finish, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s corpse was covered by a piece of white cloth, so no trace of that so-called distorted face could be seen on screen.

    Fu Bainian arrived home at noon and apanied her out for a meal. After that, the two of them went straight to the hospital. For the time being, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s corpse hadn¡¯t been touched yet. The police had said that this case was still full of doubtful points, so ab test must be done to examine the corpse.

    Lan Jinyao took advantage of a quiet period at the hospital to slip in. Fu Bainian had good connections and had established a good rtionship with the hospital, so it was quite easy for them to get in without many people noticing. It could be said that they¡¯d managed to enter the morgue smoothly.

    A man in a white coat was fiddling with the corpse, and the white cloth covering the corpse was also lifted. However, they couldn¡¯t see the face when they walked in as that person was blocking it.

    Upon seeing this, Lan Jinyao felt a little nervous and tightly grasped Fu Bainian¡¯s hand as they slowly walked forward.

    When Fu Bainian saw her like this, he thought that she was scared, and immediately held hand tighter as he said, ¡°If you¡¯re scared, we can turn around and go back now. We don¡¯t need to delve into it being true or false.¡±

    It seemed that Fu Bainian¡¯s sudden voice startled the man in white. He turned around and stared at them with a frown on his face as he said, ¡°Outsiders aren¡¯t allowed toe in here as they wish.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao heard this, she hurriedly exined, ¡°We aren¡¯t outsiders, we are Shen Wei¡¯an...Wei¡¯an¡¯s rtives.¡±

    The man eyed Lan Jinyao suspiciously, apparently not wholly believing her words. Why would the victim¡¯s rtive show this kind of not sad nor happy expression? Seems more likely that they¡¯re strangers.

    Lan Jinyao was also helpless. In fact, there were no issues with her acting skills, but no matter how good her acting skills were, she was unable to shed even one teardrop for Shen Wei¡¯an, the main culprit behind her death.

    The man¡¯s piercing gaze swept back and forth between Fu Bainian and Lan Jinyao, and he eventually came to a conclusion as he said, ¡°You guys must be Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s fans, right? Recently, many people have visited and imed to be the victim¡¯s family members, while in fact, they were either journalists or Shen Wei¡¯an fans. I understand why you¡¯re doing this, but there is currently no progress on this case, so outsiders aren¡¯t allowed toe in contact with the corpse.¡±

    When the two saw his piercing gaze, they realised that he was determined not to let them get close to the corpse.

    Lan Jinyao looked somewhat helplessly at Fu Bainian and asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    After sneaking in with great difficulty, they had unexpectedly run into this person who was disrupting their ns and blocking their way.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t reply, and instead, he fished out his phone and made a call.

    A whileter, a man who was all smiles ran up to them and stood in front of Fu Bainian. ¡°This is our hospital¡¯s orthopaedist, and he didn¡¯t know about you. Please don¡¯t mind him!¡±

    Lan Jinyao resisted the urge tough when she saw his fawning attitude.

    ¡°Little Wang, this is President Fu. You can continue your work in a bit, but let President Fu have a look first. The victim was an artist signed under the banner of President Fu¡¯spany, so they were friends.¡±

    The man nced at Fu Bainian before reluctantly walking out.

    However, the words that the Director had said earlier were truly unpleasant to the ear.

    After the Director walked out, Lan Jinyao poked fun at Fu Bainian. She patted his chest and said, ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an was your friend, huh? Howe I didn¡¯t know?¡±

    Fu Bainian smiled and calmly replied, ¡°The Director was just saying whatever he wanted. He¡¯s a brown-noser and always says things to please others, so don¡¯t mind him.¡±

    Lan Jinyao scoffed and didn¡¯t refute what he¡¯d said. The Director seemed like an astute person, so if Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t personally mentioned such a thing in front of him, how would he get the chance to talk rubbish?

    Nevermind, there was a more critical issue at hand, so she had to quickly check and confirm whether that person lying there was Shen Wei¡¯an. If that was her, then she could set her mind at ease and enjoy her life without worries. If not, then...things wouldn¡¯t be so easy.

    At the thought of this possibility, Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression instantly dimmed.

    Fu Bainian let go of her hand and said, ¡°You have to be mentally prepared. The police have said that Shen Wei¡¯an no longer looks the same. Her current distorted look might scare you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled and indifferently said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. How scary could it be? Wasn¡¯t her face just deformed from being soaked in water?¡±

    Fu Bainian had initially wanted to respond: Sometimes, what you imagine might not be the same in reality, and the imagined scenario you could ept might be due to you subconsciously beautifying a horrific picture. In reality, though, it waspletely different. Your eyes won¡¯t deceive you; they will feed the actual scenes you see back to your brain.

    However, when he saw Lan Jinyao in high spirits, he hesitated once more and lost the opportunity to say anything.

    Fu Bainian extended his hand and lifted the white cloth covering over the corpse, revealing Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face. Lan Jinyao looked over, and her eyes instantly widened as she subconsciously held her breath. Following that, a piercing scream echoed within the spacious morgue.

    The shriek was so loud that it could practically overturn the entire roof.

    Fu Bainian quickly covered her eyes, and a trace of worry appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°What did I tell you? You shouldn¡¯t have looked at that.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s words were filled with deep concern, but Lan Jinyao still felt unhappy and pushed him away. ¡°I had to see it with my own eyes. You should know that this person is my innermost nightmare, buried in the deepest part of my heart. If I don¡¯t see it with my own eyes, I won¡¯t feel at ease.¡±

    To this day, she was still afraid to stand on rooftops and look at the views. Everyone thought that she was merely afraid of heights.

    However, people didn¡¯t know that if she was really afraid of heights, why would she have that kind of reaction?

    Fu Bainian choked on her words and stopped talking.

    Lan Jinyao walked over to recheck the corpse, and this time, Fu Bainian wanted to be prepared, so he covered her mouth.

    ¡°Let go! I won¡¯t scream again.¡± Earlier, she just wasn¡¯t mentally prepared.

    As was reported by the news anchor, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face had already turned pale and waspletely distorted. Not even the outline of her face could be made out.

    Lan Jinyao instantly frowned at this sight.

 Chapter 152 - Who Killed Her (1)

    <h4>Chapter 152 - Who Killed Her (1)</h4>

    The face was already beyond recognition. Besides, being in an environment like the morgue made it horrifying.

    Lan Jinyao subconsciously grabbed Fu Bainian¡¯s hand, exerting quite a lot of strength and not allowing him to break free.

    Fu Bainian sighed and said, ¡°With the body looking like this, can you still recognise if she¡¯s Shen Wei¡¯an?¡±

    They used to live together, so they more or less knew a few things about each other that outsiders wouldn''t notice!

    Lan Jinyao nodded. After ncing at the swollen corpse once more, she quickly looked away. She then walked up to Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s arm. The unruly Shen Wei¡¯an had a tattoo on her arm with a very unique pattern, as the design was based on Shen Yu¡¯s English name.

    When she saw the blurry tattoo on the body, Lan Jinyao breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s her.¡±

    ¡°So, you can rest assured now?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded, and then the two of them walked out hand in hand. It wasn¡¯t until this moment that Lan Jinyao finally felt at ease.

    On the way home, Fu Bainian suddenly asked, ¡°How were you so certain that that was Shen Wei¡¯an? In my opinion, that corpse was already beyond identification, and none of her features were visible.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see it just now?¡± Lan Jinyao was somewhat speechless as she asked this. Fu Bainian already knew the answer, yet he still asked. He¡¯d clearly seen the tattoo on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s arm.

    Yet, Fu Bainian deliberately said, ¡°You tell me about it!¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t understand Fu Bainian¡¯s purpose, so she red at him before saying, ¡°You already know the answer, but you¡¯re still asking. You saw the tattoo on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s arm, right? Although her skin was mushy, the tattoo¡¯s outline could still be identified. The tattoo was derived from Director Shen¡¯s English name, so I recognised it at a nce.¡±

    ¡°How did you recognise it at a nce?¡± Fu Bainian steadily followed up with another question.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you asking the obvious? I used to live with her, and you know how hot it can get during the summer, so we¡¯d usually wear tank tops at home and I could see Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s tattoo every day. Besides, I was with her when she got that pattern tattooed, so as soon as I saw it, I thought of Director Shen.¡±

    After saying all this, Lan Jinyao stared at Fu Bainian suspiciously. Did someone else¡¯s soul invade Fu Bainian¡¯s body today, or else why would he ask these kinds of stupid questions?

    ¡°So, I guess that apart from you, no one else has seen Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s tattoo before?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded with certainty. The fact that Shen Wei¡¯an liked Shen Yu was no longer a secret between them. It was just that Shen Wei¡¯an had never wanted others to know, and this was the most humble and difficult to mention secret she had buried in her heart. Besides, it was unknown how many beds she¡¯d climbed in just to soar to the top. In fact, Shen Wei¡¯an subconsciously understood that this kind of behaviour made her unworthy of Shen Yu. But, she¡¯d always deceived herself and put on an arrogant front.

    ¡°That¡¯s the main point!¡± Fu Bainian slightly narrowed his eyes and continued, ¡°In that case, how did Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s Assistant recognise that it was Shen Wei¡¯an and rush to the scene in the first moments? Howe she was so certain that it was Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s corpse? Even if it were Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s closest rtives, they would still have some suspicions, right?!¡±

    That was right. After all, her face waspletely distorted.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s words had nted a seed of doubt in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart which dawned on her like a bolt from the blue. The seed of doubt had seemingly burst out of the ground, quickly evolving into an entangled vine.

    ¡°You mean to say that that wasn¡¯t Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s carcass?¡± Lan Jinyao suddenly asked, her tone a little heavy.

    Fu Bainian shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. I just thought that there were some dubious points since this wasbelled as a murder case by the police.¡±

    Following that, he nced at Lan Jinyao and freed one of his hands to rub her head. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think about it any further. I¡¯ll take you home first. No matter the oue, the police will take care of it. All you have to do is to set your mind at rest and wait for the oue of the investigation.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm!¡± Lan Jinyao lightly answered, but her mood became heavier by the second.

    This case wasbelled as a homicide, but the police hadn¡¯t gotten ahold of any evidence yet. But, if the person in the morgue was really Shen Wei¡¯an, then she believed that she already had a clue as to who killed Shen Wei¡¯an.

    When they got home, Fu Bainian apanied her for a while before he reluctantly returned to thepany under Lan Jinyao¡¯s constant objections.

    It wasn¡¯t until recently that Lan Jinyao had noted that Fu Bainian¡¯s hand extended quite far. Whether it was the opposition towards River Group Corporation or the continuous expansion of his territory, it was necessary for Fu Bainian to lead everything personally. He didn¡¯t have any time to rest at all. As far as his ambition was concerned, Lan Jinyao understood that it was useless for her to persuade him by herself, so she simply kept quiet.

    Not long after Fu Bainian had left, Lan Jinyao phoned Lan Xin. Lan Xin had entered the scene at a muchter stage, so she¡¯d never managed to get a lot of resources. It was still okay at the beginning, but afterwards, there was no more contact and no mention of her on the Inte.

    Only now did Lan Jinyao realise that she hadn¡¯t been in touch with Lan Xin for a very long time.

    Lan Xin¡¯s number was still stored in her phone, so she found it as soon as she searched for it. The call connected, but no one picked up.

    Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao recalled Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s previous incident. Back then, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s room was smeared with bright red blood. When Lan Jinyao went to ask Lan Xin about it, Lan Xin didn¡¯t deny and had instead openly admitted that it was her doing. As for the other actress, she was just hyping things up and nothing more.

    In that case, if it was really like what the police had said this time, then Lan Xin...could it be that she was the murderer?

    About ten minutester, Lan Jinyao made another call, but yet again, no one answered.

    Was Lan Xin deliberately not answering, or was she too busy running away to notice?

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t find the answer to this question, so she simply gave up and didn¡¯t call again. However, to her surprise, Lan Xin returned her call soon after; her voice sounding somewhat delighted as she spoke, ¡°Howe you have the time to call me today? I thought that you¡¯dpletely withdrawn from the entertainment industry.¡±

    ¡°I missed you, of course. Are you avable now? How about we meet up to catch up a bit?¡±

    Lan Xin then replied, ¡°Okay sure! Say, did you get traumatised by those paparazzi? I heard that you¡¯ve stopped taking on work; is that true? Did you stop working to make time for your family?¡±

    Lan Jinyaoughed at this and said, ¡°Let¡¯s first meet up tonight and then talk. You choose a quiet ce and let me know where!¡±

    Lan Xin didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately agreed to her request.

 Chapter 153 - Who Killed Her (2)

    <h4>Chapter 153 - Who Killed Her (2)</h4>

    Until now, whenever Lan Jinyao looked at Lan Xin¡¯s face, she¡¯d still fall into a trance. Her face looked too simr; like it was carved from the same mould, but in fact, Lan Xin had simply gotten stic surgery.

    Back then, the news following Lan Xin¡¯s first public appearance had been suppressed. However, when Lan Xinter appeared in public again as an artist under Blue Hall Entertainment, her background and her past had been dug up by the paparazzi. Even the record of her getting stic surgery was made known to the public.

    When the reporters had asked Lan Xin why she¡¯d done stic surgery, she just bluntly said that this face was beautiful.

    Lan Jinyao stared at Lan Xin¡¯s face for a long while before she retracted her gaze.

    ¡°Lan Xin, I actually want to ask you something, so I asked to meet up today.¡±

    As soon as Lan Xin heard this, she instantly caught on to what Lan Jinyao wanted to ask her about. She didn¡¯t wait and intercepted as she said, ¡°As I said before; I don¡¯t want to tell anyone about anything concerning Shen Wei¡¯an and myself...you¡¯re no exception.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was rendered speechless by this. She¡¯d just started the conversation, yet this topic was already shot down by Lan Xin. What was she supposed to say next?!

    ¡°Okay, then I won¡¯t ask you anything rted to Shen Wei¡¯an. Instead, I¡¯d like to know how you¡¯re associated with Xu Hao!¡±

    While she was filming on location, she¡¯d realised that Xu Hao was acting fishy. In addition to all the things that had happened before that, it wasn¡¯t hard for her to notice that Xu Hao was showing undeniable concern towards Shen Wei¡¯an. He was even willing to be her spare tire. However, in actual fact, Xu Hao was helping someone else.

    In the beginning, Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t rte Xu Hao to Lan Xin. After all, one was the famous King of Acting, while the other was an unknown neer; how could these two be rted? When she¡¯d noticed that the two had the same goal, she¡¯d guessed that they must be on the same side.

    Following that, Lan Xin¡¯s expression became very unnatural, and she subconsciously avoided Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze. Upon seeing this, Lan Jinyao became even more confident that she¡¯d hit the bull¡¯s eye.

    However, Lan Xin remained silent and poured Lan Jinyao a cup of tea instead.

    ¡°Have a taste!¡±

    Lan Jinyao pulled an inexplicable expression as she picked up the teacup and smelled a familiar tea scent. It was one of her favourites.

    ¡°Do you like the vour?¡± asked Lan Xin all of a sudden.

    Lan Jinyao nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, I really like it. This vour has always been very special to me.¡±

    She finally understood why Lan Xin had chosen to meet in this teahouse; it was only here that they could produce this kind of tea. In the past, whenever she had time to rest, she¡¯de here. She¡¯d usually wear a sweatshirt and sunsses, and no one would recognise her.

    Lan Xin smiled and said, ¡°This tea holds a special meaning to me as well because a famous actress used to like this vour.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she instantly became more alert.

    There was no doubt that the famous actress in question was her; she just didn¡¯t expect Lan Xin to be so attentive towards her former self.

    Lan Xin then added, ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that you are very simr to her, so I believed that you¡¯d definitely like this vour, and I was right.¡±

    Could it be that she was found out by Lan Xin? Lan Jinyao thought in a trance. She didn¡¯t even notice that the primary topic had already been changed by Lan Xin. Moreover, the questions that she¡¯d wanted to ask today hadn¡¯t been asked yet.

    Lan Xin drank a mouthful of tea with an intoxicated look on her face. Lan Jinyao felt that her current expression was truly a carbon copy of her former self; it was the same face and expression. Had it not been for the fact that she knew that everything that had happened wasn¡¯t a dream, she¡¯d probably have deemed that Lan Xin was her.

    Then, Lan Xin carefully put down her teacup with a gentle smiling expression. ¡°She¡¯d always been a very understanding and soft person, never making things difficult for others. When others didn¡¯t want to answer her questions, she also wouldn¡¯t be overbearing and inquire further.¡±

    Lan Jinyao finally understood. It turned out that Lan Xin had this bit waiting for her.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re very simr to her, so I believe that you won¡¯t question further if others don¡¯t want to answer, right?¡±

    Lan Xin coldly stared at her, no longer smiling.

    Lan Jinyao remained silent for a moment before she nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t question you further on this matter on one condition; that is...you must answer my next question honestly.¡±

    This room was exclusively theirs and had excellent sound instion, so Lan Jinyao was certain that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation.

    Lan Xin scornfully smiled and said, ¡°What if I refuse? We¡¯re friends, so it¡¯s okay if wee out for tea and chit chat. However, if you want to question me like a convict, then I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Lan Xin¡¯s alertness was maxed, and she was prickly like a heavily armed hedgehog. Lan Jinyao understood that she¡¯d touched Lan Xin¡¯s bottom line; it seemed that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything out of her today.

    Anyhow, since she wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything out of her, she could just take an indirect approach!

    ¡°Lan Xin, it¡¯s precisely because you¡¯re my friend that I want to give you some friendly advice. Even if you want to do something, don¡¯t go overboard, and don¡¯t let anyone find out, because anyone can be an uncertain factor that could destroy your n.¡±

    After she said this, Lan Xin became somewhat impatient and asked, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t mind her and slowly exined, ¡°What I want to say is that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s corpse has been found, and the police believe that Shen Wei¡¯an didn¡¯t die by ident and was murdered instead. Now the police have set up a special investigation team to look into this.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Xin didn¡¯t speak for a long time, and a dead silence fell in the room.

    After what felt like a century, Lan Xin suddenly broke out intoughter. At least in Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes, Lan Xin had already lowered her guardspletely. This made Lan Jinyao frown in puzzlement. Could it be that what she¡¯d just said sounded funny to other¡¯s ears?

    Lan Xin finally stopped smiling with great difficulty. She rubbed her stiff cheeks as she said, ¡°Yeah, whenever this topic is brought up, I feel thrilled. Say, even the Heavens don¡¯t want someone as bad as Shen Wei¡¯an to live in this world. She went through the trouble to flee to a secretive ce, yet was still eliminated by someone in the end.¡±

    ¡°This just proves that she has too many enemies,¡± added Lan Xin.

    Lan Jinyao then asked cautiously, ¡°Weren¡¯t you...behind this matter?¡±

    ¡°Haha, what made you think that I was the one who did it?¡±

    Lan Xin stared at Lan Jinyao with a straightforward look on her face, leaving Lan Jinyao with no clues whatsoever.

    ¡°I initially thought...¡±

    Following this, Lan Xin¡¯sughter echoed again in the quiet room.

 Chapter 154 - Who Killed Her (3)

    <h4>Chapter 154 - Who Killed Her (3)</h4>

    ¡°What makes you think that I killed Shen Wei¡¯an?¡±

    Lan Xinughed until she cried, and used a napkin to wipe the corner of her eyes. She then looked at Lan Jinyao and added, ¡°What were you thinking? I don¡¯t like Shen Wei¡¯an, but why would I dirty my hands for her? I¡¯m a good citizen.¡±

    Upon seeing her reaction, Lan Jinyao was rtively certain that Lan Xin wasn¡¯t lying to her at this moment.

    Could it be that she was mistaken? Maybe Shen Wei¡¯an had made too many enemies, or she¡¯d offended someone, and that person couldn¡¯t stand her, thus causing them to take this opportunity to get rid of her.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about this. I¡¯d previously seen Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s details in your backpack and knew that you were investigating her, so that¡¯s why I made this spection.¡±

    Lan Xin poked Lan Jinyao¡¯s forehead as soon as she heard this. ¡°I really regard you as a friend, so, next time, you¡¯re not allowed to judge me before you get to the bottom of things.¡±

    When Lan Xin¡¯s fingertips touched her forehead, Lan Jinyao was left in a trance for a moment. This action was very familiar, but after searching through all her past memories, she couldn¡¯t find any traces of anyone doing this to her in the past.

    She stared at Lan Xin¡¯s face, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.

    Something shed through her mind, but it was so fast that she couldn¡¯t grasp it.

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t you, then who could it be?¡± murmured Lan Jinyao, somewhat puzzled.

    If it wasn¡¯t Lan Xin, then who else in this world would deliberately want Shen Wei¡¯an dead?

    This matter had now be questionable. Lan Jinyao had initially thought that she¡¯d found out the truth behind this, but after seeing Lan Xin today, she¡¯d realised that things were not as simple as she¡¯d first spected.

    ¡°Looks like you asked me out today solely for this matter. It seems that you do care about me, but I don¡¯t think you need to worry about this. As you sow, so shall you reap; the Heavens wanted to take her away, so who could prevent that? Just let the cops investigate! You''ll eventually know when the truthes out.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded, but she still felt somewhat disconcerted. She suddenly felt less certain about whether the person who¡¯d died was Shen Wei¡¯an.

    When Lan Jinyao arrived home in the afternoon, she saw two people in uniform asking something at the security booth near the gates of the residential area. When she drew nearer, she noticed that those people were police officers.

    At that moment, a saying suddenly shed in Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind: nt stolen goods on someone and ce the me on her.

    However, she¡¯d stayed at home these past few days. Besides Fu Bainian, Fu Changning was the only person who¡¯d apanied her and, sometimes, she¡¯d take a stroll around the park, nothing more. If someone had really fabricated a charge against her, then that person¡¯s scheme was way too hrious.

    The security guards on duty saw her and pointed in her direction while saying something to the policemen, causing the policemen to then walk towards her.

    ¡°Ms Chen, we are police officers from the Major Crime Unit. A homicide has urred within the city, and we are here to investigate some details today.¡±

    ¡°Of course, please follow me and we can discuss further at my ce!¡± Lan Jinyao was extremely cooperative.

    As soon as they entered the house, Lan Jinyao felt a surge of nausea, so she quickly rushed to the bathroom, leaving the two police officers behind at the door to stare at each other in dismay.

    When Lan Jinyao came out, a few minutes had already passed. Her face still looked a bit flushed, and she smiled apologetically at the police officers as she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, but pleasee in and sit down!¡±

    One of the police officers then asked, ¡°Ms Chen, you¡¯re...pregnant?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, so I¡¯ve been resting at home these days, and I¡¯ve also stopped taking on new projects. From now on, I¡¯m just going to stay at home and focus on raising my baby, so I don¡¯t n to continue working for the time being.¡±

    After Lan Jinyao finished saying this, the two police officers standing in front of her looked at each other with a look that read ¡®how could a pregnant woman have that capability?¡¯

    Of course, she knew what they were thinking, but she had nothing to fear; as the saying goes ¡®an upright person is not afraid of gossip¡¯.

    ¡°Officers, I wonder what you¡¯d like to ask?¡± questioned Lan Jinyao with a wless smile stered on her face.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s like this. We received a report a few days ago that someone had found a corpse in the western suburbs. After our preliminary investigation, the deceased turned out to be the actress, Shen Wei¡¯an. Before the victim went missing, she¡¯d shot a TV series on location, and from our findings, we learnt that you two had some conflicts back then.¡±

    Lan Jinyao inwardly sneered when she heard this. In fact, the conflicts between her and Shen Wei¡¯an were much more than that.

    ¡°Yeah, at the time I was filming a fighting scene, and Shen Wei¡¯an secretly threw stones at me, affecting Xu Hao¡¯s performance, who was acting as the male lead. Xu Hao¡¯s sword was supposed to be a prop prepared by the crew. However, the prop was reced with a real sword, and I was injured at the time; I even went to the hospital afterwards.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then Shen Wei¡¯an would¡¯ve been convicted of intended homicide. Did you report her to the police back then?¡±

    Lan Jinyao thought about it before answering, ¡°At that time, I had gotten hold of the evidence and wanted to report her to the police. However, Shen Wei¡¯an fled before I could do so, and even the crew didn¡¯t know where she went. Another actress was switched in for her rolest minute, to finish filming thest part of the drama.¡±

    ¡°She ran away at that time? Then, how did she die in the western suburbs?¡± asked the police officer in a low muffled voice, seemingly questioning Lan Jinyao while also talking to himself.

    ¡°If I may ask, do you still have anything else to ask me about? I haven¡¯t been feeling welltely, so I need to sleep more often.¡± When Lan Jinyao said this, she looked at them with a slightly apologetic smile.

    The police officers stood up and said, ¡°We¡¯ve already finished asking all our questions. If there is any progress in the case, we may need your cooperation again when the timees.¡±

    Lan Jinyao also stood up and hurriedly said, ¡°If needed, I¡¯ll certainly cooperate with your investigation.¡±

    After Lan Jinyao sent the police officers off, she closed the door and leaned against it, listening to the movements outside.

    ¡°Her morning sickness looks very severe, so it shouldn¡¯t be possible for her to kill and dump the body.¡±

    ¡°Besides, from our findings, it could be seen that she clearly had an alibi. Looks like we still need to carry on with our investigation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it for now, let¡¯s go back first!¡±

    After their voices gradually trailed off, Lan Jinyao returned to her bedroom. She was quite tired, so shey down to rest for a bit.

    Lan Jinyao, who was lying in bed with her eyes closed, couldn¡¯t fall asleep even after a long time had passed. Her thoughts wandered and yed back the scene of the day that they¡¯d gone to check on Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s body in the morgue. She was lying there motionless, her appearance extremely frightening. Lan Jinyao then recalled the moment of her own death; her appearance then must¡¯ve been worse than Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s!

 Chapter 155 - Audition (1)

    <h4>Chapter 155 - Audition (1)</h4>

    The audition date for Chen Zetao¡¯s film had already been set; it would take ce tomorrow.

    Lan Jinyao was still sleeping when her phone rang, so she groggily picked up Chen Zetao¡¯s call. Chen Zetao said that all the participating artists would go to thepany tomorrow to audition. Blue Hall Entertainment was the biggest investor this time, so the audition would be held there.

    Chen Zetao sounded somewhat anxious as he spoke. After saying a few words, he immediately asked her if she was done considering, and told her that if she didn¡¯t show up tomorrow, she might not have a chance anymore afterwards.

    However, Lan Jinyao simply answered the same as before, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    After a moment of silence, Chen Zetao finally said, ¡°Tomorrow, you cane over directly when you make your decision.¡±

    Lan Jinyao could hear a trace of helplessness in Chen Zetao¡¯s voice. After all, he¡¯d held a lot of hope for Chen Meimei¡¯s acting after he saw her potential. Even though she hadn¡¯t interacted with him that much, she could still sense that.

    In fact, this was a blessing for Chen Meimei, but she chose to forego this opportunity.

    After hanging up the phone, Lan Jinyao just remained seated in the chair, lost in thought. Actually, the film directed by Chen Zetao was safe for her to act in. There were no fighting scenes at all as this was a literary and artistic film. Chen Zetao wanted to use it to seize the uing awards.

    If she could¡¯ve decided on her own, she¡¯d have definitely agreed, but there was still Fu Bainian. He was so concerned about the child in her belly that he was always worried about her knocking into something. If she proposed to act in a movie now, she could already guess that he would never allow her to do so. So, the question now was...how could she get Fu Bainian to agree to this?

    In the evening, Fu Bainian arrived home on time as usual. As he entered the living room, both his hands were filled with shopping bags, and Fu Changning, who was following him, was also carrying loads of bags in her hands.

    Upon seeing this, Lan Jinyao teased, ¡°Are the two of you nning to move the entire shop back here?¡±

    Fu Changning smiled yfully as she said, ¡°These are all for you and the baby. I heard that a pregnant woman needs to eat more, so I brought you a lot of food. You must eat more, and give birth to a good-looking and cute little baby.¡±

    Fu Bainian also had a gentle smile stered on his face as he walked over, making Lan Jinyao unable to move her gaze away from him. She¡¯d always felt that Fu Bainian¡¯s face was very much in demand in the entertainment industry, and he most definitely had more fans than the current A-list male artists.

    Then, Fu Bainian sat down next to her and kissed her on the cheek. When Fu Changning saw this, she quickly covered her eyes. That lovey-dovey scene was too much for her.

    ¡°Brother, your lil sis is still here, and yet you dare to openly feed me so much PDA? You¡¯re not even trying to avoid being seen by me; is that really okay?¡±

    Lan Jinyao hurriedly pushed Fu Bainian away and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, you must pay attention to your image.¡±

    At this moment, his image as an aloof President hadpletely crumbled.

    Fu Bainian then impolitely shooed Changning away. ¡°Since you¡¯re aware that we need some time alone, why don¡¯t you quickly go back home? You can leave after you put the things away.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re truly something else!¡± Fu Changning gave Fu Bainian a thumbs-up, and then left with a hopeless look on her face.

    When Lan Jinyao saw Fu Changning leave, she ruthlessly pinched Fu Bainian¡¯s arm and said, ¡°What are you doing? Changning finally had the time toe over for a bit, yet you were in such a hurry to drive her away. When you were messing around with others out there, leaving me alone at home, it was all thanks to Changning¡¯spany that I was okay. Otherwise, the child would¡¯ve been long gone.¡±

    Now, Fu Changning¡¯s credits were tremendous. At that time, she was so sad that she felt like she couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. It was all thanks to Fu Changning guarding her by her side and carefully enlightening her that she¡¯d managed to pull through those sad moments.

    Fu Bainian pulled a sullen face and confessed, ¡°I was wrong, I¡¯m sorry for making you suffer so many grievances. At the time, I had no other choice.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nced at him and held back her smile as she said, ¡°You had no choice? You were in the wrong, so what can the words ¡®I had no other choice¡¯ resolve? It¡¯s all an excuse!¡±

    And, Fu Bainian could only repeatedly nod. ¡°Yes, yes, yes, it¡¯s all an excuse.¡±

    Lan Jinyao lightly grunted and didn¡¯t bother with him anymore. Even if Fu Bainian didn''t want to tell her those things, she would find out sooner orter.

    Then, Fu Bainian put his ear on her belly and listened to the movements inside. Lan Jinyao looked at him and wanted tough. However, it wasn¡¯t long before the smile tugging at her lips faded.

    Her mind was filled with the words that Chen Zetao had said to her this morning.

    Chen Zetao understood her very well; he knew that she wanted to go to the audition.

    Ever since they¡¯did down on the bed, Lan Jinyao had had a distracted look on her face. She¡¯d asionally stare at Fu Bainian with an ¡®I have something to say¡¯ expression, which soon attracted Fu Bainian¡¯s attention.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got something to say to me?¡± asked Fu Bainian.

    Lan Jinyao quickly nodded.

    She¡¯d decided that she would talk it over with Fu Bainian tonight, and convince him to let her go audition tomorrow morning. Li Qi had taken such a long break along with her, so it was time for him to find something to do now.

    Just as Lan Jinyao was about to open her mouth, Fu Bainian put his hand over her mouth and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything, I won¡¯t agree no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Mm-hmm!¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened, and she removed his hand from her mouth.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t even listen before disagreeing! Do you know what I¡¯m trying to say then?¡± she asked as she frowned, displeased.

    Fu Bainian inexplicably smiled and said, ¡°Of course I know what you¡¯re trying to say. You were going to ask me if I¡¯ll allow you to go shoot a new movie, am I right?¡±

    Was there anything they couldn¡¯t say to one another? This was the only thing she couldn¡¯t bring herself to talk about.

    Her words hadn¡¯t yet been said, but Fu Bainian had already guessed her thoughts. Lan Jinyao held her forehead and sighed. Her thoughts were so easy to read now?

    Fu Bainian grumpily said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to sigh. The most important thing now is not work, but the child in your belly.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nced at him and wept. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have the baby, would you still be so nice to me?¡±

    It looked like Fu Bainian was determined not to let her go to the audition tomorrow, so she had to think of a good reason to convince him.

    ¡°Of course, this child is the fruit of our love.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was rendered speechless. To think that the Great President Fu, who¡¯d always been arrogant and aloof, would say such honeyed words. He was simply copying the lines of a romance drama!

    ¡°But, Fu Bainian, I want to go, please just let me go this once. It¡¯s still too early for the baby to be born, so why don¡¯t you let me go?¡±

    He could use an actor¡¯s lines, and she could act; the only thing left was to see who was better.

    That night, Lan Jinyao drank three sses of warm water. She had been ranting non-stop in Fu Bainian¡¯s ear. Sometimes she would act coquettish, and sometimes she would threaten him, saying that she would rest for a while when she was tired, and drink a sip of water when she was thirsty. Fu Bainian was already lying in bed with his eyes closed; he simply turned a deaf ear to her words.

    Lan Jinyao patted Fu Bainian¡¯s face, and added, ¡°If you remain silent, I¡¯ll take it as you agreeing!¡±

    Fu Bainian still didn¡¯t say anything.

    Lan Jinyao secretly smiled and nted a kiss on Fu Bainian¡¯s lips. Following that, she saw a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

    She then gently whispered, ¡°Thank you!¡±

 Chapter 156 - Audition (2)

    <h4>Chapter 156 - Audition (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao got up early in the morning. When she¡¯d rested at home these past days, she didn¡¯t put on any make-up. Only today did she put on some light makeup, and hurriedly prepared to go out.

    Fu Bainian was already waiting for her outside. When Lan Jinyao walked over, she heard Fu Bainian honking at her.

    ¡°Get in!¡±

    Lan Jinyao then said, ¡°I texted Li Qi yesterday. He and Xiaolin wille to pick me upter.¡±

    Fu Bainian opened the door and said, ¡°Li Qi won¡¯te, we¡¯ll go there together. In any case, when the audition starts, I¡¯ll go over to take a look too.¡±

    Lan Jinyao then instantly understood. No wonder Fu Bainian hadpromised so easilyst night. She¡¯d initially thought that he¡¯d agreed due to her constant nagging, but in fact, Fu Bainian had dug a hole and was waiting for her here. Chen Zetao had said that Fu Bainian might go to the audition, and now it turned out that he would go. It was likely that he would give Yin Yun extra points and fail her instead.

    After getting in the car, Lan Jinyao grabbed him by the cor and asked, ¡°Not only are you going, but Yin Yun, that woman, will also be there, right?¡±

    Fu Bainian gently removed her hand from his cor and smiled as he said, ¡°This was what I had promised Yin Yun before. I had asked her to put on an act with me, and this is her reward. Of course, whether she¡¯ll be chosen in the end will depend on her own efforts and acting skills.¡±

    Lan Jinyao threw away his hand, and her temper red once more. ¡°Put on an act? Which husband finds another woman to act in front of his wife, forcing his wife to feel miserable?¡±

    She scolded and pinched Fu Bainian, her expression and tone were very much like that of the former Chen Meimei. However, after a while, she suddenly stopped scolding him. Something urred to her, and then all the sad memories reyed in her mind.

    Seeing her suddenly stop, Fu Bainian stared at her in surprise, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    When she didn¡¯t speak, Fu Bainian became somewhat nervous, and asked again, ¡°Are you not feeling well again?¡±

    Lan Jinyao then abruptly asked, ¡°I just remembered something. You said that you had asked Yin Yun to put on an act, and I¡¯d initially thought that the audience of this y was me. But, thinking about it again, I feel that something¡¯s off. Another person is a part of the audience, right?¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt as if she¡¯d dug up a part of the truth behind Fu Bainian¡¯s injury. Up until now, she¡¯d always thought that Fu Bainian and Yin Yun had put on an act for her, but ording to her understanding of Fu Bainian¡¯s character, he wasn¡¯t a person who¡¯d do something like this. Besides, all of this began the day after Fu Bainian had returned from his business trip.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s voice started to tremble as she spoke, ¡°The person who hurt you is someone near us, right?¡±

    Fu Bainian looked at the road ahead, and his lips remained tightly shut, resisting the urge to answer this question.

    However, sometimes, silence itself was the best answer.

    Lan Jinyao then indifferently said, ¡°I understand.¡±

    The person who¡¯d hurt Fu Bainian must be someone by their side, and since that person had managed to hurt Fu Bainian, he must be someone very familiar with them. She must undoubtedly seek that person out.

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, you can get off here!¡±

    Fu Bainian got out of the car first, and then opened the door for her and helped her out of the car. His movements were extremely gentle, but his expression didn¡¯t look very good.

    ¡°Why the long face? Do I owe you money?¡±

    ¡°Alright, give me a smile!¡± Lan Jinyao gestured and pinched Fu Bainian¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t avoid her and let her do as she wished.

    Lan Jinyao then burst intoughter and teased, ¡°President Fu, you sure are cooperative today!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression softened, and he held her hand to go inside. Meanwhile, in the corner of a building behind them, someone from the paparazzi was holding up a camera and continuously photographing the interactions between the two of them.

    Seemingly noticing something, Fu Bainian looked over to the corner and revealed a gentle smile.

    Chen Zetao was already waiting at the door, and as soon as Lan Jinyao entered, heughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±

    Hisughter was jovial, but when he saw Fu Bainian standing next to Lan Jinyao, his smile slightly dwindled, and he politely added, ¡°President Fu, you¡¯re also here.¡±

    Fu Bainian acknowledged him before letting go of Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand and marching towards his office, looking somewhat unhappy.

    Many artists hade to audition today. Most of them hade because of Chen Zetao¡¯s distinguished name, and a small part were attending for the intriguing script. As for Yin Yun, she¡¯de for Fu Bainian.

    Lan Jinyao saw Yin Yun as soon as she stepped inside. That woman was gorgeously dressed, like a peacock fanning its feathers. When their gazes met, Yin Yun contemptuously smiled at her.

    Lan Jinyao inwardly thought: Go ahead andugh, just don¡¯t cryter.

    However, to Lan Jinyao¡¯s surprise, Fu Bainian had unexpectedly thrown a wrench in the works. He was determined to fail her and not let her participate in this movie¡¯s production.

    Soon after, it was Lan Jinyao¡¯s turn, with Yin Yun¡¯s turn right after her. Although the staff had uniformly agreed that aputer would be used to select the order of the participants, this didn¡¯t imply that there would be no under-the-table maniptions. Lan Jinyao felt that the reason she was lined up in front of Yin Yun, and had managed to obtain so many advantages, was all thanks to Chen Zetao helping her behind the scenes. Chen Zetao was so confident that she woulde, he¡¯d arranged everything even before he¡¯d gotten a definite answer from her.

    When Lan Jinyao entered the audition room, she saw Chen Zetao seated at the second station. He smiled at her, and Lan Jinyao returned his smile out of politeness.

    Upon seeing this, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression instantly darkened.

    For the movie ¡®Twilight¡¯, the characters had a lot of internal monologues. So, for this audition, Lan Jinyao had to read a segment of a character¡¯s internal monologues with her expression and her voice on point.

    She had done this type of challenging film before, so she felt that everything was going smoothly when she performed.

    However, while everyone was immersed in her brilliant performance, halfway through her segment, someone suddenly interrupted and yelled ¡®stop¡¯.

    In that instant, Lan Jinyao was almost suffocated to death by her own breath.

    She stopped and stared angrily at Fu Bainian. If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that there were too many people present now, she would''ve rushed up to argue with Fu Bainian.

    Lan Jinyao was fuming with anger, yet Fu Bainian¡¯s expression was as indifferent as usual.

    ¡°President Fu, was there something wrong with my performance? Is that why you yelled stop before I finished my segment?¡± she asked with a stifled smile as she desperately suppressed her anger.

    Fu Bainian propped his chin up in one hand and humphed as if he was cooking up a decent excuse.

    And, everyone¡¯s gaze was focused on Fu Bainian, waiting for him to say something.

 Chapter 157 - Audition (3)

    <h4>Chapter 157 - Audition (3)</h4>

    One minute passed.

    Two minutes passed.

    And then, ten minutes passed.

    Everyone was looking at Fu Bainian, waiting for him to exin why he¡¯d yelled stop midway. However, he¡¯d maintained the same posture for a long time, and there was still no action. Even Chen Zetao, who was sitting beside him, started furrowing his brows.

    ¡°President Fu, you haven¡¯t thought of a reason yet?¡± asked Lan Jinyao through gritted teeth.

    Fu Bainian revealed an extremely evil smile and said, ¡°No, I¡¯ve already thought of one; your gaze earlier didn¡¯t seem right.¡±

    He was clearly looking for a needle in a haystack! However, Lan Jinyao had no way to refute him, so she fiercely red at Fu Bainian and took several deep breaths to calm her agitated heart.

    Chen Zetao couldn¡¯t continue watching any longer, and pinched his brows as he said, ¡°President Fu, there was nothing wrong with Chen Meimei¡¯s gaze.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was relieved upon hearing this. Fu Bainian was good at business-rted subjects, but as for anything rted to filming, Chen Zetao was the real expert. Now that Chen Zetao had spoken up, she would like to see what else Fu Bainian had to say.

    What happened afterwards made Lan Jinyao realise that apart from being crafty, Fu Bainian was also a very thick-skinned person.

    After remaining silent for two seconds, Fu Bainian uttered, ¡°Maybe I was wrong. Director Chen is the real expert, so I¡¯ll follow your judgment. You can continue!¡±

    The little me in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart went out upon hearing this.

    She nced at the script again and read her lines, ¡°If you were taken away by the clouds, would you look at me from the sky? My dear love...¡±

    The poetic sentences flowed out of her mouth and were painted into an elegant and touching picture scroll.

    Lan Jinyao looked at a certain point in the empty room; her gazeden with grief.

    She¡¯d never learnt stage y, but her aura impressed everyone present, and they were all immersed in her sorrow.

    However, at this moment, Fu Bainian yelled again, ¡°Stop! What you just did was wrong. In the script, there was no such action at all.¡±

    When Fu Bainian made such a scene, everyone instantly understood that he didn¡¯t like the actress, and they all thought: It seems that the rtionship between the President and his wife is truly bad, just like the rumours.

    Everyone was pondering about whether to directly eliminate the Madam or not.

    Lan Jinyao was so angry that she was on the verge of vomiting blood. Fu Bainian was being too childish. She¡¯d initially pondered about what tricks he¡¯d use to eliminate her, but never did she expect him to make things difficult for her like this! This was going overboard!

    Her previous life was all smooth sailingpared to how bumpy her current road was in this life.

    Lan Jinyao clenched her hands into fists and tried her best not to identally swing them towards Fu Bainian¡¯s face. She squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°President Fu, I know that there are not so many movements in the script; I¡¯m just improvising on the spot. If you don¡¯t understand, you can ask Director Chen.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression instantly sunk at the mention of Chen Zetao¡¯s name.

    However, just as everyone thought that Fu Bainian was about to lose his temper and prepared to duck away from the expected fire, Fu Bainian unexpectedly smiled and said, ¡°Is that so? Then, you can continue!¡±

    Lan Jinyao had gotten into character with great difficulty, but Fu Bainian¡¯s interruption had cleanly destroyed her acting disposition. Lan Jinyao repeatedly clenched and loosened her fists; so much so that her bones were about to be crushed.

    Asking her to go on? How could she?! Lan Jinyao knew very well that if she continued, Fu Bainian would certainly yell stop again. The auditions before were all very short, but hers had dragged on all thanks to Fu Bainian¡¯s constant interruptions.

    ¡°President Fu, as for my previous performance, what did you think of it?¡±

    Fu Bainian pondered for a moment and then bluntly said, ¡°There was nothing great about it!¡±

    For an actor, this was definitely a big insult. However, Fu Bainian was seemingly not aware of this as he was still sitting there with an indifferent look on his face.

    Chen Zetao waved to Lan Jinyao and said, ¡°Meimei, go out first!¡±

    Lan Jinyao gritted her teeth and fiercely red at Fu Bainian on her way out.

    In the quiet office, Chen Zetao furrowed his eyebrows and said, ¡°President Fu, I think you¡¯re deliberately targeting Chen Meimei. Her performance just now was very much on point in terms of her manner of speech and her expressions. I don¡¯t understand why you kept yelling stop.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian coldly said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to know why. You just need to know that this time you can pick anyone for this role except Chen Meimei.¡±

    Chen Zetao nearly choked on his words when he heard Fu Bainian¡¯s icy tone, but he still retorted with a darkened expression, ¡°This is unfair to Chen Meimei. I can see that Chen Meimei is the most suitable candidate, so I hope that you won¡¯t let personal feelings affect your judgment.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s up to me to decide whether it¡¯s fair or not!¡± Fu Bainian suddenly stood up and stared coldly at Chen Zetao. ¡°In short, she can¡¯t participate in this movie¡¯s production.¡±

    Lan Jinyao leaned against the door and listened to the movements inside. When she heard Fu Bainian coldly state that anyone could be picked except for her, she almost fainted from anger.

    She could no longer suppress the anger in her stomach and kicked the door open as she yelled, ¡°Fu Bainian, you¡¯re going too far! On what grounds are you taking charge of my matters and making all the decisions for me?¡±

    When Fu Bainian stared at her, the look in his eyes was extremelyplicated, yet filled with persistence.

    ¡°No means no!¡±

    Lan Jinyao sneered at him and asked, ¡°Then, why did you bring me here? Why didn¡¯t you just lock me up at home?¡±

    She was so angry that her abdomen started to ache. Her face gradually turned pale, and she subconsciously covered her lower abdomen with her hands.

    When Fu Bainian saw her movements, his expression instantly changed into one of worry one as he strode to her side. He put his arms around her and anxiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you feel unwell anywhere?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was in so much pain that she broke out in a cold sweat; even nodding was extremely difficult.

    ¡°Pain...¡± she muttered in a low voice.

    Fu Bainian no longer insisted; he quickly picked Lan Jinyao up and ran out, reassuring her on the way. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ll take you to the hospital now. Nothing will happen to you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s tears couldn¡¯t help but roll down her face.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, just let me have my way this once? I don¡¯t want to be angry anymore, and I don¡¯t want to...experience death again. That feeling is truly difficult to bear.¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t hesitate at all as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital first and hear what the doctor has to say. If the doctor allows you to do so, then I won¡¯t object either.¡±

    Lan Jinyao then weakly nodded.

 Chapter 158 - Drawing A Clear Line (1)

    <h4>Chapter 158 - Drawing A Clear Line (1)</h4>

    In the ward filled with the smell of disinfectant, Lan Jinyao wasying on a hospital bed. As she closed her eyes, the corners of her mouth quietly arched up, revealing a faint smile.

    Fu Bainian had finallypromised because of the doctor¡¯s words.

    ¡°If there are no fighting scenes, then she can go ahead and act. Most pregnant women who are too idle during their pregnancy and stay at home all day can develop prenatal depression. Work can encourage them to feel better, and it¡¯ll help prevent their imaginations from running wild.¡±

    Lan Jinyao thought that she ought to secretly give the doctor a red envelope as thanks.

    When Fu Bainian nervously asked the doctor why she had a stomach ache, the doctor said, ¡°Your wife was in a bad mood, and violent mood fluctuations can lead to fetal breathing movements. During pregnancy, try not to make a pregnant woman angry, andpromise if you can; never quarrel.¡±

    At that time, Fu Bainian, who¡¯d just quarrelled with her, had a look of guilt written all over his face.

    Lan Jinyao, who was peeking at Fu Bainian with half-closed eyes, almost burst outughing when she saw his expression.

    However, what lowered her spirits was that even though there was nothing wrong with her health, Fu Bainian still stubbornly made her stay in the hospital, and asked the doctor to give her a full-body examination. She wanted to refuse at first, but Fu Bainian said, ¡°If you don¡¯t do the examination, then you¡¯re not allowed to participate in the movie.¡±

    With this threat, Lan Jinyao behaved herself and quietlyy down on the bed.

    After the check-up, she¡¯d be able to take part in the movie production; she¡¯d finally made it!

    ¡°If you want tough, you can open your eyes andugh as much as you like. I won¡¯t go back on my word.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s maic voice suddenly reverberated in her ear.

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyelids instantly flicked open, and she stared at Fu Bainian with glistening eyes as she said, ¡°Say, would Yin Yun be able to defeat me without your help?¡±

    Fu Bainian gazed at her and solemnly nodded, ¡°She¡¯s able to!¡±

    He¡¯d said that without the slightest hesitation, causing the smile on Lan Jinyao¡¯s face to disappear instantly.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just go along with me and say something nice?!¡± uttered Lan Jinyao unhappily.

    Fu Bainian still solemnly answered, ¡°I¡¯m just telling you the truth. In terms of appearance and acting skills, she can¡¯tpare with you, but she¡¯s impartially ruthless and merciless. You, my dear Jinyao, are too kind-hearted, and you can¡¯t quite read people¡¯s hearts.¡±

    His words rendered Lan Jinyao speechless.

    However, her heart had been appeased, and she felt quite content.

    Lan Jinyao praised him. ¡°You¡¯re such a sweet talker.¡±

    However, what Fu Bainian had said was true. In her previous life, there was always someone protecting her behind the scenes. She¡¯d initially thought that it was Shen Yu, butter she¡¯d found out that Fu Bainian was the one who was secretly protecting her. At that time, she was indeed very naive, so she¡¯d never seen through Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s thoughts.

    Thinking up to this point, Lan Jinyao recalled something else and asked, ¡°Back then, were you aware of Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s schemes towards me?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know!¡± If he¡¯d known, how could he have allowed Shen Wei¡¯an to remain unscathed and by her side?

    Fu Bainian then softly added, ¡°At that time, I knew that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s character didn¡¯t suit your personality. She was too feisty andpetitive, while you, on the other hand, didn¡¯t care about anything. However, you saw her as a friend, so I could only silently guard you from a distance. I didn¡¯t expect that such a thing would happen that day at all. If I had known, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have allowed anything to happen to you.¡±

    What happened that night had not only left a mark in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart but also Fu Bainian¡¯s. In this lifetime, he didn¡¯t want to recall that scene ever again. That heart-wrenching pain, as if his soul was being pulled from his body, was unbearable.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, if only I¡¯d met you earlier, then I wouldn¡¯t have had to go through all that pain.¡±

    Hating a person was very tiring, so she would rather have met Fu Bainian earlier. That way, her fate might¡¯ve been different, and she wouldn¡¯t have had to be reborn nor suffered all the pain that followed.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s voice was very low, seemingly shaking a bit as he said, ¡°Yes, I wish I¡¯d met you earlier.¡±

    In fact, he¡¯d noticed her long ago, but at that time, he didn¡¯t know that he¡¯d fallen in love with her. Due to this, he¡¯d never approached her.

    Following that, Lan Jinyao sighed and then said, ¡°Fu Bainian, let¡¯s cheer up! Everything is already in the past. We¡¯ll have a baby soon, so we¡¯ll be a joyful family from now on, right?¡±

    Fu Bainian quietly acknowledged her, and the corners of his mouth slightly arched upwards.

    In the afternoon, Lan Jinyao was preparing to be discharged from the hospital when Li Qi and Xiaolin came to visit her. They¡¯d even brought her a fruit basket.

    Li Qi asked with concern, ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    Lan Jinyao pointed at Fu Bainian and pouted, ¡°It¡¯s all his fault!¡±

    Li Qi nced at Fu Bainian but didn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Li Qi, what¡¯s the current situation at thepany? How¡¯s Yin Yun¡¯s audition progressing?¡±

    ¡°Yin Yun, she...¡± Li Qi was about to y down Yin Yun¡¯s audition, but after taking a quick glimpse at Fu Bainian, he quickly rephrased what he was going to say. ¡°Yin Yun¡¯s performance was quite good, her acting etc. was...¡±

    Li Qi was in a bit of a quandary because he literally couldn¡¯t go on anymore.

    ¡°When you¡¯re praising Yin Yun, doesn¡¯t your conscience bother you?¡±

    Li Qi: ¡°...¡± President Fu was also present and watching him! What else could he do? He couldn¡¯t just deprecate Yin Yun in front of him, right?!

    He could only look at them with a distressed expression.

    ¡°Tell me the truth; Fu Bainian won¡¯t me you as we¡¯ve already reached a consensus. I''ve already decided on this role.¡±

    Following that, Li Qi¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve reached an agreement? I mean, the role has already been granted to Yin Yun and, when that happened, Director Chen lost his temper. Unfortunately, there were no options as the other investors all thought that Fu Bainian was supportive of Yin Yun, so...¡±

    As soon as he said that, Lan Jinyao got angry. ¡°How¡¯s that possible?! Fu Bainian, you lied to me again!¡±

    Fu Bainian blinked and innocently said, ¡°I really didn¡¯t lie to you.¡±

    ¡°Whether you did or not, you can ask your heart,¡± Lan Jinyao angrily returned in a high-pitched voice.

    She then asked Li Qi, ¡°So what now?¡±

    Li Qi: ¡°...¡± She seemed to have asked the wrong person. President Fu was still standing there, yet she¡¯d asked him, her Manager, ¡®what now?¡¯ Was it really okay to ignore her husband like this?

    Fu Bainian, who¡¯d been neglected, finally spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this matter.¡±

    Lan Jinyao harrumphed and walked away, towards the exit.

    She thought: For now, she¡¯d believe in Fu Bainian. But, if he didn¡¯t fix this issue, then she¡¯d let him have a taste of her wrath.

    Fu Bainian coldly red at Li Qi. ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for your loose mouth, I¡¯d have already taken care of this issue.¡±

    ¡°...¡± The innocent Li Qi, who stood frozen on the spot, could only look at him with an aggrieved expression.

    Then, Fu Bainian quickly followed after Lan Jinyao and seized her hand to walk out hand-in-hand.

 Chapter 159 - Drawing A Clear Line (2)

    <h4>Chapter 159 - Drawing A Clear Line (2)</h4>

    When Li Qi had said that the results were out, Lan Jinyao felt very disappointed because although she did her best, her performance was eventually destroyed by Fu Bainian. Fu Bainian had said that he¡¯d give her a chance afterwards, so Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t made an issue of it. It wasn¡¯t that easy for her to enter that state of mncholy again. Besides, her anger had taken over her emotions now, so how could she still act well?

    If Yin Yun broke through the siege with her acting skills and defeated all the other participants, getting picked as a result, then Lan Jinyao wouldn¡¯t have felt as angry as she did.

    But, Yin Yun didn¡¯t have any acting skills. Before she¡¯d met Fu Bainian, she was only fluttering amongst the eighteenth rank. If there was no Fu Bainian, even if Yin Yun did her utmost in this lifetime, she might never have been able to proceed to the front line and appear in public.

    The scandals with Fu Bainian alone were enough for onlookers to discuss her for a whole year.

    While Lan Jinyao was strolling in the park, she received a call from Chen Zetao. ¡°Meimei, you take a good rest and prepare yourself. We¡¯ll start filming the day after tomorrow. When the timees, I hope that you can arrive slightly earlier.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao was startled and remained in a daze for a moment before she came to her senses and asked, ¡°Are you sure you called the right number? Li Qi told me that Yin Yun was chosen. Wasn¡¯t that the case?¡±

    Chen Zetao then firmly answered, ¡°Yin Yun¡¯s appearance isn¡¯t bad, but her acting skills aren¡¯t good enough. In other words, her temperament doesn¡¯t suit this film at all.¡±

    At this moment, Chen Zetao¡¯s determined tone made Lan Jinyao realise that Chen Zetao¡¯s work attitude was very strict; his sole aim was to produce a wless piece of work, and then present it to the audience.

    ¡°But, the investors...¡± She was very curious about how he¡¯d managed to convince the other investors.

    Chen Zetao remained silent for a moment before he faintly replied, ¡°President Fu was the one who proposed to switch out Yin Yun, and the other investors didn¡¯t dare to object.¡±

    Lan Jinyao finally smiled. It turned out to be Fu Bainian¡¯s doing. He¡¯d said that he¡¯d take care of this matter, and he¡¯d unexpectedly done it. Yin Yun must be about to die from anger right about now!

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there earlier.¡±

    Chen Zetao then added, ¡°Meimei, there is an underwater scene, and President Fu wanted us to find you a stunt double for this. I personally think that if we want to shoot this part with the best results, you have to do it in person. What do you say?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand subconsciouslynded on her belly. Her belly was still t, so one could make out that she was pregnant yet.

    She heaved a sigh, and then said, ¡°Find me a stunt double; I¡¯ll do what Bainian wants!¡±

    ¡°Meimei, if you¡¯re worried about not being able to swim, we¡¯ll have a professional train you to make sure that you won¡¯t have any problems when you go into the water,¡± Chen Zetao continued in an attempt to persuade her.

    Lan Jinyao could sense that Chen Zetao wasn¡¯t unyielding, but his tone carried a hint of determination. He was trying his best to persuade her to go into the water.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t swim, but I really can¡¯t go into the water!¡±

    Her attitude was even more resolute than Chen Zetao¡¯s.

    The doctor had told her that she wasn¡¯t allowed to film any fighting scenes nor do any strenuous exercises. In addition, she also wasn¡¯t allowed to soak in cold water as that was bad for her and the fetus in her womb.

    She was adamant on notpromising when it came to the baby in her womb.

    Chen Zetao hesitated for a moment but didn¡¯t pursue it further. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll arrange a stunt double for you.¡±

    In her past life, Lan Jinyao had used a lot of stunt doubles. However, ever since she¡¯d be Chen Meimei, she seemed to have never used a stunt double again and did everything on her own; no matter how dangerous the scene was. Her hard work had also left a very good impression on the rest of the crew. Almost everyone had said that the rumoured Chen Meimei and the real Chen Meimei werepletely different people.

    After staying in the park for a while, Lan Jinyao left, and as soon as she got home, she started to read the script. Her pen highlighted the dialogue between the characters, some internal monologues, and included every motion and expression. This movie had a lot of internal monologues, so her facial expressions had to be on point.

    Then, the doorbell abruptly rang while she was engrossed with reading the script. Standing up slowly, Lan Jinyao leisurely went to open the door.

    After peeking through the peephole, Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand on the doorknob suddenly froze.

    The person standing outside was none other than Yin Yun.

    What was that woman doing here? Did shee looking for trouble? Or, was she trying to unt some other scandal with Fu Bainian again?

    Lan Jinyao waited a long time before opening the door.

    Yin Yun stood at the door and angrily stared at her. ¡°Chen Meimei, did you know that the female lead for the movie directed by Director Chen was originally me? But, just because of your rtionship with President Fu, it went to you in the end. Chen Meimei, do you think that this is fair towards me?¡±

    Fairness? This woman came to talk to her about fairness? This was truly ridiculous! She didn¡¯t have any acting skills nor the right temperament; she was only able to get that role because of Fu Bainian¡¯s interference.

    Lan Jinyao sneered and said, ¡°If you can speak with your acting skills, then you won¡¯t feel that this was unfair.¡±

    ¡°You...Chen Meimei, what acting skills do you have? Back then, you were the one who shamelessly followed President Fu everywhere. If not for President Fu, do you think you could¡¯ve gotten to where you are today? Unexpectedly, you managed to marry into the Fu family; you¡¯re truly an expert!¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t lower herself to Yin Yun¡¯s level and just coldly stated, ¡°Fu Bainian already told me everything. The reason why he appeared in public with you, and those scandals...all of that was just to put on an act for me to see. He didn¡¯t hide anything from me. But, now that I look at you being all serious, it seems that you want to turn the act into a reality, huh? Let me tell you; Fu Bainian won¡¯t ever fall in love with you. The only person he loves is me.¡±

    Thesest few words were said in an imposing manner because she was extremely confident of Fu Bainian¡¯s love for her.

    ¡°Since Fu Bainian has told you all these secrets, you should know why he asked me to put on an act with him.¡±

    Lan Jinyao hesitated at this point because she didn¡¯t actually know the real reason behind this.

    Being confronted by Yin Yun in such an overbearing manner, Lan Jinyao wouldn¡¯t allow herself to bow down, no matter what.

    ¡°Of course I know. Fu Bainian¡¯s hand was injured, and he didn¡¯t want me to know lest I worried about him.¡±

    When Yin Yun¡¯s imposing behaviour faded, Lan Jinyao breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that her suspicions were right.

    However, the next second, Yin Yun¡¯s smile returned to her face. She stared at Lan Jinyao, her red lips slightly raised.

 Chapter 160 - Drawing A Clear Line (3)

    <h4>Chapter 160 - Drawing A Clear Line (3)</h4>

    Everything under the bright sunshine was enveloped with a warm glow. However, Lan Jinyao felt that there was an icy, tingling sensation running throughout her body, spreading to her limbs.

    Yin Yun proudly smirked and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Fu Bainian did look for me to put on a show for you, and as you¡¯ve said, he didn¡¯t want you to worry. But, in fact, there¡¯s another reason why he did that. Do you know what that is?¡±

    She then unhurriedly stressed, ¡°The other reason that he didn¡¯t want to tell you, do you know what that is?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression turned cold as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t want to know. We are doing very well now, so we don¡¯t need another insignificant person to worry about us.¡±

    Yin Yun had definitelye with ill intentions and an ulterior motive. This woman must be here to agitate her. No matter what this woman wanted to say next, she shouldn¡¯t listen to her words. Besides, her emotions weren¡¯t very stable at the moment.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, stop deceiving yourself. I can see from your eyes and expression that you really want to know.¡± Yin Yun¡¯s smile suddenly turned eerie; she looked like a restless venomous snake who was waiting for the right opportunity to make its move.

    Lan Jinyao ignored her and moved to close the door.

    However, Yin Yun was unwilling to give up and quickly grabbed the doorframe with both hands, not allowing Lan Jinyao to close the door.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, what are you afraid of? In fact, you were right. At first, I just wanted to cooperate with President Fu to put on a good show, and then ept the reward I ought to get. However, things are different now. I¡¯ve fallen in love with him. He¡¯s such a charming man, so which women wouldn¡¯t be moved by him? Besides, you were the one who granted me this opportunity. Even someone as unbearable as you could marry into the Fu family and stay by his side. I¡¯m much more outstanding than you, so I believe that as long as I work hard, then Mrs Fu¡¯s position will eventually be mine.¡±

    As long as you work hard, you¡¯ll make him fall in love with you? That kind of logic was ridiculous. As if love could be cultivated so easily like that! Not to mention, Fu Bainian already had her in his heart.

    Lan Jinyao chuckled and eyed her with a piercing gaze as she said, ¡°Let me tell you again; that wish of yours will nevere true. I advise you to stop being so delusional.¡±

    The person who Fu Bainian had loved all along was never Chen Meimei, but Lan Jinyao. Even though the host of her soul was someone else, the one who Fu Bainian liked was still her, Lan Jinyao.

    Lan Jinyao coldly red at Yin Yun as she removed her hands from the doorframe, and she then proceeded to close the door. When she was not paying attention, Yin Yun quickly extended her hand again. Lan Jinyao felt that she didn¡¯t use a lot of strength while closing the door, but an earth-shattering shriek echoed in her ears the moment Yin Yun¡¯s hand was caught in the door.

    Subconsciously, she let go of her hand, and the door opened. She then saw Yin Yun¡¯s injured fingers.

    The fair skin on Yin Yun¡¯s fingers instantly turned dark red, and a mark was left close to the joints. There were even a few drops of tears visible in the corners of her eyes. Lan Jinyao suddenly felt that Yin Yun¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t exaggerated at all. Yin Yun covered her fingers, and her lips quivered as she let out a low whimper.

    Lan Jinyao could already feel the pain while looking at her. ¡°Are you okay? You were the one who extended your hand, so it¡¯s not my fault.¡±

    Had it not been for Yin Yun¡¯s sudden movement, then she would have reacted on time, and her fingers wouldn¡¯t have been caught in the door.

    Yin Yun suddenly lifted her head and red at Lan Jinyao with a pair of red eyes. ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not your fault? Chen Meimei, you were the one who caused this injury.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was somewhat speechless when she heard this. She didn¡¯t want to be entangled with this irrational woman any longer.

    In the next second, a loud p was heard, and Lan Jinyao froze on the spot. Yin Yun had viciously pped her; half of her cheek had turned red and was now burning. The pain was so intense that it felt as if her cheek had been smeared with ayer of chilli oil.

    Lan Jinyao gently touched her cheek, and then quickly removed her fingers.

    Yin Yun was abnormally strong.

    Lan Jinyao had initially wanted to endure the pain, but Yin Yun refused to back down, and she pounced on Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°What do you want?!¡±

    Yin Yun actually tried to strangle her, but Lan Jinyao subconsciously countered her.

    The two women fought, with Yin Yun pulling Lan Jinyao¡¯s hair, and Lan Jinyao throwing a punch, hitting the bridge of Yin Yun¡¯s nose. Yin Yun¡¯s high nose had seemingly undergone stic surgery, and it now looked slightly crooked after Lan Jinyao¡¯s hit.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡± a scream sounded again.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, you¡¯re courting death! How dare you hit me?!¡± Yin Yun, who had lost all rationality, red at Lan Jinyao with bloodshot eyes.

    At that moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes abruptly widened, and her heart seemed to stop beating when Yin Yun¡¯s punch was about tond on her abdomen. Yin Yun was quite strong, so a possible oue instantly shed through Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind.

    Currently, it was like all movements had seemingly slowed down. Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t stop the hand that was about to reach her, and Yin Yun¡¯s sinister expression gradually closed in on her.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± a raspy male voice suddenly sounded behind them.

    Then, Yin Yun¡¯s hand, which was mere centimetres away, was forcefully grabbed.

    It was at this instant that Lan Jinyao looked up at Jiang Cheng, who¡¯d appeared in front of her, gasping for air. A moment ago, she¡¯d felt her heart in her throat.

    Yin Yun red at Jiang Cheng and said, ¡°Let go of me! I want to sort out this woman a bit. That role was originally the reward that President Fu had promised me, but now it''s been snatched away by this woman. Just because she¡¯s President Fu¡¯s wife means that I deserve to be humiliated by her?¡±

    Humiliated? This woman was truly good with her words!

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes turned cold, and she stated, ¡°Quickly get out of here, or I¡¯ll make it so that you¡¯re unable to stand in the entertainment industry again.¡±

    In fact, she didn¡¯t have to do anything at all. If Fu Bainian knew that Yin Yun had nearly made them lose their baby, then Yin Yun would never be able to stay in the entertainment industry. No, in fact, she wouldn¡¯t even be able to stay in this city.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, you¡¯re so lucky; why is everyone protecting you? You still don¡¯t know the real reason, right? Then, I¡¯ll tell you...¡±

    Jiang Cheng immediately covered Yin Yun¡¯s mouth, and in that split second, a fierce glint emerged in his eyes, frightening Lan Jinyao.

    A bold assumption suddenly emerged within Lan Jinyao''s mind. Maybe the real reason behind Fu Bainian''s injury was rted to Jiang Cheng.

    Fu Bainian got hurt, and Jiang Cheng had something to do with it!

    A perplexed look emerged in Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes, but she was no longer afraid.

 Chapter 161 - Drawing A Clear Line (4)

    <h4>Chapter 161 - Drawing A Clear Line (4)</h4>

    Yin Yun seemed to have gone crazy. She kept struggling, but her mouth was covered by Jiang Cheng, and she couldn¡¯t move her body due to the tight hold he had around her. She could only let out slight sounds through her nose as a sign of her anger.

    Suddenly, Yin Yun¡¯s gaze changed. She shook her head violently, and when Jiang Cheng¡¯s grip loosened, she opened her mouth and bit his hand.

    ¡°Tss...¡±

    The sound of breathing could be heard as Jiang Cheng fiercely furrowed his brows and pushed Yin Yun away. With the force of his shove, her body was like a broken kite and immediately fell to the ground.

    ¡°You crazy woman!¡± Jiang Cheng cursed as he looked down at his arm.

    From Lan Jinyao¡¯s point of view, Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm had already turned red with blood oozing out from the spot that Yin Yun had bitten.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, I think you¡¯d better go to the hospital and take care of that wound. Maybe the doctor will give you a rabies shot.¡±

    Yin Yun¡¯s sorry figurey on the ground, and her eyes were bloodshot as if she hadn¡¯t slept all night. And, after Lan Jinyao said those words, Yin Yun suddenly burst outughing.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, you¡¯re so concerned about this man? Do you care that much about him? President Fu¡¯s suspicions were right. You and this man really have an abnormal rtionship. Do you know why President Fu¡¯s hand was injured and what caused the wound on his arm?!¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression suddenly darkened, and he walked step by step towards Yin Yun. Even when Lan Jinyao felt frightened when she saw the angry look on his face she, yet Yin Yun was still sitting there on the ground. If it were her instead, she would¡¯ve stood up long ago and fled.

    They were both crazy, with one being more insane than the other!

    ¡°It¡¯s this man¡¯s fault! The gunshot wound was left by this man, and President Fu already knows everything. Do you think President Fu will still like you? President Fu didn¡¯t tell you because he didn¡¯t want to inadvertently alert the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Those words were almost spoken in unison. After Lan Jinyao and Jiang Cheng roared at Yin Yun, their expressions turned stiff.

    Lan Jinyao repeatedly shook her head, and then her cold gazended on Jiang Cheng. She asked him, word for word, ¡°Jiang Cheng, is what this woman said true? Did you really cause the injury on Fu Bainian¡¯s arm?¡±

    It was a gunshot injury, no wonder... It had been so many days already, but when she identally pressed the wound on Fu Bainian¡¯s arm, he would still break out in a cold sweat.

    Jiang Cheng lowered his head and didn¡¯t answer her question, but Lan Jinyao felt that he¡¯d already silently admitted it.

    She then asked Yin Yun, ¡°You say Fu Bainian suspects that I have an abnormal rtionship with Jiang Cheng. Did Fu Bainian personally tell you that?¡±

    How could Fu Bainian suspect her? That wasn¡¯t possible, and she absolutely wouldn¡¯t believe it.

    Lan Jinyao had been persistently pursuing the truth, but the truth was out so quickly and had almost caught her off guard. She was so shocked; she couldn¡¯t react immediately.

    Yin Yunughed and said, ¡°Of course! In addition to asking me to put on an act with him, he also wants to use you to oppose this man. Don¡¯t you feel that President Fu¡¯s recent attitude towards you is a bit too intimate?¡±

    Lan Jinyao had almost believed her words, and her emotions had nearly fallen apart at this point, but Yin Yun¡¯s tone inadvertently revealed a trace ofcency which quickly made her sober up.

    She almost fell for Yin Yun¡¯s scheme. Recently, Fu Bainian had indeed been treating her very well and was very gentle and cautious with his actions. However, she knew that all this wasn¡¯t because Fu Bainian wanted to use her to take down Jiang Cheng, but because Fu Bainian wanted to take good care of the baby in her womb.

    ¡°Yin Yun, you think you¡¯re so amazing, but let me warn you; don¡¯t you ever appear in Fu Bainian¡¯s and my life again.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze thennded on Jiang Cheng, and she added, ¡°Jiang Cheng, you as well, don¡¯t you ever appear in front of me again. As for Fu Bainian¡¯s injury, we¡¯ll give everything back to you one day.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to that crazy woman, I...¡± Jiang Cheng tried to defend himself and walked slowly towards Lan Jinyao.

    Lan Jinyao quickly entered the house and closed the door. Standing behind the door, she shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t care whether what Yin Yun said is true or not. Fu Bainian will eventually tell me in person, and I¡¯ll believe him instead of an outsider.¡±

    It wentpletely silent outside.

    Lan Jinyao clutched her rapidly beating heart and peeked through the peephole.

    Then, she saw Jiang Cheng, who looked like an evil spirit from hell, walk towards Yin Yun with a sinister expression. Only now did Yin Yun seemingly feel afraid; she hurriedly stood up and started screaming. Then, she staggered along the wall as she ran towards the gate. Her scream attracted a group of security guards, but Jiang Cheng¡¯s pace didn¡¯t slow down at all, and the two ran out in pursuit of one another.

    Not long after, the doorbell rang, and Lan Jinyao peeked through the peephole again and saw that it was the group of security guards.

    ¡°Were those two people your guests?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head in a panicked state and said, ¡°No, don¡¯t let them in casually like this in the future. I¡¯m worried that those two wille here harbouring evil intentions.¡±

    The security guards were taken aback by her expression and manner of speaking. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll strengthen our supervision in the future.¡±

    After the security guards left, Lan Jinyao closed the door again andy down on the sofa. Her fight with Yin Yun earlier had made her feel a little ufortable now, but luckily her abdomen wasn¡¯t in pain. Her heart, on the other hand, was beating very fast, and there was a thinyer of sweat in the palms of her hands.

    The script was ced beside her, but she was no longer in the mood to read it.

    Following this, Lan Jinyao slowly shut her eyes.

    She¡¯d drawn a clear line with Jiang Cheng today, so hopefully, he wouldn¡¯te to bother her anymore.

    However, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t understand why Jiang Cheng would bother her to no end. It was clear to her that they¡¯d never crossed paths before. As for Jiang Cheng¡¯s face, she was 100% sure that she¡¯d never seen it before.

    If Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know that she was Lan Jinyao, then she would¡¯ve surmised that Jiang Cheng liked Chen Meimei and thus kept pestering her; even though she was already a married woman. However, the fact was that Jiang Cheng already knew her secret.

    Hence, Lan Jinyao felt that there were a lot of doubtful points.

    At this moment, she suddenly remembered the incident with the fire that she¡¯d experienced for the first time in her life and the man who¡¯d died.

    After the fire, on a quiet night, Lan Jinyao had done something out of the ordinary. At that time, she didn¡¯t have too many fans on Weibo, so she¡¯d spent a little effort and found the person who¡¯d interacted with Chen Meimei before.

    She sent that person a note.

    ¡°I don¡¯t me you. I hope that your paradise contains no darkness and only sunshine. I¡¯m not Chen Meimei, but another soul, and for that, I¡¯m sorry about this incident.¡±

    TL Note: Hi everyone, I''ll be on holiday starting tomorrow and will be back on the 11th of March. So I''m sorry that there would be no new chapters until then, when I''m back there will be extra chapters posted aspensation. See you in a bit over a week~ Yuna AWOL...

 Chapter 162 - The So-called Truth (1)

    <h4>Chapter 162 - The So-called Truth (1)</h4>

    President Fu¡¯s suspicions were right. You and this man really do have an abnormal rtionship.

    Yin Yun¡¯s words echoed relentlessly inside Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind. That woman¡¯s sharp voice was like a devil¡¯s whisper; continuously throwing her thoughts in disorder and making her distraught with anxiety.

    She wasn¡¯t sure whether these words were just Yin Yun¡¯s unteral thoughts, or if Fu Bainian''s views were the same.

    Fu Bainian had asked Yin Yun to put on an act with him. Was that act really specifically for Jiang Cheng? If so, then why had Fu Bainian hid the truth from her? Could it be that he actually suspected her in his heart?

    She suddenly recalled that back then, she¡¯d insisted on partaking in Jiang Cheng¡¯s drama production, and Fu Bainian had firmly disapproved her request. This had resulted in the two of them being at loggerheads for a long period afterwards. Had Fu Bainian been suspecting since then? Or, could it be that he hadn¡¯t believed in her all along?

    Sometimes, fear was like the devil, and it could instantly erode one¡¯s heart.

    However, the worst part was that she¡¯d think of whatever she dreaded the most, and those absurd thoughts were getting out of hand.

    When Fu Bainian got home, she was still curled up on the sofa and recalling the little details of their past. The script, on the other hand, had fallen to the ground.

    When she heard the sound of the door closing, she suddenly sat up from the sofa and stared straight into Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you should go sleep in the bedroom. Isn¡¯t it ufortable on the sofa?¡± Fu Bainian strode to her side and bent down to pick her up.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand was faster than his, and she blocked him, refusing his embrace. She didn¡¯t miss that split second where disappointment and dismay shed in Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes.

    She quickly held onto Fu Bainian¡¯s hand and patted the spot next to her, indicating for him to sit down.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, let¡¯s have a talk, alright?¡±

    She had to get to the bottom of the matter today. Lan Jinyao secretly swore in her heart.

    Fu Bainian, though a bit confused, didn¡¯t refuse and nodded. ¡°Okay, what do you want to talk about?¡±

    His eyes then fell on the script on the ground, and he picked it up. When he saw the highlighted texts marked by various pens, the look in his eyes became somewhat dim. She¡¯d always liked to act, whether it was now or in her past life.

    Lan Jinyao also didn¡¯t want to beat around the bush with him, as experience had taught her that some things could remain unclear if one were to do so. Hence, she straightforwardly told him, ¡°Yin Yun came to see me today!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian instantly tensed up and tightly furrowed his brows as he asked, ¡°What was that woman doing here again? Did she hurt you?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head. Actually, Yin Yun had pped her across the face, but after she¡¯d driven that woman away, she¡¯d checked on her burning cheek in the mirror and put ice on it to calm the swollen part. Only then did it get better, and now there were no traces left from the p at all.

    ¡°She wanted to hurt me. Our baby almost...¡± She deliberately paused, and then continued, ¡°Jiang Cheng was the one who saved me!¡±

    Sure enough, as soon as her words fell, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression instantly darkened.

    ¡°That woman actually dared toe all the way here. She¡¯s courting death!¡±

    When she heard this, Lan Jinyao suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. She was stressing two key things earlier, and Fu Bainian had only heard the previous one, which subconsciously meant that Jiang Cheng¡¯s existence wasn¡¯t important to him at all.

    Lan Jinyao then unhurriedly said, ¡°Yin Yun and Jiang Cheng almost fought. Do you know what Yin Yun said to me?¡±

    Upon hearing her question, Fu Bainian¡¯s hand slightly tightened around her waist.

    He stiffly cleared his throat and asked, ¡°What did Yin Yun say?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes reddened. ¡°She said that the injury on your arm is from a bullet and that Jiang Cheng caused it. Tell me honestly, is that really the case? Jiang Cheng is harbouring ill intentions towards me, so you never let me approach him. He wanted to take actions against you, so you had no choice but to let Yin Yun put on an act with you to pull the wool over his eyes. Is everything that Yin Yun said true?¡±

    At this point, Lan Jinyao¡¯s voice cracked into sobs. Fu Bainian had suffered so much because of her, yet she was unexpectedly not aware of this at all. Jiang Cheng had approached her again and again, but she kept telling herself that she had the ability to protect herself against him and that as long as the filming of the drama was over, she¡¯d no longer have anything to do with Jiang Cheng. In the end, Fu Bainian was hurt in her stead, and she wasn¡¯t even aware of that. Furthermore, he continuouslypromised with her demands.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao suddenly broke into tears andy on Fu Bainian¡¯s chest, wailing, ¡°I''m sorry, I¡¯m truly sorry...¡±

    However, saying sorry countless times wouldn¡¯t heal the wound on his arm, so what was the use of apologising? At this thought, Lan Jinyao cried even louder and med herself all over again. But, aside from apologising, what else could she do?

    Seeing her like this made Fu Bainian¡¯s heart ache, and he quickly pulled her into a tight embrace.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore, or else, our baby will follow suit. Those were all small issues, so it doesn¡¯t matter!¡±

    Fu Bainian gently coaxed her, but Lan Jinyao¡¯s tears were streaming down her cheeks like a flood.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter?! That¡¯s a gunshot wound. It must really hurt!¡± It was hard to imagine that she¡¯d known nothing and had acted so horribly towards him. At that time, she was depressed, but it was nothingpared to Fu Bainian¡¯s hurt feelings. Not only did he feel pain in his arm, but also his heart!

    ¡°Fu Bainian, please tell me what¡¯s going on. I want to know everything. I don¡¯t want to be muddle-headed in the future and unable to differentiate between a friend and a foe.¡±

    Such a thing was simply too frightening. She¡¯d never have thought that Jiang Cheng was such a crazy person. To think that he dared tomand others to shoot Fu Bainian! If that shot hadn¡¯t hit Fu Bainian¡¯s arm, but his heart...then what would she have done? Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t dare to think further.

    Fu Bainian heaved a long sigh, then gently wiped her tears away as he said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t cry anymore; I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡±

    Lan Jinyao snuggled against his chest and listened quietly.

    ¡°When Jiang Cheng first made his appearance, I sensed that something wasn¡¯t quite right. That man gave me a very dangerous feeling, and I spected that he might know your real identity, but I never had any proof. I also didn¡¯t understand why someone like Jiang Cheng, who¡¯d never met you before, would suddenly appear in front of you and disrupt your life. He wants our rtionship to turn sour.¡±

    ¡°In the beginning, I had thought that he was trying to take this opportunity to go against mypany and so, during that time, I incessantly fought against him. But, then I found out that his target was actually you!¡±

    Hearing his exnation, Lan Jinyao was so overwhelmed that she forgot to shed tears.

    Yuna''s note: Hi everyone, it has been a while! Sorry for the long wait, I have been ill since I got back from my holiday, hence no new posts until today. This week, I¡¯ll be posting two chapters per day aspensation. Enjoy reading~

    P.S. Vre isunching a new site soon! Read more.

 Chapter 163 - The So-called Truth (2)

    <h4>Chapter 163 - The So-called Truth (2)</h4>

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ve already seen through his tricks!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s hand was very warm, and as he held Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand, his warmth flowed from her fingertips to her heart,pletely soothing her entire being.

    Lan Jinyao nodded. That¡¯s right, she¡¯d already seen through Jiang Cheng¡¯s tricks, so she wouldn¡¯t be fooled by him again, nor would she let him approach her.

    Fu Bainian looked down at her and smiled. He then said, ¡°I wanted you to leave him, but it didn¡¯t work out. At the time, you were so obsessed with revenge that you couldn¡¯t listen to my words at all. You always told me that it didn¡¯t matter. You wouldn¡¯t change your mind and wanted me to believe in you, and you just wanted to go there for work. But at that time, you clearly noticed that Jiang Cheng was harbouring bad intentions towards you.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s words didn¡¯t contain any traces of me towards her, but Lan Jinyao still felt a dull pain in her heart.

    He then continued, ¡°I did believe in you, but it was just that I couldn¡¯t believe in Jiang Cheng. He always made us quarrel and wanted a crack to appear in our rtionship. What I was most afraid of was that, in the end, we¡¯d part ways and be strangers.¡±

    ¡°But, I don¡¯t want to be separated from you. I don¡¯t want to let go of your hand in this lifetime, because I finally got ahold of you after great difficulty.¡± Fu Bainian lowered his head and propped his chin up on her head, his slightly hoarse voice resounding in Lan Jinyao¡¯s ears.

    Following this, she extended her hands and embraced him tightly.

    ¡°We¡¯ll never separate,¡± she choked out between sobs, sounding iparably resolute.

    Fu Bainian breathed a sigh of relief and gently said, ¡°You¡¯re right; we¡¯ll never separate!¡± And, he would never allow that to happen.

    ¡°Then, what happened afterwards?¡± asked Lan Jinyao again.

    Although she was unable to control herself from crying, she still wanted to hear the rest. She wanted to know what Fu Bainian had gone through and suffered without her knowledge.

    Fu Bainian then softly said, ¡°Afterwards, Changning called me. She said that after we¡¯d properly calmed down, our rtionship will get better again. At that time, I thought that if we continued our cold war, then Jiang Cheng might¡¯ve taken advantage of the opportunity to step in. No matter what, I would never have allowed that to happen.¡±

    As he spoke up to this point, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t see it, but a trace of malice shed in Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Following that, I went on the business trip, and Jiang Cheng made his move. It was at that time that I understood that man¡¯s resoluteness.¡± He was indeed a madman, even daring enough to hire someone to attempt to assassinate him so tantly.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want me to return home, but I came back anyway.¡±

    Fu Bainian gently kissed her hair, and his voice was seemingly trembling as he said that.

    At the thought that Fu Bainian might never have returned to her side, Lan Jinyao¡¯s pupils shrunk; it was as if she had seen that kind of scene before. Fu Bainian, who was drenched red with blood, was running alone in a foreign country with no one to help him. He was all alone, and he almost couldn¡¯t make it back home. At this point, tears uncontrobly slid down her face again.

    She¡¯d initially thought that there was only one person mad enough in this world who would kill her friends, and that was Shen Wei¡¯an. However, there were so many people in this world, so how could Shen Wei¡¯an be the only mad person?

    ¡°After returning home, I appeared with Yin Yun in a high-profile manner in public. I admit, I¡¯d initially just wanted to make you jealous, butter I continued the act to let Jiang Cheng rx his vignce and use Yin Yun to pull the wool over his eyes. Everything that happened afterwards, you already know. I wanted to get rid of that dangerous Jiang Cheng, but I couldn¡¯t allow you to feel hurt again, and couldn¡¯t let our baby face any danger as a consequence.¡±

    Lan Jinyao leaned against Fu Bainian¡¯s chest and listened to his heartbeat; her mood particrly heavy.

    It turned out that this so-called truth was not a ¡®seven-year itch¡¯. There was no emotional breakdown, and Yin Yun wasn¡¯t a wretched third party. No, she wasn¡¯t one before, but this didn¡¯t mean that she wouldn¡¯t be one in the future.

    After a while, Lan Jinyao gloomily said, ¡°Yin Yun used to put on an act with you, but now it seems that she wants to turn the act into a reality. Fu Bainian, that woman is in love with you. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t havee all the way here to knock on our door just because of a minor movie role. This is the stupid love affair that you¡¯ve created, so you have to take care of it yourself.¡±

    The atmosphere finally rxed a little after she said these words.

    Fu Bainian then swore with his fingers up in the air, ¡°I¡¯ll certainly solve this issue, and I promise not to leave any troubles behind!¡±

    Lan Jinyao then nodded at him.

    In fact, perhaps Yin Yun had already been taken care of by Jiang Cheng. That cruel and merciless madman, what else did he not dare to do? Lan Jinyao recalled that while Jiang Cheng was approaching Yin Yun earlier, he had on a very eerie and sinister expression. That kind of expression would make one tremble uncontrobly with fear, and it looked as if he wanted to skin Yin Yun alive.

    Even now, she could feel some lingering fear in her heart.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to shoot the movie soon, so let¡¯s go to the hospital together tomorrow! I want to see what our baby currently looks like.¡±

    Lan Jinyao thought for a bit; tomorrow she indeed had an appointment for an examination. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go together tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Now, go take a shower and go to bed!¡± Fu Bainian then proceeded to pick her up from the sofa, but Lan Jinyao once again dodged him.

    Fu Bainian unhappily furrowed his eyebrows and pinched her cheeks. ¡°Are you angry?¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled as she dodged him and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m just worried about the wound on your arm.¡± Don''t underestimate a gunshot wound; a bullet from that kind of recoil pistol could cripple an entire arm. What¡¯s more, the injury on his arm hadn¡¯t recovered yet even after so many days, so it must be a very severe injury.

    Lan Jinyao stared at the slight bulge under his sleeves and gloomily said, ¡°It has been so many days already, yet gauze is wrapped around your arm still. It must hurt a lot, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not painful! I¡¯ll go to the hospital with you tomorrow and let the doctor take off the gauze. Don¡¯t frown; it¡¯s not a big injury. The bullet just lightly grazed my arm, so it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. It¡¯s just that the doctor was worried about me catching an infection, so the wound has been wrapped in gauze all this time. It¡¯s nothing serious, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Lan Jinyao stood up and rushed into the bathroom alone. ¡°Even so, that won¡¯t do!¡±

    Behind her sounded Fu Bainian¡¯s maic voice as heughed. Finally, there were no traces of gloom in his tone.

    Following this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips also curled up into a smile.

    Recently, she¡¯d been in a happy mood. It seemed that since her morning sickness had now eased up, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems while filming.

    As she thought up to this point, a surge of nausea hit her again, and she quickly turned on the faucet to mask the sounds of her vomiting. Tears welled up in the corner of Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes as she thought: This feeling was truly horrible, and she hoped that there wouldn¡¯t be any problems while she was filming. When she finished shooting ¡®Twilight¡¯, she nned to withdraw from the entertainment industry slowly.

 Chapter 164 - Kidnapped Again (1)

    <h4>Chapter 164 - Kidnapped Again (1)</h4>

    It was a sunny morning, and Lan Jinyao started the day in a very good mood. However, that onlysted for a short while, when her morning sickness hit her.

    Fu Bainian had just driven the car out of the garage and parked it at the front when he heard a sounding from the house. Fu Bainian frowned and quickly strode inside to check on Lan Jinyao.

    When Lan Jinyao heard footstepsing closer, she wiped away her tears and hurriedly shouted, ¡°Don¡¯te in!¡±

    She looked like a mess now, so she didn¡¯t want Fu Bainian to see her like this.

    However, when she spoke, it was toote already. She covered her cheeks and refused to look at Fu Bainian. Their morning had now started awfully all thanks to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay; there¡¯s no need to cover it up!¡± Fu Bainian seized her hand and extended his finger to gently wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is our baby being disobedient?¡±

    Lan Jinyao pulled him out of the bathroom and said, ¡°It¡¯s like this in the beginning stages of pregnancy. I heard others say: ¡®The smarter the baby, the worse the morning sickness bes during pregnancy¡¯!¡±

    She hadn¡¯t heard this before, but she knew that Fu Bainian wouldn¡¯t believe her words easily, so she casually said this in order to change the topic. However, her little trick was still seen through by Fu Bainian.

    ¡°You¡¯re throwing up severely like this, so why don¡¯t you just rest at home? As for the production and the crew...¡±

    Midway, Fu Bainian was interrupted by Lan Jinyao before he¡¯d finished speaking.

    ¡°No, I can still go. The most basic quality actors have to respect their work. Currently, the crew is waiting for us, so how can we tell them midway that we aren¡¯t going?¡±

    She willfully covered Fu Bainian¡¯s mouth and prevented him from saying anything more.

    Although Fu Bainian had a worried look on his face, he still let her have her way.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear what the doctor has to say!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s best we do a check-up at the hospital!¡±

    The two said almost in unison. As soon as their words fell, they looked at each other andughed.

    Lan Jinyao then said, ¡°Our chemistry is quite good!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian nodded.

    Was their tacit understanding good or bad? Neither of them could tell yet, and they could only wait for the doctor to decide.

    When they arrived at the hospital, Lan Jinyao went to do the examination, and Fu Bainian was waiting outside the room. Here, it seemed that a new baby was born into this world almost every day as loud cries could be heard throughout the corridor.

    Fu Bainian followed the cries and stopped in front of the nursery. In there, he saw lively newborns in the little cradles. In the future, their baby would also be like this, brimming with vitality.

    As he stared at those little figures, the corners of Fu Bainian¡¯s lips raised slightly, revealing a gentle smile.

    At this moment, a man passed behind Fu Bainian in a rush. Only when he heard a nurse screaming did he suddenly turn around.

    ¡°Someone took a newborn-¡±

    As soon as Fu Bainian turned around, he saw a man holding a baby and about toe out from the back door of the nursery. And, when the nurse¡¯s voice rang, the man became flustered, his pace suddenly quickening as he ran and stumbled towards the exit.

    Without a second thought, Fu Bainian gave chase.

    Following this, Fu Bainian caught the man at the hospital¡¯s entrance; seizing the baby and giving the little one back to the nurse. When Fu Bainian twisted the perpetrator¡¯s arm, that man, who seemed to be in his thirties, suddenly began wailing. His tears streamed down his cheeks like a river, and he had a runny nose.

    ¡°Big Brother, please spare me. I¡¯m just trying to make ends meet!¡±

    When he said that, the nurse with the child in her arms reprimanded him. ¡°Make ends meet?! Why do you have to kidnap and sell newborns when you¡¯re just trying to make ends meet? If you¡¯d seeded and the parents of the newborn learnt about this, how are we supposed to exin this to them?!¡±

    At the thought of the possible consequences, the nurse¡¯s eyes instantly reddened.

    The man knelt on the ground and begged for mercy. ¡°I really didn¡¯t steal the baby. Someone gave me money and asked me to bring the baby out, and then bring him backter!¡±

    Both Fu Bainian and the nurse were baffled by his words.

    The nurse then murmured, ¡°He was asked to take the baby out and then return himter? If it¡¯s not the baby, then what did that person want? This is truly strange!¡±

    Fu Bainian let go of the man and turned around to walk back in. However, at that moment, he suddenly saw a familiar figure at the entrance, and he immediately quickened his pace and ran towards the Gynaecology Department.

    That person wore the same clothes and had the same hairstyle.

    If he didn¡¯t see wrongly, then that familiar figure must be Jiang Cheng.

    If that man earlier didn¡¯t steal the baby and was just asked to bring the baby out, then what was the motive behind this? Fu Bainian stood there and thought hard about this and then, suddenly, a thought dawned on him as he connected the dots. Lan Jinyao was in danger!

    No, if that really was Jiang Cheng, then Jinyao shouldn¡¯t be in danger.

    But, that man has already lost his mind, so maybe Jinyao was indeed in danger.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t dare slow down his pace, and while he was running back to check on Jinyao, he almost ran into a patient.

    At the Gynaecology Department, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Lan Jinyao, who was in the midst of discussing her recent condition with the doctor, suddenly stopped speaking and headed towards the door to open it.

    The rhythmic knocking on the door stopped after two knocks.

    When Lan Jinyao opened the door, there was no one. A lot of people were passing by, including doctors, nurses and patients, but none of them stopped.

    Then, as she lowered her head, she saw a beautiful rose on the floor; it seemed to be a rose that had been freshly picked from a rose garden as it held glistening dewdrops. She quickly picked it up and turned to look at the rigorous-looking aunt in her fifties and smiled. The doctor was seemingly quite romantic despite her age.

    ¡°Auntie, someone must¡¯ve left this for you!¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn''t expect the doctor to be such a romantic, and she was quite envious.

    The gynaecologist looked puzzled and angrily rebuked, ¡°What are you talking about? I have a husband!¡±

    Suddenly being reprimanded like this startled Lan Jinyao. After a while, she smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s for me?¡±

    The Gynecologist shook her head and said, ¡°Youngsters nowadays just like to show off their affection and how foolishly romantic they are. Maybe it¡¯s from your husband?!¡±

    From Fu Bainian? No way. Why would he suddenly send her flowers? Truth be told, Fu Bainian wasn¡¯t a very romantic person. Not to mention, not even intimate words of endearment had been said by him before.

    Speak of the devil, Fu Bainian had arrived and was gasping for air.

    Lan Jinyao stared at his uneven breathing andughed inwardly. Continue pretending.

    She acted as if she was going to throw the flowers into the trash can, yet Fu Bainian calmly asked, instead of stopping her, ¡°Who sent you the roses?¡±

    Lan Jinyao froze and stared at him. It looked like he wasn¡¯t putting on an act.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t the one who sent it?¡±

    At this moment, both of them fell silent.

    Yuna''s note: Dear readers, please kindly note that Vre was today :(

    Although your password is encrypted, it is advised to change it in case the hacker got ahold of it. We are moving to our new and more secure soon!

 Chapter 165 - Kidnapped Again (2)

    <h4>Chapter 165 - Kidnapped Again (2)</h4>

    On the way home, Fu Bainian¡¯s mood was unusually heavy. He was in a daze, so even when Lan Jinyao had talked to him several times, he didn¡¯t respond. Lan Jinyao then raised her voice as she displeasingly questioned, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Why have you looked so distracted ever since we left the hospital?¡±

    Fu Bainian frowned and stared at her with a serious expression as he spoke, ¡°Do you know what I saw and came across earlier at the hospital?¡±

    Until now, he still had lingering fears.

    ¡°What did you encounter?¡± Lan Jinyao became nervous alongside him.

    Fu Bainian then solemnly replied, ¡°Earlier, someone stole a newborn from the nursery.¡±

    Before he¡¯d even finished speaking, Lan Jinyaoughed and interrupted him. ¡°Someone stole a newborn? Did you call the police? I didn¡¯t expect you to be so frightened after encountering this matter.¡±

    Herughter didn¡¯t lessen the heaviness in the air. Fu Bainian¡¯s expression became all the more serious as he said, ¡°That¡¯s not the main point. You¡¯ll understand after you hear me out.¡±

    When he¡¯d heard the man say those words earlier, he was scared out of his wits. The back of the familiar figure he¡¯d seen at the hospital had looked precisely like Jiang Cheng¡¯s.

    ¡°When I chased the perpetrator all the way to the entrance, he told me the truth. He said that someone had given him money to take the baby out for a while, and then bring him backter. At that time, besides the nurse, I was the only one standing there. So, when I noticed the man¡¯s suspicious movements, I chased after him. Thus, the man¡¯s purpose was to lead me out of the hospital.¡±

    Lan Jinyao remained silent for a moment before looking at him suspiciously. ¡°You must be overthinking things, right?¡±

    He just happened to encounter the case of a child being stolen. Besides, even if Fu Bainian was led out of the hospital, so what? There were so many people at the hospital, so under the watchful eyes of the public, who would dare tomit murder and arson?

    ¡°If all of these incidents were a coincidence, then what about the rose? How do you exin that?¡±

    At the mention of this, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression instantly darkened and became gloomier.

    Lan Jinyao was rendered speechless when he asked this. Who put the rose in front of the room then? Why did that person specifically knock twice on the door before leaving the rose behind?

    Her thoughts were in disarray, like an entangled mess roaming in her mind. Fu Bainian¡¯s voice was clearly very calm, but she felt it was all too eerie as she listened. This matter was really too peculiar.

    Lan Jinyao tried tofort Fu Bainian as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink things. After all, we got out of the hospital safe and sound, right? Maybe it was merely a coincidence? What¡¯s more, I wasn¡¯t the only one there at that time; Auntie was also there. So, perhaps the rose was for someone else? Let¡¯s not think too much into this!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian¡¯s lips finally curled up into a faint smile.

    ¡°Hopefully, that¡¯s the case!¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t mention the fact that he¡¯d seen a familiar silhouette that resembled Jiang Cheng at the hospital¡¯s entrance. At this moment, he hadn¡¯t figured out the entire situation yet, so it was best not to mention this to her since random spections could cause panic.

    ¡°So, that is to say, the doctor told you that if you want to act, it was best to be careful and that if you maintained a happy mood every day, then your morning sickness wouldn¡¯t be so serious anymore?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded in response to his question.

    Soon after, they arrived home while talking and bantering. However, dark clouds slowly shrouded them.

    The next day, Li Qi came to pick up Lan Jinyao as usual. Fu Bainian touched her belly before she entered the car and gently said, ¡°You have to be careful. Remember, you¡¯re not alone anymore.¡±

    Both Xiaolin, who was sitting in the car, and Li Qi, who was standing outside, widened their eyes when they saw Fu Bainian make such a gentle move with a warm look on his face.

    ¡°N-not alone? Could it possibly be two then?¡± Li Qi stammered.

    Fu Bainian lightly hummed. ¡°That¡¯s hard to say!¡± He was obviously in an exuberant mood.

    It took a while for Li Qi to suddenly realise what was going on. ¡°No wonder you said you wanted a break. You were working so hard before, and then you suddenly said that you wanted to take a break. I¡¯d initially thought that your rtionship had turned sour...but, surprisingly, it was for this reason.¡±

    Xiaolin propped up her cheek and enviously said, ¡°I see, but, Big Sis Meimei, is it really alright for you to go shoot a movie like this?¡±

    As soon as Xiaolin asked this, Li Qi¡¯s eyes also fell on Lan Jinyao. His gaze was clearly indicating, ¡®Does your dear Fu Bainian allow you to go to work like this?¡¯

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It doesn¡¯t take much time to shoot a movie. Besides, it¡¯s a literary film, and there are no fighting scenes, so there won¡¯t be any problems.¡±

    Fu Bainian also nodded and said, ¡°You guys must take good care of her and don¡¯t let her get hurt.¡±

    Following this, Xiaolin and Li Qi replied in unison, ¡°We¡¯ll ensure that we won¡¯t let her get hurt.¡±

    Only then did Fu Bainian reluctantly remove his hand.

    After Lan Jinyao got on the car, the atmosphere suddenly got rowdy. Li Qi and Xiaolin kept asking her questions like, ¡°When did you get pregnant? Was it because of the child that your rtionship got better again? What happened to the third party involved?¡± and so on.

    Lan Jinyao, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t take it anymore and unhappily stated, ¡°Howe I feel that there are two flies buzzing in my ear?¡±

    Li Qi then howled in grief, ¡°Dear, don¡¯t tell me that you found out when you were filming abroad? No wonder you were acting weird back then. I was worried that you saw the news on the Inte, so you were in a bad mood. I didn¡¯t know that this was the real reason.¡±

    Lan Jinyao remained silent. At that time, her mind waspletely focused on Shen Wei¡¯an, so this child also came as a surprise for her when she learned that she was pregnant. Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t take long before she saw the news, and there was indeed a period of time when she was heartbroken. That was when she saw Fu Bainian and someone else show-off in public in such a high-profile manner every day. At that time, she was so mad that she wanted to kill someone.

    ¡°When I got back, I was indeed depressed!¡± In fact, she also thought about leaving things as is, but then she scolded herself and told herself that she couldn¡¯t be swayed so easily. Even if she was to let go, she had to get to the bottom of everything.

    Li Qi then lowered his voice and asked, ¡°All¡¯s well now, right? When I came to pick you up earlier, I saw how gentle President Fu was towards you, so you must be very happy now, right?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled and replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very happy.¡±

    She¡¯d never seen Fu Bainian act so gentle and prudent before.

    Seeing her like this, Xiaolin sighed andmented, ¡°Please don¡¯t show-off your love in front of a singledy, or else you¡¯d chance upon adversities.¡±

    As soon as her words fell, she was knocked on the head by Li Qi. ¡°What are you saying? Be careful not to be fired with such inauspicious remarks.¡±

    Xiaolin then childishly stuck out her tongue and said, ¡°Bis Sis Meimei, don¡¯t mind me; I was just joking.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded.

    But, she didn¡¯t expect that public disy of affection was indeed something envied by many, especially by petty people hidden in the darkest corners that one couldn¡¯t see.

    Yuna''s note: Dear readers, please kindly note that Vre was today :(

    Although your password is encrypted, it is advised to change it in case the hacker got ahold of it. We are moving to our new and more secure soon!

 Chapter 166 - Kidnapped Again (3)

    <h4>Chapter 166 - Kidnapped Again (3)</h4>

    ¡®Twilight¡¯ was being filmed on a small ind; it was a story about love and anticipation.

    Lan Jinyao yed as the female lead, Chun Xiang. Generation after generation had lived on this isted ind, and they fished for a living. At the age of eighteen, Chun Xiang was betrothed to a fisherman who was hard-working and steadfast. However, the night before their wedding, a luxurious cruise ship docked on the ind. The cruise ship was empty when they checked; apart from an unconscious man.

    After rescuing the man, the fishermen greedily eyed the gold and silver treasures found in the cruise ship and wanted to keep it all for themselves. However, those that entered the ship died, one by one. Seeing this eerie chain of events unfolding, everyone said that the ship was cursed, so no one was allowed to go in there. On the other hand, the man who was rescued by them was now regarded as an unknown castaway and had to be burned at the stake to return the peace to the Inders.

    Chun Xiang fell in love with this man. That evening, Chun Xiang gave herself to the man and led him out of the ind. The man wanted to take her away with him, but Chun Xiang couldn¡¯t leave as she¡¯d lived all her life there, so the man left and Chun Xiang destely waited for him.

    Many yearster, an explorer came to the ind and met Chun Xiang, whose hair had turned white. Only after the two of them talked about the past did Chun Xiang realise that the explorer was that man¡¯s son. The explorer had basically explored all his life just to ry the words ¡®thank you¡¯ to her. After hearing this, Chun Xiang didn¡¯t get out of bed the next day; she finally didn¡¯t need to wait any longer. She left the world at the age of one hundred and ten.

    In fact, the ind that Lan Jinyao resided in wasn¡¯t like how it was described in the story. It was an uninhabited private ind that was owned by one of the investors. It was lent to the production crew solely to shoot this artistic film.

    The scenery on this ind was breathtaking. The air was fresh, and the water was clear. When Lan Jinyao arrived at the ind, she instantly felt a light, salty sea breeze blow past, making her feel extremelyfortable.

    As soon as Xiaolinnded onshore, she shouted towards the seamless sea with excitement.

    Li Qi walked up to Lan Jinyao and said, ¡°The scenery here is quite nice. Say, who do you think owns this wonderful ind? One coulde and live here for a week or two during their free time, and all their worries would be instantly swept away. The investor sure is rich!¡±

    Lan Jinyao patted him on the shoulder and teasingly said, ¡°Then you ought to quickly enjoy theing few days. Otherwise, you won¡¯t have a chance to do so anymore.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Li Qi disdainfully chuckled and added, ¡°When I have time in the future, I¡¯ll also buy a small ind and then bring Xiaoyun along to live there. The two of us can then enjoy the sea breeze while watching the sunrise. How romantic! I feel happy just thinking about this.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was amused by his entranced expression and said, ¡°Don¡¯t just think it; you have to live up to these words. Xiaoyun was born for the stage. What if you bought the ind and someone doesn¡¯t want to live there with you? What would you do then?¡±

    Li Qi was rendered speechless.

    ¡°Tsk, I just said these words and you¡¯re already unhappy. You haven¡¯t seeded yet, so you still need to work hard!¡±

    Following this, Lan Jinyao walked to her designated room. The room was clear and bright, facing the sea. At a nce, she could see that it was designed with the utmost care and a great sense of aesthetic.

    She also wondered who was so leisurely and refined. The investor was very generous, willing to lend out the ind to the crew and letting them wreck it.

    Chen Zetao was still discussing the shooting location with the Assistant Director. The ind looked stunning from every angle, but the scenery to be filmed ought to be deste, dull, and dpidated. If the scenes were to be re-processedter, then the effects wouldn¡¯t be as good.

    Lan Jinyao went over to greet the Assistant Director, then said to Chen Zetao, ¡°Director Chen, don¡¯t tell me that you want to destroy all the beautiful scenery?¡±

    The Assistant Director was one step ahead of Chen Zetao as he replied, ¡°Haha, no, we won¡¯t do that. We¡¯re just filming, not destroying the ecological environment. Later, we can use some props to make up for the deste environment. It won¡¯t be too difficult.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao nodded.

    The Assistant Director then added, ¡°Meimei, the scenery here is stunning. Would you want to live here for a longer period?¡±

    Lan Jinyao went along with him and said, ¡°Such beautiful scenery...I¡¯m afraid that if I could live here, I¡¯d wake up with a smile every day. I¡¯d love to live here, but it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know if the owner would allow me to stay.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sure the investor would agree to your request!¡±

    Lan Jinyao noticed the double meaning behind his words and casually asked, ¡°Does Assistant Director Li know the owner?¡±

    ¡°I know him, and you also know him. He¡¯s...¡± The Assistant Director suddenly paused, and then his eyes widened as he pointed behind her and smilingly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that him? Speak of the devil; he¡¯s here.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao turned around, she saw Jiang Cheng smiling at her affectionately. The instant she saw him, she felt her entire body stiffen.

    The Assistant Director smiled and asked, ¡°You know each other, right? Meimei and President Jiang are friends, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao retracted her gaze and faintly replied, ¡°We¡¯re not friends; it¡¯s just that we¡¯ve worked together before.¡±

    The Assistant Director didn¡¯t notice the difference in Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression at all. He walked up to Jiang Cheng and chatted with him. While Jiang Cheng was chatting, his gaze seemed to be following her. Lan Jinyao frowned and then quickly walked towards the house.

    Jiang Cheng was definitely not this movie¡¯s investor. Besides, if Fu Bainian knew that this ind belonged to Jiang Cheng, then he¡¯d never have allowed them to use it as a shooting location.

    Chen Zetao noticed the change in her attitude and hurriedly caught up to her up. ¡°Meimei...¡±

    Lan Jinyao quickly walked into the spacious house and saw that some of the actors were already resting on the sofa, so she headed towards the back of the house. She then chose a hanging seat and sat down.

    Chen Zetao seemed to have guessed that she had something to say and sat down alongside her.

    ¡°Meimei, are you unhappy because you saw President Jiang?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was in a bad mood, so her voice went a few pitches higher as she replied, ¡°Aren¡¯t you asking the obvious?...I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not mad at you.¡±

    Chen Zetao smiled instead. ¡°The Chen Meimei from the past didn¡¯t seem to be the kind of person who would apologise to others for doing something wrong.¡±

    Lan Jinyao realised that things weren¡¯t heading in the right direction, so she quickly changed the topic and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that this ind belonged to another investor? How could it be President Jiang¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d initially thought that it belonged to another investor. Back then, when he¡¯d said that he was going to lend us the shooting location, we were all baffled because that investor wasn¡¯t a very extraordinary person. It was only when everything was set that the investor told us that the ind belonged to President Jiang.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart sank. Jiang Cheng had indeede prepared. No wonder the Assistant Director had asked her whether she wanted to live here.

 Chapter 167 - Kidnapped Again (4)

    <h4>Chapter 167 - Kidnapped Again (4)</h4>

    When Fu Bainian came to visit the set, Lan Jinyao had initially thought that he¡¯d be furious upon seeing Jiang Cheng on the ind. She even took the trouble to think about how to persuade him afterwards, but Fu Bainian¡¯s reaction was beyond her expectations.

    Fu Bainian arrived in the evening. At that time, she was about to shoot a night scene. The cruise ship neared the ind. When it docked, Chun Xiang and a group of fishermen boarded the ship to check on the situation.

    Just as she was about to board the ship, Lan Jinyao saw Fu Bainian arrive. He¡¯d donned a ck suit and stood beside a staff member, staring at her with a burning gaze. Their eyes met and locked for a short while before she retracted her gaze and shifted her line of sight to the side, where Jiang Cheng was standing behind one of the staff members.

    Both men were very tall, and they stood out from the crowd.

    Lan Jinyao was sweating in her heart at this point, but she feigned nonchnce and moved her gaze away. She then followed the crowd and boarded the cruise ship. There were no lights on the cruise ship, so they had to wait on the master electrician to adjust the lighting. Lan Jinyao pretended to be scared of the dark and approached the man...

    After finishing the scene, Lan Jinyao ran to Fu Bainian¡¯s side and asked, ¡°How was my performance earlier?¡±

    Although the smile on her face was radiant, her heart was filled with anxiety. The two men had now run into each other. If something were to happen, then things wouldn¡¯t end well.

    ¡°It was great! Our Meimei is the best!¡± Fu Bainian went along and praised her.

    Lan Jinyao scowled at his words and retorted, ¡°That was so fake! Is it really that hard for you to praise someone? With just one nce, one could discern that your words were false praises.¡±

    Fu Bainian gently pinched her nose, and then said, ¡°What I¡¯ve just said are my heartfelt words. In my heart, only you deserve the title of Movie Goddess.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyaoughed and threw herself into Fu Bainian¡¯s embrace.

    Under the dim light of the night, the couple was very much in sync as they disyed their affection in front of the entire crew. It was as if they were deliberately showing off to a certain person. Following that, the couple walked towards their room hand in hand under the envious gazes of many.

    Lan Jinyao was staying on the second floor. This house had many guest rooms, so it was the perfect ce for hosting parties. After entering the house, Lan Jinyao brought Fu Bainian to her room. She¡¯d just arrived today, so her luggage was in aplete mess after she¡¯d rummaged through it. Everything was all stacked up on the bed.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s mouth twitched at this sight, and he disdainfully said, ¡°How messy!¡±

    Lan Jinyao revealed an awkward smile and sheepishly said, ¡°I just arrived today and started filming right away, so I didn¡¯t manage to organise my things yet. I guarantee that others won''t see this sight, nor will it be photographed by reporters. In short, I won¡¯t make you lose face.¡±

    Then, Jiang Cheng¡¯s face suddenly popped in her mind, so she quietly probed, ¡°When you were on set earlier, did you see a particrly annoying person?¡±

    A particrly annoying person...she must be referring to Jiang Cheng.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes were fixated on her for a while before he withdrew his gaze and nodded. ¡°I did see one.¡±

    Hearing this, she hurriedly exined, ¡°I really didn¡¯t know that this ind belonged to Jiang Cheng. I-if I¡¯d known...¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯d known, then what? Would you have declined the role?¡± asked Fu Bainian with a raised eyebrow, somewhat amused.

    Lan Jinyao remained silent for a while before nodding and saying through gritted teeth, ¡°That¡¯s right! If I¡®d known, then I wouldn¡¯t havee here.¡±

    ¡°Haha! Alright, you¡¯re already here, so don¡¯t start overthinking things,¡± Fu Bainian gentlyughed and said.

    As if trying to discern whether he was telling the truth, Lan Jinyao stared into his eyes and asked, ¡°So...you¡¯re not angry?¡±

    Thus, Fu Bainian shook his head and replied, ¡°Truthfully, I also didn¡¯t know before this.¡±

    That evening, the twoy in bed side by side. Perhaps, since Lan Jinyao was exhausted, she fell asleep quickly.

    Fu Bainian stared at her quiet and sweet sleeping face and heaved a sigh.

    He then recalled the scene he¡¯d seen at the hospital. That familiar silhouette from that daypletely resembled Jiang Cheng. That person¡¯s outfit and hairstyle were the same. Even though he¡¯d only seen that man¡¯s back that day, he was convinced that they were the same person.

    He couldn¡¯t tell Lan Jinyao these things. He thought: When they finished shooting this film, then everything would be okay. In the meantime, no matter what Jiang Cheng wanted to do, he¡¯d be with her and wouldn¡¯t let her suffer even the slightest bit of harm.

    The next morning, Lan Jinyao got up before daybreak. There happened to be a scene with a sunrise shot. The picturesque sunrise on the deserted ind set off a pure and impable romance. How beautiful and poetic!

    Lan Jinyao washed up and immediately went out. She didn¡¯t put on any make-up because there were make-up artists on set. Before she departed, she looked back at Fu Bainian; he seemed to be awake, but his eyes were still closed.

    The sky was still dark, but the production team was already on location. As soon as Lan Jinyao arrived at the beach, she saw Jiang Cheng sitting alone in the distance, not blending in at all with the lively crew around him. Lan Jinyao suddenly felt that the view of his back was gloomy and lonely.

    She coldly snorted in her heart. He wasn¡¯t one of the actors nor investors, yet he got up so early to watch them film the scenes. He sure had a lot of time on his hands.

    Chen Zetao noticed her arrival and hurriedly waved at her. ¡°Meimei, over here!¡±

    As soon as Chen Zetao shouted her name, Jiang Cheng also turned around, and their eyes met. She didn¡¯t care and instead walked over to Chen Zetao¡¯s side.

    The scene they were about to shoot was the dialogue between Lan Jinyao and the male lead. Chun Xiang fell in love with the male lead at this point, and this was also thanks to the beautiful sunrise.

    Soon after, the make-up artist finished putting make-up on for Lan Jinyao, and the male lead was also ready to start filming. He sat on a big stone not far away, looking up at the sky. The view of his back was distant and cold. Lan Jinyao was dressed in a blue cheongsam adorned with shredded flower petals, walking barefoot on the sandy shore as she approached the man one step at a time. There was a look of pleasant surprise in her eyes, like that of a little girl.

    Chun Xiang had lived on this isted ind all her life, and from her childhood until now, she¡¯d only seen weather-beaten fishermen. She¡¯d never seen such a good-looking man before. She wanted to get closer, but she was timid and didn¡¯t dare to do so, so she seemed somewhat hesitant and halted her steps.

    That was until the man finally spoke.

    ¡°Come and watch the sunrise with me. I haven¡¯t seen such a clear and beautiful sunrise in a very long time.¡±

    The man was a businessman who was always on the move in the business world, so he barely had time to be idle like this. The temptation of money made people lose their nature.

    Chun Xiang¡¯s cheeks flushed, and she trotted over before sitting down beside the man.

    ¡°I see the sunrise every day. It''s wonderful, but others don¡¯t have time; they¡¯re always so busy.¡±

    Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

    The man turned his head and looked at her, his lips curling up into a handsome smile.

    Following this came the freeze-frame shot.

 Chapter 168 - Kidnapped Again (5)

    <h4>Chapter 168 - Kidnapped Again (5)</h4>

    During the break, Jiang Cheng walked over to Lan Jinyao¡¯s side and faintly said, ¡°Your performance was quite good!¡± His words didn¡¯t sound like he was sincerely praising her. It seemed as if he¡¯d just casually said that to strike up a conversation.

    Lan Jinyao sat in her chair, drinking water, and turned a deaf ear to his words.

    She¡¯d thought that as long as she ignored him, he¡¯d eventually get tired of it and silently leave. Obviously, she¡¯d thought too much as Jiang Cheng was much more tenacious than she¡¯d expected.

    After a moment of silence, Jiang Cheng finally spoke, ¡°What had happened that day, I can exin... The things that Yin Yun said back then aren¡¯t true.¡±

    Lan Jinyao snorted inwardly when she heard this. What Yin Yun said wasn¡¯t the truth? What was the truth then? She wouldn¡¯t believe that woman, but she believed in Fu Bainian¡¯s words. After all, the only person she could trust in this world was him.

    When Jiang Cheng saw her not say anything, he continued, ¡°It could be that President Fu has misunderstood me. I was actually here at that time; I wasn¡¯t abroad.¡±

    Lan Jinyao finally couldn¡¯t bear with it any longer and said, ¡°Does it matter whether you were abroad at that time? If you truly wanted to take action against Fu Bainian, you could just ask someone else to do the dirty work for you.¡±

    She honestly couldn¡¯t understand why this man kept bothering her repeatedly.

    Based on his status alone, whatever woman he wanted he could get. What woman would refuse him? Out of all the women out there, he just had to pester her...no, the person he was stalking was Chen Meimei. What exactly did he want?

    Jiang Cheng was reprimanded by her, yet he smiled at her and said, ¡°You¡¯re finally willing to talk to me.¡±

    Lan Jinyao helplessly sighed at this point. Jiang Cheng was like a rubber band; if she pushed him, he¡¯d bounce back and eventually hurt her instead.

    ¡°I think I need to have a good talk with President Fu. He¡¯s really misunderstood me this time. I never wanted to rob him of anything; I was definitely set up by someone.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression suddenly turned cold. Even now, he was still making up excuses. There was undeniable evidence, yet he was still trying to talk his way out of things. If he didn¡¯t want to fight with Fu Bainian, then why did he do that? He was truly shameless.

    Lan Jinyao felt that her current expression was so icy that it could freeze Jiang Cheng to death, yet he was still smiling at her, making it seem as if he hadn¡¯t felt her anger at all.

    ¡°I swear that everything I¡¯m saying right now is the truth. I really don¡¯t want to take anything away from President Fu, except for one thing, and that is...you. If President Fu wants something else, I can give it all to him. I can fill in the loopholes and damage to his properties because as long as he says so, I¡¯llply. However, as you can see, he just won¡¯t say it anything because he doesn¡¯t want to let go of your hand.¡±

    Lan Jinyao retorted, ¡°I¡¯m not an object; I have my own mind and freedom. I don¡¯t belong to anyone, I only belong to myself. As for Fu Bainian, I love him, so I want to be with him for the rest of my life. That¡¯s why I let him stay in my life.¡±

    Lan Jinyao realised that when she finished saying this, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression had abruptly darkened.

    ¡°Really? However, I won¡¯t allow it. You¡¯re supposed to be mine.¡±

    At this moment, there was a chilly look in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes, and this sight frightened Jinyao. When she thought that Jiang Cheng might do something to her, her heart was flooded with fear.

    Later, it was Li Qi¡¯s sudden appearance that made her inner fear disappear in an instant.

    ¡°Meimei, what are you talking about with President Jiang? Shooting is about to start again.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao quickly shook her head and replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Soon after, shooting started, and Lan Jinyao got into character rather quickly. However, Jiang Cheng¡¯s ferocious expression was imprinted in her mind, so she didn¡¯t feel at peace.

    In the evening, when Lan Jinyao returned to her room, she saw that Fu Bainian was still working. He also massaged the areas around his eyes with his tired hand as if that could help him feel a bit more rxed.

    ¡°Exhausted?¡± Lan Jinyao quickly walked over to his side and massaged his shoulders.

    Fu Bainian smiled at her, then took her hands off his shoulders and pulled her into an embrace.

    ¡°I¡¯m not tired.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao saw him like this, she felt her heart ache.

    ¡°How about you go back first. You don¡¯t have to stay here with me, I¡¯ll be fine. Besides, both Li Qi and Xiaolin are here with me. Chen Zetao is also not a stranger, so you really don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    When she didn¡¯t mention Chen Zetao, things were still okay. But, as soon as she mentioned him, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression turned sour. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that the person who Chen Zetao likes is Chen Meimei. He¡¯s truly in love with Meimei. Even when she was fat back then, he didn¡¯t mind at all. It was just that he never mentioned anything.¡±

    If Jiang Cheng was his number one opponent whom he had to guard against at all times, then Chen Zetao was the second one, and all the more he couldn¡¯t let his guard down.

    ¡°Stop! You only know how to get jealous. The person Chen Zetao likes is Chen Meimei, not me. What¡¯s more, he already liked her when she was a fatty. Tsk, look at you, you only look at outward appearances.¡±

    Fu Bainian was speechless. ¡°I don¡¯t care about outward appearances. It¡¯s just that I already had someone in my heart at that time.¡±

    He¡¯d had that woman in his heart for a very long time. His love for her had taken deep roots and sprouted into a towering tree, so no matter how charming and outstanding another woman was, he didn¡¯t care at all.

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s cheeks flushed. ¡°I know, that person is me; you don¡¯t have to stress it again.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite narcissistic; I didn¡¯t say that it¡¯s you.¡±

    ¡°You dare to think about other women? See how I¡¯ll sort you outter.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was about to grab Fu Bainian¡¯s neck, but he quickly dodged her, and the two of them slumped down on the bed.

    ¡°You still dare to dodge, hurry up and spill the beans. Aside from me, who else do you have in your heart? If you don¡¯t confess today, you¡¯re not allowed to sleep on the bed!¡±

    Fu Bainian hurriedly confessed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll confess, there¡¯s no one but you. Be careful not to hurt our baby.¡±

    ¡°You only care about our baby! You ought to be careful lest I run away with our baby!¡± Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t happy and pouted.

    Fu Bainian hugged her tightly and determinedly said, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get away from me.¡±

    The frolicking atmosphere was particrly lively in the room. Meanwhile, there was a pair of gloomy eyes staring straight at them, outside the room.

    Fu Bainian seemed to have noticed something and quickly sat up from the bed. He then made sure that Lan Jinyao was sitting properly before he walked to the window and peered out.

    The sky was dark and obscure, but there was nothing there to be seen. There was only the sound of waves crashing on the beach.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± asked Lan Jinyao.

    Fu Bainian shook his head and said, ¡°Nothing much, it was just a seabird.¡±

    However, his mood turned particrly heavy.

    Tomorrow, thest scene would be shot. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems!

 Chapter 169 - Kidnapped Again (6)

    <h4>Chapter 169 - Kidnapped Again (6)</h4>

    Thest scene was about Chun Xiang and the explorer¡¯s encounter.

    The white-haired Chun Xiang could no longer see the beauty of this world. She wore a pair of presbyopia sses and sat in front of her house mending broken fishings. Her chapped hands quivered, so the sharp silver needles often pierced her hands as she stitched. Even so, she didn¡¯t stop mending.

    And, it was at this time that the explorer, who resembled Chun Xiang¡¯s lover, arrived on a cruise ship. He looked exactly like his father¡¯s young self; extremely handsome and vigorous. Chun Xiang, on the other hand, had aged and be white-haired. She was already nearing the end of her time.

    ¡°Auntie, is there anyone else on this ind?¡±

    Chun Xiang looked up at him and answered with a hoarse voice, ¡°No, there¡¯s no one else.¡±

    In fact, she was the only one left on the ind. Those young¡¯uns had left to pursue their dreams, while the elders had already left this world. So, only Chun Xiang remained.

    When Chun Xiang raised her head and stared at the young man in front of her, she instantly froze.

    ¡°Oh...Ye Lin, you¡¯re back!¡±

    The explorer was stunned when he heard that name.

    Under the camera lens, Lan Jinyao looked as if she¡¯d aged a lot; her hair had turned white, and her hands were trembling. There were wrinkles all over her face, and her eyes looked muddy.

    Fu Bainian stared at the camera in a trance. At this moment, he seemed to have witnessed an actress with innate talent using her acting skills to prove herself to everyone.

    He suddenly recalled a saying that he¡¯d heard before. Older actors could act adolescent roles well because experience taught them how to act. Young actors, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t always act elderly roles well, because they hadn¡¯t experienced old age yet. With no experience, their performance wouldn¡¯t turn out well.

    However, Lan Jinyao was different. Through the camera lens, who could tell that she was, in actual fact, a very young actress? In her eyes, one could see seniority and exhaustion, as well as persistence.

    When the explorer faced Chun Xiang and said the two words ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯, thetter slowly closed her eyes. In that instant, everyone present subconsciously held in their breath and watched her performance. This scene didn¡¯t seem like an act at all; it felt real.

    Upon seeing this scene unfold, Fu Bainian suddenly clenched his hands into fists. She was a born actress; she belonged on-screen for the audience. Yet, he had to selfishly keep her by his side to bear his children.

    His heart suddenly felt heavy.

    At the same time, someone approached him from behind, but Fu Bainian didn¡¯t turn around because he already knew who was standing behind him.

    ¡°Look, she¡¯s a born actress, but you selfishly imprisoned her and kept her by your side. If it were me, I¡¯d let her have her freedom and fly as high as she wants. If this was what she wanted, I¡¯d support her unconditionally. Fu Bainian, I¡¯m fundamentally different from you, even though we both love her dearly.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian clenched his hands into fists.

    ¡°We¡¯re indeed different because...she doesn¡¯t love you!¡±

    The next second, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression sank.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t turn around. Instead, his gazended on the person sitting by the sea, and the corners of his lips slightly raised.

    Yes, no matter how outstanding Jiang Cheng was, he couldn¡¯tpare to him because the person Lan Jinyao loved was him, not that man.

    Today¡¯s scene was nearing its end, so they could wrap up soon and return home.

    In the afternoon, Fu Bainian was packing back in the room when Lan Jinyao suddenly came in and asked, ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t we staying one more night? There¡¯s still the wrap-up party tonight. Don¡¯t you want to attend?¡±

    ¡°No, let¡¯s just go back!¡± he dully said and continued packing.

    Lan Jinyao sat down in the chair next to him and stared at him eagerly. ¡°You¡¯re this movie¡¯s biggest investor. It won¡¯t look good if you don¡¯t attend, right?¡±

    Fu Bainian also sat down and stared at her intensely as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? I don¡¯t want to stay at this hateful ce any longer. Everyone¡¯s eyeing you covetously, and...¡±

    ¡°And what?¡± asked Lan Jinyao.

    He shook his head and remained silent.

    While staying here, there¡¯d been a constant feeling of restlessness in his heart, which had gradually increased as time passed. He felt that his behaviour was bing all the more abnormal with each passing minute.

    Lan Jinyao looked at the sky outside and tried to persuade him to stay. ¡°Look, it¡¯s gettingte and the weather forecast says that it¡¯s going to rain tonight. Let¡¯s wait until early tomorrow morning to leave, alright? It¡¯s ourst day anyway. Pretty please?¡±

    Fu Bainian firmly shook his head. ¡°No, we¡¯re leaving tonight! Besides, a ship happens to be going back tonight.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao saw that she was unable to persuade him, shepromised and said, ¡°Okay, fine. Let¡¯s go back tonight.¡±

    Fu Bainian seemed unwilling to stay here for another second. As soon as Lan Jinyao had agreed to leave tonight, he immediately started to pack up the rest of their belongings. His movements were swift. Seeing this, Lan Jinyao, who was sitting beside him, couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯re in a hurry? Could it be that you¡¯re sensing a bad premonition?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian paused and said, ¡°No, I¡®m not!¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and then, after a while, she said, ¡°In fact, I do have a premonition, and it¡¯s a very bad one at that.¡±

    ¡°My heart is filled with uneasiness; as if something is about to happen. Especially tonight, as that feeling has gotten more intense.¡±

    So, that was why she¡¯d insisted on staying.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll only take us half an hour to get home.¡±

    Lan Jinyao leaned against Fu Bainian¡¯s chest and listened to his steady heartbeat, which helped to gradually reassure her. She looked out the window at the hazy sky. She reckoned that by the time they boarded the ship, the sky would¡¯ve darkened already and heavy rain would start to pour. The weather forecast had stated that there would be a rainstorm tonight.

    However, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems once they boarded the ship.

    Unfortunately, contrary to what Lan Jinyao had expected, the game had only begun when she boarded the ship.

    At seven in the evening, she stood on the deck, looking at the distant sky. It was dark, and rain could start pouring down any time soon.

    The waiter brought over a ss of wine and said, ¡°Mr Fu asked me to bring this over to you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t doubt him. However, the moment she picked up the red wine from the tray, she suddenly recalled that she hadn¡¯t touched alcohol for a long time because she was pregnant. Fu Bainian was also aware of this, so why would he give her a ss of wine?

    At this moment, when she noticed that something was wrong, the waiter was already revealing a sinister smile. And, before Lan Jinyao could react, she¡¯d already lost consciousness.

    Late in the night, amidst the icy seawater, she felt her body turn cold.

    She tried to swim upwards, but a pair of hands grabbed her and dragged her deeper underwater.

 Chapter 170 - Madman (1)

    <h4>Chapter 170 - Madman (1)</h4>

    ¡°Lan Jinyao-¡±

    The man¡¯s heartrending voice resounded in Lan Jinyao¡¯s ears, and she could feel that he was near, but she was unable to get in touch with him.

    She was having a very long dream. In her dream, Fu Bainian was getting farther and farther away from her.

    ¡°Fu Bainian!¡±

    Lan Jinyao, who was fast asleep, abruptly opened her eyes.

    ¡°So, it was just a dream!¡± she murmured.

    However, soon Lan Jinyao realised that all that had happened wasn¡¯t a dream. She was really pushed into the water by that waiter, and then, a pair of hands had tightly tugged at her, continuously pulling her deeper underwater. In the end, everything turned nk in front of her as she lost consciousness.

    Lan Jinyaoy in bed and looked around at the furnishings. This ce looked like a magnificent cage. It felt extremely foreign; foreign to the point of terrifying her.

    She subconsciously tried to get out of bed, but as soon as she did, she noticed that she couldn¡¯t because her hands and feet were tied up; even her mouth was sealed with duct tape.

    ¡°Mmm, mmm...¡±

    She tried her best to make a sound, but a minuteter, she realised that it was futile. She didn''t know where she was. If she rashly made a sound, then the man who¡¯d kidnapped her would know that she was awake.

    Thinking up to here, Lan Jinyao instantly became clear-headed.

    Back then, not long after she¡¯d taken over Chen Meimei¡¯s body, she¡¯d been kidnapped by a crazy fan. At that time, Fu Bainian was the one who¡¯d saved her. This time, however, she wasn¡¯t sure if Fu Bainian could rush here on time to save her.

    He¡¯de for sure! She had faith in him.

    After a while, Lan Jinyao heard faint footstepsing from the door; someone must¡¯vee to check on her. She subconsciously closed her eyes in an instant and pretended to be asleep. She tried to breathe evenly. In fact, this was an easy task for her because she¡¯d yed this kind of role in her previous life. Her act was so realistic that no one could discern that she was just pretending to be asleep.

    The person who entered was a tall man. Although Lan Jinyao had her eyes closed, she could sense that his height was about the same as that of Fu Bainian.

    The man was checking to see whether she¡®d awakened or not. Lan Jinyao¡¯s breathing was very light at this moment. She¡¯d previously observed people¡¯s sleeping behaviour and saw that the sound of their breathing was actually very light, except for those who snore.

    Soon after, the shadow hovering above her disappeared, but she knew that he was still there because she didn¡¯t hear him leave the room yet.

    Lan Jinyao justy there and didn¡¯t dare to move. She wasn¡¯t sure what he was doing at this moment.

    Then, her stomach suddenly grumbled; even she herself was startled.

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re pretending to be asleep!¡± The man tore the duct tape off her mouth.

    When she heard the familiar voice, she was so shocked that she broke out in a cold sweat. This iparably familiar voice belonged to Jiang Cheng. She subconsciously opened her eyes and looked in his direction. This didn¡¯t matter as she practically nearly fainted again when she saw the person in front of her.

    The person standing in front of her looked like Jiang Cheng, but was seemingly also not him. That man wore an unsightly mask that made Lan Jinyao shudder in fear.

    In the previous kidnapping incident, that madman had worn the same mask. However, in the end, he was killed in the fire, while Fu Bainian rescued her.

    This must be a coincidence. That other man had clearly died, so how could he still be alive? Besides, she¡¯d seen his face, and his looks were ordinary. That person wasn¡¯t Jiang Cheng.

    ¡°What are you thinking about? You look anxious!¡± Jiang Cheng sat down by the bedside, his pitch-ck eyes staring at her through his mask as he continued, ¡°No, you¡¯re not anxious, you¡¯re scared, aren¡¯t you? What are you afraid of? Of me or...this mask?¡±

    ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡± Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but scream. ¡°What on earth do you want?!¡±

    Seeing her reaction, Jiang Cheng burst intoughter and removed his mask. For a moment, Lan Jinyao actually thought that she would see a burnt face, but no, Jiang Cheng¡¯s face didn¡¯t change at all; it was the same face she was used to.

    She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

    Jiang Cheng observed her expression carefully and became even more delighted. He pretended to be enlightened and said, ¡°I see, you were afraid that the face behind this mask was ruined, right? You know who I am, isn¡¯t that so?¡±

    A dreadful feeling suddenly spread from her heart to her limbs. At this moment, her

    hands and feet felt frozen.

    ¡°You¡¯re the man from that previous kidnapping incident, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re, in fact, not Jiang Cheng, and also not the heir to the Jiang family, am I right?¡±

    Jiang Cheng smiled and answered, ¡°You¡¯re wrong!¡±

    How could she be wrong? He clearly knew everything; who else knew about that incident so well besides her and the man who¡¯d kidnapped her?

    ¡°You¡¯re lying. You¡¯re definitely that person,¡± Lan Jinyao firmly said; she was confident that they were the same person.

    The smile on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face instantly grewrger as he exined, ¡°Your first sentence is correct; I am indeed the one who kidnapped you. But, thetter part you said was wrong. I¡¯m the only heir to the Jiang family, and my name is Jiang Cheng.¡±

    No, this didn¡¯t make any sense!

    Lan Jinyao shook her head and questioned, ¡°If you were really that person, then you¡¯re already a...¡±

    ¡°A dead man, right? But, I¡¯m still alive and well.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly interrupted and finished her words for her.

    ¡°What¡¯s with this situation?¡± If this man was really the one who¡¯d kidnapped her, then who was the man on the deathbed?

    ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of time for us to catch up, so I¡¯ll exin things to you tomorrow. Let me prepare a delicious meal for you first, aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    His fingertips fell on her cheek and caressed it gently. ¡°Does Fu Bainian cook for you? I don¡¯t think so. Look, you¡¯ve lost so much weight. Thest time you stayed with you, you were still a fatty.¡±

    Before Jiang Cheng walked out, he turned to her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t try to escape, because you won¡¯t be able to run away anyway.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jinyao was so angry that she started shouting at him. ¡°You clearly know that I¡¯m not Chen Meimei! I¡¯m not the Chen Meimei that you love!¡±

    ¡°No, you are the one I love!¡± Jiang Cheng turned around, stared at her with a gloomy expression, and added, ¡°I like the current you more, so, you better behave and stay here with me!¡±

    Lan Jinyao wanted to cry, but there were no tears.

    Fu Bainian, quicklye and save me!

    Yuna''s Note: Oh my... this chap gave me goosebumps! O_O Did you guys and girls foresee this?

 Chapter 171- Madman (2)

    <h4>Chapter 171- Madman (2)</h4>

    Jiang Cheng walked away but left behind that spooky mask on the table. Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes locked on the mask, her heart distraught with anxiety.

    Jiang Cheng had kidnapped her, but what did he want to doter? Could it be that he wanted to drag her to hell with him again? If the person who¡¯d kidnapped her was Jiang Cheng all along, then who was the one who¡¯d died in the sea of fire?

    All these questions were circling her mind, tangling themselves into aplete mess.

    As shey in bed, she gradually calmed down.

    When Lan Jinyao quieted down, she suddenly noticed that the sound echoing in her ears became louder and clearer. It was the sound of waves crashing against rocks!

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes lit up at this thought. Did this mean that Jiang Cheng had brought her back to the ind where the filming crew was located? It was daybreak now, so the crew must still be on the ind. They shouldn¡¯t have left yet.

    She briefly checked her surroundings. This room was brightly lit and decorated in almost the same way as the room she¡¯d previously stayed in on the ind, just a bit more luxurious.

    As she thought to this point, she began to shout at the top of her lungs, ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡±

    She couldn¡¯t call anyone else¡¯s name. Otherwise, her real intentions would¡®ve been exposed. Besides, even if the crew really hadn¡¯t left yet and came to her rescue, Jiang Cheng would surely rush here one step ahead of them. In that case, her life would be at risk.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡±

    She shouted his name several times. Soon after, hurried footsteps could be hearding from the door, and Jiang Cheng entered the room.

    On the other hand, Lan Jinyao felt disappointed because no one else came to save her.

    Jiang Cheng nervously asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    The nervous look on his face...it didn¡¯t seem like he was faking it. At least, that was what Lan Jinyao had thought.

    Soon, however, she realised that her guess was incorrect. This man¡¯s train of thought had always been undecipherable, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to guess it so easily.

    She looked at Jiang Cheng and justifiably said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry, extremely hungry!¡±

    She¡¯d thought that her acting skills were impable, but in fact, her act was easily seen through by Jiang Cheng.

    ¡°You¡¯re hungry? I think you just wanted to call someone over, right? I¡¯ve really seen too much of your acting skills, so I can tell whether you¡¯re truly hungry or just putting on an act.¡±

    While talking, the corners of Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips slightly curled up, revealing a sinister smile that made Lan Jinyao¡¯s hair stand on end.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but her face remained expressionless as she spoke, ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m putting on an act? Are you sure that you can tell what¡¯s real and what¡¯s not? I was hungry to begin with!¡±

    ¡°Okay, fine. You¡¯re hungry all right; you weren¡¯t trying to make use of this opportunity to call someone over. Food will be ready in a minute, and those are all your favourite dishes-¡± Jiang Cheng paused for a second before adding, ¡°Don¡¯t try to escape, and you can stop shouting...I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll hurt your throat in the process. No one¡¯sing to save you, because everyone already left the ind an hour ago.¡±

    As expected, Lan Jinyao¡¯sst glimmer of hope was extinguished; her eyelids slightly drooped, concealing the disappointment contained within her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. One day, when I¡¯m in a happy mood, I¡¯ll take you away from here provided that you behave in the meantime.¡±

    One of his hands was about to touch her hair, but Lan Jinyao instantly tilted her head, making him touch air instead. She¡¯d initially thought that he¡¯d be angry, but he was still all smiles and it didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯d get mad at all.

    At this moment, someone knocked on the door. Upon hearing that person¡¯s subtle voice, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up again, and she intently stared at the door.

    Seeing her like this, Jiang Cheng¡¯s smile grew wider as he said, ¡°Tsk, look at you. Who do you think that person standing out there is?¡±

    Upon hearing him say this, that little bit of excitement in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heartpletely vanquished.

    That was right; this was Jiang Cheng¡¯s territory. He wouldn¡¯t let just anyone in. Even that person who¡¯d knocked earlier was one of his people. There was no way they would help her escape from here.

    Jiang Cheng then indifferently said, ¡°Come in!¡±

    The person who came in was an aunt in her work uniform, somewhere in her fifties. She held a tray in her hands, and on it was a bowl of soup or something. Lan Jinyao noticed that from the moment this aunt stepped in, her head was hung low and she didn¡¯t dare to look around.

    The moment the aunt opened the lid, a strong smell of medicine infiltrated Lan Jinyao¡¯s nostrils. For a moment, her heart leapt into her throat. In fact, Jiang Cheng shouldn¡¯t know that she was pregnant, so, what was this medicine for?

    Her hands and feet were bound; the rope used was also very short, so if Jiang Cheng wanted to force the medicine down her throat, she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape.

    At this thought, the panic she felt in her heart inexplicably increased by tenfold.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Lan Jinyao asked with a slightly trembling voice. She looked like a pointy hedgehog, and even her gaze was extremely ferocious; as if she¡¯d bite Jiang Cheng if he made a move.

    The smile tugging at the corner of Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips gradually disappeared. He then coldly asked, ¡°What are you afraid of? You think I¡¯m gonna hurt you?¡±

    Lan Jinyao repeatedly shook her head. She was never worried that Jiang Cheng would hurt her. The thing that she was worried about was that he¡¯d not let the child in her stomach off the hook. This body was Chen Meimei¡¯s; the child also carried Chen Meimei¡¯s blood.

    ¡°No, I¡¯d never hurt you. I¡¯d acted stupidly before!¡± Jiang Cheng took the bowl and ced it on the table. Then, with a voice filled with regret, he said, ¡°I was really about to swallow the sleeping pills back then, but I was saved by the man my father sent. That person, who went in afterwards andy down next to you, was actually not me. At that time, I thought; fortunately, I haven¡¯t died. If I¡¯d died while you were still alive, I¡¯d be crossing the river to the afterlife all alone. How sad would that be! Besides, I¡¯d feel lonely.¡±

    Lan Jinyao intently stared at that bowl of soup. When she ascertained that it was chicken soup with some unknown medicinal herbs, her heart tensed up a bit.

    ¡°The person you like is obviously Chen Meimei, but you clearly also know that I¡¯m not her. So, why are you doing this to me?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng suddenlyughed, his eerieughter reverberating around the room.

    ¡°No, you are Chen Meimei; you¡¯re the same person. At that time, you refused to die alongside me, so I was despondent. But, you left me a message afterwards. Upon reading that, I overcame my depression and thought: If you want to keep on living, then I¡¯ll keep youpany!¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened in shock when she heard this. At this moment, she was feeling utterly remorseful.

    She kept scolding herself inwardly: Who told you to be so stupid? Now, you¡¯re stuck with this madman! This time, how are you going to get yourself out of this mess?

 Chapter 172 - Madman (3)

    <h4>Chapter 172 - Madman (3)</h4>

    In the quiet room, the aunt slowly retreated as Jiang Cheng softly blew the steaming from the bowl of soup. While Lan Jinyao watched his movements, her heart beat like a drum.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡±

    She rolled her eyes nimbly before calling out his name.

    Jiang Cheng stopped what he was doing and looked up at her with a trace of doubt in his eyes as he asked, ¡°Yes? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Lan Jinyao took a deep breath before saying, ¡°In fact, you already know that I am me and Chen Meimei is Chen Meimei. My thoughts, memories, and character are all different from Chen Meimei¡¯s. I¡¯m just myself, but the person you used to like was Chen Meimei, right?!¡±

    Jiang Cheng was stunned for a moment before nodding his head. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    Lan Jinyao then added, ¡°But, the person you like now is me, right?¡±

    This time, he didn¡¯t hesitate at all as he nodded and replied, ¡°Correct!¡±

    So, Lan Jinyao went on and said, ¡°In that case, the main question I want to ask you is: How much do you love Chen Meimei, and how much do you love me? We¡¯re not the same person to begin with; aside from this body, we are twopletely different people. So, tell me, with you being so fickle, how can you make others believe that you¡¯re actually an affectionate person?¡±

    In the past, when she was filming a case-solving suspense drama, she came into contact with this kind of brainwashing tactic. Though she wasn¡¯t a professional in this field, she was able to apply the technique into practice. After she¡¯d finished asking this, Jiang Cheng opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.

    ¡°Look, you¡¯re actually a very sentimental person. To be precise, a so-called womaniser. You have money, authority, and a powerful background. You can have whatever you want, so I don¡¯t understand why you have to pretend to be so infatuated. You expect me to believe that you are? No, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d believe that and Chen Meimei, who is currently watching us from above, won¡¯t believe it either.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression suddenly dimmed.

    ¡°You¡¯ve talked so much until now, but what¡¯s your purpose? To brainwash me? I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s of no use, so don¡¯t waste your time. I liked the former you, but I love the current you even more. If you don¡¯t want to stay, you can go; just leave this body behind for me.¡±

    Initially, when Lan Jinyao had heard him say ¡®you can go¡¯, she¡¯d started to feel a rush of joy in her heart. However, Jiang Cheng¡¯stter words made her stare at him in shock.

    She could go, but her body had to stay. Didn¡¯t this mean that he¡¯d wanted her to die one more time? How could she give up so easily when the Heavens had given her a second chance?

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not leaving!¡± Lan Jinyao stammered for a long time before she finally managed to squeeze out these words.

    Jiang Cheng then smiled and said, ¡°Now, this is how you ought to behave! Drink this chicken soup; weren¡¯t you very hungry?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at the cup of chicken soup. A trace of fear shed in her eyes as she refused, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to drink this. Jiang Cheng, are you trying to kill me?"

    ¡°Why would I kill you? This tonic soup is very nutritious. You¡¯re truly too thin now like you could be blown away by the wind any minute, so you have to make up for it.¡± Jiang Cheng said as he approached her with a spoonful of soup.

    Lan Jinyao turned her face to the other side and coldly uttered, ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever heard of the saying that a weak person can¡¯t handle strong tonic like this soup? I can¡¯t handle a soup smelling so strongly of medicine.¡±

    There was a mix of medicinal herbs in this! How could she know whether there were abortion herbs included or not? She insisted on not drinking. Even if she were to starve to death, she wouldn¡¯t drink it.

    ¡°A weak person can¡¯t handle strong tonic? Haha, you¡¯re right, I was careless. In that case, let¡¯s just eat rice!¡±

    Lan Jinyao took advantage of this opportunity and requested, ¡°You have to untie my hands and feet. I want to sit at the table and eat.¡±

    Upon hearing this, there was a slight change in Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression. As soon as Lan Jinyao saw that, she immediately added, ¡°I¡¯m famished. Besides, there¡¯s no one else on this ind, so even if I wanted to, I wouldn¡¯t be able to flee. Can¡¯t you just sit beside me and let me eat at the table?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re much craftier than Chen Meimei, so I don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t take it anymore and angrily stated, ¡°You¡¯re a man! Don¡¯t tell me that you can¡¯t even stop a weak woman like me?¡±

    Jiang Cheng indifferently said, ¡°Your psychological tactics are useless against me.¡±

    At this point, Lan Jinyao gave up. She merely stared at the window and ignored him.

    A momentter, a faint ¡®okay¡¯ sounded in her ear, and she immediately turned her head around. ¡°Then what are you still waiting for? Quickly untie me!¡±

    Then, when Lan Jinyao saw the food on the table, she forgot all about the impending danger and started to wolf down the food. She was ravenous since she hadn¡¯t eaten anything up until now. She¡¯d also started to feel a bit dizzy due to hunger. What¡¯s more, she was pregnant.

    After breakfast, Jiang Cheng had to leave. He changed from his casual clothes to formal attire; he must be going to work. Before he left, he gently smiled towards Lan Jinyao and said, ¡°Remember to wait for me, and don¡¯t try to escape from here.¡±

    Lan Jinyao acknowledged him and naturally nodded. She¡¯d be stupid if she didn¡¯t flee. She didn¡¯t want to remain even a minute longer at this eerie ce. Besides, she had to wait until he was in a good mood for him to take her out of here? Who knows when that would happen?

    This time, Lan Jinyao¡¯s hands and feet weren¡¯t tied up, but the door was locked with a fingerprint lock and could only be unlocked with the owner¡¯s fingerprint.

    Then, Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze suddenly fell on the maid¡¯s hand.

    Since Jiang Cheng had hired this aunt to take care of her, she should be able toe and leave freely, right? Would her fingerprint work?

    The aunt was currently cleaning the table quietly with a very serious look on her face. From the first moment they met until now, Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t heard her say a word.

    Thus, she decided to test the waters.

    ¡°Auntie, doing this every day must be exhausting, right?¡±

    The aunt only lifted her head and nced at her once before her gaze fell on the table again. She didn¡¯t utter a single word.

    ¡°Could it be that she¡¯s mute?¡± Lan Jinyao murmured. But, Jiang Cheng wouldn¡¯t hire someone who¡¯s mute to apany her, right? If that was the case, wouldn¡¯t she suffocate to death from boredom?

    In the next second, the aunt finally spoke, ¡°I¡¯m not mute!¡±

    She finally spoke! Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up, and she thought: Since she wasn¡¯t mute, then things would be a lot easier to handle.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that. It¡¯s because I hadn¡¯t heard you speak before. Have you worked here for a long time? Or were you hired by Jiang Cheng not long ago?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve worked here for a long time already, so I know very well how things work here. Miss Chen, don¡¯t attempt to escape from here. I¡¯m absolutely loyal to our Young Master.¡±

    Already mentioning loyalty? She hadn¡¯t even said anything yet! Lan Jinyaomented in her heart.

    No matter if the aunt were truly loyal or not, she¡¯d break through her defences.

    ¡°I won¡¯t run away; I¡¯m just asking because I wanted to learn more about Jiang Cheng¡¯s preferences. He said that once he¡¯s happy, he¡¯d take me along with him.¡±

    After she said these words, Lan Jinyao noticed that the aunt¡¯s expression had rxed.

    She¡¯d found an opening!

 Chapter 173 - Running Away (1)

    <h4>Chapter 173 - Running Away (1)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t do anything, and she didn¡¯t think of anything, she just pulled the aunt aside to the sofa and chatted with her all day.

    Speaking of Jiang Cheng¡¯s habits, the taciturn aunt suddenly started talking non-stop. Every detail, small andrge, was spilled about his childhood, all the way up to adulthood. Lan Jinyao, on the other hand, just smiled and listened with an earnest look on her face. Sometimes, she¡¯d acknowledge the aunt with a word or two. Seeing her like this, the aunt was pleased.

    Afterwards, Lan Jinyao checked the time and saw that it was already around 4:30 PM. She estimated that Jiang Cheng would be back soon, so she inadvertently asked, ¡°Auntie, it looks like you¡¯re really good towards Jiang Cheng.¡±

    ¡°I was the one who brought up Young Master, so how can I not be good towards him? Speaking of which, Young Master is like a godson to me! He also knows how to show his filial piety. It¡¯s just that, sometimes, his temper isn¡¯t so good,¡± the aunt had a proud look on her face as she said these words.

    Lan Jinyao pondered for a second and then suddenly said, ¡°You think that Jiang Cheng is good and filial towards you? I don¡¯t think so. If he were truly good to you, then he wouldn¡¯t lock you up in here with me. He¡¯s basically restricting your freedom!¡±

    As soon as the aunt heard bad words about Jiang Cheng, she became unhappy and stiffly said, ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense! Young Master has always treated me well. Of course, I can also go in and out of this ce as I please; you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s locked up.¡±

    After a while, the aunt realised that Lan Jinyao was fishing for information, so she quickly got up from the sofa and went back to work.

    Lan Jinyao followed her and asked with a smile on her face, ¡°Auntie, why aren¡¯t you talking anymore?¡±

    The aunt coldly humphed and made up her mind to ignore her. Lan Jinyao followed her for a while but still didn¡¯t get any reaction in return, so she gave up and left the aunt alone.

    She walked back to the bedroom and stared out the window. This ind wasn¡¯t very far from the maind. If she set sail, she¡¯d be there in about half an hour. If Jiang Cheng finished work at five o¡¯clock, then he¡¯d arrive here around six. She had approximately an hour left, so she had to quickly figure out the surroundings and her current location.

    Even if she managed to escape, she couldn¡¯t just swim ashore with her current weak state as she wouldn¡¯t make it. Not to mention, she was pregnant; her child wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the water¡¯s icy temperatures. In fact, the ind was huge; there were still a lot of undeveloped areas, as well as a forest. If she fled to the forest, Jiang Cheng might not be able to find her so soon because, aside from her, there were only two people left on the ind; Jiang Cheng and the aunt.

    The main issue was, how could she get ahold of the aunt¡¯s fingerprints?

    But, those questions she¡¯d asked earlier had already aroused the aunt¡¯s suspicions, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain the fingerprints so easily.

    After observing her surroundings, Lan Jinyao ascertained that this was indeed the same ind. Moreover, this was the same house she¡¯d stayed in before. If only she¡¯d woken up at night, then maybe she could¡¯ve been saved by the crew. However, she¡¯d been in aa, and now everyone had already left.

    Lan Jinyao sighed with chagrin andy down on the bed. Typically, when she was resting at home, she¡¯d be toozy to move around and would take a nap for an hour or two at noon every day. Not to mention, as soon as she¡¯d finished shooting the movie, she was kidnapped by Jiang Cheng and held captive here, so she hadn¡¯t managed to have a good rest at all. Her body seemingly couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and it was on the verge of breaking down. Not long after closing her eyes, she fell asleep.

    When she woke up again, it was already past ten o¡¯clock in the evening. Jiang Cheng was about to exit the bedroom, so as soon as Lan Jinyao opened her eyes, she saw the view of his back and she subconsciously closed her eyes again. Before Jiang Cheng closed the door, he turned around and took onest nce at her with a slight smile tugging at his lips.

    Only after the door was closed did Lan Jinyao dare to open her eyes.

    She must act tonight. She couldn¡¯t wait any longer.

    To prevent herself from falling asleep again, Lan Jinyao quickly sat up and leaned against the bedhead, quietly staring at a particr spot as she thought. When Jiang Cheng fell asleepter, she¡¯d sneak into the aunt¡¯s room to get her fingerprints. But, seniors were usually light sleepers, so she had to be extra careful.

    The sky was dark, and there was the sound of waves beating against the rocks. In the house shrouded by darkness, Lan Jinyao was slowly on the move.

    She was walking barefoot on the wooden floorboards, so there was no sound as she moved along the corridors.

    Soon after, she found the aunt¡¯s room. She held back her smile, gently turned the doorknob, and then lightly tiptoed her way in.

    The aunt was currently sleeping serenely, but luckily, one of her hands was stuck out of her nket, so Lan Jinyao easily got her fingerprints. As soon as she did, she instantly wore her shoes and ran outside. It was currently pitch ck, but fortunately, she didn¡¯t have night blindness. Lan Jinyao thought as she ran.

    Her phone was confiscated, and her bag was gone, so she currently had nothing with her. On her way out, Lan Jinyao suddenly recalled that the aunt had an old CDMA phone, but she didn¡¯t know where the aunt had put it. She halted her steps and nced back at the house behind her. In the end, she gritted her teeth and decided not to go back.

    She ran to the undeveloped area, where the vast forest was located. It shouldn¡¯t be any problem to hide here until Fu Bainian came to her rescue.

    Lan Jinyao thought: Fu Bainian was quick-witted, so he must surely know that, on this grand ind, there was bound to be a ce that she could hide in!

    Atst, she ran into the forest and sat down under a tree surrounded by insects. There wouldn¡¯t be any snakes here, right? At this thought, she started to feel a bit worried.

    Well, she only hoped to get through this thrilling night without any mishaps. When the first ray of sunshine shone on her face, she opened her eyes and cautiously examined her surrounding. By this time, Jiang Cheng must¡¯ve already found out that she was missing.

    There were no movements around her. At eight o¡¯clock, a boat woulde to pick up Jiang Cheng. But, it was impossible for her to board that one because on the one hand, she couldn¡¯t sail, and on the other hand, Jiang Cheng knew that she¡¯d fled and might¡¯ve left a boat there as bait. Who knows how long Jiang Cheng would wait for her there, so she couldn¡¯t fall for any of his traps.

    Fu Bainian, quicklye and save me! She continuously called out to Fu Bainian in her heart.

    At this time, however, Jiang Cheng was closing in on her as he advanced in the forest. As he stared at the grass that had been trampled on the ground, a corner of his mouth curled up into an enigmatic smile.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, you won¡¯t be able to run away. Aside from me, no one can get off this ind.¡±

 Chapter 174 - Running Away (2)

    <h4>Chapter 174 - Running Away (2)</h4>

    Tall trees swayed back and forth under the bright sun, making rustling sounds and leaving behind mottled shadows as the soft sea-breeze gently blew past. Lan Jinyao was currently leaning against one of therge trees with closed eyes and a grumbling stomach. She tried her utmost to lighten her breathing in order to lessen her energy consumption.

    Aside from the rustling of the wind, there were no other sounds in the forest. This quietness made Lan Jinyao feel somewhat restless.

    But then, she suddenly heard a noise. She quickly opened her eyes and vigntly scanned her surroundings. For a moment, she thought she¡¯d been found by Jiang Cheng or the aunt. However, after looking around for a while, she didn¡¯t see anyone.

    What she saw was something emerald green amongst the thick clump of grass. At this sight, her eyes instantly lit up.

    Her current feelings were like that of someone who¡¯d found a clear water spring after having walked in the desert under the scorching sun for long hours. This kind of excitement came from the bottom of her heart.

    It was a green apple, seemingly still unripe. This caught her by surprise, and she quickly reached out her hand to grab it. As soon as she got ahold of it, she rubbed it on her clothes before taking a bite. It was so sour that she narrowed her eyes, but she was hungry and there was nothing else to eat, so she had no choice.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t stop and ate mouthful after mouthful of the apple.

    The noise she¡¯d heard earlier must¡¯ve been the apple falling from the tree. The sky was still dark when she¡¯d fled into the forest, so she hadn¡¯t noticed what kind of tree was behind her.

    Was it a fruit tree? If so, she didn¡¯t have to worry about food anymore.

    After she¡¯d finished eating the apple, she threw the core away and looked up at the tree. As soon as she did, she instantly froze. This was an ordinary tree, not an apple tree. She nced at all the trees around her and realised that the apple she¡¯d eaten hadn¡¯t fallen off a tree.

    At this moment, her heart leapt to her throat.

    Then, where did the apple came from?

    Suddenly, Jiang Cheng¡¯s sinister smiling expression shed in her mind.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng-¡±

    She looked around in horror, not neglecting any nearby corners, but she didn¡¯t see Jiang Cheng at all.

    After a while, she eventually calmed down and closed her eyes as she leaned against the trunk of the tree.

    Since there were no apple trees here, and an apple had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, then Jiang Cheng or the aunt must be nearby. She¡¯d been found already, yet Jiang Cheng didn¡¯te forward to confront her. No matter what game he wanted to y, she¡¯d pretend not to know and continue to sleep. In any case, she wasn¡¯t held captive in the house at this moment, so she could run away at any moment as long as Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t paying attention.

    Since Jiang Cheng wanted to hide in the dark to observe her, then she¡¯d let him look as much as he wanted. As the saying goes, what the eye didn¡¯t see, the heart didn¡¯t grieve over.

    Soon after, the sun rose above the horizon. Here at the ind, the sun would be scorching at noon. It was already so hot in the morning, then in the afternoon... Lan Jinyao shut her eyes again and didn¡¯t dwell on this further. The more she thought about it, the more jittery she felt.

    The scorching sun slowly ascended, and the temperature grew hotter by the minute. Lan Jinyao took cover in the shade of the tree, but there were still thinyers of sweat forming on her forehead. Meanwhile, under the mottled sunlight, a colourful rainbow was reflected.

    At this time, a bottle of cold mineral water suddenly appeared next to her. It was seemingly just taken out of the freezer, but it was soon enveloped withyers of condensation due to the heat.

    Lan Jinyao opened her eyes and extended her finger to touch the bottle of water before holding onto it tightly with both hands. She couldn¡¯t drink it because it was too cold, but she could use it to cool herself down.

    The scorching sun slowly turned the cold water into warm water. Lan Jinyao then unscrewed the cap and drank a few mouthfuls. In fact, she¡¯d been sweating a lot, and this had made her more dehydrated. If it hadn¡¯t been for this bottle of water, she might¡¯ve gone back to the house already.

    There were a few times where Lan Jinyao secretly scolded herself for being stupid. She could¡¯ve just stayed at the house and waited for Fu Bainian toe and save her. Yet, she had to flee all the way to the forest just to y hide-and-seek with Jiang Cheng. Now she had to suffer all of this as a consequence and, in the end, she was damaging her health.

    However, these thoughts onlysted for a moment. After that, she secretly cheered herself on. If she¡¯d remained at that ce, then the child in her belly would''ve been discovered by Jiang Cheng, and by then, based on Jiang Cheng¡¯s temperament, he might''ve gotten rid of her child by force. After all, this was Fu Bainian¡¯s child.

    It was just that, as things stood now, she might not be able to survive if she remained here.

    Lan Jinyao inwardly told herself: Just wait a bit longer...a bit longer...until you really can¡¯t hold on any more. When that happens, you can go out and surrender, and stop ying hide-and-seek with Jiang Cheng.

    All thanks to her self-encouragement, she managed to persevere for several more hours.

    Then, the sun started descending, and the afterglow of the sunset gradually disappeared, causing the temperature of the ground to cool down in the process.

    After struggling for so many hours, Lan Jinyao suddenly felt that she had no more strength left. And, right at that moment, she heard a yacht sailing in her direction. Thus, in that split second, she felt like she¡¯d seen a ray of hope.

    She struggled to get up and walked away step by step with her waist bent like a cat. It wasn¡¯tpletely dark yet, so she had to be careful. Jiang Cheng might be on the yacht, and as soon as she showed up, she might be found out. So, she had to be extra vignt.

    Jiang Cheng had already boarded the yacht. This wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d seen this kind of luxurious yacht. With her gaze locked on it, she quickly rushed towards it.

    No matter where Jiang Cheng wanted to take her, she had to board the yacht first and then see. It would be even better if she could get to the maind safely, if not, then... Lan Jinyao gritted her teeth and hardened her heart. If she couldn¡¯t reach the maind, then when they were close enough, she¡¯d just dive into the water and swim ashore!

    After boarding the yacht, Lan Jinyao felt that Jiang Cheng had done it on purpose. He knew that she would follow, and he also knew that she would board the yacht. So, when she stood on the deck, she saw a table ced in the middle with her favourite dishes. As soon as she saw those dishes, she swallowed her saliva with great difficulty. She was famished.

 Chapter 175 - Coping With Bereavement (1)

    <h4>Chapter 175 - Coping With Bereavement (1)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao sat down on a chair and stared intently at those delicious-looking dishes; her salivary nds were constantly secreting saliva, and she felt hungrier the more she looked.

    When the yacht started sailing, the sky gradually darkened, and she suddenly felt her sight be somewhat blurry.

    Jiang Cheng must know that she was sitting outside because after he¡¯d boarded the yacht, he hadn¡¯t made an appearance yet.

    Then, just as Lan Jinyao had extended her hand towards one of the dishes, she suddenly heard Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice behind her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry and just eat. These were specifically prepared for you; there¡¯s no poison in them.¡±

    Though, as soon as his words fell, Lan Jinyao retracted her hand and cautiously stared at him. However, he just smiled at her before walking over and sitting down beside her. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating? You must be starving by now, right?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead and eat. These are all your favourite dishes!¡±

    However, Lan Jinyao remained motionless and red at him before coldly asking, ¡°What exactly are you scheming now?¡±

    Jiang Cheng heaved a long sigh and feigned a sad expression as he answered, ¡°Meimei, why aren¡¯t you willing to believe in me? Didn¡¯t you want to get off the ind? In that case, I¡¯ll take you back, lest you keep torturing yourself. Even if you¡¯re hard-hearted towards yourself, I can¡¯t bear to see you like this.¡±

    As expected, Jiang Cheng had already found her long ago.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who left me that apple and bottle of mineral water, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Jiang Cheng nodded in response. ¡°That¡¯s right! You looked pale and hungry, so I brought you some food. However, I couldn¡¯t let you see me, so I quietly threw them over to your side. Fortunately, I have good control over my strength and didn¡¯t hit you, or else my heart would¡¯ve ached.¡±

    He¡¯d extended his hand to touch Lan Jinyao¡¯s face, but she¡¯d moved her face away, leaving his hand hanging in the air.

    ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t I see you?¡± At that time, when she¡¯d gotten ahold of the apple and noticed that something wasn¡¯t quite right, she¡¯d instantly checked every nook and cranny. It was impossible for her to have missed anything. So, there was absolutely no way that Jiang Cheng could have hidden his presence.

    As soon as her words fell, Jiang Cheng revealed a profound smile on his face and said, ¡°Could it be that you¡¯ve be stupid after starving yourself? Don¡¯t forget; this ind is mine. As long as I want to, I can hide anywhere, anytime, and no one would be able to find me.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao froze. Could it be that there were secret passages on this ind?

    As if he¡¯d read her current thoughts, Jiang Cheng¡¯s smile suddenly brightened. ¡°Okay, stop thinking about the details; you won¡¯t be able to figure it out anyway. Now that you¡¯re off the ind, just behave and enjoy your meal. After you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll bring you home!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao heard the words ¡®I¡¯ll send you home¡¯, the look in her eyes changed from vignce to astonishment. She then asked, ¡°You¡¯re taking me home?¡±

    He¡¯d be so generous? After having kidnapped her with great difficulty, he was willing to send her home so easily?

    ¡°Hurry up and eat!¡± Jiang Cheng stuffed a dessert in her mouth before adding, ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll take you home; stop staring at me like that. In fact, after spending time with you these days, I¡¯ve already thought things through. In this world, there¡¯s no such thing as one who can¡¯t live without the other; the earth will still turn, the sun will still rise, and life will continue...¡±

    Lan Jinyao ate the cake and quietly listened to Jiang Cheng talk about his inner thoughts and struggles these past few days. Meanwhile, her guard against him also lowered.

    Jiang Cheng nced at her, and his lips slightly curled up into a shallow smile as he went on and said, ¡°Now that I think about it, without you I can still live on. And, about what you¡¯ve asked me before regarding whether the person I loved was the former Chen Meimei or the current you, I¡¯ve already figured out the answer. In fact, I was very contradictory at first, because obviously, you two are two different people with different personalities. Afterwards, I finally realised that what I liked wasn¡¯t either of you, but the kind of feeling you both gave me...the feeling of being cared for. At that time, Chen Meimei was notorious and many people scolded her, but she wasn¡¯t stingy and showed concern for a trivial fan like me. And, you...even though I¡¯d kidnapped you and wanted us to die together, you left a message for me on my Weibo. I did something awful like that, yet you still hoped for me to go to heaven.¡±

    ¡°So, now that I¡¯ve thought things through, I¡¯ve decided to let you go to find your own happiness.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t say anything and just stared at him. If it weren¡¯t for the current state of affairs, she reckoned that she¡¯d be moved to tears by now.

    After Jiang Cheng finished talking, he sighed again and said, ¡°Quickly eat your fill first. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid that when I send you backter, Fu Bainian won¡¯t let me off. There¡¯s a room in the yacht, so you should go take a good rest when you¡¯re done here. Your current appearance is truly...unsightly.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao subconsciously touched her face, but she didn¡¯t get angry.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt a gush a relief. After all, it wasn¡¯t easy for a paranoid person to figure things out so easily. It was good that he¡¯d managed to do so, and that he was willing to send her home. She patted him on the shoulder and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve figured things out. I was actually afraid that you¡¯d get into a blind alley. In fact, everyone is like a semicircle; once they find their other half, they¡¯ll be able to live the rest of their life in happiness.¡±

    Jiang Cheng just smiled and asked in return, ¡°That is to say, Fu Bainian is your semicircle?¡±

    Without a second thought, Lan Jinyao instantly replied, ¡°Of course.¡±

    Following this, she said no more and started eating heartily; she was truly famished this time.

    The sky had already darkened by the time she¡¯d finished eating. Lan Jinyao then walked towards the inner part of the yacht and saw a lot of luxurious-looking rooms. After looking around, she faced Jiang Cheng and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have a rest first. Make sure to wake me up when we arrive.¡±

    Jiang Cheng nodded at her in response.

    She was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as shey in bed. Her breathing gradually levelled, and she entered dreand.

    However, before entering dreand, she¡¯d locked the door as soon as she¡¯d entered the room. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t believe in Jiang Cheng. Instead, she couldn¡¯t help but guard against others. If Jiang Cheng had indeed figured things out, then that¡¯d be for the best.

    During her sleep, Lan Jinyao suddenly felt wobbly and furrowed her eyebrows.

    She abruptly opened her eyes and panted, tightly clutching at the sheets underneath her. There was a sharp pain in her lower abdomen, and her face instantly paled.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng! Jiang Cheng, please save me!¡±

    Lan Jinyao shouted Jiang Cheng¡¯s name twice and soon after; she heard someone knocking on the door. She got out of bed with great difficulty and then went to open the door.

    Jiang Cheng nervously asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was truly in too much pain; beads of sweat were continuously forming on her forehead. If she were a bit more rational at this moment, she¡¯d have seen the malice hidden behind Jiang Cheng¡¯s wless expression.

 Chapter 176 - Coping With Bereavement (2)

    <h4>Chapter 176 - Coping With Bereavement (2)</h4>

    ¡°I need a doctor. Jiang Cheng, please save me, my stomach really hurts!¡±

    Lan Jinyao grasped Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand tightly. She used so much strength that Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm turned slightly red. However, she couldn¡¯t help it as he was her only hope at this moment.

    ¡°How did this happen?¡± Jiang Cheng nervously asked.

    Lan Jinyao repeatedly shook her head as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just slept for a little while and then my abdomen started to hurt. Jiang Cheng, please, find me a doctor!¡±

    Subconsciously, she knew that it was practically impossible to find a doctor in the middle of the sea, but she couldn¡¯t help but continue crying for help.

    Those who hadn¡¯t been pregnant before couldn¡¯t possibly understand the agony she was feeling at this moment.

    She didn¡¯t know exactly what had gone wrong, but she was clearly still fine before they¡¯d departed the ind. However, that couldn¡¯t prove anything. Perhaps, all those things that she¡¯d gone through in the past few days were too much of a burden and her body couldn¡¯t cope with it, resulting in this kind of situation.

    Jiang Cheng picked her up in a princess hold and gently ced her on the bed. He then anxiously asked, ¡°Is it excruciating? I¡¯ll go get you a doctor.¡±

    Where could he find a doctor on a yacht with only two people? Lan Jinyao watched Jiang Cheng hurriedly leave and didn¡¯t stop him. People always liked to look forward to miracles, so she¡¯d just treat this as some kind of selffort and hope for a miracle.

    A minuteter, a miracle happened.

    Just as Lan Jinyao was about to pass out from the pain, a doctor in a white coat came in, carrying a medicine box in his hand. Lan Jinyao cried, ¡°Doctor, please, please save my child!¡±

    At that moment, she felt something flowing out of her body and a strong sense of fear shrouded her in an instant. She had a feeling that she was going to lose the baby...she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the baby!

    Behind the doctor¡¯s gold-rimmed sses were a pair of cold and gloomy eyes, without even a trace of pity in them. After examining the marks on the sheets, he shook his head as he faced Jiang Cheng and said, ¡°The child is already gone, and she has to be sent to the hospital as soon as possible as there could be residue left in her body.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao felt a burst of pain in her head.

    ¡°Why did things turn out like this? Why?¡±

    Tears continuously streamed down her face and blurred her line of sight. In this instant, she seemed to see an image of Fu Bainian appear in front of her.

    Jiang Cheng no longer had a nervous look on his face. He held Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand and said, ¡°As soon as we reach the shore, I¡¯ll take you to a hospital. You¡¯ll be fine; trust me.¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at him with bloodshot eyes; she then extended her hand with great difficulty and tugged at his shirt, asking through gritted teeth, ¡°The yacht hasn¡¯t stopped sailing yet, so how could there be a doctor on board? Jiang Cheng, tell me, where did this doctore from?!¡±

    The caring facade on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face finally disappeared and was reced with a sinister smile.

    ¡°The Doctor has been aboard all along. I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the trip, so I invited a doctor here for you. With him by your side, I would feel much more at ease.¡±

    Lan Jinyao burst into tears again; her heart was full of remorse.

    A calcting man like him, who¡¯d sneak behind her and secretly stalk her, would definitely have a problematic personality. How could she have ever believed his words?!

    She was truly stupid!

    To think that she¡¯d actually believed in a psychopath!

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, get out of here. I don¡¯t want to see you! If you hover in front of me again, I¡¯ll make sure to drag you to the afterlife to keep my childpany!¡±

    Lan Jinyao grabbed an object from the nightstand and flung it towards Jiang Cheng¡¯s head. He quickly took a step back and dodged the object.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go out first. I won¡¯t remain and disturb you further, so don¡¯t be angry. We¡¯ll reach the maind soon.¡±

    When they left and closed the door, Lan Jinyaoy on the bed with a paleplexion. She felt like dying.

    All of this was a scheme devised by Jiang Cheng. He knew that she was pregnant, so he didn¡¯t want to let her child off. Since the moment she¡¯d escaped from the house, he already had everything set in stone. He¡¯d forced her in a tight spot and made her starve. Then, he was worried that she would faint from hunger, so he gave her an apple and a bottle of water to keep her going until the evening. He knew that as soon as it got dark, she wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on any longer and, at this time, the yacht suddenly appeared.

    What a perfect n he¡¯d devised! He¡¯d schemed everything, including those dishes on the deck. He must¡¯ve added abortion herbs to the food, but he was worried that after she had the abortion, she wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it, so he arranged a doctor in advance.

    Lan Jinyaoy in bed, frowning in pain with tears continuously sliding down her face. When one of her hands touched the bedsheets, she felt a sticky substance, and she could seemingly smell the strong scent of blood.

    That was her baby...it was supposed to have been happily born into this world, but now it hade ahead of time before it had even grown up properly.

    At this thought, she broke down again and closed her eyes as she painfully sobbed.

    Her current appearance was like that of a person on the point of demise.

    Jiang Cheng, who was standing outside, tightly clenched his hands into fists and frowned.

    He then coldly asked, ¡°How long will she be in pain?¡±

    Just now, Lan Jinyao¡¯splexion had turned excessively pale; she¡¯d looked like a person who¡¯d been fished out of the water, and her entire body was soaking wet from her sweat. He was just watching quietly on the side, but he could feel her pain.

    The doctor indifferently said, ¡°It will hurt for a long time, so as soon as we get ashore, you¡¯ll send her to a hospital, right?¡±

    ¡°What about painkillers? Would it help?¡± asked Jiang Cheng through gritted teeth.

    ¡°It would help, but would you be able to feed it to her? Didn¡¯t you see the cold look in her eyes earlier? It was filled with hate; as if she wanted to pounce on you and bite your neck off. Normally speaking, if a patient doesn¡¯t cooperate, it¡¯s very difficult for the doctor to treat them, and now we¡¯re in the same kind of situation.¡±

    Jiang Cheng clenched his hands into fists and ferociously hit the wall, leaving two slight blood marks.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take her to a hospital right away!¡±

    Now that he¡¯d done it, he shouldn¡¯t regret it, because, in this world, there was no medicine for regret, and there was no use crying over spilt milk. Moreover, she¡¯d hated him since long ago, so what did it matter if she hated him more now?

    The yacht sailed at lightning speed like a fish across the sea.

    On board, it was extremely quiet; only light sobbing sounds could be hearding from Lan Jinyao¡¯s room. Her sobs were extremely quiet as if she could stop breathing at any moment.

 Chapter 177 - A Little More Ruthless (1)

    <h4>Chapter 177 - A Little More Ruthless (1)</h4>

    ¡°Men nowadays sure are ruthless. To think that he¡¯d be even hurt his own wife. You didn¡¯t see it, but his wife was entirely covered with blood. I heard that she''d been drugged. When she was sent here, herplexion was ashen as if she was on herst breath.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that person was her husband. How could one be so ruthless?¡±

    In the hospital¡¯s corridor, a group of interns were currently having a heated discussion. Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng was anxiously waiting outside the operating room. When he¡¯d brought Lan Jinyao over, the bloodstains on her skirt were nearly dried already. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she looked very weak as if she was about to breathe herst.

    This time, he wouldn¡¯t allow her to die, because he was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to find her once she started crossing the river to the afterlife.

    That chitter-chatter was really irritating like flies buzzing in his ears; he couldn¡¯t take it anymore and restlessly punched the wall, letting a muffled sound reverberate within the corridor.

    Following that, a nurse walked up to him and stiffly said, ¡°This wall is public property of the hospital. Please act more civilized, and don¡¯t behave in such a crude manner. If you damage the wall, as a consequence, you¡¯ll need to pay for it.¡±

    Jiang Cheng retracted his hand and faced the nurse with a darkened expression. ¡°So annoying! Say another word and I wouldn¡¯t mind adding your medical expenses to the bill.¡±

    The nurse quickly trotted away and muttered on her way, ¡°How can such a good-looking man have such a bad temper?¡±

    The other nurses also quieted down immediately.

    Jiang Cheng then sat down on a bench and propped up his forehead with his hands. His face was twisted with pain.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, please be alright; nothing must happen to you. The Heavens gave you a second chance to let you live on healthily, so you wouldn¡¯t die, would you?¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s pale face suddenly popped up in his mind. The look of disgust and resentment he¡¯d seen before she¡¯d closed her eyes made his heart bleed. However, he couldn¡¯t help it. She should¡¯ve been his, and not off having children with others.

    Thinking up to here, the look in his eyes was resolute and sinister.

    ¡°Since you already hate me, adding on a bit more hatred won¡¯t matter!¡± Fu Bainian wasn¡¯t worthy of her at all.

    Soon after, the lights in the operating room dimmed and a doctor in a white coat walked out. The doctor then exined, ¡°Her vitality has been greatly damaged, but fortunately, her life isn¡¯t in danger. Let her stay in the hospital for observation and so she can slowly recuperate. Although we¡¯re using the highest grade of medicines for her treatment, there could still be some side effects that might impact future pregnancies.¡±

    Only upon hearing this did a trace of joy appear on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you, Doctor!¡±

    The doctor calmly nodded and then left, heaving a sigh as he murmured, ¡°Young¡¯uns nowadays really don¡¯t know how to cherish themselves. They like to mess around, yet the ones always getting hurt in the end are their own lovers.¡±

    Jiang Cheng thought: If Lan Jinyao were his wife, he¡¯d certainly not torture her like this. It was just that she¡¯d chosen the wrong person to love. However, mistakes could be rectified. Everything that he was doing now was for the sake of helping her correct her mistakes. If he didn¡¯t do so, she¡¯d only be sadder in the future.

    Afterwards, the nurses moved Lan Jinyao from the operating room to the general ward, and Jiang Cheng followed behind the stretcher. As his eyesnded on the weak-looking Lan Jinyao, he felt his heart ache for her.

    Just as he was about to follow them into the ward, his phone suddenly rang.

    ¡°The patient is resting now. If you want to answer the phone, please do so in the hallway!¡± said the head nurse impatiently.

    Jiang Cheng then halted his steps and answered the call.

    ¡°If you have something to report, shoot!¡±

    ¡°President Jiang, Fu Bainian has already reported this incident, and the police are now involved in the investigation. Moreover, someone took a picture of you carrying Lan Jinyao into the hospital and posted it online, so Fu Bainian is most likely already on his way there. Do you want to evacuate and move to another hospital?¡±

    Upon hearing this, the corners of Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips slightly curved up.

    ¡°He¡¯s right on time. And here I was worried about him not being able to find the hospital. You don¡¯t have to worry about the next steps; I¡¯ll handle things from here onwards.¡±

    So what if Fu Bainian came? He couldn¡¯t take her away anyway.

    When Lan Jinyao opened her eyes, she saw Jiang Cheng tightly holding onto her hand and staring at her without blinking. She ferociously retrieved her hand and then pped him across the face. She¡¯d used quite a lot of strength, so Jiang Cheng¡¯s cheek immediately flushed red with her palm print.

    ¡°My child...is my child gone?¡± Lan Jinyao trembled and asked in a quivering voice. Her baby must be gone. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be in so much pain, and she wouldn¡¯t have shed so much blood.

    Jiang Cheng nodded and softly said, ¡°Your child is gone, but the doctor said that your body is fine. If you want to have children in the future, you can still...¡±

    Before he¡¯d managed to finish his sentence, Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand flew towards him again while she yelled, ¡°Jiang Cheng, you made me lose my child; will you still allow me to have a second one? You¡¯re practically deranged! You¡¯re already beyond redemption!¡±

    She¡¯d initially thought that there was still hope and that he could be a better person. This was because he¡¯d left her with such a good impression at the beginning that she¡¯d thought that as long as she stayed away from him, she¡¯d be fine. But, now things had turned out like this instead. If she¡¯d known this earlier, she wouldn¡¯t have let this man approach her, and she wouldn¡¯t have sent a private message to a stranger.

    Jiang Cheng chuckled and stared at her like a lunatic as he said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I already knew that I was beyond redemption, so you shouldn¡¯t have believed that I¡¯d change for the better. If only you hadn¡¯t eaten the food that I¡¯d prepared for you, then your child might have survived.¡±

    Jiang Cheng then approached her and added, ¡°Lan Jinyao, Fu Bainian will be here in a minute. Look out the window. I¡¯m currently waiting for him."

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze followed the direction Jiang Cheng had pointed in and saw a well-disguised gunman on the roof of the building opposite the hospital. The muzzle of the gun was pointed towards them.

    ¡°Haha!¡± Jiang Cheng was quite pleased with her frightened expression. ¡°As soon as he¡¯s here, the gunman will shoot him in the head. That scene...I feel good just thinking about it. When the timees, he¡¯ll fall apart like a smashed watermelon; its red juices dripping all over the floor.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s whole body trembled due to her anger. ¡°Would you dare do that? Jiang Cheng, would you dare? If you do that, you¡¯ll be executed by a firing squad.¡±

    Right, she didn¡¯t have to worry, because Jiang Cheng wouldn¡¯t dare do that. He certainly wouldn¡¯t want to go to prison and stay there for the rest of his life. Besides, this was a hospital, so who¡¯d dare to open fire so tantly?

    Jiang Cheng¡¯sughter became more sinister by the minute, and he looked at her like he was looking at an idiot.

 Chapter 178 - A Little More Ruthless (2)

    <h4>Chapter 178 - A Little More Ruthless (2)</h4>

    The VIP ward was filled with Jiang Cheng¡¯s madughter. He closed in on Lan Jinyao¡¯s ear in an intimate manner before whispering in a dangerous tone, ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t dare, because this has nothing to do with me.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened, and herplexion turned deathly pale as she stared at him in horror.

    ¡°How could this possibly have nothing to do with you? You want to kill Fu Bainian! You...you¡¯ve had this intention since long ago, right? Fu Bainian injured his arm while he was abroad; that was a gunshot wound, wasn¡¯t it?¡± her voice trembled as she softly asked. Her fear had reached its pinnacle.

    Then, suddenly, Jiang Cheng covered her mouth with his hand.

    ¡°Shhh, keep your voice down. You probably don¡¯t know this yet, but there¡¯s a mercenary group operating outside the borders of this country, and each of them are the best of the batch with extremely outstanding skills. One of them recently escaped and fled to our country. Say, if that mercenary kills someone, it would have nothing to do with an ordinary businessman like me, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao red at him and angrily said, ¡°So you¡¯re trying to push the me on that mercenary in order to get away unscathed and escape punishment?¡±

    ¡°You worded it incorrectly. In fact, this matter has nothing to do with me.¡± Jiang Cheng slightly smiled as he stressed again.

    ¡°How could this have nothing to do with you?¡± asked Lan Jinyao with tears streaming down her face. ¡°Jiang Cheng, what on earth do you want? Do you want me to die? My baby¡¯s already gone, and you¡¯re trying to kill my husband now? Why don¡¯t you just simplify things and kill me with one stab instead? I won¡¯t upy Chen Meimei¡¯s body; I¡¯ll give it back to you...I¡¯ll give it back to you!¡±

    Lan Jinyao pulled the quilt up and covered her face as she sobbed.

    It was a pity that she didn¡¯t have a knife with her. If she did, she would¡¯ve stabbed this man in front of her without even the slightest bit of hesitation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t end Fu Bainian¡¯s life so easily. I just want you to cooperate with me and put on an act. After the y, I¡¯ll let him leave. In fact, I don¡¯t think Fu Bainian deserves you. He¡¯s too indecisive, and he¡¯s not ruthless enough. If someone was coveting my wife, I¡¯d have shot him in the head ages ago, obliterating him from this world. I wouldn¡¯t give him a chance to get close to my wife.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s voice was raspy and apanied by sobs as she stammered, ¡°This is why you can neverpare with Fu Bainian. Although he¡¯s ruthless in the business world, he¡¯d never act so cruel and ruthless in his personal life. Only a man like him can give someone love and happiness. But, you¡¯re different; your heart is cold and rock-hard, so you can¡¯t give someone love, and you also don¡¯t deserve to be loved by others.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the smile on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face instantly disappeared, and there was a sad look in his eyes as he softly said, ¡°That¡¯s right, people like me don¡¯t deserve to be loved, but there¡¯s nothing I can do. It¡¯s impossible to change my way of thinking in this lifetime, so you don¡¯t have to say things that make me unhappy. If I¡¯m not happy, you and Fu Bainian won¡¯t have it easy either.¡±

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, tell me, what on earth do you want exactly? If you do anything to Fu Bainian, I swear that I¡¯ll kill you even if I have to sacrifice my life.¡±

    ¡°I already told you that I merely want us to put on an act and make Fu Bainian give up on you. Afterwards, I¡¯ll let him go.¡±

    And, right at this moment, someone knocked on the door. Listening to the steady footsteps, it should be a man. Lan Jinyao abruptly opened her eyes and her gazended on the building outside her window.

    ¡°I¡¯ll agree!¡± Lan Jinyao suddenly said as her heart leapt into her throat.

    Upon seeing her reaction, Jiang Cheng smiled and happily said, ¡°Okay, you have to keep your word.¡±

    As soon as his voice fell, the door of the ward was pushed open. In that instant, the vice that had been holding Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart loosened a little. The person standing outside wasn¡¯t Fu Bainian, but an unfamiliar guy wearing a ck suit and a pair of silver-rimmed sses. His hair wasbed meticulously, and he was carrying a folder in his hand; his appearance was like that of an elite.

    ¡°President Jiang, I¡¯ve brought the document over; it¡¯s just missing the signatures.¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at him and cautiously asked, ¡°What document?¡±

    Jiang Cheng took the folder and smiled at her as he said, ¡°It¡¯s just a normal document. Fu Bainian will arrive soon, so if you don¡¯t want to see him die in front of you, you¡¯d better make him sign this document. Only then will I let him go.¡±

    ¡°What¡®s on it?¡±

    For a moment, Lan Jinyao thought that Jiang Cheng wanted her to be a spy and bring him data of all the property and shares in Fu Bainian¡¯spany. After all, they werepetitors in the business world.

    Jiang Cheng handed her the folder, and therge text reflected in her eyes read: Divorce Agreement.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened, and she asked, ¡°Why do you want Fu Bainian to sign this document? Do you think that you¡¯ll be able to separate us with something like this?¡±

    ¡°Whether that can be done or not doesn¡¯t lie with me, but you. I¡¯ve always admired your acting skills. Besides, you¡¯ve lived with Fu Bainian all this time, so you know him better than anyone else. I believe that even if you have to act, you¡¯ll be able to fool him.¡±

    ¡°I...¡± her mouth was suddenly covered before she managed to say the word ¡®refuse¡¯.

    Jiang Cheng once more revealed a sinister smile as he interrupted. ¡°Don¡¯t refuse, because you don¡¯t have any choice. Look over there on the rooftop...Fu Bainian will be here soon.¡±

    Lan Jinyao tightly tugged at the sheets underneath her and ferociously red at Jiang Cheng. It seemed that she wanted to tear him apart right then and there.

    A long time passed, but Jiang Cheng still didn¡¯t get an answer from her.

    Soon after, Fu Bainian arrived. Just before the door opened, Jiang Cheng held Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand tightly, and his sinister expression faded, leaving only a warm and bright smile in its ce.

    Lan Jinyao honestly didn¡¯t want to look at his smiling expression, so she turned to face the window.

    ¡°Meimei!¡± Fu Bainian¡¯s slightly weary voice reverberated around the room.

    Lan Jinyao was closely staring at the movements on the building opposite theirs. She was wondering: Was what Jiang Cheng said true or was he just trying to scare her? But, if it was true, then Fu Bainian¡¯s life was in danger.

    Jiang Cheng handed the divorce papers to Fu Bainian, and then his demonic voice echoed in her ear as he said, ¡°Meimei has already aborted your child. We¡¯ll be together in the future.¡±

    Fu Bainian stared incredulously at Lan Jinyao and asked, ¡°Meimei? Our child...¡±

    Before he finished his sentence, Lan Jinyao softly answered, ¡°Mhmm.¡±

 Chapter 179 - A Little More Ruthless (3)

    <h4>Chapter 179 - A Little More Ruthless (3)</h4>

    ¡°How did that happen? It must be this man¡¯s doing, right?¡± Fu Bainian asked angrily and, in the next second, hended a punch on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face.

    An ¡®oomph¡¯ echoed in the quiet ward, and Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes instantly widened upon witnessing this scene. She¡¯d seemingly seen a trace of darkness sh in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes, so she quickly sat up and screamed, ¡°Stop it, that¡¯s enough! Fu Bainian, don¡¯t be like this!¡±

    Because...as soon as Jiang Cheng gave the signal, Fu Bainian would lose his life.

    Unfortunately, Fu Bainian wasn¡¯t aware of this, and he couldn¡¯t see the danger lurking in the dark.

    Fu Bainian stopped and stared at her with a grief-stricken look in his eyes as he said, ¡°Enough? How can this be enough?! I want to kill him!¡±

    ¡°Our child...I was the one who aborted it because I don¡¯t love you anymore and I don¡¯t want it to tie me down.¡±

    When she said these words Lan Jinyao tried to restrain her fluctuating emotions, but the rims of her eyes were, nevertheless, red. All these sins were Jiang Cheng¡¯s, but she had to bear the retribution of his wrongdoings. Their hatred ran too deep, and there was no way back. Lan Jinyao thought: She was going to drag Jiang Cheng to hell with her! In any case, this life was bestowed to her by the Heavens.

    As soon as her words fell, Fu Bainian incredulously asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Jiang Cheng became somewhat impatient and said, ¡°Fu Bainian, I¡¯m the one who Meimei loves, so she won¡¯t be happy if she remains with you. You better let her go! Besides, Meimei is a patient; she needs to rest now. If you want to talk to her, pleasee back tomorrow. After signing this document, you should get the hell out of here!¡±

    ¡°I want to hear her say it herself!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s gaze was firmly locked on Lan Jinyao, but Lan Jinyao seemingly didn¡¯t dare to look him in the eyes.

    Jiang Cheng then resolutely said, ¡°All that I¡¯ve said earlier are her exact words. Meimei, you can tell him yourself!¡±

    Tears continuously rolled down Lan Jinyao¡¯s face as she roared, ¡°After signing the divorce papers, get out of here! Don¡¯t stay here and be an eyesore; I don¡¯t want to see you right now!¡±

    After hearing her words, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t show any anger. He just indifferently said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll sign it!¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt like she¡¯d seen something in Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes, yet it was too vague for her to be sure.

    She subconsciously retracted her gaze as she didn¡¯t dare to look Fu Bainian in the eyes. Jiang Cheng was wrong; she wasn¡¯t a good actress. A good actress would, even in the face of her closest rtives, be able to act with great ease. Unfortunately, she couldn''t. If she looked at Fu Bainian, her gaze would betray her inner feelings and thoughts.

    After signing the divorce papers, Fu Bainian turned and left; he didn¡¯t even look at the contents before signing it. Well, that was to be expected. In fact, it was stated in them that Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t want anything as alimony. This was what others called ¡®to leave a marriage with nothing¡¯.

    Jiang Cheng looked at the signed divorce papers in his hand andughed happily. ¡°Meimei, did you see that? He didn¡¯t even fight and directly gave up on you. It looks like he didn¡¯t love you as much as you thought! To think that he¡¯d let you leave with nothing. I¡¯ll take care of you from now on. I won¡¯t let go of your hands no matter what happens in the future. Even if we get divorced, I¡¯ll give you all of my property.¡±

    Lan Jinyaoy down again and shut her eyes, ignoring Jiang Cheng, who¡¯d seemingly gone mad.

    In fact, she wondered why Fu Bainian had signed the divorce papers in such a resolute and decisive manner, and why he¡¯d given up on her so easily. Could it be that he didn¡¯t love her anymore? As soon as this thought shed in her mind, she denied this possibility. This couldn¡¯t be the case, because his expression told her otherwise. Aside from the pain-stricken look at the beginning, his appearance had remained calm andposed the entire time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go out for a bit. You should take a good rest; I¡¯ll bring you dinnerter.¡±

    After saying this, Jiang Cheng grabbed the divorce papers and left the room.

    ......

    Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t feeling well, so she merelyid in bed and didn¡¯t want to move. When Jiang Cheng spoke to her, it seemed as if she hadn¡¯t heard him. There was no response from her, and she kept her eyes shut the entire time; there wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit of movement.

    In the evening, Lan Jinyao developed a fever. Although her entire body was boiling, like she was on fire, she still didn¡¯t say a word nor did she frown in pain. It was only when the nurse came to take her temperature that she found out that she had a high fever.

    The nurse was in the middle of giving her an injection when Jiang Cheng came back. He quickly put the food he bought on the cupboard next to the bed, and then nervously asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you giving her an injection?¡±

    The nurse impatiently answered, ¡°The patient has a high fever. How can the fever lower without an injection? Even though she¡¯s feverish, she hadn¡¯t said a word about it and didn¡¯t cooperate with the treatment. You¡¯re the one in charge, yet you didn¡¯t know that she was suffering from a high fever. If you want her to recover and healthily leave the hospital, then keep a better eye on her! The patient is currently in a fragile state.¡±

    Jiang Cheng put on a humble front as he listened to her advice and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take note of this in the future.¡±

    After the nurse had left, Jiang Cheng sat down on the chair next to the bed and looked at her anxiously. He sounded extremely worried as he asked, ¡°Howe you suddenly became ill? Is it because you went through too many things in the past few days and overly exhausted yourself?¡±

    When Lan Jinyao heard his words, she quietly clenched her hands into fists underneath the nket. How she wished that she could just kill this man right then and there.

    Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, still acted like a gentleman and hypocritically smiled as he added, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is all my fault...I¡¯ve made you suffer. But, there was nothing else I could do, and I had no other choice because I really wanted to snatch you away from Fu Bainian¡¯s side. Do you understand?¡±

    Lan Jinyao tightly pursed her lips and insisted on not uttering a single word.

    ¡°You won¡¯t understand, and I know that you¡¯ll never forgive me. But, even so, I want you to be with me. Even if we are to go to hell, I want us to be together.¡±

    This madman! Lan Jinyao was so angry that she almost jumped out of bed.

    ¡°You must stay here for a few more days, and then you can be discharged. When the timees, I¡¯ll take you back to our home. I know that you¡¯re heartbroken now, so I¡¯ll wait and let time heal your wounds. In any case, I believe that time can make you let go of all your hatred.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao slightly opened her mouth. Her words were hoarse and fierce as she said, ¡°Jiang Cheng, I¡¯ll never forget all the pain that you¡¯ve made me go through. I¡¯ll remember all that you¡¯ve done to me, and one day, I¡¯ll return it to you tenfold.¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯ll never forget, huh? For you to remember me forever is actually a very happy thing.¡±

    Then, Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone suddenly rang. The ringtone made the smile on his face disappearpletely, and his expression turned somewhat strange.

    Lan Jinyao took note of all this, and noticed that the call had a specific ringtone; it was different from the one used for other numbers.

    He picked up his phone and walked out of the room to answer the call.

    As she watched his back disappearing from her sight, her lips curled up slowly. Everyone had a weakness, and Jiang Cheng was no exception.

 Chapter 180 - Acting Warm and Gentle (1)

    <h4>Chapter 180 - Acting Warm and Gentle (1)</h4>

    Over the next few days, Lan Jinyao onlyy in bed all day. If she continued like this, she¡¯d turn into a corpse soon. She could obviously get out of bed and move, but Jiang Cheng kept insisting that she was not fully recovered yet, so he didn¡¯t allow her to get up.

    When Li Qi and Xiaolin came to pay her a visit, Jiang Cheng stayed in the room and watched them from the side. When they talked about work-rted things, Jiang Cheng would say that she was a patient and needed to rest, so they shouldn¡¯t talk about work. But, even when they talked about personal matters, Jiang Cheng remained there, with no intention to leave, and made it hard for them to speak openly.

    Soon after, she was finally discharged from the hospital. On their way home, Jiang Cheng smiled at her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to my house! You¡¯re gonna love the interior design.¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s mood seemed to be particrly good as he was smiling from ear to ear.

    As Lan Jinyao stared at his smiling expression, the mncholy in her eyes increased by the minute, and she couldn¡¯t help but angrily respond with a high-pitched voice, ¡°How do you know that I¡¯ll like it? Jiang Cheng, even if it¡¯s interior design, you must¡¯ve selected it ording to Chen Meimei¡¯s preferences, right? You don¡¯t know anything about me, so why would you think that I¡¯m going to like it? I¡¯m telling you, if I ever set foot in your home, I¡¯ll suffocate.¡±

    She stared into Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes and slowly said, ¡°I¡¯ll feel...disgusted!¡±

    When Lan Jinyao saw the excessively gentle smile gradually turn cold, she felt a burst of joy bubble up in her heart. As long as she could make him angry, she¡¯d feel happy.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression was icy as he said through gritted teeth, ¡°You¡¯ll feel disgusted? You¡¯ll suffocate? But, what can you do about it? Do you have any right to choose now? You have to go even if you don¡¯t want to. The moment you and Fu Bainian signed the divorce papers you were left with nothing. Do you understand?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯splexion paled. Her breath was caught in her throat, and she no longer said a word.

    ¡°You¡¯re angry? Even if you are, you have toe home with me! Let¡¯s go back to the home that belongs to the two of us!¡±

    Jiang Cheng practically dragged her into the car.

    He was using quite a bit of strength, so Lan Jinyao¡¯s arm turned red and started to hurt; she couldn¡¯t help but frown from the pain.

    ¡°You¡¯re hurting me! Let go! Jiang Cheng, let me tell you, I¡¯ll go back with you because as you¡¯ve said, I have no other choice now. But, that cold ce of yours will never be a ce I¡¯ll call home, never!¡±

    In the end, Lan Jinyao sat in the back seat with a cold look on her face. Jiang Cheng had initially wanted her to sit in the front passenger seat, but she¡¯d replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid of being hit by a car,¡± effectively rendering him speechless.

    If onemitted too many wicked deeds, they¡¯d surely be punished by the Heavens; just like Shen Wei¡¯an.

    An hourter, Lan Jinyao arrived at Jiang Cheng¡¯s ce. When she stepped in and saw the design, she was quite surprised. It was hard to imagine that a man like Jiang Cheng would like this kind of extravagant decor. The overall tone of the manor was very bright in colour, and the design was simr to that of a European castle. There was also a greenhouse filled with colourful flower beds, a beautiful garden fountain, and a swing.

    It was indeed beautiful, but this kind of design was never one she¡¯d liked. In her eyes, all of this seemed to be covered with frost, exuding a cold air. No, to be precise, this ce wasn¡¯t habitable; it was too spacious and deste.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s silence, on the other hand, waspletely misunderstood by Jiang Cheng. He looked surprised as he asked, ¡°You like it a lot, right? I just knew that you¡¯d like it because I¡¯ve seen the talk show that you recorded before. You said that you loved this kind of design and that when you had money in the future, you¡¯d decorate your home like this.¡±

    Jiang Cheng talked non-stop, but Lan Jinyao only listened until the ¡®talk show¡¯ part before she fell in a trance.

    After thinking about it for a while, Lan Jinyao suddenly remembered that it was an interview she¡¯d attended before her death. Back then, herpany had arranged everything in advance, and there was no need for her to answer any difficult questions while recording the program. She did say a thing or two about her future, but that was all in the past. The current her no longer had those romantic and princess-like thoughts. Being practical in life was more than enough. She just wanted to be with her loved one, and it was enough to live in a small house as long as they were together.

    However, that was a very old program. Jiang Cheng must¡¯ve recently asked one of his subordinates to look for the backup data so he could watch it.

    Thinking up to this point, Lan Jinyao coldly said, ¡°Jiang Cheng, did you know? That program was from a long time ago. So, no matter if it¡¯s their mentality or preferences, people will always change over time. In this world, there has never been anyone who¡¯s stayed the same.¡±

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know this, because my preferences have never changed. The one I like has always been you!¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips slightly curled up as he said this, and there was a look of infatuation in his eyes.

    Lan Jinyao scoffed. ¡°Really? What about Chen Meimei then? She¡¯s looking at you from above!¡±

    As for supernatural beings, if one believed in them, then they existed. Otherwise, they didn¡¯t. Lan Jinyao was thetter. She wasn¡¯t superstitious; she just wanted to make Jiang Cheng feel ufortable. But, to her surprise, Jiang Cheng actually looked up and stared at the sky.

    Lan Jinyao tightly frowned and asked, ¡°Did you see...Chen Meimei?¡±

    Jiang Cheng smiled brightly and responded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve seen her, and she was smiling at me as she gave us her blessings.¡±

    Lan Jinyao suddenly realised that she¡¯d been tricked by him, so she looked away angrily and made her way towards the manor. She didn¡¯t want to stay with that man for even a second.

    ¡°You¡¯re angry again? Anger is bad for your health, and it will easily leave wrinkles behind. For the sake of your youth, you need to smile more.¡±

    Lan Jinyao then angrily responded, ¡°Would you be able tough while facing your enemy? Would you be able tough when you¡¯re not feeling well?¡±

    As soon as her words fell, she walked into the manor. The decorations in the living room were also very bright. It was so bright that it reminded her of the darkness concealed in Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart.

    After looking around for a while, Lan Jinyao suddenly asked, ¡°Which room is yours?¡±

    In response, Jiang Cheng pointed towards the first room upstairs. Thus, Lan Jinyao pointed towards thest room on the ground floor, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take that room!¡±

    Seeing this, Jiang Cheng immediately smiled happily.

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Lan Jinyao strode over and then noticed that Jiang Cheng¡¯s bedroom was actually right next to hers. She had just slightly opened the door, yet she could already see things in there. This didn¡¯t look like an empty room at all.

    She¡¯d been tricked once again. Without another word, she shoved the door open and walked in before closing the door behind her with a loud bang, blocking Jiang Cheng from following.

 Chapter 181 - Acting Warm and Gentle (2)

    <h4>Chapter 181 - Acting Warm and Gentle (2)</h4>

    After Jiang Cheng had brought Lan Jinyao to his manor, she¡¯d immediately called the police that same day. The police officers had rushed to the manor and surrounded Jiang Cheng.

    Lan Jinyao pointed at Jiang Cheng with a cold expression, and said to the armed police officers, ¡°This man has illegally detained me here and won¡¯t let me leave.¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao was sitting on the sofa while Jiang Cheng was wearing a childish apron and cooked in the kitchen, giving off the image of a virtuous man. Right when the police officers barged into the main hall, Jiang Cheng walked out of the kitchen with a spat in his hand. When he saw them, he froze for a moment before putting on an aggrieved expression as he said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to live here, we can move to another estate. There was no need for you to make such a big fuss over it. The police are very busy, so there was really no need to call them over and make them waste their time on this kind of trivial matter.¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression was faultless, and Lan Jinyao had been severely hammered by the police officers instead.

    ¡°Madam, if you call the police over for this kind of trivial matter again, then we¡¯ll have the right to invite you back to the station. As for your family issues, please solve them yourself and don¡¯t waste our precious time!¡±

    When the group of police officers had left, Lan Jinyao had also vaguely heard them say, ¡°Thesemon folks sure have been idletely.¡± Afterwards, she¡¯d red daggers at Jiang Cheng.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression was a littlecent as he said, ¡°Meimei, don¡¯t stare at me like that. I was telling the truth. If you want to leave, you can leave at any time. I didn¡¯t restrain you with a rope, and the main door isn¡¯t locked, so you can go in and out of the manor as you please; you can go anywhere you like.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao could only clench her teeth and remain silent.

    Jiang Cheng had indeed not restained her nor locked her up, and she was free to enter and leave the manor as she wished. However, she was afraid that as soon as she left this ce, a gun would once again be aimed at Fu Bainian!

    He hadn¡¯t restricted her freedom, but he¡¯d gotten ahold of her weakness. How would she dare to act blindly without thinking?

    At this moment, her only wish was for Fu Bainian to notice the danger lurking around him soon, so that he could swiftly destroy this man!

    Soon after, Jiang Cheng had finished preparing dinner. The exquisite dishes were exactly the same as the ones that Lan Jinyao had eaten on the yacht that day. When she saw those dishes, she tightly clenched her hands into fists. The rims of her eyes gradually reddened, and tears started uncontrobly pouring down her cheeks, leaving behind a salty and bitter aftertaste.

    She¡¯d lost her baby all because of these dishes!

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, are you nning to send me off to apany my baby?¡± Lan Jinyao abruptly asked before she stood up and ran outside.

    The dark sky looked like it had been dyed by ck ink; there were no stars, and the moon was invisible. Under that cover of darkness, Lan Jinyao kept running forward until she¡¯d reached the gate in the courtyard. That silver wrought iron gate was like an invisible shackle, imprisoning her inside.

    If she ran away, she¡¯d regain her freedom...but, Fu Bainian¡¯s life would be in danger again.

    If she stayed here, Fu Bainian would remain safe, but she¡¯d continue to suffer endlessly, both physically and mentally.

    Should she run away or stay?

    She was only one step away from regaining her freedom, and as long as she took that step, she¡¯d be free. But, she was unable to take another step forward; she felt as if there was a huge boulder glued to the soles of her feet, making her unable to move.

    Then, she heard the sound of Jiang Cheng¡¯s footsteps unhurriedly approaching her from behind, as if he was taking a stroll around the courtyard. This was the kind of person he was; he¡¯d always had those involved with him in the palm of his hand.

    ¡°You only need to take another step forward, and you¡¯ll be free. But, Lan Jinyao, will you dare to take this step?¡±

    Jiang Cheng stood not far behind her and spoke those words in an indifferent tone, which slowly echoed in her ears. At this moment, she just silently stood there; her entire body was trembling as tears continuously rolled down her cheeks.

    Jiang Cheng then added, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die; I want you to live a healthy life. I swear that I¡¯ll never do anything foolish again.¡±

    Under the dark and heavy clouds in the sky, a raindrop suddenlynded on Lan Jinyao¡¯s face. She looked up and thought: Even the sky was sympathetically crying for her.

    The rain started pouring down faster and heavier on her body, to the point that no one could tell whether she was crying or not anymore.

    Afterwards, Lan Jinyao turned around and shuffled towards the manor once again. As she passed by Jiang Cheng, she saw the disgusting smile stered on his face. There was a sneer tugging at her lips as she softly stated, ¡°Smile as much as you want while you still can. One day, I¡¯ll make sure to send you off to apany my child.¡±

    The hatred eating away at her bones could be felt from her cold words, slowly numbing the smile on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face.

    After speaking, Lan Jinyao moved forward without another nce at him.

    Behind her, Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was very low as he said, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you; waiting for you to finish me off with your own hands. However, before then, you¡¯ll have to stay with me.¡±

    That night, Lan Jinyao slept with the quilt wrapped around her body, yet she still felt cold. It was a kind of coldness that was sent from her heart and had spread along her veins to her limbs.

    She hadn¡¯t closed the curtains beforeying down, so the moment she opened her eyes, she could see a distorted image of world outside from the window.

    The manor was silent except for the ticking of the wall clock. Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao was staring at her view of the courtyard in a daze. After a long while had passed, she finally snapped out of her daze and turned around, her gazending on the clock. It was already past 1 AM in the morning.

    Lan Jinyao then stood up and cautiously opened a drawer beside the bed, taking out a fruit knife she¡¯d previously hidden.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, I won¡¯t let you live for long.¡±

    With her hair down, Lan Jinyao walked barefoot on the cold floor. She held the fruit knife in her hand and had a terrifying look on her face as she moved forward.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s room was beside hers, and he hadn¡¯t locked his door today. He must¡¯ve assumed that she wouldn¡¯t act so rashly.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart ached.

    Lan Jinyao turned the doorknob and slowly walked into his room. Just like the previous night, she proceeded noiselessly.

    The man lying on the bed was sleeping soundly and breathing evenly. Who would¡¯ve thought that such evil and wickedness could be concealed behind that handsome face of his?

    Lan Jinyao then raised the fruit knife in her hand and suddenly started to feel nervous. However,pared to her nervousness, she felt all the more excited because she was finally able to avenge her baby with her own hands. Yet, just as the tip of the knife was about tond on his neck, she abruptly stopped one centimetre away.

    Kill him! Quickly do it!

    However, she was frozen on the spot; her hand couldn¡¯t move at all.

    After what felt like an eternity, Lan Jinyao finally regained her senses and quietly walked out of the room, pretending as if nothing had happened.

    In the quiet room, not long after she¡¯d left, Jiang Cheng slowly opened his eyes with acent smile tugging at his lips.

 Chapter 182 - Acting Warm and Gentle (3)

    <h4>Chapter 182 - Acting Warm and Gentle (3)</h4>

    The onlyndline phone in the manor had been unplugged, and Lan Jinyao¡¯s phone was already nowhere to be found back when she was still on the ind. On the other hand, Jiang Cheng always carried his phone with him while visiting her, but she had no way to touch it.

    It seemed that Jiang Cheng had given her her freedom, but in reality, he¡¯d cut off all the ways in which she couldmunicate with the outside world.

    Lan Jinyao leaned against the sofa while watching TV and she would, asionally, curl into a ball. After a few days, she was so bored that she started to feel that she was bing mouldy from having nothing to do. She practically looked dull and lifeless, as if she¡¯d never seen sunshine before. Her expression was listless, and she didn¡¯t have the energy to do anything; even her eyelids were constantly droopy.

    Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng went to work as usual, and as soon as he did, Lan Jinyao would secretly go out for a stroll in the courtyard. Afterwards, she¡¯d return to the living room and sit there like a well-behaved girl before he was back from work. However, the moment she found out that there were surveince cameras and people following her whenever she went out, she never took a stroll in the courtyard again.

    On that very same day, Li Qi came to visit her.

    Li Qi followed behind Jiang Cheng into the living room. After ncing at her once, Jiang Cheng proceeded to his study. It seemed that he was giving them some privacy to talk. But, when Lan Jinyao looked up and saw the surveince cameras installed in the four corners of the living room, she couldn¡¯t help but let out a cold sneer. In this manor, she¡¯d no longer had any privacy the moment she¡¯d stepped in, so why did Jiang Cheng need to put on such an act? The cameras were so obvious that they were impossible to ignore.

    When Li Qi saw her, there was a look of surprise in his eyes. But, as soon as he sat down on the sofa, that look of shock disappearedpletely.

    ¡°Meimei, I haven¡¯t seen you for only a few days...howe you¡¯ve lost so much weight? You used to be a fatty who was twice my size! Yet, now you look like a toothpick as if you could be blown away any moment with the wind.¡± Li Qi looked at her with a sad look on his face, and then he lowered his voice and whispered, ¡°Is that man mistreating you? If so, I¡¯ll take you away immediately.¡±

    ¡°Jiang Cheng specifically came to look for me today, and at that time I already knew that he was up to no good. You poor thing, how did you end up like this?¡±

    Lan Jinyao coldly humphed before saying, ¡°He didn¡¯t mistreat me physically, but the mental pain he¡¯s caused me is quite severe.¡±

    Seeing Jiang Cheng¡¯s face every single day was torture for her.

    Li Qi patted her on the shoulder and consoled her. ¡°But, this is the path you¡¯ve chosen yourself, so no matter how hard it is, you have to persevere and don¡¯t give others a chance tough at you. The news of your divorce has already spread throughout the entire entertainment industry, and you¡¯ve now beenbelled as having an extramarital affair. I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be able to rid yourself of thisbel for a while.¡±

    ¡°An extramarital affair?¡± Lan Jinyao asked, somewhat puzzled. However, she soon realised that all this must¡¯ve been a part of Jiang Cheng¡¯s scheme because Fu Bainian would never do something like this. As for why Jiang Cheng did this...it was actually quite obvious. It was to leave her with no leeway and, additionally, it was to make her misunderstand Fu Bainian. Jiang Cheng had always been this kind of scheming person.

    ¡°Li Qi, how much do you know about the matters between the three of us?¡± From what she¡¯d heard Li Qi say so far, it seemed that he didn¡¯t know anything and was totally clueless about the current state of affairs.

    Upon hearing this, Li Qi¡¯s sad expression was reced with an embarrassed one as he responded, ¡±Neither too much nor too little...everything that the media knows, I also know.¡±

    Seeing him like this, Lan Jinyao understood that he didn¡¯t know anything. Hence, Jiang Cheng had allowed him toe and visit her.

    ¡°Have you ever considered that what the media knows is not necessarily the truth and that they merely wanted to publish something that can captivate the public¡¯s attention? As for whether it¡¯s the truth, does it matter to them?¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t make her words that obvious. She believed that since Jiang Cheng had brought Li Qi here, he¡¯d already known that she wouldn¡¯t say too much.

    Li Qi, on the other hand, stared at her with a face full of disbelief as he said, ¡°If that¡¯s not the truth, then why are you living together with President Jiang? And, why is it rumoured that your and President Fu¡¯s child is no more?¡±

    At the mention of her child, there was a slight change in Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression.

    ¡°What happened between Fu Bainian and I...we¡¯ll handle this matter ourselves in an appropriate manner. I believe that his thoughts are the same as mine.¡±

    Li Qi half-understood her words and nodded. ¡°Meimei, your words are bing all the more profound these days! And, I don¡¯t quite understand what you¡¯re trying to say.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand. You just need to know that my heart is with Fu Bainian and that I miss him a lot. Did you know that he¡¯s actually a very careless person? Sometimes, when there¡¯s someone stalking him, he¡¯s not even aware of that.¡±

    ¡°Someone is stalking him?¡± The doubts in Li Qi¡¯s eyes deepened as he listened.

    Lan Jinyao said no more because the study¡¯s door suddenly opened, and Jiang Cheng walked out. Upon seeing this, Lan Jinyao immediately said, ¡°Do you know why I lost so much weight?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say earlier that it was because...President Jiang tortures you psychologically?¡±

    Lan Jinyao immediately interrupted him again, ¡°My mood hasn¡¯t been so good these days. I don¡¯t have any work to do, and I can¡¯t go out. Li Qi, if you¡¯re free, you muste more often and keep mepany. It¡¯d be best if you could bring Xiaolin along as she¡¯s a very lively and energised person. You guys can then tell me more about the interesting and fun things that have been happening these few days.¡±

    Xiaolin was, after all, a quick-witted girl. Li Qi was smart, but he wasn¡¯t scrupulous enough.

    ¡°Okay, that girl often reminisces about you in my presence, but I couldn¡¯t reach you at all. Even when I called President Fu, he just indifferently replied that he didn¡¯t know. It was only when President Jiang suddenly came to pay me a visit today that I managed to find you, so I came here right away and didn¡¯t have enough time to call her.¡±

    When Li Qi saw Jiang Chenging over, he immediately asked, ¡°Although Meimei is recuperating at this moment, President Jiang surely wouldn¡¯t mind if I bring someone along with me next time, right? Look at how thin Meimei is now! When I see her like this, my heart aches for her.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng nodded unwillingly. It was quite apparent that he didn¡¯t want to agree to Li Qi¡¯s proposal, but he had no choice but to ept.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s thoughts were filled with the words that Li Qi had said about Fu Bainian¡¯s indifferent attitude towards her. Her expression looked somewhat dazed, but also a bit depressed.

    That day in the hospital, Fu Bainian was obviously very sad when she said those hurtful words to him. Yet, he didn¡¯t even ask her for an exnation and simply turned around and left, walking away neatly, without a trace of hesitation.

    What if Fu Bainian was truly angry with her and didn¡¯t want to hear others mention her anymore? What should she do then? It was all her fault...she couldn¡¯t even protect their child.

    ¡°Li Qi, Meimei needs to rest now, soe again another time!¡± Jiang Cheng sat down next to her and started to shoo Li Qi away.

    Li Qi awkwardly smiled and said, ¡°Okay then, Meimei, I¡¯ll leave first and won¡¯t disturb you further. Rest well.¡±

    Lan Jinyao had initially wanted to chat with Li Qi a bit longer, but Jiang Cheng was sitting beside her, so she said no more and dismissed this thought.

    After Li Qi had left, Jiang Cheng gently asked, ¡°Are you feeling a little happier today? I¡¯ve finally seen you smile. You¡¯ve seemingly not smiled like this for a long time.¡±

    Lan Jinyao had also noticed that she hadn¡¯t smiled for a long time.

    ¡°How do you expect me to smile when I have to look at this face of yours every day?¡±

    After saying this, she stood up and walked towards the courtyard. The sun was currently shining brightly. It seemed that she could make use of its brightness to get rid of the gloom surrounding her.

 Chapter 183 - Acting Warm and Gentle (4)

    <h4>Chapter 183 - Acting Warm and Gentle (4)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t watched the news for a long time, and she didn¡¯t have a phone on her. So, after exhausting herself too much recently, she wanted toy down and rest all day. Her mental state also wasn¡¯t so good. When she stared at the TV screen for just a short while, she¡¯d feel exhausted.

    From the moment Li Qi had left the manor till now, his words kept echoing in Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind, making her heart restless. Taking advantage of the fact that Jiang Cheng was at work, she decided to go to the living room and watch TV. The kind of hot entertainment news, like her divorce, would be broadcast and discussed for several days.

    The news of her divorce had spread throughout the city. No matter which entertainment news channel she switched to, it was all about her and Fu Bainian.

    This kind of news was revealed just before the release of ¡®Twilight¡¯. She could already imagine how terrible the box office sales would be when the timees. Jiang Cheng had said that he loves her, but how was this in any way shape or form considered love? He was practically trying to kill her instead.

    The longer Lan Jinyao watched the news, the angrier she felt, resulting in the remote control smashing when she threw it away ferociously.

    Then, holding back her rage, she returned to her bedroom.

    At night, Lan Jinyao finally managed to fall asleep after a long time had passed, but she couldn¡¯t sleep well; she dreamed of all kinds of strange things, and her brows were tightly furrowed together.

    Lan Jinyao dreamt that Fu Bainian wasying in a pool of blood and he kept staring at her with his eyes wide open; he refused to close them no matter what.

    As a result, Lan Jinyao abruptly woke up from her dream, and as soon as she sat up, she saw Jiang Cheng¡¯s face close to hers; the tips of their noses were nearly touching. Lan Jinyao was still in her dream-like state as she extended her hand and pped him across the face. The ferocious pping sound was ear-piercing as it reverberated in the quiet bedroom.

    Afterwards, Lan Jinyao finally returned to her senses and red at Jiang Cheng as she asked, ¡°What do you want to do?!¡±

    Jiang Cheng held onto his cheek and slowly stood up before faintly replying, ¡°I just heard some shoutsing from your room, so I came to check. It seems that you¡¯ve been having nightmares.¡±

    When Jiang Cheng said these words his tone didn¡¯t carry any hints of anger but sounded very calm instead.

    Lan Jinyao was gasping at this moment, and at the thought of the scenario she¡¯d seen in her dream, she felt fear bubble up in her heart at an rming rate and nearly consume her. She was entirely soaked in cold sweat.

    After a while, Lan Jinyaoy down again and wrapped herself with the warm quilt before coldly stating, ¡°I¡¯m going back to sleep now, please go out.¡±

    However, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t leave. He stood by the bedside and asked in a soft voice, ¡°You were having nightmares just now; what did you dream about? I kept hearing you shout...¡®save me¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Lan Jinyao suddenly opened her eyes and red at him fiercely as she continued, ¡°Then, let me tell you! I dreamed that I was dead and you were the one who caused my death! Now you know why I called for help.¡±

    Upon hearing this, there was a slight change in Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression. He took a few steps back and stared at Lan Jinyao with an astounded look on his face. ¡°How could I possibly cause your death?¡±

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Why not? You were the one who killed my child, so if I upset you, I suspect that one day you¡¯d get rid of me without the slightest bit of hesitation! I heard that people who have deep obsessions are all mentally ill, so how difficult could it be for them to kill someone?¡±

    After saying this, Lan Jinyao closed her eyes again. Her emotions were fluctuating too much, and this wasn¡¯t a good omen because if she continued like this, she¡¯d lose her rationality and she¡¯d be easier to control when that happened. She didn¡¯t want Jiang Cheng to have her in the palm of his hand.

    Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, didn¡¯t speak and the bedroom fell into dead silence.

    After what felt like an eternity, Lan Jinyao heard Jiang Cheng¡¯s footsteps as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

    At this moment, the corner of her lips curved up into a sneer.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, do you want to live in pain, or you want to die immersed in tenderness?¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s murmur echoed in the quiet room.

    The next day, Jiang Cheng acted as if nothing had happened. He was sitting at the dining table when Lan Jinyao walked over and sat down. He just smiled at her with a gentle look in his eyes, without even a trace of ill-feeling.

    Jiang Cheng tactfully passed her his breakfast and then took her portion.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I didn¡¯t poison it,¡± Jiang Cheng smilingly said.

    Lan Jinyao looked up at him, and the corners of her lips curved upwards as she sneered, ¡°Would it matter if you added poison or not? What else can you take away from me but my life?¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, she started digging in. She¡¯d already lost her child, so was there still a need for her to worry about Jiang Cheng drugging her?

    Would the Jiang family feel any shame after getting to know of all the things that Jiang Cheng had done?

    After breakfast, Lan Jinyao wiped her mouth and said, ¡°Jiang Cheng, I want to go out today.¡±

    Without a second thought, Jiang Cheng immediately declined her request with a ¡®no¡¯. Afterwards, he realised what he¡¯d said and tried to exin, ¡°There¡¯s currently a lot of gossips about you out there. If you go out now, you¡¯ll undoubtedly attract the media¡¯s attention.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of all the awful things the media is writing about me. But, I won¡¯t get angry because I know that what they wrote is the truth.¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s emotions stirred upon hearing this, and he said, ¡°You clearly know that that¡¯s far from the truth.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao smiled. ¡°Okay, in that case...I¡¯ll go out today and clear things up.¡±

    At this moment, she keenly detected that Jiang Cheng had let out of sigh of relief.

    There was still hope!

    ¡°It would be even better if you could invite some reporters over.¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s cloudy expression brightened as he asked, ¡°Are you asking me to help you?¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t respond; she simply stood up and walked into the courtyard outside. It had been raining these days, and the weather had finally cleared up today. The air was filled with the scent of some kind of flowers, which could alleviate one¡¯s mood.

    Jiang Cheng followed her out, and before Lan Jinyao could say another word, he said, ¡°Okay, fine. I¡¯ll help you arrange a press conference.¡±

    Lan Jinyao looked up at the sun in the sky and felt the haziness in her heart vanishpletely.

    Even if Li Qi didn¡¯t convey her words, the reporters would help her express her thoughts to Fu Bainian.

    In the entertainment industry, reporters loved to add details to their stories before conveying them to the audience. A good piece of news could always be changed beyond recognition in their hands, and today, she wanted precisely this kind of oue.

    Lan Jinyao inwardly thought: Fu Bainian, after you¡¯ve seen the news, you must take care of the danger lurking behind you as soon as possible. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.

 Chapter 184 - Acting Warm and Gentle (5)

    <h4>Chapter 184 - Acting Warm and Gentle (5)</h4>

    The press conference was held in the gymnasium, which could amodate at least five thousand people. Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng had managed to fill up such an ample space. When Lan Jinyao scanned the audience, she suppressed the inkling of joy that was bubbling up in her heart and stared at the reporter off the stage in a calm andposed manner.

    The moment she stepped on the stage, countless shes were sighted.

    Lan Jinyao quietly clenched her hands into fists. At this moment, while facing all those cameras off the stage, she felt as if she was facing Fu Bainian instead. She directly stared at those lenses without blinking once.

    ¡°Thank you all so much foring today!¡±

    Jiang Cheng had actually arranged this press conference with great fanfare. Could it be that he wasn¡¯t afraid of alerting the Jiang family? Would the Jiang family allow a divorced woman, who was also an actress, to stay by his side?

    Lan Jinyao unhurriedly continued, ¡°Recently, some false rumours and news reports have been circting on the inte, and these have greatly affected my personal life, so I am here today to rify the situation in front of all of you. Fu Bainian and I divorced long ago. As for why we divorced, I don¡¯t want to talk about it. What I want to say now is that I don¡¯t regret the fact that I once loved this man.¡±

    Before she¡¯d finished her words, a reporter immediately interrupted and asked, ¡°You stressed the words ¡®you once loved him¡¯, so what about now?¡±

    Lan Jinyao slightly smiled and responded, ¡°Whether I still love him or not is not my call. This entirely depends on Fu Bainian¡¯s understanding.¡± If Fu Bainian saw the news, he¡¯d certainly understand. Of course, that was only if Fu Bainian still had faith in her.

    ¡°As for the rumours going around regarding my ambiguous rtionship with President Jiang, I hereby officially announce that we¡¯re currently dating.¡±

    At this moment, the camera shes suddenly became more intense. Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze then shifted to Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction. He was smiling at her as their gazes met.

    ¡°Actually, there is something else I¡¯d like to announce as well. My new movie ¡®Twilight¡¯ will be released soon, and I hope for everyone to pay close attention to it when the timees.¡±

    As for this movie, both she and Chen Zetao had high expectations for it.

    Once the press conference was over, Lan Jinyao followed behind Jiang Cheng and left through a private passageway. To her surprise, she actually ran into Chen Zetao as soon as she left the gymnasium.

    Chen Zetao was wearing a ck suit and a pair of ck sunsses. He looked like someone from the underworld. When he strode over, Lan Jinyao could seemingly sense the anger contained in his eyes. However, since Chen Zetao was wearing a pair of sunsses, Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t sure whether he was angry or not.

    ¡°President Jiang, can I talk to Meimei alone for a moment?¡±

    As Chen Zetao had bluntly asked this question, Jiang Cheng certainly wouldn¡¯t agree to this request. So, before Jiang Cheng could answer, Lan Jinyao quickly said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have a quick talk then. Jiang Cheng, you can go back first.¡±

    It seemed that Jiang Cheng was in a particrly good mood now that she¡¯d openly admitted to their rtionship in front of the media. This was a request that he wouldn¡¯t usually ept, but he actually didn¡¯t say anything this time.

    ¡°Then, be careful on your own. When you¡¯re ready to go home, just give me a call.¡±

    Jiang Cheng extended his hand to her forehead and tucked her hair behind her ear. Lan Jinyao subconsciously wanted to avoid his touch, but when she saw Chen Zetao standing there, she held herself back.

    Jiang Cheng then left in a happy mood. Lan Jinyao suddenly felt that Jiang Cheng was a person who¡¯d be easily satisfied as long as others followed his demands. He¡¯d be very happy as long as one did things ording to his wishes, and he wouldn¡¯t care even if someone said horrible things to him when that happened. If only the one he liked was an ordinary girl, he might¡¯ve been very happy. At least, he¡¯d be much happier than he was now.

    Lan Jinyao stopped in front of a teahouse and asked Chen Zetao, ¡°Do you like tea?¡±

    A rxed person like Chen Zetao must certainly like this kind of ancient-looking teahouse.

    Sure enough, Chen Zetao nodded and went in with her. As soon as they stepped inside, the intense fragrance of tea assaulted their senses. Lan Jinyao took a sniff and felt refreshed.

    When she opened her eyes, she saw Chen Zetao frowning at her with an iprehensible look in his eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Chen Zetao¡¯s gaze gave her a peculiar feeling.

    Lan Jinyao found a spot and sat down, but Chen Zetao¡¯s gaze remained the same as he stared at her.

    She extended her finger and waved it in front of him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re still worried about our movie¡¯s box office sales? Don¡¯t worry, the results won¡¯t be that bad.¡±

    ¡°Meimei!¡± Chen Zetao abruptly looked at her with a solemn expression and called her name with a somber tone.

    Lan Jinyao was stunned for a moment before she smiled and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Could it be that he was worried about her rtionship with Jiang Cheng? If so, then Chen Zetao was worrying too much!

    ¡°Meimei, you didn¡¯t like to drink tea in the past. You used to say that drinking tea consumes the fat that you¡¯ve umted, so you never drank tea nor took diet pills. But, now you¡¯ve really changed a lot, and I almost couldn¡¯t recognise you anymore.¡±

    Lan Jinyao listened to Chen Zetao and almost burst intoughter. It turned out that Chen Meimei was so fat for a reason. She was right; tea would consume the fat umted in the body. It seemed that Chen Meimei had really wanted to stay a fatty for the rest of her life. She¡¯d lost all that fat now. If Chen Meimei was still alive, wouldn¡¯t she beat her to death for losing it all?

    ¡°Fu Bainian likes it better when I¡¯m skinnier. I used to be so fat that he never took a second nce at me. Now that I¡¯m skinnier, he certainly can¡¯t live without me anymore, right? So, it was better to stay skinny. As for me liking tea now, it was all thanks to his influence.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t even notice her eyes glowing and her tone elerating at the mention of Fu Bainian. Even the smile tugging at her lips was mesmerising.

    After taking a sip of tea, Chen Zetao nodded and said, ¡°It turned out to be Fu Bainian¡¯s influence; no wonder you¡¯ve changed so much.¡±

    Lan Jinyao hurriedly nodded, and in order to not let the cat out of the bag, she wanted to change the topic as soon as possible.

    However, before she¡¯d managed to do so, Chen Zetao had already changed the topic. It was just that the new topic was worse.

    ¡°In that case, if you like Fu Bainian so much, then why would you fall in love with someone else? The Chen Meimei I know has always been an affectionate and righteous person. The truth is, you still love Fu Bainian, right?¡±

    At this point, Lan Jinyao was rendered speechless. In fact, she understood what Chen Zetao was trying to say. Chen Zetao actually wanted to ask her, ¡®Since Jiang Cheng had gotten a chance, then why hadn¡¯t he gotten one?¡¯

    This question was actually very easy to answer; it was because she wasn¡¯t Chen Meimei. Due to this, it was impossible for her to give Chen Zetao, who only had eyes for Chen Meimei, a chance because it would be unfair to him. However, she really couldn¡¯t say this to his face.

    ¡°I already answered this question at the press conference earlier.¡±

    She had to find an excuse and quickly leave. Even though Jiang Cheng had set his mind at rest and had allowed her to chat with Chen Zetao, he must¡¯ve sent someone to follow her secretly.

    She swept a nce around her surroundings and noticed that several people were acting suspiciously.

 Chapter 185 - Acting Warm and Gentle (6)

    <h4>Chapter 185 - Acting Warm and Gentle (6)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao knew exactly what Chen Zetao wanted to say next, and immediately interrupted him. Jiang Cheng was an extremely scheming and resourceful person, so if she¡¯d really said something to Chen Zetao today and those people had reported everything to Jiang Cheng, then he would¡¯ve surely been able to guess what she had nned.

    ¡°Director Chen, you also know that,tely, I haven¡¯t been feeling well and I fall ill easily. I¡¯m already exhausted now, so I want to go back and rest.¡±

    Chen Zetao chased after her, unwilling to give up. ¡°Once we came back after wrapping up the film, you disappeared without a trace. President Fu was so worried that he had even called the police. However, when the police questioned himter, he simply said that he¡¯d made a mistake. Then, were you actually kidnapped, or did he really make a mistake? The two of you were clearly still affectionate before and during your stay on the ind. Yet, the moment you both left, things turned out like this. You guys left the night we were having the wrap party, without waiting for, or notifying the crew. I want you to give me a proper exnation.¡±

    This chain of questioning had caught Lan Jinyao off guard.

    She then said with a voice carrying a hint of coldness, ¡°If you want an answer, then you should go ask Fu Bainian and not me!¡±

    As soon she finished speaking, a man passed by, and a cup of hot tea was abruptly spilled on her arm. Lan Jinyao subconsciously let out a shriek in response. Upon seeing this, the man immediately bowed his head and apologised. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that. The cup slipped out of my hand.¡±

    Fortunately, the tea wasn¡¯t hot, or else she¡¯d have been burned.

    After offering his apologies, the man lowered his head and scurried out of the teahouse.

    Lan Jinyao stared at the entrance for a short while before she stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got to go now.¡±

    Chen Zetao also stood up and nervously asked, ¡°Are you all right?¡±

    The skin on her arm had turned somewhat red and was slightly painful at first, but it didn¡¯t hurt anymore.

    ¡±I¡¯m fine; don¡¯t worry.¡±

    She then took her handbag and walked out of the teahouse. Watching her departing figure, Chen Zetao stubbornly said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll certainly ask Fu Bainian for an exnation. Meimei, I want to know exactly what you¡¯ve been through; I¡¯m truly worried about you.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao halted her steps for a moment, but she didn¡¯t turn around. Instead, she once again started walking away.

    Chen Zetao had better do as he¡¯d said and seek out Fu Bainian for an answer. This way, Fu Bainian could think things through again.

    Half an hourter, Lan Jinyao had finally arrived home. Initially, travelling from the teahouse to the manor only took a few minutes by car, but she¡¯d dilly-dallied, and it had taken her half an hour instead.

    Jiang Cheng was sitting on the sofa, and there was a man standing in front of him with his head lowered. Although the man had changed into a different set of clothes, Lan Jinyao still recognised him. He was the man who¡¯d ¡®identally¡¯ spilled tea on her in the teahouse.

    ¡°Come here!¡± Jiang Cheng softly beckoned her over without any hint of emotion on his face.

    Lan Jinyao conceded and quickly walked over to his side. She hadn¡¯t said anything out of the ordinary to Chen Zetao today, so even if she had to face Jiang Cheng right now, she could do so with a clear conscience.

    ¡°How did your day go? Do you feel better now?¡± asked Jiang Cheng, his voice suddenly warmer.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt slightly puzzled because she thought that something was about to happen, but she couldn¡¯t quite grasp what was running through Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind. Even if she looked him in the eyes, she couldn¡¯t see anything. His gaze was dark and profound, seemingly containing a lot of hidden thoughts and feelings.

    Lan Jinyao quietly responded, ¡°Yes, especially after going out and meeting other people.¡±

    She¡¯d made sure to entuate the words ¡®other people¡¯, stressing that she was almost bored to death for staying in the manor for too long. But, Jiang Cheng acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard that part and simply nodded his head.

    Following that, Jiang Cheng grasped her hand and held it in his. Her fair skin, which had been slightly scalded, was still a little bit red. Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about it, but Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, instantly frowned upon noticing.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    Seeing the seemingly heartbroken expression in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes, Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up into a cold smile. There were currently no outsiders here, so for who was he putting on this show? Back then, he¡¯d drugged her without the slightest bit of hesitation, and he¡¯d also seen her wail in pain with his own eyes at the hospital. Howe she hadn¡¯t seen him show any trace of heartache then?

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m not that delicate!¡± Lan Jinyao said as she held back her anger.

    At this moment, she¡¯d already calmed down. Blindly angering Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t a rational thing to do, so she¡¯d decided to change her approach this time. Besides, Jiang Cheng seemed to like her acting in an amicable manner.

    ¡°You¡¯re fine with it, but my heart aches for you when I see it. I¡¯ve already found the man who hurt you and brought him here. How do you want to punish him?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice gradually darkened as he spoke.

    It was then that Lan Jinyao noticed that there was a fruit knife on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Straight after, Jiang Cheng leaned over to pick it up and held it in his hand.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need!¡± Lan Jinyao coldly replied.

    No matter what that man had done, she believed that it was allmitted under Jiang Cheng¡¯smand. If he were punished now in front of her, then in the future, she¡¯d be the one to bear all the usations. But, if she didn¡¯t punish him, then it would seem as if she¡¯d forgiven Jiang Cheng. If she wanted to pursue the matter of Jiang Cheng sending someone to follow her further, then it would be equivalent to pping her own face.

    Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t want to witness a bloody scene.

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± asked Jiang Cheng, one more time.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao no longer wanted to answer his questions; she merely looked away and walked towards her bedroom. As for what the future entailed, she didn¡¯t care anymore. She¡¯d just take things a step at a time.

    While Lan Jinyao wasying in bed, she felt somewhat nervous. She was looking forward to seeing what kind of decision Fu Bainian would make. Chen Zetao was a man of action, so he¡¯d surely look for Fu Bainian today. As long as Fu Bainian dealt with the potential danger lurking around him, then she¡¯d be able to avenge her child, fair and square.

    That night, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t manage to fall asleep even after tossing and turning for a long time. When she looked at the time, it was already around ten o¡¯clock. She was worried that what the reporters had recorded at the press conference would be tampered with by Jiang Cheng before it was broadcasted, so she got up and walked back to the living room to watch TV. She assumed that Jiang Cheng was still awake, but he didn¡¯te out of his room.

    Lan Jinyao only felt relieved after she¡¯d watched the news broadcast on all the news channels. Afterwards, she went back to her bedroom with a smile stered on her face.

    This time, after being reassured, Lan Jinyao finally managed to close her eyes. However, this evening was destined to be a chaotic night.

    It was around one o¡¯clock in the morning that Lan Jinyao awoke with a start when she¡¯d felt the presence of a dark shadow lurking in front of the bed. Thest time this had happened, she¡¯d clearly seen Jiang Cheng¡¯s face and had pped him. At this thought, Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but sneer in her heart. Jiang Cheng had the habit of visiting her room at night; how despicable!

    However, in the next second, she froze.

 Chapter 186 - Acting Warm and Gentle (7)

    <h4>Chapter 186 - Acting Warm and Gentle (7)</h4>

    That person grasped Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand and held it in his. His touch felt different from Jiang Cheng¡¯s; it gave her a sense of ease and security.

    The heat from his warm fingertips flowed all the way to her heart. At this instant, Lan Jinyao felt that this was the most reassuring moment she¡¯d ever encountered. The person standing in front of her was actually Fu Bainian, not Jiang Cheng.

    After confirming that it was Fu Bainian in the darkness, Lan Jinyao immediately sat up from the bed and pounced on him, hugging him tightly. Emotions welled up in her heart, and her tears started to silently fall down her face.

    Fu Bainian froze in ce when Lan Jinyao¡¯s tears stained his shoulder. He then extended his hand and gently touched her cheek. The moisture he felt at his fingertips made him unable to control his emotions, and he trembled all over.

    ¡°Jinyao, please don¡¯t cry!¡± Fu Bainian brokenly whispered.

    However, Lan Jinyao shook her head and cried even harder instead. She buried her face in Fu Bainian¡¯s chest, and her shoulders shook uncontrobly as she tried to stifle her sobs.

    Fu Bainian, he...he¡¯d understood her hint and hade to find her.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, do you know that Jiang Cheng wants you dead? How dare youe here alone? Aren¡¯t you afraid that he¡¯s quietly waiting for you to make an appearance here?¡±

    She recalled how shrewd Jiang Cheng was and couldn¡¯t help but tremble in fear. If that man knew that Fu Bainian had openly broken into his manor tonight, then the consequences would be dire.

    But, before she could continue, Fu Bainian suddenly sealed her lips with a kiss. He only let go of her after a long time, when they were both out of breath. At this moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s cheeks were flushed as she panted for air.

    Fu Bainian chuckled and said, ¡°Your skills are still so sloppy! Wait until we¡¯re home and we can practice some more!¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, it¡¯s dangerous, okay?!¡± Lan Jinyao flew into a rage due to her shame.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t seem to care at all and brisklyughed. ¡°It¡¯s okay; it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve missed you dearly. Jinyao, hang in there and just endure it a bit longer. I¡¯ve already dealt with the assassins that Jiang Cheng hired. Wait a few more days, until I¡¯ve dealt with Jiang Cheng, and then I¡¯lle to get you.¡±

    Currently, Fu Bainian¡¯s voice sounded so cold and ruthless that it could make one shiver with fear.

    Lan Jinyao tightened her grasp on his hand, and threateningly said, ¡°Fu Bainian, I don¡¯t care how you n to deal with Jiang Cheng, but you must remember to protect yourself; you¡¯re not allowed to get hurt.¡±

    Fu Bainian conceded and whispered, ¡°I promise you that I¡¯ll take care of myself, but you must also promise me that you won¡¯t give Jiang Cheng a chance to hurt you. I want you to stay well while waiting for my return.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect myself well!¡± the rims of Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes reddened as she responded.

    That man had done too many horrible things to her. One day, she¡¯d let him pay the price for all that he¡¯d done! However, before that, she¡¯d live well. Even if she had to act, she¡¯d live on.

    ¡°Jinyao, I need to leave now. Remember not to piss off that man...everyone in the Jiang family is crazy.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and watched Fu Bainian leave through the window. Hended in the courtyard, and then swiftly advanced; his figure disappearing into the darkness of the night. She remained on the bed and embraced herself as a cool breeze blew over from the window.

    She felt cold, but she stubbornly refused to close the window. This way, she could seemingly watch over Fu Bainian a little bit longer, even though his departing figure had long disappeared.

    Then, the bedroom door suddenly flew open, and Jiang Cheng strode in. At this instant, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart leapt to her throat.

    She frowned, and asked in a voice filled with displeasure, ¡°What are you doing here sote?¡±

    Jiang Cheng had aplicated look on his face as he stared in her direction. His piercing gaze was fixated on the window behind her, so Lan Jinyao almost thought that he¡¯d found out about Fu Bainian¡¯s visit.

    After a while, Jiang Cheng finally withdrew his gaze and exined, ¡°I just came to check on you because you¡¯ve not been sleeping welltely. Aren¡¯t you cold with the window open like this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not winter, so how could it be cold?¡± she coldly retorted. But, as soon as her words left her mouth, she immediately regretted it. Fu Bainian was right; she shouldn¡¯t confront Jiang Cheng head-on because she was currently in an extremely disadvantageous position.

    ¡°It¡¯s already sote, so why aren¡¯t you asleep yet? Aren¡¯t you tired from work?¡±

    Lan Jinyao tried her best to sound concerned about him, but her voice came out t instead, without a trace of emotion.

    However, Jiang Cheng seemed to be particrly happy after hearing her questions. ¡°No matter how tired I am from work, I don¡¯t feel tired anymore when I see you. Meimei, everything that I¡¯ve done is so that I can stay by your side. Do you understand?¡±

    Lan Jinyao remained silent; she didn¡¯t know how to answer him. She really wanted to say: You want to stay by my side? But, I don¡¯t want to stay by yours! How I wish I could stay as far away as possible from you.

    ¡°Meimei, I¡¯ll find a way to get rid of anyone who hinders us from being together, no matter who it is!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao remained stunned for a moment before hurriedly saying, ¡°I want to sleep now, so you should hurry back and rest!¡±

    Afterwards, she turned and closed the window. Even though it was dark in the room, she could still sense the chill that was being emitted from Jiang Cheng¡¯s body at this moment.

    ¡°Good night!¡±

    Jiang Cheng then turned around and walked out of the room. As soon as he¡¯d left, Lan Jinyao immediately heaved a sigh of relief. From the moment Jiang Cheng had brought her back until now, he¡¯d let her live alone in a room and had never forced her. But, Lan Jinyao inwardly knew that he was just putting on an appearance. His perseverance was surely amazing as he liked to patiently hide in the dark while waiting for an opportunity to strike.

    At this moment, she could sense that Jiang Cheng¡¯s patience was almost at its limit.

    That night, Lan Jinyao slept soundly. She only woke up when it was nine in the morning, and the moment she opened her eyes, she shed a bright smile.

    What had happenedst night wasn¡¯t a dream. Fu Bainian had reallye to check on her.

    It was a sunny morning, so as soon as Lan Jinyao had finished washing up, she went downstairs to have breakfast. Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng was still waiting for her. Upon seeing him, Lan Jinyao beamed a smile at him for the first time; she even greeted him with a ¡®good morning¡¯.

    Jiang Cheng looked at her in shock and asked, ¡°In a good mood today?¡±

    ¡°Yup, because I had a nice dream yesterday! I dreamt that the box office sales for ¡®Twilight¡¯ had surpassed 100 million dors!¡±

    For this kind of non-mainstream and nonmercial film to surpass 100 million dors, it was indeed an unbelievable and unprecedented achievement. Thus, when Lan Jinyao made up this lie, it didn¡¯t sound out of sorts at all.

    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Cheng also smiled and added, ¡°That¡¯s indeed a dream worth being happy about! I¡¯ll surely make it a reality.¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t say another word afterwards. What she truly wanted wasn¡¯t some falsified sales figures manipted by someone.

    After they¡¯d finished breakfast, it was already half past nine. Usually, around this time, Jiang Cheng would already be at work, so Lan Jinyao casually asked, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to work today?¡±

    Jiang Cheng was seemingly in a good mood as he happily replied, ¡°No, today I¡¯ll go shopping with you, and tomorrow you must apany me to a dinner party.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the smile tugging at Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips abruptly stiffened.

    If he wanted her to apany him to a dinner party, then...wouldn¡¯t they run into Fu Bainian?

 Chapter 187 - Acting Warm and Gentle (8)

    <h4>Chapter 187 - Acting Warm and Gentle (8)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao had thought that what Jiang Cheng wanted to do was provoke Fu Bainian when they ran into him at the dinner party. However, they unexpectedly ran into him much earlier, at the shopping mall.

    This encounterpletely caught Lan Jinyao off guard. She recognised Fu Bainian at a nce and halted her steps.

    Beside Fu Bainian stood an unfamiliar person; that must be Fu Bainian¡¯s femalepanion for tomorrow¡¯s dinner party. The woman looked quite happy as she browsed through the clothing racks, but Fu Bainian, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem interested at all. He was leaning against the counter as he stared at his phone, seemingly looking through his work emails.

    Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression was permeated with malice as he smilingly asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going in? Could it be that you¡¯re not happy seeing Fu Bainian with another woman? Meimei, don¡¯t forget; you¡¯re already divorced.¡±

    Lan Jinyao suppressed the anger in her heart before beaming. ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯re already divorced, so what¡¯s there for me to be unhappy about?¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go in! The clothes from this store aren¡¯t bad.¡± Jiang Cheng firmly seized her hand and dragged her into the store.

    ¡°Bainian, look! Does this one look good on me?¡± the woman coquettishly asked as she held the dress in front of her.

    Fu Bainian lifted his head and indifferently replied, ¡°It¡¯s good as long as you like it.¡±

    His gaze thennded on Lan Jinyao. As their eyes met, Lan Jinyao felt that Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes had suddenly lit up. He put his phone away and walked towards her. ¡°You¡¯re shopping for clothes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Jiang Cheng has asked me to apany him to a dinner party, so I¡¯m here to buy a dress!¡± Lan Jinyao answered with a smile as if she¡¯d just bumped into an old friend.

    She was a great actress, so acting like this looked extremely genuine. In fact, when she was performing alongside a loved one, she could specifically showcase her best acting skills.

    Fu Bainian indifferently nodded at her, then turned to Jiang Cheng as he provokingly said, ¡°Do you know what kind of clothing suits her best?¡±

    Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t willing to back down, and challengingly responded, ¡°No matter what Meimei wears, she¡¯ll definitely look better than the person beside you.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± The woman angrily pointed at Jiang Cheng, her expression ashen as she retorted, ¡°How can this womanpare with me?! I¡¯m the one that President Fu currently likes, and she¡¯s just someone who President Fu abandoned.¡±

    Herst few words triggered the pent-up rage in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart. She looked at the woman with a cold expression as she angrily asked, ¡°Say that again? What did you mean by saying ¡®someone President Fu abandoned¡¯?¡±

    The woman smiledcently, and cheekily replied, ¡°I meant exactly that!¡±

    Lan Jinyao then red at Fu Bainian. Did he always have to find the kind of woman who liked to walk all over people? Yin Yun was like that, and now there was this woman.

    ¡°Although President Fu¡¯s taste is terrible, it doesn¡¯t mean that everyone shares the same preferences. Look at you! Your breasts are so big that they¡¯re about to touch your chin; they must be...fake, right?¡±

    As expected of Jiang Cheng¡¯s poisonous tongue! He¡¯d only said one sentence, and the woman¡¯s fairplexion had instantly turned red with outrage. However, what he¡¯d said was the truth, so the woman was unable to refute him.

    Then, Fu Bainian finally spoke, ¡°You¡¯re indeed notparable to Chen Meimei!¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, you can¡¯t treat me like this!¡±

    However, Fu Bainian had already turned around and was now walking away. The woman quickly threw the clothes in her hands to the shop assistant and hurriedly followed him out.

    Lan Jinyao stared at Fu Bainian''s departing figure, and the corners of her lips arched upwards.

    ¡°Are you happy?¡± asked Jiang Cheng with an iprehensible expression.

    Lan Jinyao nced at him, and said, ¡°Of course, I am. After all, you praised me in front of them, while Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t said a word of praise to his femalepanion.¡±

    As long as she was willing to, she could make Jiang Cheng the happiest man on earth.

    When Jiang Cheng heard her say this, his eyes lit up, and he revealed a faint smile as he said, ¡°Quickly, go and pick out your outfit!¡±

    The next evening, Jiang Cheng was splendidly dressed as he waited for her by the door. When Lan Jinyao saw him, she suddenly saw an after-image as if the one standing in front of her was Fu Bainian. In fact, the brand of clothing that Jiang Cheng was wearing was one of Fu Bainian¡¯s favourites, and when he wore this outfit, the air he gave off was simr to Fu Bainian¡¯s. However, if Fu Bainian were to wear the same outfit, he¡¯d undoubtedly look more handsome in it.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for us to go.¡± Jiang Cheng turned and beamed a gentle smile at her when he saw her walk out in her evening gown.

    Lan Jinyao smiled back at him, and she then hooked her arms around Jiang Cheng¡¯s before they advanced to the gate. The car was already waiting for them there.

    Her warm attitude made Jiang Cheng lower his guard around her; even his gaze appeared more rxed now.

    Jiang Cheng, just continue like this and slowly sink into oblivion. In the end, you¡¯ll be knocked down by Fu Bainian.

    At the dinner party, a smile was stered on Lan Jinyao¡¯s face as she stood beside Jiang Cheng. It seemed as if she didn¡¯t care about the weird looks people were giving her.

    ¡°You look stunning tonight!¡± Jiang Cheng leaned in and intimately whispered in her ear.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s smile widened as she nodded. ¡°Of course! Chen Meimei¡¯splexion was fair, to begin with, and she was also tall; it¡¯s just that she used to be a fatty. However, since I took over her body and slimmed down, I must say that I now look stunning.¡±

    Amidst the boisterous crowd, she spotted Fu Bainian at a nce. So, she casually asked, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t mind me going over there to have a talk with my ex-husband, right?¡±

    In fact, it didn¡¯t matter whether he agreed or not. Since Jiang Cheng had brought her here, he must¡¯ve known that Fu Bainian was also attending. Otherwise, he would have preferred it if she stayed at home.

    ¡°If I said that I minded, would you still go?¡± asked Jiang Cheng in response.

    Lan Jinyao thought: Even if you did, I¡¯d still go over!

    However, what came out of her mouth was, ¡°If you truly mind, then I won¡¯t go.¡±

    Actually, Jiang Cheng was only ying mind games with her. Even if he minded, there was nothing he could do. He was the one who¡¯d brought her here and let her face Fu Bainian.

    ¡°Go ahead and have a look at your ex-husband!¡± Jiang Cheng entuated the word ¡®ex-husband¡¯ as he revealed a dangerous smile.

    Fu Bainian saw her approaching and raised the winess in his hand as if he was celebrating. Lan Jinyao also brought a ss of red wine along as she walked towards him.

    ¡°Look, this is the ideal example of a sessful woman. As soon as she¡¯s divorced, she¡¯s already hooked up with someone else. Moreover, her ex-husband still seems to be in love with her.¡±

    ¡°Actors sure are heartless. It was all thanks to President Jiang that she even managed to get a chance to attend a dinner party like this!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    There were a lot of discussions going on around her, but she didn¡¯t care at all, and the smile on her face never faltered.

    It was like she could only see and hear Fu Bainian. Fu Bainian wouldn¡¯t raise his ss to her for no reason. She could easily guess that this signified Fu Bainian¡¯s victory. He was about to tighten the!

    In that case, she¡¯d be able to escape from that devil¡¯s clutches soon!

    The smile tugging at Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips suddenly widened.

    As soon as Jiang Cheng realised that she¡¯d only put on a warm and gentle facade for him to see, his illusions would be shattered. When that time came, the only feeling remaining in his heart would be devastation.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice then reverberated in her ear, ¡°Chen Meimei, you sure look delighted tonight.¡±

    Lan Jinyao fearlessly looked at him and replied, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m happy. Do you know how long it¡¯s been since Ist attended this kind of party?¡±

    In fact, she didn¡¯t like these types kind of parties, so she¡¯d lied.

 Chapter 188 - Filled With Doubts (1)

    <h4>Chapter 188 - Filled With Doubts (1)</h4>

    Even when Lan Jinyao had arrived home, she still looked as cheerful as before, and she would subconsciously hum a song from time to time. The dark cloud that had been hovering over her head for many days seemed to have disappeared and was instantly reced with a ray of brilliant sunshine.

    While on the contrary, Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression looked somewhat gloomy. He sat down on the sofa and coldly asked, ¡°You sure look happy. Is it because I took you out? Or, is it because you saw a certain person who you¡¯ve longed to see for a long time?¡±

    Lan Jinyao yed down her excitement and yfully answered with a question, ¡°Hmm, what do you think? Am I happy because of the former or thetter?¡±

    ¡°I believe it¡¯s the former!¡± Jiang Cheng finally said after a long moment of silence, a smile resurfacing on his face.

    Lan Jinyao inwardly sneered and thought: You must be kidding! You¡¯re merely deceiving yourself.

    Jiang Cheng then turned on the TV and started watching the news. Lan Jinyao nced at the TV for a moment, seemingly disinterested, before she turned around and walked towards her bedroom. The moment she tried to open the door, she realised that her door had been locked. She turned the doorknob several times, but all to no avail.

    The door must¡¯ve been locked by someone when she went out!

    Lan Jinyao frowned, and then returned to the living room. She stood in front of Jiang Cheng and stared at him with a condescending look as she asked, ¡°Were you the one who locked the door of my bedroom?¡±

    If it couldn¡¯t be opened from the outside, then there were only two possibilities. One option was that there was someone in her room, and the door was locked from the inside. The other one was that someone had locked the door with a key from the outside. She didn¡¯t believe that it was the first possibility.

    Jiang Cheng looked up at her and answered, ¡°Yes, I was the one who locked it.¡±

    ¡°Then, where am I supposed to stay tonight?¡± Lan Jinyao asked angrily before a thought suddenly shed in her mind. Her eyes instantly lit up, and she asked, ¡°Could it be that you...you¡¯ve decided to set me free?¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, she thought that that likelihood was out of the question. Jiang Cheng had threatened her to stay with him for so long already, so how could he possibly let her go so easily?

    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± she asked again.

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips slightly curled up as he replied, ¡°You¡¯re staying in my room, of course. Meimei, don¡¯t forget; there¡¯s always a limit to someone¡¯s patience, and I don¡¯t want to continue waiting for you for an indefinite time.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes instantly widened and she eximed, ¡°What did you say? You want me to stay with you?!¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt fear clutching at her heart. If Jiang Cheng wanted to use force, she was no match for him at all.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. In fact, did it never cross your mind that I¡¯d make such a request one day? Meimei, I¡¯ve been feeling restlesstely. I feel that I¡¯m about to lose you, and this feeling is growing stronger by the minute. I really don¡¯t want to lose you as you¡¯re my only warmth in this world.¡±

    Then, suddenly, Lan Jinyao eximed excitedly, ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve actually never considered this issue. I¡¯ve never belonged to you, so I¡¯ve never contemted you losing me or vice versa.¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression instantly darkened after hearing all that.

    Seeing that he was on the verge of exploding, Lan Jinyao hurriedly said, ¡°Jiang Cheng, consider it as doing me a favour. If you really want to spend your whole life with me, then you have to give me time to forget the wounds of my past. You might not know this, but every time I see you, I¡¯m reminded of my child, and my heart hurts. Do you know how sad I am? Sniff...¡±

    Her shoulders shook as she sobbed; she looked extremely aggrieved.

    However, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t fall for her act this time.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re upset, but what can I do? What¡¯s done is done, and I have never regretted my decision. You asked me to give you time, but I know that even if I gave you a lifetime, you would never fall in love with me. So, why waste any more time? I¡¯m afraid that if I dy any longer, Fu Bainian wille and take you away from me.¡±

    Jiang Cheng stood up and grabbed her arm before picking her up horizontally.

    ¡°Tonight, you¡¯ll sleep in my room!¡±

    This time, Lan Jinyao shed genuine tears, and her tears stained Jiang Cheng¡¯s shirt on their way back to his room. Seeing her like this, Jiang Cheng tightly furrowed his eyebrows and gently said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore, I won¡¯t touch you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao immediately stopped crying and stared at him with teary eyes. ¡°Really?¡±

    Jiang Cheng nodded with a solemn expression.

    Lan Jinyao immediately said, ¡°Then, quickly put me down, and I¡¯ll go back to my room and sleep!¡±

    However, Jiang Cheng refused to let go, and said, ¡°We¡¯ll sleep together tonight.¡±

    A minuteter, Lan Jinyao was dumped in Jiang Cheng¡¯s bedroom, which was situated next to hers. Lan Jinyao then saw that there was a massive monitor in Jiang Cheng¡¯s room. On the monitor, there were split screens showing live feeds from several cameras aimed at every nook and cranny of the manor.

    After noticing this, Lan Jinyao red at the ss door of the bathroom and yelled, ¡°Jiang Cheng, are you crazy? I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯d put the surveince monitor in your bedroom.¡±

    Thest time she¡¯d entered this room, she hadn¡¯t seen this surveince monitor at all. Jiang Cheng must¡¯ve installed it afterwards. So, Jiang Cheng was probably aware of the fact that she¡¯d wanted to make a move that night.

    Yet, the next day, he¡¯d pretended as if nothing had happened. How ridiculous...when it came to putting on an act, she would never to able to beat this man.

    The bathroom door was hazy with steam as Jiang Cheng was taking a shower. When he heard her yelling at him, he turned off the water and smilingly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so anxious, I¡¯ll be right out.¡±

    Lan Jinyao sat down in a chair and stared at the bed with a frown. She¡¯d furrowed her brows so tightly that her expression matched that of a granny¡¯s.

    She definitely didn¡¯t want to sleep with that man tonight. She was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to hold herself back, and would end up strangling this man to death in the middle of the night.

    The sky gradually darkened, and Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t sit still any longer. She took advantage of the fact that Jiang Cheng was in the shower to quietly walk back to her bedroom, and attempt to unlock the door again. However, the lock didn¡¯t budge, no matter how she tried twisting the doorknob. She¡¯d exerted all her strength, but it was futile.

    And, at this time, a dark figure suddenly appeared on top of the windowsill. Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing that it was Fu Bainian, and she hurriedly ran towards him.

    ¡°You came to take me away?¡± she joyously asked.

    Fu Bainian extended his hand to her, and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m here to take you home. Jinyao, quickly take my hand.¡±

    Lan Jinyao then obediently ced her hand on top of Fu Bainian¡¯s. However, she¡¯d just stepped on the windowsill when Jiang Cheng came out of the bathroom.

    Jiang Cheng was wearing a white bathrobe while his hair was dripping wet.

    ¡°Meimei-¡±

    Jiang Cheng called out to her.

    But, his expression instantly darkened when he looked up and saw the scene in front of him.

 Chapter 189 - Filled With Doubts (2)

    <h4>Chapter 189 - Filled With Doubts (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes met Jiang Cheng¡¯s for a moment before she jumped forward and headed straight for the ground. She wasn¡¯t able to maintain her bnce and suddenly fell on top of Fu Bainian. Luckily, Fu Bainian had her in his embrace and protected her. Otherwise, she¡¯d have fallen straight to the ground.

    Only when Fu Bainian firmly held her in his arms did her tense body rx.

    Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng had already rushed to the window and was ring at them with an extremely dark expression.

    ¡°Chen Meimei!¡±

    He shouted through gritted teeth.

    Lan Jinyao trembled upon hearing that name, but she remained in Fu Bainian¡¯s embrace. She then moved her head to the side slightly, and red at Jiang Cheng as she shouted, ¡°Jiang Cheng, why are you so stubborn? I¡¯m not Chen Meimei, and I never was; you know that!¡±

    Instead of continuously yearning for a person who would never belong to him, it was better for him to keep the memories of the deceased in his heart. She didn¡¯t belong to him, and she never would. On the other hand, the deceased Chen Meimei had surely left behind wonderful memories, and only those memories would truly belong to him.

    ¡°I already told you! I don¡¯t care who you are; you¡¯re mine!¡±

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression looked crazy, sending chills down Lan Jinyao¡¯s spine and leaving her filled with a feeling of fear and trepidation.

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Lan Jinyao said with a tight voice.

    Soon after, arge group of people in uniform suddenly rushed inside and quickly detained Jiang Cheng. And, Jiang Cheng, who was caught, ferociously red at Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°Do you really think Fu Bainian will still want you? You¡¯ve already lost your child, and you¡¯re now my woman.¡±

    He was insane, genuinely insane!

    Lan Jinyao clenched her hands into fists. She was so mad that she was about to pounce onto Jiang Cheng and beat the living hell out of him. However, in the next second, Fu Bainian softly squeezed her hand. Lan Jinyao slowly looked up, and her eyes met with his gentle gaze.

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to his nonsense, and don¡¯t get angry. I believe in you, and I always will!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao nodded with reddened eyes.

    She was the one who¡¯d failed to protect their child due to her believing in the words of a treacherous person, yet Fu Bainian now told her that he¡¯d always believed in her.

    She felt so touched that she lost control of her emotions in an instant, and tears started to uncontrobly roll down her cheeks.

    Jiang Cheng was taken away by the group of people in uniform. However, that crazed look in his eyes as he stared at Lan Jinyao before he was taken away left Lan Jinyao trembling in fear for a long time.

    The room then quieted down after all thatmotion. Lan Jinyao tugged on Fu Bainian¡¯s sleeve, and they were about to turn around and leave when the phone left behind by Jiang Cheng suddenly rang. Lan Jinyao recognised this unique ringtone; that particr person he¡¯d talked tost time had called again.

    Lan Jinyao subconsciously halted her steps.

    Fu Bainian stared at her with a puzzled look on his face, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, wait for me for a moment. I¡¯ll go take a look at Jiang Cheng¡¯s mobile.¡±

    Although Fu Bainian was confused as to why she¡¯d do that, he didn¡¯t question her and simply said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you here!¡±

    Whenever Jiang Cheng had received a call with this unique ringtone, he¡¯d always hidden away from her to take the call. Who exactly was that particr person?

    Jiang Cheng¡¯s mobile was ced on the nightstand, so Lan Jinyao saw it as soon as she walked into his bedroom and quickly picked it up. However, as soon as she saw the caller ID shing on the screen, she froze.

    ¡°Qingqing?¡±

    This was actually a verymon female name. So, it turns out that it was a woman calling.

    This woman, could she be Jiang Cheng¡¯s associate?

    Lan Jinyao put down the phone and jumped out of the window again. Fu Bainian reached out to catch her and angrily reprimanded, ¡°Don¡¯t jump back and forth like this. You just recovered not long ago.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I know already!¡± Lan Jinyao shed a yful smile at Fu Bainian.

    Her smile bloomed like a bright summer flower; it was both beautiful and moving. Fu Bainian fell in a trance and only returned to his senses after a long time. He then asked with a grief-stricken expression, ¡°You¡¯ve lost a lot of weight, did Jiang Cheng make you suffer?¡±

    ¡°He did!¡± Lan Jinyao nodded pitifully, and added, ¡°He was using psychological torture against me all the time, and I nearly developed psychasthenia by facing him every day.¡±

    Fu Bainian couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°It¡¯s all over now. From now on, I¡¯ll never let you leave my side again.¡±

    To this day, he was still traumatised by that incident on board the ship. That man was cruel and ruthless; he practically seized every opportunity and was impossible to guard againstpletely.

    When they boarded the car, Fu Bainian suddenly asked, ¡°Just now, what did you want to do with Jiang Cheng¡¯s mobile?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head and answered, ¡°Nothing!¡±

    What was so special about that name? It must be a woman¡¯s name.

    Qingqing, Qingqing... Lan Jinyao absentmindedly recited the name in her heart a few times before she retracted her thoughts, and asked, ¡°Have you ever heard of someone called ¡®Qingqing¡¯?¡±

    Fu Bainian pondered for a moment before nodding. ¡°Yes, when I was recently investigating Jiang Cheng, I came across this name many times. She¡¯s a Chinese American, and I¡¯ve heard that she returned from abroad not too long ago. However, her whereabouts were very mysterious. I couldn¡¯t find anything rted to her background, so I didn¡¯t bother to investigate further. From what I could discover, only her name was known.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression suddenly darkened. ¡°I eavesdropped on Jiang Cheng once when he was talking to this person, and I heard him mention the Chen family. If Jiang Cheng was really working together with this so-called Qingqing, then I¡¯m afraid that it must be rted to me because the only person that can influence Jiang Cheng to this extent is...the Chen family¡¯s Meimei.¡±

    After listening to her, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t look worried at all and just said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. No matter what they¡¯re nning, Jiang Cheng has already gone to prison. This time, even the Jiang family is in jeopardy and can¡¯t save him. So, you don¡¯t need to mind this so-called Qingqing.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao eventually nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    There was no need to worry about so much anymore. In the past few days, she hadn¡¯t managed to get a good night¡¯s sleep at all. Ever since the day that Jiang Cheng had sneakily entered her room in the middle of the night, she was often started awake for fear that Jiang Cheng would sneak in and do something to her. She couldn¡¯t sleep well at night and didn¡¯t dare to sleep in the day. She could only take a short nap; it was extremely tiresome.

    Soon after, they arrived back home. Upon sighting the familiar living room and her favourite decorations, Lan Jinyao smiled.

    *Atst, she was finally back!¡±

    She embraced Fu Bainian tightly and said, ¡°I¡¯m exhausted, so I¡¯m going to bed now. Thesest few days have felt like an out-of-body experience.¡±

    She kept thinking of her deceased childtely and had countless nightmares. She was truly exhausted, and her mind was still in a terrible state.

    Lan Jinyao thought: Nevermind, ¡®Twilight¡¯ would be thest film in her career. She wouldn¡¯t participate in any more roles in the future. She¡¯d retreat from the entertainment industry and settle down. Hopefully, the Heavens would grant her with another baby after this.

    Fu Bainian patted her head, and then gently said, ¡°Go ahead and rest well!¡±

    Lan Jinyao then walked towards the bedroom and secretly vowed to retreat from acting.

    However, life was like a box of choctes. You never knew what you were gonna get.

 Chapter 190 - Filled With Doubts (3)

    <h4>Chapter 190 - Filled With Doubts (3)</h4>

    The next morning, Lan Jinyao woke up around ten o¡¯clock after sleeping soundly with no dreams. After sobering up, Lan Jinyao was in a particrly good mood. As expected, nowhere was more reassuring than home sweet home.

    By the time she¡¯d woken up, the spot beside her was already empty and cold. Shey in bed with her eyes open for a while longer before getting up.

    While brushing her teeth, Lan Jinyao thought: She ought to make a trip to the hospital for a checkup. She didn¡¯t want her deceased child to be a permanent scar between her and Fu Bainian.

    Fu Bainian had already left for work, so Lan Jinyao was sitting at the dining table alone, eating breakfast. At this moment, thendline abruptly rang. Only when she¡¯d heard the ringing did she remember that she had to get a new phone. Even though she was nning to withdraw from the public¡¯s eye slowly, a mobile phone was an essential item that she needed to use in her daily life, so she still had to get one.

    When she picked up the phone, Chen Zetao¡¯s voice connected. She coughed twice and cleared her throat before saying, ¡°Director Chen, are you looking for Bainian?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for you!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was quite surprised at his response; she didn¡¯t expect Chen Zetao to be so well-informed. She¡¯d just gotten homest night, and no one was aware of this news yet. But, Chen Zetao already knew, and he¡¯d even called so early in the morning.

    Chen Zetao, as if he¡¯d guessed her thoughts, smiled and said, ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for me, you might still be stuck at Jiang Cheng¡¯s ce. Yet, you¡¯re wondering why I know you¡¯re at home?¡±

    Upon hearing him say this, Lan Jinyaoughed. She really hadn¡¯t thought of this point because Chen Zetao was, after all, just a Director. He hadn¡¯t experienced the hypocrisy of the business world, let alone Fu Bainian¡¯s means of handling matters.

    ¡°Thanks! You¡¯re right; if it hadn¡¯t been for you, I might still be trapped at Jiang Cheng¡¯s manor, suffering inhumane torture.¡±

    As she spoke, she also acted out a scene on her own and heaved a long sigh.

    Chen Zetao didn¡¯tugh at her exaggerated performance. On the contrary, his tone grew heavier as he said, ¡°Meimei, I¡¯m really sorry. To think that you encountered such an incident during the movie shoot. When I chose that ind, I didn¡¯t think too much into it and never thought that President Jiang had feelings for you. So, I really wanted to apologise for that. I¡¯m sorry that you had to suffer so much.¡±

    ¡°No need to apologise, because it¡¯s not your fault. In fact, this matter isn¡¯t rted to you.¡± At that time, she¡¯d already known that Jiang Cheng harboured evil designs against her, and even Fu Bainian was aware of this. But, who¡¯d have thought that Jiang Cheng would be so daring as to do things the illegal way, without a care for thew?

    Lan Jinyao tried to lighten her tone despite the bad memories. ¡°Director Chen, you didn¡¯t call today to simply check on me, right?¡±

    As for Chen Zetao¡¯s intentions, Lan Jinyao had guessed correctly right from the start.

    Chen Zetao then faintly responded with a slightly encouraging tone, ¡°Yes, I have some good news for you, so you should quickly liven up your mood and prick up your ears to hear what I¡¯m about to say next!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao pondered about it for a short while and instantly guessed what his next words would be.

    Good news... What else could the good news be, aside from ¡®Twilight¡¯ being a sess? However, even though she¡¯d already guessed the answer, she wasn¡¯t going to expose Chen Zetao. After all, he sounded very happy at this moment, so she shouldn¡¯t spoil things.

    ¡°Meimei, you¡¯ve been nominated for the Best Actress Award together with Lan Xin...¡±

    After speaking till here, Chen Zetao deliberately paused for a few seconds before continuing, ¡°And...Shen Wei¡¯an. Although she¡¯s dead now, the film that she was in had been produced long before, and the reception was also very good. So, this time, she¡¯s also on the list of nominees. But, you don¡¯t need to worry as Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s name on the list is just a gimmick. After all, this nominee selection also needs some propaganda and publicity, so there¡¯s no way that she¡¯d be the ultimate winner.¡±

    Lan Jinyao remained silent for a long time before she lightly responded, ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily the case. Shen Wei¡¯an was entangled in so many scandals, but she was able to smoothly get away every time. Even though she¡¯s not here anymore, her aplices are still here!¡±

    What¡¯s more, whether Shen Wei¡¯an was truly dead or not was still a mystery to her.

    ¡°In any case, you have to put on your best clothes and look the most beautiful while walking on the red carpet. But, don¡¯t overlook this, because ording to my experience and observation, the title of Movie Goddess will be yours to take.¡±

    Lan Jinyaoughed and said, ¡°I hope things will go as you say.¡± Chen Zetao was unexpectedly optimistic about her. The former Chen Meimei didn¡¯t have any acting skills nor was she very attractive, so Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t understand how Chen Zetao fell in love with her.

    No, that wasn¡¯t right. Chen Meimei did have her personal charms. Otherwise, Jiang Cheng wouldn¡¯t have loved her to the point of wanting to die with her. Wait...sacrificing himself for love should be a more urate way to put it. Albeit, Jiang Cheng¡¯s original intention was to drag Chen Meimei to the otherworld with him.

    In the afternoon, Lan Jinyao was resting at home when someone suddenly knocked on the door. She walked to the door and peeked through the peephole. There was a group of angry-looking people standing outside. At the same time, there were also security guards anxiously following behind them, seemingly saying something to the group.

    After just a nce at the situation outside, Lan Jinyao started to feel uneasy. Those people looked like those she¡¯d seen in the TV series she¡¯d filmed before. All of them were wearing ck suits with a pair of sunsses, and they seemed very intimidating.

    Her hands quivered upon witnessing this, and she quickly rushed back to the living room to call Fu Bainian.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, a group of people broke into our neighbourhood and they¡¯re currently standing at our door!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t open the door, just wait for me toe back,¡± Fu Bainian urged before quickly hanging up the phone.

    At this moment, someone outside abruptly spoke with an aged voice, ¡°Mrs Fu, I know you¡¯re at home. I¡¯m Jiang Cheng¡¯s Grandfather, and I want to discuss something with you. Don¡¯t worry, I simply want to speak with you; I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao, who was hiding behind the door, rolled her eyes after listening to him say that. He¡¯d said that he wouldn¡¯t hurt her and that he merely wanted to talk? Who would believe that?! Not even children would believe that, let alone her. If he¡¯d wanted to speak to a frail woman like her, was there a need for him to bring along so many people and cause such a hugemotion? Howughable!

    What¡¯s more, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t show Jiang Cheng any mercy at all, and had sent him directly to prison.

    If she went out now, she¡¯d undoubtedly turn into cannon fodder.

    Lan Jinyao was determined not to take another step forward and silently stood there, next to the door, allowing the elder to continue exercising his persuasion skills.

    But, not long after, the people standing behind Jiang Cheng¡¯s Grandfather suddenly started to move. Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart instantly leapt into her throat. It seemed that Jiang Cheng¡¯s Grandfather wasn¡¯t one to be underestimated. It appeared that he¡¯d given up persuading her, and had decided to resort to force instead.

    Lan Jinyao was starting to get anxious on behalf of those security guards. Why didn¡¯t they call the police? Didn¡¯t they know how to do that?

    Just as those people were about to make a move, Fu Bainian arrived. At this moment, Lan Jinyao finally let out a breath of relief and rxed.

 Chapter 191 - Filled With Doubts (4)

    <h4>Chapter 191 - Filled With Doubts (4)</h4>

    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise to see Second Master here in person. Is something the matter?¡±

    Fu Bainian unhurriedly stepped in front of Jiang Baitao and faced him, neither obsequiously nor superciliously.

    Jiang Baitao also had influence in the underground market, so his conduct was vicious and ruthless. Lan Jinyao had heard of his infamous name before. Contrariwise, Jiang Cheng seemingly didn¡¯t resemble his Grandfather that much. Jiang Baitao always carried a smile on his face and looked amiable; his expression remaining the same, no matter what. On the other hand, Jiang Cheng had more expressions; he¡¯d smile when he was happy, and look frosty when he wasn¡¯t.

    At this moment, Jiang Baitao smiled at Fu Bainian, and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I simply wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with Mrs Fu. People my age tend to feel lonely at times, so I wanted to have a chat to free my mind of worries.¡±

    ¡°You simply wanted to have a heart-to-heart chat? Then, you can look for me directly! Luckily, I happen to be free at the moment, so if you don¡¯t mind, we can talk now.¡±

    Then, Lan Jinyao opened the door and weed them inside.

    At home, Lan Jinyao habitually wore casual clothes. This kind of clothing wrapped around her body tightly, but it looked proper, so she didn¡¯t feel ufortable wearing this in front of guests at all. Yet, when Jiang Baitao¡¯s gazended on her, he had a displeased look on his face.

    ¡°Mrs Fu, I¡¯ve previously heard that you were an open person. Surprisingly, you¡¯re still the same after your marriage.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao heard this, she felt somewhat ufortable and simply smiled back at him. ¡°I truly didn¡¯t anticipate your sudden visit, so I had no time to change into a different outfit. What¡¯s more, you actually brought so many people along with you and stood outside my house. I must say, it seems that you¡¯re much more informal.¡±

    Fu Bainian immediately walked over and held her hand as he said, ¡°Meimei, you haven¡¯t fully recovered yet, so you should go back and rest! I¡¯ll keep Second Masterpany; don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and obediently walked back to the bedroom. However, Jiang Baitao¡¯s cold and gloomy gaze was fixated on her all this while. That piercing re was seemingly glued to her back, making her feel quite ufortable and restless. So, she quickened her pace and quickly returned to the room, closing the door behind her.

    She then dragged the carpet towards the door and sat down, quietly listening to the movements outside.

    Jiang Baitao burst intoughter and said, ¡°President Fu, you sure dote on your wife an awful lot. I just arrived not long ago, and yet you¡¯ve already hurried back. If this reached the ears of outsiders, they would surely think that I was making things difficult for a junior!¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s aware of Second Master¡¯s might, so who¡¯d dare to gossip about you?¡±

    With time, they were then spouting bureaucratic jargon. And, Lan Jinyao, who was listening in on their conversation, felt her head ache. This scenario was actually quite simr to a TV drama¡¯s scene, which she¡¯d filmed before. Back then, she¡¯d confronted her opponent just like this. She didn¡¯t rashly exin the reason for her visit and kept her opponent in suspense, making her opponent panic. However, Fu Bainian was seemingly doing great out there; he wasn¡¯t flustered at all and remained calm and collected.

    Jiang Baitao then asked, ¡°In this world, there will always be people who aren¡¯t that discreet; don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian remained silent for a while before saying, ¡°There are indeed a few people like that. Nevertheless, Second Master, if the purpose of your visit is to apologise to Meimei, then there¡¯s no need for that. In any case, President Jiang has already received the punishment he deserves.¡±

    Jiang Baitao had indeede on behalf of his grandson. But, since he¡¯d rushed over, did this mean that he had a bargaining chip in his hand?

    Jiang Baitao smiled and said, ¡°Yes, that child always like to do things carelessly. When he¡¯s in the wrong, it¡¯s only right for him to be punished. I came here today to ask if Mrs Fu could forgive that impetuous grandson of mine. After all, he¡¯s already received his punishment.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao secretly praised Fu Bainian¡¯s performance. The Jiang family had a powerful background, and they were also renowned in the business world. Yet, Fu Bainian was still able to force them into such a helpless state. Jiang Cheng did something wrong and had troubled his Grandfather toe to clean up his mess. This poor elder had lost all face and must be feeling embarrassed to death by now.

    However, Jiang Baitao certainly wouldn¡¯t scold his grandson, Jiang Cheng. Instead, he¡¯d see her as a femme fatale and scold her instead.

    At this moment, Fu Bainian¡¯s voice had turned cold as he replied, ¡°Forgive him? Second Master, you must be joking. Meimei¡¯s a frail woman, and she¡¯s not as broad-minded as Second Master thinks. After all, Jiang Cheng was the one who...caused the death of our child. Jiang Cheng is a murderer, so how can we forgive him?¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but clench her hands into fists as tears started to trickle down her cheeks.

    Jiang Cheng had made her suffer so much that he¡¯d basically torn her heart apart. How could she possibly forgive him?!

    She wouldn¡¯t forgive Jiang Cheng nor would her husband. Fu Bainian had restrained his emotions with just sending Jiang Cheng to prison. In their eyes, this was already considered as a light punishment. If it were up to her, she¡¯d rather have killed that man.

    Jiang Baitao¡¯s expression remained indifferent as he continued trying to persuade Fu Bainian by saying, ¡°I know this is a difficult request, so how about this? As long as President Fu lets Jiang Cheng off, I¡¯ll immediately send him abroad and only let hime back after he¡¯s thought things through. Before then, I¡¯ll do my utmost to make it up to you guys.¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t say anything in response. Jiang Baitao¡¯s words had sounded like a request on the surface, but they were, in fact, a threat. Jiang Baitao could actually take care of this matter himself, but he¡¯d chosen toe here in person to test the waters. It seemed that he was still cautious of Fu Bainian.

    Following this, Lan Jinyao suddenly opened the door and rushed out in tears.

    ¡°If I were to kill Jiang Cheng, would you be able to forgive me? Would you be able to do so?¡± Lan Jinyao felt that her current appearance must be very unsightly as Fu Bainian was looking at her with a grief-stricken expression.

    Jiang Baitao suddenly froze. He¡¯d seemingly not expected her to rush out so abruptly like this.

    After a while, he finally returned to his senses and smilingly said, ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±

    How fake and hypocritical! Lan Jinyao ferociously red at Jiang Baitao through gritted teeth.

    ¡°You sure are magnanimous, but I¡¯m not as broad-minded as you, so I won¡¯t forgive him. Please go back. This scar will forever remain in my heart. It is impossible to make up for it!¡±

    Jiang Cheng had already gone mad. If she were to let him off, it would be equivalent to nting a time bomb in their lives which would one day explode and blow them into pieces, not leaving even their corpse intact...Thatst incident was a lesson that would be etched in her heart forever. If she were to experience that a second time, she¡¯d undoubtedly go mad.

    Fu Bainian stood up and held Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand tightly in his in a consoling manner.

    He then said to Jiang Baitao, ¡°Second Master, I¡¯ll grant your request this one time. I¡¯ll let Jiang Cheng off the hook, but you need to stay true to your words and send him abroad as soon as possible, and not allow him toe back.¡±

    Lan Jinyao looked at Fu Bainian, astounded. She seemingly didn¡¯t believe the words she¡¯d just heard.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    Jiang Baitao also stood up and said, ¡°Alright, I promise. You sure are discreet. I will immediately leave and make the necessary arrangements.¡±

    After Jiang Baitao left, Lan Jinyao red at Fu Bainian and asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°Why did you do that?! You¡¯re afraid of Jiang Baitao, aren¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 192 - Filled With Doubts (5)

    <h4>Chapter 192 - Filled With Doubts (5)</h4>

    After what had happened earlier, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t utter another word throughout the day. On the one hand, she was angry with Fu Bainian; she felt that he shouldn¡¯t havepromised so easily. And, on the other hand, she was angry with herself; she shouldn¡¯t have spoken to Fu Bainian in that manner since Fu Bainian must¡¯ve made that decision with their best interests in mind. Albeit, he¡¯d decided to let Jiang Cheng off the hook this time.

    After Jiang Baitao had left, Fu Bainian had only said a word to her and then left in a hurry.

    Jinyao, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of this matter properly. Trust me; I would never allow anyone in the Jiang family to have a chance to hurt you again, I swear!

    When Fu Bainian had said those words, Lan Jinyao was still in a fit of anger, so she¡¯d ignored him. However, she¡¯d stored everything that Fu Bainian had said in her heart. Fu Bainian had already said that he would take care of this, so she should trust him.

    Following this, Lan Jinyao calmed down and wasn¡¯t angry anymore.

    As evening fell, Li Qi came to visit her. As soon as he entered the living room, he dashed to Lan Jinyao¡¯s side, grabbed her hand, and kept yelling, ¡°There¡¯s good news, good news!!¡±

    Lan Jinyao could already guess what Li Qi was about to say next. After all, Chen Zetao had already happily told her that she was nominated for the Best Actress Award, so it was not surprising for her to see Li Qi¡¯s happy expression.

    But, soon after, Lan Jinyao understood that her guess was wrong. Li Qi wasn¡¯t happy because of her, but because of something else.

    After holding onto her hand and yelling for a while, Li Qi finally calmed down. He scanned his surroundings and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t President Fu return home? Howe I don¡¯t see him?¡±

    ¡°He did return, but he left again not long after,¡± Lan Jinyao exined. Then, she teased him by adding, ¡°What, you¡¯re here today not to see me, but Fu Bainian? Unfortunately, Fu Bainian has already left, so you¡¯ll have toe back tomorrow.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Li Qi smiled sheepishly and then said, ¡°Hey, what are you saying? Whether I¡¯m here for him or you, it¡¯s all the same because you¡¯re a family after all. In fact, I¡¯vee here today to extend my thanks to President Fu. Xiaoyun could finally hold a concert! She¡¯s also very happy about this and wanted to express her thanks. In the past, she could only hold small-scale performances in a bar, but now she could actually perform on a grand stage and convey her songs to even more people.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so this was the good news you were talking about. Actually, I personally think that Fu Bainian has a good eye for business and talent. Xiaoyun has a formidable presence, and she could hold the field well, so she¡¯d definitely be famous sooner orter. Thus, there¡¯s no need to thank Fu Bainian.¡±

    Li Qi hurriedly said, ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s a given that we must extend our thanks. Xiaoyun has the talent, but if Bainian hadn¡¯t discovered her and given her a chance, then she wouldn¡¯t be where she is right now. Of course, the credits also go to you, Meimei.¡±

    Li Qi was truly an affectionate and righteous person. He¡¯d gone to great lengths to help Xiaoyun.

    ¡°Of course, this wasn¡¯t the most important announcement. I came here today to tell you that you¡¯re nominated for the Best Actress Award! I¡¯m sure that the title of Movie Goddess will be yours to take this time!¡±

    Lan Jinyao merely smiled at him indifferently.

    Seeing her reaction, Li Qi was stunned as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re not surprised? Are you not feeling even a tiny bit excited? If you were to win this award, it would be the first trophy that you¡¯ll ever get. How can you stay so calm? This doesn¡¯t make sense...¡±

    ¡°Could it be...you already knew?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and exined, ¡°Yes, Director Chen was the one who told me. But, whether I¡¯ll win the title of Movie Goddess or not, it¡¯s hard to tell...¡±

    Li Qi then asked about the previous incident again and, at that instant, the smile on Lan Jinyao¡¯s facepletely disappeared.

    ¡°That incident must be the biggest disaster I¡¯ve ever experienced in my entire life. Even death can¡¯t bepared to this ordeal, my child...is no more,¡± as Lan Jinyao recounted the events, she gently stroked her belly, but she knew that her child was already gone.

    Upon hearing this, Li Qi¡¯s expression also became heavy. ¡°It¡¯s because of...Jiang Cheng?¡±

    Lan Jinyao softly responded with a ¡®Mhm!¡¯ before tears welled up in her eyes not long after.

    Seeing her like this, Li Qi immediately got flustered and rushed to get her paper towels as he consoled, ¡°Meimei, don¡¯t cry... Although your first child is no more, you can have more in the future when your body recovers. The most important issue at hand is for you and President Fu to stay well, and to remain loving like before.¡±

    Lan Jinyao calmed down and nodded in response.

    Meanwhile, Fu Bainian had just returned home, and as soon as he stepped into the living room, he saw Lan Jinyao wiping her eyes with paper towels. At this sight, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, and he immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Li Qi, what did you tell her?¡±

    Fu Bainian strode over and sat down next to Lan Jinyao. He quickly embraced her as he asked softly, ¡°Meimei, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying?¡±

    When Li Qi saw this, he shrugged and lowered his head. He didn¡¯t do anything. President Fu¡¯s gaze was truly terrifying!

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t make Meimei cry. I only came here today to announce the good news. Meimei, don¡¯t cry anymore, I¡¯ll go back first. For tomorrow¡¯s Award Ceremony, remember to dress beautifully.¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qi slipped away for fear that he¡¯d suffer from a cmity without any reason if he stayed for even a second longer.

    After Li Qi had left, Fu Bainian softly asked again, ¡°Why are you crying? Are you still mad at me? About that...¡±

    Fu Bainian seemingly wanted to exin the reason behind his actions, but he was interrupted by Jinyao. ¡°Fu Bainian, I believe in you. Li Qi is right; although our baby is gone, we are still together, so we¡¯ll surely have more...babies in the future.¡±

    At this moment, her eyes and nose had already reddened, and she was seemingly on the verge of tears. Seeing her like this made Fu Bainian¡¯s heart ache for her. Her current appearance was, in his eyes, still as beautiful as before. For him, all he could see was Lan Jinyao; there were no traces of the former Chen Meimei at all.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, let¡¯s eat outter and, in passing, buy a new outfit. I don¡¯t quite like the outfits that were sent over by the sponsors not long ago. It¡¯s okay to wear those for daily asions, but those aren¡¯t morous enough for tomorrow¡¯s Award Ceremony.¡±

    Fu Bainian nodded in agreement.

    Then, while they were at the restaurant, Lan Jinyao met the so-called Qingqing.

    The brightly lit restaurant was packed with people when they got there. Fu Bainian specifically chose a corner with fewer people, letting Lan Jinyao sit in a not so visible corner. The rumours surrounding their divorce were still a hot topic out there, so if the media were to find out they were back together, it would undoubtedly be a big deal. By then, they would inevitably appear on the headlines again.

    When they were cing their order, Lan Jinyao deliberately lowered the hat on her head. And, she had no choice but to ept the weird look the waiter was giving her.

    Only after Fu Bainian lightly coughed did the waiter retreat.

    It was right then that they heard someone sitting nearby cause a scene.

    ¡°What kind of attitude and service is this?! She spilt juice on me, and I¡¯m not allowed to get justice for myself? How dare you hold me back? Get out of my way, or else I¡¯ll instantly close down your restaurant.¡±

    This kind of scene was, in fact, not of interest to Lan Jinyao. But, Fu Bainian, the almighty President of a conglomerate, was unexpectedly paying attention to this kind of small everyday ruckus. As a result, Lan Jinyao followed his line of sight, but she still couldn¡¯t discern anything out of the ordinary.

 Chapter 193 - Filled With Doubts (6)

    <h4>Chapter 193 - Filled With Doubts (6)</h4>

    At a table in the middle of the restaurant, a rusticly dressed woman stood with one hand on her waist, and one hand pointing at the waiter¡¯s head. She looked exactly like a moving teapot.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, you fancy a woman of that calibre? I didn¡¯t know that you had such a heavy taste!¡± Lan Jinyao teased. Without mentioning that woman¡¯s apparel, her makeup alone was over the top, like that of an opera singer. If she were to go out like that at night, she¡¯d surely scare a person to death.

    Fu Bainian leisurely retracted his gaze, and replied, ¡°The type of woman I fancy...isn¡¯t a person of that calibre sitting right in front of me?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips twitched upon hearing him say this, and she snorted. ¡°Yeah, right! Who¡¯d believe your nonsense? Just now, your gaze was practically glued to that person other there. Hurry up and spill the beans; what were you staring at so intently?¡±

    ¡°I only have eyes for you!¡± said Fu Bainian while gazing at her with affectionate eyes.

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao suddenly burst intoughter. Of course, she was aware of that. She just didn¡¯t expect that Fu Bainian would say those endearing words in such a deadpan manner.

    Themotion at the other table wasn¡¯t over yet, and it seemed that it wouldn¡¯t be sorted anytime soon. Meanwhile, their food had already been served, so Lan Jinyao picked up a piece of chicken and ced it in Fu Bainian¡¯s bowl. When she looked up, she saw Fu Bainian staring straight at the farce, his gaze intent and unmoving.

    ¡°Hey, hello, what are you doing?¡± Wasn¡¯t he clearly provoking her? His wife was still around, yet he dared to stare at other women like this openly.

    Fu Bainian frowned and retracted his gaze once more. At this moment, his expression looked somewhat solemn. His current expression made Lan Jinyao puzzled, and her heart was currently in a total mess.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, what were you looking at?¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s voice sounded somewhat heavy as she questioned him.

    Fu Bainian pointed to the other side for her to see, but even after staring for a long time, she hadn¡¯t managed to discern anything out of the ordinary.

    She couldn¡¯t help but shrug and ask, ¡°Uhmm...what¡¯s your focal point?¡± Don¡¯t tell her it was those thick cotton stockings? Wait, maybe not, could it be...those stiletto sandals then? Or, possibly that cool purple wig?

    Fu Bainian solemnly asked in response, ¡°Meimei, do you believe in reincarnation?¡±

    Lan Jinyao froze for a second before saying, ¡°Aren¡¯t you asking the obvious?¡± There was living proof right in front of him, so was there still a need for him to question this fact?

    At this moment, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression grew more profound as he said, ¡°That woman¡¯s behaviour is very simr to the former Chen Meimei¡¯s. Her temperament, as well as those small movements she made earlier, were practically the same.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression instantly stiffened. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Haha, in this world, there are a lot of people that have the same personality and fashion sense, so it¡¯s not surprising to encounter one or two people with the same tastes. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re making such a fuss over this.¡±

    Although she was smiling, her expression didn¡¯t look rxed at all.

    Fu Bainian believed in his judgment and continued insisting. ¡°There are a lot of simr people in this world, but they can¡¯t have the same habitual gestures.¡±

    Once he finished speaking, Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up, and she unhurriedly said, ¡°Why not? What if those habitual gestures can be imitated? Don¡¯t forget, the former Chen Meimei was also a public figure, so it wouldn¡¯t surprise me one bit if someone is imitating her. Besides, Lan Xin¡¯s a perfect example of this... At that time, didn¡¯t you also believe that she was me?¡±

    What Lan Jinyao had said was justified, so Fu Bainian couldn¡¯t refute her words.

    Yet, even though she¡¯d said all that, a trace of worry still formed in her heart. After all, what Fu Bainian had said wasn¡¯t entirely without reasoning.

    Lan Jinyao suddenly lowered her voice and said, ¡°How about you go over there and test the waters? After all, you¡¯re the one who Chen Meimei likes! Whether she really reincarnated as I did, you¡¯d surely notice something after you¡¯ve spoken to her.¡±

    If that person was really Chen Meimei, then she¡¯d surely give herself away upon seeing Fu Bainian.

    Fu Bainian stared nkly at her for a moment before pointing at himself and asking, ¡°You want me to go? Are you sure?¡±

    Okay, so it wasn¡¯t very appropriate to ask her husband to go seduce someone, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

    Lan Jinyao seriously nodded. ¡°Yup, you should quickly go and test the waters! However, you¡¯re only allowed to probe for details; don¡¯t take things too far. I have my eyes on you.¡±

    Fu Bainian could only stare at her helplessly. Atst, he stood up after Lan Jinyao had urged him. He straightened his suit and then walked over towards the crowd.

    This was a high-ss restaurant, and since all their guests were wealthy and influential people, it was hard for the security guards who were called over to solve the issue at hand.

    When the woman saw that a security guard was reaching out to grab her, she immediately moved away and stood up on the table. Her mini skirt was short to begin with, so as soon as she stood up, her undergarments were exposed. However, she didn¡¯t seem to care at all as she darted looks of hate at the security guard and the waiter. She then fished out a small stack of banknotes from her shoulder bag and threw it on the table.

    ¡°The money...I¡¯ve already left it here. If you want it, then take it yourself. Don¡¯t obstruct my way while I¡¯m trying to teach this vixen a lesson.¡±

    The longer Lan Jinyao stared at the scene, the more she felt that something didn¡¯t feel quite right. Even if that person was the real Chen Meimei, there was no need for her to exaggerate that much, right? Chen Meimei¡¯s method of handling things at theter stage wasn¡¯t like this.

    She could acutely sense that this kind of scene was like that of a drama¡¯s. It was entirely like a person following a script. She could discern this kind of strange out of sorts act at a nce.

    However, as Lan Jinyao was watching, she couldn¡¯t help but change her evaluation from a moment ago.

    After Fu Bainian had walked over to that table, he hadn¡¯t uttered a single word. Yet, upon seeing him, that arrogant woman immediately stopped as she stared at him with wide eyes. Then, she abruptly started behaving like ady and jumped off the table. She pulled a bashful look as she tugged at her skirt and shyly walked over to Fu Bainian.

    Lan Jinyao, who was watching from a distance, subconsciously furrowed her brows at this sight.

    At this moment, she felt that Fu Bainian¡¯s assumption was probably right. In this world, apart from Chen Meimei, who else¡¯s behaviour would turn 180 degrees within one second upon seeing Fu Bainian?

    If that person was indeed Chen Meimei, then things didn¡¯t look so bright. She was currently upying Chen Meimei¡¯s body, so Chen Meimei would certainly not let her off.

    And, what was worse, was the fact that whatever came to mind would sometimes be a reality afterwards.

    After casting a bashful look at Fu Bainian, that woman softly said, ¡°Bainian, you¡¯re also having lunch here? Did youe alone? It just so happens that I¡¯m also alone, so we can eat together.¡±

    Then, she noticed the weird looks people were giving her, and she quickly exined, ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry about my behaviour just now, I¡¯ve let you all see such an embarrassing scene. I¡¯m normally a very disciplined person, so I¡¯m sorry for causing such a ruckus today. Today, everyone¡¯s meal is on me!¡±

    As she spoke, she reached into her bag and took out another stack of banknotes.

    In the next second, that woman held onto Fu Bainian¡¯s hand and pulled him towards the area where Lan Jinyao was seated.

 Chapter 194 - Filled With Doubts (7)

    <h4>Chapter 194 - Filled With Doubts (7)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao currently felt like an imposter meeting its original host. No matter how reasonable or unreasonable it seemed, she was, after all, the one upying Chen Meimei¡¯s body. Moreover, she¡¯d lost all the fat that Chen Meimei had been so proud of for so many years. Based on Chen Meimei¡¯s fiery temper, it would be weird if she didn¡¯t make a scene upon seeing the slimmed down version of herself.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao suddenly recalled the two words ¡®seductive fox¡¯ that she¡¯d seen scribbled on the former Chen Meimei¡¯s schedule. From these words alone, Lan Jinyao understood that Chen Meimei was already paying close attention to her way before she¡¯d reincarnated, and the reason for that was Fu Bainian.

    As Lan Jinyao saw them nearing her, she lowered her hat some more and constantly murmured in her heart: Fu Bainian, hurry up and deal with that troublesome woman! Don¡¯te over here with her!

    In fact, she had nothing to be guilty of even if she was discovered. After all, if that person was truly the former Chen Meimei, then this meant that she¡¯d also reincarnated and was currently upying someone else¡¯s body. Though she needn¡¯t have a guilty conscience, she didn¡¯t want to meet Chen Meimei head-on right then and there.

    Nevertheless, it seemed that Fu Bainian hadn¡¯t heard her inner worries as he walked directly towards her.

    At this instant, Lan Jinyao held onto her lowered hat, stood up, and immediately strode towards the exit of the restaurant. As she brushed past Fu Bainian, she ruthlessly knocked against his shoulder before walking away. And, before Fu Bainian had time to react, she was already standing outside the door.

    Lan Jinyao strode over to Fu Bainian¡¯s car, which was parked on the street, and leaned against it while waiting for him toe out.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, what about our tacit understanding? Did it melt like snow?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao pursed her lips and stared at the two people standing inside. The fire in her heart was instantly ignited, and she angrily hit Fu Bainian¡¯s car. Then, a piercing sound immediately rang in her ear, making all the passersby stare at her in rm. And, right after, she saw a security guard walking towards her.

    Did she look, in any way, like a car thief?

    It just so happened that Fu Bainian was staring outside. When their eyes met, Lan Jinyao red at him before turning away and leaving.

    A taxi drove by, and Lan Jinyao immediately hailed it. When she saw Fu Bainian rushing out of the restaurant, she immediately boarded the taxi and urged, ¡°Sir, please drive away quickly, someone is chasing after me.¡±

    The taxi driver nced at the back and happened to see Fu Bainian boarding his car, so he speedily stepped on the throttle, and the car sped off as swift as an arrow.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the car behind us will overtake us soon. That¡¯s a luxury performance car, so there¡¯s no way my car canpare, speed-wise!¡±

    Lan Jinyao humphed and coldly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just continue driving forward. As long as you don¡¯t stop, he won¡¯t dare overtake us and block the road.¡±

    ¡°Sigh...alright!¡±

    Thus, the driver unhurriedly drove forward. As Lan Jinyao had expected, Fu Bainian simply drove beside them and didn¡¯t dare to drive in front of them.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, that person must be your husband, right? Are you angry with him? Nowadays, women like to throw tantrums over small things, huh? A good man like him is scarce at present. Don¡¯t be deceived by my looks; I actually treat my wife really well.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up. Indeed, Fu Bainian was very good to her. Not to mention how he¡¯d treated her after their marriage, even before she was reborn, he¡¯d ensured that her career was all smooth sailing. She¡¯d never had to deal with the hidden rules in the industry, and she¡¯d never had any major scandals. Her journey was so smooth and neat that she didn¡¯t look like someone from the entertainment industry at all.

    ¡°You¡¯re smiling? As long as you¡¯re able to smile, that¡¯s good! Do you still want me to continue driving?¡±

    Lan Jinyao smilingly said, ¡°Sir, you can stop the car now. I¡¯ve forgiven him for the time being!¡±

    When she got off the car, Lan Jinyao fished out some cash to pay the driver. When the driver turned and saw her face, he was stunned.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you that...that...?!¡±

    After uttering ¡®that¡¯ for a while, he still didn¡¯t manage to say her name out loud. Lan Jinyao simply smiled at him and said, ¡°Thanks!¡±

    Fu Bainian had already stopped his car nearby, waiting for her. But, as soon as she walked over to his car, she sat in the back seat instead. She feigned an unhappy expression andined, ¡°I¡¯d told you earlier that I would be observing you from afar. I don¡¯t care whether that person is the real Chen Meimei or not, but you¡¯re not allowed to get too close to her. Yet, just now, you...you actually let Chen Meimei hold onto your arm! That¡¯s too much! Do you really think that I¡¯ve gone blind and couldn¡¯t see that?¡±

    Fu Bainian sincerely admitted his mistake and apologised. ¡°Yes, yes, yes... I was in the wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have done that. My bad for making Wifey angry.¡±

    Lan Jinyao then added, ¡°Also, how could you bring Chen Meimei over to our table? Don¡¯t tell me that you haven¡¯t watched enough dramas yet?¡±

    Chen Meimei had such a fiery temper! What if she made a ruckus again? She¡¯d already drawn too much attention earlier, and if she¡¯d made another scene, then people would certainly get popcorn and look forward to witnessing a good show.

    ¡°It was all my fault; I didn¡¯t consider things thoroughly!¡± There was a smile tugging at the corners of Fu Bainian¡¯s lips. He didn¡¯t look like he was admitting to his mistakes at all!

    Fu Bainian then closed in on Lan Jinyao and abruptly kissed her, leaving her stunned for a second. She then feigned anger and coquettishly said, ¡°Stop ying around and hurry back home! If that person is really Chen Meimei, then she¡¯ll definitely catch up with us soon.¡±

    ¡°Alrightttt! Say, are you jealous right now?¡±

    Lan Jinyao rolled her eyes and bitterly admitted, ¡°Yes, I am! Now, quickly bring me home!¡±

    On the way back, Lan Jinyao sensed someone following them. At a nce, she saw an eye-catching bright yellow sports car speeding towards them like a rocket.

    It¡¯s Chen Meimei!

    That woman has unexpectedly caught up with them!

    Seeing this, Lan Jinyao nervously tugged at Fu Bainian¡¯s arm, and said, ¡°Look, she¡¯s caught up with us. Will you be able to lose her?¡±

    Fu Bainian looked back and frowned.

    ¡°Sit tight!¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. Chen Meimei¡¯s feelings towards Fu Bainian ran so deep that they couldn¡¯t be extinguished by death. Not to mention, she was given a second chance now, so she¡¯d surely treasure this moment. Also, Fu Bainian¡¯s marriage certificate had Chen Meimei¡¯s name printed on it, so it would be easy for others to misunderstand. Even though they were divorced now, it was only a matter of time before they were remarried.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, did you manage to find out anything earlier? Is that person Chen Meimei?¡±

    At this moment, the wind swept past them and practically drowned out Lan Jinyao¡¯s voice.

    After what felt like an eternity, Fu Bainian finally nodded and said, ¡°I believe so, but that person could also be an imposter who is currently disguised as Chen Meimei. She probably approached us with ill intentions.¡±

    The moment they arrived home, Lan Jinyao stated, ¡°As for whether that person is the genuine Chen Meimei or not...Chen Meile will certainly know once she¡¯s seen her. If that person is really Chen Meimei, then things will be much easier to handle. But, if that person isn¡¯t, then what exactly is she scheming?¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t respond and fell silent, lost in his thoughts.

    If it were Chen Meimei, then he¡¯d simply apologise.

    But, if it wasn¡¯t Chen Meimei, then who was that person? And, what were her intentions?

    When he¡¯d approached that woman earlier, he¡¯d clearly felt that she was giving him a hint, telling him that she was Chen Meimei. But, if that woman wasn¡¯t Chen Meimei, then she was practically misleading him into believing that!

 Chapter 195 - Best Actress Award (1)

    <h4>Chapter 195 - Best Actress Award (1)</h4>

    Ever since that woman¡¯s sudden appearance, Lan Jinyao had been on tenterhooks. In the evening, not long after they¡¯d arrived home, Fu Bainian took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°That woman slipped this into my pocket earlier.¡±

    Lan Jinyao took the business card and then checked the name on the card. Upon seeing the familiar name, she instantly frowned.

    ¡°Qingqing, Qingqing...¡± she subconsciously murmured this name as realisation slowly crossed her features, and with it, the ominous foreboding in her heart gradually intensified.

    Following this, Fu Bainian abruptly asked, ¡°It¡¯s the name of the person you asked me aboutst time, right? How is she rted to Jiang Cheng?¡±

    That was right... That day, when Jiang Cheng was arrested, the person who¡¯d called him was someone called Qingqing. Then, how was she rted to Jiang Cheng?

    Then, a thought suddenly crossed Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind, and she abruptly eximed, ¡°Oh, I got it!¡±

    In the next second, Fu Bainian also cast a nce at her with a perplexed look on his face. ¡°Me too!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not Chen Meimei!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not Chen Meimei!¡±

    The two of them suddenly stated at the same time.

    Lan Jinyao smiled and patted Fu Bainian on the shoulder as she said, ¡°Looks like our tacit understanding is still there!¡±

    Qingqing¡¯s resemnce to Chen Meimei was truly shocking. It was so simr that she and Fu Bainian had subconsciously thought that that woman was Chen Meimei. In fact, it didn¡¯t strike her as strange that Jiang Cheng would create this kind of reverie. At that time, Jiang Cheng had clearly known that she was Lan Jinyao and that she¡¯d reincarnated. Based on how obsessed Jiang Cheng was with Chen Meimei, how could he possibly give up on her and choose to raise her in captivity instead? This didn¡¯t make sense no matter how she thought about it!

    Moreover, she had been pondering this question for a long time already: How did Jiang Cheng know from the beginning that she¡¯d reincarnated? If it were someone else, and they hadn¡¯t heard the word ¡®rebirth¡¯ in person, she reckoned that they wouldn¡¯t dare to make such an inconceivable inference so easily!

    Yet, Jiang Cheng had made such an inference, and he¡¯d also firmly believed in it without any doubts. Back then, there was one person who knew about her secret at Jiang Cheng¡¯s side, and that person was...Shen Wei¡¯an. Why would Jiang Cheng sign a notorious woman like Shen Wei¡¯an out of the blue? Unless...he¡¯d learned of some kind of secret from her! As for that secret, what else could it be?

    After a while, Lan Jinyao suddenly asked, ¡°Fu Bainian! Do you think that Qingqing, who chased after you, could possibly be Shen Wei¡¯an?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s death was genuinely questionable. Not to mention, such a long time had passed already, yet the police hadn¡¯t managed to solve the case. There were many doubtful points concerning this matter, so it was difficult for others to not harbour any suspicions.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that yet. In theing days, you¡¯ve got to be a bit more careful. Look, ording to the self-introduction written on the business card, this Qingqing is a famous producer from abroad. Based on her personality alone, do you think that she¡¯d be able to establish a name for herself overseas? This business card must be forged.¡±

    Since this was a forged business card, then, of course, there were many job titles to choose from. She was an actress, and Fu Bainian was the President of Blue Hall Entertainment... It seemed that this Qingqing had indeede prepared!

    If this Qingqing were to make a move on the Chen family, what should she do then?

    The next morning, Li Qi and Xiaolin came over, bringing with them the outfit for the Award Ceremony. Lan Jinyao looked exceptionally stunning in the dress, which was adorned with all kinds of gorgeous ornaments, and to her surprise, even a ring had been prepared this time.

    Lan Jinyao was somewhat dumbfounded and cast an inquiring nce at Li Qi. ¡°Why did you prepare a ring for me? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m attending a wedding ceremony.¡±

    Li Qi hadn¡¯t spoken yet when Xiaolin hurriedly exined, ¡°Sis Meimei, you know that there are a lot of rumours and spections going around about your divorce, right? You can take this opportunity to wipe your te clean. If you make an appearance wearing a ring at the Award Ceremony, then those rumours will surely be discredited!¡±

    Lan Jinyao actually wanted to say, ¡®That¡¯s not a rumour, she and Fu Bainian had indeed divorced and hadn¡¯t remarried yet!¡¯ But, in the end, she decided not to.

    Li Qi seemed to have guessed her thoughts and hurriedly said, ¡°Meimei, just wear it. Whether you want to continue your careerter on in the film and television industry or not, it¡¯s best to take care of the rumours now. Besides, those people are aware of what happened between you and Jiang Cheng, and now that he¡¯s imprisoned, your reputation has gone down the drain.¡±

    Lan Jinyao hesitated for a moment before responding, ¡°Hmmm, alright! Say, did you ept money from the sponsors? Even if I¡¯m to wear a diamond ring to clean up the rumours, I should be wearing my wedding ring and not a sponsor¡¯s. If Fu Bainian sees this, he might grant you two a painful death.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xiaolin instantly flinched. ¡°I didn¡¯t ept much...¡±

    ¡°Still, that means that you¡¯ve epted their money!¡±

    Li Qi then quickly said, ¡°Meimei, you shouldn¡¯t bother with this anymore. If President Fu truly gets angryter, I¡¯ll bear the punishment. But, I can guarantee that President Fu won¡¯t get angry with you.¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao shook her head and rebuked, ¡°Look, you two must¡¯ve made quite a lot of money this time. Sigh...even though I¡¯ve grown into a tree that sheds golden leaves, I can¡¯t reap any benefits!¡±

    ¡°Meimei, could you kindly sympathise with me, this poor soul? From now on, I¡¯ll have to start earning more money in order to buy milk powder.¡±

    As soon as his words fell, Lan Jinyao and Xiaolin asked in unison, ¡°Xiaoyun is pregnant?¡± What efficiency! But, wasn¡¯t He Xiaoyun going to hold her first concert soon? Would she really be okay, jumping around while performing on stage?

    Li Qi quickly shook his head and said, ¡°No, not yet. I¡¯m just nning ahead!¡±

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    Afterwards, Li Qi took out the ring and handed it to Lan Jinyao. ¡°Meimei, quickly try it on and see if it fits.¡±

    Lan Jinyao helplessly shook her head and proceeded to wear the ring. Right at that moment, a piece of news that was being broadcast on the TV instantly attracted the attention of the three people present.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, the President of River Group Corporation, and the only heir to the Jiang family was released from prison a few days ago. When he went out to sea, he was attacked and killed by unknown forces. His body has already been salvaged, and our reporter is currently investigating the situation to find out more...¡±

    ¡°Jiang Cheng died?¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes instantly widened.

    Jiang Baitao bailed his grandson out and was about to send him abroad. But, Jiang Cheng was attacked and killed by someone instead...did Fu Bainian do this?

    Fu Bainian had told her that he would take care of this matter, and he¡¯d asked her to believe in him. Lan Jinyao had initially thought that Fu Bainian was worried about offending Jiang Baitao, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to handle the matter like this.

    With Jiang Cheng¡¯s death, they had utterly offended Jiang Baitao this time. At this thought, Lan Jinyao suddenly started to worry about Fu Bainian. Jiang Baitao¡¯s means were ruthless and cruel. If he really wanted revenge, then she was afraid that they wouldn¡¯t be able to cope.

    ¡°Meimei, what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Li Qi with a worried look on his face.

    Lan Jinyao shook her head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine; I¡¯m just happy to hear that Jiang Cheng has died.¡±

    An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth! This was a well-deserved ending for Jiang Cheng.

    ¡°Meimei, don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s...¡±

    Lan Jinyao cast a severe nce at Li Qi and interrupted, ¡°Mind your words! The police will investigate the truth themselves.¡±

 Chapter 196 - Best Actress Award (2)

    <h4>Chapter 196 - Best Actress Award (2)</h4>

    The Award Ceremony would take ceter in the evening, but Li Qi arrived slightly earlier to pick Lan Jinyao up. At the same time, Fu Bainian had also called and proposed toe to pick her up after work, but she deemed it unnecessary and rejected his offer.

    As soon as Li Qi arrived, he got off the van to wait by the door, and Xiaolin remained seated. Soon after, Lan Jinyao walked out while holding the hem of her dress. Upon seeing her, Li Qi hurriedly stepped forward to help her carry the tail of her long dress.

    While walking down the red carpet, various actresses racked their brains topete for attention. Even actresses ranked lower than the eighteenth rank came specifically to walk down the red carpet.

    ¡°Li Qi, do you have Lan Xin¡¯s number?¡± Unfortunately, Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to back up any of the numbers in her address book before she¡¯d lost her mobile when she was kidnapped by Jiang Cheng. With the addition of her bad memory, she couldn¡¯t remember any of the numbers except for her husband¡¯s.

    ¡°Yes, I happen to have it... Actually, Lan Xin doesn¡¯t have a strong prominence, so you don¡¯t have to worry about her.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s mouth twitched when he said that. This wasn¡¯t what she was worried about, alright? She merely wanted to ask Lan Xin if she¡¯d arrived. From what she¡¯d observed so far, Lan Xin did have a knack for acting, but it seemed that she wasn¡¯t very keen on developing her acting skills. She¡¯d only seen Lan Xin practise earnestly once, but that one time was with a specific objective in mind.

    ¡°Li Qi? It¡¯s truly rare to receive a call from you. What¡¯s up?¡±

    Upon hearing this familiar voice, Lan Jinyao subconsciously clicked her tongue. Lan Xin¡¯s voice sounded genuinely simr to her former self. Disregarding her manner of speech and by only listening to her voice, Li Qi would¡¯ve certainly mistaken Lan Xin for her if he was the one who¡¯d called her.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Chen Meimei. Are you here already?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. Yeah, I arrived long ago. By the way, I saw a woman who looks a lot like you. Hurry up ande over; she¡¯s currently sitting in the first row!¡±

    The first row? Those seats were reserved for special guests...

    Lan Jinyao silentlyined in her heart: Humph! Who else could it be...aside from you?

    However, Lan Jinyao negated this thought soon after because she realised that she¡¯d misinterpreted Lan Xin¡¯s words. Perhaps, Lan Xin meant that she¡¯d seen a woman who looked very simr to the current her, and that woman had, in fact, already made an appearance before her and Fu Bainian. That person must be Qingqing!

    The smile on her face instantly faded when she hung up the call. Upon seeing her like this, Li Qi hurriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it because the person you¡¯repeting against is Lan Xin, so you¡¯re..cking self-confidence?

    Lan Jinyao shook her head before casting a nce at Li Qi. After staring at him for a while, the frown on her face suddenly deepened.

    Li Qi, on the other hand, was somewhat baffled as he touched his cheek with a questioning look.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? That look of yours makes me anxious!¡±

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t answer him as she was still deep in thought: Since Qingqing had chosen to appear at the Award Ceremony, she must¡¯vee with a hidden agenda. She couldn¡¯t say for sure that nothing would happenter. After all, this was the first time she¡¯d been nominated for an award and, perhaps, this would be the only award she¡¯d receive as Chen Meimei, so she couldn¡¯t allow for any mishaps.

    This time¡¯s Award Ceremony looked like a grand gathering of all the superstars in the industry. Lan Xin had donned a bright red g dress, exuding a sexy and enchanting vibe. However, the moment Lan Jinyao¡¯s gazended on Lan Xin, she felt somewhat conflicted in her heart. That was because she¡¯d never dressed so sexily in the past. Even when it was time to walk down the red carpet, she¡¯d simply wear a light-coloured dress; that kind of low-key, sophisticated fashion was more her kind of style. Even though she¡¯d slowly adapted to a sexier fashion style to match Chen Meimei¡¯s preferences, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a sort of dislike towards the way Lan Xin had dressed tonight, especially since she was wearing that while looking like her former self.

    Upon seeing her, Lan Xin walked over and teased, ¡°Why are you looking at me like this? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re entranced by my beauty?¡±

    Lan Jinyao solemnly shook her head. ¡°Are you sure you like Lan Jinyao¡¯s fashion style? What you¡¯re currently wearing isn¡¯t ording to Lan Jinyao¡¯s preferences though!¡±

    In her previous life, she¡¯d never wear this kind of sexy dress. Unless it was explicitly requested by the Director for a drama or movie scene, she¡¯d never dress like this.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about me; tell me some more about you instead!¡± Lan Xinughed while casting a mischievous nce at her.

    When Lan Jinyao saw her mischievous smile, she instantly had a bad hunch. And, right after that, she saw Lan Xin pointing in Fu Bainian¡¯s direction. ¡°How about that, surprised or not?¡±

    At Fu Bainian¡¯s side there was a bright-looking woman who had her arms tightly wrapped around Fu Bainian, her hands about to hook around his neck.

    Lan Xin stared at her intently and teasingly added, ¡°Look, doesn¡¯t she bear a striking resemnce to you? No...to be precise, she¡¯s like how you used to be. Even Fu Bainian couldn¡¯t resist her charm.¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao coldly snorted and responded, ¡°I¡¯m afraid her charm isn¡¯t on the same level as mine!¡±

    She had long expected that that woman would pester Fu Bainian. No matter what Fu Bainian had nned, the current situation didn¡¯t look so great. *Didn¡¯t he notice that those reporters were constantly snapping pictures of him? *

    ¡°Sigh, forget it. Shall we go? Remember to pose elegantly when we walk down the red carpet. You¡¯ll surely outdo that woman; let her pale inparison!¡±

    This ce was star-studded. There were beautiful-looking people everywhere.

    Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t the most beautiful-looking one, but her temperament was the best.

    After walking down the red carpet, she halted her steps behind Fu Bainian, boring holes in his skull with her gaze. Lan Xin sat next to her and continuouslymented, ¡°Where¡¯s your so-called virtuous temperament? You unexpectedly be a jelly woman within a second! If you can¡¯t continue watching, then hurry over there and strangle President Fu. Well...strangling that woman is fine by me too!¡±

    Lan Xin¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t too loud nor too low, but the people sitting in the front row just so happened to be able to hear her. Fu Bainian turned his head and cast an indifferent, emotionless nce at Lan Jinyao.

    On the other hand, Qingqing leaned intimately against Fu Bainian¡¯s shoulder with a provocative look on her face. Seeing this made Lan Jinyao¡¯s blood boil.

    ¡°I certainly will!¡± Lan Jinyao scoffed indifferently.

    Meanwhile, the Award Ceremony had already started. After the host had talked the hind legs off a donkey, he, atst, announced the shortlisted nominees.

    ¡°Cheng Huiya, Lan Xin, Chen Meimei, Xu Ru, and Shen Wei¡¯an!¡±

    Lan Xin seemed to be unaware of the nominees before this, so as soon as the host had finished speaking, her expression instantly stiffened and she unhappily questioned, ¡°Why is that lowly woman, Shen Wei¡¯an, nominated? Isn¡¯t she already dead? To think that she could also be shortlisted with those kinds of mediocre achievements. Is there something wrong with the brains of those that voted for her?!¡±

    Lan Xin¡¯s words were too fierce. Lan Jinyao tried to stop her, but when her gaze fell on Qingqing, she dismissed this thought and let it be.

    She really wanted to confirm her suspicions.

    As a result, Lan Jinyao also followed along, and said, ¡°Yeah, it definitely surprised me that Shen Wei¡¯an was shortlisted even though she¡¯s already dead. But, if she were alive, I believe that she wouldn¡¯t receive this kind of honour. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Let¡¯s just wait and see! She¡¯s merely a shortlisted nominee; she couldn¡¯t possibly win an award.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Xin nced at her, bbergasted. ¡°Looks like you really dislike that woman!¡±

 Chapter 197 - Best Actress Award (3)

    <h4>Chapter 197 - Best Actress Award (3)</h4>

    ¡°So...who will be crowned Movie Goddess this year?¡± asked the host excitedly.

    With the exception of Lan Jinyao, every shortlisted actress held their breath and stared at the host, quietly waiting for him to announce the results. Her gaze was fixated ahead and slightly to the right, on Qingqing. However, soon after, she evidently smiled because she¡¯d ascertained her suspicions.

    Truth be told, which special guest would care that much about someone else¡¯s affairs? It seemed that Qingqing was specifically concerned about the winner who¡¯d be awarded the title ¡®Movie Goddess¡¯. Or, better said, even though she was a special guest, she looked much more concerned about the awardpared to the actresses who had not been shortlisted. But, based on Chen Meimei¡¯s personality, she wasn¡¯t one to care about this kind of vain reputation.

    Following this, Lan Jinyao extended her hand and removed the hand ced on Fu Bainian¡¯s shoulder as she softly said, ¡°Rx...no matter what, this prize won¡¯t fall into your hands anyway.¡±

    ¡°Really? That may not necessarily be the case!¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled. ¡°Are you sure about that? Don¡¯t tell me that my eyes are deceiving me...you aren¡¯t shortlisted, are you?¡±

    At this moment, Qingqing shifted her gaze back to the stage and said no more. Seeing this, the corners of Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile. She¡¯d only said a few words, yet Qingqing was already feeling guilty? With such poor acting skills, how could she possibly be crowned Movie Goddess? She couldn¡¯t disguise herself as Chen Meimei properly.

    As of now, Lan Jinyao had basically ascertained that Qingqing was Shen Wei¡¯an.

    After being cornered, Shen Wei¡¯an had concealed her true identity to craftily slip away, and then stage hereback. However, Lan Jinyao felt quite confused as to how she¡¯d managed to do it. There were surprisingly no traces of her former looks left. Had she undergone stic surgery?

    ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an!¡±

    As soon as the host had announced that name, Lan Jinyao froze on the spot. Even Lan Xin, who was sitting beside her, was stupefied. ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an? Meimei, even if it¡¯s not you, it should be me. How can it be Shen Wei¡¯an?! Who in the world made that decision? What about public opinion?¡±

    ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an...¡± Lan Jinyao doubtfully muttered this name under her breath before her gazended on Qingqing. Did this woman arrange this under the table? How could she possibly win an award with a meremercial film?

    But, not long after, she found out that this wasn¡¯t the case. There was actually another possibility.

    At this moment, Fu Bainian also turned around and stared at her with a surprised look in his eyes. Seeing his reaction, Lan Jinyao could only purse her lips at him to express her unhappiness towards the results.

    ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s not like she was the one who won the award. Does Shen Wei¡¯an winning the award have anything to do with her?!¡± Lan Xin sneered as she red at Qingqing with disdain.

    Lan Jinyao coldly humphed upon hearing this and thought: Of course it does! It mattered a lot to boot!

    However, Qingqing¡¯s happiness onlysted for three seconds. Because, right afterwards, someone walked up on stage and said something to the host, who in turn immediately corrected himself and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, but there was unexpectedly a mix-up; the winner of the Best Actress Award isn¡¯t Shen Wei¡¯an but Chen Meimei!¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened at the mention of her name. To think that they¡¯d actually made a mistake for such a distinguished award! Weren¡¯t they too careless?

    ¡°Meimei, it¡¯s you!¡± Lan Xin tugged at her arm excitedly and added, ¡°Like I said, how could it be that woman?!¡±

    Following this, Lan Jinyao nced over at the row in front of her. Upon seeing Qingqing¡¯s paleplexion, a smile blossomed on her face, and she replied in a particrly exaggerated tone, ¡°Yeah, how could the winner possibly be that woman? After all, she only relies on her face to get work done; she doesn¡¯t possess any genuine acting skills.¡±

    Even while imitating Chen Meimei she couldn¡¯t stay in character for long because, as soon as she lost control of her emotions, she¡¯d instantly reveal her true colours. Based on these poor acting skills, how could she even dream of winning an award?

    Surprisingly, this so-called ¡®Qingqing¡¯ was trying to y tricks on her and Fu Bainian. Now, she truly wondered how that woman was going to fool the astute Chen Meile and perceptive Old Chen with this level of acting. She was looking forward to ¡®her performance¡¯.

    Soon after, Lan Jinyao slowly walked up on stage with a gracious smile on her face, her posture elegant and graceful.

    Before this, Li Qi had prepared an eptance speech for her; it was nothing more than standard statements. When Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze fell on the angry-looking Qingqing, her smile gradually brightened. In the end, the title ¡®Movie Goddess¡¯ stillnded in her hands.

    Back then, although Shen Wei¡¯an had escaped punishment byw, Lan Jinyao had firmly believed that she¡¯de back one day because that woman¡¯s evil roots ran too deep, and her heart was much too greedy. Now that Shen Wei¡¯an had finally returned, this time, no matter what she was scheming, Lan Jinyao intended to be one step ahead of her.

    Right after the Award Ceremony had ended, Li Qi and Lan Xin kept bugging Lan Jinyao to celebrate together. Meanwhile, Qingqing had also shamelessly walked over alongside Fu Bainian, and said, ¡°Count me in! The more the merrier, right?!¡±

    ¡°Of course, but you can¡¯t stand next to Fu Bainian, because this spot...¡± Lan Jinyao paused for a second as she walked over to Fu Bainian¡¯s side and squeezed Qingqing away. ¡°This spot belongs solely to me and not to...¡± someone who¡¯s already died!

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t say thest few words out loud; she simply hooked her arm around Fu Bainian¡¯s and pulled him along to the parking lot.

    They went to a restaurant owned by the Chen family. As soon as Qingqing walked in, she told the manager that she wanted the most expensive private room. Her approach was very much like Chen Meimei¡¯s, but her efforts were in vain as the manager only paid attention to Lan Jinyao.

    Lan Jinyao then casually said, ¡°Just follow her request! She knows this ce better...¡± She purposefully lengthened thest part.

    Since Qingqing was ignored, herplexion didn¡¯t look very good. She imitated Chen Meimei¡¯s manner of speech again and said, ¡°How disappointing, are you blind or something?! The richest person here is me, not Chen Meimei!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao merely smiled and added, ¡°That¡¯s right, Qingqing¡¯s our host, so you all must follow her wishes today. She¡¯ll be the one paying the bill, so don¡¯t offend this VIP! Hmmm, as for the food and drinks...just bring us the best of the best! In any case, Qingqing¡¯s not short of money.¡±

    Today¡¯s meal was on Shen Wei¡¯an, so no matter if she¡¯d brought enough money or not, she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape this time.

    Qingqing snorted and then took the lead in walking inside. Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao followed behind her and, on the way, secretly observed Qingqing¡¯s movements. It seems that she attentively did her homework. However, will she be able to fool the Chen family?

    For some reason, Qingqing had insisted on following them today and then brought them to a restaurant owned by the Chen family. Lan Jinyao had a gut feeling that an influential person would make an appearanceter. If she¡¯d guessed correctly, then that person must be Chen Meile. She didn¡¯t believe that Qingqing would be able to invite Old Chen all the way over here.

    This evening was destined to be turbulent night as a war without fire had begun...

 Chapter 198 - A War Without Fire (1)

    <h4>Chapter 198 - A War Without Fire (1)</h4>

    It didn¡¯t take long before Chen Meile arrived at the restaurant.

    She was dressed in business attire with a matching pair of bright red stilettos, and she gave off a dominant yet alluring aura as she slowly strode over like a graceful fluttering butterfly to Lan Jinyao¡¯s table.

    ¡°Meimei, you actually won an award with your acting skills? Could it be that those judges are blind?¡± As soon as Chen Meile sat down, she started to taunt Lan Jinyao. However, thetter had long be used to her sharp tongue.

    Lan Jinyao knew that Chen Meile was only willing to tease those whom she had a close rtionship with. In fact, she already felt very fortunate that Chen Meile didn¡¯t hold a grudge against her for upying her sister, Chen Meimei¡¯s body.

    However, it seemed that Qingqing hadn¡¯t quite grasped Chen Meile¡¯s character, so the moment she¡¯d heard those words, she instantly smirked.

    ¡°Exactly! I wonder if those judges were bribed or not. In fact, this award was supposedly awarded to another actress, but for some reason, the judges suddenly changed their minds in the middle of the event and, finally, they announced Chen Meimei as the winner instead!¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao merely chanced a nce at Qingqing without saying a word.

    Instead, Chen Meile was the one who cast a sidelong nce at Qingqing and asked, ¡°Something like that actually happened?¡±

    Qingqing hurriedly nodded and added, ¡°Yep, this couldn''t be truer! Doyenne, you might not know this, but the entertainment industry is a filthy ce! Even before this, I...wait no, I meant even right now, I don¡¯t want to get involved with anything rted to this industry.¡±

    Lan Jinyao inwardly snorted at this. How high-sounding! Did she hit her head somewhere? Back then, who was the one who¡¯d racked her brains to enter the entertainment industry and med others for blocking her path? In fact, she¡¯d done a lot of dirty work herself! Yet, now she was unexpectedly looking down on others from the same industry? Even Chen Meimei herself might not necessarily belittle the industry in this manner...

    Lan Jinyao had initially thought that based on Chen Meile¡¯s temperament, thetter would undoubtedly take this opportunity to berate Qingqing. However, Chen Meile¡¯s next words surprised everyone, who in turn nced in her direction.

    Chen Meile, who was gently swirling the wine ss in her hand, suddenly froze. She then abruptly shifted her gaze to Qingqing and asked, ¡°What did you just call me?¡±

    Hearing this question, everyone thought that Qingqing had touched Chen Meile¡¯s sore point. However, shortly after, Lan Jinyao and Fu Bainian noticed that something seemed a bit off. The two looked at each other understandingly before shifting their gaze back to Chen Meile.

    Qingqing, on the other hand, beamed a smile at Chen Meile. She extended her hand and hooked it around Chen Meile¡¯s neck as she affectionately asked, ¡°Dear Doyenne, you really don¡¯t recognise me?¡±

    At this instant, Lan Jinyao distinctly sensed something fishy about those words, but she couldn¡¯t stop Qingqing from talking because she didn¡¯t know much about Chen Meimei to begin with. In fact, she had no idea what kind of little secrets Chen Meimei had shared with Chen Meile and vice versa. Could it be that they¡¯d called each other by nicknames?

    She suspected that ¡®Doyenne¡¯ must be a nickname that only the two sisters knew about, which was why Chen Meile was so surprised at the mention of that.

    Chen Meile¡¯s eyes widened and her gaze fixed on Qingqing. Her voice started trembling a bit as she asked, ¡°You...what¡¯s your name?¡±

    Qingqing unabashedly smiled. ¡°My name is Qingqing; ¡®Qing¡¯ meaning evergreen.¡±

    ¡°Qingqing...¡± Chen Meile quietly murmured this name under her breath while unshed tears stung her eyes.

    ¡°How about your parents, are they still around?¡±

    It was then that Chen Meile noticed that her question was slightly rude, so she pulled up her smile and added, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so rude; I just find you very simr to a friend of mine, so I took the liberty of asking about your parents. But, you don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to. We can just talk about something else.¡±

    ¡°My mum has left this world long ago...my old man, on the other hand, is still quite healthy. He¡¯s a collector, so our home is furnished with treasures from all over the world. Others would secretly call him a local wealthyndlord, but he didn¡¯t mind that one bit...¡± Qingqing paused for a second before continuing, ¡°I also have a sister, but, unfortunately, she doesn¡¯t recognise me anymore.¡±

    As Qingqing spoke, her gaze remained fixed on the wine ss in front of her, and her voice wasden with grief.

    However, Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze was fixed on her this entire time. She knew that Qingqing didn¡¯t dare look Chen Meile in the eyes due to her poor acting skills. If they were to stare into each other¡¯s eyes, Qingqing would certainly reveal her true colours. Since Chen Meile was a very sharp and intelligent woman, she¡¯d certainly notice at a nce whether she was lying to her or not.

    ¡°Your sister...why can¡¯t she recognise you?¡± Chen Meile¡¯s voice lightly trembled as she asked.

    In the private room, it seemed like Qingqing and Chen Meile were the only ones present with everyone¡¯s gazes fixed on them.

    Qingqing remained silent for a while before slowly responding, ¡°That¡¯s because my face...my face doesn¡¯t look like how it used to be.¡±

    What she said was implicit, but Chen Meile appeared to be struck by lightning, freezing on the spot.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± It took her a while toe to her senses.

    Upon noticing the bad turn of events, Lan Jinyao dry coughed twice and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s have a drink together; let¡¯s not talk about that and talk about something happy instead! Sis, an astute person like you shouldn¡¯t go out of control like this!¡±

    Her words conveyed clear hints and, under the table, she lightly gave Chen Meile a kick to calm her down.

    Only then did Chen Meile withdraw her gaze and turn to stare at Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? How did you guys get to know Qingqing?¡±

    Before Lan Jinyao could reply, Qingqing hurriedly went ahead and answered, ¡°We met at the Award Ceremony. At that time, I was sitting next to President Fu. Am I right, President Fu? The two of us hit it off right away.¡±

    Even though Qingqing was evidently depressed a few minutes ago, her mood had instantly brightened at the mention of Fu Bainian. Her reaction this time indeed resembled the way Chen Meimei would have reacted if she were here.

    ¡°Really? President Fu already belongs to someone. Could it be that President Fu is your cup of tea?¡±

    Qingqing shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I¡¯ve only ever liked one person, and that person is very simr to President Fu.¡±

    On the other side, sweat started trickling down Xiaolin¡¯s face as she quietly listened to their conversation. Li Qi quickly stepped in and interrupted them by saying with a smile on his face, ¡°The food is getting cold, so let¡¯s quickly dig in! We¡¯re here today to celebrate Meimei winning an award, so don¡¯t simply hold onto the wine ss in your hands. Let¡¯s make a toast to Meimei!¡±

    At this moment, Fu Bainian also followed along and said, ¡°In this lifetime, I¡¯ve only ever loved one person, and that¡¯s our Meimei here. Presumably, the man who Qingqing likes will also devote his heart to solely one person in his life. If so, then it will be your good fortune if you manage to pursue him.¡±

    Hearing this, Qingqing smiled insincerely and replied. ¡°Yes, to gain it is my good luck, to lose it is my fate.¡±

    The atmosphere in the room had once again dulled because of this one sentence.

    Lan Jinyao then suddenly felt someone kicking her foot under the table. She quickly looked over and saw Lan Xin looking at her suspiciously.

 Chapter 199 - A War Without Fire (2)

    <h4>Chapter 199 - A War Without Fire (2)</h4>

    This meal wasn¡¯t very pleasant because what was initially a celebration dinner for Lan Jinyao, had unexpectedly turned into a war zone for Qingqing¡¯s conspiracy.

    After dinner, Chen Meile walked alongside Qingqing on their way out, while Lan Jinyao walked behind them together with Fu Bainian and Lan Xin. However, upon seeing the two being affectionate in front of her, Lan Jinyao suddenly let go of Fu Bainian¡¯s hand and squeezed herself between Chen Meile and Qingqing.

    ¡°Sis, you seem to like this Qingqing a lot.¡±

    Chen Meile repeatedly nodded happily and said, ¡°Yes, I do like her! It feels like we¡¯ve known each other all along.¡±

    Seeing that the situation didn¡¯t look so good, Lan Jinyao hurriedly reminded, ¡°Sis, it was a pity that Director Chen didn¡¯t make it today. I don¡¯t remember much from our childhood, but Director Chen, unexpectedly, still remembers everything clearly. It was all thanks to Director Chen that I managed to win the Best Actress Award.¡±

    Chen Meile was stunned. ¡°In that case, we must thank Zetao properly. But, it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯vest seen him. I didn¡¯t even recognise him that time you went on a blind date with him.¡±

    Following this, Lan Jinyao cast a provocative nce at Qingqing. At this moment, Chen Meile¡¯s rationality had been pulled back from the brink, so even if Qingqing wanted to mislead Chen Meile again, she had to think twice.

    Lan Xin quickly joined in and asked, ¡°What are you girls talking about so enthusiastically?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing much; we¡¯re simply discussing the type of guy Qingqing likes. I believe that Qingqing doesn¡¯t like my Bainian; she probably likes someone like...Director Shen, right, Qingqing?¡±

    At this instant, Qingqing¡¯splexion paled slightly, but she soon smiled.

    Chancing a nce at her face, Lan Jinyao added, ¡°Wait, no...you don¡¯t actually like Director Shen, but more the entertainment industry¡¯s fame and fortune, right?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?! Are you telling me that I don¡¯t possess any fame and fortune now?!¡± Qingqing¡¯s anger was instantly ignited by her words.

    Lan Jinyao lightly snorted and said no more. It was time for her to return home with Fu Bainian. Sooner orter, she¡¯d get to the bottom of this matter and expose this woman. But, hopefully, Chen Meile would stand her ground and not fall for any of this woman¡¯s lies before then.

    After filming ¡®Twilight¡¯, Lan Jinyao had stopped taking on any new dramas and movies. While she¡¯d stayed at home, she would asionally post an update on Weibo to reassure her fans.

    She had, in fact, lost many fans following the scandal about her having an extramarital affair. But, fortunately, ¡®Twilight¡¯ was still a box-office sess.

    Then, while Lan Jinyao was resting at home, Chen Meile came over to visit her.

    When Lan Jinyao opened the door, Chen Meile unhurriedly walked inside. Unlike her usual vigorous appearance, there was a rarely seen worried look on her face.

    Lan Jinyao had a hunch that something had happened, which, most likely, was rted to Qingqing.

    She poured a ss of water for Chen Meile. ¡°Your sudden visit today...must be about Qingqing, right?¡±

    ¡°You could tell?¡± Chen Meile epted the ss of water and looked at her in surprise. ¡°Do you also find Qingqing¡¯s behaviour suspicious?¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao asked in response, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    At present, the most essential thing was Chen Meile¡¯s perception. However, Lan Jinyao had a hunch that even if Qingqing had gotten closer to Chen Meile, it was to no avail. Qingqing mainly wanted to get close to Old Chen through Chen Meile, and then find a way to manipte the power in Old Chen¡¯s hands.

    Chen Meile furrowed her brows in deep thought and then shook her head after a while. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I truly think that Qingqing¡¯s manner of speech and demeanour is very simr to Meimei¡¯s. Also, only Meimei, that nasty girl, would call me ¡®Doyenne¡¯. Apart from her, no one else knows about this awful-sounding nickname.¡±

    ¡°Not even Old Chen?¡± asked Lan Jinyao.

    Chen Meile nodded. ¡°When Meimei was a kid, she was very naughty. Although my dad doted on her a lot, he¡¯d still stand on my side whenever we got into a fight. Thus, Meimei gave me this nickname. She never dared to call me that in front of my dad, so my dad couldn¡¯t have known.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart instantly sank. That Qingqing sure had done a lot of homework. To think that she¡¯d actually managed to discover such a well-hidden secret! It seemed that this battle between her and Shen Wei¡¯an wouldst longer than expected, and the victor had yet to be determined.

    ¡°Chen Meile, I¡¯ve also addressed you as my ¡®Sis¡¯ before. What I want to say right now is that Qingqing is definitely not Chen Meimei. This time she¡¯se prepared, covering all her bases. Do you believe me?¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at Chen Meile sincerely, wanting to convey her heartfelt thoughts to her through her eyes.

    Her piercing gaze made Chen Meile feel somewhat awkward, and it took her a while to respond. ¡°I¡¯m at a loss now, and that¡¯s why I came to find you. Would you mind telling me more about your...rebirth and rted matters?¡±

    Supernatural things like rebirth no longer came as an extraordinary shock for the minority of people that knew about it. Most of them had already unconditionally epted this fact.

    ¡°Of course, I can tell you, but you have to promise me that you won¡¯t tell anyone about what I¡¯m about to say next, not even a word! You have to take my secret to the grave!¡± Lan Jinyao stressed, very solemnly.

    At this moment, Chen Meile¡¯s expression also turned serious. ¡°Okay, you have my word!¡±

    Lan Jinyao then sat down next to her and unhurriedly recounted, ¡°Prior to being reincarnated as Chen Meimei, Shen Wei¡¯an and I were very good friends. You must¡¯ve heard of her, right?¡±

    ¡°You mean that artist, Shen Wei¡¯an, who mysteriously died some time ago with no news on the cause of her death?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and continued, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her. However, whether that dead body they found was truly Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s or not isn¡¯t known yet. As I was saying earlier, I thought we were very good friends, but Shen Wei¡¯an never thought so. She¡¯d always thought that I was standing in her way, so she plotted against me and pushed me down the building that night. As a result, she¡¯d killed three birds with one stone: firstly, she¡¯d gotten rid of me; secondly, she¡¯d borrowed my name and sessfully received Fu Bainian¡¯s attention, andstly, she took advantage of the news of my death to rise to fame.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡± Chen Meile hastily asked.

    ¡°Afterwards, when I woke up, I was already lying in a hospital bed. The moment I opened my eyes, the first person I saw was you!¡±

    Chen Meile nodded understandingly. ¡°No wonder! At that time, I smelled something fishy, but I thought that you were suffering from brain damage after the car ident. So, based on your experience, do you think that Qingqing could¡¯ve possibly reincarnated as you did?¡±

    ¡°No, I suspect that she¡¯s Shen Wei¡¯an. Her evil roots haven¡¯t been eradicated, and now that she¡¯s back, she ns to borrow the Chen family¡¯s hands to deal with Fu Bainian and me.¡±

 Chapter 200 - A War Without Fire (3)

    <h4>Chapter 200 - A War Without Fire (3)</h4>

    When Chen Meile left, her expression seemed even more confused than when she¡¯d arrived.

    Lan Jinyao stayed motionless as she fixed her gaze on Chen Meile¡¯s departing figure. All that she¡¯d to say had already been told to Chen Meile. As for whether she believed or not, it was up to Chen Meile to decide.

    And, at this moment, something dire happened.

    It was alreadyte in the evening, so seeing that Fu Bainian still hadn¡¯te home yet, Lan Jinyao gave him a call. Even though the call went through, no one answered the phone, so Lan Jinyao let it be. After a while, just as Lan Jinyao was about to fall asleep on the sofa, Fu Bainian suddenly returned her call.

    The living room was tranquil with only faint noisesing from the TV, which was currently broadcasting a TV series that Lan Jinyao had filmed in her previous life. The sudden ringtone instantly washed Lan Jinyao¡¯s sleepiness away; her eyes flew open, and she quickly answered the call.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, why aren¡¯t you home yet?¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s voice sounded fatigued as he asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet? You don¡¯t have to wait for me tonight. I¡¯ll be working overtime at thepany so I¡¯ll be backte.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lan Jinyao sullenly answered.

    Fu Bainian had to work overtime again? He wasn¡¯t that busy usually. So, what was he upied with at this moment?

    Jiang Baitao¡¯s face suddenly shed in her mind. Could it be that after learning about Jiang Cheng¡¯s death, he¡¯d started to take action against Blue Hall Entertainment now?

    Worry poured in like a tide, flooding her heart in an instant.

    Lan Jinyao decided to go to thepany to check on the situation.

    Outside, the sky was pitch-ck with no stars in sight. At this moment, a ck car was parked right in front of the gate of themunity, and the two voices of a man and a woman sounded in the car.

    ¡°Do you think she¡¯lle out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she will, so don¡¯t worry. Since Second Master has sent you here to help me, then you must listen to my arrangements. Don¡¯t act blindly without thinking.¡±

    The man disdainfully shifted his gaze elsewhere and didn¡¯t say another word.

    Before long, Lan Jinyao finally came out. She was in a hurry, so she merely swept a nce at the small car parked in front of themunity¡¯s gate before looking away and rushing towards the road ahead.

    The moment she brushed past the car, the door flew open at lightning speed.

    Before she could react, a pair of hands emerged from the car and dragged her inside.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao quickly inserted her hand in her bag and took out a fruit knife. She held onto it tightly and then, ¡®Puchi¡¯ the muffled sound of something piercing into flesh rang out in the car and, consequently, the hands that were restricting her abruptly loosened.

    Lan Jinyao quickly opened the door with the fruit knife in her hand and then fled towards themunity¡¯s security booth.

    Red beads of blood trickled drop by drop from the tip of the knife down to the ground as she ran. Meanwhile, someone had also gotten off the car to chase after her. But, Lan Jinyao had already reached the security booth and shouted, ¡°Mister, someone is chasing me!¡±

    The security guard, who was dozing off, was awakened by her shout and instantly stood up. ¡°Where?!¡±

    However, that person had already boarded the car and left.

    A man?

    Lan Jinyao frowned as she stared at the license te number. Although she¡¯d panicked earlier, she clearly felt that the person she¡¯d stabbed was a woman; she¡¯d clearly heard a woman¡¯s cry. Howe the one chasing her was a man?

    After such an incident, she no longer dared to go out. She hurried home and gave Fu Bainian a call.

    She calmed herself down and tried to sound as normal as possible when she spoke, ¡°Bainian, when will you be back? I¡¯m scared to be home alone!¡±

    ¡°...Go to bed first, and I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Before hanging up, Lan Jinyao added, ¡°Be careful on your way home...¡±

    However, Fu Bainian had already hung up on her. Faced with the dimmed screen in her hand, she pursed her lips andined, ¡°You sure hung up fast!¡±

    Soon after, Lan Jinyao realised that Fu Bainian had said that just to let her feel reassured. She¡¯d waited for more than an hour, yet he still hadn¡¯t arrived home.

    At 11 PM, Lan Jinyao finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and fell asleep on the sofa. The fruit knife hadn¡¯t been dealt with yet and was stillying on the coffee table. Under the bright lights, it seemed to exude a chilly air; it was a very ghastly sight.

    Lan Jinyao had already entered dreand when Fu Bainian arrived home. He deliberately lightened his footsteps as he unhurriedly walked into the living room.

    ¡°Why are you asleep here?¡± Fu Bainian tightly furrowed his brows, somewhat displeased.

    He picked Lan Jinyao up and strenuously carried her all the way to the bedroom.

    Afterwards, he went back to the living room to get her coat, but then, he subconsciously halted his steps the moment his gazended on that bloody fruit knife on the coffee table.

    When Lan Jinyao awoke the next day, she saw Fu Bainianying next to her. Additionally, Lan Jinyao immediately noticed the bruises on his arm. She carefully lifted his hand and examined it. There were various degrees of bruises; it was as if he¡¯d fought with someone.

    Lan Jinyao suddenly remembered yesterday¡¯s incident. Since someone was waiting for her at the gate yesterday, could it be that there were also people waiting for Fu Bainian at hispany? If not, then how did he get these injuries?

    While she was deep in thought, Fu Bainian abruptly opened his eyes.

    He retracted his hand as if nothing had happened, but Lan Jinyao refused to let him get away without an exnation. When Fu Bainian got up, she quickly held him back and asked, ¡°Wait, what happened to your arm?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing; I fell by ident!¡±

    Lan Jinyao scoffed upon hearing this. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid? Fu Bainian, why won¡¯t you tell me the truth? You also met with danger yesterday, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Fu Bainian, on the other hand, asked in reply, ¡°Howe there¡¯s a bloody fruit knife on the coffee table?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression suddenly sank. ¡°Fu Bainian, we both met with danger yesterday. Last night, I¡¯d initially wanted to go to check on you at thepany, but as soon as I stepped out of themunity, I was almost kidnapped. Fortunately, since I¡¯d experienced this before, I¡¯d gone out with a fruit knife. I didn¡¯t expect it to actuallye in handy.¡±

    ¡°Do you know who¡¯s behind this?¡±

    The two asked in unison.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but I have a feeling that it¡¯s Qingqing...someone that Shen Wei¡¯an sent,¡± Lan Jinyao reasoned.

    Hearing this, Fu Bainian deliberated and said, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s Jiang Baitao, he¡¯s not going to let me off.¡±

    As soon as they¡¯d finished speaking, both of them fell silent. If it were a unteral attack, they would still be able to cope with it. However, if Jiang Baitao and Shen Wei¡¯an had joined hands, then the consequences would undoubtedly be inconceivable.

 Chapter 201 - A War Without Fire (4)

    <h4>Chapter 201 - A War Without Fire (4)</h4>

    Later in the morning, Lan Jinyao received a call from Chen Meile, asking her to go to the Chen family¡¯s manor in the afternoon for lunch. Thetter also repeatedly told her to arrive earlier to leave a good impression on the Old Man.

    Lan Jinyao felt extremely tired after yesterday¡¯s incident, so she hurriedly epted the invite and hung up before closing her eyes again. However, this time, she couldn¡¯t fall back asleep as Chen Meile¡¯s words were stuck in her head.

    Chen Meile¡¯s tone and instructions seemed a bit off. This thought instantly crossed Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind.

    From what she knew, the person who Old Chen doted on the most was his youngest daughter, Chen Meimei. In other words, the current her. So, even if she waste, how could she possibly leave a bad impression on the Old Man? Besides, after learning about her true identity, Chen Meile had generally started avoiding her and returned home right after their talk. Hence, what Chen Meile had said earlier sounded odd to her ears, and she couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious.

    However, no matter what, she still had to make a trip to the Chen family¡¯s manorter.

    Lan Jinyao only got up when the clock struck ten. When she entered the living room, there was already no sight of the fruit knife as Fu Bainian had already thrown it away; even the blood stains on the coffee table had been wiped clean.

    As for the incident that had happened the night before, the couple didn¡¯t report this to the police.

    While Lan Jinyaozed on the sofa, she pondered: Was Fu Bainian having the same thoughts as her? She personally thought that since Shen Wei¡¯an was already ¡®dead¡¯, then it was best to let her rest in peace ¡®in a fair manner¡¯.

    Time had flown by quickly. When it was around eleven o¡¯clock, Lan Jinyao drove to the Chen family¡¯s manor. On the way, she gave Chen Meile a call.

    ¡°One second!¡± Chen Meile¡¯s voice sounded through her Bluetooth earphones.

    Lan Jinyao inexplicably nced at her phone screen, and a huge question mark popped up in her mind. Why did Chen Meile ask her to wait a bit longer? Could it be that it was inconvenient for her to speak at the moment?

    A minuteter, Chen Meile finally asked, ¡°Have you arrived? It¡¯s almost lunchtime, so why aren¡¯t you here yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡±

    ¡°Hurry over, Qingqing is already here! She¡¯s currently in the living room chatting with my Old Man.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao instantly froze. ¡°What did you just say?! Qingqing is there? Sis, don¡¯t tell me that you believe in that woman¡¯s nonsense?!¡±

    Was this Chen Meile¡¯s ultimate decision? To think that she would invite Qingqing to the Chen family¡¯s manor! Then, didn¡¯t this mean that Qingqing had already gotten entangled with Old Chen?!

    On one hand, there was the Jiang family, and on the other hand the Chen family... This time, victory was practically within Qingqing¡¯s grasp.

    ¡°Believe her? Chen Meimei, are you brain-dead? If I were to believe her, then I wouldn¡¯t be on the phone with you right now, and I would¡¯ve revealed your identity in front of my Old Man. Otherwise, was there such a need for me to worry about this and go through the trouble to invite you home for lunch?¡±

    Chen Meile¡¯s words struck Lan Jinyao like a hail of bullets, leaving thetter somewhat baffled. As Lan Jinyao recollected her thoughts, she inwardly considered: That¡¯s right! If Chen Meile really wanted to expose her, then a word was all it would take...

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that; I wasn¡¯t thinking straight earlier. Sis, thanks a million for believing in me!¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯m your ¡®Sis¡¯, there''s no need to stand on ceremony. I just think that...forget it, let¡¯s say no more. You better hurry over as everyone¡¯s waiting for you!¡±

    In the Chen family, Old Chen had always doted on Chen Meimei a lot, and the extent of her pampering exceeded that of Chen Meile by a significant degree. Therefore, Old Chen surely knew Chen Meimei better than anyone. Since Qingqing hade prepared this time around, she would have to stay alert and proceed with cautionter.

    Soon, Lan Jinyao arrived at the Chen family¡¯s manor. Chen Meile happened to be waiting for her at the courtyard. Upon seeing her, Chen Meile hurried over and hooked her arm around Lan Jinyao¡¯s affectionately; they then proceeded towards the living room.

    ¡°Meimei, howe you¡¯re back today? Did you foresee a guest visiting home?¡±

    Chen Meile deliberately raised her volume as she asked this.

    As if on cue, Lan Jinyao replied, ¡°Sis, what do you mean? Can¡¯t I simplye back when I¡¯m free? And, can¡¯t Ie home to check on Dad?¡±

    As soon as they entered the living room, Lan Jinyao saw Old Chen talking to Qingqing about something. He looked delighted and was so amused that he burst intoughter several times.

    Immediately, Lan Jinyao felt a strong sense of precariousness.

    Qingqing looked over in their direction and revealed a sweet smile. Today¡¯s Qingqing didn¡¯t dress in a rustic manner. Instead, she wore a very casual outfit consisting of a simple white T-shirt, and a pair of jeans. She didn¡¯t look one bit formal nor like a guest...

    ¡°Qingqing, you¡¯re here too!¡± Lan Jinyao took the initiative and greeted her.

    Old Chen went ahead and answered, ¡°This girl said that she¡¯s quite familiar with you, so I¡¯ve spoken a few words with her. I¡¯ve noticed that she¡¯s not bad. She¡¯s very simr to your old self; the same wildness and craziness.¡±

    The smile on Lan Jinyao¡¯s face almost faltered at the mention of that. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m married now. If I were to behave as I did in the past, then Fu Bainian might not have fallen in love with me. Then, your poor daughter, I, will stay single for the rest of my life!¡±

    She didn¡¯t know if Old Chen was probing her or not, but she couldn¡¯t give the game away.

    Lan Jinyao sat down beside Old Chen and casually exined, ¡°Qingqing and I met at the Awards Ceremony. How did you get to know her, Dad? Could it be that our family is somehow rted to Qingqing?¡±

    At the mention of the Awards Ceremony, Old Chen seemed particrly happy. ¡°That...in fact, it¡¯s all thanks to you, Meimei. Those old geezers always chide that our family can¡¯t do anything besides making money. Consequently, you won the Best Actress Award and earned our family some honour and dignity. However, none of those stubborn old geezers were convinced and kept saying that the award was bought with money. Then, I met Qingqing at the banquet, and she spoke up for you and managed to convince those old geezers atst. That¡¯s how we earned back our dignity. This girl¡¯s temperament is exactly like yours; bold and decisive. She¡¯s very down to earth, so I invited her home for lunch.¡±

    Qingqing unexpectedly spoke up for her in order to gain Old Chen¡¯s trust? It seemed that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s acting hadn¡¯t merely progressed a tiny bit, but by leaps and bounds.

    But, even so, she wasn¡¯t afraid of her.

    Soon, the cook began to serve the dishes, and the four sat down at the dining table. Qingqing sat next to Old Chen intimately.

    That level of intimacy was on another level; if it were her, she certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to act like Qingqing... Lan Jinyao thought, but she also sat down next to Old Chen, on his other side.

    ¡°Meimei, here¡¯s your favourite foie gras, so eat your fill! When the cook saw youe in earlier, he specially prepared this dish for you.¡±

    As she spoke, Chen Meile shot Lan Jinyao a meaningful nce.

    Lan Jinyao instantly followed along and proceeded to grab a bite. However, just as her chopsticks were about to touch the foie gras, Qingqing got ahead of her and snatched it first.

    ¡°Oh, Meimei also likes foie gras? It¡¯s my favourite dish too! It looks like we have simr tastes!¡±

    At this point, Lan Jinyao revealed a slight smile, but her heart was sinking.

 Chapter 202 - A War Without Fire (5)

    <h4>Chapter 202 - A War Without Fire (5)</h4>

    Old Chen had to leave for an appointment right after lunch, so he bade his farewell and told Qingqing with a smile that she was wee to visit more often. From his expression, one could see that he didn¡¯t say that out of politeness, but out of sincerity. Qingqing also smiled back at him and expressed that she definitely would.

    When they finished eating, Qingqing didn¡¯t leave. Instead, she sat on the sofa watching TV, as if the Chen family¡¯s manor was her own home.

    Lan Jinyao and Chen Meile stood in the hallway, both observing her with a disagreeable expression.

    Lan Jinyao asked, ¡°Sis, now that Dad has met Qingqing, what will he be thinking? Will he harbour any suspicions after noticing the simrities between Qingqing and Meimei?¡±

    Chen Meile bitterly answered, ¡°Do you think just anyone will think of such an outrageous thing as rebirth? However, if Qingqing deliberately implies something, then my Old Man will certainly be suspicious.¡±

    That¡¯s right. After all, Qingqing had impersonated Meimei so well in front of Old Chen, without even the slightest w...

    When her thoughts got to here, Lan Jinyao chanced a gloomy nce at the figure sitting in the living room.

    Chen Meile then suddenly said, ¡°You¡¯re right! Everything in the Chen family is mine, and Meimei is my biological sister, so what¡¯s mine is also hers. However, I definitely won¡¯t allow an outsider like Qingqing, who¡¯s impersonating her, to snatch away or destroy any of this!¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao wordlessly patted Chen Meile on the shoulder. Only now did she calm down and feel somewhat at ease. At the very least, Chen Meile was on her side.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯m going first. Be vignt when dealing with that woman, she knows a lot.¡±

    When Lan Jinyao was about to leave, she suddenly heard someone approaching her from behind. She initially thought that it was Chen Meile, but when she turned around, the person she saw turned out to be Qingqing. At that instant, the smile hanging on her face instantly disappeared into nothingness.

    ¡°What? You can¡¯t smile when you¡¯re graced with my presence?¡±

    Qingqing stood in front of her with her arms crossed and a provocative smile on her face.

    Lan Jinyao stared at her expressionlessly for a second before turning around to leave. She really didn¡¯t want to mingle with this vicious woman who had a poisonous heart and a face thicker than the Great Wall of China!

    However, she¡¯d only taken two steps forward when Qingqing seized her arm, holding her back as she asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to have a one-on-one talk with me? About...you substituting someone else to marry Fu Bainian?¡±

    ¡°Substitute? Do you really think that I¡¯m like you?¡± Lan Jinyao sneered and shook Qingqing¡¯s hand off.

    Even though she¡¯d lost a lot of weight, her strength was still there, so the moment she shook off Qinqing¡¯s hand, there was a sullen groan. Upon catching that abnormal sounding grunt, she instantaneously noticed that something was off.

    This time, it was Qingqing who wanted to turn and leave, but Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t allow her to do so.

    ¡°Wait! What do you mean by that? The person in Fu Bainian¡¯s heart has always been me. Aren¡¯t you the one who knows this the best?¡±

    Only Shen Wei¡¯an knew about this, so just a second ago, Lan Jinyao re-ascertained that Qingqing was Shen Wei¡¯an.

    Qingqing, however, didn¡¯t want to stay around Lan Jinyao for even a minute longer. She walked away at lightning speed.

    As Lan Jinyao stared at the departing figure, the corners of her lips slightly curved upwards. She then quickened her steps and chased after Qingqing, smiling evilly as she asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking to me? Where are you rushing to? Could it be that you have a stomachache, so you¡¯re looking for thevatory?¡±

    When Qingqing was about to cross the threshold, Lan Jinyao ran a step ahead to block her path and quickly clutch her arm. At that instant, warm liquid slowly seeped through the Qingqing¡¯s shirt. Upon seeing this, Lan Jinyao increased the strength of her grip and asked through gritted teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡±

    Qingqing didn¡¯t respond and continued struggling while more and more blood seeped through her shirt. Afterwards, Chen Meile walked over and coldly asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    Only then did Lan Jinyao seemingly regain her senses; she stared at Qingqing in astonishment and abruptly let go of her hand. ¡°Oh my...you¡¯re bleeding! Don¡¯t tell me that it was my fault? Your arm is bleeding excessively! Looks like it needs to be taken care of immediately.¡±

    ¡°Meimei, did you do this? Qingqing is a guest invited here by the Old Man. How can you be so rude and hurt her to this extent?¡±

    Chen Meile followed along and angrily questioned.

    Lan Jinyao feigned ignorance and responded, ¡°I didn¡¯t exert a lot of strength, so howe your arm¡¯s suddenly bleeding?¡±

    Qingqing raised her head and said through gritted teeth, ¡°This has nothing to do with you, it¡¯s my own fault. I¡¯m going to the hospital now, so please let me go.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too much trouble for you to go all the way to the hospital for this kind of small injury. We have a first aid kit at home, so I can help you patch it up. Sis, go get the first aid kit!¡± Lan Jinyao urged before forcefully dragging Qingqing back into the living room.

    Chen Meile conceded and unhurriedly walked away. Qingqing tried to break free several times, but it was to no avail.

    ¡°Stop moving!¡± Lan Jinyao chided. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt? I¡¯ll help you bandage it well, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    After lifting Qingqing¡¯s sleeves, the gauze wrapped around her arm came into view. When Lan Jinyao saw that, her lips curled up into a cold sneer. ¡°Why is there only a thin gauze wrapped around your wound? Is it possible that you were afraid people would find out about your injury?¡±

    At this moment, Chen Meile handed over a pair of scissors and Lan Jinyao used it to cut the gauze apart, revealing a ghastly wound. This wound truly looked horrendous! Lan Jinyao thought, slightly stunned.

    It wasn¡¯t a knife wound. It looked like a badly festering skin ulcer.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why aren¡¯t you dressing it yet?¡± Qingqing, as if she¡¯d expected her look of disappointment, smiled and asked.

    As Lan Jinyao studied Qingqing¡¯s sinister smile, a thought suddenly dawned on her. This ought to be a knife wound, but Qingqing didn¡¯t know how to deal with it properly, so it festered badly and became like this.

    She was the one who¡¯d attacked her that night!

    ¡°I¡¯ll bandage it for you right away, but your wound has be badly infected. If you don¡¯t take care of it soon, then maybe your entire arm would need to be discarded. Sis, get me a knife and sterilise it. I need to cut off this part of rotten flesh for her. If not, then I¡¯m afraid her entire arm will be crippled.¡±

    Qingqing¡¯s eyes widened at the mention of this. ¡°Wha-what did you just say? You want to cut off this part of rotten flesh for me?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at her and said matter-of-factly, ¡°Don¡¯t you want this arm anymore? This is basicallymon sense, alright?¡±

    Qingqing abruptly stood up and grabbed a piece of gauze. She then quickly wrapped it around her arm and hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the hospital to let them treat this, it¡¯s too unsanitary for you to do it like this.¡±

    Then, without waiting for a response, she ran outside.

    Lan Jinyao and Chen Meile looked at each other and then burst intoughter.

    ¡°I should¡¯ve acted faster and cut it off for her,¡± Lan Jinyao yfully remarked.

    ¡°Looks like we have no more use for these things...¡± Chen Meilemented.

    After this episode, Lan Jinyao left the Chen family¡¯s manor. Looks like Qingqing¡¯s killing intent towards Fu Bainian and her had intensified tremendously. With Jiang Baitao backing her up, things would be much more troublesome, so she must step up her game and make a move soon.

 Chapter 203 - Make A Deal (1)

    <h4>Chapter 203 - Make A Deal (1)</h4>

    On the third night after her visit to the Chen family¡¯s manor, Lan Jinyao received another phone call from Chen Meile. At this moment, she was driving to a restaurant to have dinner with Fu Bainian. Ever since the great sess of ¡®Twilight¡¯, she would be recognised by people wherever she went. Actually, before going out, she didn¡¯tpletely disguise herself like how she would¡¯ve in the past.

    Chen Meile called not long after she¡¯d left home. When Lan Jinyao saw ¡®Sis¡¯ shing on her phone screen, an uneasy feeling washed over her. Last time, what was worrying Chen Meile the most was the fact that Qingqing would insinuate doubts into Old Chen¡¯s mind, hinting that she was Chen Meimei. Old Chen was an astute person, so even if Qingqing didn¡¯t reveal too much, he could easily guess the underlying meaning.

    Lan Jinyao had a hunch that Chen Meile was calling her today about this matter.

    ¡°Sis, is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Old Man specifically called me today to ask me what I thought of Qingqing. At that time, my mind was perturbed and I didn¡¯t know to say. But, luckily, my Old Man also asked me several other questions and he didn¡¯t question me further about Qingqing. If he had, I might have really slipped up and revealed your identity.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao breathed a sigh of relief.

    However, Chen Meile added, ¡°Sooner orter my Old Man will find out, and when that happens, I won¡¯t know what to do. Meimei, you must hurry up and think of a way to get rid of that bothersome woman.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    After the call ended, Fu Bainian cast her a sidelong nce and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I have confirmed that Qingqing is Shen Wei¡¯an. She underwent stic surgery and appeared in front of us again to take revenge. Therefore, Chen Meile called to remind us that we must take care of her pronto; we can¡¯t sit around and wait to die.¡±

    Fu Bainian faintly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already made some arrangements.¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at him with aplicated look in her eyes.

    ¡°I can help you!¡± After a moment of silence, Lan Jinyao uttered this one sentence.

    Initially, before she¡¯d said this, she¡¯d already expected that Fu Bainian would reject her and, as expected, he did exactly that.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re safe and sound, that is already your greatest support towards me. Jinyao, I don¡¯t want you to get hurt, do you understand? Thatst incident really hit me hard, so I don''t want to go through that again.¡±

    Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t very happy with his answer, but she still sulkily conceded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll protect myself well. I also don¡¯t want to experience that kind of thing ever again.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression slightly darkened. Since the both of them didn¡¯t want to go through that kind of thing again, he must eradicate all threats!

    The next day, Lan Jinyao got up very early. Even Fu Bainian looked at her in surprise. But, Lan Jinyao merely looked up at him and smiled without saying anything.

    Although she looked unperturbed as she unhurriedly ate her breakfast, she was, in fact, very nervous because she was going to do something behind Fu Bainian¡¯s back very soon.

    Fu Bainian held the fork in his hand and paused for a moment. ¡°Would you like to go out for a stroll today? I can apany you.¡±

    He¡¯d left her alone these days, so he was afraid that she would feel bored staying at home all day. But, he also didn¡¯t feel reassured letting her go out on her own, because right now was a very crucial period, and he couldn¡¯t afford the slightest mistake.

    His words made Lan Jinyao slightly flustered. Instead of looking up, she stared at her te and said, ¡°No need, I¡¯ll be fine on my own. Nothing will happen in broad daylight.¡±

    Before Fu Bainian could say another word, Lan Jinyao hurriedly added, ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter. Besides, I¡¯m just taking a stroll in the park; I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±

    Under Lan Jinyao¡¯s continuous persuasion, Fu Bainian no longer insisted.

    After breakfast, Lan Jinyao sat on the sofa and fiddled with her phone, acting as normal as she could. After Fu Bainian went out, she instantly got up and went out as well. She didn¡¯t stop when she passed by the park; she instead hailed a taxi and headed towards a certain ce.

    Even after the death of its owner, this supposedly romantic ce hadn¡¯t be deste.

    The door to the courtyard was locked. Lan Jinyao was very familiar with this ce that was filled with nightmarish memories. She knew where she could slip in without alerting the servants in the manor. Even though there was likely no one there at this moment...

    After Lan Jinyao entered the courtyard from a side passage, she carefully advanced towards Jiang Cheng¡¯s study to get something. Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t guarded against her one bit when she was there, so there were basically no secrets in this manor that she didn¡¯t know about. She clearly knew where Jiang Cheng had stored his most important possessions. Probably, not even Jiang Baitao was aware of that.

    Soon, Lan Jinyao got inside and went into the study.

    Below Jiang Cheng¡¯s desk there was a hollow space underneath the wooden nks, and there the secrets of the Jiang family were stored. She might not be able to fully control Jiang Baitao with this secret in hand, but she could certainly make a deal with Jiang Baitao and let him give up on Shen Wei¡¯an.

    It was very dark below and just as Lan Jinyao reached her hand into the hollow space and felt about, she suddenly heard voicesing from outside. It was two people talking.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here for days already, yet I still don¡¯t know what secrets are hidden in this ce that could make Second Master fret like that.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already turned this ce upside down and still couldn¡¯t find what Second Master is looking for. Sigh, let¡¯s forget about it for now. Let¡¯s have some food and drink first; we¡¯ll leave when the sun goes down.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with that. If Second Master asks, let¡¯s just tell him that we couldn¡¯t find it.¡±

    What? Until the sun goes down?! ck lines appeared over Lan Jinyao¡¯s forehead. It was currently early morning...if she really had to wait for them to leave before she could go out, didn¡¯t this mean that she had to squat here all day?!

    Lan Jinyao heaved a long sigh before continuing to feel about. Then, she suddenly touched a leather notebook.

    She tried to muffle her movements as much as possible, without making a sound.

    There was plenty of light in the study, with the exception of that spot under the desk, so Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t see clearly what was written in the notebook in her hand. Those two men must be looking for this. This notebook must be very important to the Jiang family.

    Lan Jinyao stuffed the notebook in her bag and quietly waited for an opportunity to flee. Those two would certainly go out for lunch at noon, right? At that time, she would find a chance to sneak out.

    Waiting there was especially boring, so Lan Jinyao squatted for a while before standing up again. She then went to sit on the sofa in the study.

    At noon, those people went out, so Lan Jinyao¡¯s chance finally arrived.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t waste a minute; she immediately stood up and rushed outside. She stood at the entrance facing the courtyard and was about to leave when, suddenly, a fierce yell sounded behind her.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    Lan Jinyao abruptly halted her steps in shock.

    Chapter 203 - Make A Deal (1)

    On the third night after her visit to the Chen family¡¯s manor, Lan Jinyao received another phone call from Chen Meile. At this moment, she was driving to a restaurant to have dinner with Fu Bainian. Ever since the great sess of ¡®Twilight¡¯, she would be recognised by people wherever she went. Actually, before going out, she didn¡¯tpletely disguise herself like how she would¡¯ve in the past.

    Chen Meile called not long after she¡¯d left home. When Lan Jinyao saw ¡®Sis¡¯ shing on her phone screen, an uneasy feeling washed over her. Last time, what was worrying Chen Meile the most was the fact that Qingqing would insinuate doubts into Old Chen¡¯s mind, hinting that she was Chen Meimei. Old Chen was an astute person, so even if Qingqing didn¡¯t reveal too much, he could easily guess the underlying meaning.

    Lan Jinyao had a hunch that Chen Meile was calling her today about this matter.

    ¡°Sis, is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my Old Man specifically called me today to ask me what I thought of Qingqing. At that time, my mind was perturbed and I didn¡¯t know to say. But, luckily, my Old Man also asked me several other questions and he didn¡¯t question me further about Qingqing. If he had, I might have really slipped up and revealed your identity.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao breathed a sigh of relief.

    However, Chen Meile added, ¡°Sooner orter my Old Man will find out, and when that happens, I won¡¯t know what to do. Meimei, you must hurry up and think of a way to get rid of that bothersome woman.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    After the call ended, Fu Bainian cast her a sidelong nce and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I have confirmed that Qingqing is Shen Wei¡¯an. She underwent stic surgery and appeared in front of us again to take revenge. Therefore, Chen Meile called to remind us that we must take care of her pronto; we can¡¯t sit around and wait to die.¡±

    Fu Bainian faintly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already made some arrangements.¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at him with aplicated look in her eyes.

    ¡°I can help you!¡± After a moment of silence, Lan Jinyao uttered this one sentence.

    Initially, before she¡¯d said this, she¡¯d already expected that Fu Bainian would reject her and, as expected, he did exactly that.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re safe and sound, that is already your greatest support towards me. Jinyao, I don¡¯t want you to get hurt, do you understand? Thatst incident really hit me hard, so I don''t want to go through that again.¡±

    Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t very happy with his answer, but she still sulkily conceded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll protect myself well. I also don¡¯t want to experience that kind of thing ever again.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression slightly darkened. Since the both of them didn¡¯t want to go through that kind of thing again, he must eradicate all threats!

    The next day, Lan Jinyao got up very early. Even Fu Bainian looked at her in surprise. But, Lan Jinyao merely looked up at him and smiled without saying anything.

    Although she looked unperturbed as she unhurriedly ate her breakfast, she was, in fact, very nervous because she was going to do something behind Fu Bainian¡¯s back very soon.

    Fu Bainian held the fork in his hand and paused for a moment. ¡°Would you like to go out for a stroll today? I can apany you.¡±

    He¡¯d left her alone these days, so he was afraid that she would feel bored staying at home all day. But, he also didn¡¯t feel reassured letting her go out on her own, because right now was a very crucial period, and he couldn¡¯t afford the slightest mistake.

    His words made Lan Jinyao slightly flustered. Instead of looking up, she stared at her te and said, ¡°No need, I¡¯ll be fine on my own. Nothing will happen in broad daylight.¡±

    Before Fu Bainian could say another word, Lan Jinyao hurriedly added, ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter. Besides, I¡¯m just taking a stroll in the park; I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±

    Under Lan Jinyao¡¯s continuous persuasion, Fu Bainian no longer insisted.

    After breakfast, Lan Jinyao sat on the sofa and fiddled with her phone, acting as normal as she could. After Fu Bainian went out, she instantly got up and went out as well. She didn¡¯t stop when she passed by the park; she instead hailed a taxi and headed towards a certain ce.

    Even after the death of its owner, this supposedly romantic ce hadn¡¯t be deste.

    The door to the courtyard was locked. Lan Jinyao was very familiar with this ce that was filled with nightmarish memories. She knew where she could slip in without alerting the servants in the manor. Even though there was likely no one there at this moment...

    After Lan Jinyao entered the courtyard from a side passage, she carefully advanced towards Jiang Cheng¡¯s study to get something. Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t guarded against her one bit when she was there, so there were basically no secrets in this manor that she didn¡¯t know about. She clearly knew where Jiang Cheng had stored his most important possessions. Probably, not even Jiang Baitao was aware of that.

    Soon, Lan Jinyao got inside and went into the study.

    Below Jiang Cheng¡¯s desk there was a hollow space underneath the wooden nks, and there the secrets of the Jiang family were stored. She might not be able to fully control Jiang Baitao with this secret in hand, but she could certainly make a deal with Jiang Baitao and let him give up on Shen Wei¡¯an.

    It was very dark below and just as Lan Jinyao reached her hand into the hollow space and felt about, she suddenly heard voicesing from outside. It was two people talking.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here for days already, yet I still don¡¯t know what secrets are hidden in this ce that could make Second Master fret like that.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already turned this ce upside down and still couldn¡¯t find what Second Master is looking for. Sigh, let¡¯s forget about it for now. Let¡¯s have some food and drink first; we¡¯ll leave when the sun goes down.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with that. If Second Master asks, let¡¯s just tell him that we couldn¡¯t find it.¡±

    What? Until the sun goes down?! ck lines appeared over Lan Jinyao¡¯s forehead. It was currently early morning...if she really had to wait for them to leave before she could go out, didn¡¯t this mean that she had to squat here all day?!

    Lan Jinyao heaved a long sigh before continuing to feel about. Then, she suddenly touched a leather notebook.

    She tried to muffle her movements as much as possible, without making a sound.

    There was plenty of light in the study, with the exception of that spot under the desk, so Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t see clearly what was written in the notebook in her hand. Those two men must be looking for this. This notebook must be very important to the Jiang family.

    Lan Jinyao stuffed the notebook in her bag and quietly waited for an opportunity to flee. Those two would certainly go out for lunch at noon, right? At that time, she would find a chance to sneak out.

    Waiting there was especially boring, so Lan Jinyao squatted for a while before standing up again. She then went to sit on the sofa in the study.

    At noon, those people went out, so Lan Jinyao¡¯s chance finally arrived.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t waste a minute; she immediately stood up and rushed outside. She stood at the entrance facing the courtyard and was about to leave when, suddenly, a fierce yell sounded behind her.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    Lan Jinyao abruptly halted her steps in shock.

 Chapter 204 - Make A Deal (2)

    <h4>Chapter 204 - Make A Deal (2)</h4>

    At this moment, the atmosphere was a little tense.

    Lan Jinyao tensed up entirely and didn¡¯t dare to move, her hands balled into fists.

    Why was there someone else there? Why didn¡¯t she see him earlier?

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    As someone slowly approached her from behind, Lan Jinyao wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned around, facing the man with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Brother, I¡¯m Jiang Cheng¡¯s...¡± She paused, and then showed an embarrassed smile as she continued, ¡°I used to live here.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the man understood her message right away andughed. ¡°So, you were Young Master¡¯s woman; you came today to tidy up Young Master¡¯s remnants?¡±

    Lan Jinyao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that these people didn¡¯t know what had happened between her and Jiang Cheng. If they knew that she was the one who¡¯d sent Jiang Cheng to prison, they wouldn¡¯t let her go. Therefore, she had to find a way to get away from here as soon as possible.

    ¡°He¡¯s already dead, and in fact, there are no more remnants that need to be sorted out...¡± Lan Jinyao heaved a long sigh and mncholically added, ¡°I just came back to have a look. In the future, I won¡¯te back anymore.¡±

    The man smiled at her and straightforwardly said, ¡°Yes, Young Master has already left us, so there¡¯s no need to hold onto such a beautiful girl like you. Since you¡¯ve looked around, you can leave. Don¡¯te back to this kind of ce again.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. Right then, another man¡¯s voice suddenly sounded from outside.

    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression turned somewhat unnatural at this point. She smiled and then waved to the man. ¡°Then, I¡¯m leaving first!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± The man then said to the other man, ¡°No one!¡±

    The man standing outside at the courtyard quickly strode over, and just as he brushed past Lan Jinyao, he swept a nce at Lan Jinyao¡¯s side profile and frowned. Lan Jinyao quickened her pace, and after leaving the courtyard, she instantly ran away. Not long after, she hailed a taxi.

    ¡°Sir, please quickly drive away, someone is chasing me!¡±

    It was normal for one or two of Jiang Baitao¡¯s people to not recognise her, but there were certainly some who did. She wanted to openly make a deal with Jiang Baitao, so she couldn¡¯t afford being captured by his people now.

    ¡°All right!¡±

    As soon as the taxi driver stepped on the gas, the car sped away at lightning speed.

    Half an hourter, Lan Jinyao arrived home. Meanwhile, Fu Bainian was sitting on the sofa, waiting for her. Upon seeing him, Lan Jinyao froze for a second. However, she quickly regained her senses and ran to Fu Bainian¡¯s side. She sat down and affectionately asked, ¡°Howe you¡¯re back so early today?¡±

    Normally, at this time, Fu Bainian wouldn¡¯t be back yet and she would eat lunch alone every day, for which she¡¯dined about several times. At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt a little guilty. Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes were very sharp and he was currently staring at her with a piercing gaze. She couldn¡¯t let anything slip, or else he¡¯d certainly pick something up.

    ¡°Why were you out for so long?¡± Fu Bainian¡¯s voice sounded a bit unhappy. ¡°It¡¯s not safe out there right now. Even if I send someone to secretly protect you, something could still go wrong.¡±

    Lan Jinyao then coquettishly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, dear...I was bored, so I stayed out for a little longer.¡±

    Seeing her like this, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t have the heart to me her any more. He sighed helplessly. ¡°If you¡¯re truly bored, you can call me and I¡¯lle back to apany you. At least I can protect you.¡±

    It turned out that he¡¯de back early to apany her because he was worried that she would be feeling bored on her own. Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart instantly melted upon realising this.

    She leaned against Fu Bainian¡¯s chest and murmured, ¡°Fu Bainian, you are so good to me. You wouldn¡¯t act this way towards other women, would you?¡± Especially that Yin Yun, who¡¯d stayed by Fu Bainian¡¯s side for so long that she fell in love with him. At that time, he must¡¯ve been very good to her. He was the type of person who would do things seriously when he set his mind to it, even if it was just putting on an act.

    Fu Bainian softly smiled and replied, ¡°No, I won¡¯t. You clearly know that there¡¯s only you in my heart.¡±

    Lan Jinyao grinned. She knew that of course, but she would still get jealous sometimes.

    Atst, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t question her any further. Lan Jinyao put down her bag and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. She¡¯d stayed in Jiang Cheng¡¯s study for so long that she was about to starve to death.

    While Lan Jinyao was humming a song and preparing lunch, Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes suddenly fell on her bulging handbag. As she loved makeup, Lan Jinyao¡¯s bag was usually filled to the brim with cosmetics.

    ¡°What¡¯s in there?¡± When she came back earlier and saw him, she¡¯d subconsciously hid her bag behind her.

    Fu Bainian assumed that she had something in there that she didn¡¯t want him to see.

    Following this, their meal was eaten in silence. Lan Jinyao had, in fact, wanted to say something several times, but in the end, she let it be.

    After lunch, Fu Bainian had to go back to work. Before he left, he nted a kiss on Lan Jinyao¡¯s head and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that matter promptly and, very soon, you¡¯ll be able to live your life without any worries again.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. She believed in Fu Bainian. Even Jiang Cheng¡¯s matter had been taken care of smoothly, so she believed that everything would be over soon.

    However, after Fu Bainian had left, Lan Jinyao suddenly remembered that he¡¯de back to apany her because he was worried about her. She¡¯d initially thought that he would stay longer and apany her for a stroll, yet he left right away.

    ¡°Could it be that Fu Bainian came home specifically to have lunch with me?¡±

    But, her intuition told her otherwise. Something must¡¯ve changed his mind halfway.

    Suddenly, her eyes fell on her bag, which hadn¡¯t been touched by anyone.

    If Fu Bainian knew what she was about to do next, he would¡¯ve certainly stopped her. Since he was so concerned about her, he wouldn¡¯t allow her to take any risks. However, all of this started because of her, so she had to take care of it herself.

    After taking a nap, Lan Jinyao went out again. She kept the leather notebook close to her bosom as if she were carrying a treasure.

    She was going to make a deal with Jiang Baitao, so she could only go all out.

    The Jiang family¡¯s manor was located in the city centre with the best geographical location. It wasn¡¯t very far from their ce; only twenty minutes drive away.

    While Lan Jinyao was sitting nervously in the taxi, there was a ck Bentley secretly following behind.

 Chapter 205 - Make A Deal (3)

    <h4>Chapter 205 - Make A Deal (3)</h4>

    Twenty minutester, Lan Jinyao arrived at the Jiang family¡¯s manor. The Jiang family sure was heavily guarded, as just outside the courtyard, a group of suited bodyguards were stationed. With holsters wrapped around their waists, they were seemingly equipped with pistols.

    Lan Jinyao had only walked a few steps when two men stepped forward and stopped her, ferociously asking, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at them fearlessly and replied, ¡°I have something to discuss with Second Master. Please let him know I¡¯m here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here for Second Master? Who are you? Did you really think that you could meet Second Master just because you say so?¡± When the man said this, his fierce-looking face quivered like a hired thug from a movie.

    As expected, Jiang Baitao¡¯s influence ran deep. He had businesses in both the underworld and upperworld.

    Someone like him usually wore a mask of kindness and then he would, inadvertently, tear his enemies to shreds. Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but shiver at this thought. She was a little afraid.

    But, she must see Jiang Baitao today no matter what.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that Second Master will be very happy to see me. Just tell him that I have what he¡¯s been looking for.¡±

    The man cast her a hesitant look and asked, ¡°You have what Second Master has been looking for? What is it?!¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up into a sneer, and she coldly replied, ¡°You don''t deserve to see it.¡±

    At this moment, the imposing aura emanating from her body instantly overwhelmed the man in front of her.

    Life is just like a drama, it fully depends on one¡¯s acting skills. No matter if she were on stage or off, she¡¯s always the Movie Goddess.

    The man hesitated for a moment before telling the others, ¡°You guys stay here and don¡¯t let this woman in. I¡¯ll go and report this.¡±

    Lan Jinyao breathed a sigh of relief, and her expression softened. Just now, she looked indifferent but she was actually a bundle of nerves. These people lived by the sword and their lives were filled with bloodshed. She was only an actress. If she didn¡¯t act well in front of these people, then she might¡¯ve been done in by their pistols on the spot...

    The group of people standing in the courtyard fixated their gaze on her, without blinking. With them staring at her like this, Lan Jinyao gave an embarrassed smile and waved at them. ¡°Hello there.¡±

    However, no one paid attention to her.

    Soon, the man who went in, came back. He then said with the same poker face, ¡°Second Master said you can go in.¡±

    Following this, Lan Jinyao hurried inside. She¡¯d already wasted a lot of time dealing with this man. She didn¡¯t have much time left so she had to resolve this as quickly as possible. If Fu Bainian went home before she did, then need she say more? She would also be done for...

    Jiang Baitao was waiting for her in his study. An old fox like him held all of Jiang family¡¯s important businesses in his hands. Logically speaking, she shouldn¡¯t be allowed to enter his study. This wasn¡¯t quite what Lan Jinyao had expected, so she kept her guard up.

    A man in his fifties led her inside. He looked benevolent and much more likeable than that old fox, Jiang Baitao.

    When they arrived in front of the study, the man halted his steps and respectfully said, ¡°Second Master is waiting in there.¡±

    ¡°Second Master wants to receive me in his study?¡± Lan Jinyao cautiously asked.

    The manughed and said, ¡°Miss, you aren¡¯t a guest here, so how can we speak of hospitality? You came here to talk to our Second Master about a business deal, so the study is adequate!¡±

    His manner of speech was genteel, but what if he was on a mission to kill someone...how would he look then?

    Lan Jinyao felt anxious in her heart and simply stood there. At this moment, the man extended his hand and pushed open the door.

    Following this, Jiang Baitao¡¯sughter thundered out of the study. Lan Jinyao calmed down before striding in fearlessly.

    ¡°Second Master, you probably already know what I¡¯m here for, right?¡± Lan Jinyao sat down on the sofa and fixated her gaze on Jiang Baitao.

    Sometimes, one had no choice but to face certain people who they didn¡¯t want to meet again in their life, just like the current Lan Jinyao. She didn¡¯t want to see this ruthless old fox again, but, for the sake of future stability and her aggrieved heart, she had no choice but to meet Jiang Baitao one more time.

    ¡°Haha!¡± Jiang Baitao smiled happily and added, ¡°I guessed a part of it. But, I wonder, howe a mere actress like you knows what I want?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression slightly changed at the mention of the word ¡®actress¡¯. She loved acting, so acting was a noble profession for her.

    ¡°Second Master, since you already know, then I won¡¯t beat around the bush. Qingqing and you have joined hands, am I right? Qingqing was your son¡¯s woman...are you doing this to protect her? Or to avenge your son?¡±

    If he were protecting Qingqing, then her trip would be in vain. However, she felt that this probability was very low. After all, no matter what, Shen Wei¡¯an was a hateful person. If he were doing this to avenge Jiang Cheng, then she could still have a ¡®good¡¯ talk with Jiang Baitao today.

    At this moment, Jiang Baitao¡¯s expression darkened a few shades. ¡°No matter what it is, it wouldn¡¯t affect our deal, would it?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. ¡°As expected, Second Master sure is a straightforward person. Alright, I¡¯ll get to the point; I came here today to deliver the item that Second Master has been persistently looking for. As for my prerequisite...that is for Second Master to assist Qingqing no more, and you mustn¡¯t provide her with any source of ie.¡±

    Jiang Baitaoughed again. ¡°Sure enough, you bear a grudge against her, but you¡¯re much more ruthless than that woman. If she were ruthless enough, she would¡¯ve directly made me kill you, but she didn¡¯t.¡±

    Of course Qingqing wouldn¡¯t. Lan Jinyao inwardly sneered. As for Shen Wei¡¯an...her biggest desire was to outdo her and then severely torture her, leaving her with absolutely nothing. Besides, Shen Wei¡¯an had already killed her once, so of course she wouldn¡¯t kill her again. After all, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s ultimate aim was to see her fall from grace.

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s heart was only filled with jealousy in the beginning. But, unfortunately, her jealousy has already turned into a decadent, immoral sin.

    Initially, she merely wanted to send her to prison, which was Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s ultimate ending. However, she¡¯d now changed her mind...this time, she would send her to hell with her own hands. Henceforth, even if she had to borrow a knife to kill her, it wouldn¡¯t matter.

    Consequently, Lan Jinyao took the leather notebook out of her bag. As a precaution, she¡¯d already backed up the contents of this notebook before she came to find Jiang Baitao.

    There was finally a slight change in Jiang Baitao¡¯s expression, revealing a look of eagerness as he gazed at Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Give it to me!¡± he abruptly said.

    Lan Jinyao was startled still by his sudden cry. Then, afterposing herself, she threw the notebook on the table.

    Jiang Baitao grabbed the notebook and flipped through it cursorily before throwing it into the drawer beside him.

    The deal had already been sealed. It was about time for her to leave, so Lan Jinyao stood up and said, ¡°Second Master, I hope you stay true to your word!¡±

    Following this, she put up a brave front and proceeded towards the exit. Just a few more steps and she¡¯d be out of the study! The palms of her hands started to get sweaty, because from what she knew...no one had ever escaped Jiang Baitao¡¯s clutches.

    ¡°Hold it!¡±

 Chapter 206 - Make A Deal (4)

    <h4>Chapter 206 - Make A Deal (4)</h4>

    The moment Jiang Baitao¡¯s words reached her ears, Lan Jinyao abruptly halted. Her heart leapt to her throat and she subconsciously clenched her hands into fists.

    It was currently around two in the afternoon when the temperature was at its the highest. Fine beads of sweat glistened on Lan Jinyao¡¯s forehead as she stood there in a momentary daze. After regaining her senses, she gritted her teeth and forced a smile before turning around, asking, ¡°Second Master, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re going back on your word?¡±

    Jiang Baitao was still sitting behind his desk with the same smile stered on his face, without a trace of murderous intent in his eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. I merely wanted to ask: you must¡¯ve made a backup of this notebook, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. ¡°I have heard about Second Master¡¯s means of doing things from Bainian, so I know a thing or two about how things are done here. Today I rushed over to negotiate with you, so no matter if we¡¯ve reached an agreement or not, I ought to leave myself a way out, right?¡±

    Jiang Baitao stared at her for a long time without responding. Just as she thought that he would make a move, she heard himugh and say, ¡°You¡¯re very daring, but also calm andposed. It¡¯s truly a pity that you don¡¯t like my son.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao inwardly replied: Jiang Cheng was indeed a pitiable person with an unfortunate fate. If he were to find a person who liked him wholeheartedly, then perhaps he would¡¯ve been much happier and he wouldn¡¯t have ended up drowned at sea.

    ¡°In that case, may I leave now?¡±

    Jiang Baitao nodded. ¡°Of course, Miss Chen, you¡¯re a courageous woman and I admire that. If you ever decide to leave President Fu¡¯s side, mypany will wee you with open hands where you¡¯ll surely achieve higher heights.¡±

    Achieve higher heights? She didn¡¯t care about that.

    ¡°I appreciate Second Master¡¯s good intentions, but I¡¯ll never leave Fu Bainian in this lifetime; I¡¯ll forever stay by his side and grow old with him.¡±

    Hearing this, Jiang Baitao didn¡¯t move and remained silent. Lan Jinyao then turned and calmly walked out of the study. Once outside, she breathed a long sigh of relief.

    At this moment, she heard Jiang Baitao say, ¡°You¡¯re very simr to her...very timid, but braver than anyone else. You¡¯re clearly afraid, yet you put up a strong front, making it impossible for others to expose you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao abruptly stiffened for a second; she then hurriedly left.

    It turned out that Jiang Baitao had seen through everything...that was a close call!

    The housekeeper followed behind and walked her out.

    Lan Jinyao remained silent for a moment before asking, ¡°Did you hear our conversation earlier?¡±

    The housekeeper didn¡¯t deny nor admit anything; he simplyughed.

    Seeing this, Lan Jinyao rolled her eyes. ¡°Since you heard everything, then I¡¯d like to ask, who was Second Master referring to?¡±

    This time, the housekeeper no longer assumed bureaucratic airs and replied, ¡°She was Second Master¡¯s lover, in other words, our Young Master¡¯s Mother. Butter, she was shot to death by Second Master for some reason...¡±

    S-shot to death?!

    His words made Lan Jinyao¡¯s hair stand on end. No wonder the housekeeper was willing to tell her all this. Why else would Jiang Baitao suddenly say that? He was practically threatening her! If she leaked the backed-up data, what would happen to her? She¡¯d end up like Jiang Baitao¡¯s woman!

    ¡°As expected, he¡¯s vicious and merciless. He actually killed his own wife!¡± Lan Jinyao muttered under her breath.

    The housekeeper suddenly corrected her, ¡°She wasn¡¯t his wife. A man like Second Master would never take a wife.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded understandingly and then hurriedly left. This trip was honestly a frightening experience for her.

    Only after she¡¯d boarded the taxi did she feel relieved. She noticed that her back was drenched in sweat.

    As soon as she arrived home, she hurried to the living room. When she didn¡¯t see Bainian, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    Fortunately, she¡¯d arrived home earlier than Bainian. If he were at home, then she was done for!

    Lan Jinyao thought that Fu Bainian didn¡¯t know about any of this, but in fact...

    At night, Lan Jinyao noticed that Fu Bainian seemed a bit off. Although his manner of speech and expressions were the same as before, she still discerned something different in the nuances of his voice.

    During dinnertime, Fu Bainian would pick up food for her as usual, but then, while eating, he would be distracted. Seeing him like this, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t break his trance. Instead, she quietly stared at him.

    Snapping out of his stupor after a few minutes, Fu Bainian cast her a puzzled look and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was rendered speechless. ¡°...I should be the one asking that, what¡¯s up with you?¡±

    Only then did Fu Bainian seemingly realise that he was in a daze earlier. He slightly frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, let¡¯s eat!¡±

    It was nothing? How could it be nothing? Lan Jinyao coldly humphed. The former Fu Bainian was always taciturn like this, yet those youngdies out there called him an ¡®Aloof Prince Charming¡¯.

    How was he an ¡®Aloof Prince Charming¡¯?!

    After taking a shower, Lan Jinyaoy in bed deep in thought. She carefully thought about what to say to Fu Bainianter, so that he would willingly tell her everything he¡¯d stored in the deepest part of his heart.

    By the time Fu Bainian got out of the shower, only ten minutes had passed. But, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyelids were seemingly already glued together.

    Feeling the light movements beside her, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes instantly flew open and she quickly stared at Fu Bainian with her pitch-ck eyes. She pounced on him and tugged at his cor. ¡°What were you thinking about during dinner?¡±

    ¡°Nothing!¡±

    Fu Bainian held her hand and tried to remove it from his cor.

    ¡°Really? Fu Bainian, don¡¯t treat me like a child, okay? I¡¯m your wife, so please tell me the truth, alright?¡±

    Fu Bainian returned her gaze, and then after a long moment of silence, he finally said, ¡°I know you went to the Jiang family¡¯s manor today, and I could, more or less, guess why you went there.¡±

    When he said those words, Fu Bainian¡¯s tone sounded indifferent, but Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart was pounding from anxiety.

    ¡°Bainian, I just wanted to lend you a helping hand. I don¡¯t want Qingqing to threaten our livester on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of these things; you needn¡¯t worry. What¡¯s more, Jiang Baitao is a very dangerous and cunning person; don¡¯t you know that? What if you couldn¡¯t get out? What if Jiang Baitao wanted to avenge his son right there and then? Do you want me to helplessly lose you again-¡±

    As he was speaking, Lan Jinyao lowered her head and sealed his lips with a kiss, not allowing him to finish his sentence.

    Fu Bainian, I know it¡¯s dangerous, but I had to do it. I don¡¯t want to see that woman again.

    As their passionate kiss deepened, Fu Bainian suddenly turned over and pressed Lan Jinyao underneath him.

 Chapter 207 - Driven Into A Corner (1)

    <h4>Chapter 207 - Driven Into A Corner (1)</h4>

    After settling the matter with Jiang Baitao, Lan Jinyao reassuringly waited at home for Qingqing, or better said, she was waiting for Shen Wei¡¯an to make an appearance.

    However, even after waiting for a long time, Qingqing still hadn¡¯te. After a while, Lan Jinyao could no longer sit still and phoned Li Qi. After she¡¯d stepped down, Li Qi had been assigned by thepany to manage another artist. As He Xiaoyun¡¯s current achievements were quite good and Li Qi had specifically requested for her, he was now He Xiaoyun¡¯s Manager.

    Li Qi, who was working while enjoying the sweetness of love, was seemingly not in a good mood. His phone rang for a long while before he finally answered.

    ¡°What are you doing now? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re flirting with Xiaoyun again, hmmm?¡±

    Li Qi was seemingly running at this moment as he panted and said, ¡°Xiao...Xiaoyun is very busy now; she...she doesn¡¯t even have time to talk to me. I¡¯m currently bringing her the costumes for today¡¯s concert. I just so happened to run into a traffic jam the moment I departed, so unlucky...¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re now running to deliver the costumes to Xiaoyun?¡± Lan Jinyao asked, her tone a few octaves higher.

    It seemed that Li Qi had truly devoted himself to Xiaoyun. Back then, when Li Qi was still her Manager, Xiaolin had to do all those things for her. When he¡¯d had to take a few extra steps, he would rely on his car. What a difference in treatment!

    ¡°Then go ahead and keep going! I¡¯ll call you again when you''re free.¡±

    ¡°No, wait!¡± Li Qi stopped her and hurriedly added, ¡°You¡¯ve been resting for a while already, and it¡¯s quite rare for me to receive a call from you. If you have something to say then just say it; I¡¯m all ears. If President Fu were to find out that I¡¯m favouring one over the other, he would certainly tear me to shreds!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was amused by his words.

    ¡°Nah, stop scaring yourself, it¡¯s not that serious! What I wanted to say isn¡¯t that pressing, I simply wanted to ask if there have been any movements on Qingqing¡¯s sidetely.¡±

    Li Qi suspiciously asked, ¡°Qingqing? There¡¯s seemingly been no movements thus far. Although it is stated on her business card that she¡¯s also someone from the entertainment industry, she rarely shows her face, so I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. She doesn¡¯t seem to care about her connections at all. In any case, as far as I know, she didn¡¯t show up much.¡±

    Of course she needn¡¯t worry about her connections, there was Jiang Baitao backing her up, and him alone was equivalent to almost half of the entertainment industry.

    Unfortunately, she would be abandoned by Jiang Baitao soon.

    ¡°Li Qi, don¡¯t just flirt around; remember to keep an eye on that woman for me.¡±

    ¡°No problem! Let¡¯s talk about it next time. I¡¯m off to send the costumes to Xiaoyun. I won¡¯t make it in time if I continue dawdling like this.¡±

    Li Qi immediately hung up after speaking, without waiting for her response.

    Lan Jinyao stared at her phone and shook her head. She theny down on the sofa in the living room, unceasingly consoling herself: Don¡¯t get anxious and be patient. Once Qingqing is driven into a corner, you¡¯ll be able to reel in the.

    Although she told herself that, she still couldn¡¯t help but call Chen Meile in the afternoon, asking her if there were any movements on Qingqing¡¯s side. However, the answer she got was the same as Li Qi¡¯s. Qingqing had rarely made an appearance in the past few days; she didn¡¯t even visit Old Chen.

    Chen Meile also said that she found it weird that Qingqing wasn¡¯t doing anything, and that she was just about to call her to ask about this.

    Lan Jinyaoter thought: It should be about time to reel in the.

    In the evening, Lan Jinyao went to the bar where He Xiaoyun used to work because after she¡¯d finished her call with Chen Meile, she received another call from Qingqing. She didn¡¯t store Qingqing¡¯s number, so the moment the call was connected, she was somewhat stunned to hear Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s voice.

    Qingqing was already at the crowded bar, waiting for her.

    That woman¡¯s back really resembled that of Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s. Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression darkened as she approached her.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, you¡¯re finally here!¡±

    Seeing Lan Jinyao¡¯s approaching figure, Qingqing beamed at her. It was a smile that Shen Wei¡¯an had never shown before. It was an innocent, carefree smile, befitting Chen Meimei¡¯s casual personality.

    Qingqing pointed at a ss ced on the counter, which was already filled with a brown-coloured liquor. At a nce, Lan Jinyao already knew that the liquor was quite strong.

    As soon as Lan Jinyao sat down, Qingqing asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you drinking?¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at the ss that had been prepared beforehand, and didn¡¯t say anything. Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t move even under Qingqing¡¯s watchful eye. Suddenly asking her out like this...Qingqing was obviously plotting something, so she had to stay alert and guard against her.

    Even if she were to drink something, she wouldn¡¯t drink this and rather, she¡¯d order another drink herself. Not to mention, she wasn¡¯t nning to touch that at all.

    ¡°You don¡¯t dare to drink it? What, are you worried about me drugging you?¡± Qingqing sneered sarcastically.

    Lan Jinyao faintly replied, ¡°That¡¯s right, I know what scheme you¡¯re cooking up, so I honestly think that you might drug me with this.¡± It wasn¡¯t like she hadn¡¯t done this before. Her psychological tactics were of no use against her.

    ¡°Haha...¡± Qingqingughed.

    Lan Jinyao then straightforwardly asked, ¡°Why did you want to meet with me today?¡±

    As far as she knew, Shen Wei¡¯an was a very impatient person. If she knew how to precipitate, she might¡¯ve already been a very rich and powerful person. After all, she had Jiang Baitao backing her up. But, unexpectedly, this woman was far too ambitious.

    Since Qingqing had asked her out today, that meant that she hadn¡¯t been driven into a corner yet.

    ¡°Chen Meimei, I¡¯m telling you, your Old Man will soon be mine, and aside from Fu Bainian, you¡¯ll be left with nothing.¡±

    It turned out that Qingqing had asked her out to show off her might.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled up into a slight smile as she said, ¡°Are you sure that I¡¯ll be left with nothing, and not you? Your identity is fake, right? As far as I know, your current identity doesn¡¯t exist...do you need me to go to the Public Security Bureau to file a case on your behalf?¡±

    Hearing this, Qingqing¡¯splexion paled severed degrees, and she stared daggers at her.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t stop, and added, ¡°Besides Old Chen, what other bargaining chips do you hold in your hands to fight against me? From what I¡¯ve heard, Jiang Baitao isn¡¯t going to help you anymore!¡±

    ¡°Do you know why? Because...I¡¯m the one intercepting you guys!¡± Lan Jinyao paused, and thencently continued, ¡°You must¡¯ve guessed this, right?!¡±

    At this instant, Qingqing¡¯s expression turned a few shades uglier and she looked much more ferocious than before.

    She then abruptly grabbed the ss ced on the counter and sshed the liquid inside towards Lan Jinyao. Thetter hurriedly stepped aside and dodged it.

    ¡°Qingqing, what are you doing?! I dare say that I can let you end up at the police station right this instant!¡±

    Qingqing red at Lan Jinyao ferociously for a second, and then grabbed her bag before scurrying away.

 Chapter 208 - Driven Into A Corner (2)

    <h4>Chapter 208 - Driven Into A Corner (2)</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Is that woman picking on you again?¡±

    Lan Xin¡¯s voice came from behind Lan Jinyao.

    Thetter softlyughed, and asked in response, ¡°Why are you asking? Have you ever seen Qingqing pick on me?¡±

    ¡°That time after you¡¯d won the Best Actress Award, she shamelessly tagged along for dinner and tirelessly tried to sow discord between you and your sister. Also, you could clearly see at a nce what scheme she was cooking up earlier.¡±

    The disdainful look on Lan Xin¡¯s face made Lan Jinyao chuckle. She then lowered her voice and said, ¡°You were right. Qingqing just doesn¡¯t like me and she finds me an eyesore. Besides, she¡¯s been feeling this way for a long time already.¡±

    ¡°Huh? For a long time already?¡± Lan Xin was confused by her words. ¡°Did you know that woman from before? I heard that she came back from abroad. Could it be that you¡¯ve met her abroad, so you have some history with her?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t seen this Qingqing before. To be exact, I do know her, and I also have some history with her, but back then...she didn¡¯t look like this.¡±

    ¡°You mean...she had stic surgery?¡±

    Lan Xin hit the bullseye with that question. Lan Jinyao wasn¡¯t going to hide it from her, so she answered, ¡°That¡¯s right, do you still remember that old news story about a famous actress who was murdered?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about...Shen Wei¡¯an?¡± Lan Xin¡¯s hands inexplicably clenched into fists, and her tone contained a trace of anger as she asked.

    Lan Jinyao nodded. ¡°In fact, Shen Wei¡¯an...she¡¯s still alive and kicking. I know Shen Wei¡¯an like a book, so I¡¯m positive that that corpse wasn¡¯t hers, but someone else¡¯s. As for Shen Wei¡¯an, she underwent stic surgery after she fled abroad, and now she¡¯s back for revenge. Of course, these are just my assumptions. My current evidence isn¡¯t enough to expose her just yet.¡±

    As for her rebirth, no matter what, she mustn¡¯t talk about it ever again.

    ¡°Qingqing is Shen Wei¡¯an?¡± Lan Xin¡¯s gaze instantly darkened a few shades. She then asked in a low voice, ¡°But, how did you find out, and on what basis are you assuming this?¡±

    Her questions stunned Lan Jinyao; she didn¡¯t know how to exin and tried tough it off. ¡°Haha, I shouldn¡¯t have told you all of this, because these are only my suspicions. Just think of this as idle chit-chat and don¡¯t take my words seriously. Besides, aren¡¯t the police still investigating this matter?¡±

    ¡°Just mere assumptions?!¡± Lan Xin muttered under her breath.

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t hear her clearly, so she asked again, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± Lan Xin asked for a ss of wine and sipped it slowly.

    Following this, Lan Jinyao checked the time. It was about time for her to return home.

    Just as she was about to bid her farewell, she heard Lan Xin say, ¡°Chen Meimei, I believe in your intuition. Since you¡¯re guessing all of this, then I¡¯ll also believe that Qingqing is Shen Wei¡¯an.¡±

    In this world, apart from Fu Bainian, no one had believed in her this much. Lan Jinyao felt somewhat moved by Lan Xin¡¯s words. At this moment, even all the unpleasantness brought by Shen Wei¡¯an had disappeared in an instant. She smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thister. I have to go back now.¡±

    After getting up, Lan Jinyao added, ¡°You should be careful yourself. The current Shen Wei¡¯an is very dangerous; she¡¯s like a madwoman who¡¯s lost her mind. If she learnt about the things you¡¯d done in the past, she might make things difficult for you.¡±

    Lan Xin nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll stay a bit longer and then go back. Since I¡¯m now a part of the entertainment industry, I can also be considered a celebrity. If I were to be seen by the paparazzi, things would get troublesome.¡±

    After Lan Jinyao turned around, the gentle smile on her face slowly disappeared. She was actually acting selfishly when she¡¯d said those things to Lan Xin earlier. She was clear on the fact that Lan Xin hated Shen Wei¡¯an to the bone for some reason. Lan Xin had constantly made things difficult for Shen Wei¡¯an on several asions, yet the former¡¯s actions hadn¡¯t been found out by Shen Wei¡¯an. If she were to let Lan Xin know all that, then Lan Xin would certainly make a move, right?!

    Shen Wei¡¯an was out in the open, while Lan Xin was hiding in the dark, so it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to settle this matter.

    Then, a day after her meeting with Qingqing, Lan Jinyao saw a news report.

    The identity of Qingqing had been exposed, and consequently, the police went knocking on her door. Forging an identity wasn¡¯t a small matter. What¡¯s more, there really was a girl named Qingqing, who looked exactly like the current Shen Wei¡¯an. Hence, the police couldn¡¯t help but doubt Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s motives. Once they started investigating this matter, then everything that Shen Wei¡¯an had done in the past woulde to light sooner orter.

    While Lan Jinyao was in the middle of watching the news, she received a call from Chen Meile.

    ¡°Chen Meile sounded somewhat excited as she asked, ¡°Meimei, are you free now? Is so, then hurry home to watch the show currently urring!¡±

    ¡°Qingqing went to look for your Old Man?¡±

    ¡°Yup! But, I¡¯ve blocked her outside. I reckon that once my Old Man hears that woman¡¯s cry, he¡¯lle out of the study to open the gate for her, so hurry up ande over!¡±

    Lan Jinyao hurriedly conceded and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there!¡±

    If she made it on time, then she wouldn¡¯t merely be there to witness ¡®the show¡¯, she might even need to act along and battle it out with Shen Wei¡¯an.

    As she thought about the fact that she would be able to sort out Shen Wei¡¯an soon, Lan Jinyao suddenly felt a tinge of excitement in her heart.

    She went straight to the garage and picked a car before driving off to the Chen family¡¯s manor. She wasn¡¯t feeling very well before, so she hadn¡¯t feltfortable driving on her own. But, she was currently brimming with energy, so she might as well drive herself.

    Normally, it would take her about half an hour to reach the Chen family¡¯s manor, but luckily, she hadn¡¯t encountered any red lights when she passed through the three intersections, so she got there in merely twenty minutes.

    ording to what Chen Meile had said, Shen Wei¡¯an should still be blocked outside at this moment. However, when Lan Jinyao nced around, she didn¡¯t see Shen Wei¡¯an. Could it be that she was a step toote?

    Lan Jinyao parked her car before hurrying inside.

    Just as she was about to step into the living room, she heard Qingqing wailing. Lan Jinyao subconsciously halted as a shback of her previous life came to mind. It was also this voice...back then, that woman was crying hysterically on thepany¡¯s rooftop and tantly criticising her with this very same voice...

    It was also this voice that had drawn her closer to the abyss, step by step.

    This voice...sounded somewhat different from the one she¡¯d heard that day in the restaurant.

    Lan Jinyao suddenly felt depressed. Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s acting skills were poor, but her experience could make up for it. Unfortunately, Shen Wei¡¯an had never learnt to be patient, or better said, her patience was only reserved formitting misdeeds.

 Chapter 209 - Driven Into A Corner (3)

    <h4>Chapter 209 - Driven Into A Corner (3)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao sighed and then strode into the living room. When Chen Meile saw her, she quickly waved at her and said, ¡°Meimei, quicklye over here!¡±

    Qingqing, whose face was stained with tears, also turned and red at her, her pupils dted with anger and resentment.

    When she turned away, there was nothing but a pitiful look left in her eyes.

    Lan Jinyao inwardly sneered. Chen Meimei was a tough woman, so even when facing everyone¡¯s ridicule and criticism, or while facing Fu Bainian¡¯s cold treatment time and time again, she would never show that kind of expression.

    Although Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t know Chen Meimei very well, she was very sure about this one point.

    ¡°Dad...don¡¯t tell me that you still can¡¯t recognise me?¡±

    Qingqing crouched in front of Old Chen, looking extremely emotional as her lips quivered slightly.

    At first, Old Chen was somewhat dismayed, but then his gazended on Lan Jinyao. With a gaze that could seemingly see through everything, he nced back and forth at the two, unable to reach a conclusion for a long time.

    Lan Jinyao dry coughed and asked, ¡°Dad, what¡¯s going on here? Could it be that I have another sister?¡±

    At this time, Chen Meile finally spoke up and coldly said, ¡°What other sister are you talking about? That woman simply wants to say that she¡¯s Chen Meimei. Tsk, tsk, Meimei, it looks like someone wants to impersonate you, but it seems that she hadn¡¯t done enough homework!¡±

    Lan Jinyaoughed. ¡°I see, Qingqing, it looks like your performance isn¡¯t good enough. You can¡¯t even deceive my Sister, so how can you expect to deceive my Old Man?¡±

    A light shed in Qingqing¡¯s eyes; she then pounced on Old Chen¡¯sp and wailed. ¡°Dad, I also don¡¯t know what happened. I remember chasing after Fu Bainian, and then I left in anger. I sped while driving and I...I got into a car ident. When I woke up and opened my eyes, I became like this. Dad, you have to believe me; a soul with ill intentions is currently upying my body!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an actually dared to say such otherworldly things. Wasn¡¯t she afraid of being sent to a mental hospital?

    However, Old Chen¡¯s receptiveness was rtively strong. He didn¡¯t doubt Qingqing¡¯s words, nor did he think it was nonsense. Instead, he asked, ¡°Meile, what do you think?¡±

    Hearing this, Chen Meile immediately answered, ¡°What Miss Qingqing said earlier is nonsense, her words were without basis. From the time Meimei was sent to the hospital until she was discharged, I¡¯ve handled everything myself. The doctor said before that Meimei¡¯s signs of life were still there, so it was impossible for such a weird thing as a soul transfer to happen. Besides, I was with her the day she woke up, and I didn¡¯t notice anything unusual.¡±

    Old Chen nodded. It seemed that he¡¯d bought Chen Meile¡¯s story.

    Qingqing stared at Chen Meile in astonishment and asked, ¡°Sis, you clearly know what happened, so why are you saying this?¡±

    Chen Meile didn¡¯t take this lying down, and coldly sneered. ¡°I don¡¯t have so many sisters! Please don¡¯t call me that!¡±

    Being rejected by Chen Meile, Qingqing had no choice but to target Old Chen. ¡°Dad, you have to believe me. I know your deepest secret; even my sister doesn¡¯t know about it. Do you want me to say it out loud for you to believe me?¡±

    When Qingqing mentioned the word ¡®secret¡¯, Lan Jinyao keenly noticed a change in Old Chen¡¯s expression.

    A secret that even Chen Meile wasn¡¯t aware of...then, how could she possibly know it?

    When her thoughts got to here, Lan Jinyao started to get nervous. If Shen Wei¡¯an truly knew Old Chen¡¯s secret, then she would have the upper hand.

    She hurriedly reprimanded, ¡°Enough, stop talking nonsense! Miss Qingqing, please leave at once. If you continue acting outrageously like this, then don¡¯t me me for being rude!¡±

    After Lan Jinyao said this, she raised her fists towards Qingqing. This was something that Fu Bainian had taught her; it was one of Chen Meimei¡¯s signature moves.

    Old Chen¡¯s expression darkened, and he suddenly said, ¡°Meimei is right. If you continue talking nonsense, I¡¯ll get someone make you leave right this instant!¡±

    Lan Jinyao was stunned. Did Old Chen get angry?

    Qingqing also froze for a second. She then stared at Old Chen with an incredulous look and softly asked, ¡°Dad, what did you just say?¡±

    ¡°Dad, wait! Let¡¯s wait a bit, there¡¯s no rush to chase her out!¡±

    It was Chen Meile who said this. She stared at her watch and said, ¡°Dad, the moment Miss Qingqing arrived, I called the police. The police must already be outside by now.¡±

    ¡°You called the police?¡± Old Chen cast a questioning nce at her.

    Chen Meile¡¯s lips slowly curled upwards as she exined, ¡°Yes, I called the police. Dad, you might not know this, but Miss Qingqing is a repeat offender. She impersonated someone else, and even her ID card was forged. Her identity was exposed this morning; it¡¯s all over the news. She must¡¯vee here to seek your help, so she came wailing and begging for you to ¡®recognise¡¯ her.¡±

    ¡°I see!¡± Old Chen nodded, and then shook Qingqing¡¯s hand off his knee.

    After a while, Old Chen stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this matter for you sisters to handle; I still have some business to take care of.¡±

    Chen Meile immediately responded, ¡°Alright!¡±

    Qingqing stared hopelessly at Old Chen¡¯s departing figure. A minuteter, she abruptly stood up, pushed Chen Meile away, and ran outside.

    Chen Meile sneered and was about to chase after her when Lan Jinyao grabbed her arm and said, ¡°Sis, leave this matter to me. You didn¡¯t actually call the police, did you? You merely said that to scare Qingqing, right?¡±

    A glint shed in Chen Meile¡¯s eyes before she smiled and said, ¡°As expected, Meimei knows me the best. Outsiders wouldn¡¯t be able to imitate our tacit understanding.¡±

    Lan Jinyao seemed to have noticed that something was off and she affectionately smiled back at Chen Meile.

    She tilted her head slightly and saw Old Chen walking into his study from the corner of her eye. Just now, he was watching their every movement. It seemed that, in the end, Old Chen still had his suspicions.

    Some things, once revealed, would stay rooted in one¡¯s heart and continue growing into towering trees.

    Once the root of doubt was deeply nted in Old Chen¡¯s heart, it was bound to break out of the ground and grow.

    ¡°Sis, in the future, you had better tell him these things yourself. In the end, I¡¯m just an...outsider!¡±

    Chen Meile nodded. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before I tell him everything. I initially didn¡¯t want to break my Old Man¡¯s heart. However, now there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Qingqing, that woman, is truly abhorrent! If she falls into my hands one day, I¡¯ll never let her off!¡±

    Lan Jinyao stared at Chen Meile, her gaze gradually deepening.

    She wouldn¡¯t give Chen Meile this chance, because she would deal with Shen Wei¡¯an herself!

 Chapter 210 - Letâ€™s Perish Together (1)

    <h4>Chapter 210 - Let¡¯s Perish Together (1)</h4>

    In the morning, Lan Jinyao received a call from an unknown number. Upon seeing the number shing on the screen, she felt a tinge of dread in her heart. She suddenly recalled Jiang Cheng...he¡¯d previously contacted her with this number.

    She hesitated for a moment before answering the call.

    The person who called turned out to be someone she was very familiar with; it was Qingqing!

    ¡°Your sudden call today...is it to appeal for help?¡± Lan Jinyao raised an eyebrow andcently asked.

    Qingqing was already at the end of the line and she couldn¡¯t hold on for much longer, so Lan Jinyao wanted to deliberately provoke her.

    Sure enough, Qingqing became angry and retorted, ¡°Appeal for help?! Lan Jinyao, stop overthinking things. I¡¯m telling you now, I¡¯ll definitely drag you down with me and make your life worse than death...!¡±

    Before Qingqing could finish her sentence, Lan Jinyao abruptly hung up on her.

    It seemed that her assumptions were wrong. Qingqing didn¡¯t panic and her attitude was still so overbearing even in the face of this dilemma. Didn¡¯t it register in her mind that she was about to be arrested and thrown in prison?

    As her thoughts got to here, Lan Jinyao smiled sadly. Qingqing behaved so because she wasn¡¯t aware of her current situation. When she realised her current state of affairs, the strong fa?ade she¡¯d put on would shatter into pieces in an instant.

    Soon after, Lan Jinyao reported that number, and she passed on Qingqing¡¯s threatening words with added details to the police officer in charge of the case.

    Lan Jinyao then thought: Only one more day and Qingqing would never be able to escape again.

    As for Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s unresolved murder case...if it was confirmed that Qingqing was Shen Wei¡¯an, then, without doubt, it was very easy to connect the dots between the corpse they¡¯d found earlier and Qingqing. When guilt flooded her and she realised that there was nothing she could do about it, she could only run away, and the police would definitely hunt her down when the time came.

    Lan Jinyao clenched her hands into fists. Killing Qingqing was the same as letting her off lightly, so this time she would send Qingqing to prison no matter what!

    The next day, Qingqing called her again. Through the phone, she could hear how dejected Qingqing sounded as she cried her eyes out. Unfortunately, this kind of little trick wouldn¡¯t work on her.

    Lan Jinyao sneered and asked, ¡°You finally know that what you did was wrong?¡±

    Lan Jinyao actually didn¡¯t believe that Qingqing felt any remorse, because even when she was pushed off the building by Shen Wei¡¯an, thetter didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d done anything wrong and she¡¯d shamelessly taken advantage of everything that had belonged to her to rise to fame. With such a twisted mind, how could she possibly be willing to repent?

    Qingqing choked on her words and couldn¡¯t speak properly.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, I know I¡¯m in the wrong now. I...I can never win against you, so I don¡¯t expect you to forgive me, but please promise me one thing...after I die, please help me collect my body!¡±

    Collect her body? What was this woman scheming now?

    ¡°Where are you now?¡±

    Qingqing remained silent for a moment before sniffing and blowing her nose. ¡°I¡¯m at the rooftop...the ce where I pushed you off the building. It all started here, so things should end here. Say, Jinyao, I¡¯ve done so many bad things...do you think that I¡¯ll be as lucky as you were after I die? Will the Heavens grant me another chance? I want to start over too...¡±

    Her words sounded genuine, and Lan Jinyao felt somewhat moved.

    ¡°You could¡¯ve started over with your new identity and appearance. Furthermore, you had Jiang Baitao behind you, so if you¡¯d started over, and you didn¡¯t take the initiative to approach Fu Bainian and me, then you could¡¯ve lived a very long life.¡±

    Qingqing choked with sobs and said, ¡°I...I know I did wrong, and I regret my actions deeply. Lan Jinyao, you muste to see me off! I¡¯m waiting for you...d-don¡¯t you want to see your enemy die in front of you?¡±

    Having her thoughts seen through, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t say anything. That was right, for a long time she¡¯d been having nightmares every night, and every time she woke up, she couldn¡¯t get over it, and by the time she got over it, her first thought was: why was Shen Wei¡¯an alive and well even though her hands were covered with blood?! She must find a way to kill that damned woman to avenge herself!

    Now, she could finally see the wicked Shen Wei''an depart from this world... At this thought, Lan Jinyao suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable emotions in her heart.

    "Okay, I''ll be right there!" Lan Jinyao gritted her teeth and added, "You must wait for me...I''ve been looking forward to your death for a long time."

    She had been incessantly waiting for this opportunity, so if Shen Wei''an changed her mind midway, she wouldn''t mind giving her a hand.

    After Lan Jinyao hung up, she hurriedly went out. On her way out, she bumped into Qian Ran. She nced at the Assistant whom she hadn''t seen in ages and greeted him with a smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

    "Oh, President Fu asked me to fetch a file for him. Are you about to go somewhere?"

    Lan Jinyao nodded, and then she saw Qian Ran breathe a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, I came in time. Otherwise, I would be left out in the cold."

    "Which file do you need? I''ll go get it for you. Just give me a minute!"

    "Alright," Qian Ran conceded and waited outside.

    As Lan Jinyao was in a hurry to go out, she quickly found the file that Fu Bainian was looking for and handed it to Qian Ran. As they walked side by side towards the gate of themunity, Qian Ran noticed that Lan Jinyao seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. So, he promptly asked, ¡°Madam, where are you going? I came here with my car, so if it¡¯s on the way, I could take you there.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. Qian Ran was going back to thepany, and she also had to go there, so they could go back together.

    Before she¡¯d even replied, Qian Ran was already gesturing for her to board the car, and smilingly said, ¡°It happens to be on the way, right? Then, please get in and off we go!¡±

    Afterwards, Lan Jinyao got off at a bus stop close to thepany and said, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be fine here. You should hurry and deliver the file to Fu Bainian!¡±

    Qian Ran nced at the surrounding shopping malls, thinking that she was about to go shopping, so he didn¡¯t dwell on this and drove away.

    Lan Jinyao waited for a while until Qian Ran waspletely out of sight before she walked towards thepany. When she¡¯d gotten on the car earlier, she¡¯d initially nned to go to thepany with Qian Ran, but then she was worried that Fu Bainian would question Qian Ran about this, and knowing thetter¡¯s personality, he would surely answer truthfully. When that happened, Fu Bainian would surely overthink things again.

    She wanted to solve this matter by herself. No matter what Fu Bainian had nned, she didn¡¯t want him to get involved. She had to break free from her fears and nightmares on her own.

 Chapter 211 - Letâ€™s Perish Together (2)

    <h4>Chapter 211 - Let¡¯s Perish Together (2)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao proceeded with caution all the way to thepany. She was, after all, a famous actress under the banner of Blue Hall Entertainment, and there were no employees who didn¡¯t know her.

    After entering the building, Lan Jinyao deliberately wore a pair of sunsses to conceal her appearance for fear of being recognised, which might consequently bring about unnecessary trouble.

    However, despite her caution, she was still recognised by someone in the elevator.

    When the elevator doors opened, there was no one in there, so Lan Jinyao scurried in and she pressed the ¡®rooftop¡¯ button before immediately jabbing the ''close door'' button. Unfortunately, the closing speed of the elevator doors in this kind of office building was quite slow, so as Lan Jinyao stared at the elevator doors inching together, she turned somewhat impatient and had the urge to give it a push to speed up the process.

    Then, right when the elevator doors were about to close, a pair of hands swiftly reached in and it swooshed open again all thanks to its super sensors.

    Lan Jinyao acted sneaky, like a thief with a guilty conscience, as she turned sideways with her sunsses on. But, even so, she was still recognised.

    ¡°Meimei?¡± Lan Xin called out while casting her a questioning look.

    Lan Jinyao then took off her sunsses and smiled awkwardly at her.

    ¡°Howe you¡¯re here at thepany? Acting so secretive to boot! Were you afraid that others would recognise you?¡±

    Lan Xin¡¯s words hit the mark right off the bat. Lan Jinyao thought about it for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡¯m looking for Fu Bainian, but please don¡¯t tell anyone about my visit. I don¡¯t want to cause a stir here as I¡¯m nning to slowly retreat from the industry.¡±

    ¡°I see, no wonder you haven¡¯t epted any new worktely.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but hey...why are you here today? Is there something the matter?¡±

    Logically speaking, Lan Xin¡¯s career was also slowly getting back on track, so she should¡¯ve received a lot of offers and she ought to be super busy now. Howe she had the time to make a trip to thepany?

    Upon asking that question, Lan Jinyao keenly noticed that Lan Xin¡¯s expression had changed ever so slightly.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m just here for my Manager. I changed to another Manager a while ago, so I¡¯m here to discuss my future projects with him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear!¡±

    The elevator soon stopped on the floor where Fu Bainian¡¯s office was located. Lan Xin stared at her and smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯ve arrived, hurry up and go find your Bainian!¡±

    Lan Jinyao braced herself and walked out while constantly praying in her heart: Please don¡¯t let me run into Fu Bainian or Qian Ran. Otherwise, I need to keep Shen Wei¡¯an waiting for a little longer. What if Shen Wei¡¯an changes her mind in the meantime?

    And thus, Lan Jinyao, whose mind was upied, overlooked what Lan Xin had just said. If thetter was truly looking for her Manager, then there was no reason for her to go all the way to the top floor; she should¡¯ve gotten off one floor below...

    Fortunately, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t see anyone in the corridor after she¡¯d gotten out of the elevator. The previous elevator had already gone up, and the other one was currently ascending from the ground floor. Someone must be on this one... At this thought, Lan Jinyao clenched her teeth before turning around and walking towards the staircase, ready to take the stairs all the way to the rooftop.

    A few minutester, Lan Jinyao finally reached the rooftop. However, as she nced around the empty, spacious area, there was no sight of Qingqing anywhere.

    Qingqing didn¡¯t leave, did she?

    Or did she jump off the building already?

    When her thoughts got to here, she immediately ran to the parapet. As she neared the edge, she hesitated and halted her steps. She was still too afraid to look down, but if she didn¡¯t, she wouldn¡¯t feel at ease.

    Her legs were currently shaking as she stood near the edge of the wall.

    In the end, she didn¡¯t dare to look down and slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

    A minuteter, when Lan Jinyao was about to stand up, a group of people armed with guns suddenly rushed out of the corridor, their muzzles aimed at her head.

    This scene stunned Lan Jinyao. She didn¡¯t react for a long time, and stood rooted to the spot, notprehending what was happening at this moment.

    ¡°Miss Chen, you¡¯re suspected of killing Shen Wei¡¯an, an escaped criminal. Pleasee with us!¡±

    Lan Jinyao nkly watched the people approach her and handcuff her hands. The cold touch of the metal handcuffs sent a chill to the bottom of her heart, and under the bright sun, the handcuffs seemed to emit a cold light, piercing Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes painfully.

    After a while, Lan Jinyao finally regained her senses and her legs stopped shaking as she asked the police officer who was currently detaining her, ¡°Police Officer, what on earth is going on?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking what¡¯s going on? Don¡¯t you know that clearly in your heart? Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s dead body is now downstairs, and you¡¯re currently the only one at the crime scene.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was stunned. Shen Wei¡¯an really jumped off the building?! Did she reallye here today just to drag her down with her?

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me!¡± Lan Jinyao started to struggle and added, ¡°When I got up here, there was already no sight of Shen Wei¡¯an. I didn¡¯t do anything, you can check the surveince video...¡±

    However, as she spoke to this point, her voice suddenly trailed off.

    That was right, the surveince video was of no use... She took the stairs from thest few floors to the rooftop, so even if there was a surveince video, it wouldn¡¯t mean anything. Besides, if Shen Wei¡¯an really wanted to drag her down with her, then she would most likely hold onto something against her when she jumped off the building.

    Shen Wei¡¯an actually wanted them to perish together!

    Lan Jinyao suddenly felt some regret. She didn¡¯t do anything, so Shen Wei¡¯an couldn¡¯t possibly frame her with this incident. Now, it was basically impossible for her to seek out Shen Wei¡¯an for any more repayment to avenge herself...

    Thinking up to this point, Lan Jinyao suddenly asked, ¡°If I didn¡¯t do this, you would help me seek out the truth and prove that I¡¯m innocent, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, we¡¯ve epted this case, so we¡¯ll naturally ensure that the truthes to light. If you¡¯re truly innocent, then we wouldn¡¯t treat you unjustly either.¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an sure was well-prepared; she had even called the police in advance... Lan Jinyao was afraid that this matter wouldn¡¯t be resolved so easily this time. Not to mention, the police had investigated thatst murder case for more than a month already, yet there was still no progress.

    At this moment, a flush of anxiety rushed through her body. She started to feel a bit unsure about her future now.

    As she proceeded downstairs, she covered her head with a cap, and her cuffed hands were also hidden underneath her clothes. But even so, this scene had created quite a stir in thepany.

    While she was boarding the police car, she saw Fu Bainian looking around frantically

    Fu Bainian had seemingly just got wind of the news, and he was anxiously looking left and right until his gaze met hers.

    In the next second, Lan Jinyao saw him striding towards her, but she shook her head and said, ¡°Fu Bainian, don¡¯te over; you have to help me find out the truth and quickly save me!¡±

    Lan Jinyao seemingly didn¡¯t feel an ounce of fear at this moment; she even smiled at Fu Bainian before boarding the car.

    As the police car passed by the side of the building, she saw a pool of blood on the ground and Qingqing¡¯s corpse, which was being lifted by the forensic cleanup crew. This time, she¡¯d really died...!

    Lan Jinyao sighed. This time, the feud between the two of them ultimately came to an end.

 Chapter 212 - Sibling Identification (1)

    <h4>Chapter 212 - Sibling Identification (1)</h4>

    Under the scorching sun, Fu Bainian stood in front of the office building, staring at the people passing to and fro. As he watched the reporters constantly snapping their photos, his eyes narrowed as his stare grew more intense.

    There were often a few reporters camping outside of Blue Hall Entertainment in the hopes of getting a scoop on thepany¡¯s artists¡¯ movements. But, surprisingly, there were many more reporters present today.

    Qian Ran hurriedly rushed out, and he was gasping for breath as he halted in front of Fu Bainian. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Meimei was perfectly fine earlier, so how could she possibly kill someone without rhyme or reason? She was still all smiles when she came here with me.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian abruptly turned around, and he stared straight into Qian Ran¡¯s eyes with a gloomy and cold gaze, sending shivers down Qian Ran¡¯s spine.

    ¡°Pre-President Fu, please don¡¯t stare at me like this. You¡¯ll scare me to death!¡± Qian Ran¡¯s voice trembled as he said this. A manly man like him acting timid like this was truly a funny sight to behold.

    On the other hand, Fu Bainian¡¯s gaze darkened a few shades as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re saying that Meimei came with you earlier? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s tone was gloomy, like a storm brewing on the horizon.

    Qian Ran shivered and quickly exined, ¡°Meimei didn¡¯te with me to the office. She got off at the bus stop a few meters away. I saw a shopping mall right there, and I thought that she was going to the mall, so I didn¡¯t mention it to you. If I¡¯d known that she wasing to thepany to do that, I would¡¯ve stopped her.¡±

    He only cared to exin and didn¡¯t notice that after he¡¯d said those words, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression had, unexpectedly, turned even more unsightly.

    ¡°She certainly isn¡¯t the one behind this incident!¡± Fu Bainian roared.

    Qian Ran was stunned. After a second, he immediately said, ¡°President Fu is right, now the truth hasn¡¯t been rified yet. I¡¯ll first go to the Property Manager¡¯s office and get the surveince footage to check on the situation.¡±

    It was the first time that he¡¯d seen Fu Bainian get this angry, so he must find an excuse to leave. Otherwise, he would be burned alive by his fiery anger, and he would be the one to suffer in the end.

    Fu Bainian gave a slight nod before calling Shen Yu.

    Afterwards, Qian Ran hurried to the Property Manager¡¯s office. There were a total of fivemercial buildings under the same property management, and the Property Manager¡¯s office was on the other side at the first building. Luckily, all five buildings were very close to one another, so it didn¡¯t take long before he reached there.

    Shen Yu¡¯s phone rang for a while before it was picked up. After Jiang Cheng had died, Shen Yu asked for leave on the pretext that he was too tired. He was currently enjoying his days off somewhere in Europe.

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Don¡¯t tell me that this time it¡¯s Jiang Cheng who¡¯s faking his death...?¡± Shen Yuzily asked.

    Fu Bainian took a deep breath and wearily said, ¡°Hurry back! Something more serious than that has happened.¡±

    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Shen Yu calmly asked before adding, ¡°I¡¯ve already told you before that no matter how big an issue, you have to take care of it yourself during my holiday. Almost all of my brain cells were fried while handling Jiang Cheng¡¯s case, so what I need the most right now is a good rest, so no matter what...¡±

    Fu Bainian coldly interrupted Shen Yu¡¯s chatter and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a day, hurry back!¡±

    In the next second, Fu Bainian hung up, and then he calmly walked into the elevator. Following this, wherever he went, everyone would give way and retreat out of his sight.

    On the other side, Shen Yu, who was sunbathing on the beach, stared at his mobile and shivered from head to toe. He then pushed the woman at his side away and hastily left with his shirt in hand.

    ...

    Half an hourter.

    At Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s President¡¯s Office.

    Qian Ran stood in the doorway. He wanted to knock on the door, but just as his hand was about to touch the door, he withdrew his hand again.

    President Fu couldn¡¯t possibly still be mad at me, right?

    Forget it, whateveres next couldn¡¯t possibly be worse than death! But, if I continue to dilly-dally, then I surely wouldn¡¯t be able to escape punishment.

    Qian Ran clutched the copy of the records and knocked on the door. Fu Bainian¡¯s voice then thundered out. ¡°Come in!¡±

    ¡°President Fu, these are all of the surveince records of our office building from today. I checked them at the Property Manager¡¯s office, and I noticed that someone deliberately hacked into the security system as some of the more important instances were made blurry, so it¡¯s practically impossible to see the details clearly.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a look!¡± Fu Bainian gloomily said.

    If the security footage was deliberately altered, then this meant that this was a murder case, but he didn¡¯t believe that Lan Jinyao would do something like this. He had faith in her.

    Qian Ran quickly plugged the USB disk into Fu Bainian¡¯sptop.

    As soon as the surveince footage popped up, Fu Bainian immediately clicked on it to y it.

    Qian Ran also boldly moved next to Fu Bainian and watched the footage ying on theptop screen. As the ten minute long reel of footage was yed back and forth several times by Fu Bainian, Qian Ran started to feel dizzy from watching. Yet, they still couldn¡¯t find any clues.

    ¡°President Fu, how about we try to find clues elsewhere? We can ask the staff in the lobby to find out how many people came and went out of the office today.¡±

    Right after he¡¯d finished speaking, another colleague came in.

    ¡°President Fu, I¡¯ve just asked the security guard in the lobby. Various people came in and out of the office today. There was a woman wearing sunsses sneaking around, who unmistakably looks like Madam. At that time, Madam had already entered the elevator, but then Lan Xin suddenly squeezed in as well. So, at that time, there were two people in the elevator; Madam and Lan Xin.¡±

    Fu Bainian pondered for a moment and then said to Qian Ran, ¡°Quickly go...forget it. Help me find Lan Xin¡¯s address; I¡¯ll personally pay her a visit!¡±

    As soon as he¡¯d said this, Qian Ran, who was still in a daze a second ago, instantly regained his senses and nodded. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±

    As expected of President Fu! Big Boss had long ago thought of everything!

    Qian Ran greatly admired Fu Bainian in his heart, but he didn¡¯t let it show on his face. He then turned and strode out of the office.

    Following this, Fu Bainian then told the other person, ¡°Go check on Meimei for me. I¡¯ll leave in a bit.¡±

    Usually, when facing these kinds of issues, Fu Bainian had always remained calm and collected. This time, however, his mind was a mess; he didn¡¯t have a clue on what to do next.

    He kept reassuring himself that his wife wasn¡¯t that kind of person, but all the clues he¡¯d found so far indicated that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s death was premeditated. It wasn¡¯t just the surveince footage, as maybe other things that he hadn¡¯t thought of for the time being had already beenid out by that person.

    As Fu Bainian stood in the elevator, his heart sank.

 Chapter 213 - Sibling Identification (2)

    <h4>Chapter 213 - Sibling Identification (2)</h4>

    When Fu Bainian arrived at the parking lot he received a text message from Qian Ran with Lan Xin¡¯s address.

    Generally speaking, artists officially signed under the banner of Blue Hall Entertainment wouldn¡¯t live outside. Thepany would normally arrange the amodation for its artists because on one hand, it was more convenient to manage them, and on the other, it was to avoid them being followed by the paparazzi and getting involved in scandals. But, Lan Xin was obviously an exception.

    Lan Xin was on good terms with Lan Jinyao, and she had the same face as the former Lan Jinyao. As such, on the ount of Fu Bainian, Shen Yu didn¡¯t object to Lan Xin arranging her own amodation. Even though she was living outside, thepany still had a record of her address.

    Fu Bainian soon arrived at Lan Xin¡¯s ce.

    She was currently living in a small vi located outside the city centre. The ce itself shouldn¡¯t be that expensive, but looking at the decorations outside, it seemed to have cost a lot of money.

    Fu Bainian rang the doorbell outside the yard, but no one came to open the door.

    After a while, he looked around but there was no one on the road. He took off his suit jacket and tossed it in the car before climbing up the wall and jumping over it,nding in the yard.

    He then proceeded to the main entrance and knocked on the door.

    ¡°Lan Xin, are you home?¡±

    It was alreadyte autumn, but it was still a scorching hot day. Small beads of sweat were visible on Fu Bainian¡¯s forehead as he knocked on the hot iron door. After knocking for a while, the hollow of his palm had turned red.

    Seeing that there was no response, he fished out his mobile and made a call to Lan Xin. However, it was the same as when he was in the car; the call connected but no one answered it.

    After hanging up, he kicked the door ferociously before turning and leaving.

    Just then, movement could be hearding from inside, but it was so faint that Fu Bainian didn''t hear it. He left Lan Xin¡¯s house and went back to thepany.

    After Fu Bainian had left, the door slowly opened, and Lan Xin appeared wearing a nightgown. As she stared at the road outside the yard, the corners of her lips gradually curled upwards.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, I¡¯m really sorry. How would I know that you would take the elevator to the rooftop at that time? I¡¯d initially thought that the scapegoat would be someone else! Although I really like you, the feud between Shen Wei¡¯an and I muste to an end. I don¡¯t want to be caught, so I can only wrong you and let you take the me for me.¡±

    Lan Xin looked up at the clear blue sky; her gaze containing hints of sadness as she murmured the two words ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ over and over again...

    ...

    Meanwhile, in the interrogation room, a police officer was in the middle of questioning Lan Jinyao. At the beginning, whatever the police officer asked, Lan Jinyao truthfully answered, but then the questioning ended up in a stalemate.

    This happened when he questioned Lan Jinyao about her motive for murder.

    ¡°Why did you kill her?¡± after noting down everything that Lan Jinyao had said, the Police Officer sitting opposite Lan Jinyao suddenly asked.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled into a sarcastic smile, and she replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already answered this question not too long ago. I didn¡¯t kill anyone. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can investigate. Before I went to thepany, I did get in touch with Shen Wei¡¯an, but she was the one who called me and said that she was going to jump, so of course I had to rush there to save her. However, by the time I got to the roof, Shen Wei¡¯an was already nowhere in sight. I didn¡¯t even get to see her corpse!¡±

    ¡°If you truly wanted to save Shen Wei¡¯an, then why did you take the escape route?¡± asked the Police Officer forcefully.

    Even though he was staring at Lan Jinyao, thetter wasn¡¯t one bit afraid, and she looked him straight in the eyes.

    ¡°At that time, I¡¯d initially wanted to go see my husband, but then I thought, if my husband also went there, things might get out of hand. So, I decided to go to the rooftop by myself. However, right then one of the elevators was descending and the other one was ascending, so I had no choice but to take the stairs!¡±

    Luckily, Lan Jinyao was very quick-witted. In fact, she didn¡¯t take the escape route to go save Shen Wei¡¯an, but she wanted to rush there to send her off! But, how could she possibly tell the Police Officer this? If she were to show the slightest motive for murder, she might be forced to confess under torture.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± The Police Officer nodded; he¡¯d seemingly bought her story.

    ¡°You just said that one of the elevators were descending, and that one of them were ascending. Did you notice which floor the elevator ascended to?¡±

    When she heard the Police Officer ask this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened and she suddenly remembered that Lan Xin had taken the same elevator as her. Now that she thought about it, Lan Xin was quite suspicious as well...!

    I¡¯m just here for my Manager!

    Lan Xin¡¯s Manager¡¯s office was a floor below, and at that time, her mind was too upied and she didn¡¯t pay attention to this small detail. However, now that she thought about it, there were many loopholes. What if Lan Xin had gone to the rooftop at that time? If so, did she arrive there before her and push Shen Wei¡¯an?

    What kind of feud was there between Lan Xin and Shen Wei¡¯an? Why did Lan Xin want to kill Shen Wei¡¯an so badly?

    Lan Jinyao frowned and carefully recalled the little details of the days she¡¯d spent with Lan Xin. However, the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.

    Seeing her deep in thought, the Police Officer impatiently coughed twice, breaking her trance.

    ¡°Do you know who went up there?¡±

    After hesitating for a while, Lan Jinyao balled her hands into fists, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°The person who went up was a female artist from ourpany. I assume that she went all the way to the top floor. Police Officer, you can start investigating in this direction!¡±

    They were friends, so she shouldn¡¯t have exposed Lan Xin¡¯s actions in front of the police officer, but if Lan Xin was really the one behind this incident, then how could Lan Xin have the heart to push the me on her and let her be the scapegoat?

    The Police Officer nodded. ¡°Our team will certainly investigate this.¡±

    Following this, the Police Officer left, leaving Lan Jinyao behind in the quiet room. She couldn¡¯t help but frown as she recalled everything that had happened today.

    Shen Wei¡¯an was her friend, yet she¡¯d used her of blocking her path. Lan Xin was also her friend, yet she¡¯d made her her scapegoat...

    Could it be that she wasn¡¯t destined to have any friends in this lifetime?

    Then, Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up when she remembered something. Earlier, she¡¯d told Lan Xin that she was going to Fu Bainian¡¯s office, and not the rooftop. So, if Lan Xin was really the one behind this incident, then Lan Xin mightn¡¯t have wanted to frame her exactly; she¡¯d just wanted to find a random person to be her scapegoat...

 Chapter 214 - Sibling Identification (3)

    <h4>Chapter 214 - Sibling Identification (3)</h4>

    The next morning, Shen Yu rushed to thepany. He looked quite exhausted as he stopped in front of Fu Bainian¡¯s office, but as soon as he entered, he smiled as he said reproachfully, ¡°My vacation got ruined because of you, so aspensation you have to give me a bonus dividend at the end of the year.¡±

    However, as soon as he saw Fu Bainian¡¯s expression, he instantly noticed that something was off, and consequently, he retracted the smile stered on his face.

    ¡°Something serious has happened?¡± Shen Yu no longer jested and asked with a serious tone.

    ¡°Mhmm! It¡¯s very critical!¡± Fu Bainian responded in a low voice. His side profile, which was masked by the darkness in the room, looked full of sorrow.

    This was the first time that Shen Yu had seen him like this, so he was at a loss for words. Initially, to lighten the atmosphere, he¡¯d wanted to say, ¡°You¡¯re an adult man, so you shouldn¡¯t cry.¡± However, on second thoughts, he decided not to, because it wasn¡¯t very suitable to joke around at this moment.

    ¡°What exactly happened?!¡±

    Fu Bainian took a deep breath before unhurriedly replying, ¡°I¡¯ll leave everything in thepany for you to handle for the time being. Something has happened to Meimei; she¡¯s been taken away by the police. I must get to the bottom of this matter to save her.¡±

    ¡°What did you just say?!¡± Shen Yu eximed. ¡°She was taken away by the police? What did she do this time? Back then, I knew that sooner orter she would get into trouble due to her wild character, but then she¡¯d quieted down quite a bit, so I didn¡¯t give it much thought after that. Changing one¡¯s nature is very difficult indeed; this girl...sigh!¡±

    Fu Bainian indifferently nced at him and muttered, ¡°It¡¯s a murder case!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Shen Yu rubbed his ears with his eyes widened in shock. ¡°A murder case? Haha, are you kidding me? How could Chen Meimei possibly kill someone? That¡¯s absolutely impossible, I don¡¯t believe that!¡±

    ¡°Neither do I! Therefore, I have to get to the bottom of this matter.¡±

    Although Lan Jinyao harboured deep hatred towards Shen Wei¡¯an, she was different from him. He couldn¡¯t stand Jiang Cheng¡¯s presence in this world, as he¡¯d kept thinking about his wife all the time. However, Lan Jinyao was different. She¡¯d only wanted to make Shen Wei¡¯an lose her standing and let her fall from grace, or send her to prison. He believed that she wouldn¡¯t do such an irrational thing as murdering Shen Wei¡¯an. He believed that she has a kind heart, so even though she¡¯d said that she really wanted to murder Shen Wei¡¯an, he knew that, in the end, she wouldn''t have the heart to do so.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave everything here to me. Have you found any clues yet?¡±

    Shen Yu wasn¡¯t aware of the state of affairs, so all he could do at this moment was to help Fu Bainian manage thepany.

    The look in Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes deepened as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ve found a clue, and I¡¯m pretty sure that that person is the real culprit!¡±

    Amidst their discussion, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

    It was the police who came in. The two men looked at each other and said no more.

    Fu Bainian stepped forward and asked, ¡°Officer Lin, you¡¯re here. Could it be that there are some new findings in Meimei¡¯s case?¡±

    Officer Lin solemnly said, ¡°There¡¯s indeed some new progress with this case, but first, we need one of your artists to make a statement!¡±

    ¡°Lan Xin?¡± Fu Bainian immediately asked.

    As soon as Officer Lin had finished speaking, the first person that came to his mind was Lan Xin.

    Officer Lin nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    Fu Bainian clenched his hands into fists. It seemed that it was really Lan Xin. Even the police¡¯s findings were pointing towards her. However, he couldn¡¯t understand...Lan Jinyao and Lan Xin were good friends, so why would thetter frame her?

    ¡°How did President Fu know that the person we were looking for was Miss Lan Xin? Does President Fu know some inside story that we don¡¯t?¡±

    Officer Lin sharply observed Fu Bainian as he asked that question.

    Fu Bainian nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that my wife would kill someone, so immediately after the incident happened, I asked some people to investigate the matter and found out that the surveince video in our building was tampered with. At that time, someone else took the same elevator as my wife, and...that person was Lan Xin.¡±

    Officer Lin then said, ¡°ording to Miss Chen¡¯s statement, Miss Lan Xin was indeed in the same elevator as her, and from that, we¡¯ve inferred that Ms Lan Xin must¡¯ve gone up to the top floor at that time. We couldn¡¯t reach Miss Lan Xin, so we came to thepany to find her.¡±

    ¡°I also couldn¡¯t reach her when I tried. Lan Xin hasn¡¯t appeared at thepany since the incident, and not even her Manager, nor her Assistant, could reach her. I¡¯ve even gone all the way to her home but to no avail.¡±

    Lan Xin couldn¡¯t disappear without rhyme or reason. Now, the best option would be to let the police utilise their manpower to find her.

    Officer Lin asked in surprise, ¡°She¡¯s missing?¡±

    Fu Bainian nodded. ¡°You can say that!¡±

    Officer Lin thought for a moment before asking, ¡°President Fu, do you have time now to apany us to Miss Lan Xin¡¯s home? We want to take another look at her ce.¡±

    ¡°Of course! I was just about to go there again when you came over. Let¡¯s go together this time.¡±

    This time, however, they may be shut out again, or by the time they got there, Lan Xin might¡¯ve already erased all the evidence.

    A minuteter, Fu Bainian and the police set off to Lan Xin¡¯s ce.

    In fact, Fu Bainian had already mentally prepared himself, but when he saw therge scar on Lan Xin¡¯s face, he was stunned. How important was it for a female artist to have a beautiful face?! To think that Lan Xin would be so hard on herself just to rid herself of the charges...

    ¡°What happened to your face?¡± asked Fu Bainian through gritted teeth.

    His anger was so obvious that Officer Lin walked ahead and stood in front of him. ¡°President Fu, please control your anger.¡±

    Fu Bainian balled his hands into fists and tried to quell his anger. He¡¯d long guessed that Lan Xin would do something. Even though everyone thought that Lan Jinyao and she were best friends, he knew, at this instant, that it was just a superficial act. Lan Xin was, in fact, the same as Shen Wei¡¯an; a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing, a vicious and greedy fiend.

    However, he didn¡¯t understand why Lan Xin would kill Shen Wei¡¯an, and why, at that time, would Lan Jinyao be at the rooftop.

    Lan Xin gently touched her cheek, and smilingly said, ¡°This...a few days ago I was robbed on the streets, and I was hurt in the process. I¡¯ve been hospitalised these past few days.¡±

    ¡°You were at the hospital?¡± Officer Lin was the first to ask.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s been in the hospital!¡± The person who answered the question was a man standing behind Lan Xin. He was wearing a white coat and smelled of medicine. At a nce, one could tell that he was a doctor.

 Chapter 215 - Sibling Identification (4)

    <h4>Chapter 215 - Sibling Identification (4)</h4>

    ¡°You¡¯re a doctor?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I work in a private hospital. Lan Xin was injured a few days ago, and she¡¯s been recovering at our hospital; that¡¯s how we met.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Officer Lin deeply furrowed his brows, even his astute eyes were filled with confusion. It seemed that their investigation had reached a dead-end.

    ¡°A few days ago?¡± he muttered under his breath.

    If Lan Xin¡¯s face was injured a few days ago, then the person seen at thepany was definitely not Lan Xin. If so, then someone must be lying between Lan Jinyao and her. But then, who was the one telling the truth?

    Officer Lin¡¯s gaze moved back and forth between Fu Bainian and Lan Xin. After a long moment of silence, he said, ¡°Well, since we¡¯re already here today, I would like to ask you some questions, so I hope that you can cooperate.¡±

    Lan Xin nodded with a docile expression; there were no traces of displeasure. ¡°Alright, but could you please wait a bit? My doctor needs to dress the wound on my face first.¡±

    They were here to investigate the murder case, but ended up looking at Lan Xin dressing her wound.

    The wound was very deep. When medicine was applied on it, Lan Xin tightly bit her lower lip, and in the end, she still let out a soft cry.

    It must be very painful. After all, her face contorted in a grimace of pain.

    Fu Bainian clenched his hands into fists. If Officer Lin wasn¡¯t here, he would¡¯ve rushed up to question Lan Xin. To think that you¡¯d hurt yourself like this...you might as well plead guilty and go to prison. What deep hatred do you bore towards Lan Jinyao? You not only killed Shen Wei¡¯an, but you also ruined Lan Jinyao in the process!

    ¡°Doctor, what caused the wound on Lan Xin¡¯s face? For artists, their face is of the utmost importance. If their appearance is destroyed, then there isn¡¯t much room for future development...¡±

    As Fu Bainian asked this, he stared intently at the doctor. His eyes had undoubtedly always been sharp, so he instantly noticed the unnatural look in the doctor¡¯s eyes that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

    ¡°This is a knife wound; it¡¯s very deep and serious, but I believe in my medical skills.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s lips slightly curled, and he said, ¡°You said that you became acquainted with Lan Xin at your hospital, but why do I feel that you¡¯ve known each other longer than that? For instance, when you were abroad?¡±

    Back then, he¡¯d met Lan Xin abroad. If Lan Xin and this doctor really knew each other, then they must¡¯ve met abroad.

    Fu Bainian was only testing the waters, but he was very satisfied with the oue of his probing.

    He then cast a nce at Officer Lin.

    He was convinced that Officer Lin had also noticed the subtle change in the doctor¡¯s expression. Unfortunately, there was no evidence at this moment.

    After questioning, Officer Lin was ready to leave. After sending Officer Lin out, Fu Bainian stayed behind. Officer Lin stood at the gate and asked, ¡°President Fu, you¡¯re not leaving?¡±

    Fu Bainian shook his head and replied, ¡°All in all, she¡¯s still an artist signed under the banner of Blue Hall Entertainment. Since she¡¯s so seriously wounded, I naturally have to express my condolences. Officer Lin, I would appreciate it if you could inform me when there¡¯s some new progress with the investigation. I will certainly cooperate when needed.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯m going first. If you can find any other clues here, then it¡¯s also worth it.¡±

    Officer Lin then left.

    Fu Bainian turned and entered the living room again. The doctor was currently sitting on the sofa, but when he saw Fu Bainian, he promptly stood up and said to Lan Xin, ¡°Miss Lan, I¡¯m leaving first. You should take a good rest and you mustn¡¯t let the wound on your facee in contact with water, so don¡¯t wash your face for the next few days.¡±

    Lan Xin was about to get up and send him out, but the doctor gestured for her to stay seated.

    The doctor chanced a nce at Fu Bainian and added, ¡°You still have a guest here, so you don¡¯t need to see me out. I¡¯lle back to change your dressing in two days.¡±

    He then left with his medicine kit in hand.

    Currently, there was only Fu Bainian and Lan Xin left in the living room. The atmosphere had turned somewhat tense due to silence.

    A momentter, Fu Bainian extended his hand towards the wound on Lan Xin¡¯s face, and when he was about to touch it, his hand was tightly seized by Lan Xin.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lan Xin asked, somewhat flustered. Upon noticing that she had overreacted, she added, ¡°President Fu, I¡¯ve just changed the dressing. With you acting like this, it¡¯s very easy for me to misunderstand your thoughts.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What thoughts?¡± asked Fu Bainian with an eyebrow raised as he retracted his hand.

    Lan Xin simply smiled at him, but she didn¡¯t answer.

    Fu Bainian then said, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s talk about the details of the murder case. For example, what kind of feud is there between Shen Wei¡¯an and you? Or, better yet, when Chen Meimei and you got into the elevator that day, where did you go? Oh, please don¡¯t tell me that you went to fix the water tank.¡±

    Lan Xin smiled. ¡°President Fu, stop joking. How could I possibly repair a water tank? That day I¡¯d initially wanted to go find you, but at that time, I was thinking about something, and before I knew it, the elevator had already ascended. Maybe someone in the upper floors had called the elevator!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression sank in an instant. ¡°Do you expect me to believe you?¡±

    The surveince camera in the elevator was destroyed, so no one could see who had called the elevator. Was it Lan Xin, or someone on the upper floors? Lan Xin had said that she was thinking about things, but he didn¡¯t believe her. At that time, Lan Jinyao had alreadye out of the elevator, so no matter how deep in thought Lan Xin was, she would¡¯ve snapped out of her stupor when the elevator doors opened.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether President Fu believes me or not. I¡¯m sure that the police will return me my innocence!¡± Lan Xin indifferently said, seemingly not afraid of giving the game away.

    Fu Bainian frowned and said, ¡°There are no outsiders here. I just hope for you to think things through carefully. If you really did it, then I hope that you can turn yourself in. When that happens, I¡¯ll do my utmost to bail you out.¡±

    Lan Xin shook her head. ¡°President Fu, what you¡¯re saying is very contradictory. Considering that you¡¯re so mighty, then why hadn¡¯t you bailed your wife out?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I want her to neatlye out with her innocence proven. She shouldn¡¯t have any stains on her record.¡±

    ¡°President Fu, you surely love your wife dearly. I wonder if the one you love knows, and...would she feel sad?¡± Lan Xin bitterly said.

    At this moment, Fu Bainian thought that he¡¯d caught onto an important clue. He must let someone investigate thister.

    ¡°President Fu, you should leave, I need to rest.¡±

    Fu Bainian then got up and walked out. As soon as he got to the doorway, he suddenly turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already lost her once, so I¡¯ll never allow myself to lose her again, no matter what!¡±

    Afterwards, he strode away.

    ¡°He won¡¯t allow himself to lose her again?¡± Lan Xin stood in the doorway, softly repeating this sentence with a confused look on her face.

 Chapter 216 - Sibling Identification (5)

    <h4>Chapter 216 - Sibling Identification (5)</h4>

    Once Fu Bainian had returned to thepany, he asked Shen Yu to investigate Lan Xin¡¯s past immediately. He had a feeling that the background information he¡¯d received wasn¡¯t urate, so he had to re-investigate Lan Xin¡¯s background.

    Although Shen Yu was puzzled, he still went ahead with the investigation.

    The process of waiting always felt endless. After Fu Bainian returned home, he stayed alone in the empty living room, surrounded by the hum of the air con. The cold air travelled through his pores, and then flowed along his blood vessels to his limbs.

    At this time, visits were no longer allowed, but he still wanted to see her.

    As his thoughts reached this conclusion, he immediately took out his mobile and made a call.

    ¡°Old Chen? Yes, it¡¯s me. My wife was recently implicated in a murder case, and she was taken away by your subordinates. I want to go and see her now.¡±

    ¡°Of course, no problem! I¡¯ll instruct them to make way for you right away. After all, it was all thanks to you that we solved the case involving the Jiang family!¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be on my way. I¡¯m looking forward to our future cooperation.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Back then, Jiang Baitao had wanted to bail Jiang Cheng out of prison as quickly as possible, but his efforts were in vain as Fu Bainian kept the situation under control behind closed doors. At that time, he¡¯d told Chief Officer Chen that the longer Jiang Cheng was kept in there, the higher the bail. And, when the time came, all that money would solely belong to Chief Officer Chen, while Jiang Cheng died an unknown death, thus killing two birds with one stone. With an attractive proposal like thisnding on Chief Officer Chen¡¯s head, how could he possibly not feel grateful towards Fu Bainian?

    Of course, the evidence in Fu Bainian¡¯s hand yed the most crucial role. He didn¡¯t believe that someone he¡¯d used would be sincerely grateful to him; he only believed in the pieces of evidence in his hand.

    On the dim highway, Fu Bainian¡¯s ck Land Rover sped off like a bolt of lightning. Except for a few traffic lights and areas with speed cameras, he didn¡¯t slow down one bit, so it only took him around ten minutes to get to the police station.

    Old Chen¡¯s work efficiency was very high. The moment he arrived, someone was already waiting for him at the door. The man nodded and respectfully said, ¡°Our Chief has already exined your visit, and everything has been arranged, so pleasee with me."

    ¡°Mhmm!¡± Fu Bainian faintly responded as he strode inside. He couldn¡¯t wait even a second longer to see her. Was she secretly wiping away her tears in silence again?

    Lan Jinyao had secretly wiped her tears in silence once or twice before this, and he¡¯d coincidentally seen it. Her aggrieved appearance made his heart hurt for her, but at that time, he could only watch from the sidelines and he didn¡¯t approach her. He could only let Shen Yu investigate the matter, and consequently punish the person who¡¯d made her sad.

    At present, she was forced to bear the me of a murder case for someone else. Fu Bainian didn¡¯t even need to think to know how sad she must be feeling at this moment.

    The Prison Officer following behind Fu Bainian couldn¡¯t help but shake his head, and heave a sigh. He came here sote just to have a look at her? He might as well take advantage of this time to lubricate the friction between them.

    When Lan Jinyao was brought outside, she cast a doubtful nce at the Prison Officer and asked, ¡°It¡¯s already sote, who¡¯s here to see me?¡±

    When Qian Ran hade to see her earlier, he¡¯d told her that Fu Bainian was currently busy investigating this case, so he didn¡¯t have time toe see her for the time being. Therefore, Lan Jinyao had absolutely no idea that Fu Bainian was the one who¡¯de to visit her thiste.

    Upon seeing Fu Bainian¡¯s familiar figure, tears welled up in her eyes, and she was on the verge of tears.

    ¡°Bainian!¡± she softly called out. She hadn¡¯t spoken for a long time, so the words she uttered sounded slightly hoarse.

    However, she immediately noticed that Fu Bainian couldn¡¯t hear her. He pointed to the phone next to her and motioned for her to pick up.

    ¡°Bainian, I truly didn¡¯t kill anyone...you have to believe me. Back then, Shen Wei¡¯an called me and said that she was going to jump off a building. I¡¯d initially wanted to go and have a look, but, unexpectedly, I was charged with murder as soon as I got there! I really didn¡¯t push Shen Wei¡¯an down the building!¡± she hurriedly exined as soon as the phone connected.

    Fu Bainian calmly stared at her. When she burst into tears, his heart ached at the sight of it, and he hoarsely said, ¡°Meimei, don¡¯t cry...I believe you, so I¡¯ve been looking for evidence to prove your innocence all this while.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded, and then she gradually calmed down.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, thank you for believing in me.¡±

    His loving gaze touched Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart. The look in his eyes seemed to convey that no matter what happened, he would always believe her.

    With a husband like him, what more could she ask for?

    ¡°Meimei, you have to believe me. I¡¯ll soon find evidence to get you out of here. Just likest time, I won¡¯t keep you waiting for too long.¡±

    Likest time? Of course she had faith in him. Lan Jinyao wiped her tears away and softly said, ¡°Bainian, I think this matter is rted to Lan Xin. That day, we were in the same elevator. Although I know that I shouldn¡¯t be suspecting her, I really don¡¯t know who the murderer is. You might not know this, but Lan Xin has done a lot of things to Shen Wei¡¯an before. Do you remember that time when words written in blood were found in Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s room? That...was Lan Xin¡¯s doing. I don¡¯t know why she hates Shen Wei¡¯an so much...it seems that her hatred towards Shen Wei¡¯an runs deeper than mine. I don¡¯t want to take the me for someone else; I just want to be with you.¡±

    Fu Bainian hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Meimei, you¡¯re very close to Lan Xin, so can you tell me more about her? Small details are more than enough, I¡¯ve already asked Shen Yu to investigate her identity. I¡¯m sure that the results wille out tomorrow.¡±

    Lan Jinyao smiled bitterly. ¡°In fact, we can¡¯t be considered as close friends...otherwise, how could she have the heart to make me her scapegoat? I also don¡¯t know much about her personal matters. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve noticed her secretly investigating Shen Wei¡¯an several times. Afterwards, she would take small-scale actions against Shen Wei¡¯an. In any case, she didn¡¯t make things easy for thetter. However, there were too many people in this industry that found Shen Wei¡¯an an eyesore, so I really don¡¯t know how Shen Wei¡¯an ended up provoking Lan Xin.¡±

    ¡°That is to say, I find her actions extremely suspicious. Shen Wei¡¯an was expanding her career domestically, whereas Lan Xin was living abroad at that time. They weren¡¯t rted in any way, so what kind of connection did they have?¡±

    At this moment, the Prison Officer standing outside dry-coughed twice, and said, ¡°Time¡¯s up, you ought to return now.¡±

    Fu Bainian refused to get up and gently stroked his fingers across the ss; as if he was stroking his lover¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t make it difficult for me. If you want to visit again, you cane over tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Bainian, you should go back...I just hope that I can get out of here as soon as possible and be reunited with you!¡±

    Fu Bainian nodded, stood up with great difficulty, and walked out.

    His departing figure gave off a mncholic air, and Lan Jinyao burst into tears in an instant.

    That night, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t go home. He went to the bar that Chen Meimei often visited, and ordered a lot of wine. He sat alone in a corner, drinking by himself on a sofa.

    He didn¡¯t know if it was an illusion, but he gradually saw a familiar figure through his blurred vision.

    That person...seemed to be Jiang Cheng!

 Chapter 217 - Sibling Identification (6)

    <h4>Chapter 217 - Sibling Identification (6)</h4>

    Shen Yu was very efficient when it came to work, so it only took him a day to investigate Lan Xin¡¯s identity. All the information was now ced on Fu Bainian¡¯s desk.

    Fu Bainian opened the folder and ced all the documents on his desk, scanning through them one by one.

    He¡¯d read some of the information before, so there was nothing special about it.

    Shen Yu then said, ¡°We actually overlooked one thing. Back then, we only investigated whether Lan Xin had undergone stic surgery. However, this time I found out that she merely did the surgery to remove arge birthmark on her face. That¡¯s to say that her former appearance is more or less the same as the current one, only without the birthmark.¡±

    She¡¯d had a birthmark on her face? So, without the birthmark...Lan Xin and Lan Jinyao had identical faces?

    There were some supplementary photos of Lan Xin before her surgery as well. Upon seeing them, Fu Bainian was stunned. Sure enough, there was arge birthmark on her face, but if he were to ignore that birthmark, then Lan Xin and Lan Jinyao truly looked alike.

    Shen Yuter asked, ¡°Could it be that...this is Lan Jinyao?¡±

    Shen Yu knew how much Lan Jinyao meant in Fu Bainian¡¯s heart, so he proceeded carefully when asking this question. However, his friend¡¯s expression remained indifferent.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! However, Lan Xin might¡¯ve done this purely because of Lan Jinyao. The both of them have the same surname and they look identical, even their date of birth...¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes fell on Lan Xin¡¯s date of birth and added, ¡°...is the same!¡±

    They must be twins...he couldn¡¯t think of anything else.

    If Lan Xin and Lan Jinyao were really twins, then Lan Xin must¡¯ve known that Lan Jinyao was murdered by Shen Wei¡¯an, thus she wanted to avenge her sister. This inference was entirely a possibility.

    As his thoughts got to here, Fu Bainian quickly stood up. ¡°I understand now.¡±

    He then strode out of the office, leaving a puzzled Shen Yu behind.

    ¡°What do you understand now?¡±

    Fu Bainian went straight to Lan Xin¡¯s ce, but this time it was exactly the same as the first time; the door was closed. He knocked on the door twice, but no one came to open the door.

    This time, Fu Bainian didn¡¯t turn around and leave. Instead, he kicked at the door.

    A minuteter, the door was kicked open by Fu Bainian, and a strong smell of gas assaulted his senses. He subconsciously covered his mouth and nose, and rushed inside. He then quickly opened all the windows.

    Lan Xin quietlyy on the sofa with her eyes closed, as if she¡¯d passed out.

    Fu Bainian quickly extended his hand to her nose and checked for signs of life. She was still breathing, but her breath was very weak. He hurriedly picked Lan Xin up and carried her outside to his car. After boarding his car, he immediately made a call to Officer Lin.

    ¡°Officer Lin, Lan Xin has passed out due to gas poisoning. I¡¯m taking her to the hospital, you must hurry there as well.¡±

    Fortunately, the hospital wasn¡¯t very far away. He was afraid that Lan Xin would suddenly die like this. If so, then Lan Jinyao would have to stay in prison for the rest of her life...

    Officer Lin set off from the police station as soon as he got the call.

    After going through emergency treatment, Lan Xin slowly opened her eyes. Upon seeing Fu Bainian, she asked, ¡°Why did you save me?¡± Her voice was weak and it didn¡¯t sound like she was rebuking him.

    Regardless of the fact that there was another policeman in the ward, Fu Bainian angrily reprimanded, ¡°Do you really think that I want to save you? Whether you live or die has nothing to do with me, but you have to know that if you¡¯d really died, then Meimei will have to stay in prison for the rest of her life. You can¡¯t be so selfish...you can¡¯t take an innocent person¡¯s freedom along with you just like this.¡±

    Officer Lin hurriedly stopped him from saying more. ¡°What the patient needs the most right now is a good rest, so please don¡¯t stimte her.¡±

    On the other hand, Lan Xin didn¡¯t seem to care as she weakly smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine, let him continue.¡±

    She then said to Fu Bainian, ¡°President Fu sure is affectionate. Back then, didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re going to spend the rest of your life with me?¡±

    Fu Bainian retorted, ¡°At that time, I thought you were Jinyao.¡±

    ¡°How can you tell that I¡¯m not her? If you look into my background carefully, you¡¯ll certainly know that I only did a small-scale surgery to remove the birthmark on my face. After knowing this, do you still think that I¡¯m not Lan Jinyao?¡±

    Fu Bainian took a deep breath before heavily responding, ¡°I¡¯m absolutely sure that you¡¯re not Jinyao because I know where Jinyao is at this moment. She didn¡¯t leave me behind!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Xin¡¯s eyes widened in shock and she struggled to sit up from the hospital bed. She then grabbed Fu Bainian¡¯s sleeve, and anxiously asked, ¡°What did you just say? She¡¯s still alive?¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t answer her right away. Instead, he turned to Officer Lin and said, ¡°Officer Lin, could you step outside for a moment?¡±

    Officer Lin nodded and left the room, closing the door for them on his way out.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, there are no more outsiders here, so quickly tell me; what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, but you have to believe me; what I¡¯m about to say next is the truth. Jinyao is actually Meimei. After she was pushed off the building by Shen Wei¡¯an, she died on the spot. However, for some unknown reason, her soul transferred to Meimei¡¯s body. She reincarnated as Chen Meimei!¡±

    Lan Xin stared nkly at him, finding his words hard to believe.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t lying to me? This is ridiculous, yet I can¡¯t help but believe your absurd lie.¡±

    Fu Bainian shook his head and solemnly said, ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you!¡±

    ¡°No wonder...how can two people be so alike in this world?!¡± Lan Xin muttered under her breath as she lowered her head.

    After a long moment of silence, she suddenly raised her hand, and pulled the needle out from her other hand.

    She then got off the bed, and said, ¡°Fu Bainian, take me to see her, alright? If you¡¯re telling the truth, then I¡¯ll get her out of there!¡±

    Fu Bainian pondered it for a moment before nodding.

    Following this, the two of them evaded Officer Lin, and went straight to the detention centre.

    When Lan Xin stood in front of Lan Jinyao, Lan Jinyao felt that there was something off about Lan Xin, but this didn¡¯t affect the anger boiling in her heart.

    ¡°Lan Xin, I treated you so well, so why did you set me up?¡±

    Lan Xin smiled, but her eyes glistened with tears as she held onto the receiver.

    ¡°You¡¯re...Lan Jinyao?¡±

    Lan Jinyao was stunned. She subconsciously cast a sidelong nce at Fu Bainian.

    ¡°Sis, I¡¯m sorry, I merely wanted to avenge you, but I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d hurt you in the process. I¡¯ll exin everything to the police right away and get you out of there.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was confused. Howe she didn¡¯t know that she had another sister?

 Chapter 218 - Revealing The Truth (1)

    <h4>Chapter 218 - Revealing The Truth (1)</h4>

    Lan Jinyao chanced a suspicious nce at Fu Bainian, who¡¯d been standing beside Lan Xin, trying to obtain some clues within his gaze. At that moment, Fu Bainian just nodded at her, as if he was implying: She¡¯s telling the truth, you¡¯re really biological sisters.

    However, Lan Jinyao still had no impression of this matter. From what she could remember, she¡¯d always been alone since her childhood. She still couldn¡¯t believe that she now had a sister who looked exactly like her.

    A sister who looked exactly like her?

    A glint suddenly shed in Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes, and she said, ¡°Lan Xin, you¡¯ve undergone stic surgery!¡±

    She wasn¡¯t asking a question, but stating a fact.

    Tears coursed down Lan Xin¡¯s cheeks, and she choked on her sobs as she said, ¡°That¡¯s right...I underwent stic surgery, but...did you know? There used to be arge birthmark on my face and I...Iter found it irksome, so I asked the surgeon to remove it for me. Other than that, my face looks no different than that of Lan Jinyao¡¯s.¡±

    Lan Jinyao slightly frowned upon hearing this. She seemed to be caught in a hazy maze. She couldn¡¯t see anything around her nor could she see her way forward. She was now very confused.

    ¡°But...¡± Lan Jinyao looked up at Lan Xin and stiffly added, ¡°I don¡¯t have a sister!¡±

    At least, she had no recollection of having one...

    Unexpectedly, her words agitated Lan Xin greatly, and thetter nearly threw the receiver in her hand.

    Lan Xin¡¯s eyes overflowed with tears, and her voice cracked as she cried, ¡°H-how could that be? Lan Jinyao, you don¡¯t remember me, do you? So, you promised me that you woulde to find me, but you forgot all about our promise, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao wanted to shake her head and tell Lan Xin: I really have no recollection of you. However, when she saw Lan Xin¡¯s current state, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say that. Lan Xin looked so upset...it broke her heart to see her cry like that.

    The look in Lan Xin¡¯s eyes looked very sincere, so she didn¡¯t seem to be lying to her. However, her memories were also not a lie, and she couldn¡¯t remember her no matter how hard she tried; not even a trace of them together.

    ¡°You must¡¯ve forgot, but I was still waiting foolishly for your return. I told others that I have a sister, but my sister...she doesn¡¯t remember me anymore. Lan Jinyao, am I not very foolish?¡±

    The development of the matter exceeded Fu Bainian¡¯s expectations. He¡¯d initially thought that after the two sisters acknowledged each other, Lan Xin would help Lan Jinyao clear her name. However, from what he could tell from Lan Xin¡¯s expression, she seemed to be ming Lan Jinyao. She med Lan Jinyao for not remembering her.

    If they went on like this, things might get out of hand. At this thought, Fu Bainian quickly blinked at Lan Jinyao meaningfully.

    She was an actress, so even if she didn¡¯t remember, she could still put on an act. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult for her to act as a big sister, who was acknowledging her long lost sister. As long as she could make Lan Xin willingly clear her name.

    Afterwards, Lan Jinyao¡¯s gaze fell on Lan Xin.

    Lan Xin softly called out again, ¡°Sis!¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao remained silent. She didn¡¯t remember this, but there must be someone who remembers, for instance, her parents.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s parents stayed abroad, and they only returned home once in a decade. In fact, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t have much to say to them since long ago. Besides, she looked like this now...her parents probably thought that she was already dead.

    ¡°Lan Xin, I¡¯m really sorry. I really don¡¯t remember anything from my childhood. Maybe...you¡¯ve got the wrong person,¡± as she said this, Lan Jinyao found it hard to spit out these words.

    Hearing this, Fu Bainian¡¯s expression sank. He took a step forward and snatched the phone from Lan Xin¡¯s hand. ¡°Jinyao, I¡¯ve already investigated this matter, you girls are really biological sisters. Why aren¡¯t you acknowledging Lan Xin? She¡¯s the one behind this incident, so what¡¯s wrong with getting her to plead guilty? Or, are you refusing to acknowledge her because you don¡¯t want her to go to jail, while as her elder sister, you want to suffer on her behalf?¡±

    When Fu Bainian said this, the topic obviously deviated, and Lan Xin was once again emotionally stirred. Although she was still in tears, a shallow smile had appeared on her face.

    Then Lan Jinyao heard Lan Xin say, ¡°I knew it...I knew that Sis was lying to me. You were like this in the past, and now you¡¯re doing the same again. You were doing things for my own good, but I still loathe you. At that time, why didn¡¯t youe and look for me? You didn¡¯t even answer any of the letters I sent you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao was rendered speechless. She clearly didn¡¯t remember any of this, but Lan Xin was misled by Fu Bainian into thinking that she was doing this for her own good.

    ¡°Sis, I¡¯m going to clear your name and get you out of there!¡± Lan Xin resolutely said.

    Lan Jinyao had wanted to say something else, but upon seeing the warning in Fu Bainian¡¯s eyes, she only moved her lips but didn¡¯t say anything in the end.

    On the one hand was her sister, whom she had no recollection of, and on the other hand was her freedom and Fu Bainian, so she didn¡¯t hesitate to choose thetter.

    After a while, Lan Xin left with Fu Bainian. Before leaving, Lan Xin turned to have onest look at Lan Jinyao. Her deeply affectionate gaze made Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart skip a beat. Even if they were close sisters who¡¯d grown up together, she couldn¡¯t possibly harbour such deep affection towards her, right?! Lan Xin¡¯s affectionate gaze brought about a strange feeling in her heart.

    When Fu Bainian sent Lan Xin home, Lan Xin talked about Lan Jinyao non-stop. She was very enthusiastic as she talked, and Fu Bainian listened carefully. Her enthusiasm had also brought about a strange feeling in Fu Bainian¡¯s heart. He still found this surreal as he was hearing things about Lan Jinyao from another person¡¯s mouth.

    Lan Xin then said, ¡°Marrying my Sis is truly your good fortune.¡±

    Fu Bainian nodded. Lan Jinyao¡¯s rebirth was his blessing.

    The next day, Lan Jinyao was brought out, and she could see the light of day again. Only after losing her freedom for such a long time could she feel the happiness of seeing the light of day.

    She sat together with Lan Xin. It was Officer Lin who questioned them, and even Chief Officer Chen was present. Fu Bainian¡¯s idea was to not go to court yet, and wait for the Regional Crime Unit to investigate the truth first. Afterwards, they could directly sue the murderer. This was his way of covertly erasing the stain on Lan Jinyao¡¯s record.

    Lan Xin tearfully admitted to everything. She told Officer Lin that she¡¯d destroyed the video footage, and she¡¯d killed Shen Wei¡¯an because she¡¯d hated that woman to the core.

    But, Lan Xin didn¡¯t divulge the real cause behind the murder; she didn¡¯t say a word about it. Lan Xin was undoubtedly smart because her words made others think that she¡¯d only killed out of jealousy, thus saving her the trouble of exining further.

 Chapter 219 - Revealing The Truth (2)

    <h4>Chapter 219 - Revealing The Truth (2)</h4>

    With Chief Officer Chen watching from the sidelines, Officer Lin didn¡¯t dare to be careless. Lan Xin was then requested to present evidence of the murder. At that moment, Lan Xin removed the gauze stained with blood from her face. This move of hers surprised everyone present.

    She used her white, slender fingers to scratch hard at the wound on her face, and then, under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, her fair and smooth skin came into view.

    Lan Xin smiled and said, ¡°Officer Lin, look! This was a look created by a Hollywood special effects makeup artist. Your astute eyes were deceived, right?! I wasn¡¯t injured at all.¡±

    As she watched this scene unfold, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heartbeat quickened even further with shock. That makeup was really well done! It seemed so real, and there was even a smell of blood attributed to it...

    So, it turned out to be fake!

    Everyone was in shock as they fixed their gaze on Lan Xin¡¯s movements.

    ¡°What I said before about me not being there is false.¡± Lan Xin unhurriedly revealed. She was seemingly not afraid of the prison sentence she was about to face.

    Hearing this, Fu Bainian, standing at the side, hurriedly asked, ¡°That is to say, that so-called doctor is one of your old acquaintances, right?¡±

    Unexpectedly, Lan Xin shook her head, and said, ¡°No...we only met each other at the hospital. He happened to be a fan of mine. How funny, right? I only have a few aplished works, and I¡¯m not that popr either. Yet, I also have fans.¡±

    Lan Jinyao immediately disagreed and stated, ¡°You aren¡¯t as bad as you think. You¡¯ve been shortlisted before; that¡¯s already a very big aplishment for a neer like you.¡±

    Lan Xin¡¯s mood instantly brightened after being praised by Lan Jinyao. She looked like a pure-minded child, smiling from ear to ear.

    The truth had finallye to light, but in the end, Officer Lin hadn¡¯t managed to get Lan Xin to divulge the real cause behind the murder.

    When the questioning ended, Lan Jinyao walked hand-in-hand with Fu Bainian under the sun with a bright smile stered on her face. At this moment, her smile looked even brighter than the sun in the sky.

    ¡°Fu Bainian!¡± She cast a sidelong nce at Fu Bainian, and softly said, ¡°I never thought that one day, I would go through so many things. At this moment, there is just one thought running through my mind, and that is: How wonderful it is to stand in the sun. I¡¯m sure that I¡¯d turn mouldy if I¡¯d stayed back there a minute longer.¡±

    She¡¯d had to stay in that dark prison cell all day, and she wasn¡¯t even allowed to go out to breathe some fresh air. How could she not turn mouldy?!

    The two of them were about to board Fu Bainian¡¯s car when a group of people suddenly rushed over, their cameras shing.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression instantly changed upon seeing this. At this moment, a hand suddenlynded on her back and pushed her inside the car. Then, the doors mmed shut.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t get in the car; he walked towards the reporters instead. Lan Jinyao sat in the car, and she stared at the scene outside, tightly sping her hands together.

    Why were there reporters here? Did Fu Bainian not deal with this beforehand? No, someone must¡¯ve done something behind the scenes. Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s PR department¡¯s forte was handling these kinds of issues.

    Lan Jinyao kept praying in her heart. Please don¡¯t let any of those reporters get ahold of a picture of my face.

    She didn¡¯t know what Fu Bainian said to the reporters, but they only nced at the car once before gradually leaving. Seeing this, Lan Jinyao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this issue was solved amicably.

    Afterwards, Fu Bainian returned to the car, and Lan Jinyao hurriedly asked, ¡°What was that all about?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing. Someone got the news that a female artist under Blue Hall Entertainment was jailed for murder, and they¡¯re guessing that it was you. However, the truth hase to light now, so I¡¯ll hold a press conference for you tomorrow to rify this matter. Even if you no longer want to stay in this industry, you have to retreat cleanly.¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s tone was calm, but Lan Jinyao was stunned when she heard him say that. She felt a lump in her throat as she slowly asked, ¡°You¡¯re going to hold a press conference? Isn¡¯t that equivalent to telling the world about Lan Xin¡¯s murder case?¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s voice turned a little cold as he replied, ¡°Jinyao, you have to understand that she did kill someone; we aren¡¯t wronging her. Besides, she made you her scapegoat before. Jinyao, you have to be a little rational, don¡¯t be soft-hearted just because she¡¯s your sister.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao quieted down. Fu Bainian then started the car and leisurely drove home.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt aplicated rush of emotions in her heart. Her friend had be the person who¡¯d framed her, but she¡¯d turned out to be her own sister. Yet, her sister had cleared her name for her in the end.

    She inwardly knew that Fu Bainian was right, so she wasn''t able to refute.

    As for her little sister, Lan Jinyao still had no recollection of her. Even now, her mind was still nk, without any impression of her.

    When they got home, they found their door wide open. Lan Jinyao cast a vignt nce at Fu Bainian and asked, ¡°Bainian, those reporters wouldn¡¯t have found their way to our home, right? Or, did you leave earlier without closing the door?¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s expression remained indifferent; he didn¡¯t seem one bit nervous.

    Just then, Xiaolin¡¯s voice suddenly thundered out of the living room, ¡°Meimei, you¡¯re back!¡±

    Several people rushed out from the living room. Xiaolin was carrying a basin, while Li Qi was lighting a fire next to her. ¡°Quickly go over and get rid of the bad luck.¡±

    Qian Ran walked over and said, ¡°In the past few days that Madam wasn¡¯t here, President Fu was worried to death. The pomelo leaves have already been prepared. Quickly, go take a bath and wash away all the bad luck.¡±

    Lan Jinyao froze and only came back to her senses after he¡¯d finished speaking. She covered her mouth and burst intoughter.

    ¡°Thank you, guys!¡±

    Qian Ran then added, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be thanking us! If Madam wants to thank someone, then thank President Fu.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded and turned to face Fu Bainian, who was standing behind her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said, ¡°Fu Bainian, thank you!"

    Finally, there were no more obstacles between them.

    After she¡¯d finished taking a bath, she walked to the living room and saw the group sitting on the sofa, seemingly discussing something. She unhurriedly walked over and realised that they were discussing the details for the press conference.

    Upon seeing her, Xiaolin hurriedly asked, ¡°Sis Meimei, when are youing back to work? I¡¯m still eagerly waiting for you.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking, she was reprimanded by Li Qi. ¡°What Meimei needs to do right now is rest, so don¡¯t mention work. Why? You don¡¯t like working with my dear Xiaoyun? Do you have any objections?!¡±

    ¡°No, no, no...I swear I don¡¯t!¡± Xiaolin hurriedly raised her hand and swore.

    Only then did Li Qi let her off the hook.

    Seeing this scene unfold, Lan Jinyao secretly smiled. I¡¯m afraid that my career hase to an end...

 Chapter 220 - Causing A Stir Again (1)

    <h4>Chapter 220 - Causing A Stir Again (1)</h4>

    At the press conference, Fu Bainian rified everything, and Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t say a word. Before this, she¡¯d still harboured a grudge against Lan Xin, but at this moment, she no longer felt so. Instead, she secretly pitied Lan Xin in her heart. Although the truth was revealed, Lan Xin was, without doubt, pushed into the abyss of hell.

    The questions asked by the reporters were sharp and incisive, but Fu Bainian answered all of them in detail.

    Amidst the questioning, a reporter suddenly directed a question towards Lan Jinyao, who¡¯d remained silent the entire time. ¡°Meimei, howe you haven¡¯t said a word until now?¡±

    At this moment, a thought suddenly shed in Lan Jinyao¡¯s mind. Why did the reporter suddenly ask that? She couldn¡¯t even ward off the question; he¡¯d left her with no choice but to answer.

    Fu Bainian¡¯s gaze also fell on her, and upon seeing her in a daze, he softly called out to her.

    ¡°Meimei...¡±

    Lan Jinyao returned to her senses, and took a deep breath before shing her signature smile; she beamed elegantly and sweetly at the reporters in front of her.

    ¡°This kind of experience has made me somewhat unhappy, and I really didn¡¯t expect that I would encounter such an incident in my life. The feeling of being framed by someone is quite awful, especially since that person is a good friend of mine. As to why Lan Xinmitted murder...¡±

    Speaking up to this point, Lan Jinyao suddenly paused. She knew that Lan Xin did that to avenge her sister. Lan Xin had deliberately nned everything step by step, and ultimately killed Shen Wei¡¯an. However, in the face of so many reporters at this moment, she couldn''t say it.

    Everyone subconsciously held their breath and waited for her answer.

    After what felt like an eternity, Lan Jinyao took a deep breath, and unhurriedly added, ¡°It may be because the feud between two of them was too deep, and Lan Xin couldn¡¯t endure it anymore, so she killed Shen Wei¡¯an. I believe that Lan Xin must be regretting her actions immensely right now, as after losing her cool, shemitted such an awful deed due to a moment of impulse.¡±

    As she was speaking, Fu Bainian loosened his hand around her waist and gave her a slight push forward to stand in front of the microphone.

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked you all here today to reveal the truth of this matter so that you can write your reports based on facts and not groundless ims. As for Meimei¡¯s involvement, her name has already been cleared by the police.¡±

    Lan Jinyao listened absentmindedly as she stared at the group of people in front of her. Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure amongst the crowd and froze.

    They were standing on an elevated tform, so she could clearly see who was standing below.

    At that moment, Lan Jinyao felt as if someone was strangling her, making her unable to breathe. That man¡¯s cold, piercing gaze made her break out in a cold sweat, and she subconsciously shifted her gaze elsewhere. She didn¡¯t even have time to restrain her emotions under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes.

    Fortunately, the press conference would end soon.

    When Lan Jinyao looked down again, that person was no longer there. She could only see unfamiliar faces; that familiar face was nowhere to be seen. However, Lan Jinyao was certain that what she¡¯d seen earlier wasn¡¯t an illusion.

    When the press conference was over, Lan Jinyao left with Fu Bainian. However, she was still feeling uneasy; she scanned her surroundings to check if there were any suspicious people around. However, every passer-by looked normal, and there was nothing out of the ordinary.

    At that moment, an outrageous thought suddenly shed in her mind.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, Shen Wei¡¯an previously faked her death. Do you think that Jiang Cheng would do the same?¡±

    Lan Jinyao gripped Fu Bainian¡¯s hand tightly, her voice trembling slightly.

    ¡°Why are you abruptly asking that?¡± Fu Bainian got in the car, but he didn¡¯t start it yet. Instead, he turned and stared at her with a solemn expression.

    Lan Jinyao shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know...just now, at the press conference, I-I think I saw him there, but I¡¯m not sure if it was him.¡±

    That man¡¯s existence was a nightmare to Lan Jinyao and Fu Bainian; one that lingered and refused to disperse.

    ¡°Jinyao, don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s not think about those things for now. When we get home, just take a good rest. Afterwards, I¡¯ll investigate Jiang Cheng¡¯s death, and we can see whether he faked it or not.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded, leaned against the car seat, and slowly closed her eyes. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t erase that cold, piercing gaze she¡¯d seen earlier from her mind.

    Soon, Lan Jinyao fell asleep in the car. In her dream, shey on a hospital bed, and she was watching her child slowly leave her body. Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng was staring at her with his cold and gloomy eyes. She struggled to wake up, but she seemed to be chained and unable to open her eyes, no matter how hard she tried.

    Atst, her clenched fistnded on Jiang Cheng, and she abruptly opened her eyes.

    Lan Jinyao realised at that moment that her fist hadnded on Fu Bainian, and not Jiang Cheng. Their car was currently parked in the courtyard, and Fu Bainian was staring at her with a worried look on his face.

    ¡°Meimei, just now...you were shouting Jiang Cheng¡¯s name in your sleep!¡±

    Lan Jinyao covered her face and cried. ¡°Fu Bainian, I¡¯m in so much pain. Why didn¡¯t he die?! Why is he still alive? I just dreamt that he¡¯d made me lose our child again. I¡¯m scared, Fu Bainian!¡±

    Fu Bainian hurriedly got out of the car and proceeded to her side. He then quickly opened the door and scooped her out of the car.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m with you. This time, I¡¯ll stay with you no matter what happens. I won¡¯t let you be taken away by that man.¡± Fu Bainian hugged her tightly and buried his face close to hers. At this moment, tears visibly fell to the ground. It was unknown whether those tears belonged to Lan Jinyao or Fu Bainian.

    Both Lan Jinyao and Fu Bainian decided to ignore Jiang Cheng¡¯s existence altogether. They¡¯d initially thought that this matter was over, but in fact, that traumatic experience had left a shadow in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart which couldn¡¯t be erased for the rest of her life.

    Lan Jinyao fell asleep again, and she was carefully carried to the bed. Fu Bainian wanted to go out, but as soon as he turned around, Lan Jinyao awoke once more. She quickly reached out and grabbed his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m scared!¡± she said in a slightly hoarse voice.

    The look in her eyes appeared bottomless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯ll stay with you. I won¡¯t leave,¡± when Fu Bainian finished speaking, he grabbed a chair and sat down by the side of the bed.

    Their hands were tightly sped, and Lan Jinyao felt a rush of warmth course through her veins. She then closed her eyes with her mind at ease.

    This time, however, she could no longer fall asleep; she was worried that she would hurt Fu Bainian in her nightmare again.

    The next day, Fu Bainian went out as usual. When Lan Jinyao awoke, the spot beside her was empty. She looked around nervously before getting off the bed. She then went to search for the phone number that was given to her by the Jiang family¡¯s housekeeper during herst visit.

    It took her awhile to find the number, but once it was in her hand, she quickly gave Jiang Baitao a call.

    ¡°Jiang Baitao, Jiang Cheng¡¯s still alive, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    The person on the other end of the line didn¡¯t speak for a long time, and with every passing second, Lan Jinyao felt the chill in her heart intensify.

 Chapter 221 - Causing A Stir Again (2)

    <h4>Chapter 221 - Causing A Stir Again (2)</h4>

    Fu Bainian came back at noon. Upon seeing him, tears welled up in Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes as she pounced on him. The wire of thendline in the living room was pulled along by her sudden movement, and the receiver dropped to the floor. The call, however, was disconnected long ago.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fu Bainian hugged her and asked with a heartbroken look in his eyes.

    He was only away for a few hours, three hours to be exact, and she¡¯d be like this.

    Lan Jinyao threw herself in Fu Bainian¡¯s arms, and she choked with sobs as she said, ¡°I just phoned Jiang Baitao, and I asked him if Jiang Cheng was still alive...¡±

    Fu Bainian tightened his grip around her, led her to the sofa, sat down, and then he asked softly, ¡°What did Jiang Baitao say to you?¡±

    Although Lan Jinyao was feeling ill at ease, she could feel that Fu Bainian was veryposed at this moment; he didn¡¯t seem nervous at all. ¡°Jiang Baitao didn¡¯t reply and hung up the phone shortly after. I was panic-stricken when that happened. I feel that Jiang Baitao must surely know that Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t die, so he remained calm andposed.¡±

    That must be the case. Otherwise, how could that old fox remain so calm upon hearing that question?

    At this thought, Lan Jinyao felt her body weaken, and she began to tremble all over. She didn¡¯t know if this was due to fear, or because she was too agitated at this moment.

    Fu Bainian patted her gently on the back, as if he wanted to transmit his strength and warmth to her.

    As such, Lan Jinyao gradually rxed, and she heard Fu Bainian say, ¡°Jinyao, don¡¯t be afraid. I went out today to investigate this matter. Jiang Cheng indeed died, and Shen Wei¡¯an is also dead. Therefore, don¡¯t worry, no one can bother us anymore.¡±

    ¡°He truly died?¡± Lan Jinyao murmured under her breath, her eyes gradually clearing. However, her hands around Fu Bainian¡¯s waist suddenly tightened.

    After lunch, Fu Bainian apanied Lan Jinyao the entire afternoon, and he didn¡¯t leave her side, not even for a second. During this period, his phone rang several times. It seemed to be something urgent, so Fu Bainian went out to answer the call. When he¡¯d hung up, he brought hisptop to the room and started working.

    Lan Jinyao nced at him, and upon seeing his serious working face, an ufortable feeling surged in her heart. An excellent man like Fu Bainian should currently be devoting himself to work to expand his business, not be restricted in this small room with her.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, I¡¯m sorry!¡± she softly apologised.

    Following this, Fu Bainian stopped his movements and asked, ¡°What did you just say? I didn¡¯t hear you.¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head, and she said no more. After a while, she walked over and nudged Fu Bainian. When thetter looked up at her, she said, ¡°Fu Bainian, you¡¯d better go to work. You don¡¯t have to apany me anymore. In any case, whether Jiang Cheng is still alive or not...I¡¯ll just stay at home. He won¡¯t be able to find me if I don¡¯t go out.¡±

    It seemed that Fu Bainian was truly very busy as he didn¡¯t insist. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay on your own?¡±

    ¡°Yup, don¡¯t worry! You should hurry and be on your way! I promise that I¡¯ll stay at home obediently; I won¡¯t go out.¡±

    Seeing her raise her hand and swear in front of him, Fu Bainian couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle. He nodded and nted a kiss at the corner of her lips before leaving.

    However, the sky was still shrouded with an airborne sea of grey vapor, and the weather gradually became gloomier.

    Later in the afternoon, someone suddenly knocked at the door, which startled Lan Jinyao immensely. She tiptoed to the door and peeked through the peephole, only to find that it was two men wearing security uniforms.

    They looked like the security guards from thismunity. What were they doing here? Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t let her guard down; she stayed vignt and didn¡¯t open the door. The two men then raised their heads, and upon seeing the two familiar faces, she breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door.

    ¡°Mrs. Fu, our colleagues were patrolling earlier, and they noticed a suspicious man sneaking back and forth in front of your ce. Now that we¡¯ve caught him, can youe with us and have a look? If he isn¡¯t one of your acquaintances, then we have to hand him over to the police.¡±

    As she listened to those words, Lan Jinyao felt a shiver run down her spine. Someone actually lurked in front of my house...? This reminded her of that man¡¯s creepy gaze.

    Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s that person?!

    However, it turned out to be the same person. Moreover, he looked very simr to Jiang Cheng.

    At first, when Lan Jinyao saw the man at the security booth, she was startled, because the man truly resembled Jiang Cheng. When he looked at her, that man¡¯s cold and treacherous gaze made her hair stand on end.

    Afterwards, she stepped forward, grabbed the man by his cor, and fiercely asked, ¡°Were you the one who kept staring at me during the press conference?¡±

    The man nodded. ¡°That¡¯s correct, it was me. You sent Lan Xin to jail and even held a press conference to nder her. I just wanted to get back at you for her. Otherwise, she would¡¯ve suffered for nothing.¡±

    Lan Jinyao got angry. This man was clearly turning the facts upside down. He didn¡¯t know the truth, so how dare he use her openly like this?!

    ¡°What do you know?! Even if you want to avenge your idol, how can you be so stupid? Do you even know why Lan Xin cleared my name? That¡¯s because I¡¯m her biological sister, and she doesn¡¯t want to let her own sister suffer the consequences of her actions!¡±

    The man was stunned upon hearing Lan Jinyao¡¯s overbearing words. The cold look in his eyes was gradually reced with a look of confusion.

    ¡°Is that really the case?¡±

    Lan Jinyao angrily replied, ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m telling you, if you try to do something bad again, you¡¯ll only upset your idol, and I won¡¯t be polite either. I¡¯ll let you go this time, but there won¡¯t be a second time. If you do this again, then I have no choice but to send you to the police station.¡±

    After a long moment of silence, the man said in a voice as quiet as a mosquito, ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    As such, she¡¯d once more ascertained that this man wasn¡¯t Jiang Cheng. Only their appearance looked simr, but their conduct and behaviour werepletely different. Jiang Cheng was a very shrewd person, and he certainly wouldn¡¯t apologise for something like this, nor was he as easy to persuade as this man in front of her.

    She felt more assured now and said to the security guard, ¡°Let him go this time, but don¡¯t let him in again.¡±

    It was better for her to stay away from such a dangerous man.

    After the man had left, Lan Jinyao walked back home. Her mood had improved a lot, and she finally rxed. Unexpectedly, that man turned out to be an insignificant person; she was just overly suspicious.

    When Fu Bainian came back that evening, he was surprised to see a table full of dishes.

    Lan Jinyao ran over to his side and took over his briefcase with a smile stered on her face. ¡°I now believe that what you said is true. Jiang Cheng is truly dead.¡±

    Fu Bainian nodded with a smile, but a trace of worry shed in his eyes, which disappeared as soon as it appeared.

 Chapter 222 - Causing A Stir Again (3)

    <h4>Chapter 222 - Causing A Stir Again (3)</h4>

    When the weather cleared up, Lan Jinyao felt a lot better, and she went out in a cheerful mood.

    It just so happened that Fu Changning was on holiday, so she came over to keep herpany. When the two women met, they naturally went to the shopping mall. Fu Changning hooked her arm around Lan Jinyao¡¯s, and they shuttled through all the cosmetics stores and high-end clothing boutiques in the mall.

    As Lan Jinyao stared at the broad smile on Fu Changning¡¯s face, she couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. It seemed as if the person who¡¯d been locked up at home all day wasn¡¯t her but Fu Changning.

    ¡°When you¡¯re alone, don¡¯t you go out for a walk or shop around? Howe you seem so much happier than me while shopping?¡±

    Fu Changning extended her index finger and shook it in front of her. ¡°No, no...how boring is it for me to go shopping alone? Besides, I¡¯ve been working overtime these days, so I didn¡¯t even have the time to rest. Look at my haggard appearance. I rarely get a chance toe out, so of course I¡¯m happy.¡±

    As she spoke, the smile on Fu Changning¡¯s face suddenly disappeared. ¡°Sis-inw, I¡¯m sorry...when you were framed and locked up, it must¡¯ve been very boring in that detention centre. To make up for that, I¡¯ll spend this beautiful day with you and help you retrieve your happiness.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. She¡¯d stayed at home for so long that she was nearly suffocating to death, so as soon as the danger was over, she went out.

    Unbeknownst to her, this day was destined to be turbulent.

    After Fu Changning entered a clothing store, she quarrelled with a woman. The two resembled proud peacocks with overbearing auras, and neither of them would give way to the other. They both eyed a piece of clothing from the limited edition collection, but there was only one piece left in the store...

    Fu Changning was never one to be provoked, so they started quarreling right on the spot. Seeing that the two were about to fight, Lan Jinyao hurriedly tugged at Fu Changning, and said, ¡°Changning, how about we let her have this dress? This dress doesn¡¯t really suit you; it will make you look older than you are. A young and beautiful girl like you should wear something lovelier and more vibrant.¡±

    Fu Changning nced at the dress once more before nodding. ¡°Sis-inw, you¡¯re right. Now that I¡¯ve taken a closer look, it does look a bit old-fashioned. Since she wants it, then I¡¯ll just let her have it!¡±

    The woman instantly red up upon hearing Fu Changning¡¯s understatement. She pointed at Fu Changning and scolded, ¡°Who do you think you are?! Do I need you to yield to me?!¡±

    Fu Changning indifferently replied, ¡°Then, what about you?! Even if I were to give it to you, you have to think twice yourself. Do you...really deserve it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that I don¡¯t deserve it?! Haha...¡±

    The woman¡¯s gaze suddenly fell on Lan Jinyao, and before Lan Jinyao could even react, the woman started verbally assaulting her.

    ¡°Aren''t you that murderer? What, you¡¯ve already been released by the police?¡±

    Murderer? Lan Jinyao¡¯s hands instantly balled into fists as she rebuked, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t you watch the news? If you say another word, I¡¯ll sue you for libel.¡±

    The woman cast a peculiar nce at Lan Jinyao, and asked, ¡°You said that you¡¯d sue me for libel? How dare you say that I¡¯m ndering you? As expected, birds of a feather flock together. I don¡¯t want this dress anymore! If you want it, then quickly take it away lest it irks my eyes.¡±

    After saying this, the woman turned and was about to leave. However, how could a hot-tempered person like Fu Changning let her leave just like that? She swiftly grabbed the woman by the cor and pulled her back.

    ¡°What did you mean? Exin your words clearly to me!¡±

    The conflict between the two women worsened to the point that they started attacking each other with their hands and feet.

    Seeing this scene unfold, Lan Jinyao hurriedly said to the Shop Assistant, ¡°Quicklye and give me a hand! We need to separate these two!¡±

    The Shop Assistant hesitated and didn¡¯t move.

    Lan Jinyao then added, ¡°Don¡¯t belittle a woman¡¯sbat power! When they start fighting, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯d have no choice but to discard all the clothing in your store afterwards.¡±

    Upon hearing this, the Shop Assistant wavered and she scurried over. Lan Jinyao also hurriedly walked over to grab ahold of Fu Changning, but right at that moment, a hand suddenly pushed her, and she staggered a few steps back before she managed to stabilise herself. She stood outside and stared helplessly at the scene inside the clothing store. Just as she was about to go in again to help, a hand suddenly reached out and covered her mouth.

    Although this happened in broad daylight, no one noticed her being kidnapped. Moreover, Fu Changning was too busy quarrelling with the other woman to notice what was happening outside.

    When Lan Jinyao woke up again, she found herself in a car. She massaged her forehead before peeking in front of her.

    This...was the way to Fu Bainian¡¯spany!

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Lan Jinyao cautiously asked.

    The man in the driver¡¯s seat was wearing a hoodie, and his head was covered by the hood, so she couldn¡¯t see who it was.

    She abruptly extended her hand to pull the hood off the man¡¯s head, but the man seemed to have guessed her movement, and he quickly turned the steering wheel. Due to inertia, Lan Jinyao¡¯s body mmed against the door.

    ¡°Who are you?!¡± Since he dared to openlyy hands on her, the first person that came to mind was the man who was caught a few days ago by the security guards at hermunity.

    ¡°You should be able to guess who I am, right? I was present that day at the press conference.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart sank, and her voice began to tremble as she said, ¡°Y-you¡¯re...Jiang Cheng?¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head and murmured, ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible; I saw his face that day at the security booth...he wasn¡¯t Jiang Cheng.¡±

    The man in the driver¡¯s seat suddenlyughed. His voice was low and hoarse, and sounded somewhat spooky. This wasn¡¯t Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice.

    The man then unhurriedly said, ¡°Chen Meimei, speaking of acting skills, mine are much better than yours. Hence, you couldn¡¯t recognise me.¡±

    He really is Jiang Cheng!

    Lan Jinyao instantly panicked, and at the same time, her hand came in contact with an object. It was her mobile phone. She¡¯d initially had two mobile phones with her; she¡¯d bought one herself, and she¡¯d received one from Bainian. The one given to her by Bainian must¡¯ve been confiscated by Jiang Cheng.

    Upon noticing her mobile, Lan Jinyao gradually calmed down.

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, weren¡¯t you dead? Howe you¡¯re still alive?¡±

    Jiang Chengughed. ¡°Do you wish for my demise that much? Unfortunately, Jiang Baitao won¡¯t let your wishe true. He¡¯ll do everything in his power to let me live on peacefully.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lan Jinyao¡¯s voice suddenly went a few octaves higher as she added, ¡°Fu Bainian and I truly wish you were dead, because your very existence makes us restless.¡±

    Lan Jinyao took advantage of her roaring voice to mask the sound that came with pressing the speed-dial key. Now that she¡¯d pressed the button, Fu Bainian would surely know that she¡¯d been kidnapped!

    ¡°Jiang Cheng, I don¡¯t want to see you make an appearance in my life ever again!¡±

    Her words made Jiang Cheng¡¯s blood boil in anger.

    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go to hell together!¡±

 Chapter 223 - Demise

    <h4>Chapter 223 - Demise</h4>

    Jiang Chengughed eerily, his voice appearing to have crawled from the depths of hell.

    ¡°It turns out that I¡¯ve made the right decision once again...our only way back is to die together.¡±

    The car sped down the road, bypassing many cars along the way. At the crossroads, the traffic light was red, but Jiang Cheng had no intention of slowing down.

    At the same time, on the other road which intersected with theirs, arge truck was speeding forwards.

    ¡°Stop-¡± screamed Lan Jinyao.

    However, Jiang Cheng¡¯s eerie smile gradually magnified in front of her, and she heard him say, ¡°Like I said earlier, our only way back is to die together.¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at the truck steadilying closer. As such, she subconsciously closed her eyes, and the impact of being hit transmitted from her nerves to her brain. It hurts...the pain was unbearable... She lost consciousness shortly after experiencing the pain.

    Perhaps, she¡¯d die for real this time!

    The world quieted down; it was like a realm of tranquillity.

    The news of a car crash on Noble Coast Avenue immediately spread. The bystanders at the scene of the ident filmed the incident with their mobiles and shared it on the inte. At the same time, the sound of sirens could be heard as several ambnces rushed to the spot.

    Meanwhile, at Blue Hall Entertainment - President¡¯s Office, Fu Bainian¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed as he listened to the transmitted message: The number you¡¯ve dialled has been turned off...

    Who on earth had called him? Was this a prank?

    That didn¡¯t seem right...was it Jinyao?

    At this thought, Fu Bainian called Lan Jinyao, but her mobile was still turned off. Only then did he realise that something was wrong. He abruptly got up from his chair and prepared to leave.

    At this very moment, however, the door suddenly flew open, and the person who came in didn¡¯t even knock.

    Shen Yu rushed to his side with a flustered expression, and said, ¡°Bainian, hurry to the hospital, Chen Meimei, she...she was in a car ident!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Fu Bainian nced at his mobile screen, and then he immediately strode out.

    That call just now must¡¯ve been from Jinyao! She was in danger and asking for help.

    When Fu Bainian arrived at the hospital, a doctor happened toe out of the OR. He immediately stepped forward, grabbed the doctor¡¯s hands, and asked, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s the patient who was in that car ident doing?¡±

    The doctor shook his head, his gaze not sad nor happy. It was as if he was already used to the joys and sorrows of the world.

    ¡°Why are you shaking your head? She didn¡¯t make it?¡±

    The doctor nodded. ¡°He didn¡¯t make it, unfortunately!¡± (TL Note: he/she sounds the same in Chinese unless in writing)

    The door of the OR opened, and a patient was pushed out. Fu Bainian trembled uncontrobly as he looked at the body covered with a white cloth.

    In the next second, he extended his hand and lifted the white cloth, but he instantly froze afterwards.

    It wasn¡¯t Lan Jinyao! The person who¡¯d died wasn¡¯t Lan Jinyao.

    ¡°What about the other patient? It was a woman; where is she?!¡± He looked at the little nurse with bloodshot eyes.

    The nurse pointed towards the front of the corridor, and said, ¡°If you turn over there, you can find the Intensive Care Unit, but...¡±

    Before the nurse had even finished speaking, Fu Bainian was already striding away. When he got there, he saw Lan Jinyao in the ward. There was a nasal cann inserted into her nostrils, and she was lying quietly in bed as if she were lifeless.

    ¡°Doctor, when will she wake up?¡±

    ¡°The patient¡¯s condition isn¡¯t very optimistic. All the organs in her body have been severely wounded. Even if she were to wake up, she might only be able to lie in bed for the rest of her life. Or, maybe she would only be able to keep her eyes closed like this for the rest of her life, unless...a miracle happens.¡±

    A miracle? It was already a miracle that she was reborn. Would the Heavens possibly grant her another chance?

    ...

    Idiot Bainian! I¡¯m not dead, so don¡¯t give up on me, I can surely wake up.

    Lan Jinyao kept screaming, unfortunately, no one could hear her. She watched Fu Bainian slowly walk towards her, but in the next second, Fu Bainian walked through her body and into the ward.

    Lan Jinyao froze as she watched Fu Bainian sit down beside the hospital bed. Tears slid down from the corners of his eyes andnded on Chen Meimei¡¯s cheek.

    She suddenly remembered that when she¡¯d been framed by Shen Wei¡¯an and fell off the rooftop in her previous life, Fu Bainian seemed to have shed a teardrop for her, but his tear had evaporated as soon as it had appeared. But now, Fu Bainian¡¯s tears kept pouring down, yet she couldn¡¯t catch them.

    Lan Jinyao walked to Fu Bainian¡¯s side; no, to be exact, she floated to his side. Her feet didn¡¯t touch the ground.

    She extended her hand and tried to wipe away the tears on Fu Bainian¡¯s face, but her hand passed through his body to the nk space behind him.

    I¡¯m already dead?!

    Lan Jinyao stared at her near-transparent hands, and sadness rushed to her heart. Actually, she also wasn¡¯t sure whether she could wake up. Her soul seemed to have left Chen Meimei¡¯s body. But, when she¡¯d died in her previous life, she didn¡¯t experience this situation.

    Back then, when she¡¯d woken up from a seemingly longa, the first thing she¡¯d seen was a woman. It was Chen Meile standing in front of her bed, and she was calling her Chen Meimei.

    Following this, Lan Jinyao started to wander aimlessly in the hospital, drifting from one ce to another. Lastly, she went to the morgue. Upon seeing Jiang Chengying there, she subconsciously covered her heart, but...when she looked down, she realised that she no longer had a heart.

    It was very dark inside the morgue, but she seemed to quite like it there. Yet, at the thought that Jiang Cheng¡¯s soul might still be at the hospital, she immediately floated back to Fu Bainian¡¯s side.

    However, when she arrived at the ward, she found that Fu Bainian was no longer there. Even Chen Meimei¡¯s body was gone.

    Where did he go?

    Lan Jinyao then floated out of the hospital.

    When she returned to their house, she saw Fu Bainian gently ce Chen Meimei¡¯s body on the bed before removing the nasal cann from her nostrils. Then, Chen Meimei was no longer breathing.

    Fu Bainian killed her. When this thought popped into her mind, Lan Jinyao felt very sad, even though she¡¯d already died once.

    Lan Jinyao felt devastated, and even though she wanted to cry, she couldn¡¯t shed a single tear.

    And, at this moment, she suddenly felt her body weaken, and she was about to copse.

    Fu Bainian...Fu Bainian, hurry over and catch me.

    Although the floor was made of wood, it would still hurt to fall down.

    The moment she fell, Lan Jinyao suddenly remembered that she was only a soul now, and that a soul wouldn¡¯t feel any pain.

    Inside the dark room, the semi-transparent soul finally disappeared into thin air.

    Fu Bainian held onto Chen Meimei¡¯s hand, gazing at her with a gentle expression. Soon after, his vision darkened and he copsed to the ground.

 Chapter 224 - Itâ€™s My Turn To Pursue You (1)

    <h4>Chapter 224 - It¡¯s My Turn To Pursue You (1)</h4>

    This is really strange, no, that¡¯s not it...the Heavens surely loved her to death, right?!

    She couldn¡¯t believe that she was still alive!

    When Lan Jinyao sat up from bed, she wept with joy, and like a madwoman, she squeezed her arm to see if she could feel any pain.

    It turned out it hurt a lot. The pain made Lan Jinyao draw a breath; she¡¯d used too much force.

    Lan Jinyao stared at the purple patch on her fair skin for a long while beforeying down again. She nced at her surroundings and examined everything in the room.

    If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, this was her former home. This was the house that she¡¯d bought together with Shen Wei¡¯an. At that time, she was already very famous in the film and television industry, and she¡¯d just been conferred as the Movie Goddess. It was just that it had been so long ago that she couldn¡¯t remember the specific time anymore.

    Had she returned to the past?

    As she thought of this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s temple twitched. If she¡¯d gone back to the past, and this body was hers, then Shen Wei¡¯an must still be around at this time.

    Right then, someone suddenly pushed the door open and entered her room.

    ¡°Are you a pig? Why are you stillying in bed? Don¡¯t forget, we still have a party to attend tonight!¡±

    There was impatience clearly written all over Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s face.

    If it had been in the past, Lan Jinyao would have smiled and said to her, ¡°Of course, I remember. I¡¯ll get up right away.¡± However, she already knew everything. For example, she knew that Shen Wei¡¯an was truly impatient and not merely joking around with her.

    Shen Wei¡¯an merely hid all her disdain and jealousy towards her deeply in her heart.

    ¡°What are you dilly-dallying for? Forget it, I won¡¯t nag you anymore. You must show up tonight, and you can¡¯t dress prettier than me.¡±

    After saying that, Shen Wei¡¯an turned and walked out. Donning a blue cheongsam, Shen Wei¡¯an gave off an ethereal temperament, looking elegant and refined. However, this was only when she kept her mouth shut.

    Lan Jinyao sneered inwardly and murmured under her breath, ¡°I can¡¯t dress prettier than you? Well, I have to look more beautiful than you tonight.¡±

    Afterwards, she got off the bed and ran to the fitting room. This room was originally a guest room, but Shen Wei¡¯an had found her wardrobe too small to amodate all her clothes, so she¡¯d renovated the guest room. At that time, Lan Jinyao had thought that no guests would stay over anyway, so she¡¯d had no objections.

    Of course, most of the clothes in the fitting room were Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s; only a small section was hers.

    When she went into the fitting room, she picked up a ck evening dress. She remembered that in her previous life, she wore a rtively in evening dress, which wasn¡¯t very eye-catching. When she¡¯d stood in the corner, it was like she didn¡¯t exist.

    This time, she must outshine Shen Wei¡¯an.

    When Lan Jinyao was putting on her evening dress in front of the mirror, she suddenly remembered something and froze on the spot.

    Shen Wei¡¯an had said exactly these words to her in her previous life, and that horrific night was still deeply engraved in her heart.

    That very same night, she was pushed off the building by Shen Wei¡¯an and had died.

    If she¡¯d truly returned to the past, then the same incident would definitely happen again.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao felt her heart skip a beat.

    She suddenly thought: Could all of this be a dream? Was this a warning given to her by the Heavens to save her?

    No matter what, she wouldn''t let Shen Wei¡¯an kill her this time.

    ...

    In the evening, Shen Wei¡¯an was already waiting for her outside. Like that night, Shen Wei¡¯an wore a sexy evening dress. Like a rose in full bloom, her appearance was gorgeous and resplendent.

    Shen Wei¡¯an waited for her at the door with an impatient expression. ¡°Hurry up! Don¡¯t make me runte as tonight is a very important night for me. Later, there will be a lot of opportunities for me to choose from...¡±

    Lan Jinyao unhurriedly walked over. Due to her height, it had been a long time since she¡¯d worn high heels, so she walked slowly.

    Upon seeing her, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s nagging words came to an abrupt end. She was stunned at Lan Jinyao¡¯s appearance. She recovered after some time and frowned as she said, ¡°Why are you dressed like that? This isn¡¯t in line with your aesthetics. Lan Jinyao, are you feeling okay?¡±

    Lan Jinyao remained silent for a moment before shing her a sweet smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me not to wear something prettier than you? If I were to wear those other evening dresses, I¡¯ll certainly steal all your limelight. So, after tossing back and forth between a few options, I finally decided on this one. Could it be that you find my current outfit very beautiful?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s expression was a tad ugly. She furrowed her brows before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll bete if we don¡¯t depart now.¡±

    In this time period, Lan Jinyao hadn¡¯t bought a car yet. Shen Wei¡¯an, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t afford to buy a car. Therefore, they hailed a taxi.

    At the dinner party, everyone appeared noble and stunning.

    Shen Wei¡¯an was like a butterfly, shuttling back and forth in the crowd. When she got tired, she would return to Lan Jinyao¡¯s side.

    Only, this time, Lan Jinyao would no longer persuade her not to do so. Shen Wei¡¯an was someone who put fame and wealth first, and even death couldn¡¯t change anything. So, how could mere persuasive words work?

    ¡°Jinyao, what you¡¯re wearing today is really unsightly. Didn¡¯t you notice the gazes from those people?¡±

    Lan Jinyao then pondered: How would the previous Lan Jinyao reply? She¡¯d smile faintly and say, ¡°As long as you¡¯re beautiful, I¡¯m happy. I don¡¯t care about these things.¡± Back then, Shen Wei¡¯an was quite vain, so whenever someone had praised her, she¡¯d reveal an abashed smile.

    But, at this very moment, she wouldn¡¯t answer like that.

    Lan Jinyao smiled. She casually drank a small sip of red wine and unhurriedly said, ¡°Are they really staring at me because I¡¯m unsightly? But, howe I feel that that isn¡¯t the case?¡±

    Hearing this, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s expression turned somewhat unnatural.

    Lan Jinyao then continued, ¡°Why do I think that those people¡¯s gazes aren¡¯t on you, but on me, because I look prettier than you?¡±

    This time, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯splexion instantly turned pale.

    Seeing this, Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips slowly curled upwards, and her gazended on a fat man standing not far away.

    He was the same guy who¡¯d said something to Shen Wei¡¯an back then, which consequently made Shen Wei¡¯an run out crying.

 Chapter 225 - Itâ€™s My Turn To Pursue You (2)

    <h4>Chapter 225 - It¡¯s My Turn To Pursue You (2)</h4>

    Shen Wei¡¯an, from the beginning, the person who ought to have died should¡¯ve been you, not me...

    Lan Jinyao looked Shen Wei¡¯an in the eyes, and she noticed thetter¡¯s gaze gradually bing gloomier by the second.

    ¡°Wei¡¯an, look! That person over there, isn¡¯t he the Director you¡¯ve always told me about? I heard that he has a new movie production, and they¡¯re currently holding auditions to cast the female lead. Moreover, he specifically mentioned that he didn¡¯t want any famous actresses for this role; he¡¯ll only cast unfamiliar faces.¡±

    Of course, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s current status in the entertainment industry wasn¡¯t very high nor very low, so wasn¡¯t she also considered as an unfamiliar face?

    However, upon hearing Lan Jinyao¡¯s words, Shen Wei¡¯an didn¡¯t seem very happy as she questioned, ¡°What do you mean by not casting famous actresses, but only unfamiliar faces? Are you implying that my current standing in the entertainment industry is very low?¡±

    Lan Jinyao inwardly retorted: Yup, you¡¯re standing is indeed low...

    However, she smiled and said, ¡°Wei¡¯an, you clearly know that I didn¡¯t mean it like that. That Director is very famous, and the quality of his productions are also quite good. Due to this, I thought that you could give it a try. If the Director picks you as the female lead, then who knows? Maybe when the movie is out, you¡¯ll be the next Movie Goddess!¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s eyes instantly lit up; they were glistening with insatiable greed.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao knew that Shen Wei¡¯an had taken the bait. In her previous life, she¡¯d obstructed her friend in every way, but Shen Wei¡¯an still stubbornly went ahead to seduce that man. This time, however, she deliberately let Shen Wei¡¯an notice the man and encouraged her to go ahead. As she thought of this, a tinge of sorrow suddenly poured in Lan Jinyao¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Say, do you really think that he¡¯ll take a fancy to me?¡±

    Shen Wei¡¯an stared down at her clothes and fiddled with her hair, seemingly hesitant.

    Lan Jinyao sneered. The current Shen Wei¡¯an looked extremely unsophisticated, unlike the domineering attitude she normally pulled off in public. However, Lan Jinyao knew deep down that this was all just a facade; Shen Wei¡¯an was merely finding an excuse for her actions.

    ¡°Of course! Compared to the other women here, you¡¯re the most attractive one tonight. Even those famous actresses pale inparison.¡±

    These words made Shen Wei¡¯an particrly happy. She tugged at her dress and slowly walked towards the Director with a ss of red wine in hand.

    While Lan Jinyao was drinking in a corner, she suddenly heard movementing from the entrance and looked over. As soon as her gazended on the man at the door, she instantly froze.

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao¡¯s cheeks were slightly flushed as she¡¯d drunk quite a few cups of red wine. It seemed as if she¡¯d applied some rouge on her cheeks.

    It¡¯s Fu Bainian. Her eyes instantly lit up as she fixed her gaze on him.

    From a distance, Fu Bainian gave off a cold and detached aura. It was just like how the artists under Blue Hall Entertainment had described him. When he wasn¡¯t talking, he was as cold as an iceberg. However, Lan Jinyao preferred to call him a ¡®walking spotlight¡¯.

    That¡¯s just the way it is, right? After all, he¡¯s such a dazzling man.

    Lan Jinyao stared at the wine ss with only a mouthful of red wine left before raising her head and downing it. She then grabbed another ss of red wine and leisurely walked in Fu Bainian¡¯s direction. She¡¯d been walking in the limelight for too long, so she already knew how she should walk to appear more elegant and attract attention.

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t look at her. Seeing this, Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t help but giggle in her heart. Actually, she knew that Fu Bainian was watching her way from the corner of his eyes. It was just that he was very good at camouging his actions. He¡¯d done so much for her behind the scenes, yet she wasn¡¯t aware of any of that. And, the worst part was, she¡¯d died back then without knowing that Fu Bainian had feelings for her.

    The distance between the two was only ten steps away, yet Lan Jinyao felt like the distance between them was endless; it was if they had to cross another dimension.

    Just as Lan Jinyao was about to reach Fu Bainian, Shen Wei¡¯an suddenly started weeping. Like before, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t hear what the Director had said to Shen Wei¡¯an, but she saw Shen Wei¡¯an ran out of the hall in tears.

    Lan Jinyao subconsciously chased after her. She also knew that Fu Bainian would definitely follow her.

    Lan Jinyao already knew where Shen Wei¡¯an was going, but she wouldn¡¯t rush there in advance. She¡¯d let Shen Wei¡¯an mull over this first. Besides, Fu Bainian was also following behind her, so she couldn¡¯t let Fu Bainian notice anything out of the ordinary.

    Later, Lan Jinyao hurried to Blue Hall Entertainment¡¯s headquarters. She stood in the elevator and stared at the face in the mirror, somewhat distracted and nervous. Shen Wei¡¯an would cease to exist soon. She would put an end to the losses she¡¯d suffered in her previous life today. Now that she was granted a chance to start anew, she must eliminate the dangers that could possibly harm her.

    Atst, the elevator reached the top floor, and she rushed to the rooftop. The police and reporters were already there.

    Shen Wei¡¯an wept, and she looked very miserable from behind.

    Lan Jinyao clenched her hands into fists. Even now, her heart would still elerate and her body continued to tremble as she approached that spot. However, she must act well this time.

    ¡°Wei¡¯an, what are you doing? Quicklye over here, don¡¯t scare me!¡±

    As expected, Shen Wei¡¯an turned around. Lan Jinyao noticed that Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s gaze was still the same as before. It was brimming with resentment; as if she couldn¡¯t wait to tear her apart.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao, I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t youe over! I really don¡¯t want to live anymore. It¡¯s painful to live on. Some people can always get everything they want without any effort. Some people, however, even if they try their best and double their efforts, they still won¡¯t be able to get what they want. How unfair is this world?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s expression darkened. If you want to die, then just jump already and stop howling. The world was unfair to begin with. Those who put in effort would always be more fortunate. Yet, Shen Wei¡¯an was one of those who was always full of tricks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid, Wei¡¯an. Please,e over here, you¡¯ve got to live on and I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll get what you want eventually.¡±

    Lan Jinyao extended her hand and slowly approached Shen Wei¡¯an.

    At this time, Fu Bainian shouldn¡¯t have arrived yet. She was certain that he would¡¯ve held her back if he were here, and she wouldn¡¯t have been able to put on a good act.

    When Lan Jinyao stopped in front of Shen Wei¡¯an, she saw a hint of malice sh in thetter¡¯s eyes, and at the same time, Shen Wei¡¯an suddenly grabbed her hand.

    ¡°Shen Wei¡¯an, you actually want me to die, right?¡±

    She asked in a soft voice that only the two of them could hear. Afterwards, she exerted some force and pushed Shen Wei¡¯an off the building.

    At this moment, a woman¡¯s scream echoed in the night sky.

    Lan Jinyao held out her hand, but she didn¡¯t manage to catch Shen Wei¡¯an. She then copsed to the ground and burst into tears.

    A group of policemen immediately stepped forward and took her to safety.

    Shen Wei¡¯an died atst...

 Chapter 226 - Itâ€™s My Turn To Pursue You (3)

    <h4>Chapter 226 - It¡¯s My Turn To Pursue You (3)</h4>

    That night, Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t go home and stayed at a hotel instead. She truly didn¡¯t want to go back to that ce. Perhaps, Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s soul was still lingering there. Since she¡¯d already experienced death a few times, she was very convinced that there were deities and ghosts in this world.

    In the hotel, the images of everything that she¡¯d gone through in her previous lives kept reying in her mind. Some of the things that she¡¯d experienced were truly unimaginable. Even she was puzzled and found it all hard to believe. Maybe all of this was just a long dream; a long dream that she couldn¡¯t wake up from. Since she fell from such a high building, she must¡¯ve fallen into an endless dream and couldn¡¯t wake up again.

    The sky gradually darkened, and Lan Jinyao slowly closed her eyes.

    The next morning, Lan Jinyao was still sleeping when someone abruptly rang the doorbell. She furrowed her brows and opened her eyes, feeling somewhat irritated. Was this hotel¡¯s soundproofing equipment really so bad that she could hear the noise when someone rang the bell next door?!

    She didn¡¯t get up and merelyy in bed with her eyes open. Two minutester, she realised that someone was ringing her doorbell.

    ¡°Who is it so early in the morning?!¡±

    She angrily strutted towards the doorway. Upon opening the door, she saw Li Qi standing outside with a worried look on his face. ¡°Jinyao, what are you doing here? I was looking for you everywhere! Something like that happened to Shen Weianst night, and you came to a hotel alone? Don¡¯t you know that the media has their eyes on you and that you might run into a reporter any minute?¡±

    Lan Jinyao heaved a long sigh. ¡°I know, but Shen Wei¡¯an died, and I¡¯m afraid to stay at home alone, so I checked in to a hotel. You came just in time. I want you to help me buy a new house. I don¡¯t want to live in my old ce anymore as I don¡¯t feelfortable living there alone.¡±

    Li Qi cast a suspicious nce at her, and asked, ¡°Are you sure you want to move? Shen Wei¡¯an just died, so if you move now, this might impact your future development negatively. Besides, weren¡¯t you on very good terms with Shen Wei¡¯an? Now that she¡¯s dead, howe you don¡¯t seem even a tad bit sad, and you¡¯re even afraid of living in your old ce? Could it be that you¡¯ve done something wrong and you¡¯re feeling guilty now?¡±

    Lan Jinyao lowered her eyshes and said, ¡°It¡¯s suffocating, and this feeling is hard to bear, so I really don¡¯t want to live there anymore. In fact, aside from being afraid, I also feel very sad. When I think of the scene where Shen Wei¡¯an fell off the building and died, I hate myself for not being able to catch her! I¡¯m really useless!¡±

    Li Qi extended his hand and patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. Well, moving out is also a good option as it¡¯s not desirable for artists to live together to begin with. If the public makes anyments about this, I will take care of it. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t allow those reporters to write nonsense.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. Speaking of buying a house, she suddenly remembered that Fu Bainian lived in an apartment opposite Chen Meimei¡¯s. Luckily, she could still afford the price of those apartments.

    ¡°Li Qi, when you look for apartmentster, pay attention to the apartment building next to President Fu¡¯s, preferably the one next door, or one that is very close to his.¡±

    Li Qi was stunned. He quickly extended his hand and touched her forehead.

    ¡°Jinyao, are you alright? You want to live next to President Fu? Don¡¯t tell me that you took a fancy to President Fu like the rest of those ignorant women? Listen, you must give up on this thought as soon as possible. Do you know Xu Jinge? She¡¯s just a third-rate actress, but do you know why she was cast in so many TV series? That is because she had President Fu protecting her behind the scenes. Moreover, there are rumours going around that President Fu and Xu Jinge are in a rtionship!¡±

    Xu Jinge? Who cares about her?!

    Lan Jinyao shrugged. ¡°Just go ahead and do it. I¡¯ll definitely not harbour any feelings for President Fu that I shouldn¡¯t have. I just like the fact that themunity he lives in is very quiet and peaceful, and there aren¡¯t any paparazzi allowed there.¡±

    Li Qi was persuaded by her, and said, ¡°Alright, what you¡¯ve said makes sense too. But, let me warn you again, you mustn¡¯t fall for President Fu.¡±

    Lan Jinyao nodded. ¡°I promise you that I absolutely won¡¯t.¡±

    However, if it was meant to be, then there was nothing she could do about it either.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll trust you for once. You¡¯re indeed different from those women who do whatever it takes to climb up the socialdder. Go and change your clothes; we¡¯ve got to attend Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s funeral.¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao felt her head ache. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything with me, my clothes are at home.¡±

    Li Qi snapped his fingers and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll take you to the mall to buy something.¡±

    After Lan Jinyao changed into her evening dress, Li Qi put his sunsses on the bridge of Lan Jinyao¡¯s nose. When they got into the elevator, Lan Jinyao almostughed. This pair of sunsses didn¡¯t match her current outfit at all. How funny-looking!

    However, not long after, she realised that she wasn¡¯t the only one dressed up like that. There were many people who wore bizarre outfits out there.

    On the way, Lan Jinyao suddenly took note of a woman on the road.

    It was a fat woman walking in flip-flops. Her hair was wrapped with a khaki headscarf, and she wore an extremely wide T-shirt and a pair of trendy ripped jeans.

    However, even the jeans couldn¡¯t bear the woman¡¯s fat as her flesh was squeezed out of the holes like balls, looking very ufortable.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that...Chen Meimei?¡± Lan Jinyao looked at the fat woman and eximed.

    Li Qi was surprised. He looked to the side, and then replied, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s Chen Meimei. I¡¯m telling you, she also likes Fu Bainian. She¡¯s like a toad that wants to eat swan meat.¡±

    A toad that wants to eat swan meat? Don¡¯t tell her that Fu Bainian also thought like this back then? No wonder, his attitude towards her was extremely bad at the beginning.

    However, as soon as she saw all that fat on Chen Meimei¡¯s body, a strange feeling crawled to her heart. It felt like she¡¯d worked so hard for such a long time to finally reduce all that meat on her body, yet in the blink of an eye, all that fat had returned to her body.

    Soon after, they arrived at the mall and she bought a set of clothes. Afterwards, they hurried to the funeral.

    At the cemetery, Lan Jinyao stared at the photo of Shen Wei¡¯an. Shen Wei¡¯an was smiling in the ck and white photo; she looked peaceful and sweet, not at all like the jealous and vicious woman she used to be.

    This was all a facade!

    Fu Bainian also came to the funeral. He¡¯d donned a ck suit and was standing amongst the crowd. Lan Jinyao recognised him at a nce.

    She tugged at Li Qi¡¯s sleeve and whispered, ¡°Howe President Fu is also here? Was he that close with Shen Wei¡¯an?¡±

    Li Qi was also baffled. ¡°Logically speaking, he was her superior, so he should naturallye to the funeral. But, he¡¯s never attended another artist¡¯s funeral before, so I also find this very strange.¡±

    Then, Li Qi added, ¡°Maybe Shen Wei¡¯an was his cup of tea, who knows?!¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao secretly rolled her eyes. Impossible!

 Chapter 227 - Itâ€™s My Turn To Pursue You (4)

    <h4>Chapter 227 - It¡¯s My Turn To Pursue You (4)</h4>

    Li Qi was very efficient when it came to work. After the funeral, she stayed another night at the hotel, and then the next day, she was notified by Li Qi that he¡¯d found a new ce for her. Moreover, the apartment was fully furnished, so Lan Jinyao could move in empty-handed.

    She took two days off to go shopping for some decor for her new home.

    When she went out in the morning, she coincidentally ran into Fu Bainian. She smiled brightly and greeted him, ¡°Good morning.¡±

    Fu Bainian was seemingly stunned, he froze for a second before he recovered and acknowledged her. Afterwards, he left in a hurry.

    Lan Jinyao followed him and said with a smile stered on her face, ¡°President Fu, are you going to work now? I asked for leave today to buy some things. I just moved in today, so we¡¯ll be neighbours in the future; I¡¯ll invite you to dinner tonight to celebrate!¡±

    Fu Bainian nodded perfunctorily and then walked straight to the garage.

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s lips curled and she also went on her way. She reckoned that, at present, Jiang Cheng was still chasing after Chen Meimei, and Shen Wei¡¯an had already been eliminated. There was still a long road ahead for them to walk and enjoy!

    Lan Jinyao didn¡¯t buy a lot of things, because she wasn¡¯t nning on living there for long. In fact, she¡¯d long thought of a n to get closer to Fu Bainian.

    Lan Jinyao finished decorating her home that same day. In the evening, Li Qi came over with a bottle of red wine and some food. Lan Jinyao fell into a trance as she stared at the food on the table. When she was Chen Meimei, she¡¯d refused to eat this kind ofvish meal, and she still found it hard to eat so many dishes at once.

    ¡°Li Qi, are you trying to fatten me up?¡±

    Li Qi sat down and poured two sses of wine. He handed one over to her and smiled as he said, ¡°Does it really matter? Moving to a new home is a happy asion, so it¡¯s okay for you to eat some more. By the way, would you like to invite President Fu over? After all, he¡¯s just living next door.¡±

    Lan Jinyao cast a suspicious nce at Li Qi. This guy...didn¡¯t he warn her just a day ago to not get close to Fu Bainian? Howe he¡¯s changed his mind so quickly?

    Li Qi hurriedly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t stare at me like that. Since President Fu already knows that you live next door, we should invite him over out of respect. It wouldn¡¯t be nice of us to not invite him, right?¡±

    Lan Jinyao excitedly snapped her fingers and said, ¡°You¡¯repletely right! I¡¯m going to invite President Fu over right now!¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Li Qi pulled her back.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lan Jinyao looked back at Li Qi.

    ¡°You should stay here; I¡¯ll go invite President Fu. We must avoid arousing suspicions at all cost!¡±

    Lan Jinyao shook her head and heaved a sigh as she sat down. However, when she saw the figure tailing behind Fu Bainian, she understood what Li Qi had meant by ¡®avoid arousing suspicions¡¯.

    He not only invited Fu Bainian over, but also Chen Meimei.

    As soon as Chen Meimei came in, she bravely punched Lan Jinyao lightly in the chest and said, ¡°Hi new neighbour, thank you for your hospitality today!¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s smile was somewhat stiff as she replied, ¡°My pleasure.¡±

    It was a good thing that Chen Meimei came over. After all, there were some things that she wanted to rify with her as soon as possible. For example, she must let Chen Meimei know that she also had feelings for Fu Bainian, lest Chen Meimei bes hurt in the future.

    As soon as Chen Meimei sat down at the table, she started to eat and drink gluttonously. She didn¡¯t pay attention to her image in front of Fu Bainian at all. Before digging in, they each poured a ss of red wine, but the remaining half of the bottle was downed by Chen Meimei alone.

    When Chen Meimei went to thevatory, Lan Jinyao quickly followed her.

    Chen Meimei looked at her suspiciously and asked, ¡°Why are you following me to thevatory?¡±

    Lan Jinyao dry-coughed twice and solemnly said, ¡°You have a little fan on Weibo, and he likes you a lot. He¡¯s...the Young Master of the Jiang family, perhaps you can give him a chance and hook up with him.¡±

    ¡°Are you ill or something? The entire world knows that the person I like is Fu Bainian.¡±

    ¡°Now, you can¡¯t like Fu Bainian anymore, because Fu Bainian is mine.¡±

    Lan Jinyao then turned and walked out. Chen Meimei was stunned, and it took her a while to recover her senses. She hurriedly shouted at her back, ¡°Exin your words clearly! What do you mean by...?¡±

    When Lan Jinyao walked out of thevatory, she froze. Li Qi and Fu Bainian happened to be standing at the door with petrified expressions on their faces.

    Lan Jinyao coughed. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Fu Bainian responded before turning and walking back to the dining table. Li Qi gave Lan Jinyao a thumbs up and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re awesome!¡±

    When the four sat back down at the dining table, the atmosphere had turned somewhat strange. Lan Jinyao felt that the way Chen Meimei was looking at her was as if she wanted to tear her to a thousand pieces on the spot.

    Chen Meimei finally left after ring at her for an hour.

    As Lan Jinyao stared at Fu Bainian¡¯s departing figure, the corners of her lips quietly curled into a smile.

    The next day, thepany hosted a dinner party. It was a small party, but many people came. Under normal circumstances, Lan Jinyao would never have attended such a party, but it was different this time.

    The spot next to Fu Bainian was in high demand; every female artist wanted to have it, but it was, unexpectedly, upied by Li Qi.

    When Lan Jinyao walked into the hall, Li Qi quickly stood up, and he gestured her over with his hand. ¡°Come over here and sit down quickly.¡±

    There were jealous and envious gazes everywhere, but Lan Jinyao just turned a blind eye to them.

    When the waiter ced a peculiar-looking wrapped gift in front of everyone, Lan Jinyao noticed that Fu Bainian sitting beside her was stunned for a moment; as if he hadn¡¯t expected it.

    Aside from Fu Bainian, everyone eagerly opened the gift box in front of them.

    Lan Jinyao couldn¡¯t bear it anymore; she leaned over and whispered, ¡°President Fu, aren¡¯t you curious about what¡¯s inside yours?¡±

    Fu Bainian fixed his gaze on her for a long while before slowly opening the gift box.

    The diamond shined brightly under the light, its lustre was very dazzling.

    ¡°It¡¯s a wedding ring!¡± shouted someone in the crowd.

    ¡°A wedding ring!¡±

    Lan Jinyao quickly picked up the ring and wore it on her ring finger. She then eximed, ¡°It¡¯s just right! President Fu, are you...proposing to me?¡±

    Fu Bainian didn¡¯t respond, and he simply stared at her with an indecipherable look in his eyes.

    Lan Jinyao took a deep breath and returned the ring to Fu Bainian. She then opened the gift box in front of her.

    ¡°It¡¯s a ring, too!¡± someone else eximed.

    ¡°Why did she get a ring too? It¡¯s not fair.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by not fair? Can¡¯t you see that it was something that Movie Goddess Lan prepared herself?¡±

    At this time, the waiter brought over a bouquet of flowers. Lan Jinyao took the flowers and handed them to Fu Bainian. Fu Bainian, on the other hand, didn¡¯t react for a long time, and the discussion around them grew louder by the minute.

    Seeing this, Lan Jinyao whispered in his ear, ¡°President Fu, this is really embarrassing, quickly ept it!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple moved, and he softly asked, ¡°Do you know what it signifies when I ept it?¡±

    Hearing this, Lan Jinyao smiled nonchntly. ¡°Of course I know.¡±

    epting this bouquet signifies that we¡¯ll be spending the rest of our lives together, forever.

 Chapter 228 - His City (1)

    <h4>Chapter 228 - His City (1)</h4>

    There was a tree-lined path on campus, and a girl was leaning against a tree trunk with a poetry book in hand, flipping through it leisurely. The mottled shadows of the tree fell on her face, entuating her side profile.

    In the afternoon, everyone went home to rest, and the girl was the only one left. As time went by, the girl eventually closed her poetry book and her eyes, taking a nap under the tree.

    At this moment, time seemingly froze, and only the girl¡¯s quiet breathing could be heard.

    ¡°President Fu, this is the area where students usually take their break before their next ss. As you can see, the environment here is quite good! Why don¡¯t we go in and take a stroll?!¡±

    The middle-aged man smiled and said, his eyes narrowed to crescents.

    The man donning a ck suit looked around with one hand in his pocket, and nodded. ¡°Indeed, the environment isn¡¯t bad. Let¡¯s go in!¡±

    The tree-lined path was covered with grass, making it seem like the path wasyered with a green carpet. A few meters ahead, there was a stone table and four stone seats. As they walked, Fu Bainian enjoyed the scenery with a look of satisfaction on his face.

    Seeing this, the middle-aged man couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    Then, Fu Bainian suddenly stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of a figure under the tree. A beautiful young girl was sleeping soundly with a poetry book scattered on the grass next to her. This scene looked harmonious, like a painting.

    ¡°Lan Jinyao-¡°

    Fu Bainian tried to stop the middle-aged man, but it was already toote as his mid-spirited voice reverberated in the surroundings.

    Consequently, the girl awoke with a start, and she abruptly opened her eyes. Seemingly not fully awake yet, she looked around her with a dazed look on her face. Upon seeing the middle-aged man, her eyes widened in shock, and she abruptly stood up while patting the leaves and withered grass off her clothes.

    ¡°Hello, Headmaster!¡±

    The girl smiled and greeted. Her eyes narrowed into crescents, and two tiny dimples appeared on her cheeks.

    The headmaster of C High School was a man in his fifties with a Mediterranean haircut. His favourite task was to take the sponsors of C High School to tour around the school.

    He was a very kind person and liked to joke around with the students. asionally, he¡¯d hear the students talk about him behind his back, but he wouldn¡¯t get angry, and instead, he¡¯d smile and joke with them.

    Lan Jinyao quite liked the Headmaster too.

    ¡°The next ss is starting soon, yet you¡¯re still sleeping over here? Don¡¯t let the math teacher make you stand outside the ssroom again.¡±

    ¡°Headmaster, I¡¯ll head back to the ssroom right away.¡± The girl trotted away, but she suddenly turned back and said, ¡°Headmaster, thanks for waking me up!¡±

    The Headmaster smiled and waved. He then turned to Fu Bainian and said, ¡°That girl usually likes to stay here and quietly read poems on her own. She¡¯s a very good child, but it¡¯s just that she favours some subjects over others. She always gets full marks for literature, but when ites to math, she always fails. That child will have a headache as soon as she sees the math teacher. Sigh, when the timees for the students to fill in the form concerning their aspirations, I really wonder what she¡¯ll fill in!¡±

    ¡°Is she also one of the sponsored students?¡± asked Fu Bainian.

    Seeing that Lan Jinyao¡¯s figure had disappeared from sight, the Headmaster turned around, and smiled as he said, ¡°No, she¡¯s from a wealthy family. In fact, many things in this school were donated by her family. Her parents stay abroad all year round, and they rarelye home. Therefore, they asked the school to take care of her in return for their donations. There were, inevitably, rumours going around, saying that she came in through the back door, so she¡¯s not close to anyone in her ss. She likes to be alone.¡±

    ¡°I heard that President Fu was theplete opposite. You had good grades and were very popr in school. It¡¯s really a pity that you didn¡¯t study at our school...¡±

    The man paused, and after a moment, he suddenly asked, ¡°Oh, by the way, howe you¡¯ve decided to sponsor the students in our school this time?¡±

    Fu Bainian remained silent as his gaze suddenlynded on the poetry book on the grass. He walked over and bent down to pick it up. He stared at the name on the book and smiled softly as he murmured under his breath, ¡°It¡¯s a collection of English poems!¡±

    The Headmaster called out again behind him, ¡°President Fu?¡±

    Fu Bainian retracted his gaze and faintly replied, ¡°Ourpany will soon select a new batch of non-graduated students to groom as trainees, so I¡¯m nning to select some students from your school. Of course, it¡¯s just a selection process, and it won¡¯t affect the students¡¯ preparation for their college entrance examination.¡±

    ¡°I see. Our school will certainly cooperate fully if President Fu decides to do so.¡±

    ¡°I still have something else to attend to, so I¡¯ll leave first. I¡¯lle back again another day!¡±

    ¡°Alright, let me send you back then.¡±

    Fu Bainian nced towards the exit of the school building, and said, ¡°No need, my car is parked outside.¡±

    The Headmaster smiled and no longer insisted. When he saw Fu Bainian leave with the poetry book in hand, he furrowed his brows in puzzlement. Why did President Fu take the poetry book along? Could it be that he also likes poems?

    At this thought, the Headmaster¡¯s smile widened.

    ...

    In June, the weather was scorching, and the asphalt road glistened under the bright sun, as if it were melting.

    The students who¡¯d just finished their college entrance examinations were happily nning and discussing their summer trips in groups of two or three. They exuded youthfulness and there were confident smiles stered on their faces.

    On the other hand, Lan Jinyao unhurriedly left on her own while dragging a huge suitcase behind her. Her house was nearby, so after the exam was over, she moved all her things back home. She decided to spend the entire summer at home. Actually, she quite liked this kind of simple life; when she was alone, she felt satisfied as long as she had poems keeping herpany.

    On the way back, Lan Jinyao suddenly remembered that her poetry book was nowhere to be found; she didn¡¯t know where she¡¯d lost it.

    At the school gate, a ck Land Rover was parked by the side of the road. The windows were tinted, so no one could see what was going on inside.

    Fu Bainian sat in the car, staring at the slowly departing figure. The students around her looked so happy, yet her expression remained indifferent and out of ce.

    He was holding onto the poetry book, which now had a pink bookmark inserted in it. When the girl¡¯s figure disappeared from his view, he retracted his gaze. Afterwards, he opened the book and gently traced the pink bookmark with his finger.

    When Fu Bainian turned twenty years old, Mother Fu had found him a beautiful potential girlfriend. The girl wore a pink dress; she appeared gentle and noble.

    However, when Fu Bainian saw the girl for the first time, he frowned.

    It was different. Sure enough, it wasn¡¯t the same. Even though her appearance met all of his conditions, when she stood in front of him, he realised that the feeling she gave off was different.

    That night, the girl didn¡¯t stay long at the Fu family¡¯s home; she red hatefully at Fu Bainian and left in tears.

    Mother Fu sat down next to her son and softly asked, ¡°You don¡¯t like her? But, she met all of your conditions!¡±

    Fu Bainian¡¯s frown deepened. He slowly shook his head and muttered, ¡°No, she didn¡¯t give me the right feeling.¡±

    Mother Fu sighed. ¡°Then, what exactly is the right feeling? You¡¯ve already driven away countless girls who like you. Tell me, what kind of girl do you fancy?¡±

    What exactly is the right feeling?

    At this moment, a girl napping under a tree suddenly appeared in his mind.

    After a long moment of silence, he finally said, ¡°Mum, I won¡¯t keep you waiting for long.¡±

 Chapter 229 - His City (2)

    <h4>Chapter 229 - His City (2)</h4>

    Darkness had fallen and the streets were silent. A girl in a white dress stumbled forward, and as she was running, the heels of her stilettos suddenly got stuck in a manhole cover. By the time she¡¯d pulled them out, the heels had already fallen off.

    This road wasn¡¯t very easy to traverse as it had just been repaired not too long ago. One could also see some remaining sand and pebbles along the road, which hadn¡¯t been cleaned up yet. She didn¡¯t want to take off her broken stilettos, so she ced her hand on the wall to support herself as she slowly walked forward.

    An image of her best friend, Shen Wei¡¯an, crossed her mind, and she recalled her words clearly: You should be careful when you go home alone. I¡¯ve heard that it isn¡¯t very safe around the neighbourhood these days. Besides, you¡¯re so popr now, so you must be extra careful!

    A momentter, a bad feeling suddenly rushed to her heart. It seemed like someone was following her.

    ¡°Hey, Belle, wait a moment! I¡¯m a fan of yours; I can take you home!¡±

    As she turned around the corner, a shadow suddenly rushed forwards. There were no lights, so she couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face clearly. She could only judge by the voice that he was a man, and he seemed to be quite old.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    She hugged her bag to her chest and stared warily at the shadowed figure.

    The neen-year-old girl¡¯s heart was filled with dread. Before this, someone had offered to send her home, but she¡¯d rejected the offer, and now she utterly regretted it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m really a fan of yours. I like every inch of your skin and every organ in your body. Every night when I sleep, I dream about you, and you¡¯re always smiling at me. I want to take you home...I want to kiss you, is that okay?¡±

    At this moment, Lan Jinyao realised that she¡¯d met a pervert.

    She kept retreating until she leaned against the wall. Goosebumps formed on her skin, and her body trembled incessantly.

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t-¡± she screamed. ¡°Don¡¯te over, I can go home on my own!¡±

    Upon hearing her scream, the man in the darkughed like a madman, and hisughter vibrated in the surroundings. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you. I won¡¯t hurt you, so why are you so afraid of me? You...don¡¯t believe me?¡±

    Hisughter ended and was reced with anger.

    Seeing the man¡¯s gradually approaching figure, Lan Jinyao trembled with fear, and she quickly eximed, ¡°I don¡¯t like men who are older than me. I¡¯m serious, I like men who are younger than me, so please d-don¡¯te over.¡±

    She was so scared that she could only say whatever came to mind as she wanted to shake the man off as quickly as possible.

    At this moment, another figure suddenly appeared. Upon hearing that sentence, the other man abruptly stopped in his tracks for a second, and his hands clenched into fists. Afterwards, he approached them and his fistnded on the middle-aged man¡¯s body ruthlessly; each punch more powerful than the previous. About fifteen minutester, the middle-aged man finally copsed to the ground, and let out a burst of anguished wailings.

    In the next second, the man seized Lan Jinyao¡¯s hand. The man¡¯s palm was dry and warm, and his calluses brushed against the palm of her hand. At this moment, a strange feeling suddenly surged in her heart, and there was a very familiar sensation.

    With the man by her side, she felt strangely at ease.

    At the end of the alley, a dim light fell on the ground, dispersing the haze of the night. When they were a step ahead of her house, the man decisively let go of her hand.

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. Good night!¡±

    The man turned and his figure gradually disappeared into the dark. Lan Jinyao stared at the departing figure andmented: It was a pity that she couldn¡¯t see his face.

    ...

    ¡°Wow! You¡¯ve already got your hands on the rings. Are you nning on confessing to your love?¡±

    The man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window carefully put the ring in his pocket. His gaze was undecipherable as he stared at the figure in white downstairs. Looking down from his current spot, everyone downstairs looked very small, and not even their figures were outlined clearly, but he recognised her at a nce. There was arge group of fans following behind her with signs in their hands. Her name must be written on those signs.

    At this thought, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

    Shen Yu eximed behind him, ¡°Look how affectionate ¡®someone¡¯ is behaving at the moment. Don¡¯t tell me that you fancy that little girl? Bro, you are several years older than her. You don¡¯t mind, but maybe she does. Lan Jinyao is different from the other women in the entertainment circle. I heard that shees from a wealthy family, so she doesn¡¯tck things like luxury bags and clothes.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian¡¯s smile froze and his expression instantly dimmed.

    I don¡¯t like men who are older than me. I¡¯m serious, I like men who are younger than me.

    The girl¡¯s panicked voice suddenly reverberated in his ears, pounding on his eardrums and sending a painful sensation to his heart.

    Fu Bainian then turned around and coldly said, ¡°If you¡¯re that idle, I can arrange some more work for you.¡±

    Shen Yu instantly waved and scurried out of his office. By the time Fu Bainian looked down again, Lan Jinyao was no longer there.

    Just wait a bit longer! The twenty-two year old Fu Bainian told himself.

    ...

    ¡°This is the first time that Lan Jinyao¡¯s attending a talk show, do you really not n on turning on yourputer to have a look?¡±

    Fu Bainian remained silent.

    Shen Yu was bored talking to himself, so he put down the file and left. After he¡¯d left, the man behind his desk casually rummaged through the documents. Afterwards, his gazended on theputer screen. He opened his browser, searched for the talk show, and watched it quietly.

    The Lan Jinyao on screen was smiling sweetly as usual, but she now exuded a more tranquil and elegant temperament. Her hands were sped on her knees, and her eyebrows arched slightly as she stared at the camera.

    ¡°Jinyao, this is your first time attending this kind of talk show. Are you nervous?!¡±

    She stared straight at the camera, and softly said, ¡°Yes, I do feel slightly nervous!¡±

    ¡°Jinyao, you truly have a lot of fans. When they¡¯d heard that you¡¯re making an appearance on our talk show, they all called the TV station one after another, saying that they had a few questions for you. The TV station¡¯s phone was ringing off the hook!¡±

    At the mention of this, both the emcee and Lan Jinyaoughed.

    The host then added, ¡°Of course, the question thatizens are most concerned about is concerning your love life. I heard that you weren¡¯t involved in any scandals, so do you actually have a boyfriend?¡±

    The elegant-looking Lan Jinyao smiled mysteriously.

    The audience quieted down and waited for her answer. Fu Bainian, who was sitting in front of hisputer, had his chin propped up on his hand, and his eyes were fixed on the screen. He held his breath as he waited for her answer.

    ¡°Truthfully, I don¡¯t want to fall in love yet, because I don¡¯t want to let my fans down. I want to repay my fans with more quality work,¡± Lan Jinyao calmly responded.

    The twenty-three year old Fu Bainian told himself: She doesn¡¯t want to be in a rtionship yet, so wait for a bit longer!

 Chapter 230 - His City (3)

    <h4>Chapter 230 - His City (3)</h4>

    The twenty-one year old Lan Jinyao skyrocketed to fame, and she now had a lot of good friends in the entertainment circle. What¡¯s more, many directors and producers appreciated her for her talent. She always faced others with a heart-rendering smile.

    She was a ssic beauty, like she came straight out of a painting.

    Why was a beautiful, elegant-looking woman like her, not involved in any sorts of scandals? Even her love life was like a nk piece of paper.

    However, every employee of Blue Hall Entertainment knew the secret answer to this question; it was because Director Shen had taken a fancy to her. He¡¯d always face her with a gentle smile and reserve the best scripts for her. Even all her endorsements were hand-picked by him, and those were highly paid ones to boot! Generally speaking, these kinds of tasks ought to be done by her Manager, but Director Shen did all of that for her.

    Everyone found it unbelievable that a busy man like Director Shen would love a person like her so dearly, and that he would go to such lengths for her. As a result, many young girls in thepany envied Lan Jinyao. An amazing man like Director Shen actually took a fancy to a woman like Lan Jinyao. How fortunate for her! This was a blessing of a lifetime.

    When the rumours were spreading like fire, Shen Yu surprisingly smiled and admitted to it.

    Standing at the door, Fu Bainian watched Lan Jinyao smile gently at Shen Yu, and heard her say, ¡°Thank you, Director Shen, for being so kind to me. And, thank you for giving me a chance to be a part of the entertainment industry, resulting in so many people liking me.¡±

    As he stared at the girl, who was holding Shen Yu¡¯s arm, he held the ring tightly in his hand, his gaze gloomy.

    ...

    Fu Bainian, who was about to turn twenty-five years old, told himself, ¡°You can¡¯t continue waiting like this. Although she doesn¡¯t feel anything towards you, if you don¡¯t pursue her now, she might fall in love with someone else sooner orter. Do you want to witness her be someone else¡¯s girlfriend?¡±

    Of course not!

    As such, he nned a grand confession.

    Inside a room, there was a ring ced amidst ice cubes, which glistened brilliantly under the lights. On the floor was a white Italian handcrafted carpet adorned with delicate red roses, and the words ¡®I love you, Lan Jinyao¡¯ were disyed on an LED screen hung high on the wall.

    This was his house, but it would be their home in the future.

    Fu Bainian looked at the setup satisfactorily, and smiled. She would surely like this. After all, she¡¯d told Shen Yu before that she liked romantic guys.

    So, would she agree to be his girlfriend?

    She¡¯d once said that she didn¡¯t like men older than her, and men with cold personalities. On the other hand, she liked men whoughed often and smiled warmly like sunshine, and, he must also be nice to her.

    Fu Bainian thought: He didn¡¯t meet all of her conditions, but...

    He still wanted to give it a try!

    At the dinner party, he slowly walked forward under the watchful gazes of everyone present. He was already used to walking in the spotlight, so he remained indifferent. But, as soon as he entered the hall, he caught sight of a figure in a light pink dress at a nce. The woman stood quietly in a corner with a ss of red wine in hand.

    She didn¡¯t seem to be in high spirits, and there was no sight of her usual bright smile. Rather, her expression looked somewhat unenthusiastic.

    She was talking to Shen Wei¡¯an, but he couldn¡¯t hear them clearly.

    After the party, he would ask Shen Yu to invite her to his ce. He would then tell her all the words contained in his heart. Then, he would tell her with determination that he would only like her in this lifetime, and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

    But, how did things suddenly turn out like this?

    Shen Wei¡¯an sat on the edge of the balcony on the rooftop, and if she jumped forward, she would turn into a pile of crushed meat.

    The smile on the woman¡¯s face was very bleak, and her expression looked miserable. However, he instantly saw through her fa?ade. He bypassed the police and slowly approached the figure in a light pink dress.

    However, the figure in front of him also slowly moved forward, and as she approached Shen Wei¡¯an, she sincerely said many touching words to persuade her friend toe back to her side.

    At this moment, a strong wind blew over. There were no stars visible in the dark sky; only that pair of clear eyes glistened under the moonlight.

    With tears in her eyes, she finally got ahold of Shen Weian¡¯s hand.

    Then, she fell off the building right in front of him; it was a horrifying sight. He extended his hand, but there was still a small distance between them, and he wasn¡¯t able to catch her hand. Shen Wei¡¯an¡¯s arm hung on the fence, and it seemed to have been scratched while trying to save her friend. The touch of pink on her fingertips was a ghastly sight.

    He closed his eyes.

    No one seemed to notice the tears in his eyes.

    The love of his life died right then and there that night.

    ...

    When he returned home, three days had already passed, and the corpse in the morgue had already turned cold. He stood alone in the hallway, staring at all the things he¡¯d carefully prepared for his grand confession. Under Chen Meimei¡¯s destructive hands, the hall now looked aplete mess. At this moment, her loud voice incessantly reverberated in his eardrums.

    ¡°That Shrewd Fox only knew how to seduce people with that face of hers, so on what basis could she get all of your affection?!¡±

    ¡°Why have you never taken a second look at me even though I like you so much?¡±

    ¡°Fu Bainian, you deserve not getting the love of your life!¡±

    He sat decadently on the ground, staring at the trampled flowers and the white carpet stained with red wine, while Chen Meimei crazily growled at him.

    His world had fallen apart ever since.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, please wake up! Why are you doing this to yourself? Who are you showing all this to? She¡¯s already dead! She¡¯s already left this world, so she¡¯ll never appear ever again.¡±

    While she spoke, Chen Meimei¡¯s fat figure slowly drifted away.

    Her distant voice slowly resounded in his ears.

    ¡°Fu Bainian, why do you love her so much? If the person who¡¯d died was me, would you feel a tinge of sadness?¡±

    ¡°If only the one who¡¯d died was me...I truly hope that you can be happy.¡±

    Atst, Chen Meimei¡¯s figure disappeared from sight, and her gentle voice could no longer be heard.

    ...

    Inside the quiet room, Fu Bainian sat in silence. Stubble was visible on his chin, and his face was morbidly pale. Adding on his dark circles, his appearance was a terrible sight.

    Several days had passed, but he simply sat there, not moving a single step. He drank a lot of wine, and slept for a long time these days.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to say goodbye to the past and move on...¡± he said to his reflection in the mirror.

    If I were given a second chance, I¡¯d hold your hand tightly and never let go again. But, I no longer have a chance to do so...

    He washed up and shaved the stubble. He then smiled at the clean image of his reflection in the mirror.

    The sun illuminated every corner of the room, and he walked out with his briefcase in hand. He bathed in the sun, and smiled at every passer-by, pretending to be happy.

    Only he knew that his heart had died along with his secret love; he was just a walking corpse at this moment.

    He wandered alone in the world, waiting for his encounter with her in their next lifetime.

 Chapter 231 - Indescribable Love (1)

    <h4>Chapter 231 - Indescribable Love (1)</h4>

    This was a city where snow fell. In December, the whole city would be covered with snow, and everywhere would appear as a clear, undting white line; it was a pure and dazzling sight.

    She liked this city and the snow that fell every winter.

    The five-year-old girl was actually very smart. She learned the word ¡®inferiorityplex¡¯ today; she felt that she was different from the other children.

    Every morning, when she got up, her mother would brush her hair into a beautiful ponytail. Afterwards, her mother would take her in front of the mirror, and say with a smile, ¡°Look, my little Lan Xin looks so beautiful with her hair tied up, just like a doll.¡±

    The mirror reflected a little Lan Xin, her eyshes were curly, her nose tall and her skin as white as snow. However, she already understood from the moment she¡¯d turned five that the little girl standing in front of the mirror wasn¡¯t beautiful; there was arge red birthmark on her face. Formerly, her mother had said that it was a rose bestowed to her by the Heavens, which represented love. However, at the age of five, she learned another word, which was ¡®birthmark¡¯.

    The red birthmark, which upied half of her face, wasn¡¯t beautiful, but extremely ugly.

    That day, she heard the children at the same table whisper, ¡°Lan Xin¡¯s face is so ugly, she must¡¯ve offended the Heavens and received that as a punishment.¡±

    Little Lan Xin didn¡¯t know why her ssmate had said that at the time. She just felt very angry, and she pushed the child. Consequently, the child burst into tears.

    At that moment, everyone¡¯s gazended on her. Some ssmates cast her a surprised look, while some looked at her with contempt.

    Soon after, the child¡¯s sister came. She was a very beautiful, tall girl wearing a pink princess dress, and a beautiful hair clip sped on her hair. She stood in front of Lan Xin with her hands on her waist, ring at her ferociously.

    ¡°You...Ugly Duckling, why did you push my Little Sister?¡±

    However, Lan Xin stared nkly at her, not knowing why that Big Sister had called her an ugly duckling.

    Then, suddenly, the nk Lan Xin was shoved by someone, and she hit her head on a stool. However, she didn¡¯t cry or say a word as she watched the Big Sister help her little sister up. She saw the Big Sister gently coax her little sister before fishing out a green-coloured lollipop from her pocket, opening it and putting it in her little sister¡¯s mouth.

    Following this, Lan Xin learned the word ¡®inferiorityplex¡¯.

    It wasn¡¯t only because of the birthmark, but also because she didn¡¯t have a sister. At that time, Lan Xin didn¡¯t know the word ¡®only child¡¯ yet.

    She wanted a sister, so she told her mother exactly that. However, her mother was very busy, and even when she stopped busying herself, she seldom listened to her words seriously. Her mother thought that she was just throwing a tantrum, so she simply pinched her little face before continuing with her work.

    Little Lan Xin ran outside in a fit of anger and started ying with the snow. She was going to make a sister for herself.

    Her sister was very tall and had a plump body. Her eyes were made of multi-coloured ss beads, and her nose was made of carrot. But, what about her lips? My Sister must have beautiful lips. Little Lan Xin suddenly recalled that her mother had a red lipstick. That colour was very beautiful, and it should fit her Sister well. But, it was also her mother¡¯s treasured item.

    Like a thief, she carefully rummaged through her mother¡¯s things and found the red lipstick. Afterwards, she applied it on her lips in front of the mirror. The reflection in the mirror sure is ugly. But, if it were her Sister, the lipstick would surely look good on her.

    Following this, she ran into the yard and tiptoed to the snowman and applied the lipstick on its face. Her Sister¡¯s lips were finally done.

    This sister she¡¯d built wasn¡¯t very pretty as her nose was a bit crooked, and her mouth was also very small. But as little Lan Xin stared at the big sister she¡¯d made, she smiled happily.

    Little Lan Xin didn¡¯t have any friends, but now she had a sister.

    When her mother came back, she found Lan Xin sitting next to the snowman, chatting and ying games with it happily. At that moment, her mother had a sad expression on her face, but little Lan Xin couldn¡¯t understand that kind of emotion yet. She smiled foolishly at her mother, and loudly said, ¡°Mama, look! I have a sister now.¡±

    When spring came, the heavy snow melted into a stream of water, flowing to an unknown distant ce, and the snowman in the yard glistened in the sun as it melted.

    Little Lan Xin was slightly sad when she saw that. Her sister had lost a lot of weight. Her lips had turned into a patch of red, and the carrot had fallen to the ground and rolled into the canal in the yard where it could no longer be seen.

    Following this, the weather became hotter by day, and one morning when she woke up, little Lan Xin¡¯s Sister was no longer there.

    When her mother was away, little Lan Xin cried her heart out. The neighbour¡¯s child pulled an ugly face and shouted at her at the top of her lungs, ¡°Lan Xin, you¡¯re really stupid. You actually regarded a snowman as your sister. Look, my sister is a living person! She¡¯ll tell me stories, buy me delicious food, and sleep with me...¡±

    Lan Xin¡¯s view was hazy as she stared at the tall girl in front of her and suddenly burst into tears again. Lan Xin didn¡¯t have a sister, the snowman wasn¡¯t her sister...

    She wasn¡¯t happy, so her smile disappeared from her face ever since. When she went to school, she was always alone. asionally, she¡¯d stare with envy at those children who were led by their sister, hand in hand.

    When she got home, she asked her mother, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give me a sister?¡±

    Whenever she asked this, her mother¡¯s eyes would well with tears, and then she¡¯d send Lan Xin away and quietly wipe her tears inside the room.

    As Lan Xin grew older, she never mentioned this topic again, because she knew that her mother would feel bad about this. As such, she grew up in solitude.

    She would always dream of a little girl who looked exactly like her. The girl in her dream would always smile gently at her, and she didn¡¯t have a birthmark on her face. She was very beautiful.

    As a result, Lan Xin also followed along and smiled as she cried out, ¡°Sis, Sis...¡±

    At this moment, Lan Xin was fast asleep, and she didn¡¯t see theplicated look in her mother¡¯s eyes.

    Soon, it was summer. Lan Xin moved a small stool outside and sat quietly under the banyan tree in the yard. She listened to the joyfulughtering from next door, and a corner of her lips curled upwards.

    One day, her mother smiled and said, ¡°Little Lan Xin, Mama will take you to see your sister, alright? Your Sister is currently living in another city...it¡¯s a very beautiful city!¡±

 Chapter 232 - Indescribable Love (2)

    <h4>Chapter 232 - Indescribable Love (2)</h4>

    At the age of six, Lan Xin arrived at an unfamiliar city. In this city, there was no winter season, and no snow, but she was still very happy because there was something more beautiful than snow here; it was the person who she¡¯d secretly called her ¡®Sister¡¯.

    She went to the same cram school as her sister, so now they were studying in the same ss. However, she could only look at her sister from the sidelines, because her mother had told her that she couldn¡¯t get close to her sister. Otherwise, her sister¡¯s parents would be unhappy. Therefore, she could only look at her from afar.

    The six-year-old Lan Jinyao, like a beautiful and noble princess, held her head high and her chin slightly raised, appearing proud and lofty. She was surrounded by a lot of people who wanted to be friends with her. However, she was too outstanding, and she didn¡¯t like to be friends with people with poor grades.

    Lan Xin, who always ranked second, could only secretly follow her.

    One day, Lan Xin, who¡¯d finally secured first ce, was blocked by a group of children on the school yground. The children asked her, ¡°Why did you get first ce? Why do you always follow Lan Jinyao? You¡¯re an Ugly Duckling, so you¡¯re not allowed to be friends with Lan Jinyao, only we have that honour.¡±

    Those hurtful words hit Lan Xin¡¯s sore spot, making her burst into tears. She looked at the group of children, choking with sobs as she said, ¡°Lan Jinyao is my sister, i-if I stay with her, she¡¯ll protect me.¡±

    Upon witnessing themotion, Lan Jinyao, who was wearing a pair of leather shoes, strode over. She walked through the group of children and stopped in front of Lan Xin.

    ¡°I¡¯m your sister, you say?¡±

    Lan Jinyao¡¯s voice was very gentle and soft, just like how Lan Xin had imagined it to be, so she didn¡¯t cry anymore and stared at Lan Jinyao. When she saw thetter frown, she nodded and responded, ¡°Yes, Mama told me that you¡¯re my sister!¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lan Jinyao softly answered, and gently ced her hand on Lan Xin¡¯s cheek as she said, ¡°No wonder, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone who resembles me so much. It turns out that you¡¯re my little sister.¡±

    Lan Xin stared at the beautiful sister in front of her, and a sweet smile instantly blossomed on her face. Her sister was really the same person she¡¯d seen in her dreams.

    Her sister pulled her up from the ground and led her back to the ssroom hand in hand. Her hands were soft and warm; it was veryfortable. Back then, she¡¯d tried to make a pair of hands for the snowman, but every time she¡¯d held it, her fingertips would turn unbearably cold, and she¡¯d start sneezing. This sister was a living person, how wonderful!

    Her sister¡¯s deskmate was a beautiful little girl with good grades, but she didn¡¯t do well in thest exam, so her sister didn¡¯t like her anymore.

    After entering the ssroom, Lan Xin sat next to her sister. This scene made the little girl extremely unhappy. The little girl red at her sister with her big, pitch-ck eyes, and yelled, ¡°Lan Jinyao, why don¡¯t you want to sit beside me anymore, and instead, choose to sit with this Ugly Duckling?¡±

    Lan Xin, who was called an ugly duckling, sadly lowered her head and tightly clenched her hands.

    Then, her sister lifted her chin with a finger, and turned her head to face the little girl. Afterwards, her sister solemnly said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to sit with you because you¡¯re dumb. Besides, she¡¯s my little sister, not some ugly duckling! If you call her that again in the future, I¡¯ll ask the teacher to transfer you out of the ss!¡±

    Her sister stood in front of her like a towering wall, coinciding with the person in her memory.

    The first time she was invited to the Lan family¡¯s mansion, Lan Xin was very happy. The Lan family¡¯s mansion was very beautiful, like a big castle. However, Lan Xin soon found the ce not so good to live in because it was too big and too quiet. Lan Jinyao was the only one in such a huge mansion.

    ¡°Lan Xin, you¡¯re my little sister, so will you stay here with me?¡±

    She couldn¡¯t refuse her sister¡¯s request, so that night, Lan Xin and her sister slept in the same bed. Even though her sister didn¡¯t tell her stories nor hug her to sleep, she was still very happy.

    However, this summer vacation was too short, and since the cram school courses were also over, Lan Xin had to go back to her hometown.

    As she left, she hugged her sister and wept quietly, because her mother had told her that she could never see her sister again after this.

    Lan Jinyao pushed her away and coldly said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, if you cry, you¡¯ll really turn into an ugly duckling. If you miss me, I can send you a lot of photos. You can look at my photos and you won¡¯t feel so sad anymore when the timees.¡±

    ...

    The twenty-two year old Lan Xin was currently in another country across the sea. She walked into an operating room with her sister¡¯s picture in hand, because she now had enough money and was about to have the birthmark on her face removed. She wanted to go find her sister with a beautiful face.

    In fact, she hadn¡¯t heard from her sister for a long time already. After returning to her hometown from that city, she¡¯d only received a letter from her once. Perhaps, her sister had already forgotten that she had a little sister.

    A second before entering the operating room, Lan Xin took another look at the girl with a beautiful smile in the photo. She bowed her head and gently kissed her before closing her eyes. She¡¯d wanted to visit her for a long time already, and soon she could finally go and find her.

    She still remembered that a handsome boy had pursued her in school, but she¡¯d coldly rejected him. At that time, she¡¯d felt weird for not liking him, but one day, she identally saw two girls hugging and kissing in a corner of the campus. It wasn¡¯t the kind of action between two friends, but lovers. Upon seeing this, she felt her heart beat faster.

    Aftering out of the operating room, Lan Xin hid at home all day. She was looking forward to every day; to the day she could see a reflection of a perfect self in the mirror.

    Atst, she saw the same face as her sister¡¯s in front of the mirror with no birthmark. She could feel her smooth skin when she slowly touched it, and then with a big smile stered on her face, she finally went to meet her sister. Will her sister still recognise her?

    No, she must surely be able to recognise her, because they looked the same.

    It had been more than three months, and it was the first time she¡¯d stepped out of the door again, weing the sunshine and fresh air outside.

    However, the moment she returned to her home country, the first thing she saw was breaking news concerning Lan Jinyao: Movie Goddess Lan Jinyao has fallen off a skyscraper.

    My sister...she died?

    She touched her cheek and burst into tears on the street. How did Lan Jinyao die? Weren¡¯t the Heavens watching over her?

    Lan Xin didn¡¯t believe it at first, but she could only face reality when she saw her sister¡¯s tombstone. That gentle smiling face was exactly like hers...

    She really didn¡¯t expect to see something like this the moment she came back from abroad.

    Lan Xin thought that she was the one who did wrong; that it was her fault that her sister had died.

    She cried her heart out in front of the cold tombstone.

 Chapter 233 - Love Is Like Sand Trickling Through Your Fingers (The End)

    <h4>Chapter 233 - Love Is Like Sand Trickling Through Your Fingers (The End)</h4>

    Do you believe in the seven-year itch?

    Psychologists say that love is the strongest and highest form of interpersonal attraction. Would that love still exist after a long time together?

    For example, a very loving couple, after years of polishing their rtionship. Would their love gradually die?

    Chen Zetao believed that in this case, their love would certainly die out. As the saying went: There were no marriages that couldn¡¯t be broken, only mistresses that didn¡¯t work hard.

    ...

    Chen Meimei was a fatty ever since she was a child. Even though her face was plump and her body was round, she was still very fond of eating. Moreover, Old Chen pampered her to no end. Every time Chen Zetao entered her room, he would have to first clear up all the snacks piled up like a mountain before he could find Chen Meimei.

    However, Chen Zetao didn¡¯t often go to Old Chen¡¯s ce. He only asionally went there when his parents visited Old Chen.

    The six year old Chen Meimei had already be plump like a round ball. She¡¯d started schoolte, so she went with other children younger than her. In the huge ssroom, Chen Meimei was ced in thest row. She now had a desk for herself because her ssmates always went to the teacher andined about her, saying that her round body always squeezed them when they sat next to each other.

    Unlike Chen Meimei, when Chen Zetao was five years old, he was already the Prince Charming of their ss. His seat was a seat away from Chen Meimei¡¯s. Chen Meimei always nibbled snacks when she was in ss. She would also secretly put a mouthful into his mouth when the teacher wasn¡¯t paying attention. When that happened, Chen Zetao¡¯s cheeks would always swell up and attract the teachers'' supercilious looks.

    Chen Zetao actually quite disliked this little fat girl, Chen Meimei, because she liked to copy his homework and feed him snacks in ss. She also liked to nt the me on him after doing something bad or wrong, and every time, he was the one that was punished. When that happened, and he wrinkled his face in pain, Chen Meimei would hide in a corner andugh at him, or make a face at him.

    He was a man, so he couldn¡¯t argue with girls.

    At the age of ten, the children, who couldn¡¯t read many words yet, learned of a new game, which was to write love letters.

    Chen Zetao had a beautiful face, even prettier than a girl¡¯s, so he naturally received the most love letters. Every time he went home, he¡¯d always carry a big bag of letters back. At that time, Chen Meimei liked to follow him and pestered him to read those love letters.

    He had no choice but to open them one by one and read them to Chen Meimei. When Chen Meimei didn¡¯t understand a word, she¡¯d persistently ask him what it meant.

    When she was ten years old, Chen Meimei¡¯s world revolved around snacks and games, unlike other children who liked to read manhua or watch TV series, so she didn¡¯t know what the words ¡®like¡¯ and ¡®love¡¯ meant.

    He kept reading until he became irritable and didn¡¯t want to read anymore. The domineering Chen Meimei not only liked to stay in his room, but also upied his time, leaving him no time to y with the girl he liked.

    One time, when they were ying games during a ss, the girl that Chen Zetao liked blushed at him and wanted to form a group with him for the game. However, as the girl¡¯s hand was about to hold onto Chen Zetao¡¯s hand, Chen Meimei rushed over and swung the little girl¡¯s hand away, roaring angrily at her, ¡°Chen Zetao is my friend, so he must be in the same group as me!¡±

    He was furious, but he couldn¡¯t lose his temper with Chen Meimei, because his father had told him that Chen Meimei was very pitiful. She was too fat, so no children liked to y with her. Therefore, as a gentleman, he must take care of her, so he couldn¡¯t leave her alone.

    However, it was a different story. Later, he realised that Chen Meimei wasn¡¯t a pitiful girl. She could have a lot of friends if she wanted, it was just that Chen Meimei didn¡¯t like them very much.

    So, when Chen Meimei reached out him, he pushed her away. After her round body had rolled on the ground twice, Chen Meimei stared at him in shock.

    It was after that time that Chen Meimei never spoke to him again. Every time he spoke to others, Chen Meimei just stared at him in silence.

    Chen Zetao spent most of his childhood under Chen Meimei¡¯s dejected gaze.

    Later, Chen Meimei¡¯s gaze no longer followed him, because she¡¯d found a new target.

    When she was in high school, Chen Meimei suddenly grew taller. She was as tall as he was, but she was still very plump. From behind, she looked very tall and sturdy, just like a boy.

    Chen Meimei¡¯s friends were few and far between. However, she didn¡¯t care that much; she only cared about one boy named Fu Bainian. It was the boy that Chen Meimei had taken a fancy to.

    Now, every time that Chen Zetao went home from school, no one followed him, and every day in ss, no one would put anything in his mouth any more. Chen Meimei changed to another ss, and although her grades were still very poor, she was in the same ss as the top students.

    In October, he was about to leave the city to go to another country. Among the people who came to see him off, there was no sight of a round figure. Chen Meimei didn¡¯te. She went chasing after Fu Bainian.

    At this moment, Chen Zetao felt livid that Chen Meimei didn¡¯te to see him off. She¡¯d unexpectedly ignored him. He would be a better man than that boy, and then he would bring a beautiful girlfriend back to infuriate her.

    The fourteen year old boy vowed as he stood at the airport.

    However, at that time, he was too young and not mature enough to know why he felt angry and sour. If he¡¯d understood it back then, then maybe he wouldn¡¯t have missed it.

    When he returned to his home country, he heard that Chen Meimei had be a actress, but she wasn¡¯t very famous to the point that people would recognise her on the streets and say, ¡°Omg, I¡¯ve just seen the actress Chen Meimei!¡±

    Chen Meimei was an artist under the banner of Blue Hall Entertainment. He¡¯d heard that it was thepany owned by Fu Bainian.

    When he got off the ne, he was thinking that if Chen Meimei still liked him, he wouldn¡¯t mind epting her. After all, he¡¯d had a lot of girlfriends when he was abroad, but none of them was like Chen Meimei, who could make him smile just by thinking about her.

    When he stepped into Blue Hall Entertainment, he didn¡¯t think like that anymore. What he thought at that moment was: Chen Meimei would certainly be his woman. He wouldn¡¯t allow her to marry another man, because he¡¯d finally realised that he liked her when he was abroad. The only person on his mind every day was her.

    Unfortunately, he seemed to be a step toote.

    Not only did Chen Meimei grow into a fatty, but her heart had be so small that she could only amodate one person. She unexpectedly announced to the world that she would only love Fu Bainian in this lifetime.

    As he stared at Chen Meimei, who¡¯d given up her self-esteem for love, he thought: In the end, I was toote and lost you.

    As such, he could only hope that Chen Meimei would no longer love that man one day.

    --THE END--

    TL Note:

    Hi Starlets! This is it for ROAS. Thanks a bunch for all your support, we have now finally reached the end! Also a big thank you to Purpledragon, our wonderful editor! Although there were many loopholes in the story, at least the side stories were cute and revealed some more background story e.g. regarding Lan Xin''s identity and Fu Bainian''s love at first sight. How did you like the book and the side stories?

    This is my firstpleted trantion project, and I hope you liked it! After this, I''ll take a short break and then continue with a novel set in ancient times. Are you willing to dive into the ancient era with me? If so, please stay tuned! ^^

    Laterszz,

    Yuna

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!