Chapter 9

Chapter 9

On Saturday, Fan Qing came to visit Lin Tingyue.

Since Lin Xiawan’s engagement party last time, they hadn’t seen each other, only chatting on their phones. As soon as Fan Qing arrived, she flounced down comfortably in Lin Tingyue’s room and—

Lay back on Lin Tingyue’s bed with a contented sigh.

Lin Tingyue: …

“So why not just lie down at home instead of coming here to do it, ughhh!”

Fan Qing was startled and sat up abruptly. Crap, how could she forget—she could hear Lin Tingyue's actual thoughts.

Her best friend looked sweet and gentle, but why was her inner voice so loud?

Then again, didn’t this mean she could uncover all of Lin Tingyue’s secret thoughts?

So Fan Qing reached out, hooked a finger under Lin Tingyue’s chin, and asked with mock seriousness, “Girl, who do you like the most?”

“First of all, definitely not Fan Qing.”

Fan Qing: ?

What did she do to deserve being excluded right away?

Unwilling to give up, Fan Qing kept going, “Yue Yue, aren’t we totally the besties in the whole world?”

“Even if we are, that’s still too cheesy.”

Fan Qing saw Lin Tingyue scrunch her nose in disgust.

Fan Qing: …

Meanwhile, Lin Tingyue remained completely unaware that she’d been exposed. Looking at Fan Qing fondly, she said earnestly, “Yes, we’re the besties in the whole world!”

Fan Qing: …

Heh. Lin Tingyue, do you even realize you’re as transparent as a sieve right now?

Oh, she doesn’t.

Lin Tingyue sat down beside Fan Qing and asked, “So, what brings you here today?”

Staring at the girl’s serious face, Fan Qing was totally confused. “Yue Yue, didn’t you ask me to come? You said you wanted to invest.”

It clicked—she had mentioned wanting to invest to Fan Qing yesterday. She hadn’t expected Fan Qing to come see her so soon.

Instantly, Lin Tingyue’s eyes lit up as she looked at Fan Qing.

“Qing Qing, we're totally besties, heehee!”

Such a flip-flopper, she thought.

Fan Qing paused for a moment before asking, “What made you think of investing?”

Lin Tingyue replied, “Money management. I just want to learn how to manage money.”

“Ugh, I never thought I’d have the problem of too much money and not knowing how to spend it.”

Fan Qing: !???

Talk about a first-world problem!

Fan Qing, green with envy, took a moment to calm herself before seriously advising Lin Tingyue: "If you're investing, go for something with low risk and high reward."

Lin Tingyue tilted her head. "Like what?"

Fan Qing, annoyed, said: "Movies, TV shows! Reality shows count too. Didn’t that divorce reality show just go viral recently?"

"A divorce reality show actually became popular?"

"Exactly! The money those celebrities make is insane. Investing in them... it’s a goldmine!"

Lin Tingyue rubbed her hands together, ready to dive in. "So, where do we start?"

With that, Lin Tingyue grinned like a lottery winner—she truly knew nothing about this.

Luckily, Fan Qing was a real MVP of a bestie. Not only did she teach Lin Tingyue step by step, but she also planned to take her to the film set for a visit.

Before setting off, Fan Qing looked at Lin Tingyue: "I’ve always had one question—your second brother is in the entertainment industry, isn’t he? Why come to me?"

Hearing this, Lin Tingyue’s expression turned icy. She replied haughtily, "He’s *always* busy."

"Lin Chengyan told me to see a doctor—doesn’t that mean he thinks I’m crazy? I’m giving him the silent treatment for a month."

Fan Qing: "Huh?"

God, you’re such a baby.

Fan Qing and Lin Tingyue got into the car, with their driver, Uncle Zhang, taking them to the film set. Since they were two young girls from wealthy families—the Lins and the Fans—Bai Yaxin initially wanted to send a bodyguard along for safety.

But Fan Qing showed off her biceps for Bai Yaxin, who suddenly realized, "Qing Qing, you’re a black belt in taekwondo! Why was I stressing?"

Lin Tingyue was stunned. No wonder Cheng Xuan had been completely blocked by Fan Qing back then.

In the car, Lin Tingyue clung to Fan Qing’s arm. "Sis, you’re just too cool."

"Black belt in taekwondo, rich heiress, and drop-dead gorgeous—Fan Qing, you’d slay as a star."

"Qing Qing, Qing Qing, I’ll stan you!"

*[sighs]* "Lin Tingyue..."

Fan Qing blushed and fake-pouted. Such praise made her a little embarrassed. "If you want to learn taekwondo, I could—"

Lin Tingyue shook her head firmly. "No way."

"I’m made of glass! One move and I’ll break!"

Fan Qing: .

Lin Tingyue, you’re a lost cause!

...

They soon arrived at the film set. Ready to conquer Hollywood, Lin Tingyue rolled up to the set Fan Qing had invested in—only to suddenly realize a glaring oversight.

"Aghhhh, how could I forget? Investing in celebrities is indeed profitable, but these people are just too prone to scandals!!!"

Lin Tingyue felt her vision blur upon hearing the male actor's name again.

"We're done for, we're done for! How could it be Xie Junnian? Qing Qing is going to go broke!!!"

Go broke, go broke, go broke—Fan Qing staggered, her head spinning. She looked incredulously at Xie Junnian, the male lead resting in the studio. No way! Someone this handsome could still have a scandal?

"What do we do, what do we do? I have to save Qing Qing's money!"

Just as Lin Tingyue psyched herself up, she caught sight of a figure approaching Xie Junnian. She clapped a hand over her eyes in despair.

"Great, it's Wu Shanshan. Xie Junnian is toast now."

Fan Qing turned to look at the person walking toward Xie Junnian. The girl was tall but had a sweet, doll-like face—Wu Shanshan. The name sounded vaguely familiar to Fan Qing.

As she struggled to recall, Wu Shanshan took off her sunglasses, revealing puffy, red-rimmed eyes beneath. Wu Shanshan lowered her voice and asked, "Xie Junnian, what exactly do you mean by this?"

Her voice quivered with emotion as she spoke, making it impossible not to wonder what she'd been through.

Ah, Fan Qing remembered now.

Wu Shanshan and Xie Junnian had been a couple before their clean breakup last year. But this year, Xie Junnian suddenly posted on Weibo, "Just leave me alone, okay?"

That one vague sentence was enough for his fans to run with it.

They unearthed dirt suggesting that after the breakup, Wu Shanshan had secretly been cursing Xie Junnian's family and egging on fans to cyberbully him.

Once this came to light, Xie Junnian's fans were naturally furious and launched a full-on witch hunt against Wu Shanshan.

Could it be that all of this was fabricated? Was Xie Junnian's scandal related to Wu Shanshan and this incident?

While Fan Qing was speculating, Lin Tingyue had already parked herself on a small folding stool.

Every film set had plenty of these stools lying around. The one Lin Tingyue sat on was directly opposite the studio where Xie Junnian was, giving her a front-row seat to the mess.

Noticing this, Fan Qing immediately walked over and sat beside Lin Tingyue, who held out a handful of sunflower seeds.

Fan Qing glanced at the seeds in Lin Tingyue's hand, then at the pocket she was using to hold them.

Did she just casually pull out a handful of sunflower seeds from a dress worth tens of thousands?

Along with the seeds was a white plastic bag for the shells.

Weirdly thoughtful of her.

Fan Qing asked, exasperated, "Why do you carry sunflower seeds with you?"

Lin Tingyue scratched her head. "Force of habit."

"After all, there's always some tea to spill. May as well munch on some seeds while watching."

And, Lin Tingyue had to praise this dress.

"Rich people's clothes are the best—bespoke with actual pockets. Unlike those cursed women's brands. This pocket is huge, seed-stashing perfection."

Hearing this, Fan Qing suddenly grew wary. "Just how many seeds are we talking?"

Lin Tingyue thought for a moment. "A reasonable amount."

Fan Qing took the sunflower seeds and started cracking them, while over at Wu Shanshan and Xie Junnian's side, the show was just getting started.

Wu Shanshan already looked pitiful enough, but Lin Tingyue never expected Xie Junnian to pull off such a convincing victim act.

"Shanshan, how much longer are you going to keep this up? We broke up peacefully back then—I really can’t give you anything more."

His tone was laced with sarcasm, implying that Wu Shanshan was only causing drama now to squeeze more out of him.

Wu Shanshan clearly understood the insinuation. Her already pale face went ghostly pale.

Lin Tingyue, the popcorn-munching bystander, was furious.

"What the actual hell is Xie Junnian spewing? How about returning all the gifts and resources Wu Shanshan gave you first, you leech?!"

Her blunt outburst drew the attention of everyone nearby.

Tea to spill?

Hungry for the drama, people quickly gathered around Fan Qing and Lin Tingyue. Fan Qing watched as Lin Tingyue kept dumping fistfuls of sunflower seeds from her pocket, even kindly reminding everyone not to litter the shells.

Wait a minute—didn’t she say she barely brought any?

Fan Qing couldn’t help but glance again at Lin Tingyue’s pocket. How deep were those pockets?!

Wu Shanshan clenched her fists. "Xie Junnian, when we were together, you were just a Z-list nobody with under a million followers. It was me who gave you all those resources—"

Xie Junnian cut her off. "Got receipts? Without evidence, how dare you spread rumors, Wu Shanshan? Do you even know the consequences of defamation?"

Of course, Wu Shanshan knew. Her manager had warned her that the internet was already dragging her, which would severely damage her career. That was why she had come to talk to Xie Junnian today—after all, they had once been lovers, and she didn’t want things to get uglier between them.

Wu Shanshan bit her lip.

Lin Tingyue, munching on her seeds, thought Wu Shanshan looked utterly heartbreaking. She was itching to drag Xie Junnian for the scumbag he was!

"Holy crap, Xie Junnian’s scandals could fuel a whole season of a reality show."

What’s the tea? Out with it!

"Tsk tsk tsk."

"Oh dear, oh dear."

"Nowadays, you really need to do background checks before dating—and medical exams too!!!"

What exactly is it? Just say it!!!

"Xie Junnian just climbed out of some mogul’s sheets a couple of days ago, then turned around and confessed to his first love. After playing the devoted lover, he went straight to some wealthy cougar and acted all clingy."

"This guy’s a whole mess."

The crowd gasped in shock.

Meanwhile, Xie Junnian remained clueless as ever, deep in his Oscar-worthy performance. He lowered his voice dramatically. "Wu Shanshan, please stop coming after me. Do you really want us to become bitter enemies? We used to love each other so much."

"Gross."

"You disgusting man, do your fans know what a great actor you are?"

Fan Qing was also about to lose her lunch. Xie Junnian was undeniably good-looking, and she had once been a low-key fan. But now? Especially after hearing about his escapades with the mogul, his first love, and the wealthy cougar... Ugh. How does this guy even exist?

Fan Qing clenched her fists, itching to land a couple punches.

Wu Shanshan took a step back, and the assistant who came with her steadied her, whispering, "Sis, are you okay?"

Wu Shanshan shook her head, fuming. "Liking you is the worst mistake of my life."

"Wu Shanshan."

Xie Junnian suddenly pointed in a direction where many reporters were gathered. He had received word earlier that Wu Shanshan was coming to confront him, so he had arranged for the press in advance.

If Wu Shanshan dared to make a scene, her career in the entertainment industry would be over.

As for him? He would only rise higher.

"How shameless can you be? Even this drama was handed to you by your sugar mommy. Without her, you’d be a nobody."

"Sigh, that sugar mommy was so generous, but she misjudged the person. If she had invested in me instead, she’d have gotten way better returns than with this scumbag."

Lin Tingyue beat her chest in frustration, as if the lost money were her own.

"Ugh, I’m so possessive—I always feel like everyone else’s money is mine."

Fan Qing: "..."

Not far away, Xie Junnian’s assistant tugged at his sleeve, whispering, "Xie-ge, maybe just drop it."

Xie Junnian turned and shot her a vicious glare, and the assistant fell silent.

"Eh? That voice… something about this situation feels off."

The crowd: ?

This mess is already so juicy, and there’s still a hidden plot?

Everyone leaned in eagerly, hoping Lin Tingyue would remember quickly.

"Oh, so that’s how it is."

Lin Tingyue suddenly understood.

Well? Out with it already!

"That assistant by Xie Junnian’s side is actually his first love pretending to be his assistant. She’d noticed long ago that her boyfriend was acting strange, and right now, her bag’s got a video of Xie Junnian and that big shot…"

"She couldn’t bring herself to ruin him completely, so she spoke up just now to give him one last chance. Because once the video gets out, it’ll be too late."

"Sigh, Xie Junnian is already like this—even if you give him a chance, he won’t take it. Might as well bury him for good."

"Expecting him to change is like expecting me to be Empress Wu Zetian."

Meanwhile, Xie Junnian muttered a low threat to Wu Shanshan, "Shanshan, aren’t you leaving yet?"

"Xie Junnian, you’ve crossed the line!"

His first love, Zhu Miaoshuang, couldn’t take it anymore. She yanked off her cap and mask. Xie Junnian’s face went pale when he saw her, but quickly composed himself, forcing a perfect boyfriend smile.

"Shuangshuang, what brings you here?"

"Am I not allowed to be here?"

Zhu Miaoshuang stared intently at Xie Junnian, "You used me as a tool to market your persona, mooching off Wu Shanshan. What kind of pathetic loser even are you? Let me think—could it be that your true feelings lie with that sugar daddy?"

"What sugar daddy? Miaoshuang, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

If Xie Junnian’s smile had only been slightly stiff before, it completely shattered when Zhu Miaoshuang whipped out a flash drive.

He wasn’t foolish enough to think she was just showing him an ordinary USB.

There must be something inside that could threaten him.

She snarked, "Don’t know? Well, I think after watching the video, you’ll remember."

With that, she walked toward the projector. Conveniently still set up due to the needs of the scene, it hadn’t been dismantled yet—perfect for Zhu Miaoshuang.

A video? Xie Junnian's eyes went wide. He wanted to call someone to stop her, only to realize there was no one around he could rely on. Gritting his teeth, he chased after Zhu Miaoshuang, his face contorted with rage, a far cry from his usual refined image.

Unfortunately, Xie Junnian was just a step too late.

By the time he reached out, graphic audio had already filled the room.

Xie Junnian stood frozen, as if struck by lightning, his gaze fixed on the screen.

There he was, getting cozy with the sugar daddy.

It’s fine, it’s fine. Xie Junnian dug his nails into his palms, forcing himself to stay calm. As long as he silenced everyone here, he could still be the Xie Junnian of the past.

But he soon faced the consequences of his own actions.

A flurry of camera flashes nearly blinded him. Instinctively, he raised a hand to shield his eyes, but his mind exploded with one thought—it’s over. Everything is over.

The reporters he had invited to ruin Wu Shanshan now rushed forward, some even unwilling to miss the moment, going live immediately.

Xie Junnian was done for.

Meanwhile, after getting her revenge, Zhu Miaoshuang approached Wu Shanshan, who was about to leave. She asked, suddenly shy, "Sister Shanshan, could I get your autograph? I’m your biggest fan!"

"Ah, so she’s not just the ex-girlfriend but also Wu Shanshan’s fan?"

"Damn, stans stay winning."

"So this sister only agreed to get back with Xie Junnian to gather evidence and help Wu Shanshan get revenge?"

Lin Tingyue glanced at Zhu Miaoshuang’s fangirl look and actually thought it wasn’t impossible.

After getting all the juicy details, Lin Tingyue was satisfied, but Fan Qing, the investor and director, were freaking out.

Fan Qing grabbed Lin Tingyue’s hand. Lin Tingyue was folding up her chair when she looked down and saw Fan Qing giving her puppy-dog eyes.

Lin Tingyue comforted her, "Money—don't sweat it. What’s yours is yours, and what’s not yours isn’t."

Fan Qing bluntly asked, "Then, Yue Yue, how about sharing some of your money with me?"

She held out her hand toward Lin Tingyue.

Lin Tingyue pushed her hand away, saying, "Qing Qing, could you have a little less possessiveness over my money? After all, I’m not big on sharing either."

Fan Qing: "..."

She gritted her teeth and said, "Wanna bet I'll yank your hair out?"

"What are you, a grade-schooler?"

Fan Qing grew even angrier.

Lin Tingyue had no choice but to say, "This is a film studio, after all. Hot guys are a dime a dozen here. Let go first, and I’ll help you scout one out."

Fan Qing hesitated. "Really?"

Lin Tingyue nodded.

Only then did Fan Qing release her grip. Fortunately, the production had just started, so there was still time to fix this mess.

Lin Tingyue and Fan Qing each made calls to say they wouldn’t be back for lunch. When Bai Yaxin hung up, she muttered that she’d never seen Lin Tingyue so gung-ho about work before.

Lin Tingyue felt guilty—they weren’t going back for lunch because they were man-hunting.

"Man-hunting" sounded too crude, though. After some thought, Lin Tingyue decided it was more accurate to say they were hunting for a male lead.

But Lin Tingyue was like a walking gossip database—the moment she saw someone’s name, their scandals would pop into her head.

The entire film studio was practically a gossip goldmine.

Fan Qing and Lin Tingyue sat outside a café in the studio, sipping coffee while scanning their surroundings.

"Will this year bring a dry spell for films?"

Fan Qing thought it might be—most productions at the studio looked like they were going belly-up.

"For crying out loud, can’t you just give me one man who’s handsome, ripped, tall, rich, and most importantly—clean-cut???"

That came out weird. Fan Qing scratched her cheek—sounded suspiciously like boyfriend-shopping.

"Oh!"

Lin Tingyue’s eyes suddenly lit up as she stared intently at a passing man.

"Holy crap, check out that six-pack and those pecs! Hell, even his nips are pink!"

The man, who had just finished filming a scene as a playboy, quickly buttoned up his shirt to cover his...

"No, let me see those pink nips!"