Chapter 109

Chapter 109

Although Nan Qiyue and Jiang Yourong had practically dragged him along tonight, Jiang Baichuan had not made the trip in vain. Far from it-he had gained quite a lot.

Sometimes, he had to admit that his sister had a bit of mystical luck about her.

He really did need to thank Nan Qiyue for tonight’s arrangements.

So, late that night, Jiang Baichuan had gifts sent over to both Nan Qiyue and Jiang Yourong as thanks.

Nan Qiyue liked diamonds, so he sent diamonds. Jiang Yourong liked pearls, so he sent pearls.

Liang Jing had been a knot in Yun Li’s heart, but after tonight, he was nothing.

Jiang Baichuan had a feeling.

After this, Yun Li would have a new beginning.

And in that new beginning, there would be him.

He didn’t sleep a wink that night.

He thought of Yun Li, and of all the grievances she had suffered because of Liang Jing.

The only reason he hadn’t gone over in the middle of the night, tied Liang Jing up, thrown a sack over his head, and beaten him senseless wasn’t because Jiang Baichuan didn’t dare. It was because he knew Yun Li wouldn’t like him doing that.

Yun Li saw Liang Jing as scum, as someone who had nothing to do with her anymore, and she also wouldn’t want the people around her to ruin their mood over a Liang Jing.

On top of that, considering Yun Meilan’s attitude toward Liang Jing, if Liang Jing went crying to Yun Meilan about it, the only one who would end up dragged into trouble would be Yun Li.

Jiang Baichuan had grown up never suffering much grievance himself, and he couldn’t stand seeing the woman he cared about suffer any either.

If he couldn’t beat the man, then he would simply use another method.

The next day, Nan Qiyue trended online.

There was nothing particularly unusual about going to a hot spring with her younger sister, but a Best Actress was still a Best Actress. The name Nan Qiyue alone was the biggest hook and source of traffic. Jiang Baichuan hadn’t even spent much money before the trending topic rose on its own.

That day, when Nan Qiyue and Jiang Yourong saw the trending topic, they wanted to curse but held back.

“Has your brother lost his mind?” Nan Qiyue asked.

At a glance, it was obvious this trending topic had been bought.

Jiang Yourong shook her head. As if equipped with built-in radar, she immediately picked out the key detail in the photo. “No idea if he’s lost his mind, but I’m sure the person he’s targeting is one of these two.”

Nan Qiyue leaned over and saw the two people Jiang Yourong was pointing at, their arms slung around each other’s shoulders…

Men.

“Yun Li’s ex-boyfriend is one of them?” Nan Qiyue guessed. Her brows knit slightly, though inwardly she thought her younger brother had gone rather easy on the man.

Perhaps he had only done this out of consideration for Yun Li’s situation. Otherwise, with Jiang Baichuan’s temperament, he really might have made sure the man was finished.

Jiang Yourong gritted her teeth. “No, I can’t take this. I have to add fuel to the fire for my brother.”

Nan Qiyue nodded silently and did nothing to stop Jiang Yourong from putting her paid-commenter skills to use.

That afternoon, at Liang Jing’s workplace, many of his colleagues looked at him with deep contempt and disbelief.

By the water dispenser, two coworkers whispered to each other.

“If that photo hadn’t been so clear, I wouldn’t have believed that man was Liang Jing.”

“Tell me about it. He always seemed so modest and polite, but behind the scenes, he was actually…”

“I don’t look down on someone’s sexual orientation,” another person said indignantly. “But don’t forget, Liang Jing has a girlfriend! Having a girlfriend and still messing around? Absolutely unforgivable.”

“No wonder he said his girlfriend had done something to betray him. Now it looks like he was the one who betrayed her first!”

“This isn’t even about who betrayed who anymore. Maybe Liang Jing made up that whole story on the spot. Maybe his girlfriend found out he was a bastard and wanted to dump him!” Someone passing by overheard them discussing it and stopped to join in.

“Oh, I heard their families were already preparing for an engagement. If that had actually happened, wouldn’t that be marriage fraud?”
“It’s more than just marriage fraud. If they’d actually gotten married, he’d have been making her an unwitting beard!”

“That bastard-”

“Thank goodness Yun Li found out…” The female coworker who had gone to the flower shop to mock Yun Li earlier secretly regretted what she had done.

Gossip always spread the fastest. With so many people at the office talking about it, even though Liang Jing didn’t follow entertainment news, his face still darkened when he overheard his coworkers and went to check the trending searches.

The instant he saw the photo, Liang Jing broke out in a cold sweat and froze on the spot. It was as if countless looks of contempt-and all their spit-had landed squarely on his face.

How could it be such a coincidence…

How could it just so happen that he was caught in the shot…

He rubbed at his hair, his face flushed with panic. There was nowhere for him to go to argue his case, and he couldn’t guess who might be targeting him.

The person filming had been filming a major celebrity.

All he could do was believe it was a coincidence.

Restless and on edge, he slammed his fist hard against the desk to vent his anger.

Nan Qiyue was a movie queen. These days, anyone who went online or scrolled through short videos had a chance of coming across that viral clip.

When Liang Jing remembered that his parents could be considered loyal fans of the superstar, his mind buzzed. His whole body went limp as he collapsed back into his chair.

At the same time, Yun Li learned about it from Xia Wanzhi.

Compared with everyone else’s shock and anger, Yun Li felt calm, with a trace of satisfaction mixed in.

She guessed this was Jiang Baichuan’s doing.

Jiang Baichuan had reported his schedule to her on WeChat last night. She just hadn’t expected him to run into Liang Jing.

A little later, when Yun Li returned home, she found the living room lights blazing. She was stunned for a moment, until she saw Yun Meilan come out of the kitchen. Mother and daughter’s eyes met, and this time, it was Yun Meilan who looked away first.

“Are you cold? I made soup. Go wash your hands and come drink some to warm up.” Yun Meilan wiped her hands, then carried the pot of soup to the dining table.

She had never been good at hiding what was on her face. Yun Li knew she was feeling guilty.

“Wasn’t the tour supposed to be seven days? Why are you back tonight?” Yun Li washed her hands and came over. Yun Meilan had been cold toward her this entire time, and Yun Li had been affected by it; now even her voice sounded flat.

Yun Meilan said nothing. She sat across from her daughter, looking at her with a complicated expression. Only after a long while did she finally speak. “I saw what happened online. How could I not come back?”

Yun Li didn’t make a sound.

Another long silence followed. At last, when Yun Li had nearly finished her soup, Yun Meilan said awkwardly, “I’m sorry… I really was wrong about Liang Jing.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me. If you truly feel sorry, then stop looking for potential husbands for me in the future. I really don’t dare compliment your taste.” Yun Li had come to terms with it. She was no longer afraid that her mother would threaten suicide, nor was she afraid of making her sad.

If her mother never considered whether Yun Li would be hurt, then why should Yun Li continue silently enduring her control?

Yun Meilan stared at her in disbelief. “What’s with that attitude? If you’d told me earlier that Liang Jing was…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say the word. After a pause, she continued, “If you’d said so earlier, I wouldn’t have forced you…”

“So you do know you were forcing me.” Yun Li met her gaze and took a deep breath. “Do you think I don’t know what you’re like? Even if I’d said it back then, you might not have believed me. And it’s not as if I never said anything.”

She had said it. Her mother hadn’t believed her.

Yun Li cleared away her own bowl and chopsticks, then left. Yun Meilan remained alone at the dining table for a very, very long time.

Had she really been wrong?

She had only not wanted her daughter to follow in her footsteps…