Chapter 20

On weekend mornings, Shen Cheng didn’t go to work.

She made breakfast in the kitchen, worrying about how Leng Xiang had been viciously attacked on Weibo the day before, wondering if there was any way she could help her.

Although Yu Shan was an artist under her management, she seemed to have someone backing her, so Shen Cheng didn’t have much control over her.

As for this incident, Shen Cheng couldn’t step forward herself—doing so would likely lead to mutual destruction.

She knew even less about Qin Wen’s side.

She pulled out her phone to check Weibo and gauge the current public opinion trend toward Leng Xiang. But when she saw the headline, her eyes widened instantly.

Shen Cheng turned off the stove without finishing breakfast, set down the spatula, and hurried to Leng Xiang’s room with her phone.

Leng Xiang’s door wasn’t locked—she never had the habit of locking it.

Shen Cheng pushed the door open. Leng Xiang was still sleeping, so Shen Cheng yanked off her blanket and woke her up.

Leng Xiang had tossed and turned all night because of yesterday’s events and had only managed to sleep for an hour or two just before dawn. Suddenly woken, she was still dazed. With her eyes closed, she asked, “What’s wrong, so early in the morning?”

Shen Cheng shoved the phone in front of her face. “See for yourself.”

Leng Xiang took the phone and squinted at the Weibo headline.

The headline was simple and brutal: just four words.

Mistress Yu Shan.

Yu Shan’s furious sugar daddy had acted swiftly as promised. The announcement he pushed out the night before exploded across Weibo the next day, covering every corner.

Yu Shan was completely done for—blackened to the heavens.

The exposé came from a well-known gossip big V on Weibo, who always backed up their posts with photos and videos, hitting the mark every time.

The big V had been paid handsomely and published a long article, detailing the love-hate entanglements of Qin Wen, Yu Shan, and Leng Xiang. It zeroed in on the two photos from the anonymous gossip account: in the intimate photo of Qin Wen and Leng Xiang, the outfit Leng Xiang wore matched exactly what she had worn to an event at the time. But that event had such low visibility that no one had recalled it.

And that event had taken place six months ago.

The outfit was a heavy, long coat.

Six months was a perfect timeline—clothing seasons had changed twice, and now that summer had just passed into early autumn, no one needed such thick clothes anymore.

This could only mean that if Leng Xiang had ever been with Qin Wen, it had been at least half a year ago.

Everyone knew that Yu Shan and Qin Wen had met and fallen in love during the three-month filming period of Jiang Sisi’s drama crew, which had only wrapped a couple of days ago.

So who was the real mistress?

And what role had Qin Wen played in all this?

The answers were obvious.

The gossip big V also released an audio recording.

It captured a conversation between two people. One female voice was unmistakably Yu Shan’s, while the other was distorted to sound hoarse and unclear.

“Can you do me a favor?”

“…”

“I heard Director Yu is preparing a TV drama crew lately. I want the female second lead role.”

“…”

“Okay, I’ll come find you this weekend.”

“…”

“Same old place.”

Yu Shan’s voice was very distinctive—unmistakable. Plus, her PR team had recently hyped up her landing the female second lead in a major IP drama. The recording steered everyone straight to that conclusion.

Fans of the IP’s original novel had never wanted a newbie like Yu Shan for the female second lead villain boss role, but with Yu Shan riding high at the time, they hadn’t dared speak up.

Now with this recording out, people couldn’t help but wonder: how had Yu Shan snagged the role?

Nepotism? Sleeping her way in?

And did Qin Wen know about it?

Weibo erupted into chaos.

Yesterday, the onlookers had thought Leng Xiang was the homewrecker. Now it seemed Yu Shan was not only the mistress but also two-timing—unable to let go of Qin Wen or her sugar daddy.

As for Qin Wen, while Yu Shan flaunted their relationship publicly and smeared Leng Xiang as the mistress behind the scenes, he stayed silent like a corpse—a total scumbag. But Yu Shan had also cucked him hard. It was both satisfying and absurdly funny.

“My god, I feel like I’ve uncovered some massive entertainment industry secret.”

“I never expected Yu Shan to be this kind of person!!”

“Asking Yu Shan’s fans, are you okay?”

“That bitch who sells her body still has fans?”

“Don’t mention the past—I actually stanned this bitch for real…”

“I’ve always suspected it—with Yu Shan’s acting skills, how could she play female second lead? Was the casting director blind? Turns out…”

“Qin Wen… tsk, he’s so gross. Used to act like the perfect boyfriend on Weibo!”

“Qin Wen and Yu Shan, a scumbag and a slut—perfect match.”

This was truly the drama of the year.

Leng Xiang sat on the bed reading the long article. Though Jiang Sisi’s shadow wasn’t mentioned in this whirlwind reversal of an exposé, Leng Xiang knew it was all her doing.

Shen Cheng asked her, “Who did you hire to work this kind of magic? It’s incredible.”

Leng Xiang didn’t answer. She suddenly remembered what Jiang Sisi had said on the phone yesterday afternoon: Next Monday, come find me at the TV station.

Jiang Sisi had been so confident because she had the connections to handle it.

And only Jiang Sisi had the clout for a move this big.

Leng Xiang’s phone on the bedside table suddenly rang—it was an unknown number.

Shen Cheng asked, “Who is it? Calling you at this hour?”

Leng Xiang shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Few people knew her personal number. Without overthinking, she swiped to answer.

The voice on the other end was both unfamiliar and familiar.

It had been a long time since she’d heard Qin Wen’s voice.

His voice trembled as he said, “Xiangxiang, can we meet?”

Leng Xiang hung up without hesitation.

Yu Shan knew she was finished the moment she heard that recording.

She had failed utterly—the recording was ironclad proof. And who had released it?

The answer was obvious: no one but her sugar daddy playboy had access to something like that.

She felt ice-cold all over, an unrelenting chill.

Everything had been under her control.

But in her haste to retaliate against Leng Xiang—flaunting her relationship with Qin Wen to bury her—she’d forgotten about her sugar daddy.

She had been too cocky, committing such a stupid mistake.

It was over. Everything was over.

No one could protect her now.

Snapping back to reality, her first instinct was to find Qin Wen and discuss it.

If Qin Wen would just speak up…

If…

He might be her last sliver of hope.

She didn’t live with Qin Wen; he had his own place, not too far or too near.

But when Yu Shan went to find him, Qin Wen wasn’t home.

Where would he be early in the morning? Did he have a schedule?

At a time like this, where could he go?

A thought surfaced in Yu Shan’s mind. She bit her tongue hard, tasting blood.

Calmly, she realized: dragged into this mess by her, if Qin Wen wanted to save himself and bow out, he would definitely go to Leng Xiang for help.

If Leng Xiang forgave him and got back together, Qin Wen could clear his name.

And he still loved Leng Xiang.

No wonder he hadn’t said a word on Weibo yesterday.

How laughable.