Xie Ning paused for a moment, then nodded. “Right. Just in case a fight breaks out, I’d need a weapon.”
Her attempt to save face was seen through by Lu Tingyan, who replied unhurriedly, “No need to overthink it. I have absolutely no interest in you.”
Without hesitation, Xie Ning responded, “What a coincidence, neither do I.”
“Oh?” Lu Tingyan lifted his chin, elongating the line of his neck, his tone leisurely. “When I came back earlier, the way you looked at me didn’t seem to suggest that.”
“That was an accident,” Xie Ning said. “All the bosses I’ve met wear sharp suits. I’ve never seen someone with such a casual, unrestrained style, so I was a bit surprised.”
At this point, Xie Ning blinked and tilted her head. “What do you mean by saying that, Third Young Master Lu? Could it be that you hope I’d be interested in you?”
Lu Tingyan let out a low chuckle through his nose. “I’m just reminding you to keep your eyes in check.”
With that, Lu Tingyan slipped his hands into his pockets and leisurely headed downstairs.
Dinner consisted of a variety of light dishes delivered from a restaurant. As Xie Ning nibbled on broccoli, she thought to herself, Indeed, maintaining a good figure requires careful diet control—for both men and women.
After dinner, Lu Tingyan silently helped her carry the remaining boxes upstairs.
His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing the distinct veins on his forearms as he exerted force. His long legs bent slightly, pressing against the bottom of a box, while his trousers briefly outlined the powerful lines of his hips and thighs.
It had to be said, Lu Tingyan had an excellent physique—broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and…
His butt—tsk—perky.
Xie Ning glanced down at her own legs and suddenly felt somewhat dissatisfied with herself.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Lu Tingyan suddenly turned around, catching Xie Ning staring at his butt. “What are you looking at?”
“Butt…” Remembering his earlier ominous warning to keep her eyes in check, Xie Ning quickly changed her words. “Your belt looks nice. What brand is it?”
Lu Tingyan gave her a look that said, “How boring.”
Xie Ning calmly turned her gaze to the computer screen, pressing her lips together to suppress a smile.
An IP address had already appeared on the screen. She remembered—Bai Ying’s studio was located there.
So it really is her.
Xie Ning closed her laptop and made a call after going upstairs, saying only one sentence: “Help me send a lawyer’s letter to the owner of Bai Ying’s studio, Bai Ying. She is suspected of spreading rumors, defamation, and infringing on my reputation.”
Bai Ying was a somewhat well-known figure in the entertainment industry, having played the female lead in several small web dramas and built a modest fanbase. She had signed with a decent entertainment company and even established her own personal studio.
Xie Ning clicked into Bai Ying’s Weibo account. The latest post was a photo from a few days ago, celebrating the wrap-up of a period drama. With over six million followers and more than two thousand comments, Bai Ying’s online presence was carefully curated.
Scrolling down, she saw posts about Bai Ying’s work and personal life. Online, Bai Ying portrayed herself as a career-driven beauty—ambitious and hardworking, either on set, at the gym, or reading literary classics at home, always striving to improve. She was also known for her pure, kind-hearted nature and famously good temper.
Xie Ning couldn’t help but laugh. She remembered that Bai Ying hated reading more than anything, and exercise was a close second. As for her temper? Who was it that threw tantrums and turned the house upside down whenever things didn’t go her way?
Xie Ning logged into a secondary Weibo account with only a few dozen followers, all of them inactive. She rarely posted anything, using the account mainly to browse real-time news and updates.
However, now she posted a status update with just four words: Repay evil with good.
After posting, she laughed, suddenly wanting to compare with Bai Ying to see who was more fake.
Lu Tingyan's bed was very comfortable, and Xie Ning slept soundly on it all night. If she hadn't set an alarm for seven o'clock, she probably would have overslept today.
Going downstairs, she happened to run into Lu Tingyan returning from his morning run. He was wearing a pure white tracksuit, with the short sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, revealing the well-defined muscles of his upper arms.
A sports towel hung around his neck as he tilted his head back to drink water, his Adam's apple moving in a way that was quite pleasing to the eye.
Sweat droplets slid down the side of his face, falling along his jawline and disappearing into his T-shirt.
Glancing at Xie Ning, he tightened the cap of his water bottle and wiped his face with the towel: "Heading out?"
"Yes."
"To the company? Didn't your company give you marriage leave?"
"They did, ten days, and even suggested I go on a honeymoon," Xie Ning replied.
Before the wedding, she had even planned which island in the Maldives to visit for the honeymoon, but now those plans were useless.
Other people's weddings were dreamlike, while hers felt like a damn dream.
Lu Tingyan walked over to the kitchen counter, took out food from the storage container, and said, "If it's about last night's news, don't bother. I already took it down."
"Taking it down is one thing, but I still need to find the person."
No matter what, she was now Lu Tingyan's legally recognized wife. Not showing up in front of Bai Ying would make her uncomfortable.
After changing her shoes, Xie Ning's eyes shifted, and she asked, "Third Young Master Lu, are you heading out now?"
"What is it?"
"If you're not going out, could Xiao Yang give me a ride?" Xie Ning blinked, her voice suddenly turning quite gentle. "This villa area is too big, and it might take me a long time to walk to the main gate to catch a taxi."
"You can call the security room's internal line, and they'll arrange a car for you," Lu Tingyan replied calmly.
Xie Ning fell silent for a moment before her tone returned to normal: "Oh, I see."
Lu Tingyan glanced at her, looking as though he saw right through her little schemes, and scoffed, "Wait ten minutes."
Ten minutes later, Xie Ning got her wish and sat in Lu Tingyan's exclusive car, driven by Xiao Yang.
Lu Tingyan's luxury car itself wasn't particularly flashy, but the consecutive-number license plate was eye-catching, so many people in Huacheng recognized it as Lu Tingyan's car.
Close to nine o'clock, the luxury car slowly stopped in front of an office building. Bai Ying's studio was located here.
Xie Ning got out of the car and went up to the sixteenth floor. The glass door slowly opened, revealing a wall with the words "Bai Ying Studio" written in large letters.
The receptionist stood up: "Hello, who are you looking for?"
"Bai Ying."
The receptionist picked up the phone, dialed the internal line, and looked at Xie Ning: "May I have your name?"
"Xie Ning."
Whatever was said on the other end of the phone, the receptionist's expression instantly turned unpleasant. After hanging up, she said to Xie Ning, "Our boss isn't here. Please come back another day."
Without another word, Xie Ning stepped toward the inside of the studio.
The receptionist immediately called out to her: "Miss, our boss isn't here!"
"Whether she's here or not, I know best," Xie Ning continued walking without stopping. "Since I came to see her, she has to meet me."
"Hey, you can't…"
Xie Ning had already reached the door of the innermost room. She pushed it open forcefully, and the door swung open, hitting the wall with a loud "thud" before bouncing back, startling the person inside.
Bai Ying sat in the chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring blankly at Xie Ning standing at the doorway.
While she was still in a daze, Xie Ning had already walked up to her, looking down at her from above.
Their eyes met, but neither spoke. It was Xie Ning who reached over and took the paper from Bai Ying’s hand, glancing at it. “Oh, a script? I thought it was the lawyer’s letter I sent you.”
Bai Ying’s face paled. She glared at the receptionist by the door and snapped, “Who let her in? Get her out of here! Call security!”
“My dear sister, why so worked up?” Xie Ning placed a hand on Bai Ying’s shoulder and smiled. “I came here out of kindness to see you. Oh, by the way, isn’t your father—the one who molested a minor—about to be released from prison? Do you need me to sponsor an interview program so you two can reunite in front of a national audience?”
Bai Ying’s heart trembled, and her body went weak. Under Xie Ning’s pressure, she was pushed back into the chair.
“Hmph.” Bai Ying met Xie Ning’s gaze, nearly grinding her teeth. “Do you think I care about that? My father made a mistake and has already been punished. You think you can threaten me with this? Let me tell you, it won’t work!”
“Oh? You’ve always hinted that you come from a harmonious, educated family with loving parents, which is why you grew up so carefree, innocent, and naive. But if everyone finds out your father is a molester, will you still not care?” Xie Ning raised an eyebrow, her smile deepening as she stated confidently, “You care, because you’re vain.”
Bai Ying’s face flushed red with anger and humiliation. “How dare you say that about me? Aren’t you vain too? If you weren’t vain, would you have married Lu Tingyan?”
Xie Ning replied in a tone that seemed designed to infuriate: “Oh? Weren’t you the one who looked down on me the most? Now you’re comparing yourself to me?”
“You…” Bai Ying was instantly speechless.
She glared at Xie Ning, her eyes reddening with rage, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
The Xie Ning before her bore no resemblance to the disheveled woman from the wedding. Instead, she was radiant, triumphant, and breathtakingly beautiful.
And Bai Ying realized deeply that this Xie Ning was no longer the one she had bullied relentlessly as a child. She had been reborn from the ashes, fearless and unshakable.
A wave of fear began to spread through Bai Ying’s heart.
After a long silence, she finally found her voice again. “What… what do you want?”
“Nothing much. I just came to inform you—” Xie Ning brushed off a nonexistent wrinkle from Bai Ying’s shoulder, her smile bright and bold. “Your good days are over.”