Bai Ying believed that Lu Tingyan couldn’t possibly like Xie Ning—otherwise, he wouldn’t have found a fake groom for the wedding. As for letting Xie Ning move into his home, there must be other considerations; it definitely wasn’t because he liked her.
She thought her judgment of Xie Ning perfectly aligned with Lu Tingyan’s perspective.
Unexpectedly, Lu Tingyan didn’t even glance at her phone and simply said, “Isn’t she your sister? Is this how you speak about your own sister?”
Bai Ying choked back her words and immediately added, “Third Brother, we’ve known each other for so many years. I really don’t want to see you deceived. Even if she is my sister, I have to tell you the truth.”
“If the truth is just your malicious speculation, then I suggest you save your breath,” Lu Tingyan said before turning to get into the car.
In her desperation, Bai Ying grabbed Lu Tingyan’s shirt. “Third Brother…”
Lu Tingyan suddenly fixed his gaze on Bai Ying, his tone as cold as the ice of the North and South Poles. “Have some self-respect.”
“But you clearly don’t like her!” Bai Ying cried out anxiously.
Lu Tingyan scoffed, his eyes filled with mockery as he looked at Bai Ying. “What does it have to do with you?”
With that, he ignored whatever else Bai Ying was about to say, turned around, and got into the car.
Bai Ying clung to the car window, her mouth opening and closing, but Lu Tingyan paid no attention. He simply said to Xiao Yang, “Drive.”
The car accelerated abruptly, leaving Bai Ying behind. Watching the car disappear into the distance, Bai Ying trembled with anger.
What did he mean? What was Lu Tingyan trying to say? Could it be that he actually liked that Xie Ning?
No, absolutely not. She wasn’t worthy!
Bai Ying stumbled back to her studio, still seething with rage. Although Lu Tingyan had never been particularly kind to her in the past, he had never been this cold. It must be Xie Ning slandering her in front of him, causing Lu Tingyan’s attitude toward her to become so hostile!
The more Bai Ying thought about it, the angrier she became. She took out her phone, found the video she had taken at the wedding, and stared at the image of Xie Ning looking disheveled and helpless for a long time.
That evening, Xie Ning was curled up on a comfortable, spacious sofa reading internal company notices when a message from Song Ziyan suddenly popped up: “Ningning, you’re in the news!”
Attached was a screenshot with a bold headline at the top: “On Their Wedding Night, the Bride Drinks Herself into the Hospital, While the Groom Flirts with Beauties—What Led to This Marital Breakdown?”
Xie Ning: “?”
What nonsense is this?
Clicking into the news page, she saw that the accompanying photos were clearly taken without permission. The first few showed her leaving the Zero Point Nightclub and entering City First Hospital. The later photos depicted Lu Tingyan drinking in a booth and talking to two young women.
Xie Ning took a deep breath.
Why was she portrayed as a resentful wife while Lu Tingyan was painted as carefree and triumphant?
She wasn’t having it.
The comments below were even more entertaining:
—I knew it. Fairy tales are all lies. There’s no such thing as a beautiful love story between Cinderella and the prince.
—It’s really hard to marry into a wealthy family. If it’s like this on the first day, how will they live in the future?
—It seems the earlier leak was true. The groom really doesn’t like the bride. Otherwise, why would he have found a fake groom to replace him at the wedding? I bet the bride used some trick to make him agree to the marriage—maybe she got pregnant to force his hand.
Many people in the comments asked where the leak was, so the person posted a link. Xie Ning clicked on the link and saw the accompanying video.
The video was dark and zoomed in on her on stage, with the background chatter clearly audible and utterly unpleasant.
Checking the time, this news had been posted just a few minutes ago and hadn't gained much traction yet. But judging by the current upward trend, it would soon become today's trending story.
Compared to the melodramatic plots in TV dramas, real-life grudges and conflicts were far more likely to pique the interest of gossip-loving netizens.
Xie Ning tilted her head and suddenly smiled.
Fine, she had already warned them at the wedding, yet someone still insisted on stirring up trouble.
She couldn't just let it slide, especially since she had already made her threats. If she brushed it off lightly, others would only think she was all talk—like a duck that had been dead for six months, with nothing left but a tough beak.
There would likely be even more baseless rumors in the future.
So Xie Ning took her laptop out of the cardboard box and began hacking into the IP address of the news article.
As soon as Lu Tingyan stepped into the house, he saw Xie Ning curled up on the sofa, busy with something.
He froze for a moment, initially thinking a thief had broken in before realizing it was her.
She didn't even notice him walking up behind her. Seeing lines of code on the screen, Lu Tingyan instantly understood what she was doing.
"Need help?" he asked loudly.
The sudden voice startled Xie Ning, causing her to mistype a few letters.
Turning around, she saw the man behind her holding a suit jacket, his tie loosely hanging, and two buttons of his shirt undone. The collar faintly revealed his collarbone, and her gaze traveled upward to his distinct Adam's apple, refined jawline, and finally his half-lidded, casual eyes.
Xie Ning's throat tightened inexplicably. "No, thank you."
Lu Tingyan had forgotten there would be an extra person in the house and had loosened his clothes out of habit as soon as he entered.
And the look Xie Ning had just given him made him feel as though she had seen right through him.
He simply pulled off his tie and hung it up along with his suit jacket.
"Is this all your stuff? Just a few shabby boxes?" And they weren't even proper moving boxes—probably used for some delivery, with the shipping labels still attached, dirty and covered in dust that had settled on the floor.
"Yes, because I didn't know which room I'd be staying in, so I haven't unpacked yet."
"That's it?"
Wasn't it said that girls had tons of clothes and makeup?
Xie Ning could hear the disdain in his tone. After all, compared to his luxurious mansion, her few cardboard boxes did look rather shabby.
But she didn't mind—she had grown up poor and was used to it.
"Yeah, I don't have much stuff," Xie Ning replied calmly, neither humble nor arrogant. She then set down her laptop and stood up. "Where will I be staying?"
Lu Tingyan tilted his head slightly. "Upstairs."
He bent down as if to help her move the boxes, but Xie Ning stopped him. "No need to trouble yourself, I can handle it."
He had called them "shabby boxes" with such contempt earlier, so she felt too embarrassed to let him touch them.
So Xie Ning bent down to lift one, only to find that the first box was the one filled with books—deadly heavy. It had taken both her and the delivery guy to carry it in.
Xie Ning tried several times but couldn't budge it an inch.
Looking up, she met Lu Tingyan's mocking gaze.
Xie Ning said seriously, "I haven't eaten yet, so I'm out of energy."
Lu Tingyan snorted lightly. "Are you saying I'm starving you?"
"Not exactly—"
Before she could finish, Lu Tingyan cut her off. "Fine, then eat first and move it later."
With that, he turned and headed upstairs.
Xie Ning picked up a box of clothes and followed him upstairs.
The room was clean and tidy, complete with a walk-in closet and a vanity, clearly a guest room prepared for female visitors.
Xie Ning walked around, opening cabinets and drawers to inspect them.
Leaning against the wall with one leg lazily propped up, Lu Tingyan watched her and asked, "What are you looking for?"
Xie Ning felt she must have gone mad, because she inexplicably recalled Song Ziyan's words at the hospital and blurted out, "Chains."
Lu Tingyan frowned.
By the time Xie Ning realized what she had said, it was too late. Lu Tingyan had already shown a look of understanding. "So you're into that kind of thing. Quite the heavy taste."