During the few days of recuperation, Gu Nanci wasn’t idle either.
The person from Yuecai, 【Today I Still Want to Destroy This World】, was indeed straightforward. The one million arrived in her account that very day, as if afraid Gu Nanci would change her mind about selling.
With money in her pocket, she felt more confident.
Gu Nanci immediately took advantage of her free time to seek out a top-tier lawyer in the industry, one with an exceptionally high win rate and fees starting at five figures per minute. Armed with the materials she had sorted out from the original owner, she began the process of filing a lawsuit.
To her great surprise, her name had even spread to the legal world!
Upon hearing the name Gu Nanci, the lawyer, Chen Zhuo, immediately paused, looking awkward as he tried to decline.
But when he took the evidence Gu Nanci had clearly and systematically presented regarding Si Chang’s defamation, his expression instantly changed.
“So this is the truth! How outrageous!” Chen Zhuo said indignantly. “Don’t worry! Leave this matter to me! I’ll definitely clear your name!”
Perhaps because he had initially believed the rumors and nearly turned away the victim, Chen Zhuo’s sense of justice, fueled by guilt, transformed into determination. He rolled up his sleeves, even pushing aside other cases to focus entirely on Gu Nanci’s matter.
“A single rumor spreads with ease, refuting it takes exhausting effort”—she truly understood the meaning of this phrase now.
Gu Nanci and Chen Zhuo spent several days together, meticulously reviewing the timeline from her former group, Leap, to her current group, dik, compiling a more rigorous and complete set of evidence.
The more they organized, the more horrified Chen Zhuo became. Every incident that had been placed in the public eye, which everyone had taken as indisputable fact, turned out to be nothing but slander!
Everyone had subjected an innocent person to overwhelming malice and cyberbullying for two whole years!
The power of words is truly terrifying.
Even he, a professional who prided himself on fairness and justice, couldn’t help but be influenced by such one-sided public opinion, subjectively believing in the “misdeeds” that had never actually existed.
He was shocked, heartbroken, and genuinely impressed.
Chen Zhuo was at a loss for words.
He asked himself: if he were in her shoes, facing such a situation, would he really have the courage to persevere, calmly gather all the evidence, and choose the best moment to prove his innocence again?
“We’ll proceed as planned. Tonight, I’ll publicly issue the lawyer’s letter first. Based on my experience, people like them won’t admit defeat until they see the coffin—they’ll definitely keep arguing stubbornly online. But it doesn’t matter. Once the formal summons is issued and they face court, they won’t be able to turn things around!” Chen Zhuo declared passionately.
After a pause, he hesitated and added, “It’s just that, in the few days while waiting for the summons, you might still be… Anyway, try not to go online.”
Si Chang and Chang Qian had spent the past two years riding on the goodwill gained from the narrative of Gu Nanci’s bullying. It went without saying what the online sentiment would be like—completely one-sided—until definitive evidence was presented.
“It’s fine,” Gu Nanci said, completely unfazed. “Just a minor scene. I’m used to it by now.”
She had endured two years of insults—what were a few more days?
Gu Nanci waved her hand and, under Chen Zhuo’s increasingly sympathetic, fatherly gaze, answered the incessantly ringing phone.
The caller was Cheng Yang.
The voice on the other end sounded quite helpless: “Gu Nanci, the competition is the day after tomorrow. Even if you just want to be a stage decoration, shouldn’t you come back to rehearse the formations?”
Gu Nanci paused for a moment. “…What day is it today?”
“It’s Friday!” Cheng Yang’s gentle tone carried a hint of gritted teeth.
“…Sorry, sorry, I’ve been so busy I forgot.” Gu Nanci slapped her forehead. “I’ll head back right now.”
“No rush, take your time. We’re not in a hurry at all.” Cheng Yang’s mild voice somehow sounded sarcastic. “After all, the public performance isn’t until next week. It’s not like the food’s gone cold yet.”
Gu Nanci: “…”
Cheng Yang snorted. After venting his frustration, he finally felt a bit better and added, “Be careful on the way back, stay safe.”
The call ended.
In front of her, Chen Zhuo’s gaze was alert, his posture protective as he stared at Gu Nanci and narrowed his eyes. “Who was that?”
“…A teammate.”
Then, under Chen Zhuo’s increasingly darkening gaze, she quickly added, “A new teammate, not like the ones from before. They’re all pretty decent.”
Chen Zhuo visibly relaxed a little.
These past few days, while sorting through information, the word “teammate” had triggered a conditioned reflex, reminding him of those despicable people from that group!
“You’re going back to the company? Let me drive you!” Chen Zhuo picked up his jacket and offered.
He needed to keep his eyes wide open and help this poor kid see clearly, so she wouldn’t be tricked again and end up with another group of disgusting, blood-sucking teammates!
They happened to hit the evening rush hour traffic jam.
Night fell, lights flickered on one by one, and the city was illuminated by colorful neon lights.
Gu Nanci’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she happily fiddled with her phone, taking pictures.
This was the sight of countless lights and the vibrant human world she hadn’t experienced in a long time during her previous life, confined day after day to a pale hospital bed.
And it was at this moment.
Gu Nanci truly felt the reality of the words “new life.”
Her resolve grew even firmer—she would live brightly and passionately, worthy of fate’s gift and not wasting this life.
Beside her, Chen Zhuo shook his head with a smile. “You kid, how can you get so happy just taking pictures of the night view?”
But within seconds, he too was infected by Gu Nanci’s mood. During a stop in traffic, he snapped a photo and sent it to his family group chat.
He hadn’t noticed before, but the night scenery was indeed quite beautiful.
Gu Nanci edited and deleted, finally selecting a few photos to post on HIK.
[V Gu Nanci: For you to see!
Night View 1.jpg / Night View 2.jpg]
She had always been someone who loved to share. In the past, she enjoyed posting about her life and fun things for her fans. But later, trapped day after day in a corner of a hospital room, she didn’t want to spread negativity, so she simply closed her social media accounts or deleted them.
Just as she clicked “send,” it suddenly dawned on her—this wasn’t the past.
Her current account didn’t have those lovely fans but was instead filled with all sorts of people and overwhelming numbers of anti-fans.
Pausing for a second, Gu Nanci quickly closed HIK.
Her mood was still pretty good, and she didn’t feel like engaging in a war of words.
The moment she put down her phone, Gu Nanci’s gaze suddenly sharpened. “There seems to be someone ahead.”