Seeing Nie Lingchuan’s expression change, even Ning Sang couldn’t help but show indignation.
Yet she remained calm. “These events happened eighteen years ago. Investigating them will be extremely difficult, and it might even end up going nowhere. But…”
She looked at Nie Lingchuan with determination. “I can’t let all those years of suffering be in vain. Even if I end up with nothing, I’ll make sure they have a hard time for a while.”
Ning Sang thought to herself, “Wow, she’s something else.”
Suddenly, she remembered how the girl had beaten a grown man to tears when they picked her up from the village yesterday.
Knowing she wasn’t someone to be trifled with, why hadn’t she made life difficult for that family back then?
“Don’t worry, leave this to me. Our company has a legal department with some of the most renowned lawyers,” Nie Lingchuan said. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with his daughter suing those people, even if one of them was her grandmother—the mother of the woman he had loved.
Nie Fuyao fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
“Then I’ll join you for one episode of the show. Just one.”
A smile spread across Ning Sang’s face. “You’ll have to give it your all. One episode lasts seven days. This is a win-win situation—it’ll protect the company’s reputation and clear your name.”
Some things can indeed be resolved with time, but it depends on the situation.
Yunhuang Yule is one of the top three entertainment companies, and in the entertainment industry, reputation is everything.
It’s not just entertainment companies—any business values its reputation. Otherwise, what’s the point of having a public relations department?
Recently, two second-tier actresses in the company were in talks for roles in two different productions. Unfortunately, due to Nie Fuyao’s appearance, competitors subtly manipulated public opinion, causing one of the projects to fall through.
The other actress managed to keep her role as the third female lead only because her character wasn’t crucial to the plot and her acting skills were solid enough for the producers to keep her.
There are many talented second- and third-tier actors in the entertainment industry, but without backing, they remain stuck at that level, unable to advance further.
Nie Fuyao paid no attention to the affairs of the entertainment industry, nor was she interested in them.
If it weren’t for the potential threat to Nie Lingchuan’s company, she wouldn’t have agreed to participate in any variety show.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend that time reading a few more books?
**
Originally, Traveling with Family had only four participating families. When the production team received Nie Lingchuan’s call and learned that the boss would be bringing his daughter onto the show, they were overjoyed.
Even though he was semi-retired, his popularity remained astonishingly high. Coupled with the fact that his daughter was currently trending, the show’s viewership was bound to skyrocket.
The production team quickly posted on Weibo, announcing that a mysterious family would be added to the lineup.
Netizens following the show immediately began speculating.
Some, based on recent developments, guessed it would be the actor and his daughter.
As soon as this speculation surfaced, so-called insiders and hired trolls went into a frenzy.
[Are you kidding? Letting someone with such low moral character appear in public—doesn’t the government care?]
[An uneducated dropout trying to debut through a variety show? This sets a terrible example for kids who take their studies seriously. I strongly oppose this.]
[When I was young, my dream was to become a scientist. Now, kids just want to be celebrities or influencers. Society is really going downhill. Actors used to be looked down upon, but now everyone idolizes them. Disgusting.]
[Hey, you there, are you living in feudal times? You’re really stuck on this hierarchy nonsense, calling actors “low-class.” You’re the one who’s truly low-class.]
["You've inserted yourselves into her life? Are those so-called insider revelations online truly that credible? If I were in her shoes, having such 'classmates,' 'fellow townsfolk,' or 'acquaintances' around me, who speak with such certainty online, practically eager to drive the young girl to death through cyberbullying—just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. What kind of grudge or resentment is this? These so-called insiders truly have ugly faces."]
["One after another, these insiders act like moral guardians, as if they are the moral beacons of society. Since the internet became widespread, so-called insiders have emerged endlessly, and far too many have been exposed as frauds. Do they really think the film emperor has a good temper?"]
The online buzz grew increasingly intense, and Nie Lingchuan feared that his daughter might see it and become upset.
However, over the next two days, he noticed that she stayed in her room reading books and rarely touched her phone.
"Getting used to it?" Ning Sang brought over some groceries and saw him sitting in the living room, staring up at the ceiling. "What kind of expression is that?"
"The filming starts tomorrow. I’m just a bit worried." His intentions were good, and he even felt that his daughter was perfect in every way.
But Nie Lingchuan knew all too well the nature of netizens. Even the best person could have some flaw picked out by them, exaggerated endlessly, and then attacked relentlessly over that single point.
"Why should she compromise and make concessions for me? Clearly, I’m the one who owes her." Nie Lingchuan looked utterly defeated.
Ning Sang fell silent.
He rarely saw such a defeated expression on Nie Lingchuan’s face. In their roughly twenty years of collaboration, it had happened no more than three times, and only when Nie Lingchuan hit a bottleneck in his acting.
Now, with the little girl just back, she had already made him restless and uneasy. What would it be like in the future?
Still, no matter what, the two of them were father and daughter, while he himself was ultimately an outsider. Some things were better left unsaid or simply couldn’t be said.
"How did you twist the mutual effort between father and daughter into some kind of debt?"
Ning Sang washed two tomatoes and handed him the smaller one. "Even if it is a debt, if the company’s development were affected because of her, do you think that girl would be happy? When I went to pick her up earlier, she didn’t show much emotion and had even prepared herself for the possibility of you rejecting her. The little girl is sensible, so you shouldn’t blame yourself too much. After all, this isn’t your fault."
Nie Lingchuan’s gaze trembled slightly. "How could I ever reject her? She’s my daughter, my own flesh and blood."
"Yes, yes, your own flesh and blood. So don’t act so defeated in front of the little girl, or she might misunderstand." Tsk, having a biological daughter is something to boast about, as if…
Well, he didn’t have one.
"Where’s the little girl?" He hadn’t seen the child since entering the house.
"She’s upstairs reading. She says she wants to take the special admission exam for Tsinghua and Peking University in two months." When Nie Lingchuan mentioned this, his tone lightened considerably.
Ning Sang, however, widened his eyes in shock. "Tsinghua and Peking University? Special admission? For sports or the arts? And the college entrance exam ended a month ago…" He paused for a long moment. "Qingyingban?"
He thought the little girl had gone mad.
"That’s Qingyingban—the elite group within the nation’s top universities, the geniuses among geniuses among geniuses. All the instructors are academicians and top experts, with half of them even being dual-academicians."
It wasn’t that he looked down on the girl, but he simply couldn’t imagine it being possible.
Nie Lingchuan rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. "My daughter can definitely do it."
Ning Sang: "…"
Alright, he really had no comeback.
Still, it seemed impossible.
"For my niece, I'll go all out. If she really gets in, I'll crouch under your kitchen sink and open my mouth to catch the slop for you."
Nie Fuyao, who was about to go downstairs for a bite: "…I'll take that bet."
Ning Sang: "…"