But what was done was done, so they could only proceed to the next step.
Xiao Tang had sought out his fiancée for the sole purpose of taking photos for the newspaper. He wanted to show that he had a fiancée, that he loved women, and that the engaged couple had a good relationship. Therefore, he had naturally invited reporters. However, to make it seem authentic to the public, the reporters were not to enter the room but would “sneak photos” from the doorway.
So, after dismissing his subordinate, he began speaking with Su Youning and asked her to pour him a glass of water.
During one of her internships, Ting Wan had transmigrated into an entertainment industry world, so she was quite sensitive to camera lenses. Besides, the cameras of this era made a sound no matter how one took a picture. Therefore, her hand trembled, the water spilled, and she took a step back, feigning a look of terror toward Xiao Tang.
As she stepped back, someone else naturally stepped forward.
Seeing Ting Wan’s unpresentable demeanor, Su Xiaomo was inwardly ecstatic, but she didn’t let it show on her face. She took the glass directly from Ting Wan’s hand, poured a fresh one, and personally handed it to Xiao Tang.
“Young Marshal, my older sister is timid. Please don’t mind her.”
“It’s nothing.” Xiao Tang’s voice was stiff, but his expression had softened considerably. His eyes met Su Xiaomo’s as his hand took the glass.
It was at this moment that Ting Wan heard a series of shutter clicks. She put on a dejected expression, looking at the hands of Xiao Tang and Su Xiaomo overlapping as he took the glass.
How could Xiao Tang not have heard the shutter clicks?
His original plan was to display the “loving affection” of the engaged couple, letting everyone know he was interested in women.
But his legitimate fiancée was as timid as a quail, while this one who piqued his interest slightly was bolder and spoke more pleasantly.
They were both women; there wasn’t much difference.
So, Xiao Tang simply let the reporters take their pictures.
He believed the newspaper office wouldn’t dare to offend him, and the reporters certainly wouldn’t write anything reckless.
And indeed, the newspaper office wouldn’t offend him, and the reporters wouldn’t write anything reckless. But he had also forgotten to tell them to change the theme. They wrote the article according to the original outline the Shaoshuai Residence had given them when they were first contacted.
“Young Marshal Xiao Tang Hospitalized After Assassination Attempt, Fiancée Su Youning Provides Heartwarming Company.”
The Shaoshuai Residence had spent a great deal of money to have the newspaper printed overnight, ensuring everyone could get a copy first thing in the morning.
Principal Tan was the one who brought the newspaper, handing it to Ting Wan, who had just finished playing a piece on her instrument, with a teasing look on her face.
Ting Wan glanced at it.
Hmm…
The people at the Shaoshuai Residence were quite incompetent!
Seeing Ting Wan’s expression grow progressively more peculiar, Bai He became very curious about what was written in the newspaper. She leaned in next to Ting Wan to take a look, reading it aloud as she went. After finishing, she looked at the massive photo, which clearly showed Xiao Tang and Su Xiaomo gazing at each other while touching hands, with Ting Wan squeezed into a corner as part of the background. She held back for a moment before finally bursting into laughter.
“This is the work of a genius! Using such a striking headline with such a huge photo, what are they trying to say? That Xiao Tang was openly flirting with his sister-in-law, disregarding the presence of his fiancée? Which genius did this? It’s hilarious, hahaha!”
Bai He wasn’t wrong. With this photo, it was inevitable that people would criticize Young Marshal Xiao for disregarding his fiancée’s feelings to flirt with his sister-in-law. But that was on the condition that everyone knew which one in the photo was Su Youning and which was Su Xiaomo.
Xiao Tang was famous in Hong City; everyone knew the man in the photo was Young Marshal Xiao.
But the Su family had just moved from Liu City. Even if everyone knew that Young Marshal Xiao’s fiancée was the Su family’s eldest daughter, Su Youning, no one knew what this Su Youning actually looked like!
Except for a select few, who would know that the one in the photo holding hands and gazing into his eyes was actually the Su family’s second daughter, Su Xiaomo, and that the background figure behind them was the real subject of the headline, Su Youning!
“Do you have any thoughts?” Ever since learning about the things Ting Wan had done at Yehuanchen, Principal Tan’s impression of her as a “delicate young lady,” which she had gotten from Sang Yuan, had been utterly shattered.
This incident was causing a huge stir, but Principal Tan had to admit that Ting Wan was truly capable.
Hong City’s geographical location was excellent. Not only did the Red Faction want to develop here, but the Military Faction also wanted to gain complete control of the area.
However, to control this place, they had to deal with Xiao Tang, the Young Marshal entrenched here.
But Xiao Tang was not easy to deal with. He had inherited the army from his adoptive father and had money—it was said he controlled a gold mine. Although he was considered part of the Military Faction, he wasn’t very obedient to their command. He was cold, ruthless, and vicious, and the army under him was loyal only to him. He was firmly entrenched in Hong City. Even though Hong City had a government, he, the Young Marshal, still ranked above it.
Principal Tan was a member of the Red Faction, but her relatives were high-ranking officials in the Military Faction.
She was working undercover, but she also knew that the Military Faction had long wanted to dispatch a Defense Commissioner to Hong City. However, although Xiao Tang was ruthless, he had no blemishes on his record that could give them a legitimate reason to send one.
Now, the fierce battle at Yehuanchen and the affectionate gaze with his sister-in-law had given the Military Faction a reason.
Principal Tan knew who the Military Faction planned to send as the Defense Commissioner; he was a man of integrity who had already been recruited by their organization.
That was why she was now asking Ting Wan what she planned to do.
“I’d like to, but I have no opportunity to let everyone know that I am Su Youning! Besides, my younger sister is very fond of the Young Marshal. She wants to follow him home to take care of him even after he’s discharged from the hospital. When my father sees this, he might even do something like making my sister and me switch identities.”
Ting Wan shrugged, her tone extremely casual.
However, she could tell that Principal Tan seemed to have a plan to turn this newspaper into tomorrow’s laughingstock.
Might as well go with the flow! The worst that could happen was tearing all pretenses apart. She had already secured the original host’s mother’s dowry, Xiao Tang was no great catch, and Hongcheng Women’s University had a special status in Hong City and offered a way to serve the country.
The petition only asked for her to live; she just needed to live well.
Sure enough, Principal Tan revealed her idea. “Xiao Tang is being discharged for two reasons. One, he isn’t seriously injured. Two, there’s a banquet tonight. It’s government-led, and the date was set long ago and can’t be changed. Want to go with me and show your face? There should be a lot of reporters there.”
It was like getting a pillow just as one was getting sleepy. Ting Wan naturally agreed.
However, after agreeing, she thought of a problem.
“The newspaper has already been published like this. For the banquet tonight, I have a feeling Xiao Tang will bring Su Xiaomo and introduce her to everyone as Su Youning.”
But Principal Tan smiled faintly. “That’s simple. We’ll just go a bit earlier. A friend of mine really liked the welcome gift you gave me on your first day of school. It’s a good opportunity to introduce you two, which is a legitimate reason to be there.”
The welcome gift from her first day.
Ting Wan thought for a moment and remembered. She had given Principal Tan a set of twelve homemade lipsticks, with colors ranging from classic red to deathly barbie pink—twelve different shades.
Well, it was indeed something that beautiful women would like.