In the middle of the night, Tao Ningchu returned from her magazine shoot. It was only then that she learned about the incident between Yun Ni and Dong Menglian from Sister Jin. She immediately asked the director for Yun Ni’s ward number and rushed over without a moment’s rest.
Yun Ni was surprised to see her. Noticing Tao’s travel-worn appearance, she put her phone away. “It’s so late. Why did you come all this way?”
“Sister Jin said you took a fall. How could I not be worried?”
“It’s not a big deal. If tonight’s observation goes well, I can be discharged tomorrow.”
Tao Ningchu looked her over. Seeing no major injuries, she finally relaxed and sat by the bed. “It’s so late, and you’re a patient. Why aren’t you sleeping? What were you doing?”
“Reading the news.” Yun Ni showed her the phone screen.
Tao Ningchu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “At a time like this, you still have the heart to read the news?” She pointed toward the wall, indicating the other room. “How is that woman?”
“The director said she has a fractured lower leg, a sprained neck, and a concussion.”
“Serves her right,” Tao Ningchu nodded. “I heard from Sister Jin that your company contacted several investors of Dreaming of Sheng Qiu during the day.”
Yun Ni remained calm. “To discuss this incident?”
Tao Ningchu nodded. “President Lin is an investor, so you definitely won’t be in trouble—especially since you’re the innocent victim here.”
Yun Ni wasn’t worried about herself, as the fault lay entirely with Dong Menglian. She was simply curious about the punishment. However, she couldn’t ask directly without raising suspicion, so she changed the subject. “What do you think of President Lin?”
Tao Ningchu was blunt: “Are you talking about the fact that President Lin likes you?” Seeing Yun Ni frown, she laughed. “Every time you’re around, President Lin’s eyes are practically glued to you. If I hadn’t noticed that, my years of being a gossip queen would have been for nothing.”
Yun Ni fell silent. She hadn’t realized Lin Zijin was being so indiscreet.
“Even though President Lin is a woman, she’s rich and beautiful. She’s a great choice for a partner,” Tao Ningchu teased. “And I can tell she really likes you; it’s not just a passing whim.”
Yun Ni raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think it’s strange for two women to be together?”
“The Qing Dynasty ended a long time ago; who cares about a partner’s gender?” Tao Ningchu encouraged her. “If you like her, you could even go abroad to get married. Some countries allow same-sex marriage.” She suddenly remembered something. “Oh right! When are you getting married? Where? Remember to invite me as a bridesmaid—or I could even be the officiant—”
Yun Ni looked at the woman who seemed ready to host a wedding ceremony tomorrow and raised her hand to stop her. “Nothing has even happened yet. Don’t overthink it.”
Tao Ningchu paused, a look of shock crossing her face. “Don’t tell me President Lin hasn’t confessed to you yet?” Without waiting for an answer, she muttered, “This President Lin really doesn’t know how things work.”
Yun Ni’s brow twitched. “Miss ‘Know-it-all’ Tao Ningchu, you should go back and rest, or how will you film tomorrow morning?”
“You’re already protecting President Lin even though you aren’t together yet,” Tao Ningchu grumbled as she stood up. “Truly, once a girl grows up, she chooses her woman over her friends.”
Yun Ni laughed helplessly, grabbed a washed apple, and stuffed it into Tao’s hand. “It’s washed. Eat it on the way; it’ll keep your mouth busy.”
Tao Ningchu stuck out her tongue, waved the apple, and said, “Rest well. See you on set tomorrow!”
Yun Ni shook her head and walked her to the door.
The next day, Yun Ni passed her check-up and was discharged. She let out a sigh of relief, checked her navigation, and walked slowly to the bus stop. Fortunately, the production had covered the hospital bills; otherwise, she wouldn’t even have been able to pay for the bus, let alone the scans.
When she arrived near the set, she bought two steamed buns and ate them while walking in. However, it didn’t feel like a normal walk. She felt everyone’s eyes on her, whispering and eyeing her with a mix of disgust and avoidance.
Confused, she found Tao Ningchu.
“You don’t know yet?” Seeing Yun Ni’s genuine confusion, Tao whispered in her ear, “Early this morning, the news of Dong Menglian falling from a horse hit the hot searches.”
Yun Ni took out her phone. She had been busy with hospital paperwork all morning and hadn’t checked social media.
“And then,” Tao continued, “someone leaked that you were the one who crashed into her.”
Yun Ni saw it. Dong Menglian Horse Fall was the number one trending topic, and her own name was trending right below it at number two.
She clicked the top search. The first post was a Weibo from Dong Menglian: a photo of a hospital bed with the caption: “I’m okay, everyone don’t worry. We were all riding for the first time; no one did it on purpose. Please don’t overthink it or misunderstand her.”
It was a classic “White Lotus” post—vague and heavy with suggestive accusations.
Tao Ningchu fumed. “This woman is a total snake! It was her fault, yet she’s biting back. I bet she leaked the news herself to play the victim and wash away the negative image from her previous trouble-making.”
Yun Ni shook her head. “If she did it, do you think she’d dare sell the ‘victim’ story after what she actually tried to do?”
“Then who leaked it?”
“I don’t know.” Yun Ni filtered through possible names in her head. “Dong Menglian is probably just going with the flow to mislead the public. That way, if the truth comes out later, she can claim it was all just a ‘first-time rider accident.'”
Yun Ni saw Tao’s confusion and laughed. “Forget it. It’s not important. If you can’t figure it out, don’t dwell on it.”
She refreshed the page and let out a surprised “Huh?”
“What?” Tao leaned in.
“The hot searches changed.” Yun Ni refreshed again. Her name and Dong Menglian’s topic had vanished completely.
Tao blinked. “Could it be that President Lin saw it and had it taken down for you?”
Yun Ni’s brow furrowed. She exited Weibo and saw a pop-up message:
Don’t make any statements on the hot search. I’ve already arranged for people to handle it. — Lin Zijin
“It really is President Lin!” Tao nudged Yun Ni’s shoulder playfully. “She’s fast. She really cares about you.”
“I’m an artist in her company. It’s normal for her to care,” Yun Ni replied, putting her phone away. Since Lin Zijin was handling it, she didn’t need to worry.
“Stubborn as a mule,” Tao shook her head and went to get her hair done.
Yun Ni looked at the message again, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She typed quickly:
Okay, thank you.
Lin Zijin didn’t reply immediately, likely busy. Yun Ni didn’t wait; she went to change and get her hair styled before finding Tao to go over their lines.
However, they had barely started when a staff member announced that Director Zhou wanted everyone to gather.
When they arrived, the entire crew was there. Zhou Sheng stood at the front next to an unfamiliar woman.
“I won’t beat around the bush,” Zhou Sheng began. “I’m sure you’ve all heard about the horse-falling incident. We’ve investigated the cause. The collision happened because one actor suddenly changed lanes, causing the other horse to startle. After a discussion between the investors and producers yesterday, we decided this cannot be overlooked, lest it sets a bad precedent.”
“Therefore, we have decided to cancel Miss Dong’s role. From now on, the lead role will be played by Miss Bo Yaning, who is standing beside me.”
Bo Yaning stepped forward with a gentle smile. “I am Bo Yaning. I hope we can work well together.”
The set erupted in whispers. Even Yun Ni was stunned. She knew Dong Menglian would be punished, but she didn’t expect the leadership to be this ruthless—replacing the female lead mid-shoot meant wasting a massive amount of time and resources.
“Additionally,” Zhou Sheng continued, “this morning we discovered that a guest at the stables filmed the process. It has been confirmed as a case of intentional harm. We and the stables have reported this to the police. Yun Ni, the police will likely be here later to take a statement. Just tell the truth.”
The crowd gasped again. Yun Ni started wondering if Dong Menglian had offended someone powerful for this to escalate so dramatically.
Director Zhou dismissed the crowd. Yun Ni and Tao Ningchu went over to introduce themselves to Bo Yaning. Bo Yaning was as gentle as she looked, with a warm, genuine personality that invited people to be close to her—unlike the “approachable” mask Yun Ni often wore.
After exchanging contact info, Bo Yaning went for a costume fitting.
Tao Ningchu whispered, “Want me to stay with you when you give your statement?”
“No need,” Yun Ni said, spotting several police officers walking toward them.
“Director Zhou said there’s a video. You don’t have to worry,” Tao said before stepping aside.
Yun Ni nodded. With the video evidence, the police interview was just a formality. They asked their questions and left quickly. Simultaneously, the production team updated the cast list and released the video captured by the guest at the stables to the public.