After the guests completed the check-in activities arranged by the production team, the sun gradually climbed high into the sky.
Jiang Yanzhou noticed beads of sweat forming on his sister’s forehead. He turned into a small convenience store by the roadside and bought wet wipes and several bottles of water.
Shen Yu had been thirsty for a long time, but he had spent all his money on dinner last night and didn’t have a single cent left in his pocket.
Just as he was looking around anxiously, he saw Jiang Yanzhou walking out of the store carrying a plastic bag bulging with two or three bottles of water. Condensation was visible on the bottles, clearly showing they were ice-cold and perfect for quenching thirst.
“Yanzhou,” Shen Yu instinctively took a step forward, speaking in a casual and familiar tone, “I’m just getting thirsty. Share a bottle with me?”
“Buy your own.”
Jiang Yanzhou didn’t stop walking. He brushed right past Shen Yu’s arm, the bottles clinking softly inside the bag, not even sparing him a single glance.
Shen Yu’s hand, stretched out in mid-air, froze. His fingers remained open in the gesture of asking for something.
He subconsciously glanced to the side—the main camera was focused on Li Lele who was performing, and none of the other cameras were pointing this way. Fortunately, this slightly embarrassing moment wasn’t being filmed.
At this moment, Huang Zhihe took an unopened bottle of mineral water from her backpack, twisted off the cap, and handed it to Shen Yu with a look of perfect concern on her face. “Mr. Shen, have some water first. You look terribly thirsty.”
Shen Yu took it naturally and took a hurried sip. The cold liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn’t ease the strange, suffocating feeling in his chest.
Huang Zhihe stood beside him, her gaze seemingly casually drifting towards Jiang Yanzhou—who was currently carefully unscrewing a bottle cap for Jiang Zhiwu.
She looked back, her tone sounding curious. “Mr. Shen, do you and Mr. Jiang have some kind of history?” She paused, as if choosing her words carefully. “I just feel like his attitude towards you is quite…”
She didn’t finish the sentence, but the way she hesitated, coupled with her slightly furrowed brows, clearly implied that Jiang Yanzhou was being exceptionally cold and distant.
Shen Yu’s knuckles tightened around the water bottle.
Huang Zhihe continued softly, as if unaware of his reaction. “What he did just now was really too much. If it were me, I would definitely feel quite awkward.”
Shen Yu had long held a grudge against Jiang Yanzhou. Provoked by these words, the pent-up frustration in his heart suddenly fermented into an indescribable anger.
That’s right! The Jiang siblings had been making things difficult for him everywhere on this show, acting arrogant and looking down on everyone.
She was nothing but a discarded fiancée, and he was just an arrogant kid relying on his traffic popularity. How dare they show him such an attitude in front of the cameras?
“Mr. Shen?” Huang Zhihe’s voice pulled him back to reality. She handed him a tissue. “You look pale. Are you suffering from heatstroke?”
Shen Yu took the tissue and wiped the sweat from his palms. His Adam’s apple rolled, but he said nothing.
Three o’clock in the afternoon.
Like a sudden clap of thunder, the phones of the production team staff responsible for monitoring online trends began to vibrate frantically, notification tones ringing out continuously.
The young female director’s face turned pale instantly. She stared at the trending search term on the screen, then looked up in disbelief at Jiang Zhiwu, who was completely unaware of what was happening.
Ranking first on the hot search list, marked with a bright red “BREAKING” tag, was:
#JiangZhiwuScammedShenYuIntoMarriage#
Following closely behind were:
#JiangZhiwuWasShenYusFiancee#
#JiangZhiwuEmbezzledMillionsInBetrothalGifts#
The posts were filled with photos and text:
A picture of a golden longevity lock engraved with the names Shen Yu and Jiang Zhiwu, and a document that looked like a private record listing an astronomical amount of money as a betrothal gift.
A vague and accusatory text claiming that Jiang Zhiwu was once Shen Yu’s fiancée, who used the engagement to obtain a huge sum of money from the Shen family, only to suddenly go back on her word and refuse to marry him unilaterally.
The anonymous source claimed to be an “insider”, implying that Jiang Zhiwu was of poor moral character, vain, and had committed fraud deliberately.
Weibo exploded instantly!
[OMG?! What is going on?! Marriage fraud??]
[Shen Yu??? Fiancee??? Jiang Zhiwu??! These two people have absolutely nothing to do with each other!]
[No way… I was just happily watching *Open The Door It’s You*… and now this huge bomb drops?]
[Where’s the proof? Just a few blurry pictures mean nothing? Just talking nonsense?]
[Are you blind upstairs? The second and third pictures show the Shen family’s records with the notary public’s seal right there! Isn’t that clear enough?]
[Wow, if this is true it’s so disgusting! Greedy for the Shen family’s money!]
[The Shen family is super rich! The betrothal gift must have been at least tens of millions, right?]
[No wonder Shen Yu acted so weirdly towards Jiang Zhiwu on the first day! They were ex-fiancee and ex-fiance?!]
“Di… Director!! Something terrible happened!” The female director ran over almost tripping, her voice trembling as she whispered urgently, “It’s a top trending search! Ms. Jiang… and Mr. Shen…”
The director’s expression changed drastically. He snatched the phone and scanned the screen, cold sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead.
He had seen many emergencies during filming, but having a huge scandal involving the guests explode right in the middle of a live broadcast was a nuclear-level disaster!
His first reaction was to inform the crew and host. They had to immediately alert Jiang Zhiwu and pause any segments that might further stir up public opinion!
The director gave instructions into his microphone, signaling the staff member closest to Jiang Zhiwu to go over and quietly inform her—
However, by sheer coincidence.
In the few seconds while the production team was on high alert, about eight or nine young people, having apparently recognized the celebrities, excitedly surrounded the guests.
“AHHH! It’s Jiang Yanzhou! He’s even more handsome in real life!”
“Zhihe! Zhihe looks this way!”
“Shen Yu, can you sign this for me?”
The fans greeted them enthusiastically.
The director and staff were frantic. Forcefully dispersing the crowd now would not only look bad but might also trigger negative speculation. All they could do was shout, “Please stay safe! Keep order!”
Jiang Yanzhou instinctively stepped in front of his sister, shielding her from the overcrowded people, his brows furrowed tightly.
The comments in the livestream had completely changed direction:
[Jiang Zhiwu still has the face to hide behind him? Look at your phone! Your true colors are exposed!]
[Shen Yu is so miserable! Being backstabbed by his ex like this and still having to force a smile and film together, my heart aches for him.]
[I don’t know how Jiang Zhiwu dares to show her face on camera. Living off money scammed from people, doesn’t her conscience hurt?]
[Production team do something! Tell her about the hot search!]
[I’ve got my popcorn ready, time for the show!]
…
Amidst the chaos, a young man wearing a black T-shirt suddenly pushed forward two steps. His gaze was icy cold as he stared fixedly at Jiang Zhiwu.
He was clutching a phone in his hand, the screen glaringly bright.
“Jiang Zhiwu!”
The man’s voice rose sharply, filled with undisguised anger, instantly drowning out the surrounding noise and silencing the crowd.
All eyes turned to him in an instant.
“How dare you come here to film a show?” The man took another step forward, veins popping on his neck from agitation. “How can you stand there so calmly?!”
Jiang Zhiwu looked up at him, her eyes calm and deep like still water. She said nothing.
Jiang Yanzhou’s face darkened instantly. He stepped forward completely blocking the man’s view, his voice cold and stern. “Who are you? Watch your mouth.”
“Who I am doesn’t matter!” The man ignored Jiang Yanzhou completely, staring only at Jiang Zhiwu. “Check the hot searches! Stop pretending! You scammed the Shen family out of millions and then called off the wedding! And now you have the audacity to appear in front of Mr. Shen to film this show?! How thick is your face?! The whole internet knows what you really are!”
He seemed to have found an outlet for his anger, his words getting more and more vicious. “The Shen family was kind enough not to sue you for fraud, and yet here you are filming variety shows trying to be a star? Living off the money you stole to keep up your appearance? How despicable can you get!”
“Marriage fraud?” “Gold digger?”
These accusations stunned everyone present. Then, as if realizing something, they all instinctively reached into their pockets for their phones.
Seconds later, sounds of gasping and shocked whispers filled the air. The light from phone screens flickered on faces—obviously, everyone had seen the explosive news.
Countless gazes, shocked, curious, judgmental, focused simultaneously on Jiang Zhiwu.
The livestream comments were in an uproar:
[Here it comes! Finally someone dares to ask her face to face!]
[Is this guy a fan of Shen Yu? Well done!]
[Let’s see how Jiang Zhiwu tries to act innocent now! I want to see how long she can keep up that arrogant act!]
Seeing that Jiang Zhiwu remained silent, the man grew even more furious, his voice rising to a shout. “Are you mute? Got caught red-handed so you don’t dare to speak? You took their millions and then just walked away! Women like you don’t deserve to be on TV! You’re just a vain fraud!”
“F*CK! SAY THAT AGAIN ONE MORE TIME!”
Jiang Yanzhou’s eyes instantly turned red!
He lunged forward, his muscles tensed with enough force to crush the man’s skull, throwing a punch straight at him!
Just as the fist, filled with rage, was about to connect with the man’s face—
“Yanzhou!”
A clear shout cut through the air. It wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. It was Jiang Zhiwu.
Jiang Yanzhou’s fist stopped abruptly in mid-air, only inches away from the man’s face.
“Jiang Zhiwu!” His eyes were red with anxiety and anger. “Why are you stopping me? I don’t care about cameras or anything else, I’ll quit this damn show if I have to!”
He thought she was holding back because of his celebrity status, because of the live broadcast. But he didn’t care. No amount of fame was worth his sister being wronged.
Jiang Yanzhou struggled, trying to shake off her hand, but unexpectedly—
The next second, Jiang Zhiwu let go of his arm and stepped forward herself.
Her movement was so fast it caught everyone off guard.
*PAK —!*
A loud, clear slap rang out, leaving the man who had been shouting insults completely stunned. Half of his face swelled up visibly, five distinct finger prints appearing instantly.
Jiang Zhiwu’s hand remained raised in the air. The force of the impact must have been great, because her wrist trembled slightly, and her brows furrowed faintly.
“Sis!” Jiang Yanzhou grabbed her hand, his voice cracking with distress.
Li Lele, standing further away, didn’t see exactly what happened. She only saw Jiang Zhiwu frowning and the man covering his face and shouting. She instinctively thought Jiang Zhiwu had been pushed or attacked.
“Sister Jiang, are you okay?” Her voice was shaky with tears and anger.
“What kind of man raises his hand to a girl?!” Li Bo also looked furious, condemning the action.
Even Jiang Ting, who usually rarely spoke, frowned and walked over. He scanned the chaotic scene, his gaze finally landing on Jiang Zhiwu’s slightly trembling hand. He said in a deep voice, “No matter what the reason is, this is going too far.”
The man who got slapped: “???”
He held his burning face, looking at the furious Jiang Yanzhou, then at the indignant Li Lele and the others, and finally at the cold-faced Jiang Zhiwu. He was so angry he started laughing.
Wait a minute—
*He* was the one who got hit! That slap landed squarely on *his* face!
Jiang Ling only found out after she died that she was nothing more than a plot device character in a novel who was meant to die early.
Because of her death, her younger brother Jiang Shili became cruel and violent. After being rejected by the female lead, he drove off a cliff and died.
Jiang Ling was so angry she came back to life. Opening her eyes, she saw Jiang Shili standing in front of her with his hands in his pockets, looking incredibly arrogant.
After six years apart, his first words to her were:
“Who sent you? Cheap imposter!”
Jiang Ling: “…”
That day, people saw Jiang Shili, the notorious bully of Yuncheng High School, being chased and beaten by a small girl: “You little bastard! Say that to your sister again and see what happens!”
Faced with this woman who had barged into his life claiming to be his sister, Jiang Shili felt annoyed, disdainful, and resisted fiercely.
He went on hunger strike, but Jiang Ling remained unmoved. Instead, she ordered a table full of fried chicken, barbecue, and crayfish right in front of him, eating it with great relish.
He skipped class to go to internet cafes, but Jiang Ling sat at the computer next to him, playing games even more intensely than he did.
He dyed his hair in crazy colors, but Jiang Ling calmly took a photo and hung the ugly close-up right in the center of the living room wall.
After countless failed attempts, Jiang Shili went from anger to despair, finally forced to accept reality—
This woman… really was his big sister?
As soon as this thought took hold, Jiang Shili’s eyes instantly turned red.
He had always thought he was a curse that killed his parents and sister, destined to rot alone in the gutter.
He never expected that this light, which he thought had been extinguished forever, would shine back into his life.
Gu Xubai and Jiang Ling were former classmates.
Back in school, Jiang Ling had set her sights on the school grass’s good looks (not really) and sweet-talked him into dating her.
Deep in autumn, the wind was cool, and the courtyard was quiet.
Jiang Ling looked up casually and saw a man standing in the shadows under the steps.
He had an air of noble distance between his brows, dressed entirely in black, as if he had come to attend a solemn funeral.
Those deep, bottomless eyes seemed tangible, fixed unwaveringly on Jiang Ling’s face.
Jiang Ling’s heart skipped a beat.
Wasn’t this… the boyfriend she had used every trick in the book to win over back then??