The atmosphere in the house was very awkward.
Jiang Baiwan squatted in front of the water pipe in the kitchen with her forehead covered, her head buried in her knees, trying to use her thoughts to make herself disappear, or to completely forget the embarrassing incident before.
Ji Chen’s nostrils were blocked with two balls of cotton and his handsome face had a conspicuous bruise. He was sitting on the bed, still wearing Jiang Baiwan’s T-shirt. Ji Chen looked bewildered, appearing to not have recovered from what just happened.
He didn’t know why Jiang Baiwan suddenly head butted him, not to mention, Jiang Baiwan’s head was quite hard…… Ji Chen reached out and tentatively touched the bruise on his forehead, and couldn’t help but draw a cold breath again.
Jiang Baiwan trembled all over when she heard his movements. Eventually, she cautiously poked her head out. She looked at Ji Chen who was sitting on the side and asked while stammering, “That…… You…… Are you all right? Do you have a concussion?”
“……I’m fine.” Ji Chen replied coldly with two words and closed his mouth. His current mood wasn’t great right now.
Jiang Baiwan was still very embarrassed. She jumped up in a hurry. “I-I-I-I will boil an egg for you! J-just roll it around a bit!” After saying that, Jiang Baiwan rushed out of the house—— If she continued to stay under the same roof with Ji Chen, she would definitely die of embarrassment.
Tan Mi was sitting in the porch, quietly enjoying her own peaceful time, when she saw Jiang Baiwan from next door suddenly rushed out, her face was full of panic as if the house was on fire.
Jiang Baiwan ran directly in front of Tan Mi, and because she was running too fast, she couldn’t stop in time and knelt down on the edge of Tan Mi’s recliner due to momentum. She used the chair to stabilize herself, making Tan Mi unable to pretend to be calm.
“What now?” Tan Mi sighed. She could only straighten her waist and adjust her sitting posture slightly. “Your appearance makes me feel like I’m Huang Shiren[1].”
Jiang Baiwan simply grabbed Tan Mi’s hand and shamelessly said, “Promise me first, otherwise I won’t get up.”
So serious? Tan Mi’s expression also became more serious. “What happened? Tell me.”
Jiang Baiwan flashed a smile at the big beauty Tan Mi, then she lowered her voice and said, “I need an egg, a raw one.”
Tan Mi immediately lay back. If she wasn’t concerned about her image in front of the camera, she would have rolled her eyes. “Isn’t it just an egg? Go get it yourself. You know where the kitchen is.”
Jiang Baiwan’s tone was very heavy just now. She thought something terrible had happened. It turned out that it was just for an egg. Why would she bow down for the sake of five pecks of rice[2]?
Jiang Baiwan got Tan Mi’s consent and immediately ran into the kitchen with a smile, took out a raw egg, and headed for her own home. Looking at her back, Tan Mi was a little curious, so she asked, “What do you need an egg for?”
Jiang Baiwan didn’t look back, but waved her hand. “It’s not for me, but Ji Chen. He’s injured.”
……Ji Chen’s injured?
Tan Mi narrowed her eyes, thinking of the stoic President Ji, she was still a bit unreconciled—— Such a man treated her bluntly, but behaved differently when facing Jiang Baiwan. Although the difference was very subtle, Tan Mi still felt it.
Unlike Jiang Baiwan, who’s clever on the outside and honest on the inside, Tan Mi was naturally shrewd and selfish. She would think of herself first in all her decisions, that’s why when she saw Ji Chen, she didn’t hesitate to take action. It’s just that Ji Chen remained unmoved, just like a rock.
But thinking of the Haochen Group behind Ji Chen, Tan Mi couldn’t help grinding her teeth—— Forget it, she’ll try one last time.
Jiang Baiwan didn’t know what was going on in Tan Mi’s mind at all. She took the egg back and without delaying for a moment, went straight to boiling it for Ji Chen. Looking at Jiang Baiwan’s busy appearance, Ji Chen’s inner unhappiness dissipated a bit—— It was true that he had been abrupt just now, so Jiang Baiwan couldn’t be blamed entirely.
However, his reaction towards Jiang Baiwan…… Ji Chen’s eyes moved slightly. He couldn’t explain the feeling in his heart, approaching Jiang Baiwan was indeed intentional…… but looking into her eyes at such a close distance, Ji Chen’s heart beat disorderly.
She’s indeed cute.
“Ji Chen?” Just when Ji Chen was lost in thought, a woman’s voice suddenly came from the door, it was none other than Tan Mi.
Tan Mi originally came with her most charming smile, but the moment she entered the door and saw Ji Chen, even though Tan Mi’s heart was stable, her smile couldn’t help but froze—— What was Ji Chen wearing? Magical Girl Xiao Fang?
“What is it?” However, Ji Chen sat there with a straight face, as if everything was normal.
Tan Mi didn’t have much to say, so she quickly widened her smile again, her eyebrows were curved, looking charming and playful. “I just heard from Xiao Wan that you’re injured so I came to take a look.”
Ji Chen was a little bit annoyed by Tan Mi. However, his upbringing prevented him from showing it, only his tone was a bit cold, “It’s nothing. You’ve troubled.”
These words were blunt and not gentlemanly, but Tan Mi didn’t seem to notice Ji Che’s indifference at all. She walked up to Ji Chen with a smile and sat on the small chair. “I’m just here to bring you some medicine. I know that Xiao Wan’s conditions aren’t very good here, so if you have anything you feel you need, you can come to me anytime.”
Tan Mi sat in a very clever position. Whether intentionally or not, she was within the limit of Ji Chen’s acceptable range, and her posture was also very correct, but there was a certain kind of a sensual scent coming from her body. If the person sitting there was an ordinary man, he would have knelt under Tan Mi’s pomegranate skirt long ago.
It’s just that Ji Chen had never been an ordinary man.
He glanced at Tan Mi and said in a faint voice, “Miss Tan, that chair……”
Tan Mi’s face immediately changed when she heard the word ‘chair’. She jumped to her feet, fearing that she would accidentally fall over again.
“……belongs to Xiao Wan.” The corners of Ji Chen’s mouth hooked up and his black eyes were full of sarcasm as he looked at Tan Mi’s burning face.
Tan Mi understood in her heart that Ji Chen probably really doesn’t like her.
She gritted her teeth but the smile on her face remained undiminished, and at the same time, she handed the medicines in her hand to Ji Chen. “Okay, I’ll bring my own chair when I come back next time.”
Two smart people exchanged blows with just two sentences. Tan Mi conceded and Ji Chen was satisfied.
“Here it is, here it is! The egg is ready.” At this moment, Jiang Baiwan just finished cooking the egg. Because it was too hot, she passed the egg back and forth in both hands as she ran out of the kitchen excitedly. That was when she saw Tan Mi.
Jiang Baiwan’s footsteps paused. “Tan Mi? Why are you here?”
“Didn’t you just say that President Ji is injured? I thought you can’t just use egg, so I brought some medicine.” Tan Mi took the opportunity to walk to Jiang Baiwan’s side and intimately held her arm while she passing the things in her hands. “Take it. It’s been hot these two days so I’ve also brought you some mosquito repellent as well.”
Jiang Baiwan brushed aside the slightest bit of discomfort in her heart and took the medicine from Tan Mi. “Thank you! Would you like to sit down for a while?”
“No need, I just came to deliver medicine.” Tan Mi’s eyes flicked across the silent Ji Chen, blinked, then suddenly smiled. She approached Jiang Baiwan’s cheek and kissed her lightly. “Xiao Wan is so cute.”
Jiang Baiwan was caught off guard by gaining the favor of the great beauty and froze in place, while Tan Mi smiled provocatively at Ji Chen, then walked away alluringly.
The bullet screen naturally exploded again. The audience looked at the scene in front of them with great excitement.
【What kind of interesting battle field is this? Ahahahahahaha.】
【Did you guys see that last look Tan Mi just gave? It’s full of malice, I like it.】
【Baiwan: Who am I? Where am i? What happened?】
Jiang Baiwan was so dazed that she didn’t recover until Tan Mi left the room. Pointing to her nose, she asked Ji Chen stupidly, “Tan Mi…… Why did Tan Mi kissed me?”
Ji Chen had a sullen face and ignored her question. “If you don’t come over, the egg will get cold.”
“What egg? Didn’t Tan Mi just deliver medicine?” Jiang Baiwan glanced at the egg in her hand and planned to put it on the table on the side to free up her hands, but Ji Chen stopped her.
“Use the egg.” Ji Chen raised his eyes and looked at Jiang Baiwan with his bruised handsome face. Jiang Baiwan felt guilty. “Rub the bruise away first.”
Jiang Baiwan’s lips twitched. In the end, it was her who was wrong so she peeled the egg honestly. She handed it to Ji Chen afterwards, but she didn’t expect Ji Chen to close his eyes and raised his head, his gesture quite plain—— You do it.
Reaching for a yard after taking an inch! Jiang Baiwan thought indignantly while kneading Ji Chen’s wound with the egg.
The house once again returned to calmness. Ji Chen’s eyes were closed and his sense of touch was immensely amplified. He could feel Jiang Baiwan’s cold fingers and the warm egg rubbing back and forth his forehead. Ji Chen was in a bit of a trance for a while and his breathing gradually smoothed out.
However, Jiang Baiwan’s one sentence irritated him.
Jiang Baiwan looked at Ji Chen’s forehead and suddenly snorted. “Say, do you think Tan Mi fell in love with me? Otherwise, why did she just kiss me?”
Ji Chen opened his eyes with a swish. He frowned while staring at Jiang Baiwan, not speaking.
However, Jiang Baiwan didn’t notice that Ji Chen’s mood suddenly became unpleasant, she was still saying, “Tan Mi is really pretty. I’m willing to do anything for her!”
Ji Chen thought of the look that Tan Mi gave him before leaving, and adding Jiang Baiwan’s words, he felt like he had to do something.
“Tan Mi won’t like you.” Ji Chen said slowly. “She was just trying to annoy me.”
As a result, Jiang Baiwan naturally gave him a sympathetic look.
Jiang Baiwan sighed. “President Ji, you’re a nice person, but you’re a little narcissistic.”
Ji Chen: “……”
———
In the house next door, Shui Lan’er listened to the sound of Jiang Baiwan’s laughter, feeling as if a knife was twisting her heart.
Looking at the chicken in the pot, she couldn’t help sobbing, but she held it back in the end. She bit her lip and looked pale. Thinking of Jiang Baiwan’s appearance just now and hearing Jiang Baiwan’s faint laughter, she felt that Jiang Baiwan must be laughing at her behind her back again.
Let it be, let it be. This kind of thing has happened so many times, what does this count for?
Shui Lan’er was teary-eyed and she sniffed. Actually, she was still a little sad in her heart, after all, she had really thought of fixing things with Xiao Wan, but Xiao Wan seemed like…… she didn’t share the same idea.
It’s okay. What Shui Lan’er was least afraid of was these blows. No matter what difficulties or setbacks, she had Yunhan with her.
Thinking of Chu Yunhan, Shui Lan’er revealed a bright smile—— When the cameras were turned off at night, she must give Yunhan a call!
Jiang Baiwan was administering medicine to Ji Chen when she suddenly felt a chill as if someone was thinking of her. Her body couldn’t help shivering, causing Ji Chen to ask, “What’s wrong?”
“……It’s nothing.” Jiang Baiwan shook her head and brought her attention back to what she was doing. “By the way, I won’t sleep here with you tonight. It’s not good for your image. I know, you presidents hate the most when women casually glued themselves to you.”
With that, Jiang Baiwan raised her chin theatrically. “I’ll give you five million, hurry up and leave.”
Ji Chen frowned, watching Jiang Baiwan perform. “I’m not Chu Yunhan.”
“……That’s inconvenient.” Jiang Baiwan thought of the couple with brain damage and also felt a bit of a headache. “I’ll go sleep at Tan Mi’s place so you can just stay here by yourself.”
“No.” Ji Chen stood up and gently grasp Jiang Baiwan’s wrist, stopping her from continuing to apply medicine to him. “I’m going out to stay somewhere else. Don’t go to Tan Mi’s place.”
Jiang Baiwan’s face was inexplicably hot and a bit embarrassed. “This……”
“Okay, it’s decided.” Ji Chen gave a light laugh. “But I still want to eat dinner.”
Jiang Baiwan nodded haphazardly and at the same time disdained Ji Chen in her heart for being so shameless for using honey trap.
———
After night fell, Shui Lan’er called Chu Yunhan. Once the call was connected, before Shui Lan’er had time to speak, tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking the pillow in a short while.
Chu Yunhan heard Shui Lan’ers sobbed on the other end of the phone and immediately became anxious. “Lan’er? What happened to you, Lan’er? Tell me if there’s anything that’s making you unhappy and I will clear all the obstacles for you.”
“Yunhan, my heart hurts.” Shui Lan’er said with a strong nasal voice, her brows full of sadness. “I don’t know why Xiao Wan treats me like this. I’ve already showed all of my goodwill to her, why can’t she be more forgiving? I just want to be friends with her, not enemies, but Xiao Wan, she……”
Chu Yunhan heard Jiang Baiwan’s name again and thinking of how Jiang Baiwan embarrassed him in public when he was leaving, the old and new hatred suddenly merged together. His tone was gentle, but his eyes were very cold, “Lan’er, don’t worry, Jiang Baiwan won’t cause any more trouble.”
“Yunhan, what are you going to do?” Shui Lan’er keenly perceived the change in Chu Yunhan’s emotion. “You mustn’t do anything stupid for me. Although Xiao Wan has a bad attitude towards me, she’s changed a lot compared to before. We should also learn to be more forgiving, right?”
But Chu Yunhan interrupted Shui Lan’er. “No, Lan’er, haven’t you found out yet? She’s a ruthless woman and has never repented. She’s bullying you by pretending to be insane. You can’t be deceived by her.”
Shui Lan’er was a little speechless and Chu Yunhan took the opportunity to teach her earnestly, “Lan’er, your social experience is still too little. There will be many more duplicitous people like Jiang Baiwan in the future. You must learn to harden your heart.”
After sayting that, Chu Yunhan smiled again. “But I also like Lan’ers purity. Forget it, let me take care of these things, you don’t have to worry too much. It’s getting late, go to bed early. Good night.” With that, Chu Yunhan hung up the phone.
Shui Lan’er wanted to say something else but it was too late. Listening to the busy tone from the phone, she hesitated for a long time before finally putting it down.
The night passed quietly like this, and soon the next day arrived. It was time for Ji Chen and Li Huacheng to leave. Li Huacheng got up early, so he went directly to the car and waited for Ji Chen to appear.
Originally, Li Huacheng was still a little sleepy because he didn’t get to rest enough, but when Ji Chen appeared, Li Huacheng woke up instantly. Not only was he instantly awake, his eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets.
“……Ji Chen?” Li Huacheng’s voice was a bit uncertain. “What are you wearing?”
Ji Chen glanced at him coldly. “Can’t you see? This is the limited edition t-shirt of Magical Girl Xiao Fang.”
Of course I can see it, but this indoor t-shirt looks strange on you! Li Huacheng’s heart was screaming and his expression was horrified. “Whose shirt is this? You aren’t bewitched with black magic, right? What happened to your forehead?”
It’s just one day, how come Ji Chen was like a different person?
Ji Chen simply ignored Li Huacheng. Looking over the actor’s shoulder, he saw Jiang Baiwan who was coming this way. Ji Chen muttered under his breath to Li Huacheng, “Get out of the way.”
Li Huacheng stepped aside in a daze and saw Jiang Baiwan running all the way to Ji Chen like a bird released out of the cage. Ji Chen, who was dressed in a t-shirt, had a soft expression, while Jiang Baiwan put the things in her hands into his. “I made you breakfast. Take it with you to eat on the way.”
“Thank you.” Ji Chen took it. “I’m leaving. Will you miss me?”
Jiang Baiwan smiled. “Yes, I will.” Before Ji Chen could be happy, Jiang Baiwan continued, “I will miss Movie King Li too. We’re all friends after all.”
Friends? Ji Chen raised his brows, but did not refute Jiang Baiwan’s words.
Jiang Baiwan breathed a sigh of relief—— She had a carefree personality, but Jiang Baiwan could still feel the subtle tension between Ji Chen and her. She really couldn’t handle such a man. It’s safer to be friends.
However, in the next second, Ji Chen gave her a surprise……
The man stretched out his hands and gave Jiang Baiwan, who was caught off guard, a firm hug. Jiang Baiwan stiffened in an instant. Ji Chen leaned close to her ear and in a voice so light that only Jiang Baiwan could hear, he said, “I regret it a bit.”
After that, Ji Chen let go of Jiang Baiwan and got into the car leisurely. Only Jiang Baiwan was left standing there alone with the wind, a whole mess.
What regret? What a bit? Was Ji Chen speaking human language just now? Why does it seem incomprehensible to her?
Tan Mi stood to the side and watched Ji Chen hugged Jiang Baiwan alone, confirming her own conjecture. She couldn’t help but secretly sigh, and at the same time, she was a little jealous of Jiang Baiwan’s sh*t luck.
“Come back to your senses.” Tan Mi patted Jiang Baiwan’s shoulder lightly. “President Ji has already left, there’s no use staring.”
Jiang Baiwan turned around with tears in her eyes and grabbed Tan Mi’s hand. “Tan Mi! I lost big!”
“My clothes! The Magical Girl Xiao Fang shirt! It’s limited edition! Ji Chen took it away!”
Tan Mi: “……”
She mercilessly shook off Jiang Baiwan’s hand and walked back.
———
Since the variety show 《Ordinary Life》 began, it has been gaining attention. The unique live broadcast format and the guests whose identities were different from ordinary traffic stars all attracted people’s notice. In addition, the content was fresh and authentic, so the click rate has remained high.
Now this live variety show has come to an end, but what’s surprising was that the most interesting person in the whole show wasn’t the sexy actress Tan Mi, nor the new actress Shui Lan’er, but an amateur with no representative work, Jiang Baiwan.
This former rich second-generation lady has been very eye-catching since she first appeared, whether it was pulling up while riding an electric bike or uprooting a tree wearing an indoor shirt, she revealed a vibe from head to toe that was very familiar to the public—— Wasn’t this their own life?
What rich second generation? Even if her family went bankrupt, wasn’t Jiang Baiwan too skilled? Not to mention all kinds of Jiang Baiwan’s eye-popping operations which made people laugh and feel that this girl was sincere and cute.
Thus, Jiang Baiwan became popular beyond everyone’s expectations. Although she hadn’t debuted yet, she had a huge fan base in a short period of time, just like a rising star. Until the end of this variety show, online discussions about Jiang Baiwan remained high.
Only gradually, some discordant voices began to be mixed with such favorable comments.
【Jiang Baiwan don’t deserve such reputation, okay? Not when she’d been so arrogant when she was in school.】
【That is, you believe in variety shows? A woman acting like a total lunatic and a bunch of fools who was deceived by her!】
【Jiang Baiwan, this woman, is deliberately seducing Ji Chen even in the show. Really disgusting.】
At first, these comments were still manageable and Jiang Baiwan’s fans would also fight back, but gradually, the situation began to get out of control. All kinds of black materials about Jiang Baiwan, both true and false, appeared on the Internet. Numerous rumors about her spread all over various social media sites overnight and there were even gossip tabloids that dug into Jiang Baiwan’s family situation, and started recounting the truth about her family’s bankruptcy.
People tend to be easily influenced, and those who know Jiang Baiwan couldn’t help being dubious after reading these black materials, while those who don’t know her feel extremely tired of her being on the hot search every day. All of a sudden, Jiang Baiwan’s popularity declined rapidly like a snowy mountain collapsing, and her reputation has mixed reception.
Han Ling was able to help Jiang Baiwan control the situation before, but it only intensified later on. It was obvious that someone was manipulating the direction of the rumors behind the scenes, but Han Ling was rather powerless.
He knew that Jiang Baiwan should have arrived home after recording the show today, so Han Ling wasted no time and called Jiang Baiwan directly.
“Hello?” On the other end of the phone, Jiang Baiwan’s voice still sounded very relaxed. “What’s the matter, Han Ling? Haven’t we already settled all the accounts? Is there a new show for me?”
Han Ling sneered.”New show? You— Go online first.”
Jiang Baiwan was confused by his words. “What? What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t you check Weibo?” Han Ling angrily knocked on the table. “Hurry up and have a look online, someone is deliberately smearing you. You don’t even know how dark your reputation is now.”
Jiang Baiwan was stunned. “Smear me? What good will it does to smear me?” Saying so, she turned on the computer and started searching for news about herself.
Han Ling sensed Jiang Baiwan’s silence and continued, “This is definitely organized behind the scenes. It’s just that I can’t help you anymore. Your current popularity is just right and the company originally wanted to take this opportunity to have you debut and start filming TV dramas, but it probably won’t work now……”
“Oh, then I won’t shoot.” Jiang Baiwan leaned back lazily on the chair, not bothered at all. “Rest assured, I’ll completely obey the company’s instructions. If they tell me to go east, I will never go west. Alas, it’s best to bury me. I don’t mind.”
Han Ling thought Jiang Baiwan had gone crazy. “……You don’t mind if you got buried?”
“I don’t mind, I don’t mind, I don’t mind at all.” Jiang Baiwan yawned. She really didn’t take the whole smear campaign to heart. “Don’t worry. I have 8 million in hand and I still have rent to take every month, so I don’t have to worry about food and drink for the rest of my life. It’s not that important whether I make a debut or not.”
“……But you have no idea of the horror of the internet. Gossip can kill people, you know?!” Han Ling sighed. “What about your usual meals? What will you do if you want to go out? Will you just isolate yourself from the world?”
Han Ling’s intention was to frighten Jiang Baiwan to make her realize reality, but who knew that Jiang Baiwan would instead remain happy? Han Ling could hear the sound of Jiang Baiwan patting her chest through the phone. “It’s okay! I don’t have a lot of skills but I can stay at home! I guarantee that I can stay indoors for a month! At most, I’ll have to go downstairs to throw out the trash.”
Han Ling: “……”
He hung up the phone neatly, no longer wasting his breath with Jiang Baiwan. Since the person involved doesn’t care, why should he continue to meddle in this matter? He had already done his best.
Soon, the document burying Jiang Baiwan was passed down. The most indispensable thing in the entertainment industry was beauties. Jiang Baiwan had become popular because of a variety show. It’s a pity to be hidden at this juncture, but it won’t cause any loss.
Meanwhile, the rumors about Jiang Baiwan on the Internet have become increasingly intense. At this time, a gossip tabloid released shocking news—— It turned out that Ji Chen and Jiang Baiwan were once engaged! But during the two’s engagement, Jiang Baiwan made various actions that Ji Chen couldn’t bear, so he broke off the engagement with Jiang Baiwan.
This could be describe as one stone stirring up thousand ripples, and the gossip tabloid not only wrote about this, but even deliberately distorted the interaction between Jiang Baiwan and Ji Chen during the show, staining all of Jiang Baiwan’s actions. In an instant, #JiangBaiwanActLikeAPerson# became trending, and there were even some extreme people who wanted to uncover Jiang Baiwan’s personal information and address, hoping to find her.
On this day, Ji Chen managed to finish all the things that had been delayed due to his participation in the recording of the variety show. When he handed over the documents to Assistant Xu, he found that Assistant Xu’s face looked uneasy.
“What’s the matter?” Ji Chen was in a good mood, so he casually asked. As a result, Assistant Xu’s expression in front of him became even more difficult. He hesitated for a moment, but still said to Ji Chen, “President Ji, there have been…… some rumors about Miss Jiang and you on the Internet recently. Do you want to deal with them?”
Jiang Baiwan?
The movements of Ji Chen’s hands paused and he raised his eyes to look at Assistant Xu, “What rumors?”
As it was about the boss’s private affairs, Assistant Xu didn’t say much. He directly used the tablet to transfer all the news of the past few days, so that Ji Chen could look slowly. Sitting on a chair, Ji Chen read the news online. There was no obvious change in his expression, but the aura surrounding him was getting colder and colder.
“……These are all from the fast few days?” After Ji Chen finished reading, he was silent for a long time before asking.
Assistant Xu immediately said, “It started when the variety show was about to end. It was only on a small scale before, but now it has suddenly spread all over the Internet. Someone must be pushing it from behind.”
Ji Chen nodded. “Go and find out what’s going on.”
Assistant Xu accepted the order. Before leaving, Assistant Xu hesitated for a moment and said to him, “President Ji, Miss Jiang has recently endured so many rumors and slanders. Do you think…… we should check Miss Jiang’s current situation?”
Ji Chen’s heart jolted. He subconsciously went to get his phone, but he controlled his movements with reason. “All right, I’ll deal with it. You go out.”
Assistant Xu went out respectfully while silently praising himself in his heart, keeping quiet about his achievements.
Waiting for Assistant Xu to close the door, Ji Chen grabbed the phone without hesitation and pressed on Jiang Baiwan’s number.
How had she been doing these past days? Was she sad or angry? Or have she been too scared to go out because of the attacks on the Internet? Ji Chen’s heart was in chaos. Hearing the sound of the call getting connected, Ji Chen asked ahead, “Jiang Baiwan, where are you right now?”
Jiang Baiwan was lying on the sofa with potato chips in her mouth and the mobile phone in her hand. When Ji Chen asked such an abrupt question, she was a little confused for a while. She subconsciously replied, “I…… I’m at home?”
Hearing Jiang Baiwan’s voice, Ji Chen felt that she didn’t seem to be depressed as he imagined so he slightly relaxed. “What are you doing at home?”
“Playing games! Do you know Zelda?!” Jiang Baiwan was having a good time and regardless of who’s on the other side, she just laughed and said, “This game is really fun. Selling at this price is really a loss!”
Hearing Jiang Baiwan’s laughter, Ji Chen couldn’t help but put a smile on his face. Looking at the blue sky outside the window, he jokingly asked, “Do you know who I am?”
Jiang Baiwan was stunned. She looked at the phone screen and saw that the name inputted was ‘Dear’. Her scalp suddenly became numb, thinking that it must be one of the other Jiang Baiwan’s exes. She subconsciously pretended to be dumb and tried to escape. “Selling insurance, right? Don’t worry, I won’t hang up so you can complete your quota.”
Ji Chen: “……”
His tone became somewhat dangerous, “I’m Ji Chen.”
Jiang Baiwan: “……” It’s over. I still haven’t been able to muddle through. This is scarier than an ex, this is the biggest creditor! Aaaah!
During this time while staying at home, it’s not like Jiang Baiwan hadn’t read any of the explosive news online, so she naturally knew what the relationship between her and Ji Chen was. Jiang Baiwan finally remembered why she always thought Ji Chen’s name was very familiar but couldn’t place it.
It was because Ji Chen was just a background character, he hardly appeared in the whole text, but even if he does, he was basically referred to as ‘Jiang Baiwan’s fiancé’, his name rarely mentioned.
It’s strange if Jiang Baiwan who only swept a look at the book, could remember it! If it weren’t for that gossip tabloid, Jiang Baiwan would have already gone in the direction of incest.
“Hi, President Ji. You’ve worked hard.” Jiang Baiwan sat up straight in an instant and her whole person entered a state of alert. “President Ji has a busy schedule, it’s really a great honor for you to make time and call me.”
Ji Chen: “Talk properly.”
“……Are you calling me for something?” Jiang Baiwan quickly shrank.
Ji Chen hummed. “Are you free tomorrow?”
Jiang Baiwan really wanted to say that she wasn’t free, but she didn’t have the guts to do so. “I’m free, I’m free, I’ve been free lately!”
“All right. I’ll pick you up tomorrow night for dinner.” Ji Chen finalized, not giving Jiang Baiwan a chance to refuse. “Wait for my call.”
After saying that, Ji Chen hung up, leaving Jiang Baiwan, who was sitting on the sofa alone, clutched her phone feeling like she wanted to cry.
……Was it too late for her to escape overnight?
Thinking of the things she did to Ji Chen in the show, Jiang Baiwan only felt that tomorrow should be her last day in this world.
References
| ↑1 | the villain from the Chinese opera 《The White Haired Girl》; The landlord who forced Yang Bailao to sell Xier to repay debts |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | to sacrifice one’s ideals in order to make a living |
The atmosphere in the house was very awkward.
Jiang Baiwan squatted in front of the water pipe in the kitchen with her forehead covered, her head buried in her knees, trying to use her thoughts to make herself disappear, or to completely forget the embarrassing incident before.
Ji Chen’s nostrils were blocked with two balls of cotton and his handsome face had a conspicuous bruise. He was sitting on the bed, still wearing Jiang Baiwan’s T-shirt. Ji Chen looked bewildered, appearing to not have recovered from what just happened.
He didn’t know why Jiang Baiwan suddenly head butted him, not to mention, Jiang Baiwan’s head was quite hard…… Ji Chen reached out and tentatively touched the bruise on his forehead, and couldn’t help but draw a cold breath again.
Jiang Baiwan trembled all over when she heard his movements. Eventually, she cautiously poked her head out. She looked at Ji Chen who was sitting on the side and asked while stammering, “That…… You…… Are you all right? Do you have a concussion?”
“……I’m fine.” Ji Chen replied coldly with two words and closed his mouth. His current mood wasn’t great right now.
Jiang Baiwan was still very embarrassed. She jumped up in a hurry. “I-I-I-I will boil an egg for you! J-just roll it around a bit!” After saying that, Jiang Baiwan rushed out of the house—— If she continued to stay under the same roof with Ji Chen, she would definitely die of embarrassment.
Tan Mi was sitting in the porch, quietly enjoying her own peaceful time, when she saw Jiang Baiwan from next door suddenly rushed out, her face was full of panic as if the house was on fire.
Jiang Baiwan ran directly in front of Tan Mi, and because she was running too fast, she couldn’t stop in time and knelt down on the edge of Tan Mi’s recliner due to momentum. She used the chair to stabilize herself, making Tan Mi unable to pretend to be calm.
“What now?” Tan Mi sighed. She could only straighten her waist and adjust her sitting posture slightly. “Your appearance makes me feel like I’m Huang Shiren[1].”
Jiang Baiwan simply grabbed Tan Mi’s hand and shamelessly said, “Promise me first, otherwise I won’t get up.”
So serious? Tan Mi’s expression also became more serious. “What happened? Tell me.”
Jiang Baiwan flashed a smile at the big beauty Tan Mi, then she lowered her voice and said, “I need an egg, a raw one.”
Tan Mi immediately lay back. If she wasn’t concerned about her image in front of the camera, she would have rolled her eyes. “Isn’t it just an egg? Go get it yourself. You know where the kitchen is.”
Jiang Baiwan’s tone was very heavy just now. She thought something terrible had happened. It turned out that it was just for an egg. Why would she bow down for the sake of five pecks of rice[2]?
Jiang Baiwan got Tan Mi’s consent and immediately ran into the kitchen with a smile, took out a raw egg, and headed for her own home. Looking at her back, Tan Mi was a little curious, so she asked, “What do you need an egg for?”
Jiang Baiwan didn’t look back, but waved her hand. “It’s not for me, but Ji Chen. He’s injured.”
……Ji Chen’s injured?
Tan Mi narrowed her eyes, thinking of the stoic President Ji, she was still a bit unreconciled—— Such a man treated her bluntly, but behaved differently when facing Jiang Baiwan. Although the difference was very subtle, Tan Mi still felt it.
Unlike Jiang Baiwan, who’s clever on the outside and honest on the inside, Tan Mi was naturally shrewd and selfish. She would think of herself first in all her decisions, that’s why when she saw Ji Chen, she didn’t hesitate to take action. It’s just that Ji Chen remained unmoved, just like a rock.
But thinking of the Haochen Group behind Ji Chen, Tan Mi couldn’t help grinding her teeth—— Forget it, she’ll try one last time.
Jiang Baiwan didn’t know what was going on in Tan Mi’s mind at all. She took the egg back and without delaying for a moment, went straight to boiling it for Ji Chen. Looking at Jiang Baiwan’s busy appearance, Ji Chen’s inner unhappiness dissipated a bit—— It was true that he had been abrupt just now, so Jiang Baiwan couldn’t be blamed entirely.
However, his reaction towards Jiang Baiwan…… Ji Chen’s eyes moved slightly. He couldn’t explain the feeling in his heart, approaching Jiang Baiwan was indeed intentional…… but looking into her eyes at such a close distance, Ji Chen’s heart beat disorderly.
She’s indeed cute.
“Ji Chen?” Just when Ji Chen was lost in thought, a woman’s voice suddenly came from the door, it was none other than Tan Mi.
Tan Mi originally came with her most charming smile, but the moment she entered the door and saw Ji Chen, even though Tan Mi’s heart was stable, her smile couldn’t help but froze—— What was Ji Chen wearing? Magical Girl Xiao Fang?
“What is it?” However, Ji Chen sat there with a straight face, as if everything was normal.
Tan Mi didn’t have much to say, so she quickly widened her smile again, her eyebrows were curved, looking charming and playful. “I just heard from Xiao Wan that you’re injured so I came to take a look.”
Ji Chen was a little bit annoyed by Tan Mi. However, his upbringing prevented him from showing it, only his tone was a bit cold, “It’s nothing. You’ve troubled.”
These words were blunt and not gentlemanly, but Tan Mi didn’t seem to notice Ji Che’s indifference at all. She walked up to Ji Chen with a smile and sat on the small chair. “I’m just here to bring you some medicine. I know that Xiao Wan’s conditions aren’t very good here, so if you have anything you feel you need, you can come to me anytime.”
Tan Mi sat in a very clever position. Whether intentionally or not, she was within the limit of Ji Chen’s acceptable range, and her posture was also very correct, but there was a certain kind of a sensual scent coming from her body. If the person sitting there was an ordinary man, he would have knelt under Tan Mi’s pomegranate skirt long ago.
It’s just that Ji Chen had never been an ordinary man.
He glanced at Tan Mi and said in a faint voice, “Miss Tan, that chair……”
Tan Mi’s face immediately changed when she heard the word ‘chair’. She jumped to her feet, fearing that she would accidentally fall over again.
“……belongs to Xiao Wan.” The corners of Ji Chen’s mouth hooked up and his black eyes were full of sarcasm as he looked at Tan Mi’s burning face.
Tan Mi understood in her heart that Ji Chen probably really doesn’t like her.
She gritted her teeth but the smile on her face remained undiminished, and at the same time, she handed the medicines in her hand to Ji Chen. “Okay, I’ll bring my own chair when I come back next time.”
Two smart people exchanged blows with just two sentences. Tan Mi conceded and Ji Chen was satisfied.
“Here it is, here it is! The egg is ready.” At this moment, Jiang Baiwan just finished cooking the egg. Because it was too hot, she passed the egg back and forth in both hands as she ran out of the kitchen excitedly. That was when she saw Tan Mi.
Jiang Baiwan’s footsteps paused. “Tan Mi? Why are you here?”
“Didn’t you just say that President Ji is injured? I thought you can’t just use egg, so I brought some medicine.” Tan Mi took the opportunity to walk to Jiang Baiwan’s side and intimately held her arm while she passing the things in her hands. “Take it. It’s been hot these two days so I’ve also brought you some mosquito repellent as well.”
Jiang Baiwan brushed aside the slightest bit of discomfort in her heart and took the medicine from Tan Mi. “Thank you! Would you like to sit down for a while?”
“No need, I just came to deliver medicine.” Tan Mi’s eyes flicked across the silent Ji Chen, blinked, then suddenly smiled. She approached Jiang Baiwan’s cheek and kissed her lightly. “Xiao Wan is so cute.”
Jiang Baiwan was caught off guard by gaining the favor of the great beauty and froze in place, while Tan Mi smiled provocatively at Ji Chen, then walked away alluringly.
The bullet screen naturally exploded again. The audience looked at the scene in front of them with great excitement.
【What kind of interesting battle field is this? Ahahahahahaha.】
【Did you guys see that last look Tan Mi just gave? It’s full of malice, I like it.】
【Baiwan: Who am I? Where am i? What happened?】
Jiang Baiwan was so dazed that she didn’t recover until Tan Mi left the room. Pointing to her nose, she asked Ji Chen stupidly, “Tan Mi…… Why did Tan Mi kissed me?”
Ji Chen had a sullen face and ignored her question. “If you don’t come over, the egg will get cold.”
“What egg? Didn’t Tan Mi just deliver medicine?” Jiang Baiwan glanced at the egg in her hand and planned to put it on the table on the side to free up her hands, but Ji Chen stopped her.
“Use the egg.” Ji Chen raised his eyes and looked at Jiang Baiwan with his bruised handsome face. Jiang Baiwan felt guilty. “Rub the bruise away first.”
Jiang Baiwan’s lips twitched. In the end, it was her who was wrong so she peeled the egg honestly. She handed it to Ji Chen afterwards, but she didn’t expect Ji Chen to close his eyes and raised his head, his gesture quite plain—— You do it.
Reaching for a yard after taking an inch! Jiang Baiwan thought indignantly while kneading Ji Chen’s wound with the egg.
The house once again returned to calmness. Ji Chen’s eyes were closed and his sense of touch was immensely amplified. He could feel Jiang Baiwan’s cold fingers and the warm egg rubbing back and forth his forehead. Ji Chen was in a bit of a trance for a while and his breathing gradually smoothed out.
However, Jiang Baiwan’s one sentence irritated him.
Jiang Baiwan looked at Ji Chen’s forehead and suddenly snorted. “Say, do you think Tan Mi fell in love with me? Otherwise, why did she just kiss me?”
Ji Chen opened his eyes with a swish. He frowned while staring at Jiang Baiwan, not speaking.
However, Jiang Baiwan didn’t notice that Ji Chen’s mood suddenly became unpleasant, she was still saying, “Tan Mi is really pretty. I’m willing to do anything for her!”
Ji Chen thought of the look that Tan Mi gave him before leaving, and adding Jiang Baiwan’s words, he felt like he had to do something.
“Tan Mi won’t like you.” Ji Chen said slowly. “She was just trying to annoy me.”
As a result, Jiang Baiwan naturally gave him a sympathetic look.
Jiang Baiwan sighed. “President Ji, you’re a nice person, but you’re a little narcissistic.”
Ji Chen: “……”
———
In the house next door, Shui Lan’er listened to the sound of Jiang Baiwan’s laughter, feeling as if a knife was twisting her heart.
Looking at the chicken in the pot, she couldn’t help sobbing, but she held it back in the end. She bit her lip and looked pale. Thinking of Jiang Baiwan’s appearance just now and hearing Jiang Baiwan’s faint laughter, she felt that Jiang Baiwan must be laughing at her behind her back again.
Let it be, let it be. This kind of thing has happened so many times, what does this count for?
Shui Lan’er was teary-eyed and she sniffed. Actually, she was still a little sad in her heart, after all, she had really thought of fixing things with Xiao Wan, but Xiao Wan seemed like…… she didn’t share the same idea.
It’s okay. What Shui Lan’er was least afraid of was these blows. No matter what difficulties or setbacks, she had Yunhan with her.
Thinking of Chu Yunhan, Shui Lan’er revealed a bright smile—— When the cameras were turned off at night, she must give Yunhan a call!
Jiang Baiwan was administering medicine to Ji Chen when she suddenly felt a chill as if someone was thinking of her. Her body couldn’t help shivering, causing Ji Chen to ask, “What’s wrong?”
“……It’s nothing.” Jiang Baiwan shook her head and brought her attention back to what she was doing. “By the way, I won’t sleep here with you tonight. It’s not good for your image. I know, you presidents hate the most when women casually glued themselves to you.”
With that, Jiang Baiwan raised her chin theatrically. “I’ll give you five million, hurry up and leave.”
Ji Chen frowned, watching Jiang Baiwan perform. “I’m not Chu Yunhan.”
“……That’s inconvenient.” Jiang Baiwan thought of the couple with brain damage and also felt a bit of a headache. “I’ll go sleep at Tan Mi’s place so you can just stay here by yourself.”
“No.” Ji Chen stood up and gently grasp Jiang Baiwan’s wrist, stopping her from continuing to apply medicine to him. “I’m going out to stay somewhere else. Don’t go to Tan Mi’s place.”
Jiang Baiwan’s face was inexplicably hot and a bit embarrassed. “This……”
“Okay, it’s decided.” Ji Chen gave a light laugh. “But I still want to eat dinner.”
Jiang Baiwan nodded haphazardly and at the same time disdained Ji Chen in her heart for being so shameless for using honey trap.
———
After night fell, Shui Lan’er called Chu Yunhan. Once the call was connected, before Shui Lan’er had time to speak, tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking the pillow in a short while.
Chu Yunhan heard Shui Lan’ers sobbed on the other end of the phone and immediately became anxious. “Lan’er? What happened to you, Lan’er? Tell me if there’s anything that’s making you unhappy and I will clear all the obstacles for you.”
“Yunhan, my heart hurts.” Shui Lan’er said with a strong nasal voice, her brows full of sadness. “I don’t know why Xiao Wan treats me like this. I’ve already showed all of my goodwill to her, why can’t she be more forgiving? I just want to be friends with her, not enemies, but Xiao Wan, she……”
Chu Yunhan heard Jiang Baiwan’s name again and thinking of how Jiang Baiwan embarrassed him in public when he was leaving, the old and new hatred suddenly merged together. His tone was gentle, but his eyes were very cold, “Lan’er, don’t worry, Jiang Baiwan won’t cause any more trouble.”
“Yunhan, what are you going to do?” Shui Lan’er keenly perceived the change in Chu Yunhan’s emotion. “You mustn’t do anything stupid for me. Although Xiao Wan has a bad attitude towards me, she’s changed a lot compared to before. We should also learn to be more forgiving, right?”
But Chu Yunhan interrupted Shui Lan’er. “No, Lan’er, haven’t you found out yet? She’s a ruthless woman and has never repented. She’s bullying you by pretending to be insane. You can’t be deceived by her.”
Shui Lan’er was a little speechless and Chu Yunhan took the opportunity to teach her earnestly, “Lan’er, your social experience is still too little. There will be many more duplicitous people like Jiang Baiwan in the future. You must learn to harden your heart.”
After sayting that, Chu Yunhan smiled again. “But I also like Lan’ers purity. Forget it, let me take care of these things, you don’t have to worry too much. It’s getting late, go to bed early. Good night.” With that, Chu Yunhan hung up the phone.
Shui Lan’er wanted to say something else but it was too late. Listening to the busy tone from the phone, she hesitated for a long time before finally putting it down.
The night passed quietly like this, and soon the next day arrived. It was time for Ji Chen and Li Huacheng to leave. Li Huacheng got up early, so he went directly to the car and waited for Ji Chen to appear.
Originally, Li Huacheng was still a little sleepy because he didn’t get to rest enough, but when Ji Chen appeared, Li Huacheng woke up instantly. Not only was he instantly awake, his eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets.
“……Ji Chen?” Li Huacheng’s voice was a bit uncertain. “What are you wearing?”
Ji Chen glanced at him coldly. “Can’t you see? This is the limited edition t-shirt of Magical Girl Xiao Fang.”
Of course I can see it, but this indoor t-shirt looks strange on you! Li Huacheng’s heart was screaming and his expression was horrified. “Whose shirt is this? You aren’t bewitched with black magic, right? What happened to your forehead?”
It’s just one day, how come Ji Chen was like a different person?
Ji Chen simply ignored Li Huacheng. Looking over the actor’s shoulder, he saw Jiang Baiwan who was coming this way. Ji Chen muttered under his breath to Li Huacheng, “Get out of the way.”
Li Huacheng stepped aside in a daze and saw Jiang Baiwan running all the way to Ji Chen like a bird released out of the cage. Ji Chen, who was dressed in a t-shirt, had a soft expression, while Jiang Baiwan put the things in her hands into his. “I made you breakfast. Take it with you to eat on the way.”
“Thank you.” Ji Chen took it. “I’m leaving. Will you miss me?”
Jiang Baiwan smiled. “Yes, I will.” Before Ji Chen could be happy, Jiang Baiwan continued, “I will miss Movie King Li too. We’re all friends after all.”
Friends? Ji Chen raised his brows, but did not refute Jiang Baiwan’s words.
Jiang Baiwan breathed a sigh of relief—— She had a carefree personality, but Jiang Baiwan could still feel the subtle tension between Ji Chen and her. She really couldn’t handle such a man. It’s safer to be friends.
However, in the next second, Ji Chen gave her a surprise……
The man stretched out his hands and gave Jiang Baiwan, who was caught off guard, a firm hug. Jiang Baiwan stiffened in an instant. Ji Chen leaned close to her ear and in a voice so light that only Jiang Baiwan could hear, he said, “I regret it a bit.”
After that, Ji Chen let go of Jiang Baiwan and got into the car leisurely. Only Jiang Baiwan was left standing there alone with the wind, a whole mess.
What regret? What a bit? Was Ji Chen speaking human language just now? Why does it seem incomprehensible to her?
Tan Mi stood to the side and watched Ji Chen hugged Jiang Baiwan alone, confirming her own conjecture. She couldn’t help but secretly sigh, and at the same time, she was a little jealous of Jiang Baiwan’s sh*t luck.
“Come back to your senses.” Tan Mi patted Jiang Baiwan’s shoulder lightly. “President Ji has already left, there’s no use staring.”
Jiang Baiwan turned around with tears in her eyes and grabbed Tan Mi’s hand. “Tan Mi! I lost big!”
“My clothes! The Magical Girl Xiao Fang shirt! It’s limited edition! Ji Chen took it away!”
Tan Mi: “……”
She mercilessly shook off Jiang Baiwan’s hand and walked back.
———
Since the variety show 《Ordinary Life》 began, it has been gaining attention. The unique live broadcast format and the guests whose identities were different from ordinary traffic stars all attracted people’s notice. In addition, the content was fresh and authentic, so the click rate has remained high.
Now this live variety show has come to an end, but what’s surprising was that the most interesting person in the whole show wasn’t the sexy actress Tan Mi, nor the new actress Shui Lan’er, but an amateur with no representative work, Jiang Baiwan.
This former rich second-generation lady has been very eye-catching since she first appeared, whether it was pulling up while riding an electric bike or uprooting a tree wearing an indoor shirt, she revealed a vibe from head to toe that was very familiar to the public—— Wasn’t this their own life?
What rich second generation? Even if her family went bankrupt, wasn’t Jiang Baiwan too skilled? Not to mention all kinds of Jiang Baiwan’s eye-popping operations which made people laugh and feel that this girl was sincere and cute.
Thus, Jiang Baiwan became popular beyond everyone’s expectations. Although she hadn’t debuted yet, she had a huge fan base in a short period of time, just like a rising star. Until the end of this variety show, online discussions about Jiang Baiwan remained high.
Only gradually, some discordant voices began to be mixed with such favorable comments.
【Jiang Baiwan don’t deserve such reputation, okay? Not when she’d been so arrogant when she was in school.】
【That is, you believe in variety shows? A woman acting like a total lunatic and a bunch of fools who was deceived by her!】
【Jiang Baiwan, this woman, is deliberately seducing Ji Chen even in the show. Really disgusting.】
At first, these comments were still manageable and Jiang Baiwan’s fans would also fight back, but gradually, the situation began to get out of control. All kinds of black materials about Jiang Baiwan, both true and false, appeared on the Internet. Numerous rumors about her spread all over various social media sites overnight and there were even gossip tabloids that dug into Jiang Baiwan’s family situation, and started recounting the truth about her family’s bankruptcy.
People tend to be easily influenced, and those who know Jiang Baiwan couldn’t help being dubious after reading these black materials, while those who don’t know her feel extremely tired of her being on the hot search every day. All of a sudden, Jiang Baiwan’s popularity declined rapidly like a snowy mountain collapsing, and her reputation has mixed reception.
Han Ling was able to help Jiang Baiwan control the situation before, but it only intensified later on. It was obvious that someone was manipulating the direction of the rumors behind the scenes, but Han Ling was rather powerless.
He knew that Jiang Baiwan should have arrived home after recording the show today, so Han Ling wasted no time and called Jiang Baiwan directly.
“Hello?” On the other end of the phone, Jiang Baiwan’s voice still sounded very relaxed. “What’s the matter, Han Ling? Haven’t we already settled all the accounts? Is there a new show for me?”
Han Ling sneered.”New show? You— Go online first.”
Jiang Baiwan was confused by his words. “What? What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t you check Weibo?” Han Ling angrily knocked on the table. “Hurry up and have a look online, someone is deliberately smearing you. You don’t even know how dark your reputation is now.”
Jiang Baiwan was stunned. “Smear me? What good will it does to smear me?” Saying so, she turned on the computer and started searching for news about herself.
Han Ling sensed Jiang Baiwan’s silence and continued, “This is definitely organized behind the scenes. It’s just that I can’t help you anymore. Your current popularity is just right and the company originally wanted to take this opportunity to have you debut and start filming TV dramas, but it probably won’t work now……”
“Oh, then I won’t shoot.” Jiang Baiwan leaned back lazily on the chair, not bothered at all. “Rest assured, I’ll completely obey the company’s instructions. If they tell me to go east, I will never go west. Alas, it’s best to bury me. I don’t mind.”
Han Ling thought Jiang Baiwan had gone crazy. “……You don’t mind if you got buried?”
“I don’t mind, I don’t mind, I don’t mind at all.” Jiang Baiwan yawned. She really didn’t take the whole smear campaign to heart. “Don’t worry. I have 8 million in hand and I still have rent to take every month, so I don’t have to worry about food and drink for the rest of my life. It’s not that important whether I make a debut or not.”
“……But you have no idea of the horror of the internet. Gossip can kill people, you know?!” Han Ling sighed. “What about your usual meals? What will you do if you want to go out? Will you just isolate yourself from the world?”
Han Ling’s intention was to frighten Jiang Baiwan to make her realize reality, but who knew that Jiang Baiwan would instead remain happy? Han Ling could hear the sound of Jiang Baiwan patting her chest through the phone. “It’s okay! I don’t have a lot of skills but I can stay at home! I guarantee that I can stay indoors for a month! At most, I’ll have to go downstairs to throw out the trash.”
Han Ling: “……”
He hung up the phone neatly, no longer wasting his breath with Jiang Baiwan. Since the person involved doesn’t care, why should he continue to meddle in this matter? He had already done his best.
Soon, the document burying Jiang Baiwan was passed down. The most indispensable thing in the entertainment industry was beauties. Jiang Baiwan had become popular because of a variety show. It’s a pity to be hidden at this juncture, but it won’t cause any loss.
Meanwhile, the rumors about Jiang Baiwan on the Internet have become increasingly intense. At this time, a gossip tabloid released shocking news—— It turned out that Ji Chen and Jiang Baiwan were once engaged! But during the two’s engagement, Jiang Baiwan made various actions that Ji Chen couldn’t bear, so he broke off the engagement with Jiang Baiwan.
This could be describe as one stone stirring up thousand ripples, and the gossip tabloid not only wrote about this, but even deliberately distorted the interaction between Jiang Baiwan and Ji Chen during the show, staining all of Jiang Baiwan’s actions. In an instant, #JiangBaiwanActLikeAPerson# became trending, and there were even some extreme people who wanted to uncover Jiang Baiwan’s personal information and address, hoping to find her.
On this day, Ji Chen managed to finish all the things that had been delayed due to his participation in the recording of the variety show. When he handed over the documents to Assistant Xu, he found that Assistant Xu’s face looked uneasy.
“What’s the matter?” Ji Chen was in a good mood, so he casually asked. As a result, Assistant Xu’s expression in front of him became even more difficult. He hesitated for a moment, but still said to Ji Chen, “President Ji, there have been…… some rumors about Miss Jiang and you on the Internet recently. Do you want to deal with them?”
Jiang Baiwan?
The movements of Ji Chen’s hands paused and he raised his eyes to look at Assistant Xu, “What rumors?”
As it was about the boss’s private affairs, Assistant Xu didn’t say much. He directly used the tablet to transfer all the news of the past few days, so that Ji Chen could look slowly. Sitting on a chair, Ji Chen read the news online. There was no obvious change in his expression, but the aura surrounding him was getting colder and colder.
“……These are all from the fast few days?” After Ji Chen finished reading, he was silent for a long time before asking.
Assistant Xu immediately said, “It started when the variety show was about to end. It was only on a small scale before, but now it has suddenly spread all over the Internet. Someone must be pushing it from behind.”
Ji Chen nodded. “Go and find out what’s going on.”
Assistant Xu accepted the order. Before leaving, Assistant Xu hesitated for a moment and said to him, “President Ji, Miss Jiang has recently endured so many rumors and slanders. Do you think…… we should check Miss Jiang’s current situation?”
Ji Chen’s heart jolted. He subconsciously went to get his phone, but he controlled his movements with reason. “All right, I’ll deal with it. You go out.”
Assistant Xu went out respectfully while silently praising himself in his heart, keeping quiet about his achievements.
Waiting for Assistant Xu to close the door, Ji Chen grabbed the phone without hesitation and pressed on Jiang Baiwan’s number.
How had she been doing these past days? Was she sad or angry? Or have she been too scared to go out because of the attacks on the Internet? Ji Chen’s heart was in chaos. Hearing the sound of the call getting connected, Ji Chen asked ahead, “Jiang Baiwan, where are you right now?”
Jiang Baiwan was lying on the sofa with potato chips in her mouth and the mobile phone in her hand. When Ji Chen asked such an abrupt question, she was a little confused for a while. She subconsciously replied, “I…… I’m at home?”
Hearing Jiang Baiwan’s voice, Ji Chen felt that she didn’t seem to be depressed as he imagined so he slightly relaxed. “What are you doing at home?”
“Playing games! Do you know Zelda?!” Jiang Baiwan was having a good time and regardless of who’s on the other side, she just laughed and said, “This game is really fun. Selling at this price is really a loss!”
Hearing Jiang Baiwan’s laughter, Ji Chen couldn’t help but put a smile on his face. Looking at the blue sky outside the window, he jokingly asked, “Do you know who I am?”
Jiang Baiwan was stunned. She looked at the phone screen and saw that the name inputted was ‘Dear’. Her scalp suddenly became numb, thinking that it must be one of the other Jiang Baiwan’s exes. She subconsciously pretended to be dumb and tried to escape. “Selling insurance, right? Don’t worry, I won’t hang up so you can complete your quota.”
Ji Chen: “……”
His tone became somewhat dangerous, “I’m Ji Chen.”
Jiang Baiwan: “……” It’s over. I still haven’t been able to muddle through. This is scarier than an ex, this is the biggest creditor! Aaaah!
During this time while staying at home, it’s not like Jiang Baiwan hadn’t read any of the explosive news online, so she naturally knew what the relationship between her and Ji Chen was. Jiang Baiwan finally remembered why she always thought Ji Chen’s name was very familiar but couldn’t place it.
It was because Ji Chen was just a background character, he hardly appeared in the whole text, but even if he does, he was basically referred to as ‘Jiang Baiwan’s fiancé’, his name rarely mentioned.
It’s strange if Jiang Baiwan who only swept a look at the book, could remember it! If it weren’t for that gossip tabloid, Jiang Baiwan would have already gone in the direction of incest.
“Hi, President Ji. You’ve worked hard.” Jiang Baiwan sat up straight in an instant and her whole person entered a state of alert. “President Ji has a busy schedule, it’s really a great honor for you to make time and call me.”
Ji Chen: “Talk properly.”
“……Are you calling me for something?” Jiang Baiwan quickly shrank.
Ji Chen hummed. “Are you free tomorrow?”
Jiang Baiwan really wanted to say that she wasn’t free, but she didn’t have the guts to do so. “I’m free, I’m free, I’ve been free lately!”
“All right. I’ll pick you up tomorrow night for dinner.” Ji Chen finalized, not giving Jiang Baiwan a chance to refuse. “Wait for my call.”
After saying that, Ji Chen hung up, leaving Jiang Baiwan, who was sitting on the sofa alone, clutched her phone feeling like she wanted to cry.
……Was it too late for her to escape overnight?
Thinking of the things she did to Ji Chen in the show, Jiang Baiwan only felt that tomorrow should be her last day in this world.
References
| ↑1 | the villain from the Chinese opera 《The White Haired Girl》; The landlord who forced Yang Bailao to sell Xier to repay debts |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | to sacrifice one’s ideals in order to make a living |
