The internet has a memory, but it’s a bit aged and forgetful. Especially with how fast news cycles are, it’s enough to make one dizzy.
One moment, the news of Bao Fang’s suicide by jumping was dominating the trending searches, and the next, it was completely buried by news of a singer’s infidelity.
“Is cheating even news anymore?” Song Yuan heard Nuomi muttering next to her and couldn’t help but ask.
She was a private investigator, and the most common cases she took involved catching cheating spouses. She’d seen every kind of confrontation imaginable! Wives fighting mistresses, wives and their families fighting mistresses, wives and their friends fighting mistresses. The protagonist in these scenarios was always the wife or the mistress; the man seemed to be irrelevant.
So, to her, these kinds of happenings in the entertainment industry were nothing new.
Nuomi said mysteriously, “Because he was exposed for cheating and being secretly married on the same day!”
Song Yuan found that rather novel. “That’s… conserving public resources, isn’t it?”
“This singer has an incredibly good reputation, a genuinely wholesome idol! If he falls, who else can this industry trust?”
And the result? He was photographed embracing a woman on the street. Before his fans could even begin to defend him, a veteran paparazzo from the industry exposed that he was already married!
This completely changed the nature of the situation. A large number of fans began to unfollow him. The company still hadn’t issued a specific statement. What else could that mean but something fishy?
“Now everyone in the industry is guessing who the woman he was embracing on the street is?”
“Isn’t that simple? Just find me. I guarantee I can trace the other party’s ancestors within a day.”
“…”
Nuomi gave her a polite smile, realizing she had forgotten Yuan-ge’s profession.
Xiao Jinzi tugged on Song Yuan’s sleeve, showing her a family portrait she had drawn.
It depicted three women, a little girl, and a blue caterpillar…
“That’s a really good drawing,” Song Yuan said, stroking her little head. “Is anyone bullying you at kindergarten? Has that little brat who threw bread at your face last time learned his lesson?”
Mentioning that made Nuomi shiver. According to the kindergarten teacher, Yuan-ge had marched directly into the classroom, pulled up a chair, and sat right next to the child. She hadn’t done anything else, just stared at him… and stared at him…
Xiao Jinzi smiled and shook her head.
“That’s good, then.”
Just then, Xia Wei Liang emerged from the restroom, a face mask on. She lay directly on the sofa. “I attended the same event as Nan-ge the year before last. He’s a really good person, tall, handsome in person, and very nice in his interactions with everyone. He’s polite to everyone while maintaining a certain distance. I really can’t imagine him being secretly married and cheating.”
Song Yuan shook her head, concluding from practical experience, “The ones who seem the least likely to have problems usually have the biggest ones.”
Nuomi chimed in, “I heard from Mao-ge that Nan-ge’s wife is apparently also in the industry, and she works in films.”
Xia Wei Liang added, “Then their couple’s secrecy is quite impressive!”
Nuomi was still scrolling through Weibo when she suddenly exclaimed, “Wei Wei-jie! Wei Wei-jie! Nan-ge’s cheating partner has been exposed!”
“Oh? Who is it?” Xia Wei Liang, still doing leg exercises on the sofa, didn’t have much interest in celebrity gossip.
Nuomi, shocked, lowered her phone and looked at her. “It’s… Qiao-jie.”
“Oh… Who?!” Xia Wei Liang shot up from the sofa as if struck by lightning. “Who did you say?”
“Qiao-jie, Chu Qiao.”
“…”
Xia Wei Liang took a moment to process this. She quickly grabbed her phone and started dialing.
Chu Qiao’s phone line was constantly busy, so Xia Wei Liang kept redialing. Finally, someone answered on the other end, their voice sounding listless. “Did you see the news?”
Xia Wei Liang cut to the chase, skipping the pleasantries. “Are you two really involved?”
“Ai! He and I are childhood friends! We’ve known each other since we wore diapers! And the important part is, that wasn’t even an embrace! We had just finished eating, and I was talking about when we were kids, how a single shoulder throw could knock out two of his front teeth! He said it wasn’t possible anymore, so, could I back down?”
“You definitely couldn’t back down!”
“Exactly! I got anxious then. Don’t believe me? I lunged forward, grabbed his arm, slung him over my shoulder, three, two, one, go—and I actually couldn’t move him! Then this guy planted himself firmly, trapping me, and no matter how much I struggled, he wouldn’t budge. He was laughing like a silly badger!”
“And then you were photographed?”
“Yeah! What’s with reporters nowadays? They have no professionalism! They can’t even tell the difference between an embrace and a shoulder throw!”
“Does anyone believe your story now?”
“…Only you, at the moment.”
Xia Wei Liang pulled off her face mask, maintaining a smile of wisdom. “I believe you because I know you. If you were really involved with him, you’d be live-streaming your marriage registration at the civil affairs bureau right now.”
“See! You’re the only one who truly understands me. I, Chu Qiao, am a woman of great wisdom. Keeping secrets is not my style!”
“What about the company?”
“Ai, Director Du is still in a meeting. They say this matter is a bit complicated.”
“What’s complicated about it? They should just say you two aren’t involved!”
“The key point is… Nan-ge’s wife…”
Xia Wei Liang’s spirits immediately lifted. “You know who it is?”
Beside her, Nuomi and Song Yuan quietly leaned closer, crowding in from either side.
…
“What are your plans for this situation?”
In a luxurious villa, the woman’s voice was lowered, sounding devoid of emotion yet filled with exhaustion. Lin Zhuo Nan sat down with a bottle of water, crossing his long legs, and looked at her at his leisure. “Since you’re also a party involved, I should hear your opinion first.”
The other party was silent for a moment before saying, “We signed a prenuptial agreement.”
With that one sentence, Lin Zhuo Nan understood. He lowered his gaze and said mockingly, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this matter.”
The other party fell silent again. Lin Zhuo Nan had no intention of speaking further. After sitting quietly for a moment, she got up. “Then I’ll be leaving now.”
Lin Zhuo Nan merely raised his hand and waved it indifferently. It wasn’t until he heard the sound of the door closing behind him that he slowly shifted his gaze, narrowing his eyes without speaking.
Afterward, he picked up his phone and made a call.
“Ahhh! Nan-ge, you’re actually alive!” On the other end, Chu Qiao’s voice was filled with exasperation.
Lin Zhuo Nan held the phone a little further away and said with a smile, “My apologies for causing you trouble.”
Despite his words, Chu Qiao didn’t sound the least bit mollified. “Just give me a straight answer. Should I issue a statement, or should you apologize!”
“Uh…” Lin Zhuo Nan smiled. “Qiao Qiao…”
The person on the other end understood. After a two-second silence, a voice filled with forceful energy boomed again, “Lin Zhuo Nan, do you want to die? If you two don’t make an official announcement, what’s the deal with dragging me down as a scapegoat? Are you bullying me because I’m single? Fine, just you wait! If I don’t post our marriage certificate today, you can call me Grandpa!”
“Qiao Qiao, don’t be impulsive…”
“I’ll impulsively your Grandpa!!” The call was abruptly hung up.