Lin Yinyin was in a state of panic.
It wasn't a dream; the system had truly been stripped away by Qiao Ci!
Why did she possess such terrifying abilities? Who was she, really?
Recalling the phone call where the crew told her to check online herself, she scrambled to her feet and opened her computer.
She found that the trending topics were all about her. The men she had charmed had all been exposed – there were chat logs, photos, and even videos. There was no way to cover this up.
The unmarried ones were fine, but those she had enticed who had wives and children would certainly not let her off the hook!
It was over. Everything was over!
Lin Yinyin was in utter disarray. She no longer had the mental space to think about Qiao Ci. Without the system's help, she could predict how miserable her future would be, far worse than her previous life...
She was terrified, but suddenly, an idea sparked. She still had Gong Han. Gong Han truly loved her; he definitely wouldn't abandon her.
She didn't call Gong Han. Instead, she tidied herself up, dressed impeccably, and rushed to Gong Han's residence.
Her apartment was not far from Gong Han's place. She used to worry about being implicated by Gong Han and had even publicly announced their breakup. But now, she feared nothing. Her acting career was ruined; she just had to hold onto Gong Han tightly.
When she entered the room's password, it showed an incorrect password. She tried many times, but it remained the same. Lin Yinyin frantically pounded on the door: "Han Ge, open the door, it's me." kuAiδugg
"Han Ge... Gong Han, open the door!"
After a long while, Gong Han finally opened the door, looking at Lin Yinyin with a somber gaze: "You still have the nerve to come here? You slut who opens her legs to everyone!"
"Han Ge, let me explain..." Lin Yinyin squeezed through the gap and entered the room. "It's not convenient to talk out here, let's go inside."
Lin Yinyin had now become the nation's most notorious mistress. Gong Han felt disgusted remembering how he had publicly declared his love for her to boost her reputation. The men who had been with her were surely laughing at him, calling him a cuckolded idiot.
Closing the door, he suppressed the urge to strangle her and waited for her explanation.
"Han Ge, they forced me, sob sob sob... You have to believe me."
"My first time was with you. I love you, and you love me, right..."
Gong Han fell silent as he looked at Lin Yinyin's face, usually fair and flawless, now marred by pimples and dark circles under her eyes.
He figured that after such a major incident, she hadn't slept all night either.
As they were explaining, the two of them began to make love...
Sweating profusely, they enjoyed the quiet moment. Gong Han sniffed the air, disgusted, "What's that smell? It's so foul..."
"I smell it too, gag..."
*
After finishing a scene, Qiao Ci had just sat down for a drink of water when she received a call from Bai Xingyan. His voice was full of unease: "Ci'er, I can't reach Grandpa. I'm a little worried. I'll go back to see him. Eat something simple tonight."
"Okay, alright."
Lin Xingyan didn't return that evening. He sent her a message saying he would be home with his grandfather for a few days and asked her to take care of herself.
Qiao Ci sat in the living room, feeling the surrounding emptiness, and fell into a long silence.
"Big, boss... do you want Little Spoon to check on Lin Xingyan's situation?" Little Spoon felt it was time to show its capabilities.
"No need, he should have his own life."
All she could do for him now was to welcome him warmly when he came and not force him to stay when he left.
Until he found his own happiness.
"You just act as you normally would. I'm not fierce." Thinking of how Little Spoon had been keeping its tail between its legs, afraid of making mistakes, Qiao Ci smiled helplessly.
This was the loneliness of being at the top...
"Really, Host?" Little Spoon's electronic voice instantly changed into a cute, childlike tone.
...
Lin Xingyan had been in the hospital for over a month. The old man in the hospital bed, with white hair and an oxygen mask, had his eyes closed, showing no signs of waking up.
Except for the first day he returned, when he contacted Qiao Ci, he hadn't contacted her for nearly two months.
He missed her terribly but dared not contact her, afraid that hearing her voice would make him unable to resist going to her.
He also didn't want her to worry.
His grandfather's condition was critical. He had suddenly fainted for reasons unknown and had not woken up since. He had to stay with his grandfather.
In this world, his grandfather was his only relative.
That man, rumored to be his father's lost bloodline, was not his relative.
During his stay at Qiao Ci's house, this man named Bai Hengyuan had found his grandfather with a paternity test result obtained from somewhere, claiming to be his father's illegitimate son and even a year older than him.
His grandfather didn't want him to get involved, so he didn't tell him. On their occasional phone calls, he even told him to have fun outside...
On the first day he returned home, his grandfather had barely spoken a few words to him before suddenly fainting...
And that illegitimate son had openly moved into the Bai family, with many shareholders supporting him...
Qiao Ci saw the news of Bai老爷子's coma and the impending takeover of Bai's by the illegitimate son Bai Hengyuan just as the filming of "Empress's Legend" had concluded.
She picked up her phone and dialed Bai Xingyan's number. After a long while, it was answered. Bai Xingyan's hoarse, tired voice came through: "Ci'er... are you doing okay lately?"
"Yes, I'm preparing to pack up and leave the crew. Where are you? I'll come find you."
"It's not convenient for me right now. When I have time later..." Before he could finish, Qiao Ci had already hung up the phone.
Lin Xingyan looked at his dark phone screen with dim eyes, letting out a bitter laugh. She must be angry.
But he couldn't be selfish any longer. Bai Hengyuan had already taken control of more than half of Bai's. If he continued to be close to Qiao Ci, Bai Hengyuan would target her.
Looking at his increasingly aged grandfather on the hospital bed, and thinking of the beloved girl who seemed so out of reach, he felt utterly useless for the first time.
About half an hour later, there was a knock on the hospital room door.
Bai Xingyan sneered. It must be Bai Hengyuan coming for his daily show. He came every day, not to care for his grandfather, but to flaunt what he had accomplished that day.
The occasional knocks from outside the door made Bai Xingyan slightly puzzled. This didn't seem like Bai Hengyuan's usual style.
"Please come in." Unsure of what trick Bai Hengyuan was playing now, he spoke with an incredibly cold voice.
Then, he saw the person he had been longing for push the door open and walk in.
Before the coldness on his face could even fade, Bai Xingyan said stiffly, "Why are you here?"
I thought you were angry and wouldn't talk to me anymore.
"You're not welcome?" Qiao Ci saw that her little darling had lost a lot of weight, his small face taut.
Unhappy!!!
"No, no... I just didn't expect you to come." Lin Xingyan's hands were so nervous he didn't know where to put them, like a primary school student being reprimanded by a teacher.
"Oh." Qiao Ci replied nonchalantly, while pulling out her phone and tapping it a few times. Then, she walked to the bedside and looked at the old and frail Mr. Bai.
Little Spoon quickly activated its data, scanning the old man's body.