"Did you look for hackers? But I saw the news about you on the way back and it was still there..."
Mrs. Xia said, pulling out her phone and looking again. She wished she could look one more time and the news would disappear, but unfortunately, not only was the news not deleted, it had even climbed to the trending list.
"The hackers said the other party is very powerful and they need time. I've asked my agent to keep an eye on them, so I'm not afraid they won't do their job."
Xia Qianqian's finger traced a number on her phone, hesitating whether to dial it.
Mrs. Xia asked with a pained expression, "No... with what happened to you, won't your company do anything? Why do you have to use your own money to handle it?"
Xia Qianqian sat down with a dejected look, "President Deng is under house arrest by his wife, and now his wife calls the shots at the company. How could she help me? She'd be lucky if she didn't step on me."
Mrs. Xia lamented, "I never agreed to you being with President Deng back then, but you wouldn't listen! Also, you said you had so many unsavory things stored on your computer, why weren't you more careful!"
Xia Qianqian yelled hysterically, "That's enough! What's the point of saying this now! If I hadn't been with him back then, could I have achieved my current status? The Nan family only invested in a few of my big productions and then left me alone. If I hadn't found more powerful patrons, I would have long ago become an eighteenth-tier celebrity!"
Mrs. Xia sighed helplessly, then her eyes suddenly lit up, "Qianqian, why not go to Nan Xiao? Perhaps he'll help you through this tribulation out of gratitude for you saving his life."
Upon hearing Nan Xiao's name, tears streamed down Xia Qianqian's face, "When I was at my peak, he barely looked at me. Now that I'm a public pariah, he'll certainly ignore me."
Mrs. Xia encouraged, "A tree fears being uprooted, and a person fears being confronted. As long as he's willing to see you, there's hope."
Xia Qianqian bit her lip and finally mustered the courage to dial Nan Xiangdong's number.
"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is currently busy."
Xia Qianqian was stunned for a moment, then clicked on WeChat and sent Nan Xiangdong a message.
[Xiangdong, is Nan Xiao available? Is it convenient to meet?]
[The other party has enabled friend verification. You are not yet his friend. Please send a friend verification request first. You can chat after the other party verifies it.]
Xia Qianqian's face turned ashen as she slumped onto the sofa. Nan Xiangdong had blocked her!
And the only way she could reach Nan Xiao was through him.
"What's wrong?" Mrs. Xia leaned over, asking anxiously.
"Nan Xiangdong blocked me."
With her last hope gone, Xia Qianqian neurotically tugged at her hair.
Mrs. Xia quickly stood up and grabbed her hands, "What's the use of pulling your hair? If you can't reach him by phone, go to Nan's company to find him!"
Xia Qianqian flung her hands away, "Mom—I can't get into Nan's company."
"If you can't get in, make a scene outside. I don't believe he won't come out!"
"But I can't go out right now." Xia Qianqian looked at her mother for help, "Mom, why don't you go find him?"
Mrs. Xia thought of Nan Xiao's fierce and menacing appearance and immediately lost her earlier courage.
"Mom, even you won't help me?"
Mrs. Xia looked at her crying daughter, her heart aching. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and said, "I'll go find him."
A smile finally appeared on Xia Qianqian's face. As long as Nan Xiao was willing to help, she would be saved!
However, three seconds later, she could no longer smile.
Because the moment Mrs. Xia opened the door, a large group of reporters rushed in. All the cameras and microphones were aimed at her, her hair disheveled and her face streaked with tears.
For a moment, Xia Qianqian was at a loss and could only keep crying.
But her tears did not win anyone's sympathy. Instead, they were met with increasingly sharp questions.
Reporter 1: "Miss Xia, you're the pencil case with the largest capacity I've ever seen. Aren't you tired of carrying so many pens? The last time I interviewed you, you seemed so 'pure.' The moment I touched your hand while handing you the microphone, you yelled at me. I never expected that you were secretly sleeping with so many married men. Is it only married men who can give you the feeling you want?"
Reporter 2: "Others are whores but want to maintain a facade. You, on the other hand, are afraid no one knows you're a whore, and you're actively promoting it. May I ask if you have any more 'dried goods' on your computer? Why not release them all for us to enjoy?"
Are these people really reporters?
The questions they asked were worse than those of common folk.
Xia Qianqian clenched her fists and roared, "Those photos weren't posted by me! My computer was hacked!"
The tall female reporter: "So, you did take videos and photos while doing those things, is that correct? Were you planning to keep them for yourself, or to threaten those men?"
"I didn't! I didn't!" Xia Qianqian forcefully pushed the female reporter away. She absolutely could not admit that she kept those photos and videos to threaten those powerful figures, or she would surely die a terrible death!
The female reporter stumbled a few steps. If her colleagues hadn't supported her, she would have fallen.
After steadying herself, the female reporter said with a livid face, "Look at your ugly appearance. Your name fully indicates that from the day you were born, you were destined to be a non-human who cannot gain human support!
You sleep with someone if you think they're useful! Is sleeping with other people's husbands very satisfying? You've ruined one family and still don't think it's enough, ruining over ten families at once. Can't one man satisfy you?
Then why don't you go to Africa? You don't need to wear clothes there, and you can fully unleash your skills without anyone looking down on you!"
Xia Qianqian glared venomously at the female reporter, "You're not a reporter! Who are you?"
"I'm Huo Huan, Director of WY Media News Department!"
"Huo Huan?!" Xia Qianqian's eyes widened instantly. She was the wife of that director who swore he wouldn't marry anyone but her!
"Remember who I am now?" Huo Huan sneered, then raised her hand and slapped her. "That man who was willing to die or live for you, knowing you were thoroughly used, knelt and begged me for forgiveness. However, I find what you've touched disgusting. I wish you two a long and happy life together!"
After speaking, Huo Huan turned and walked out.
Countless microphones were again thrust in front of Xia Qianqian.
She finally understood how Lan Yuxi felt when she was surrounded by reporters.
But Lan Yuxi had Nan Xiao protecting her when she was surrounded.
And her?
She was alone and helpless, with only curses ringing in her ears.
"Ah—" Xia Qianqian screamed in despair.
While the reporters were momentarily stunned, she covered her head and rushed out.
Xia Qianqian ran away, and no one knew where she went.
However, the public pressure did not let up on her.
Now, what awaited her were contract terminations from major brands, huge liquidated damages, her film and television works would be taken down, and her unreleased films would also not be shown. A nationwide ban was certain.
Mrs. Xia couldn't find her daughter, her mother-in-law was still unconscious, and both her home and company were gone. Desperate, she had gone to Nan's building to cause a scene several times.
However, she didn't even catch a glimpse of Nan Xiao before being thrown out by the security guards.