Chapter 34: Our Little Sister-in-law

Ning Lan and Shi Daiyu looked at each other, faces pale as death.

They had just lost a slew of endorsements, and most of the dramas they had filmed might never air. Both endorsements and television series required them to pay significant compensation for breach of contract. Remembering the added calculations, Ning Lan and Shi Daiyu felt as though the sky were about to collapse.

“Ning Lan…should we…go, go…find President Du?” Shi Daiyu stammered.

“I’ll go to him.” Hearing the name, Ning Lan’s eyes sharpened. No matter whether Du Xingyuan had cheated or not, she was still in Star Entertainment, and they were in the same boat.

Ning Lan arrived at the foot of the company building, seeing a crowd ahead, and caught a glimpse of the banners in their hands.

They were her support banners.

A flicker of joy warmed her heart. She knew her fans would never abandon her so easily. She had cultivated her image for so many years; how could it collapse over this incident alone?

She regained her former confidence, stepping out of the car with head held high.

She thought she would be greeted by passionate cheers and warm words of comfort.

But when she met their eyes, Ning Lan instinctively took a step back.

As soon as the crowd saw her, their expressions turned fierce. They threw down their support banners abruptly, surrounding her.

Her smile froze.

“I must have been blind to ever support someone as disgusting as you—so ruthless and vicious, I spit on you!”

“All the money I spent on you, turns out it was wasted on a dog!”

“So much for kindness and innocence, it was all a lie!”

“I’ll never like someone who frames others again!”

The voices crashed over Ning Lan like waves, enveloping her as she stood in the center of the crowd. She recognized many of these faces—some often brought gifts to the set, others met her at the airport, showering her with presents.

She never expected they had come not to encourage her, but to kick her when she was down.

Surrounded by these snarling faces, Ning Lan was both angry and terrified. She had no one with her, and hands reached out, trying to grab her.

She was so frightened her face turned ashen.

Fortunately, the security guards of Star Entertainment saw what was happening, contacted Du Xingyuan, and managed to rescue her.

Yet Ning Lan’s hair was a mess, her clothes torn and crooked, and she looked utterly disheveled.

This was an entertainment company, with fans always lingering for a glimpse of their idols, so her embarrassment was fully captured on camera.

When Du Xingyuan arrived, this was the scene he saw.

His eyes were dark and unreadable.

He’d been tormented by those men for days, and now Ning Lan was embroiled in such trouble. He refused to believe no one was targeting them.

Who could have such power to deal with them so thoroughly?

The image of the man he saw at Yun Guang Mall flashed through Du Xingyuan’s mind—a man so formidable he could shake the entire capital with a single word.

The Du family was insignificant in comparison.

Thinking this, Du Xingyuan hugged Ning Lan tightly, unable to hide the fear in his eyes.

Now Ning Lan was in the same boat as him, and the humiliating incident with those men must never be revealed. Ning Lan was the perfect shield.

Whatever his reasons, he had to help her.

“Xingyuan… you have to believe me, I truly didn’t know about this, I… I didn’t know Sister Shi would do such a thing, I…”

“Enough, I know. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

Hearing this, Ning Lan’s joy blossomed, but deep down, she only half believed him. Even as he held her, his gaze was no longer the same as before.

—

Shengshi Entertainment

Qin Yi and Gu Zhishu sat on the sofa, each holding a phone—one serious, the other laid-back.

Suddenly, Gu Zhishu patted Qin Yi’s shoulder. “Bro, impressive, you actually managed to pull all her resources.”

“Well, she deserved it for daring to mess with our little sister-in-law!”

For once, Qin Yi didn’t refute Gu Zhishu.

He knew Yun Fu was special to Lian Hanqi.

“It’ll be hard for that woman to make a comeback now.”

Qin Yi narrowed his eyes and gently shook his head. “Not necessarily. Don’t forget, she has the Du family behind her.”

Hearing this, Gu Zhishu stopped swinging his leg, his arrogance unable to conceal his innate nobility.

“The Du family?” Gu Zhishu scoffed. “Capital’s so big, I’ve never even heard of the Du family.”

“But… you have a point. Maybe I’ll give the Du family something to keep them busy.”

He stood up, stretched lazily, and dusted his hands.

“Finally, something to do.”

He wandered out.

Watching him, Qin Yi smiled, eyes fixed on the Weibo page on his phone, his smile widening.

Gu Zhishu’s team was formidable in the financial world; it seemed the Du family had finally met their match.

But…

He remembered the girl he saw that day, feeling a strong intuition—she wouldn’t suffer even without their help.

At the very least, she’d make them pay dearly.

Thinking this, Qin Yi found the two of them surprisingly well matched.

He picked up his phone and called Lian Hanqi. “Qi-ge, it’s all done. Anything else?”

“Not for now.”

“Alright. If anything happens to our little sister-in-law, just call me anytime.”

“…Mhm.”

Only after hanging up did Qin Yi realize he’d accidentally called her “little sister-in-law,” and Lian Hanqi had actually acquiesced. What a beast—the girl was so much younger than him.

After everything, Yun Fu and Qiao An were aware of what had happened. Even Qiao An sensed there must be someone helping behind the scenes.

“Xiao Fu, could it be… Mr. Lian?”

Yun Fu had somehow acquired an old-fashioned game console and was engrossed in Tetris.

She finished a game just as Qiao An spoke, looked up briefly, murmured “mm,” then returned to her game.

Qiao An, resigned to her artist’s growing online addiction, sighed.

“Mr. Lian… He’s distinguished, and since he’s willing to help, we should invite him to dinner to thank him.”

Qiao An believed the videos released online and the withdrawal of resources were all orchestrated by Lian Hanqi, prompting her suggestion.

Suddenly, Yun Fu lifted her head, staring intently at Qiao An, frowning.

Gratitude?

Qiao An jumped, thinking something was wrong, only to hear Yun Fu lazily reply, “No need.”