The next day.
An Ruo woke up to her phone buzzing with gossip that jolted her wide awake. Online, someone had exposed Pan Zhiyao as being kept by a wealthy man—the deputy general manager of Star Moon Media. Even more shocking was that he had a wife, making Pan Zhiyao a suspected third party in the affair!
There were also claims that she had sung in nightclubs in her early years, not only entertaining male clients but also leading a chaotic private life. With pictures and evidence—a high-definition, uncensored face—Pan Zhiyao would likely never be able to clear her name, even if she wanted to!
As Pan Zhiyao's scandal broke, several business figures connected to her were dragged into the spotlight, becoming targets of scrutiny. Someone even leaked a video of the accident during the spokesperson competition involving Song Weiwei.
The video was a compilation of two clips. The first showed Pan Zhiyao sneaking around, discussing something with a staff member. She pulled out a card, and the other person hesitated before taking it. The second clip captured Pan Zhiyao hiding behind the scenes, smirking smugly as Song Weiwei fell. Her triumphant grin led netizens to unanimously label her the culprit!
Waking up to such a bombshell, An Ruo's mind was a bit foggy.
Yawning, she ran her fingers through her long hair, scanned the room, and found no trace of the man. While brushing her teeth in the bathroom, she scrolled through Weibo's trending topics, which were flooded with Pan Zhiyao's scandal.
All her performances, collaborations, and endorsements were terminated, and her previous works were pulled from every platform.
She was truly infamous now!
In the study, the man watched the netizens' curses directed at Pan Zhiyao with satisfaction. Leaning back in his chair, he adopted a relaxed and leisurely posture, twirling an unlit cigarette between his long fingers.
The girl hadn't gone to work, and his nicotine cravings were acting up. Unable to smoke freely, he could only bring the cigarette to his nose and sniff it a few times to ease the itch.
...
Bored at home, An Ruo studied recipes, cooking up all sorts of treats for the man—snacks, desserts, drinks, milk tea, and his favorite wontons.
She had never wrapped wontons before. She'd learned once from Grandma An but lacked patience, so she'd just stuck out her tongue and run off to play.
Butler Xu watched An Ruo's diligent figure with approval, nodding to himself as he pulled out his phone to snap a photo and send it to Lin Zhao, who was far away at the Shen residence.
Over the past two days, Lin Zhao had been receiving photos of the couple's loving and warm moments, offering a rare comfort in the deceitful Shen household.
A servant rushed in. "Madam, the old master has called a family meeting in the main courtyard. He orders you to go immediately."
Lin Zhao was taken aback. She hadn't heard of anything special happening recently. Why would the old master suddenly call a family meeting? What was so urgent?
Her position in the Shen family was already insignificant, but since the old master had spoken, how could she refuse?
At the Seaside Villa.
A black car pulled into the courtyard, and a middle-aged man in a suit stepped out, his expression stern and rigid. He strode straight toward the living room.
Butler Xu greeted him, just as An Ruo's latest dessert creation came out of the oven. This time, she had used less sugar, so the man was willing to try a couple of bites.
"How is it?"
Shen Xiaoxing gave his verdict, "Sweet but not cloying, just right."
Earning his praise made An Ruo feel happy, no matter how long she had worked. "Try this too."
"Young master, young madam..." Butler Xu warned in a low voice.
Shen Xiaoxing lifted his gaze, and when he saw the uninvited guest in the living room, a chill instantly settled in his eyes.
An Ruo looked up and noticed a stranger standing beside Butler Xu. She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Do we have a guest?"
Butler Xu started to explain, but the middle-aged man cut him off, his voice flat and devoid of warmth.
"I suppose the one who qualifies as a guest here is you, Miss An?"
An Ruo was stunned. "What do you mean?"
"If you want to know what I mean, then come with me to the Shen residence. Once the truth comes to light, you'll understand."
The middle-aged man waved his hand, and several bodyguards moved forward to grab An Ruo, but she dodged in panic.
A terrifying coldness surged from the man. He grabbed the girl's hand firmly, his voice dark and icy. "Barging into my territory and laying hands on my people—do you have a death wish?!"
"Calm down, eldest young master. We're just following orders. The old master specifically requested that Miss An be brought to the Shen residence. If we delay, neither of us can bear the consequences."
"What business does Grandfather have with her? I'll ask him myself. But who do you think you are, daring to break in and take my people?!"
This middle-aged man was a lackey of Shen Yu. His visit wasn't actually on the old master's orders—his goal was to take An Ruo away!
"Eldest young master, I advise you to be sensible. Miss An's identity is suspicious. The old master only intends to punish her alone. Stay out of it, or don't say I didn't warn you."
A sense of unease crept into An Ruo's heart. Her identity was under suspicion—could it be that Old Master Shen already knew she wasn't the real "An Qing"?
"Take her!"
The bodyguards rushed forward again, forcibly dragging An Ruo outside. Butler Xu and all the villa's servants dared not intervene.
Han Chong frowned, looking at the man. Shen Xiaoxing's fists clenched on the armrest, knuckles cracking. In his current state, he couldn't charge in and snatch her back. He could only watch helplessly as she was taken away.
"Young master, what do we do?"
It seemed the secret of An Ruo's marriage substitution was about to be exposed.