Chapter 13 — Mu the Great Actress Is Truly Shameless

After closing the door, Jiang Ning stared at her phone, preparing to return to her room and examine the information Fu Jiaojiao had just given her.

“Got into another fight?” Leaning against the doorway stood a tall, striking man, his chiseled features and arched brows giving him an air of enigmatic amusement as he looked at Jiang Ning.

Composed, Jiang Ning pretended to massage her hand with a sigh of resignation. “Blame it on my irresistible charm. There’s always someone trying to get under my skin.”

Gu Beicheng swept his gaze over this self-adoring woman, noting she was unhurt. His tone carried a smile. “That’s good. At least you won’t be taken advantage of out there.”

Jiang Ning couldn’t decide if he was praising her or subtly mocking her for being violent. In any case, she figured she’d have nothing to do with this big-shot CEO in the future, so let him say what he wished.

“Yes, yes, exactly. A single woman needs a few tricks up her sleeve—to guard against certain men with ulterior motives.”

Gu Beicheng’s lips quirked, half amused, half not. “Is that a dig at me?”

“How could I dare?” she replied, feigning humility. “It’s an honor to be your idol—or rather, your grandfather’s idol. By the way, for tomorrow’s date, we’d better keep our distance.”

Clearly in good spirits, Jiang Ning shot him a playful wink.

“Why?” Gu Beicheng straightened, his tall frame inching closer.

“Don’t you know? When idols are caught in relationships, their image collapses. If your grandfather saw his idol’s reputation ruined, he’d be disappointed.”

The way she reasoned was almost endearing.

“What if his idol became his granddaughter-in-law? Wouldn’t that be even better?”

Jiang Ning stared at his broad chest, inhaling the clean, mature scent that clung to him. “I don’t think so.”

Gu Beicheng slowly reached out, his large hand gently touching the top of her head. The brief contact was enough to send a flush to Jiang Ning’s cheeks.

He gazed at her quietly. She had let down her hair, and compared to her vibrant appearance during the day, now she seemed gentler, more graceful, yet still full of liveliness. Her bare, unadorned face showed no fatigue; if anything, she was more exquisite and captivating than those women caked in heavy makeup. Her cherry-pink lips glistened faintly, and Gu Beicheng couldn’t help recalling how soft they had felt.

To his surprise, he realized he no longer disliked this woman. In fact, he was genuinely intrigued by her.

“Keep your conquering spirit in check. I’m a queen—I only conquer others,” Jiang Ning said lightly, giving him a sidelong glance. She fancied, perhaps overconfidently, that the way Gu Beicheng looked at her bordered on obsession. Maybe it was just her imagination.

Best if it was.

“Heh.” He didn’t argue.

“Get some rest. If you’re not feeling well, call me.” Gu Beicheng resisted the urge to pinch her impatient little face.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jiang Ning darted back to her own room.

Gu Beicheng shook his head, lowering it slightly so that a stray lock of hair fell across his forehead. His cool, deep eyes lingered on her door. The sculpted lines of his handsome face, usually indifferent and distant, now curved with a trace of warmth at his lips.

It was a doting smile.

A moment later, the corners of his mouth dropped and he, too, returned to his room.

Gu Beicheng had only joined this dating reality show for his grandfather’s sake. With his grandfather’s health failing and no other elders in the family, he would do whatever was needed to fulfill his wishes.

Grandfather liked Jiang Ning, so he had joined the show to get closer to her.

But Gu Beicheng hadn’t expected Jiang Ning to be so different from the rumors—a brainless schemer, people said. On the contrary, she was outstanding, her methods mirroring his own.

Perhaps his grandfather was right: one must meet people in person, not judge by hearsay.

He recalled her wary, guarded expression and found that, contrary to his expectations, he rather enjoyed her company.

Meanwhile, in another room, Jiang Ning sat upright on her bed, brows knit in deep concentration, her eyes blazing as she stared at her phone. “So Jiang Yuewei really does want me dead.”

The phone rang.

The caller was her agent, An Lan, which eased her expression a little. “Lanlan, what’s up?”

“Xiao Ning, I’ve covered your penalty fee. I messaged you but you didn’t reply—did something happen?” An Lan knew a bit about the old grudge between Gao Tiange and Jiang Ning and worried that Jiang Ning might not be able to handle that sly, self-important woman.

“No problem,” Jiang Ning replied, recalling Fu Jiaojiao’s pitiful appearance just now and letting out a soft laugh.

“I watched today’s livestream, plus the trending topics. Most of the trolls attacking you are Gao Tiange’s fans,” An Lan fumed about Gao Tiange’s maliciousness.

Jiang Ning’s tone was calm. “Yes, I know.”

An Lan continued, “The rest were hired by Fu Jiaojiao. One of the accounts that called you a ‘trashy homewrecker’ is actually her alt.”

“Fu Jiaojiao? Looks like she’s done with showbiz,” Jiang Ning sneered, then suddenly recalled another troll who had stirred up trouble in her Weibo comments.

The way that person insulted her felt oddly familiar. “Lanlan, can you help me trace someone’s IP address?”

An Lan grinned, “Of course.”

Jiang Ning lowered her long lashes, lips pressed tight, and sent An Lan a screenshot.

She suspected this troll was someone she knew all too well. She already had a name in mind, but wanted proof.

An Lan was quick. “Xiao Ning, the IP address belongs to the Jiang family in the capital. I’ve found the name behind the account…”

Jiang Ning gave a cold laugh. “Is it Jiang Yuewei?”

An Lan was clearly shocked to learn it was Jiang Yuewei, the three-time Best Actress winner. “Uh, yes, it’s her. Xiao Ning, did you offend Jiang Yuewei somehow? She actually insulted you with her own alternate account.”

An Lan thought of the screenshot—how Jiang Yuewei had viciously insulted Jiang Ning, inside and out. The words were simply revolting, and rage sparked in her heart.

She had never imagined that the universally acclaimed, gentle, elegant Jiang Yuewei could be so filthy behind the scenes.

“No, she’s my sister, but not by blood,” Jiang Ning replied with a bitter smile.

Jiang Yuewei was a celebrated actress, a leading star in the capital, a winner of countless awards. And Jiang Ning? Just a nobody.

No one would ever guess that it was Jiang Yuewei who had orchestrated her expulsion from the Jiang family, all for the most laughable reason: the Jiang family denounced her as a mere actress, a disgrace to their reputation.

Then what about Jiang Yuewei? Wasn’t she, this famous actress, just as much a ‘disgrace’?

“Lanlan, send me everything you found,” Jiang Ning said, pressing a weary hand to her forehead. The flicker of disappointment and hatred in her eyes quickly faded, leaving only exhaustion.

After hanging up, she received the files from An Lan.

She opened Weibo and immediately posted screenshots of Fu Jiaojiao and Jiang Yuewei using their alternate accounts to insult her, captioning it: “Facing trolls with a smile. Honestly, trolls nowadays are terrifying.”

Jiang Ning did not reveal Fu Jiaojiao’s or Jiang Yuewei’s IP addresses or real names, just their comments.

“Love in the Journey” was currently the hottest reality show, and its guests enjoyed considerable popularity. Even the least known, like Jiang Ning, benefited from the exposure.

So, within just ten minutes of her post, the comments had soared to ten thousand.

Haters hidden behind their screens quickly commented, claiming Jiang Ning deserved the abuse, that a seductress like her should die.

But most netizens were rational, offering comfort and denouncing the trolls’ lack of morals.

Jiang Ning once again shot to the top of the entertainment trending charts, with the hashtag #JiangNingVictimOfCyberBullying#.

Her followers increased by half a million in an instant, and many kind strangers messaged her privately, urging her to stay strong and dismissing these keyboard warriors as society’s cancer.

Recently, both celebrities and ordinary people had suffered a wave of online abuse, some to the extent of taking their own lives.

The public didn’t want to see these tragedies repeat, especially when all the rumors about Jiang Ning had always been baseless, never standing up to scrutiny.

Reading the messages from fans and strangers alike, Jiang Ning felt a faint warmth in her heart. She put down her phone, ready for sleep.

But just as she drifted off, her phone rang.

Squinting at the glare of the screen, she couldn’t make out the caller. “Who is it?”

“Jiang Ning, was it you? Was it you who exposed me?” Fu Jiaojiao’s shrill voice pierced her ear. Jiang Ning pulled the phone away, got up, and switched on the light.

“What are you talking about?” she sneered. Was Fu Jiaojiao confessing by accident? How could this woman be so foolish?

“Jiang Ning! You’re still not going to let me off! The trending list!”

Irritated, Jiang Ning rubbed her eyes, her tone turning icy. “Ridiculous. I never intended to let you off.”

She hung up, opened Weibo, and checked the entertainment trending chart—only to find the top hashtag was #FamousPaparazzoSanmenDefendsJiangNing#, followed by #JiangYuewei# and #FuJiaojiao#.

Jiang Ning snapped fully awake. Sanmen was the king of paparazzi in the entertainment world—not one to reveal news lightly, but when he did, it was always accurate. That’s why he had another nickname: “The Gossip Oracle.”

Why would Sanmen speak up for her?

She opened Sanmen’s Weibo. His pinned post was none other than the screenshots she had posted of those insults, now accompanied by two more images: the real names, IP addresses, and home addresses of Fu Jiaojiao and Jiang Yuewei.

Sanmen’s caption read: “How can the great Best Actress Jiang be so filthy in private, not even sparing a minor actress!”