Chapter 141—Yes, I Am Playing Both Sides

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The livestream was ready to begin.

There were two phones in the livestream studio: one for the celebrity competition and the other for Mu Ran’s livestream.

The celebrity competition officially went live—

Rules of the celebrity competition: Big data would randomly select a talent for each contestant to showcase. Mu Ran and Li Gang would then freely choose performers from their respective groups to compete against each other. The ultimate winner would be decided by the votes of the livestream audience.

This was the first time in Hua Country’s entertainment industry that celebrities had competed against one another through a livestream.

The number of viewers gradually rose from one thousand. Within just five minutes of the opening, the livestream had attracted one hundred thousand viewers.

As usual, the host introduced the rules. The explanation was simple and blunt: the celebrities from Li Gang’s Gang Gang Studio would challenge the celebrities from SY Pictures.

At the host’s invitation, all the contestants took their places on either side of him.

There were twenty contestants in total—ten men and ten women—and every one of them had breathtaking looks.

Fifteen minutes after the opening, the competition still had not officially begun.

The number of viewers had reached three hundred thousand.

The comments flew across the screen—

[This is my first time serving as a public judge! I’m so excited! The celebrities from SY Pictures are gorgeous!]

[Oh my God! Isn’t that Lan Yanzhi?]

[Wasn’t this supposed to be a challenge against SY Pictures? Why isn’t Mu Ran here?]

[Mu Ran is the boss! Of course she wouldn’t take part in this kind of competition!]

[This format is so fresh! It’s my first time watching a talent show in a livestream!]

[No editing! So authentic!]

[Everyone! It looks like Mu Ran has started a livestream next door!]

Meanwhile, Mu Ran was still using her old livestream account.

Although, according to her current memories, she had never livestreamed before, muscle memory made her curve her lips into a faint smile at the camera.

“Hi, babies. Welcome to my livestream.”

The comments immediately appeared—

[It really is Mu Ran!]

[Waaah, seeing that Mu Ran is safe and sound finally puts my mind at ease!]

[Mu Ran is disgusting. She’s playing both sides!]

[Exactly! Who knows how sweetly she slept in another man’s arms after getting off the plane!]

[Mu Ran, what’s wrong with your taste? That man is obviously not as handsome as Gu Beicheng!]

Sitting nearby, Gu Beicheng secretly opened the livestream app and logged into his own account.

He entered Mu Ran’s livestream, opened the gift menu, and clicked on a cruise ship, an airplane, and a carnival ride before making the payment.

His movements were smooth and practiced, as though he had performed the sequence countless times before.

The comments filled the screen—

[Who’s the top donor?]

[What a tycoon! He started sending gifts the moment the livestream began! No wonder Mu Ran has such a powerful sugar daddy backing her.]

[Maybe it’s the man who hugged her at the airport!]

[Mu Ran is disgusting!]

Although the trending topic accusing Mu Ran of “playing both sides” had already disappeared from Weibo, some people still firmly believed that her carefree image had been deliberately fabricated.

No amount of heated publicity could conceal the truth: Mu Ran had climbed to the top by relying on men and had been playing both sides!

Even Mu Ran’s position as president of SY Pictures had surely been a reward for accompanying some man!

The online trolls and keyboard warriors swarmed into Mu Ran’s livestream, flooding the comments with malicious insults.

The livestream became a battlefield almost immediately. Some keyboard warriors even began competing to see who could curse Mu Ran most viciously.

When Gu Beicheng saw the comments, he stopped sending gifts. He lifted his eyes toward Mu Ran, who sat not far away, calm and unbothered as she talked to herself. A surge of tenderness rose in his heart.

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He stood and walked toward her. Bending slightly, he reached for the livestream phone, intending to defend the wronged little woman, but her icy gaze stopped him.

“Ranran…” Gu Beicheng’s hoarse voice held a trace of grievance.

His Ranran was not playing both sides.

He knew how much effort Mu Ran had made to escape her reputation as a notorious has-been, yet now it seemed that all her hard work might be ruined.

Gu Beicheng could not bear to see Mu Ran suffer even the slightest injustice.

Mu Ran placed her small hand over his tightly clenched one. She tilted her head up and shook it lightly, signaling that she was fine.

“If they’re blind, let them curse.”

She no longer cared what kind of person she was in the eyes of these netizens.

She had no desire to explain rumors based on wild speculation, much less waste her energy on them.

The comments continued—

[Why does Xiao Ran seem like a completely different person?]

[And you still call her Xiao Ran? You actually like a woman like that?]

[What does it have to do with you?]

[That voice just now sounded like Gu Beicheng???]

Mu Ran released his hand and gave the man standing before her, as imposing as a mountain, a warning look. She was telling him not to cause trouble.

“You’re asking who that voice belonged to?”

Her voice was cold as she read the comment aloud. A playful glint entered her eyes.

“It was my husband’s. Guess which husband.”

Hadn’t they all said she was playing both sides?

Then she might as well take things all the way.

When she saw people asking how she had become president of SY Pictures, Mu Ran answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Yes. I relied on a man to get the position.”

“You’re asking how I feel about playing both sides?”

“How should I feel? I use my eyes to look. What, can’t you look? Are all keyboard warriors blind?”

The comments exploded—

[Mu Ran has gotten arrogant. Why is she being so vicious?]

Mu Ran gave a cold snort.

“Yes, I’m being vicious to you because you’re begging to be cursed.”

[Mu Ran is the shortest actress I’ve ever seen! She must be petty, which is why she’s so short!]

Mu Ran rose to her feet, her long, straight legs appearing in the livestream frame. She smiled faintly.

“That’s because you look down on people with dog eyes.”

[You’re so disgusting. You play both sides, yet you can still survive in the entertainment industry?]

Mu Ran replied, “You’re ugly, yet you’re still alive.”

[Am I the only one who thinks Mu Ran is a hypocrite?]

Mu Ran curled her lips, her eyes filled with disdain.

“Yes. You’re the only one who thinks that.”

[Mu Ran isn’t a good person. Everyone should be rational when following celebrities.]

Her foxlike eyes narrowed slightly.

“If I’m a bad person, why haven’t you run away?”

[Why does Mu Ran love arguing with people so much?]

[Mu Ran, you should reflect on why nobody likes you.]

Mu Ran answered, “Whether you like me is your problem.”

[Mu Ran, Gu Beicheng doesn’t like you at all. Have you even considered what kind of person you are?]

Mu Ran glanced at the man before her. He wore an appreciative expression, the corners of his lips lifted in indulgent affection. Annoyance flashed through her eyes.

“What does that have to do with you?”

Sensing the change in her mood, Gu Beicheng spoke in a deep, hoarse voice softened by tenderness.

“I like you.”

The comments surged again—

[Who was that voice?]

[Mu Ran! Did you and Gu Beicheng break up or not?]

[Mu Ran! Get out of the entertainment industry!]

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Mu Ran did not answer. After two seconds of silence, she said coldly, “If you don’t want to watch me, leave the livestream.”

[Then we’ll leave! Everyone, go watch the SY celebrity competition next door!]

When Mu Ran saw that comment, amusement touched her eyes. She thought that some netizens really had serious problems.

Whether they watched her livestream or the talent competition next door, both were beneficial to her.

“Everyone, stop asking about Gu Beicheng.”

Mu Ran said it indifferently, still angry with the man.

The moment those words were spoken, the livestream exploded.

Everyone began speculating about what had happened between Mu Ran and Gu Beicheng.

Mu Ran seemed like an entirely different person now. Her retorts were sharper, and she was even more domineering than before!

Could it be that she had dumped Gu Beicheng and gotten together with another man?

Had she found an even more powerful tycoon to back her?

But in the entire capital, there were very few men who could rival Gu Beicheng.

Could a minor celebrity like Mu Ran really have cheated on that business magnate?

Or had Gu Beicheng found someone new and dumped Mu Ran?

The viewers discussed it fervently.

Mu Ran watched the comments with an indifferent expression. She did not want to explain herself, nor did she want everyone to focus too much on her romantic affairs.

Suddenly, she felt an icy chill envelop her.

It was definitely Gu Beicheng.

Mu Ran raised her eyes and tilted her head, looking innocently at the terrifyingly cold man before her.

He gripped his phone tightly, his thin lips pressed into a line. His dark brows were drawn together, and fury burned in his pitch-black eyes. He raised one hand, pointed at her, then pointed at himself.

Without saying a word, he was asking why she had said that.

Her words clearly implied that their relationship was no longer as good as it had been.

Mu Ran shrugged and blinked innocently, her small lips slightly pursed as though she did not understand.

Covering the microphone with one hand, she turned her little face aside. Her coquettish, arrogant voice carried both reproach and retaliation.

“You said it yourself! You told me not to get too close to you!”

Faced with her answer, Gu Beicheng’s helpless gaze fell upon her curved, beautiful eyes. For a moment, he did not know what to say.

He truly had no way to deal with this little woman.

“No breakup. Explain it!”

Gu Beicheng opened his mouth, silently warning Mu Ran not to give the netizens the wrong idea. They had not broken up!

He and his Ranran were doing perfectly well!

Mu Ran put her small hand to her ear and asked him, “What did you say? I can’t hear you. Forget it, don’t talk anymore. Don’t disturb me while I’m building my career.”

For some reason, Mu Ran completely let her true nature show in front of Gu Beicheng.

She was not truly such a cold and aloof person, nor did she think that was her real image. But she did not want anyone to mistake her for a pushover.

That was why she maintained her composure in public. Yet in front of Gu Beicheng, she did not want to be tough or pretend to be strong.

Her heart told her that Gu Beicheng could protect her.

“Ranran, be good and explain.”

Gu Beicheng’s expression darkened slightly. With utmost seriousness, he insisted that Mu Ran tell everyone in the livestream about their relationship.

Mu Ran continued blinking, her eyes clear and innocent, untouched by worldly dust. She mumbled, her soft voice ending in a seductive lilt.

“I don’t want to.”

She even stopped looking at his stern, handsome face and turned toward the livestream phone instead, a sly glimmer passing through her eyes.

Gu Beicheng, who had been watching her closely, felt the alarm bells ringing in his heart.

Something was wrong.

This little woman was planning to mess with him!

The next second, Mu Ran said, “Babies, Gu Beicheng and I have broken up.”