Chapter 19 — The Gathering of Truths

The tense atmosphere gradually eased, and Gao Minglang picked up the megaphone to introduce the next segment to everyone.

"Now we move on to the next segment—the 'Confession Round.' The staff will write each guest's name on a slip of paper, shuffle them, and place them in a box. The guests will take turns drawing lots; whoever's name they draw, they may ask that person a question. The guest being questioned must answer truthfully. Let's begin with the drawing."

Gu Beicheng drew—Qi Jun
Jiang Ning drew—Fu Jiaojiao
Qi Jun drew—Yun Fu
Yun Fu drew—Song Xiao
Fu Jiaojiao drew—Bai Zehan
Song Xiao drew—Gao Tiange
Bai Zehan drew—Jiang Ning
Gao Tiange drew—Cheng Beigu

The eight guests sat in a circle, starting the questions with Gu Beicheng.

"Teacher Cheng, who did you draw?" Qi Jun, seated to the left of the man, teased, his ambiguous gaze flitting between Gu Beicheng and Jiang Ning. "If I could draw one of you, I’d definitely ask whether there’s any truth to the rumors between you two."

Across from Qi Jun, Bai Zehan appeared indifferent, but his hand clutched the slip of paper tightly.

"Zehan, did you draw Jiang Ning?" Gao Tiange sensed something was off and already knew who Bai Zehan had drawn.

Bai Zehan glanced awkwardly at Gao Tiange, noticing the probing and displeasure in her eyes, and reluctantly replied, "Yes."

"Let’s swap."

Before Bai Zehan could react, the slip of paper with "Jiang Ning" was snatched away by Gao Tiange and replaced with another.

Bai Zehan's face darkened. He leaned in toward the woman and warned in a low voice, "Tiange, don't cause trouble. You've done enough today. Don't mess with Jiang Ning anymore. She's not someone either of us can afford to provoke now."

Gao Tiange opened her palm, examined the slip, and smiled strangely, her tone bordering on sinister. "Are you scared? Just because Cheng Beigu is protecting her? Who does he think he is? Stay out of my business!"

Unable to win against her stubbornness, Bai Zehan fell silent.

"Teacher Cheng, have you decided what you want the guest to confess?" Gao Minglang, seeing the time was right, prompted, "Which guest did you draw?"

"Qi Jun." Gu Beicheng turned to the man beside him and raised an eyebrow, his expression mysterious.

Qi Jun, sensing Gu Beicheng was about to pull something big, immediately softened and pleaded, "Teacher Cheng, I admit I’m close to Ning, but I’m just her good little brother. Please go easy on me."

"Just admit to everyone that you’ve done plenty of shameful things," Jiang Ning remarked mercilessly. Who would really get close to this insufferable man? Always seeking connections.

Gu Beicheng smiled, "Heh."

Qi Jun pressed his hands together, his face devout. "Can you at least spare me with your words?"

Gu Beicheng answered methodically, "No."

"Qi Jun, reveal what you believe is the dirtiest thing you’ve encountered in life."

Despite his playful nature and sharp tongue, Gu Beicheng could see that Qi Jun was rather innocent at heart.

Qi Jun thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped the shoulder of the man beside him. "I know! It’s something common, but I still can’t accept it…" Before he could finish, a chill swept through the air. He instinctively glanced at the shoulder he had just touched, meeting Gu Beicheng’s dark, angry gaze.

"Heh, sorry, got carried away," Qi Jun quickly withdrew his hand and continued, "The dirtiest thing I’ve encountered in life was when the director of the first movie I acted in tried to take advantage of me, giving me all sorts of hidden signals during filming."

Qi Jun clutched his arms dramatically. "I was pretty scared at the time, but now I’m used to the industry’s vibrant sleaze."

"There are plenty of wild female directors in this business. You’re still too young," Bai Zehan commented with feeling. If not forced by circumstances, he wouldn't stay here either.

"Female director? It was a male director! And a famous one!" Qi Jun stopped himself after that, knowing full well he couldn’t afford to cross someone with that kind of background, even with his affluent family.

The livestream chat erupted with sympathy.

"Qi Jun only acted in two or three movies, right?"
"I found it!"
"Gu Xiao! Gu Xiao!"
"The director of Qi Jun’s film, a famous one, powerful background! It’s Gu Xiao!"
"No way? Gu Xiao’s so handsome, how could he be like that?"
"Doesn’t everyone know plenty of big names in the entertainment industry swing both ways?"

Hearing Qi Jun's story, Jiang Ning pondered.

In her previous life, when Qi Jun’s reputation collapsed, he wrote a lengthy article of about five thousand words and posted it online, expressing his dissatisfaction with the industry and exposing several shocking insider scandals.

With his status, Qi Jun could have cleared his name and made a comeback, but after writing that article, he quit the industry for good and took over the family business.

Jiang Ning remembered that the first rule at Qi Jun’s film company was to ban such predatory behavior.

"Gu Xiao?" she murmured, lost in thought.

Qi Jun had mentioned in his article that the director he despised most was Gu Xiao.

Though Jiang Ning’s voice was low, Gu Beicheng still caught the name, one he knew very well.

"Jiang Ning, what did you just say?"

Jiang Ning looked up at Gu Beicheng's probing gaze and calmly shook her head. "Nothing."

"Alright, everyone, just treat it as a story," Qi Jun said nonchalantly, waving his hand.

Gao Minglang raised the megaphone, "Qi Jun, it’s your turn."

Qi Jun showed everyone his slip of paper and grinned mischievously at his CP Yun Fu. "Yun Fu, who do you dislike most among the eight guests?"

Yun Fu glanced around, finally settling her gaze on Jiang Ning’s face, remaining silent.

"No way, aren’t you Ning’s junior? You don’t dislike her, do you?"

Usually sweet and gentle, Yun Fu now wore a cold face.

Qi Jun couldn’t stop talking about Jiang Ning, and last night, while sharing a tent, he spent the whole night asking about her. Was he dating Yun Fu or Jiang Ning?

Jiang Ning smiled faintly at Yun Fu. Having returned from death, she was acutely sensitive to shifts in others’ emotions. Yun Fu’s gaze held dissatisfaction and jealousy, but Jiang Ning had no idea why her sweet, kind junior suddenly changed towards her. She hoped she was mistaken.

Suddenly, Yun Fu gave a soft, sweet smile. "I dislike myself the most because I’m not good enough. I envy Ning for her excellence and for always being liked by everyone."

Gu Beicheng picked up on Yun Fu’s implication and cast a cold look her way, his aura growing ever more icy.

"Mr. Cheng, did I say something wrong?" Yun Fu tilted her head and asked innocently, her gentle voice and harmless face likely leaving few men willing to contradict her.

Gu Beicheng merely glanced at her, disdainful of engaging with such a woman.

"Heh, everyone likes her? Maybe all the men like her, but she can’t live without them, the shameless one," Fu Jiaojiao muttered under her breath.

Perhaps worried that she’d say something too nasty or try to stir up trouble, Gao Minglang wisely cut Fu Jiaojiao’s mic early.

"Yun Fu, you’re excellent. You don’t need to compare yourself to me. Eventually, you’ll realize you’re out of your depth and can’t measure up," Jiang Ning replied with a smile that concealed sharpness. Human nature is never immune to tests.

Yun Fu maintained her smiling facade.

Qi Jun stared, stunned. He hadn’t expected Yun Fu to turn her focus on Jiang Ning. He’d thought she disliked Fu Jiaojiao or Bai Zehan, not her supposedly sweet senior, Jiang Ning.

"This confession round is turning into a catfight. Director Gao, look at President Gu’s face—it’s as dark as Judge Bao’s. Should we keep going?" Chen Liang thought to himself that this batch of guests was more troublesome than the last.

Gao Minglang, glancing at the barrage of comments in the livestream, smiled calmly. "No need. Have we secured the snow village resort for the next episode? Settle it soon. Two days after the second episode ends, we start the third. Our schedule must keep up with the hype."

"Most arrangements are in place. Don’t worry," Chen Liang replied.

Gao Minglang gave him a reassuring look. "Then take the planning team and start working on episode three."

"Alright, time is limited. Yun Fu, your turn to ask."

"Okay, I drew Teacher Song. My question is: Teacher Song, can you name your reason for not liking Teacher Gao?"

Qi Jun took a sharp breath, now seeing Yun Fu in a new light. She’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing! Her question was unexpectedly incisive.

Song Xiao, hearing her name, looked slightly stunned. Had she been too obvious?

The livestream comments:

"I thought Yun Fu was a sweet, soft girl, but she’s actually sharp!"
"I must have missed something—why does Song Xiao dislike Gao Tiange?"
"Did anyone catch Qi Jun’s helpless look?"
"A major showdown between guests—I love it!"
"When Yun Fu went after Jiang Ning, Cheng Beigu looked about ready to devour someone!"
"What confrontation? Wasn’t Yun Fu right?"
"Jiang Ning is so skilled at seducing men!"