Chapter 9 — Gu Beicheng Is Mu Ran's Man

Fu Jiaojiao was panic-stricken, wailing loudly as she collapsed onto the ground. She stared at the bloodied tooth in her palm, her heart a chaotic mess.
“Who is it? Come out! Was it you, Jiang Ning? Show yourself!”
Fu Jiaojiao got to her feet, screaming hysterically in all directions. Her shrill, resentful voice echoed across the sparsely populated island, making the place seem all the more eerie.
Drawn by her cries, the director’s crew hurried over.
“Fu Jiaojiao, what are you howling for in the middle of the night? Do you want to frighten everyone?” Gao Minglang’s look of distaste and his reproachful tone made Fu Jiaojiao feel even more aggrieved.
Storming over, Fu Jiaojiao shouted at him, her voice shrill and petulant, “Someone ambushed me! Why shouldn’t I yell? My tooth!”
The crew member carrying the camera instantly gave a close-up of Fu Jiaojiao’s now-gapped upper gum.
On the livestream comments—
“Ha! I’m dying with laughter!”
“Hate Fu Jiaojiao, serves her right!”
“Who’s so ruthless? If it’s Jiang Ning, I’m an instant fan.”
“I’ve been a Jiang Ning fan for ages.”
Seeing the camera zooming in toward her mouth, Fu Jiaojiao shoved the cameraman away and clapped her hand firmly over her lips. “What are you looking at! Turn that thing off!”
Gao Minglang shot her a disgruntled glare, cursing inwardly that this woman was like a rat in a pot of hot soup, spoiling everything. With that, he led the cameraman away. “Dear viewers, we’ve encountered an emergency. The livestream will pause for a moment. Please don’t leave; we’ll show you exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews with our guests in the meantime.”
“Who is it? Can’t a person have a date here without all this wailing? Is someone just lonely?” Qi Jun strolled over, hand in hand with Yun Fu, looking utterly relaxed as he approached Fu Jiaojiao.
He frowned, giving Fu Jiaojiao a nudge with his shoulder. “What’s wrong with you now? If you’re bored, go for a run instead of yelling for no reason. You’re scaring people in the middle of the night.”
Fu Jiaojiao, thrown off balance by his shove, stumbled and—smack!—something white and stone-like rolled at Qi Jun’s feet.
“What’s this?” he asked, curious. He bent down to pick it up.
“Get out of my way! It’s none of your business!” Fu Jiaojiao quickly bent to stop him, but she was too late.
In the dim light, Qi Jun brought the little object to his eyes. “Damn, whose tooth is this? Gross, that’s disgusting!”
With a casual flick of his hand, Fu Jiaojiao’s tooth flew off to who-knows-where.
“Fu Jiaojiao, how’d you lose your tooth? Hahaha!” Qi Jun wiped his hand vigorously on his clothes, then exaggeratedly shook it off.
Fu Jiaojiao cast him a resentful glance but said nothing, bowing her head to look for her tooth.
“Cat got your tongue? Afraid you’ll whistle when you talk?”
Looking at Qi Jun’s relentless, mocking face, Fu Jiaojiao clenched her fists, holding herself back from scratching him, mindful of his powerful background.
“Jiaojiao, what’s wrong? What happened? Did someone bully you?” Bai Zehan came over with Gao Tiange and Song Xiao, his voice gentle and concerned.
Gao Tiange, annoyed by Bai Zehan’s “central heating” behavior, jabbed him with her elbow and sneered at Fu Jiaojiao, “If you have a problem, take it to the crew. Screaming like that solves nothing.”

Fu Jiaojiao’s eyes brimmed with tears as she deliberately ignored Gao Tiange, putting on an innocent, aggrieved face for Bai Zehan. “Mr. Bai, I was sitting by my tent, about to invite you to stay with me, when someone—who knows who—threw a rock at me. My tooth...wuwuwu!”
Sensing Gao Tiange’s displeasure, Bai Zehan cleared his throat, not daring to show too much concern for the weeping woman before him. “Maybe it was a small animal on the island. You should ask the crew for help, Jiaojiao.”
Fu Jiaojiao stared at him in disbelief. How had the once gentle and thoughtful Bai Zehan become like this? Back when they were in bed together, hadn’t he promised to take care of her and stand by her side?
Was it because of Gao Tiange?
Or because of Jiang Ning?
Yes! Jiang Ning! It must have been Jiang Ning who set her up!
“Jiang Ning! You...” Fu Jiaojiao stormed off to confront Jiang Ning.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Ning, sauntering over from the direction of the cabin, looked at Fu Jiaojiao languidly, her steps slow and casual, an air of indifference about her.
Seeing Jiang Ning’s unbothered demeanor only confirmed Fu Jiaojiao’s suspicion—Jiang Ning must be the culprit!
Fu Jiaojiao advanced, baring her gap-toothed gums and jabbing her finger at Jiang Ning’s nose. “Jiang Ning, so you stole my man—if you have the guts, come at me face to face! What’s the point of sneaking around behind my back?”
The atmosphere among the group instantly grew tense.
Qi Jun, looking on with popcorn in hand, asked, “What man? Which poor guy dumped Ning and went for... her...?”
Bai Zehan’s face soured.
Jiang Ning stepped back, dabbing her cheek lightly as her icy gaze swept Fu Jiaojiao’s mouth. “Your words are leaking both air and saliva. As for stealing a man...”
“When did you ever get mixed up with her?” Jiang Ning asked lazily, turning to Gu Beicheng behind her.
A flicker of surprise passed through Gu Beicheng’s deep black eyes—he never expected Jiang Ning to ask him that.
“I was single before I met you, and after you, there’ll only ever be one woman.” Not sparing a single glance for the ranting Fu Jiaojiao, the man gazed at Jiang Ning with unreserved tenderness.
Jiang Ning’s fox-like eyes narrowed, staring at Gu Beicheng as he shamelessly spouted sweet nothings. Had he lost his mind? She shot him a warning look, telling him to stop talking nonsense.
“Fu Jiaojiao, the man I’m seeing now is the one who dated me today. I was single before this. Spreading rumors will only rot your mouth.” The chill in Jiang Ning’s eyes grew sharper.
Before Fu Jiaojiao could retort, Bai Zehan grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Jiaojiao, don’t make a scene. No one here has a reason to do that to you. Your tooth... must have been an accident.”
“Exactly. Finally, a sensible word from our movie star. Fu Jiaojiao, you’re like a toad in the pond—no one wants to touch you,” Qi Jun sneered.
“Who are you calling a toad?” Fu Jiaojiao shook off Bai Zehan’s hand.
“If I’m not mistaken, aren’t you supposed to sleep in a sleeping bag? Didn’t Ning lend you that tent out of kindness? Now you’re slandering her? Your heart’s so dark and full of resentment, it’s no wonder you attract ghosts.”
Fu Jiaojiao shot a vicious look at the innocent Jiang Ning. Qi Jun’s words made her shiver. Who knew what lurked on this deserted island?
Suddenly, “Xiao Qin, swap shifts with Ah Hao,” Gao Minglang shouted through a megaphone toward Jiang Ning’s group.
Everyone was startled. Wasn’t Xiao Qin the cameraman?
Several pairs of eyes searched for him, and sure enough, not far off, the cameraman stood quietly livestreaming them.

On the comments—
“Hahaha, they didn’t know the whole thing was being streamed!”
“Hahaha, the director’s always got something up his sleeve!”
“Live drama, right here!”
“Fu Jiaojiao fans, come out and take your punishment.”
“Mercy, I’m switching to Jiang Ning’s camp.”
“Cheng Beigu is Jiang Ning’s man? So devoted.”
“They’re a perfect match.”
“Director! What are you playing at? Didn’t you say the stream was off?” Fu Jiaojiao shrieked in desperation, feeling utterly doomed.
Gao Minglang replied smoothly, “Don’t be mad, Jiaojiao. I don’t know when Xiao Qin got behind you all. Are you alright? Want me to call someone to check your tooth?”
Poor Xiao Qin: What rotten luck!
At the mention of seeing a dentist, Fu Jiaojiao’s expression faltered, becoming evasive and awkward. She deflated. “No need.”
“What do you mean no need? Go get it checked—do you expect it to grow back on its own?” Qi Jun poked his head over, grinning mischievously.
Fu Jiaojiao clamped both hands over her mouth. “I said no, and that’s final!” With that, she dashed off toward the tent Jiang Ning had set up.
“And she still has the face to stay there? I’m embarrassed for her,” Qi Jun said, stirring the pot as he leaned into the camera and grinned at the audience. “Tell me, folks, does our little princess Jiaojiao have any shame left?”
In the comments—
“Is Qi Jun secretly a meme king? He’s full of jokes!”
“I thought he was just a playboy!”
“A playboy? Not with that vibe...”
“Comedians don’t fall in love. Qi Jun can’t be a playboy!”
“Alright, that’s enough, everyone. It’s getting late. Given the limited conditions on the island, today’s livestream will end here. We’ll be back at 8 a.m. sharp tomorrow. Stay tuned!” Gao Minglang took the cameraman and left, and the guests began to disperse.
“Let’s go back to the cabin,” Jiang Ning said calmly to Gu Beicheng.
He looked at her, eyes playful and penetrating. “You knocked out her tooth, didn’t you?”
Jiang Ning blushed. “Nonsense! I’m not that heroic!”