Chapter Ninety-Five: Scandal

“Yes,” Su Wan-ning nodded. She knew that while she was acting just now, her daughter had been watching from the side.

“But I think acting is so boring,” Nian Nian pouted, her tone a little reluctant.

“Then let’s forget it. Director, I’m sorry, my child isn’t interested in this, and she hasn’t had any professional training. Perhaps you’d better find someone else—”

“No! How can anyone not be interested in acting? Come here, little one, let me show you.” The director abruptly interrupted Su Wan-ning, his tone now animated, his facial muscles twitching with excitement. He took Nian Nian aside, gesturing energetically as he talked. Whatever he said or did, it wasn’t long before Nian Nian bounced back, happily agreeing to act.

And so it was settled. The others thanked Su Wan-ning for the milk tea. Taking advantage of her family’s milk tea shop, Su Wan-ning generously ordered a drink for every actor and crew member, including the set workers and extras.

Such generosity won her much praise. Very soon, Su Wan-ning had greeted the key crew members, and everyone realized she was nothing like the rumors—difficult to approach—on the contrary, she was very amiable, quickly becoming one with the group.

“I’ve watched your livestreams and bought quite a few things—they’re all very useful!” The screenwriter, a slightly shy young woman, found herself chatting most comfortably with Su Wan-ning.

“From now on, anything you buy in my livestream is on the house!” Su Wan-ning declared with a hearty slap to her chest, and the two burst into laughter.

On the other side, in the program team, Yin Shan-shan woke in the early morning feeling refreshed.

With Su Wan-ning gone, even the air on the show seemed laced with sweetness.

Yin Shan-shan thought this was her chance; she had to seize the opportunity to reclaim her position as the lead while Su Wan-ning was absent.

No sooner had she opened her eyes than she instructed not to turn on any cameras, then went alone to a deserted area to make several phone calls.

Meanwhile, Su Wan-ning’s scenes officially began. Her character was a female bandit—a classic, unlikable villain: ruthless, seductive when she smiled, stopping at nothing to achieve her goals, nearly killing the protagonist.

Her first scene was a face-off with Qiu Rui, who played a young police detective.

Su Wan-ning’s character had previously disguised herself, hiding her true identity, drawing close to Qiu Rui and using his feelings to become his girlfriend, all the while stealing information in secret.

“I told you, I never loved you—can’t you understand that?” Su Wan-ning’s lips curled into a mocking smile, her voice laced with amusement. Across from her, Qiu Rui’s face was full of restrained hurt; his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.

Fortunately, Su Wan-ning was no stranger to playing villains, and she slipped into the role with ease.

“I don’t believe you. Not unless you prove it to me.”

“How should I prove it?” Su Wan-ning raised her brows in surprise. The next moment, Qiu Rui strode toward her, his handsome face growing larger in her vision, drawing closer and closer…

“Cut! Su Wan-ning, why are you dodging? Just kiss him already!”

Annoyed, Su Wan-ning closed her eyes briefly, then turned to the director to apologize, “Sorry, let’s try again.”

Having to shoot a kissing scene right off the bat, especially with Qiu Rui, with whom she wasn’t familiar—and being the one to initiate the kiss—made it hard for Su Wan-ning to let go.

Clearly, Qiu Rui noticed this. Realizing that no matter how many takes they did, Su Wan-ning would react the same way, he took the initiative to say to the director, “Director, let’s take a break. I’ll talk to her.”

“Alright.” The director waved his hand, giving everyone a rest. Su Wan-ning finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sorry for holding you back.” The two of them moved to the side to rest. As Su Wan-ning spoke, she bent down to pick up her cup from the table, but her hand was caught mid-air by Qiu Rui.

She looked up in surprise. Qiu Rui was staring at her intently, not blinking.

“When we shoot the kissing scene, you’re the one who makes the first move.”

“I know,” Su Wan-ning frowned slightly, trying to pull her hand back, but his grip only tightened, squeezing her bones until it hurt.

“You’re doing this to show you have no feelings for me, so you can toy with me at will. Whether you advance or retreat, all the power is in your hands.”

As Qiu Rui spoke, it was as if he drew Su Wan-ning into the cold-hearted, emotionless killer she was meant to play.

“So prove it to me. Right now.”

Qiu Rui’s voice was low, carrying a kind of hypnotic power. As he spoke, she found herself drawn into his gaze—her expression turning determined, mocking, disdainful…

The next second, Su Wan-ning rose on tiptoe and leaned in toward Qiu Rui. In that moment, she seemed to have become the character.

“Good, that was very well done. Just like that later.”

Just as their lips were about to meet, Qiu Rui suddenly spoke, pulling Su Wan-ning back to reality. A blush crept over her face and she took a few steps back.

“Thank you,” she murmured, lowering her head to take a sip of water, trying to calm her pounding heart.

Qiu Rui was so good—he slipped into character in an instant, almost causing her to embarrass herself.

After they’d composed themselves, they returned to the set, unaware that in the dressing room behind them, someone was filming through the crack of a door, capturing the entire scene.

That evening, the video—maliciously edited—hit the trending topics online.

Qiu Rui’s fans exploded. They flooded Su Wan-ning’s social media with insults, accusing her of being a cradle-snatcher, cheating while married, not deserving Qiu Rui, and so on.

A meeting was arranged. Qiu Rui’s agent was furious.

“We haven’t even finished shooting, and I understand you want publicity, but isn’t this a bit too soon?”

“What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting we did this?” Vincent retorted with a frown.

“What else? Everyone on set signed a confidentiality agreement. Who would dare?”

The two managers traded barbs in the lounge, the argument so fierce Su Wan-ning couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

Qiu Rui, to avoid suspicion, didn’t attend the meeting.

After a while, Su Wan-ning slipped away and returned to the spot where she’d acted with Qiu Rui earlier that day.

Standing there again, she looked back from the angle shown in the video, confirming which room the footage had been taken from.

The angle was crafty, making it seem as if they’d kissed—even though they hadn’t—and that Su Wan-ning had initiated it.

There were no cameras around, so it was clear this wasn’t part of the shoot. That’s why Qiu Rui’s fans were so outraged, thinking Su Wan-ning had “seduced” him.

After all, they didn’t know the details of the show’s plot or the characters.

“Su Wan-ning.”