In just one night, Mu Bai had no idea what had happened—how did she suddenly beco a murder suspect, hated by everyone?
[Murderer, get out of the entertainnt industry...]
[Damn it! I actually liked a murderer! Police, hurry up and arrest her!]
[Get out of the entertainnt industry!]
[Mu Bai, get out of the entertainnt industry!]
[Shaless woman, get out of the entertainnt industry!]
[Get out of the entertainnt industry!]
[Get out!]
[Get out!]
[Get out!]
...
The next morning, as soon as she woke up, she received an enraged call from her agent. He roared at her, demanding to know what on earth she had done, since the entire internet was now calling for her removal from the industry.
"Mu Bai, Miss Mu! Your little sches before were one thing, but now you've gone and—dammit—you dared to commit murder?! Look at yourself! Who will even dare back you now? Just sit tight and wait to be blacklisted..."
With a loud "bang," the agent hung up the phone.
Mu Bai sat there, completely dumbfounded: When did she beco a murderer?
Thinking about what her agent said about online rumors, Mu Bai quickly opened the internet—and sure enough, the headlines were everywhere, claiming she bribed the props crew and caused Zhao Minmin to fall from a great height.
Damn it! When had she ever bribed the props crew to do such a thing?!
She wanted to, but she hadn't even had the chance yet.
Furious, Mu Bai began frantically making phone calls, only to hit a wall at every turn.
Right then, she received another call: "Mu Bai, well well! You've gone as far as murdering people now, have you? Are you insane or do you just want to die?"
"Grandfather... grandfather..." Mu Bai trembled in fear, her whole body shaking.
"Don't call grandfather. I am not your grandfather. The Mu family has no descendants like you..."
Mu Bai didn't dare say another word: Sob sob sob... she really hadn't killed anyone! Why didn't anyone believe her?
And the worst part—right after her grandfather declared he wouldn't care about her anymore, the police arrived at her door and took her to the station.
-
-
Jiang Nuo was quite surprised. His wife, Mu Qiuniang—the one who usually didn't have the faintest clue about the internet and could compete with antiques in how outdated she was—was suddenly asking him to teach her how to use online tools today?!
The sun must have risen from the west.
Jiang Nuo even looked up at the sky to check. Nope, the sun was still rising from the east.
Mu Qiuniang was holding her phone, quietly scrolling through news about Mu Bai.
"Honey, what are you looking at?" Jiang Nuo, taking advantage of a break between shoots, leaned in curiously.
Normally, his wife would spend her downti sketching, absorbed in her art. Today, though, she'd stared at her phone all morning. Of course, he was both surprised and curious.
Mu Qiuniang didn't bother hiding anything. As soon as Jiang Nuo spoke, he noticed the flashy headlines regarding the scandalous murder case involving a big-na star in the entertainnt industry.
"You're looking at this?" Jiang Nuo said, "What's so interesting about it? The entertainnt industry is always like this—truth and lies blend together. As long as you're willing to pay, there's no news that people won't fabricate."
Mu Qiuniang looked up at him, puzzled.
Jiang Nuo explained, "Here's an example: suppose you're in a bad mood one day and don't notice a fan trying to get your autograph. Soone will snap a photo and add captions, claiming you're a diva behind the scenes who disrespects your fans, and they'll even dig up evidence to support the claim..."
Mu Qiuniang blinked her clear eyes repeatedly, as though saying: Really, people do that?
Jiang Nuo felt a strong sense of accomplishnt: "Exactly! I'm telling you, never trust what you hear about the entertainnt world. Say, for example, one day I happen to have dinner with a film crew. A paparazzo catches a shot of with the female lead, then slaps on a caption claiming I cheated on my wife and had an affair, and the whole thing would be nonsense..."
Mu Qiuniang's expression suggested: Isn't that precisely what they're saying about Mu Bai?
Honestly, Mu Bai's situation was a wake-up call for Jiang Nuo—he's determined never to cheat, but what if soone falsely accuses him?
Just like Mu Bai now. She had no idea what was happening, yet in one night she'd beco the center of a wildfire across the entertainnt industry.
Jiang Nuo didn't believe for a second that this wasn't orchestrated. Even if Mu Bai wasn't entirely innocent, there had to be people pulling strings, stirring things up behind the scenes. How else would this scandal spread so widely and so quickly?
Neither Mu Bai's status nor Zhao Minmin's status warranted an explosion of this magnitude—that much was certain. This whole thing stank of conspiracy.
More than anything, Jiang Nuo feared provoking so unknown enemy or stepping on soone's toes, only to be blindsided later and left helpless.
His greatest worry wasn't the scandal itself—it was the prospect of Mu Qiuniang "misunderstanding" him before he got a chance to clear his na.
Boil it down, and the root of his insecurity lay in this: even after three years of marriage, he believed he had forced and "tricked" Mu Qiuniang into marrying him. He lived in constant fear that one mistake would push her away for good.
He may have "tricked" her into marriage, but he still hoped to keep the "lie" alive for a lifeti.
Mu Qiuniang wasn't as calculating as him, although so of his concerns had indeed struck upon pieces of her "truth."
Back when she'd agreed to marry him, part of it ca from being worn down by his persistence. Another part was an accidental slip of agreent—once she'd given her word, she had no choice but to keep her promise.
She didn't love him, but she would honor her vows and cherish his love for her while it lasted.
"Do you think Mu Bai is the murderer?" Mu Qiuniang asked, her face expressionless as she posed her question bluntly.
"Who knows?" Jiang Nuo shook his head. "In the entertainnt industry, anything can be real or fake. I've only heard this story second-hand—I don't even know the people involved, so how could I divine the truth from fiction?"
Mu Qiuniang's face took on an intellectual look: "True."
If she didn't know the truth, she might have been swayed by the public zeal over the "discussion" of this matter. Everyone acted like they knew the story firsthand, presenting it as "facts" and "truth." She might have truly believed them.
But now she saw: the entertainnt industry was far too chaotic for her to understand.
"One thing's for sure, though—Mu Bai definitely offended soone. There must be a mastermind behind this. Without soone pulling strings, this scandal wouldn't have blown up this big and this fast!"
Mu Qiuniang's face turned serious. The entertainnt industry was clearly a puzzle beyond her grasp. Jiang Nuo, however, could instantly spot layers of issues she'd never even imagined.
"Don't worry. Your husband has always been well-liked and won't face things like this..." Jiang Nuo thought she was worried about him. After all, he too was in the sa industry. Trying to soothe her impressions of this ssy trade, he began speaking "positive truths."
He assured her that his years in the industry had earned him strong connections, ensuring he wouldn't end up like Mu Bai—isolated and unprotected in her ti of need.
Truth be told, the entertainnt world wasn't entirely devoid of good people. He'd been fortunate to encounter figures like Lu Mingchen and Director Zhang during his early career. Their ntorship paved his way to the success he enjoyed today.
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