Pampered by Short-Lived Bigshot

Online public opinion was ablaze, with some netizens even starting a boycott against celebrities with scandals, calling for You Congrong to be ousted from the entertainment industry. The Tang Family's fandom had offended quite a few people before, and now they were under collective attack.

However, some fans were still pulling Tang Wan out as a shield, claiming she was deliberately slandering to cleanse her own image for her touring exhibition tomorrow.

This time, not everyone was so easily swayed. Whenever such comments appeared, someone immediately retorted:

"Tang Wan might indeed have infringed rights and be utterly unforgivable, but that doesn't stop us from boycotting You Congrong!"

At this moment, Tang Wan was sitting in a restaurant with Jiang Jinsang. They had just ordered their meal. She was eating a plate of hawthorn cakes provided by the restaurant with a small fork, "How did You Congrong's fans get hold of the flight information?"

"There's always a way. Besides, with the return of such a grandmaster to the country, the media has been reporting on it recently. Some media outlets are even planning to go to the airport for photos and interviews. In short, it wasn't a secret."

Dinner hadn't been served yet, but Tang Wan's phone had been ringing nonstop. Both the Tang Family and the old lady had called separately. Right now, her phone vibrated again. She glanced at the screen, somewhat helpless, "Really getting bombarded in turns."

She answered the phone, "Hello—Auntie."

"Where are you?" Shen Shuci only found out through her colleagues that she had gone to the set to "tear someone apart."

"I'm at a restaurant with my fifth brother, about to have lunch. What are you doing? It's a bit noisy around you."

"I'm out eating." It was already lunchtime.

"I've told you before, don't always eat at the company cafeteria. Occasionally, you should go out with your colleagues to get a change of food."

"I know."

...

Out of the corner of her eye, Tang Wan noticed Jiang Jinsang pushing his plate of hawthorn cakes towards her. She looked up, ready to thank him, only to see a familiar figure walking past the restaurant's glass window.

She paused for a few seconds, "Auntie, are you still there?"

"Yes."

"I saw someone who looks a lot like you, but I'm in the city."

Shen Shuci's heart trembled violently. She had taken the opportunity to fetch a repaired watch during her lunch break. She glanced around instinctively, quickly darted into a shopping mall.

She was acting like a thief, fearful that Tang Wan might suddenly appear.

"You might have seen wrong."

"Really? It looked quite similar." Tang Wan pursed her lips.

Jiang Jinsang, hearing this, also looked outside. With the hustle and bustle, the person who resembled Shen Shuci was nowhere to be seen.

"I think you've been too tired lately, a bit blurry-eyed. I've already told you, both of you should be careful..." Shen Shuci's tone was overly calm.

"We haven't!"

Although younger than herself, insisting on putting on an elder's air, it made Tang Wan's insides churn with impatience and anger. The conversation diverted, Tang Wan didn't bring up the previous matter again, but after Shen Shuci hung up, her heart hammered wildly, her back cold...

**

At this time, on the set of "Feng Que," because of the previous reporter's interview and Tang Wan suddenly showing up, tearing into You Congrong, the reporters almost blocked their way to the backstage makeup room, causing considerable delays. Even close to mealtime, lunches weren't distributed, and the director needed to catch up on today's schedule as quickly as possible.

Ruan Mengxi, who was originally in charge of this drama, rushed to the set after receiving a call. Although the situation had stabilized, some props had been damaged due to the reporters' chasing and jostling.

"…Ruan, here's all the damaged items for you to check," the staff member handed over the list of damages to her.

Even though she wasn't the props department head, as the representative of the investors, she had to know where her money was going.

This damage was certainly outside the budget, and Ruan Mengxi needed to tally it clearly.

"I know."

Ruan Mengxi was about to call Qi Zeyan when she heard an argument nearby, some people trying to mediate, along with sounds of smashing. A crowd had gathered around, and the scene seemed a bit chaotic.

As she walked over, she saw You Congrong being restrained by security personnel, shouting at a girl.

"What? Look down on me with your dog eyes? What kind of makeup did you do for me? Are you brushing me off?"

"I didn't." The makeup artist's face had been slapped, bright and shocking red, as the crew members comforted her on the side.

"You Congrong, that's enough. Don't take your bad mood out on others," said some of the actresses who couldn't stand by and watch.

Three women and one drama, in this play alone, there are more than ten actresses announced with roles above the third tier – you can imagine the usual atmosphere.

"Ha—Don't think for a second that I don't know how you all talk about me behind my back, thinking I'm washed up, can't make it anymore and am about to be kicked out of the entertainment industry," she was always this dramatic on set, especially now after being suppressed so harshly by Tang Wan.

Everyone knew she had been holding her breath, not daring to vent her anger on Tang Wan, and so she took it out on the staff instead.

"What kind of junk were you using on me before? And now you're trying to fob me off with these hair accessories? What is this stuff?" You Congrong pulled the hairpin out of her hair and threw it on the ground, "You're trying to pawn off this cheap, inferior crap on me?"

The pearls on the hairpin scattered and rolled on the ground.

Ruan Mengxi looked down at the floor.

"That's because, the fine jewelry you used to wear was all provided by Teacher Tang, and she…" the makeup artist was also helpless, You Congrong's Cyan Feather hairpins had all been taken away by people from Tang Wan.

Meticulously crafted, naturally exquisite, but now that the items were gone, she could only find similar substitutes. There was nothing the makeup artist could do.

"Teacher Tang? Someone who plagiarizes and infringes on others' rights also deserves to be called a teacher?" You Congrong was filled with anger when she spoke of Tang Wan.

"Let's go have lunch first," the director said helplessly.

But the makeup artist who had just been hit also had suffered for a long time. Being slapped in public was humiliating and distressing for anyone. She held her face and bit her lip as she retorted:

"But Teacher Tang is right, you just don't have the fate of an A-lister yet you suffer from the delusions of one. No wonder all these years, you've only hovered in the second and third tiers."

"What did you just say!" You Congrong was already furious, and with those words stinging her, she charged over to hit her.

But Ruan Mengxi and You Congrong had longstanding grievances, and the former had just watched You Congrong slander her friend, so she stepped in front of the makeup artist to shield her.

"Ruan Mengxi! Get out of my way!"

"You Congrong, that's enough, she's still young," Ruan Mengxi frowned.

"Congrong!" You Congrong's manager had been pulling her back, "Enough, Qi Zeyan will be here soon, don't stir up more trouble."

The manager did not at all believe that Qi Zeyan would pull her out of this mess. The whole situation was a trap set by him and Jiang the Fifth to vent on Tang Wan.

Otherwise, why would Tang Wan appear so conveniently at just the right time?

Thinking carefully, one could detect the strangeness in the situation, but You Congrong had no way out. Several brand endorsements had called to cancel their contracts; she saw Qi Zeyan as her last lifeline.

The manager was just trying to steady her emotions and whispered in her ear, "You certainly don't want him to see you like this, right?"

"Besides, Assistant Ruan is someone close to Mr. Qi. It doesn't look good for you to come at her so hard."

"What will you do if she says something to Mr. Qi later on?"

The manager was just placating her; after so many years in the industry, she was clear on one thing: You Congrong was finished. There was no future for her.

You Congrong had a history of grievances with Ruan Mengxi, and everyone in the production team knew that she and Tang Wan were friends.

Since she couldn't go after Tang Wan directly, taking it out on her friend was the next best thing. So, she approached Ruan Mengxi, and they locked eyes.

"You Congrong, they're about to start serving boxed lunches; you should go eat something," Ruan Mengxi said politely, even referring to her as 'Sister' despite the discomfort between them.

But her next words completely infuriated You Congrong.

"Ha—" You Congrong sneered, "Who do you think you are, trying to mediate?"

"You're nothing but a dog by Qi Zeyan's side…"

"Do you think you have the standing for that?"

By noon, the set was scorching hot, everyone was irritable, and Ruan Mengxi pulled at her collar, thinking to herself, how can I not keep control…

**

Elsewhere

After hanging up the phone with Tang Wan, Shen Shuci arrived at the watch repair shop, only to be told that the master had gone for lunch and to come back in fifteen minutes. Shen Shuci didn't dare to leave the mall, so she borrowed a stool and sat waiting…

She was still shaken by what Tang Wan had said earlier.

Even though she hadn't done anything wrong, how did things turn out this way!

At that moment, she was unaware that something even more frightening lay ahead…