Chapter 60
Lin Zhiqiao scrolled through the hot searches, stunned by how fast, precise, and ruthless Ning Qiu’s methods were.
At that moment, they were all sitting together in Pei Ning’s living room. Compared to the smoke and bloodshed raging all over the internet, the atmosphere in the living room could only be described as leisurely and peaceful.
Although Our Life had temporarily stopped airing, everyone still chose to stay at Pei Ning’s place.
[President Jiang, oh President Jiang, if you have to blame anyone, blame your own blind eyes. Of all people, you just had to pick your white moonlight’s white moonlight as the stand-in.]
[No wonder Ning Qiu said Jiang Group would be too busy saving itself.] Lin Zhiqiao could not help muttering inwardly, [At this rate, even if Jiang Group doesn’t collapse completely this time, it’s definitely going to be badly crippled.]
The turmoil at Jiang Group had come so suddenly that it caught everyone completely off guard.
The hot search about Jiang Ling being taken away by the police had not even fallen yet when Jiang Group was investigated for tax evasion and underreporting, and Jiang Group’s real-time stock price began plunging at a frightening speed.
And just as everyone was watching the chaos surrounding Jiang Group, another hot search shot straight onto the list—
#PeiNingClassmateRevealsTheTruthAboutSevenYearsAgo#
When Lin Zhiqiao saw the push notification, he froze for a moment and instinctively glanced at Ning Qiu.
The other woman was currently squeezed together with Pei Ning on a tiny single-seater sofa, her eyes on the television screen, looking completely unaware of the matter.
But Lin Zhiqiao’s instincts told him that the force behind this hot search was, with an eighty to ninety percent probability, still her.
The person on the hot search who claimed to be Pei Ning’s classmate was the very same old classmate who, seven years ago, had falsely accused Pei Ning of school bullying, caused her to be vilified across the whole internet, and was ultimately sentenced on charges including defamation.
Now, seven years later, that person had long since been released from prison.
The popularity of that incident back then had gradually faded from public view after Jiang Ling helped Pei Ning win the lawsuit and send the classmate who spread the rumors to jail.
Now, when people brought up that incident, all anyone remembered was that this once “fairy-tale couple,” Jiang Ling and Pei Ning, had successfully gotten together because of it.
But as for that classmate who had spread the rumors… forget his name—if he passed by people on the street, they probably would not even recognize him.
No one had expected that after seven whole years, that old classmate would jump out again and once more stand in front of the public eye.
Only this time, he was not there to smear dirt on someone.
He was there to “reveal the truth.”
In the video, this old classmate held his ID card the whole time and recounted the entire process of how Jiang Ling approached him seven years ago and told him to spread rumors about Pei Ning. He even brought out evidence he had secretly kept for many years.
His wording was firm, and the evidence he had preserved from back then was extremely complete. He even cried in the video and said that he had actually regretted it a long time ago, but had always been too afraid of Jiang Ling’s status to expose the truth. It was only now, after seeing Jiang Ling crash and burn, that he could no longer endure the torment in his conscience and had finally worked up the courage to stand in front of the camera again.
The moment this video was released, the whole internet exploded!
‘Holy shit? So the reason Sister Pei got dragged through the mud all over the internet back then was actually a setup by Jiang Ling from the very beginning?’
‘He had someone spread rumors, then waited for Pei Ning to fall into a desperate situation, then appeared as a savior. He got a good reputation and won Sister Pei’s genuine feelings too. What a calculation. [my worldview is being rebuilt.jpg]’
‘He seriously never treated Sister Pei like a person at all, did he?’
‘Never in my wildest dreams did I think something from seven years ago could still get this kind of shocking reversal today [I’m too stunned to function.jpg]’
‘Damn damn damn, my heart hurts for Sister Pei. She got deceived by that scumbag for so many years—her prime years, ahhh’
‘Who wouldn’t say Jiang Ling’s methods were terrifying? One move linked to the next. If someone pulled that whole chain on anyone, they’d be dazed too.’
‘Does everyone still remember that rumor from a while back? The one saying Sister Pei was only a stand-in Jiang Ling found, and the one he really liked was someone else…’
‘Then that explains everything. If he saw Pei Ning as just a stand-in, of course he could treat her however he wanted without hesitation, because he never had real feelings and wouldn’t feel bad for her. This scumbag is making me physically sick [bleh.jpg]’
‘Just quietly saying, I also heard that this time Jiang Ling originally meant to reuse the same old trick, and the whole “catching someone cheating” setup was prepared for Pei Ning. But somehow, he ended up falling into his own trap instead.’
‘I don’t get it. Seven years ago it was to get Pei Ning, but this time what was it for?’
‘What else could it be? The white moonlight came back, obviously! So he wanted to kick Pei Ning aside and make room for the white moonlight [eye roll.jpg]’
‘Okay but… isn’t that getting a little too conspiracy-theory-ish?’
‘Holy shit everyone go look, the other main person in Jiang Ling’s sexual assault case just exposed himself! The whole setup really was prepared for Pei Ning from the start!!!’
‘There are contact logs and even records of buying special-effect drugs overseas…’
‘God, thank goodness Sister Pei didn’t get caught in it [pupil earthquake.jpg]’
‘Does Jiang Ling seriously not have even the tiniest bit of humanity left? Taking Sister Pei away, let Sister Pei just shine beautifully on her own’
‘This wave from Jiang Ling is what you call lifting a rock only to smash your own foot [I’m dying laughing.jpg]’
‘A scumbag ending up like this is exactly what everyone loves to see. A universal celebration, honestly.’
After the hot search climbed the rankings, every last bit of Jiang Ling’s history was dug up in an absurdly short amount of time.
Unlike the gossip-eating public online, who were mostly watching the chaos as a spectacle, Jiang Ling himself—still sitting in detention—felt like each day dragged on like a year.
He had already been in detention for a full two days, yet not a single person had come to bail him out.
Only on the third day was the tightly shut door finally pushed open again.
The man who came in was the head of Jiang Group’s legal team and also Jiang Ling’s lawyer, surnamed Zhang.
The instant he saw Lawyer Zhang, Jiang Ling’s face darkened. “Why did you only come now?”
Lawyer Zhang had already paid the bail. Hearing that, he simply handed his phone over to Jiang Ling. “President Jiang, see for yourself.”
Jiang Ling noticed his strange attitude. At first he did not think much of it, until he saw “Jiang Group” hanging high on the hot search list, along with a whole string of trending phrases below tied to his own name.
“under investigation for tax evasion,” “Jiang Group stock crashing,” “scumbag get out of the country”…
Jiang Ling did not even have to read carefully. Those glaring keywords, repeated over and over, smashed straight into his vision on their own.
In the days he had spent in detention, the outside world had completely changed.
It took Jiang Ling some effort to force himself to accept that reality. He tried to calm down and asked, “How is the company doing now?”
Lawyer Zhang pushed up his glasses and answered bluntly, “The company is in utter chaos.”
Jiang Ling could not help snapping, “It’s already been days. They still haven’t handled something this simple?”
“Simple?” Lawyer Zhang looked as if he had just heard the most ridiculous word in the world. “President Jiang, this isn’t nearly as simple as you think.”
Jiang Ling wanted to argue back, but in that instant Ning Qiu’s figure flashed across his mind.
—Was the Ning family making a move against the Jiang family?
For what? Just for a Pei Ning? Did Ning Qiu hate him that much?!
For that one brief moment, Jiang Ling found the whole thing absurd beyond belief.
His eyes darkened as he said to Lawyer Zhang, “Go back to the Jiang residence first.”
But Lawyer Zhang ignored him and kept driving along the original route. Jiang Ling could tell at once: this was the road leading to Jiang Group.
“I said, go back to the Jiang residence first.” Jiang Ling repeated, suppressing his anger. “Can’t you understand human language?”
Lawyer Zhang did not even turn his head. “President Jiang, the task I was given was to bring you back to the company.”
He did not explain further, but Jiang Ling had already heard the underlying meaning hidden within those few words.
He understood now. He no longer had the right to choose or decide anything.
Jiang Group had decided to sacrifice the lesser piece to save the king—and he was the expendable piece being cast aside.
At that instant, Jiang Ling felt like he had fallen into an icy abyss.
Not far away, the Jiang Group tower stood under the sunlight, but the reflective glass on its exterior seemed more like countless razor-sharp blades, stabbing pain through his entire body.
He regretted it.
If he had known things would end like this, he should never have provoked Ning Qiu and Pei Ning in the first place.
But unfortunately, this world did not sell medicine for regret.
*
Three days after Our Life stopped broadcasting, the livestream finally resumed.
But this time, it was not a regular episode. It was a special bonus broadcast.
‘Is this some scenic tourist spot? The scenery’s pretty nice, actually.’
‘Don’t tell me they’re out looking for inspiration again [dog head.jpg]’
‘The production team is actually pretty thoughtful, huh? They even gave Sister Pei a break so she could come out and relax.’
‘Qian’nan Mountain Scenic Area… if I remember right, there’s a bungee-jumping place up there.’
Lin Zhiqiao and the others’ destination was exactly that bungee-jumping site on Qian’nan Mountain.
The reason was very simple. Ning Qiu was afraid Pei Ning would bottle things up too much, so she asked whether Pei Ning wanted to go out and get some air, and if there was anywhere she wanted to go.
Pei Ning said one sentence—“Then let’s go bungee jumping”—and so everyone ended up following her to Qian’nan Mountain.
Even the cameraman, ever dedicated to his work, carried his camera and followed everyone up the mountain.
Their luck was not bad. It was not peak tourist season, so there were not many people lined up for the bungee-jumping attraction.
Lin Zhiqiao did not even know how he ended up standing on the jumping platform, how he jumped, or how he came back up.
The moment his feet touched the ground again, he felt like his legs were so weak they no longer belonged to him.
The staff member helped undo his safety harness and asked, “Are you alright?”
Lin Zhiqiao nodded stiffly, face blank. “I’m great.”
[Great my ass, ahhh, not great at all, I almost spiraled straight into heaven, wuwuwu]
Ji Ran, lined up behind him, snickered.
It was impossible not to be scared.
But no matter how scared he was, Lin Zhiqiao could not suppress the part of him that wanted to eat sugar from a CP.
At the double bungee-jump platform right next to Lin Zhiqiao, Ning Qiu and Pei Ning had also already been strapped in with their harnesses.
Pei Ning had originally wanted to line up for the single-jump queue, but Ning Qiu said one simple line—“I’m a little scared”—and Pei Ning immediately changed direction and stood in the double-jump line with her.
‘Who exactly is this young lady named Ning Qiu? She’s gotten so much screen time lately.’
‘Wait, no way, there are still people who don’t know Ning Qiu is actually that scumbag’s white moonlight?’
‘Holy shit, seriously? The white moonlight and the stand-in actually have such a good relationship? [shocked.jpg]’
‘Honestly asking… this pair looks kind of shippable. Am I allowed to ship them? [tentative little poke.jpg]’
‘Forget it, I’m shipping first and asking questions later. Even if it’s just beautiful friendship between girls, I’ll still respectfully ship it!’
‘Double Ning looks so gorgeous even just standing together, ahhh. Please, two beautiful sisters, don’t look at dog men anymore. I only want to watch pretty women being close [slurp slurp.jpg]’
Ning Qiu opened her arms and hugged Pei Ning tightly into them. “Sister, are you ready?”
Pei Ning glanced at her and said nothing, but she also opened both arms and wrapped them tightly around Ning Qiu’s waist.
And then they leaped together.
Ji Ran, who had already been strapped into his own harness, let out a delighted “whoa,” cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, and dubbed them aloud: “May there never again be scumbags in this world!!!”
And then he jumped too.
A perfectly normal bungee-jumping experience, at this moment, somehow seemed to transform into some mysterious ritual for banishing scumbags.
In midair, Pei Ning and Ning Qiu held each other very tightly.
Lin Zhiqiao finally recovered a little and could not stop staring at them, his eyes practically shooting out the bright, delighted light of someone who had just shipped a CP to heaven.
[What looks like stand-in fiction is actually a story about the white moonlight and the stand-in saving each other. How can this not count as a grand redemption arc, wuwuwu!]
[From now on, could all future CPs please roll themselves up to this standard, okay!!!]
