Chapter 19: A Slap

Even their forms of address had changed, showing just how much more respectful their attitude toward Yun Fu had become. Yun Fu, however, didn’t spare them a single glance. She strode quickly out, her very silhouette exuding an icy indifference.

Watching her leave, Ning Lan was consumed with bitter hatred, yet she could do nothing. The thought that she would soon have to apologize publicly to Yun Fu, that the entire internet would learn of her deeds and her humiliation would be complete—this made Ning Lan tremble with rage.

Seeing her like this, Lin Lirong gave a cold snort. “So capable, aren’t you? Why don’t you get yourself out of this mess then?”

If not for her, her own son would never have offended Lian Hanqi, and she herself wouldn’t have had to lose so much face before Yun Fu, someone of the younger generation. Moreover, to get Du Xingyuan released, their family had used every possible connection they could muster.

Originally, Lian Hanqi had arranged to meet Yun Fu today, but because of this incident, he postponed the meeting and even called the exceedingly busy Director Ding to accompany Yun Fu.

Knowing that Yun Fu had not only shamed the Du family and Ning Lan so thoroughly, but also “extorted” fifty million from their hands, Lian Hanqi couldn’t help but smile.

Inside the conference room, the subordinates watching their boss were nearly frightened out of their wits.

Good heavens, had they made some mistake without realizing it? Was the boss about to explode again?

Terrifying.

As they shivered in their seats, a low voice finally sounded: “Meeting’s over.”

It was like music from heaven. They stared in disbelief at the man at the head of the table.

Only when the assistant waved them away did they leave with joy written all over their faces.

After all, what they feared most was not work, not overtime, but meetings with their boss.

—

Online, the gossip-hungry public feasted once more.

The president of Star Entertainment had suddenly issued a public apology to Yun Fu, admitting he had wronged her and had engaged in an improper relationship with Ning Lan while still dating Yun Fu. He also confessed that his behavior at the mall had been out of line, causing Yun Fu distress.

He solemnly apologized to Yun Fu, hoping for her forgiveness.

Ning Lan did the same.

Both posted statements on Weibo and pinned their apologies to the top of their feeds. Not only that, they cooperated with media interviews and recorded video apologies.

Some people might have long suspected the truth, but now that it was openly admitted, the impact was entirely different.

First came Ning Lan’s fans. How could they accept that Ning Lan had been the other woman? Before, when Ning Lan vehemently denied everything, they could still deceive themselves. But now, many fans abandoned her.

Then there was Star Entertainment—the company’s stock price plunged over the incident.

At the Du family, when Old Master Du heard the news, he was so furious that he suffered another heart attack.

With a resounding slap, he struck Du Xingyuan across the face.

Du Xingyuan had always been his most cherished grandson, yet now he had brought shame to the family.

“Kneel! Do you realize how much disgrace you’ve brought on our family? For a woman, you dared to offend Lian Hanqi! Du Xingyuan, where did you get such nerve? And that woman—cut her off immediately! Someone who only brings us trouble is good for nothing but a fling. Our Du family will never acknowledge such a granddaughter-in-law!”

Old Master Du’s words were like thunder.

The younger members of the Du family managed to keep straight faces, but inside, they were secretly delighted.

Du Xingyuan had once been the pride of their clan, but now, after offending Lian Hanqi—if it weren’t still salvageable, the Du family would be doomed.

And that woman? Just an actress, not worth Du Xingyuan dragging them all down for her.

Thinking this, the cousin who had always looked down on Du Xingyuan couldn’t resist a jab. “That’s right, cousin. With our family’s status, if you’d stayed with Yun Fu, wouldn’t you be soaring now? Look at Yun Fu these days—she’s on Lian Hanqi’s side now. Even sending you to the police was a matter of a single word.”

As these words fell, everyone’s expression darkened.

Indeed, if they still had ties to Yun Fu, then their Du family would now be connected to Lian Hanqi.

Yet now, the entire internet knew the truth. Every time any member of the Du family stepped outside, they felt their faces burning with shame.

It was humiliation to the extreme.

Du Xingyuan’s face was ashen. This entire mess had indeed started with Ning Lan.

With this realization, his attitude toward Ning Lan cooled completely.

A month of pinned apology posts that could not be deleted, and another fifty million handed over to Yun Fu—the Du family had truly met their match this time.

“Reflect on what you’ve done!” Although Old Master Du was furious, he still tried to clean up after his dearest grandson.

—

In the next couple of days, the entertainment industry was rocked by scandal after scandal, as if hit by an earthquake.

This celebrity was exposed for having a secret girlfriend or boyfriend. That one wasn’t single, and even had children already. Another, rumored to be from a wealthy family, turned out to be deeply in debt…

All these stories were attempts to steal the spotlight from Du Xingyuan and Ning Lan’s debacle, but none succeeded.

What netizens cared about most was still the Du Xingyuan affair.

“These two are shameless, picking on Yun Fu just because she had no powerful backing. That line from Yun Fu was right—trash belongs with trash, together forever.”

“Disgusting. You can tell they’re both rotten to the core, a perfect match.”

“Suddenly I feel so sorry for Yun Fu. Now that she’s terminated her contract, she can finally live her own life.”

“I never liked Ning Lan’s innocent act. Never understood why she had so many fans—ridiculous!”

When the wall falls, everyone pushes. Yun Fu became the victim in the eyes of the public, and many rallied to demand “justice” for her.

The story stayed at the top of trending topics; Ning Lan and Du Xingyuan had taken a spectacular fall and didn’t even dare leave their homes.

Then the Du family took action. Letting the scandal fester was of no benefit to them. They made an example by suing a few of the most vicious commenters. After that, no one dared speak up online.

Ning Lan and Du Xingyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Yun Fu sat before her laptop, typing leisurely, her lips curling into a cold smile as she read the news.

Did they really think it would end so easily? Ha! That would depend entirely on her willingness to let it go.

Her slender fingers danced across the keys, making sure that pinned apology post stayed stuck at the top of trending searches, impossible to remove no matter what was tried.

The Du family panicked, suspecting it was the Lian family’s doing, and dared not make any rash moves.

That week, Ning Lan experienced what was undoubtedly the most miserable days of her life.

With a loud crash, she smashed another object. “Damn it, why won’t that trending post come down!”

“Yun Fu, you’d better hope you never fall into my hands!”