A few days later

Two or three days have passed since the group's formation night, but to everyone's surprise, the buzz surrounding Jian Xingsui on Weibo has not subsided. The show's continued dominance on the trending topics list that day has brought more attention to the variety show "Starlight," and the allegations of vote manipulation by the production team have intensified. An Ran, who was unfortunately tricked by fans and subsequently exposed, has been dragged into the mess and is now the subject of much discussion.

"Is An Ran a member of royalty?"

"Why is it that the amount of money spent on the votes was about the same, but he came in third place?"

"His brother is his mentor, so he's undoubtedly royalty, isn't he?"

"Did you steal someone else's life?"

"Ah, I used to think he was cute, but I never expected him to be this kind of person."

An Ran originally had a good image in the public eye, but due to the series of actions by his fans on the night of the group's formation, his reputation plummeted.

...

Jian Family Mansion

"Bang!"

A loud bang echoed in the reception room, showing just how angry the host was.

Jianzhi was furious after seeing the online comments about his beloved younger brother An Ran. He said, "They just casually conclude that you're royalty. Netizens these days are getting more and more irrational."

An Ran sat beside him, her eyes red-rimmed, clearly looking like she had suffered a great injustice.

Sitting opposite her was An Ran's manager, Sister Li: "Ranran, I didn't expect that Jian Xingsui has already fallen to this state, yet he is still trying to smear you. I think this incident might be due to him instigating his fans behind the scenes to deliberately sabotage you."

An Ran glanced at Jian Zhi discreetly and said softly, "It's impossible, Sister Li. I know Sui Sui. He... he's a good person. He wouldn't do something like this. This is also my fault. I didn't manage the fans well. Don't blame Xing Sui. Even if he did it, it's nothing. I think Sui Sui is still blaming me. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have left the Jian family..."

Jianzhi felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this.

"Ranran, how could this be your fault?" Jian Zhi always liked his excellent and sensible younger brother: "You are my own brother, so it is only right that you come home. I think Sister Li is right. Jian Xingsui may have done something behind the scenes. Isn't he close to that Shen Xingchen? When I went to him before, he said he didn't care about money. I guess he has a new powerful backer, which is why he dares to speak so confidently."

An Ran was quick-witted, and she asked softly, "Second Brother, what should I do?"

Jian Zhi crossed his legs and said, "Don't worry, the online controversy will just pass quickly. Jian Xingsui's company took one million from us, and now they need to give us an explanation. They will also blacklist him. When he has nowhere else to turn and realizes what's going on, he will naturally come to me and beg for forgiveness."

An Ran and Sister Li exchanged a glance, both seeing consideration in each other's eyes.

The issue now is no longer about waiting for the public opinion to subside; An Ran's current problem is that she wants to clear her name and restore her public image.

If he wanted to enjoy wealth and luxury, he could have relied on the Jian family. But his goal in this life was to make up for the regrets of his previous life. He was unwilling to accept that he had lost, so he had to find a way to win over Fu Jinxiao. However, according to his understanding, the movie star Fu Jinxiao always liked hardworking people who did not take shortcuts or use petty tricks.

Now everyone online is saying they're royalty and rose to power through family connections. Doesn't that ruin his reputation? How is he going to win Fu Jinxiao's heart? He thought he could use Jian Zhi's influence to put Jian Xingsui at a disadvantage, but it turns out he's so weak. It seems he can only rely on himself.

...

In the hospital

Jian Xingsui has been staying with the patient at the hospital for the past two days, and she has lost a lot of weight.

When Zhang brought the food, she saw Jian Xingsui wiping Zhang Xiangyang's body, so she walked over and said, "Suisui, thank you for your hard work. I really don't know what I would do without you."

"Don't mention it, it's my pleasure." Jian Xingsui said to Zhang Xiangyang, "You lie down, I'll go empty the water in the basin."

Zhang Xiangyang nodded. After spending these days with Jian Xingsui, he had truly discovered the child's gentleness and kindness. He was very patient with him and took meticulous care of him when he was sick. He didn't complain at all, even when it came to wiping his body. Even his own child wouldn't be this kind, let alone Jian Xingsui, who had only been adopted not long ago.

Looking at Jian Xingsui's tired face, Zhang Xiangyang gently instructed, "Suisui, you should go home early. Your mother is here. You've been up all night and need to rest."

Jian Xingsui hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

Ms. Zhang quickly said, "Don't go back to the company dormitory. The room at home has been prepared. You can go back and stay there for a short while."

Jian Xingsui didn't hesitate at this moment and nodded: "Okay."

After Jian Xingsui left, the couple looked at each other, as if they both had something to say to each other.

Having narrowly escaped death this time, Zhang Xiangyang unexpectedly gained a lot of insight. Things he had always been fixated on seemed insignificant in the face of life and death: "Has my illness relapsed?"

Zhang came over and said, "It's not serious, don't worry about it."

"Don't lie to me, I know what I'm doing." Zhang Xiangyang coughed a few times. "My illness will require a lot of money to treat. Are our family savings enough?"

Zhang comforted him, "Don't worry, Xing Sui and I will figure something out. Just focus on getting better."

Zhang Xiangyang frowned unconsciously: "I heard that Xing Sui left home without any money. You know he only wanted 20,000 yuan to appear on the show. How much money could he possibly have? We gave him 500,000 yuan because we were worried that Ranran would be bullied and looked down upon at the Jian family. Now that I'm in this situation, he shouldn't be short of money. Go and ask for it back."

Zhang was taken aback: "You want it back?"

Zhang Xiangyang frowned and said, "Why can't we get it back? You've seen his situation at the Jian family. They treated him well, and now he's debuted in a group and has a stable job. Look at Sui Sui, he's already been eliminated. Where are you going to let him earn money? I'm sick and urgently need money, you know that."

“But…” Zhang hesitated, “I’m just afraid that Ranran might encounter some difficulties.”

Zhang Xiangyang felt heartbroken by his wife.

It seems that from the very beginning, after bringing An Ran home, his wife treated the child as her own, showering her with love and care, giving her whatever she wanted, and doting on her immensely. When An Ran herself realized something was wrong, his wife was heartbroken and unwilling to separate from An Ran. She even gave the child 500,000 yuan when An Ran left home.

I can understand that she loves her child, but at this point, how can she still be so stubborn?

Zhang Xiangyang thought she was crazy: "Xia, is my life more important than his difficulties?"

Zhang Xia's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, in Zhang Xiangyang's somewhat disappointed eyes, she seemed to sense something in the depths of her being, as if she had done many wrong things.

At that moment, a doctor came in from outside and said, "Ward rounds."

The doctors arrived, and the conversation naturally ended. Zhang Xiangyang had become noticeably thinner during this period. After the examination, the doctor said, "Family members, please come out for a moment. We need to discuss some matters."

Zhang Xia then hurriedly followed.

Once outside, the doctor said, "He hasn't found a suitable kidney donor yet, but we will do our best with his usual treatment. There may be a treatment plan later. You, as his family, should also be mentally prepared and not put any psychological burden on the patient. We also need to ask the family if your son is willing to undergo blood matching tests. If so, he can have the surgery after some time."

Zhang Xia's body stiffened.

Whether Jian Xingsui is willing or not is another matter, but they are not biological father and son, so how can she have the surgery? But how can she ask the doctor for help in this situation?

Zhang Xia then asked, "Doctor, do you think this is alright? We'd like to look for a suitable one first..."

The doctor gave Zhang Xia a meaningful look.

Zhang Xia felt a little guilty under their gaze.

The doctor could only say, "Of course that's possible, but you have to understand that the patient's treatment opportunities are limited, and we can't be sure that we can find a suitable one. Your family should think it over carefully."

Zhang Xia nodded: "I understand."

Of course she knew it would be difficult to find someone, but at worst she could go to Ranran. Ranran would definitely not abandon her and her father who had raised her for so many years. As long as Ranran was willing to help, everything would be fine.

...

Meanwhile, Jian Xingsui went back to her room and took a nap.

He only came back to sleep during the day, and by the time he woke up, it was already evening and dark.

But what he didn't expect was that he would be woken up by a phone call from his agent, Brother Wang. Jian Xingsui knew that this day of reckoning would come after he left the sports stadium, but since he was already here, he had no choice but to answer the phone.

Jian Xingsui: "Brother Wang."

Brother Wang said, "Xing Sui, did you see that trending topic this morning?"

Jian Xingsui was taken aback: "What trending topic?"

Brother Wang sighed: "You don't know yet, go and take a look."

Jian Xingsui immediately switched her phone to Weibo, and that's when she saw the trending topic: #JianXingsuiAnRan#

When Jian Xingsui saw this entry, he had a bad feeling. It was not for any other reason than that he knew that anything involving An Ran would become unfortunate.

Sure enough, after clicking in, I found that the trending topic was posted by a classmate of his and An Ran's. This classmate knew that Jian Xingsui was a child of the Jian family and also knew An Ran. So, at this critical moment, he exposed this matter and attached a lot of pictures and text, saying that Jian Xingsui and An Ran had swapped families, and that Jian Xingsui had always bullied An Ran before.

The netizens watching the drama on Weibo were also quite shocked:

"Even novels wouldn't dare to write like this."

"Really?"

"I'm not sleepy at all, even though it's the middle of the night!"

After one classmate, a whole bunch of other classmates suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but they all seemed to have the same story in mind:

“Jian Xingsui has a very eccentric personality at school.”

"Of course he bullied An Ran and made things difficult for her in the school cafeteria."

"An Ran is so pitiful."

Just yesterday, the entire internet was cursing An Ran for being a member of royalty. Unexpectedly, such a huge scandal has been exposed today. In addition to being shocked, many netizens have spontaneously stood up for justice. After learning that the poor An Ran had been bullied, Jian Xingsui, the culprit, naturally became the target of their attacks.

"To be honest, I've always felt that he wasn't a good person."

"His skills aren't that great, so why did he debut?"

"Fans, come and see! School bullying, is this your idol?"

Jian Xingsui watched all of this silently, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

He remembered that this had happened in his previous life, but it wasn't after the recording of "Starlight" was over. It was much, much later, after An Ran had already become famous, that it was reported. At that time, he was naturally subjected to online abuse, and even An Ran's fans attacked him in real life, causing him both physical and mental damage.

It was because of this incident that he became despondent and eventually died in a car accident.

When the same thing happened again, he didn't feel the same fear and helplessness as in his previous life. He had become much calmer, but he was a little surprised that it happened earlier than expected.

Brother Wang's voice was still on the other end of the phone: "Sui Sui, what exactly is going on? Are those things real?"

Jian Xingsui said, "I was ignorant before and didn't want to leave the Jian family, so I did go to argue with him."

However, his original intention was not to bully An Ran, but just to reason with her. But for some reason, An Ran always looked like she had been greatly frightened and wronged, which made him feel helpless. Before his rebirth, he always thought that An Ran was timid and that he had indeed gone too far.

Later I found out that no matter what I did to An Ran, An Ran originally intended to use me to win over a group of righteous male supporting characters to serve her. If I hadn't deliberately put on that act, why would anyone feel sorry for me?

Brother Wang sighed: "Then this is going to be difficult for you. Besides, you've offended the company, and the one million issue hasn't been resolved yet. Let me put it this way, I'm only telling you this because of our past relationship. You'll probably be blacklisted by the company soon. You can't blame anyone but yourself, you know?"

Jian Xingsui lowered her eyes: "It doesn't matter, let them be shelved if they want."

Brother Wang choked up, never expecting that Jian Xingsui's heart could be so big.

What he didn't know was that Jian Xingsui was basically numb to all of this, so of course he wouldn't care about these things. Even if the company didn't freeze his career, he originally wanted to terminate his contract anyway.

Brother Wang said, "You... well, you'd better watch yourself."

Jian Xingsui responded and hung up the phone.

He tried to sit up, checked the time on his phone, and realized there was no food at home. However, he didn't want to waste money ordering takeout, so he found some noodles in the kitchen and cooked them in plain water. When he ate the almost tasteless noodles, he vaguely remembered that not long ago, he had eaten a bowl of very fragrant noodles, which was completely different from today's.

However, those things will probably only exist in our memories for now.

Jian Xingsui quickly finished his noodles and washed the bowl. He sat on the sofa to rest for a while and opened WeChat. He received many messages, most of which were asking him about the matter. Many people came to ask if it was true. Most of them were just watching the show, and almost none of them really cared about him. Jian Xingsui was exhausted at the moment and did not have the energy to reply to each one.

He casually opened his WeChat Moments, and to his surprise, the first post that refreshed was from Fu Jinxiao. It seemed to be a private island vacation spot where Fu Jinxiao had caught a very large fish and posted it on Moments with the caption: "Willing fish take the bait."

There have already been quite a few replies below.

Where should we play?

"As expected, he went out to have fun as soon as the show was over."

"Is my brother trying to seduce me?"

The last comment made Jian Xingsui pause in surprise, but when she scrolled down and looked at Fu Jinxiao's reply at the very bottom, it was very light, but extremely hurtful: "You're too heavy, you can't be caught."

When Jian Xingsui saw it, she couldn't help but smile.

He thought about it and decided he absolutely dared not comment, because he felt that his relationship with Actor Fu was not that good. On the other hand, he was afraid that if he commented and did not get a reply, he would be very disappointed and sad. So he compromised and liked the Weibo post.

To his surprise, shortly after he clicked the "like," a message popped up on WeChat.

Jian Xingsui immediately went back, not expecting that Fu Jinxiao would actually send her a message: "Up so early?"

It's a little past 5 a.m. now.

Jian Xingsui replied, "Yeah, I slept all night, but why are you still awake?"

“The time difference is different,” Fu Jinxiao said succinctly.

Jian Xingsui then realized that the man was probably not in the country, but on vacation abroad. He knew this because no matter where he went on vacation, there would be a lot of people crowding around him. So Fu Jinxiao usually went to a private island abroad to relax when he was on vacation.

Jian Xingsui didn't know what to talk about, but he didn't want his hard-won opportunity to talk to his idol to end like this, so he thought for a moment and praised him: "I saw the fish you caught, a very big fish, you are really amazing."

Fu Jinxiao replied slowly, "They drove the fish over here; even a fool could catch them."

"..."

Honest and genuine.

Jian Xingsui still forced herself to praise it: "That's not bad either."

Fu Jinxiao had seen through this little rainbow fangirl. Actually, he didn't know why he had sent Jian Xingsui a message on a whim, but it did make him feel a lot better. So he asked, "How have you been lately?"

Jian Xingsui paused, guessing that Fu Jinxiao probably hadn't seen the trending topic yet.

If they saw this, what would they think of him? If they saw this, they probably wouldn't talk to him like this anymore. Thinking of this, Jian Xingsui's heart sank slowly, and the bitterness intensified, making him feel a little breathless.

Jian Xingsui held her phone and finally replied, "It's fine."

Fu Jinxiao sent a message: "It seems you're in a pretty good mood."

Jian Xingsui was taken aback. He froze for a moment, and could only type somewhat flusteredly, "You know?"

“Weibo just pushed it to me.” Fu Jinxiao replied to him, with a hint of teasing: “It’s pretty good. The current popularity and traffic are almost comparable to that of A-list celebrities.”

Jian Xingsui felt only bitterness in his heart, but Fu Jinxiao's reply made him feel as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. So he knew, but was he still willing to talk to him?

"Then you..."

Jian Xingsui typed two words, hesitated for a moment, but still mustered up the courage to ask: "After reading those, do you also think I... am a vicious person?"

The wait was rather long, and he was practically in his throat.

quite a while

My phone vibrated. Fu Jinxiao sent me a message saying, "If you have to learn about someone from the marketing of the entertainment industry in the future, then you won't know 90% of the people in the entertainment industry."

"Those who have been in contact with you can judge what kind of person you are, whether you are vicious or not." Fu Jinxiao's words were concise: "I can't see any viciousness, but it's true that you're not very smart."

"..."

Jian Xingsui was so upset by the insults that she didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

However, his heart slowly, slowly relaxed, as if he had gained breathing space. In his previous life, no one believed him. Everyone only believed what they saw. Everyone cursed him, everyone said he was vicious, and everyone said that a person like him did not deserve to live. The overwhelming malice almost suffocated him.

But in this life, there is someone who believes he is not such a wicked person, that he has his own judgment, and that person is Fu Jinxiao, the faith he has cherished for many years. That alone is enough.

...

On the other side

Early in the morning, An Ran called Zhang Shi.

Ms. Zhang answered the phone excitedly: "Ranran!"

An Ran's purpose in coming here was to put pressure on Zhang Shi, so that she would take Jian Xingsui and leave the city to return to that small town. This online bullying was something he had carefully considered. He had his agent arrange for exaggerated statements to incite online bullying. Only in this way would Jian Xingsui and the Zhang family feel the pressure, thus clearing their names and forcing them to leave.

To everyone's surprise, Zhang asked, "Ranran, do you know about your father's affairs?"

An Ran was taken aback: "Father, what's wrong, Father?"

Zhang didn't expect An Ran to be unaware, so she quickly explained, and finally said, "Ranran, your father's condition is really serious. If a suitable kidney can't be found, he might die. You must help him, really, we can only rely on you."

An Ran was somewhat surprised: "Has Father already been diagnosed?"

Zhang nodded: "Of course it's true!"

An Ran's eyes changed. What was going on? He brought forward his revenge on Jian Xingsui from his previous life. He didn't expect that Zhang Xiangyang's matter would also be brought forward. Could it be because of his phone call that night?

In his previous life, Zhang Xiangyang's illness did not occur so early; it was at least five years later. He remembered that Zhang Xiangyang died before finding a suitable match. After his death, Zhang's mental state also deteriorated, and she passed away a few years later.

So in this lifetime...

An Ran understood that if she got the Jian family's full help, they might be able to find it. After all, the timeline had changed, and everything could change. However, if Zhang Xiangyang was ill, Jian Xingsui would naturally have no time to do a paternity test. If Zhang Xiangyang died normally according to the timeline of his previous life, and the Zhang family's fate remained unchanged...

Then no one will know that Jian Xingsui is not his biological son, right?

On the other end of the phone, Zhang was still sobbing softly: "Ranran, you have to think of something! Your father and I have depended on each other for so many years. How can I live without him? You are our only child. If you don't help, your father will have no way to survive!"

An Ran listened with nothing but indifference.

At first, he thought the children had been switched at birth, but after learning that Jian Xingsui wasn't their biological child, he roughly understood the heinous crimes committed by the Zhang couple. Yes, although the Zhang couple had treated him well since he was a child, if it weren't for them, how could he have spent half his life just being the child of a rice cake shop owner?

He could have been born into a wealthy family like Jian Xingsui, but they ruined it all! At least Jian Xingsui's early life was prosperous, while he had nothing. Yet, Jian Xingsui still had such a good life in the second half of her life. What was he then? And why, even though they were both switched, did Jian Xingsui get such a good life?!

That's impossible.

If he's not having an easy time, no one else can expect to be.

An Ran took a deep breath and smiled, "Mother, don't worry, I'll take care of Father's matter. I will definitely find a way."

He wants to get revenge on everyone in this world who has wronged him.