Chapter 47 Butterfly "Aren't you shameless?"...

The rumors continued unabated, and Ji Jiazhen could no longer control them.

The crew only had ten days off. She spent half of her time fooling around with Wen Siyu and the other half dealing with these messy things. Now that Xia Xun has returned to China and filming has resumed, she has to go back to Haicheng.

She didn't know exactly what Fang Wei and Duan Lan talked about. Duan Lan did come forward to clarify Meng Xuzhi's affair and removed it from the trending topics, but Fang Wei's mood didn't improve, and she remained frowning.

The weather in Haicheng isn't exactly overcast, but the sun is always hidden behind the clouds, which makes people feel annoyed and suffocated.

On her first day back on set, Ji Jiazhen was focused while acting, but seemed preoccupied off-screen. Fang Li kept her phone away, and she would take it out to look at it every now and then.

During his few days abroad, Xia Xun didn't miss any domestic entertainment news. During a break, he came over to tease her, saying that she was quite the entertainer.

It refers to the video of her and Wen Siyu that went viral.

"What's going on between you two? Did you break up?"

Ji Jiazhen held her phone and looked up at her.

Xia Xun paused for two seconds after seeing the emotion in her eyes, then laughed even harder.

"Something's not right with you. You haven't actually fallen in love with him, have you?"

Ji Jiazhen ignored the thirst for knowledge in her eyes and said, "I love your dad."

Xia Xun wasn't annoyed at all, and replied with a grin, "Don't you dare love my dad, my mom might bring people to tear you apart."

That smile was so smug, it made anyone who saw it furious.

Ji Jiazhen frowned and pushed her arm away, too lazy to even say a word. She gave her the middle finger and turned back to her car to smoke. By the time Xia Xun followed and sat down next to her, she was already puffing away on a cigarette.

"You should smoke less; smoking won't help you live long."

Xia Xun retrieved the cigarette pack from the passenger seat; it was almost empty, with only two cigarettes left.

"Judging from your appearance, you're destined to die young."

Ji Jiazhen impatiently rolled down the car window, white smoke billowing out. "Inhaling secondhand smoke will kill you even faster."

Xia Xun shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't matter. If I die, I die. Dying in my twenties is fine too. I've lived a beautiful life."

Upon hearing this, Ji Jiazhen stopped smoking, stubbed out the cigarette, and waved his hand twice in front of him to disperse the smoke that filled the car.

“We’re different. You’re afraid of getting old, but I’m not. Even when I’m old, I’ll still be a beauty that time can’t diminish. I will live a glamorous life, and I’ll live until everyone in this industry has to call me a senior or teacher.”

Xia Xun tossed her exaggerated curly hair a couple of times and said with a smile, "I thought you couldn't bear to part with that guy."

"Are you ever going to stop?"

The conversation ended with Chi Chia-chen getting out of the car and slamming the door shut.

*

Xia Xun was right about half of what he said.

She and Wen Siyu didn't just break up, they're about to break up.

During the day, I spend 80% of my attention on filming, but when I have free time at night, I start thinking more.

The room was the same one she had stayed in before, and she even remembered how Wen Siyu walked around in this room.

She always took things without putting them away, so he patiently squatted down to help her pack her suitcase.

She finds blow-drying her hair too tiring, so he'll sit on the sofa and let her rest her head on his lap while he blow-dries her wet hair.

Sometimes she gets hungry at night but doesn't like takeout, so he cooks special meals for her that are light and suit her taste.

All of these things—habit, dependence—she also frankly admitted that there was a touch of love.

She did make a mistake in that viral video incident, and she admits it.

They scolded Wen Siyu without distinguishing right from wrong, and convicted him without understanding the situation.

She was flexible and willing to apologize for these things.

But the fact that he doesn't answer the phone, and only hers, is a different matter.

She couldn't understand it. He had no reason not to answer her calls. If things were going to escalate like this, there was no need for the argument that night. He had clearly promised to find evidence when they parted on bad terms, so disappearing now was really pointless.

Ji Jiazhen had her head down, her face illuminated by the light from her phone. Her eyes were bright, and her brows showed no furrowing, but her expression was melancholy.

She was typing, very slowly, each word carefully considered before being typed. She spent ten minutes typing four lines, then took a breath and deleted them all.

This shouldn't be the case.

She felt that this shouldn't have happened.

So she typed out a new question, sent it, turned off the screen, and flipped the phone over to cover her lap.

Wen Siyu, is this your answer?

Ji Jiazhen closed her eyes and leaned back, looking tired and helpless.

Less than twenty minutes later, her phone suddenly vibrated. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling.

My fingers are numb; I can't tell if it's from the prolonged curling or the sudden contraction of my heart.

His eyes were expressionless, his expression unchanged, but he picked up his phone quickly, even glancing at it before actually holding it.

Then, the instant he saw the screen clearly, he reverted to that tired, slow pace.

She tossed her hair and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Waiting for WeChat is really stupid.

She's actually doing something so stupid right now.

The WeChat message was from Fang Wei, and it read in one sentence: "[I suggest you take a look at the trending topics.]"

Fang Wei never cared about her affairs in this regard. Whether she was famous or not, it was all just a kind of popularity in her eyes. As long as it wasn't serious enough to warrant leaving the entertainment industry, she wouldn't care.

She actually reminded her to check the trending topics today, which is quite unusual for her.

Ji Jiazhen frowned slightly, just about to go and check, when she received another WeChat message from Xu Yanning.

Is Duan Qiyin ill?

This statement came rather abruptly. Xu Yanning would only mention Duan Qiyin's name once in eight hundred years, and now he suddenly cursed him. Ji Jiazhen could roughly guess the reason.

The trending topic must be related to Duan Qiyin, and it's definitely not going to be good for her.

But her guess was slightly off.

Trending topics...

She clicked on the video hanging under the trending topic. It was a video Duan Qiyin recorded while sitting in his office. She was too lazy to listen to his self-introduction. She scrolled through the video and the screen happened to be showing her.

"...I hereby issue a public apology regarding the rumors that Ms. Ji Jiazhen was being kept by a sugar daddy. Three years ago, due to personal reasons, I was unable to come forward to clarify the situation for her, causing her to endure three years of cyberbullying and being forced to leave the entertainment industry. This matter seriously affected her work and life, and to this day she is still suffering from the malice and insults stemming from this incident..."

"...Since entering the industry, Ms. Ji has always prioritized her work and kept in mind her responsibilities as a public figure. She has never engaged in any improper behavior. Claims of being 'kept' or 'sleeping with someone' are completely unfounded. The so-called 'evidence' video is also not authentic. The person carrying her in the video is me, not Mr. Fang (the producer). At the time, I was in a one-sided relationship with Ms. Ji; I unilaterally admired and pursued her. The video was taken out of context, only a fragment was shown, causing her to suffer many malicious speculations and slanders because of my pursuit. I am deeply sorry and apologize to her hereby, and I earnestly ask for her forgiveness..."

In the video, Duan Qiyin stands up and bows to the camera.

Ji Jiazhen couldn't listen to anything more after that.

She should feel relieved that Duan Qiyin, who had always been aloof, had finally lowered his head.

She should be happy that her injustice of more than three years has finally been cleared.

This was the clarification and apology she had waited three years for, but she really couldn't be happy.

When she needed this clarification the most, Duan Qiyin remained silent.

When she made it clear that she needed a sincere apology, Duan Lan remained silent.

Today, after she has endured all the insults and borne all the infamy, Duan Qiyin has actually stepped forward.

Her hands were trembling, her lips were pursed, her throat was tight, a long-lost feeling of grievance spread throughout her body, and her eyes were burning.

Her phone kept vibrating as she watched the video, receiving numerous WeChat messages.

She ignored the repeated apologies that Duan Qiyin sent her privately.

She ignored Fang Wei's advice not to respond.

She ignored Xu Yanning's concern when he asked if she was alright.

Ignoring the gossip that flooded her with comments.

Her vision blurred as she typed and sent the message in one go. Staring at the red circle that popped up in the background, watching the likes, comments, and shares reach 99+ in a minute, she wiped the back of her hand across her eyes and smashed her phone against the wall with a resolute gesture.

The screen cracked like a thin layer of ice.

I do not accept this.

At the same time, there was a knock on the door.

She looked at the dark door, listened to the thumping sound it made, and then dragged her tired body toward it.

She wasn't surprised when she saw who it was.

Nothing will surprise her today.

Duan Qiyin, who should have been in City A, nearly a thousand miles away, stood before her at this moment, her reflection visible in his dark eyes.

She asked him, "What are you trying to threaten me with this time?"

Duan Qiyin took a step forward, wanting to go in, but she blocked the doorway, pressing her body against him.

"I used the wrong methods before, is it too late to make amends now?"

Ji Jiazhen scoffed, "You want to break into the entertainment industry? What kind of persona do you want to create using me? A devoted and domineering CEO?"

Ignoring the sarcasm in her words, Duan Qiyin continued, "You can refuse, and I can wait. You can give Wen Siyu chance after chance, so why can't you give me one?"

Her expression changed when she heard the name "Wen Siyu," and her voice turned serious. "How do you think you can compare to him?"

"If you defend him now, will he appreciate it?"

"Defend him? The only difference between you two is that one is rotten and the other is even worse."

Duan Qiyin gently pried her fingers off the door, a smile playing on his lips, and pushed her inside.

"One's bad, the other's even worse? Looks like you haven't received his call yet."

The door slammed shut, and Ji Jiazhen stepped back as Duan Qiyin approached her step by step, a mocking smile on his face.

“You kept it from him for so long. How will he feel when he sees the video? Won’t he come and ask you what our relationship is? He’s not the type to keep things calm.”

Ji Jiazhen sidestepped him, refusing to play the pointless chase game, but Duan Qiyin wouldn't let her dodge, turning around to show her his phone screen.

"We spoke on the phone last night. Did he not answer your call, or is he not planning to answer?"

He pressed his hand on Ji Jiazhen's shoulder, forcing her to look at the call log on the screen.

9:38 PM.

She sent him a WeChat message at 9:07 PM.

The burning fire and overwhelming anger made her clench her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

“Zhen, you’re so wary of me, how could you so easily believe him when he said he loves you? Don’t forget, his surname is Wen, we both have Wen Qinsheng’s blood in our veins, he’s no different from me at heart.”

Duan Qiyin leaned close to her ear, his voice almost a whisper.

"He makes you wait, makes you doubt, makes you think about him day and night, makes you sleepless at night—that's what he means by loving you. That's how he loves you."

Ji Jiazhen turned her head, and the distance between them was only one centimeter, her eyes looking at him.

"You've said all this just to get me to give you a chance to be my dog, haven't you?"

Duan Qiyin raised an eyebrow, his gaze sliding down to her lips, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"So, are you going to give it to me or not?"

Ji Jiazhen saw through his intentions, her smile filled with mockery.

"Aren't you shameless?"