Chapter 16
Fu Qian's current behavior is not excessive, precisely because Fu Xiachuan is still standing above him.
Fu Qian is not the true head of the Fu family. People address him as "Young Master Fu" but they don't really take him seriously.
Jiang Mingyue's determination to protect Fu Xiachuan, and to hold onto his leg, became even clearer.
Only if Fu Xiachuan is alive will someone be able to suppress Fu Qian's outrageous behavior and prevent him from easily ruining Jiang Mingyue's reputation and image.
—She is already a pitiful child whose adoptive mother has cancer and needs the help of the whole society. Even if she doesn't want to advance in the film and television industry with this image in the future, she must establish a new image with strong acting skills, not messy scandals.
Store up grain, build high walls, and delay declaring yourself king.
Jiang Mingyue, don't rush, work hard, your good days are ahead.
After preparing herself mentally, Jiang Mingyue's mind was completely clear.
She shifted her gaze from the camera to the faces of the reporter and cameraman, quickly confirming that they were both low-level paparazzi in the industry.
This makes sense, since Wang Mei is an idle Mrs. Fu, and Han Jialan is a student preparing for the college entrance examination this year. How would they know where to find qualified paparazzi?
Jiang Mingyue instantly switched into work mode, suppressing her nausea and hiding the disgust in her eyes, leaving only her surprise on her face, and stood still, refusing to move forward.
She brought reporters here to leave behind video evidence to smear her later, and she wouldn't let Wang Mei and Han Jialan succeed.
"Ms. Wang, why did you bring reporters here? Gentlemen, many patients' families live here, and filming is not allowed without permission." Jiang Mingyue looked directly at the camera, her lips pursed in embarrassment.
She walked up the steps and demanded directly from the planner, "Show me what you've filmed. If there's anything you shouldn't have filmed, you must delete it immediately. If you refuse, I'm calling the police."
Wang Mei quickly interrupted, "Mingyue, I brought them with me."
“It’s not acceptable for anyone to bring me here. I can’t cause trouble for the neighbors just because I’m renting this place.” Jiang Mingyue vehemently denied Wang Mei’s statement and stood firmly in front of the camera.
The reporter and the cameraman exchanged a glance. The man holding the camera pursed his lips, put down the camera on his shoulder, and showed Jiang Mingyue what they had recorded.
—The recording started before the mother and daughter left home. It was a short speech about "welcoming her daughter," which seemed very staged. Then, a short clip of them driving around was filmed, followed by how they entered the residential area.
"This section of the community has been filmed in relation to other residents and houses. Delete it," Jiang Mingyue decisively ordered.
While speaking, she made a large gesture as she pulled her phone out of her backpack, clearly prepared to call the police if the other party refused her.
"Not very old, but quite principled. Okay, okay, delete it." The reporter smiled and smoothed things over, giving the cameraman a wink.
Jiang Mingyue's gaze remained fixed on the other party until they had completely deleted that section before her expression relaxed.
After that pause, the initial surprise subsided. Jiang Mingyue, clutching her keys, turned back with a puzzled look before opening the door, stopping her actions: "Ms. Wang, how did you know where I live? This information hasn't been leaked in the media."
After she finished speaking, the look of doubt on her face gradually turned into annoyance, and her tone became harsher: "Mr. Han went too far by illegally obtaining my hair with follicles for a paternity test, and you even hired a private investigator to find out my address? Do you think the law doesn't punish the wealthy and can be trampled on at will?"
An unnatural expression flashed across Wang Mei's face, and she couldn't help but shift the blame onto her husband: "Mingyue, I haven't investigated you. I got your current address from your father. We came here because Jialan wants to clarify the details of Fu Qian's marriage with you."
The address was obtained by Guan's husband; it was Wang Mei's husband who illegally invaded her privacy.
He came here for his adopted daughter, because he wanted to talk to Jiang Mingyue about the man who belonged to Han Jialan, and that no one else could touch him.
In short, all the mistakes are other people's faults; Wang Mei is absolutely innocent and blameless.
Listen to how well they talk, as if getting the address from Han Rong means they can use it legitimately.
“That was also an illegal way to get my address, and I don’t like your behavior. Also, I thought I made it very clear to Mr. Han that day—I haven’t touched a single penny of the card he was going to give me, and there’s a record of the card being cut at the police station; therefore, I will not go back to the Han family to be a tool for a business marriage.” Jiang Mingyue still refused, showing no sign of softening.
Wang Mei anxiously grabbed Jiang Mingyue's hand: "You're still a child, how can you be left without anyone to take care of you?"
Jiang Mingyue's face darkened: "I'm an adult now and don't need a guardian. Besides, society and the school have given me a lot of help, and I can continue to shoot commercials, magazine covers, and participate in various works. The income is enough to pay for my mother's medical treatment."
Jiang Mingyue smiled as she finished speaking.
Her eyes were clear and bright, with a deep brown hue and a pupil full of anticipation for the future.
It's a vibrant expression that makes people smile.
The entire change in expression was so natural that there was nothing to photograph, and even if you did, it wouldn't be used as dirt on you.
The camera then shifts, bringing Wang Mei, Han Jialan, and Jiang Mingyue into the frame together.
The mother and daughter stood together opposite Jiang Mingyue, their positions clear and unambiguous.
Noticing the camera silently advancing, Jiang Mingyue subtly moved half a step, making her profile clearly visible in the shot, so that she could better express her full emotions in the performance to come.
After dealing with Wang Mei in a few words, Jiang Mingyue looked at Han Jialan with a hint of awkwardness and hesitation, her tone much gentler: "You've come to see my mother, right? Are you ready to do a paternity test? I told my mom about it yesterday, and she's been looking forward to it ever since. Although my mom isn't in good health right now, a blood test shouldn't be a problem."
After she finished speaking, she suddenly frowned: "Wait, something's not right. You just said you were coming to talk to me about Fu Qian?"
Her brows furrowed even more tightly, and Jiang Mingyue's face was filled with disgust and annoyance.
She didn't give Han Jialan a chance to refute, and launched into a barrage of words: "Han Jialan, we've known each other for four years now—since I entered high school, I've been rejecting Fu Qian. I've said it many times, I have absolutely no interest in him, and I don't want to know what kind of deep love-hate entanglement you two have. Wasn't it enough that you went through the trouble of violating school rules and regulations to come all the way from junior high to warn me? And now you're here again. I'm afraid if I'm too subtle, you won't understand, so I'll just be blunt. You two are like two crazy people who come to me with expressions from a third-rate idol drama."
Jiang Mingyue quickly covered her mouth after she finished speaking.
She lowered her head slightly, a look of guilt on her face, and apologized softly, "I'm sorry, I got too emotional. I didn't mean anything by it, I just... being bothered by the same thing for the fourth year is really annoying. I'll open the door now, let's go in and talk."
She finally stopped her tirade against Wang Mei and Han Jialan and turned the door lock.
With her back to the camera, Jiang Mingyue's eyes flashed with a hint of a smile.
No one noticed that after she made the gesture of calling the police, she had already turned on her phone's recording function, and every word of the conversation was completely recorded.
Jiang Mingyue stood at the door and gestured for people to come in: "Please come in."
The rental apartment is a single room, a one-bedroom apartment with a bathroom and kitchen, with a total interior area of no more than 32 square meters.
All the room doors were open, allowing a clear view of the interior environment.
The bathroom has a cheap washing machine typically used in rental apartments.
In the kitchen, there was a large iron pot and a clay pot. On the countertop, there was a cutting board made from a tree stump. Various seasonings were neatly arranged on the windowsill. A small refrigerator was the same height as the windowsill, and some unwashed vegetables were placed in a vegetable basket next to the refrigerator. The white tiles under the range hood were polished to a shine.
There was a 1.2-meter single bed in both the bedroom and the living room, with the blankets neatly folded into squares and stacked on the pillows. Under the single bed in the living room was a brown cardboard box turned to one side, filled with books on acting, opera, and musicals, the pages covered with sticky notes.
There was an old-fashioned bicycle parked in the living room, but it was very clean.
A folding table was placed close to the wall, with a tray on it containing an electric kettle and four upside-down water cups. The sunny side of the bedroom was a balcony with a clothesline, where clothes hung to dry swayed gently in the sunlight and breeze.
It's a very clean and tidy little home, and you can tell that even though the people living there are poor, they are making the most of their lives.
As soon as Jiang Mingyue entered the room, she unfolded the folding table, then went into the kitchen, took out four disposable cups from the cupboard, filled them with hot water, and placed them on the table: "Don't mind, I need to maintain my figure. My mother is sick now and doesn't dare to drink anything, so only hot water can entertain everyone."
Jiang Mingyue acted very naturally, as this was her natural life, but Wang Mei and Han Jialan felt extremely uncomfortable.
Jiang Mingyue gave them water because she and Liang Shuanglan's family could only afford plain water. But Wang Mei, a wealthy woman, said she was looking for her daughter, yet she didn't even bring a bag of the cheapest fruit, let alone offer any money to improve Jiang Mingyue's life.
Wang Mei's hypocrisy was clearly exposed by this small house.
"Don't be shy, have a seat." Jiang Mingyue's greeting was particularly warm and cheerful.
This made Wang Mei uneasy.
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