gap
Deng Yi was taken aback again.
Zhou Ji'an was annoyed by her overreaction and instinctively feared that Deng Yi would be hurt because of her actions, so she moved closer to Deng Yi again, saying, "She already thought that I didn't tell her because of you. If you get involved, things will only get more complicated."
She held her head high, wanting him to see her true feelings.
Deng Yi's heart was in turmoil because of the person in front of him. He cupped her face and rubbed it a couple of times in annoyance. "Could you finish what you're saying before pushing me away next time? Hmm?"
Zhou Ji'an tiptoed and involuntarily leaned her upper body into his embrace, "I..."
Deng Yi interrupted her, saying somewhat forcefully, "You can't push me away anymore."
A few seconds later, he hugged her tightly again and sighed, "I can't take it."
When he said his last words, his tone was full of pain, and Zhou Ji'an was too shocked to immediately question his motives.
She even thought that as long as he didn't produce the divorce agreement, she would willingly let him use her until she died.
She seems to be really love-struck.
"Jia Ni wanted to prove you weren't love-struck, that's why she called you and me together. Now you're not even going to say a word in your defense?" Zhao Xingran shouted angrily.
As Zhao Xingran and Lu Jianni chatted back and forth, Zhou Ji'an reflected on her own actions. She wondered if it was because she was love-struck that she took Deng Yi's actions as kindness. Perhaps someone else wouldn't have thought Deng Yi was so considerate or gentle, let alone believe that his actions contained endless love.
“I can’t explain myself. I was genuinely worried that Deng Wencheng’s behavior would affect Deng Yi. When I found out that your boyfriend was Deng Wencheng that night, I was shocked. My first thought was that Deng Yi must not find out. Then I discovered that Deng Yi already knew about Deng Wencheng’s affairs. And coincidentally, the next day, Deng Yi’s mother called several of us to her house and forced Deng Wencheng to sign the divorce papers on the spot. That’s when I lost the chance to tell you.”
Zhao Xingran reviewed the timeline and asked, "Was Qin Xirang among those people?"
Zhou Ji'an nodded.
"This only proves that Qin Xirang, like you, didn't intend to tell me right away." Zhao Xingran's face turned pale and then red, clearly very angry.
Lu Jianni hit the nail on the head: "If they had told you as soon as they found out, would you have believed them? Perhaps if Deng Wencheng hadn't heard you mention Ji'an and Deng Yi, and hadn't been afraid of being exposed and hadn't gotten angry at you, which greatly diminished his charm in your eyes, you probably wouldn't have believed Qin Xirang's words."
"You mean I should thank her?" Zhao Xingran said angrily, pointing at Zhou Ji'an.
"Why would I ask you to thank her? You can thank yourself for not being love-struck, for not mistaking Deng Wencheng's irritability, womanizing, and moral depravity for charm, and for cutting your losses in time." Lu Jianni was amused by Zhao Xingran's childish behavior and said this with amusement.
Zhou Ji'an felt he was being subtly mocked, so he poked his forehead with the tip of his right index finger and remained silent, only to be glared at by Lu Jianni and Zhao Xingran.
Now, Zhou Ji'an wanted to explain, "Sigh, Deng Yi, he..."
The phone rang.
Zhao Xingran glanced at it and whispered, "Shh, it's Qin Xi calling."
Today, Lu Jianni organized this scheme without Qin Xirang's knowledge. Although Zhao Xingran was angry with Lu Jianni because of Zhou Ji'an, she still trusted Lu Jianni more than she trusted Qin Xirang, so she was careful and did not reveal Lu Jianni's plan to Qin Xirang.
"Have you thought it through?" Qin Xirang asked.
After Qin Xirang told Zhao Xingran about Deng Wencheng, he intentionally or unintentionally encouraged her to expose the matter online. Strangely, however, Qin Xirang didn't intend to reveal himself, only promising to provide Zhao Xingran with information. Zhao Xingran couldn't help but ask, "Why are you helping me like this?"
Qin Xirang smiled faintly, and after a moment of silence, said, "We're not in a women's mutual aid association?"
During that year, Zhao Xingran followed Lu Jianni and the others to analyze a lot of social news, which broadened her horizons and made her understand the harsh demands society places on female victims. She then said, "I need to prepare some more."
She thought she needed to be at least prepared enough to see through Qin Xirang's true intentions.
Zhao Xingran asked, "Can you send it for me?"
The person on the other end of the phone was silent for a while before replying, "Don't you think that only when the person themselves posts it can it convey genuine feelings and evoke more sympathy from netizens?"
Zhao Xingran turned on speakerphone, held up the phone and said, "How could I possibly be pitied in my situation? I'd be more likely to be socially abused to the point of social death."
Qin Xirang: "No, you can write about the relationship between Deng Wencheng and Deng Yi, and then reveal that Zhou Ji'an has been participating in feminist symposiums but intentionally protecting Deng Wencheng and Deng Yi. This will shift the point of contention, because netizens like to see people who are on high places fall, so they will quickly forget about you."
"Wouldn't that mean I exposed this for nothing and suffered cyberbullying for nothing?" Zhao Xingran swallowed hard, suppressing his inexplicable nervousness.
“Although everyone’s criticism will eventually be directed at Deng Yi and Zhou Ji’an, you will still be remembered by some people. You can take this opportunity to do self-media; being infamous is still fame.” Qin Xirang, completely unaware that there were three people in front of him, directly laid out his specific plan.
Zhao Xingran gritted her teeth and endured it again and again, but finally decided to continue to test the waters: "Why don't you post it for me, claiming that I have been tricked into suffering from depression and anxiety and that I can't handle these things? That way I won't suffer from cyberbullying, and you can take the opportunity to gain fame and fortune. No one needs to make money through black-and-white fame."
A faint, dismissive laugh came from the receiver. If Zhao Xingran hadn't turned on the speakerphone, no one would have heard it.
"I don't lack money."
"Okay, I'll think about it some more and contact you when I've made up my mind." Zhao Xingran hung up the phone after saying that, glancing at Lu Jianni and Zhou Ji'an, waiting for the two older sisters who had more life experience than her to speak.
Zhou Ji'an got goosebumps all over. He carefully reviewed Qin Xirang's logic, took the finger off his forehead, and suddenly realized, "It seems that Deng Yi's mother has some information about Qin Xirang's family."
Lu Jianni immediately realized, "She probably doesn't want to post it for you because she's afraid Deng Yi's mother will release information about her family. But if you expose Deng Wencheng's affairs and get Deng Yi and Ji'an into trouble, she can wait until the hype is high and intentionally or unintentionally reveal that she's helping you behind the scenes. That way, even if Deng Yi's mother releases information about her family, it will be seen as Deng Yi retaliating against her, and she will get more."
"She said she wanted to enter the entertainment industry, do you remember?" Lu Jianni asked Zhao Xingran after she finished speaking.
Zhao Xingran nodded and asked curiously, "She's not short of money, she's only twenty, and she knows Deng Yi. Why doesn't she just ask for a role directly? Why does she have to rush into this kind of play?"
Zhou Ji'an's eyes widened considerably. "She said she's twenty years old?"
“Yes,” Lu Jianni and Zhao Xingran said in unison.
“She said she studied at a university abroad for a year, but found it boring, so she came back,” Lu Jianni said.
After careful consideration, Zhou Ji'an felt that given the influence of Qin Xirang's family, changing his age would probably be an easy task.
“When she was in her first year of high school, Deng Yi was in his final year, so she should be around the same age as me and Lu Jianni,” Zhou Ji’an said, but he still found Qin Xirang’s plan unbelievable. “Isn’t she afraid of becoming really famous and having her age exposed?”
Lu Jianni retorted, "Is falsifying one's age considered a scandal in the entertainment industry? Even if what Deng Wencheng did was actually done by Deng Yi, Deng Yi's career would hardly be affected."
Zhou Ji'an couldn't help but mutter, "Deng Yi wouldn't do such a thing."
"Don't be like her, so love-struck." Lu Jianni reached out and poked her head. "Ouch."
Finally, the three people figured out Qin Xirang's motives, and many things were no longer difficult.
Zhou Ji'an thought it over and over, and said to Zhao Xingran, "If you are willing to expose the truth and can withstand the flood of criticism afterward, you can do so. It's okay if you say I'm pretending to study feminism and protecting Deng Yi. If you need more materials, I can also ask Deng Yi's mother for some."
Zhao Xingran was somewhat surprised that Zhou Ji'an said he wanted to ask Deng Yi's mother for some materials, instead of asking Deng Yi himself. She scoffed and said, "I never intended to expose this. I'm ashamed that I was attracted to someone like that. How could I possibly expose this and remind more people of this?"
Lu Jianni saw Zhao Xingran off and instructed her, "You should still maintain normal contact with Qin Xirang. Call me if you need help, or you can contact Ji'an. Although she's love-struck, she's not a bad person."
Zhao Xingran replied, "Okay, you...you guys don't turn off your phones or put them on silent."
She's only twenty years old after all.
Zhou Ji'an stared at the soft, short strands of hair on her forehead and assured her, "You can call us anytime."
After Zhao Xingran left for a while, Zhou Ji'an saw that the sky outside was still blue and the branches of the trees in the yard had not moved, so the wind should have stopped. He said, "I'm going back."
“What’s the point of going back? We’ll be coming back tomorrow,” Lu Jianni said.
Today's trip was already outside of Zhou Ji'an's plans, and Lu Jianni's suggestion was an even bigger surprise.
Zhou Ji'an wanted to stay at Lu Jianni's house because now whenever she saw Deng Yi, she would be reminded of the contents of her notebook and the divorce agreement in her drawer, and she couldn't get along with Deng Yi as naturally as before.
But how should I tell Deng Yi, who was waiting by the roadside?
Seeing her hesitation, Lu Jianni asked, "Deng Yi won't let you stay out overnight?"
"Don't you think I'm too pathetic!" Zhou Ji'an got angry and immediately took out his phone to call Deng Yi.
Lu Jianni lowered her head, smiled and peeled the pomelo with her bare hands.
“I’m staying at Lu Jiani’s house tonight, you should go back.” After saying that, Zhou Ji’an realized he had gone a bit too far. He walked to the hallway and lied, avoiding Lu Jiani’s gaze, “It’s her birthday tomorrow, she has a lot of things to prepare and decorate the house, so I have to help.”
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