Chapter 60: Settling Scores Later

Outside the banquet hall, after hearing Lin Chuan’s rough description, Shang Jie’s expression darkened terrifyingly.

Jiang Xingxing’s phone had been overwhelmed with calls and messages, so she had turned it off completely. Despite several attempts to reach her, Shang Jie couldn’t get through. He threw the phone with force, and it slammed against the wall with a loud “bang.”

Lin Chuan could tell that Shang Jie was really angry. He made several calls himself and instructed his subordinates to investigate. Within a couple of minutes, he had news and returned to report to Shang Jie, “Jiang Xingxing’s agency is planning to hold a press conference to clarify the situation with Feng Qingcai.”

“An entire day has passed, and this huge incident has spread worldwide, yet I didn’t know about it,” Shang Jie said, his fist tightening, veins popping on the back of his hand. His deep, unfathomable gaze turned coldly toward Lin Chuan. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know either.”

Lin Chuan felt a chill run down his spine, his body tensing. He didn’t dare to look directly at him and said, “Actually, things started improving in the afternoon, but then out of nowhere, Feng Qingcai stepped up two hours ago and made things worse by spreading lies, blowing it all out of proportion. I considered how important this meeting was and thought if we could solve it, I wouldn’t have…”

Shang Jie kicked him without warning. Lin Chuan took the blow squarely, unable to dodge it, and endured it in silence.

“To hell with ‘important,’” Shang Jie spat the words coldly, striding away.

Lin Chuan gritted his teeth and, fighting the pain, returned to the banquet hall. He quickly apologized to the British clients. “Mr. Shang has an urgent matter to attend to. As for the contract, could we perhaps schedule another meeting?”

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As soon as Jiang Xingxing entered the press room, she was swarmed by a group of reporters, all of them bombarding her with questions.

“Miss Jiang, are you really Feng Qingcai’s mistress?”

“How many men do you have, aside from him?”

“Did you ever play the role of a third party?”

Jiang Xingxing felt light-headed, her eyes unfocused, as she weakly explained, “I’m not.”

“Feng Qingcai is a married man. How do you explain that?”

“I don’t know.”

“So you didn’t know he was married?”

“I don’t know! I don’t even know him!”

“Do you admit to having a boyfriend?”

“I do…”

“Is that person Feng Qingcai?”

“No! How many times do I have to say it? I don’t know him!”

“So who is your boyfriend, the one in the pictures?”

“Yes.”

“There are two men in those pictures. Which one is your boyfriend? Or were both of them?”

Jiang Xingxing braced herself against the table, her mind blank, her ears filled with a buzzing sound.

To wear the crown, one must bear its weight…

The path she had chosen was never just filled with flowers and applause; it was also paved with thorns.

Her assistant, Lu Xiaodao, handed her a cup of warm water. Jiang Xingxing’s hand shook as she took it.

She closed her eyes, gripping the cup tightly before throwing it hard on the table, making a loud crash that silenced the entire room.

The reporters stopped their incessant questioning and looked at her, confused.

She stood up and lifted her bright, clear eyes, staring at them as she spoke slowly, one word at a time: “I don’t know any Feng Qingcai. Before today, I had never even heard his name. The accusations online are all slander. I admit one thing: I have a boyfriend. We have a great relationship. I love him. Even though he now has endless wealth, when I fell in love with him, he had nothing.”

“You’re all gathered here to hear my answer. This is my answer.”

One of the reporters sneered, “You speak so nobly. We all know how this industry works—women who latch onto rich men are nothing new. Why not just admit it openly and straightforwardly?”

Jiang Xingxing clenched her fists. “According to your logic, a woman dating a wealthy man is just ‘latching on’—so does that mean women must only marry poor men to remain pure and innocent?”

The question silenced the reporter, who had no response. Whenever issues of women’s rights came up, these troublemaking media writers knew to tread carefully, lest they become targets.

The reporter shifted the focus back to Feng Qingcai. “Since you claim not to know the CEO of Heng Tong Group, why would he come forward to expose you? What’s in it for him? After all, he’s a married man. Is he willing to risk his reputation just to ruin a female celebrity?”

Jiang Xingxing felt as though this reporter was specifically targeting her, unsure whether someone had bribed him.

“That question should be directed at him, not me.”

Shen Chuyan stood at the edge of the press room, hands in his pockets, watching Jiang Xingxing on the stage.

At first, he had worried that, with so many reporters, she might be scared or nervous, unable to handle the situation. But he was ready to step up and assist her if needed.

But he had overthought the situation… Jiang Xingxing was clear-headed and responded fluently, no longer afraid.

She was much stronger than he had imagined.

“Miss Jiang, let’s return to the original topic. The incident started with those two photos. In the second photo, the Rolls Royce—was it the car of the man who opened the door for you?”

“That car belongs to my boyfriend, the man who kissed me in the first photo. As for the second photo, the person opening the door is his assistant.”

This statement immediately caused an uproar in the room.

“How can you prove that?”

“Who is your boyfriend?”

“Why hasn’t he shown up yet? Or is it that he doesn’t dare to appear?”

Just then, a deep, magnetic voice rang out: “She doesn’t have a boyfriend, but she has a husband.”

Everyone turned in shock as the door to the press room opened, and Shang Jie strode in.

He was dressed in a white shirt and dark trousers, his shirt neatly tucked in, his long legs straight, and his posture erect.

Shang Jie walked in with ease and confidence, exuding a cold, powerful aura that made everyone else around him seem like mere background figures.

“It’s Shang Jie!”

“Why is he here?”

“What does this have to do with him?”

The reporters were puzzled and discussing among themselves.

Shang Jie had already walked over to Jiang Xingxing’s side.

Under the spotlight, he reached up to undo the button on his shirt collar, revealing his long neck and exquisite collarbone.

Then, his pale, beautiful hand slowly slid down and tightly grasped the hand of the woman beside him.

Her palm had already begun to sweat slightly, but Shang Jie gripped her hand firmly, his gaze unwavering as he declared, “Jiang Xingxing is my beloved wife.”

The room erupted in shock.

He didn’t give anyone a chance to react before continuing, “The man in the first photo is me, and in the second photo, that’s my assistant, Lin Chuan. If you have any more questions, ask them all now. But in the future, I don’t want to see any rumors that could harm my wife’s reputation.”

His voice was steady, and his gaze was firm. In that moment, with him by her side, Jiang Xingxing felt as if all the dust and ash in the world had settled.

Standing next to him, she feared no storm or sand.

Jiang Xingxing tightened her grip on Shang Jie’s hand, their fingers interlocked.

The reporters below were still stunned, having suspected that Jiang Xingxing’s benefactor might be someone powerful, but they never expected it would be him!

And now, the relationship was no longer that of a rich benefactor and a mistress—Shang Jie had openly declared that Jiang Xingxing was his wife!

So, the previous rumors were completely shattered. With someone as powerful as Shang Jie as her husband, why would Jiang Xingxing need to pursue other men? As for Feng Qingcai, in front of Shang Jie, he was nothing more than an insignificant insect, barely worth noticing.

A reporter hesitantly asked, “Mr. Shang, how long have you and Miss Jiang been married?”

Shang Jie didn’t hesitate for a moment, answering without thinking: “Including today, exactly 389 days.”

The reporters were in awe. To remember the exact number of days—this clearly showed how much this big shot adored his wife.

“Mr. Shang, how did you and Miss Jiang meet? Who proposed first?”

“I pursued her first,” Shang Jie said, his expression softening as he recalled the past. “At the film city, I accidentally hit her with my car. Fortunately, she wasn’t injured. I fell for her at first sight, and later, I suggested marriage. Miss Jiang was initially unwilling.”

As Shang Jie spoke of these events involving his second persona, he sounded as though he had experienced them himself. Jiang Xingxing watched him, realizing that at this moment, he no longer seemed to have two separate personalities. He was simply Shang Jie, always and forever the same.

“Mr. Shang, did you help your wife with her career?”

In response to this question, Shang Jie appeared very candid: “I gave her an opportunity, but it was just an opportunity. Whether she could seize it depended on her own abilities. I’ve always looked down upon and refrained from interfering in film production matters. Everything she has accomplished is the result of her own effort. Anyone who has worked with her, including directors and even your film king, Shen Chuyan, can confirm this.”

Across the room filled with reporters, Shang Jie and Shen Chuyan exchanged distant glances, their eyes sparking with tension.

Shen Chuyan gave a faint smile and turned his head away.

He had imagined countless possible outcomes, but he never expected it to be him!

In Shen Chuyan’s mind, there were probably very few men in the world who could be worthy of Jiang Xingxing. Shang Jie…

He was barely acceptable.

Seeing that there were no further questions from the crowd, Shang Jie’s expression suddenly darkened. “For all the public accounts and influential figures who have defamed my wife online, anyone whose posts have been shared more than 500 times will receive a legal summons within two weeks. I won’t spare any of them.”

At these words, many reporters quickly took out their phones to check if their posts had been shared more than 500 times, immediately deleting them.

As expected, Shang Jie kept his word. A few days after the press conference ended, he hired a professional legal team, filed lawsuits with Weibo, and obtained the details of those marketing accounts that had spread malicious rumors, sending out court summons.

During this time, many visitors came to the Shang Group.

Shang Jie issued another statement: “I will resolve this through legal means. Those who have slandered my wife, there is no need to waste time contacting me privately or asking friends for favors. My words today stand. This is about my wife’s innocence and reputation—there is no possibility of any private negotiations.”

The aftermath of this incident continued. Feng Qingcai was sued by Shang Jie for malicious slander, and his wife immediately divorced him and transferred their assets. He ended up with nothing.

When reporters pressed Feng Qingcai for answers, he revealed that Shen Nian Nian had been the one behind everything, claiming that she had written the scripts for those defamatory posts.

An Man also eagerly joined the fray, exposing Shen Nian Nian for buying online “water armies” to attack Jiang Xingxing. She even hinted that those two photos might have been posted by Shen Nian Nian!

Once this accusation took off, all the marketing accounts online switched sides, now targeting Shen Nian Nian.

Originally, Shen Nian Nian had no involvement in the entertainment industry and had only a small following on Weibo, often showing off her wealth. But because of her connection to Jiang Xingxing’s scandal, she had gained notoriety, though it was the “black fame” kind. Her Weibo was flooded with angry comments from netizens, and all the insults she had posted about Jiang Xingxing before came back to haunt her.

That, however, was not the worst part.

When Shen Nian Nian’s parents and older brother Shen Chuyan found out about the incident, they were utterly disappointed in her.

“We’ve had a long-standing friendship with the Shang family, and there have been many business dealings between us. And now, because of you, our relationship is ruined!” her father, Shen Sushan, angrily pointed at her. “I raised you to understand that no good deed is too small and no bad deed is too insignificant. Look at what you’ve done today!”

Shen Nian Nian muttered, “It’s all that bitch’s fault! If it weren’t for her…”

“Slap!” A sharp sound echoed as Fan Yazhen slapped Shen Nian Nian across the face.

As her mother, Fan Yazhen had always spoiled her daughter, but now… she had actually raised her hand!

“You’re so vicious!” Fan Yazhen looked at her daughter with disappointment. “How could I have raised such a venomous daughter? Where did my kind-hearted Nian Nian go?”

“She died long ago!” Shen Nian Nian, holding her face, could no longer control her emotions, screaming, “I saw her being pushed into the river with my own eyes! She’s been dead for years! Now, I am your daughter! I am Shen Nian Nian!”

At these words, Shen Nian Nian’s parents, including Shen Chuyan, froze in shock.

“What are you talking about?”

Shen Nian Nian gasped for breath, realizing she had misspoken in her emotional outburst. She tried to cover it up, “I mean… I mean, after the kidnapping incident, I changed. I’m not the old Shen Nian Nian anymore. That incident was too traumatic, and… when I think of that terrifying demon, I just…”

She began to sob uncontrollably.

Shen Sushan felt like he had grown old. With a sigh, he returned to his study.

Fan Yazhen, too, no longer wanted to deal with Shen Nian Nian. She was utterly disappointed and went to her room, quietly wiping away tears.

In the living room, only Shen Chuyan and Shen Nian Nian remained.

Most of Shen Nian Nian’s crying was an act. Perhaps her parents couldn’t tell, but after years of acting, Shen Chuyan could easily see through her small tricks.

Shen Chuyan stared at her, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Shen Nian Nian, feeling guilty under his gaze, stood up and was about to go to her room.

However, as she was about to take a few steps up the stairs, Shen Chuyan suddenly spoke, “Who are you really?”

Hearing this, Shen Nian Nian’s foot slipped on the stairs.

She stiffened and turned her head, feigning confusion. “Brother, what are you talking about? I’m Shen Nian Nian, your real sister.”

Shen Chuyan’s face showed no expression as he turned and walked away.

“You’re not,” he said as he closed the door.

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Sansukini: She outed herself🤣🤣🤣 If she hadn’t made some bad moves, she wouldn’t have recieved any suspicions.
And let’s not forget, Hubby to the rescue.

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