Stand-in Exit, Tycoon Boss Anxious Crazy

Qin An ended up hospitalized for half a month.

Xiang-Nuan felt terribly guilty, visiting him daily at the hospital, bringing him meals and notes.

Qin An, however, seemed not to mind, cheerfully lying in his hospital bed: "You owe me a big favor now, you can't avoid me anymore."

"I was afraid of dragging you into this. If you hadn't come to find me that day, you wouldn't be lying here now."

"But if I hadn't been there, it would be you in this bed, and I'd rather it be me."

Xiang-Nuan was caught off guard, looking up only to crash into the boy's sincere gaze.

After that, Xiang-Nuan stopped avoiding him. Qin An waited for her at the school gates every day after class, helped her with her studies, and walked her home.

Three months later, on Christmas Eve, Qin An finally mustered the courage to stammer out his confession to her.

Qin An was the first ray of warm sunshine in her life, and Xiang-Nuan couldn't refuse him.

But as day turns to night, the sun can't shine on her forever.

Xiang-Nuan didn't want to linger any longer, pressed down her cap, and turned to leave: "I'm heading off first."

Suddenly, Qin An called out to her: "Nuan-Nuan."

He paused before slowly continuing: "If you're ever in trouble, come find me. Don't face it alone."

Xiang-Nuan's nose tingled, and she hurriedly walked away with quick steps.

-

Xiang-Nuan returned to the film crew, half-expecting to hear she'd been replaced, but to her surprise, Lee-Zheng jubilantly assured her that she could continue filming without any changes.

Xiang-Nuan was puzzled. Professionally, her contract with Newstar Company was about to expire, and since this drama was funded by Shen Yanshi, he should have insisted on featuring their artists.

On a personal level, after their fallout, how could Yanshi, known for his vengeful nature, not retaliate at all?

The next morning, a bombshell news story exploded.

"Zhuang Linna accused of homewrecking a famous director's marriage, becoming the other woman."

Zheng Xuanlin couldn't wait to share her joy with Xiang-Nuan.

"Did you see the news? This scoop is huge! And the paparazzi got clear shots of her face; Zhuang Linna can't deny it this time! I won't let her off; I have to crush her for this blood feud!"

Zheng Xuanlin was grinding her teeth.

Xiang-Nuan browsed the news: "Did you leak this?"

"How could I? This kind of info is expensive. I wanted to buy it, but the paparazzi's price was too steep, and I didn't want to spend that much. Who knew some kind-hearted soul would release it?"

Xiang-Nuan shook her head: "Who knows."

"Ah, whatever, I've already arranged a troll army to spread it in the forums. She's messed with us several times before, and I've had enough. Now with such a big scoop out, I'll make sure she can't turn this around!"

Zhuang Linna's affair caused a huge stir online, as she had always maintained a pure and innocent image. This scandal of her involvement with a married director, whose wife was pregnant, was bound to attract universal condemnation.

Such a scandal touching on moral baselines wasn't something that could be simply resolved by breaking up or dating; it was very likely to end her acting career.

Xiang-Nuan dove back into filming, paying no mind to these matters.

Two days later, after wrapping up for the day, she received a message from Zheng Xuanlin.

"I found out who released the scoop!"

Xiang-Nuan wasn't really interested in gossip, but to play along with the other's eagerness to share, she began to type, asking who it was.

But the other side clearly couldn't wait, as the message popped up immediately.