Ning Ran was also relieved. She had to admit that she had been stressed out lately because of this.
She never expected the show to be a hit or to get so much unwanted attention because of it. I thought only the famous would have this kind of problem. I’m not even that famous yet, and people are already giving me a hard time.
“There were also a lot of rumors about you and your father on the Internet, Ms. Ding. How do you explain yourself for not supporting the elderly?”
Ning Ran’s sense of relief was short-lived as another question popped out.
To make things worse, it was a much harder question to answer.
“I’ve already explained this to the press, and I don’t want to talk about it again,” responded Ning Ran with a colder tone. To ask a question like this on such an occasion… This reporter undoubtedly had malicious intent. After all, this is a celebration, and we’re all supposed to enjoy ourselves, but that’s apparently not what this guy wants. I see no reason to treat him kindly.
“You don’t want to talk about it? Or are you just too afraid to talk about it?” The reporter continued.
“You can say whatever you want. I couldn’t care less!” Ning Ran got angry, and her smile disappeared. Even though I’m the artiste and he’s the reporter, it doesn’t mean he can keep prying into my personal matters, there are lines that should never be cross. If he wants to keep pushing me like that, I’ll show him that I’m no pushover.
“Alright, that’s all for now, everyone. This is a party, not a press conference. We’re all here to have fun, not to find faults. Please excuse us. We have some other friends to chat with.” Wang Xiaoou defused the tense situation before pulling Ning Ran away.
“Wait! Why are you running away? Are you trying to hide something?” The relentless male reporter blocked off Ning Ran and Wang Xiaoou’s path.
He’s really crossing the line now!
“Move aside. You’re a guest here, so please mind your manners,” reminded Wang Xiaoou with a darkened face.
“If I may ask one last question?” insisted the male reporter.
“Sure, ask away.” Wang Xiaoou controlled her anger because she had to avoid a conflict if possible, even though the reporter was obviously a troublemaker.
After all, Ning Ran was an actress, and society would usually side with the reporters whenever there was a skirmish between artistes and the press.
In everyone’s opinion, reporters are always the weaker party in a skirmish, and they would always assume the artistes to be the bully. However, it was the opposite most of the time.
As a talent manager, Wang Xiaoou was well-versed in dealing with the press. She gave Ning Ran a look, gesturing to the actress to calm down.
Ning Ran took a deep breath and swallowed her anger.
“There’s also a rumor suggesting that Ms. Ding and Luo Fei are actually sisters because Ms. Ding’s mother had a baby with another man… “
“You leave my mother out of this!” roared Ning Ran.
Just then, a waiter happened to pass by with glasses of wine on a tray. In the next moment, Ning Ran picked up a glass and splashed the wine onto the reporter’s face.
Her action stunned the reporter, and soon many gathered around them to see what the commotion was about.
“Ding Mi just splashed me with wine! Look, I’ve got wine all over me!” The reporter shouted to attract everyone’s attention, and many took their phones out to start recording.
Wang Xiaoou stepped in front of Ning Ran. “This is just a misunderstanding.”
“There is no misunderstanding. This scum spoke ill of my mother, so he deserved that!” Ning Ran stepped out.
“The female lead of the show threw wine at the reporter. What a savage!” Someone commented with a loud voice, and it turned out to be the fake waitress who brought Ning Ran to the captors before.
When she interacted with Ning Ran earlier, she avoided looking directly at Ning Ran. As such, Ning Ran never got a chance to see her face.
“I don’t think Ms. Ding’s that kind of person. She’s pretty friendly.”
“I agree. That reporter must’ve crossed a line.”
“Don’t the artistes at Star Entertainment have any self-restraint? Why would she do that on such an event?”
There were a lot of discussions, and the crowd was sharing their thoughts until Nan Chen came along.
Although he was busy socializing, he had been keeping his eyes on Ning Ran.
Nan Chen was not worried about Ning Ran because he thought Wang Xiaoou could handle the situation, but seeing that more and more people gathered around the two, he decided it was time for him to step in.
“This woman thinks she can do whatever she wants to me just because she’s shot to fame!” Even though the male reporter complained persistently, he was actually glad that he got a chance to humiliate Ning Ran. His goal was to infuriate the actress, and he managed to achieve it.
Someone gave the reporter a paper towel to wipe himself, but he refused because he wanted to keep looking like a victim so that people would side with him and accuse Ning Ran.
“What’s going on?” Instead of asking Ning Ran, Nan Chen asked Wang Xiaoou.
Wang Xiaoou started to get nervous because Nan Chen had reminded her that Ning Ran was inexperienced with the press, so he wanted her to protect Ning Ran and keep her from making mistakes.
Lo and behold, things still got out of control in the end.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Chen. It’s my fault… “
“This has nothing to do with Ou. I’m the one who threw the wine.” Ning Ran was not about to let Wang Xiaoou be responsible for what she did. I alone will face the consequences.
“You threw wine at him?” Nan Chen stared at Ning Ran.
“Yes, because he besmirched my mother.”
“I was just asking a question. I did not besmirch anyone!” The reporter tried to defend himself.
“Yes, you did! Everyone heard it.”
“If she said that you did, then it must be true.” Nan Chen stated coldly and gave the male reporter no chance to respond.
“But Mr. Chen… “
“It must be your fault if she threw a drink at you,” continued Nan Chen.
Ning Ran was shocked because she thought Nan Chen was going to blame her. She never expected that the man would choose to side with her.
“You’re being unreasonable, Mr. Chen. I only… “
“Get this man out of here,” ordered Nan Chen before a few security guards grabbed the reporter.
“You… You can’t treat me like this! I’m a reporter, and I have the right to ask questions!” The crowd fell silent as they watched the reporter being dragged away in a humiliating fashion.
“You deserve respect, and you should show the bullies that you’re no pushover,” said Nan Chen to Ning Ran.
Still in a daze, Ning Ran could not figure out why Nan Chen was supportive of her. He’s siding with me in front of so many people. This is definitely not Poker Face’s style. What’s the catch here?
“Okay,” responded Ning Ran with a nod. “I’ll throw a drink at anyone who thinks they can bully me. There’s no way I’m staying silent about it!”
The director, Wang Yan, was standing aside with sweaty palms. Thank God I didn’t bully her on the set.
Ouyang Qing, who was standing not far away from the crowd, was clenching her fists so hard that her nails almost dug into her palms.
