Nan Chen sat up in caution the moment he heard Ning Ran was attending the event.
Not bad. She calculated every move carefully. Appearing before the public is both a brave and wise decision.
Upon receiving the news, Jiang Zhe immediately went ahead with the necessary arrangements. “I’ve already notified Qiao Zhan to go over with Ms. Ding on that day. They will be assisting the organizer’s security team at the event.”
But Nan Chen shook his hand and said, “No, there’s no need for that.”
Jiang Zhe raised his brows and blinked blankly at Nan Chen in disbelief.
“There’s not a need to mobilize our family’s security team for a small event like this. It’s not like the fans can do anything to her,” he explained coldly.
“But Ye Meng’s fans will be attending the event. God knows what they’re gonna do to Ms. Ding!” Jiang Zhe disagreed.
“Since Channing decided to call for this event at this point in time, they should be responsible for all the risks. They must have factored in every possibility to propose something this audacious,” Nan Chen replied.
But it was not like Jiang Zhe was unaware of what Nan Chen said. He was just worried that something might happen to Ning Ran.
“Let the organizer know that Ning Ran should be allowed to interact with the fans, but they have to make sure that no harm befalls her,” Nan Chen ordered.
Jiang Zhe nodded and went out to make a call immediately.
……
It was the big day and Ning Ran was rigged out in her best for the event, wearing an exorbitant necklace worth more than a million, as per Channing’s request.
Beside her, two women followed her closely—not because they needed to take care of her—but because they needed to keep an eye on the expensive jewelry.
They had to make sure that the necklace was returned to the company without a single scratch.
Under the careful surveillance of the two frantic ladies, Ning Ran paced towards the entrance confidently.
The venue was swarming with people, but none of them seemed to be here to cause a ruckus.
In fact, the crowd looked so composed Ning Ran felt as if the people attending were just extras hired by the organizer.
The event went on smoothly and came to an end.
But just as Ning Ran was about to get in the car to leave the venue, a group of women came charging ferociously towards her.
The one leading the group shouted, “This is the bitch that slapped Ye Meng!”
“She deserves to die!” another yelled.
“Yes! She should just quit showbiz!” yet another exclaimed.
Hearing the commotion, a bodyguard nearby quickly came to Ning Ran’s aid.
It so happened that he was the only bodyguard who was around Ning Ran although there were many of them nearby earlier on.
It was obvious that there was nothing much he could do as they started throwing eggs and tomatoes at Ning Ran.
Around them, reporters started flashing their cameras and taking pictures, capturing photos of Ning Ran at her most embarrassing moment.
Seeing the commotion, the crowd also took out their phones to record a video. Some of them even live-streamed the incident.
Just as Ning Ran was caught in a difficult situation, a man with a mask and a pair of sunglasses waded through the huge crowd and protected her with his body, escorting her out of the crowd.
A car pulled by right beside the road and they hopped on.
After they got in, a pungent smell of rotten egg wafted through the car and even Ning Ran felt disgusted by herself.
Over on the other side of the car, the man took off his mask and smiled at her proudly. “It feels nice to be a hero!”
Ning Ran looked at the man in alarm. “Ouyang Qi! What are you doing here?”
He clapped his hands in excitement and replied, “I came here to save you!”
“I don’t need you to save me. I know you’re on Ye Meng’s side!” Ning Ran called him out blatantly.
Ouyang Qi eyed her grudgingly and rolled his eyes. “Are you dumb? The video wouldn’t even be online if I were on her side!”
It suddenly occurred to Ning Ran that he was probably the one who was behind the video that showed Ye Meng drinking with him. “You’re the one that posted the video?” she asked.
“Who else would have taken that video? I was the one who asked her out that night!” Ouyang Qi admitted his crime with a sly smile.
“And you did that to help me?” she asked.
“Of course! I posted that video to divert the public’s attention. How are you going to thank me?” he asked cheekily.
“If that’s really the case, I really have to thank you,” Ning Ran said with a sigh of relief.
“It’s not your fault, to begin with. But anyway, don’t you think my plan worked perfectly? I used myself as a bait. No one else could have thought of such a splendid plan,” Ouyang Qi said, resting his hand on his chest.
“So you guys really slept together yesterday?” Ning Ran inquired as she assessed Ouyang Qi’s face.
“Yeah, I did. I sacrificed my body for you. But don’t you worry, my heart still belongs to you although I was with her physically,” Ouyang Qi reassured.
“Keep your heart to yourself,” Ning Ran watched him with repugnance.
“Are you jealous?” Ouyang Qi questioned eagerly.
“Why should I be jealous? It has nothing to do with me!” Ning Ran quickly explained herself.
Ouyang Qi pouted his lips and eyed her from the corner of his eyes. “I know you’re jealous. Just admit it. You like me and that’s why you’re angry with me for sleeping with Ye Meng.”
Ning Ran pursed her lips and shook her head before she turned towards the driver. “Stop the car at the junction over there. I need to get down. I stink.”
“It’s okay. You can change when we reach the hotel. I’ll ask someone to send your clothes over,” Ouyang Qi quickly replied.
But Ning Ran was fixated on getting off the car. “I can handle this myself. Don’t bother yourself.”
“I don’t find it bothersome. I’m glad to help. You can always turn to me if you need anything,” Ouyang Qi said.
Ning Ran turned and her gaze sank through Ouyang Qi. “Then answer my question. Who sent the video to Nan Chen?”
Ouyang Qi’s reaction was completely unexpected. He sat up from his seat and peered at her. “You were with Nan Chen yesterday night? What were you guys doing? How could you do this to me?”
But Ning Ran did not see anything wrong with that. “We were discussing how we should settle the issue. I’m an actress in their company. What’s wrong with seeing Nan Chen?”
Ouyang Qi clenched his fist and beat his chest as he bombarded her with a litany of questions. “Did you guys do anything other than discussing what happened? You didn’t do anything that would break my heart, right?”
“Just answer my question! How did Nan Chen get his hands on the video?” Ning Ran was getting impatient.
Ouyang Qi finally shifted his gaze and told her what happened. “Nan Chen sent someone to tail Ye Meng. When they saw Ye Meng and me together, those people suggested that we record a video.”
Ning Ran’s eyes widened as she tried to make sense of what she just heard.
Nan Chen and Ouyang Qi had always been at odds with each other. She could not believe they actually worked together!
“Why are you so surprised? He’s not as good as you think he is,” Ouyang Qi told her.
Ning Ran scoffed and gave him a sidelong glance. “It’s not like you’re any better yourself. I thought you guys never saw eye to eye?”
