Chapter 16

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When Cen Meng fainted, most netizens believed it was a physiological reaction caused by extreme shame and helplessness, thinking it was utterly ridiculous.

“What? She fainted just like that?!”

“I’ve already thought of the headline: Cen Meng exposed for scandal face-to-face, faints in shame and anger.”

Some even suspected Cen Meng was faking it.

“Is she pretending to faint because she can’t think of any defense?”

Only Cen Meng’s fans stubbornly defended her under these circumstances.

“Mengmeng must have fainted because she was too wronged. I feel so sorry for her.”

“Don’t you people have a heart? Mengmeng has already fallen down, and you still want to slander her!”

After Cen Meng collapsed, Ning Yuxuan and Jiang Ning’an came out of the villa one after another.

When Cen Meng fell, Ning Yuxuan was a few meters behind her.

Seeing Cen Meng fall, several fans and staff rushed over to check on her condition.

However, the lead fan did not immediately show concern for Cen Meng but instead looked around and fixed her gaze on Ning Yuxuan.

It was all because of Ning Yuxuan! If not for her, Mengmeng wouldn’t have suffered such malicious attacks and wouldn’t have fainted!

The fan’s eyes brimmed with hatred, and suddenly she charged toward Ning Yuxuan, raising her arm—

The next moment, the fan was kneeling on the ground.

The audience was confused: What just happened?

After a few seconds, someone realized that the fan had tried to slap Ning Yuxuan but was swiftly stopped by Jiang Ning’an.

Not just stopped—Jiang Ning’an used the fan’s momentum against her, causing the fan to fall to the ground herself.

“Whoa, was that Jiang Ning’an just now?”

“So cool! No wonder she’s better at martial arts scenes than the male actors—so clean and precise!”

The last to leave the villa were the three mothers.

Seeing the scene at the door, Ning Fei and Qin Man quickly hurried over.

Ning Fei immediately stood in front of Ning Yuxuan and sternly said to the fallen fan, “What do you think you’re doing to my daughter?”

Qin Man also approached Jiang Ning’an, asking, “Are you okay?”

“This is the first time I’ve heard Teacher Ning speak so sternly; it almost made me want to cry…”

“Me too, Teacher Ning is usually so gentle and elegant, but she really shows her sharp edge when protecting her daughter.”

“The two moms are wonderful, each caring and loving their daughters in their own way.”

The production team never anticipated such a malicious attack and took a few seconds to react before more staff surrounded the scene.

After they took away the fan who tried to attack Ning Yuxuan, Ning Fei looked at her daughter, “Xuanxuan, are you hurt?”

Ning Yuxuan smiled, “I’m fine.”

She then said “Thank you” to Jiang Ning’an.

Jiang Ning’an shook her head, “It’s nothing. But... was that really Cen Meng’s fan? What happened?”

She glanced toward the group surrounding Cen Meng and then at the extreme fan being taken away by staff, looking puzzled.

Jiang Ning’an had been a few steps behind Ning Yuxuan and hadn’t quite understood the situation before someone rushed at Ning Yuxuan, prompting her to act without hesitation.

Her experience in martial arts training and filming gave her much faster reflexes than ordinary people.

Ning Yuxuan spoke calmly, “Maybe she can’t accept what her idol did and just wanted to vent on someone.”

Jiang Ning’an nodded, somewhat understanding.

Aside from outdoor filming, the guests’ phones were kept by the production team throughout, so Jiang Ning’an had no idea about the trending topics or public opinion outside.

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The viewers in the live chat immediately understood Ning Yuxuan’s remark.

“Is this the official confirmation from the main person involved?”

“To summarize: Cen Meng fainted, Ning Yuxuan confirmed the rumor is true, so the truth is clear now.”

“This scoop is fully ripe—everyone can stop discussing now!”

As the first episode wrapped up, the recorded footage of Cen Meng fainting and Ning Yuxuan’s admission quickly spread online.

According to the golden 24-hour crisis management rule, after today, no matter what excuses Cen Meng tries to make to clear her name, the impact will be greatly diminished.

However, since the production team concealed the trending topic until the afternoon live broadcast ended, Cen Meng had no chance to respond last night or all day today.

Cen Meng hadn’t informed her agent about her relationship with Gu Yunhao in advance, so the agency, unaware of the situation, dared not rashly issue any statements to defend her.

For Cen Meng, the last chance was to come up with a reasonable explanation when facing her fans’ questions just now. Even if it couldn’t convince netizens, at least it could stabilize her fanbase.

Now that last hope was shattered, and the ridicule online surged like a tide.

...

When Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei just got home, they saw Ning Shiyue standing there with tightly pressed lips and a serious expression.

“Who bullied you?” Ning Yuxuan raised her eyebrows.

Ning Shiyue frowned and said, “If someone rushes at you, wouldn’t you dodge?”

He had finished work relatively early today and watched the “Moms” live broadcast on his way home.

He saw Ning Yuxuan come out of the villa and almost get inexplicably attacked.

Ning Yuxuan smiled, “I’m fine, aren’t I?”

Ning Shiyue’s face darkened further, “That was only because Jiang Ning’an was there—otherwise...”

Ning Yuxuan took over his words, “Otherwise, I would have fought back myself.”

Ning Shiyue snorted lightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Though skeptical, he didn’t want to be too harsh because Ning Yuxuan was the most shaken by the incident.

Ning Fei was also shaken, “The production team’s security was definitely inadequate. We have to ask them to strengthen safety measures so nothing like this happens again.”

Filming the show for two days was still tiring for Ning Fei at her age.

She went to rest in her room, leaving the siblings alone in the living room.

Seeing Ning Shiyue still sulking, Ning Yuxuan called him with a smile, “Ning Shiyue.”

He gave her a sharp look, “What?”

Ning Yuxuan said leisurely, “I remember someone once said they wouldn’t care about me even if I died.”

Ning Shiyue started, “When did I—”

He stopped halfway, recalling a time when Ning Yuxuan was humiliated by Gu Yunhao but stubbornly tried to make amends.

Back then, Ning Yuxuan had carefully prepared a birthday party for a month, but Gu Yunhao left immediately upon receiving a call that Cen Meng was unwell.

Ning Shiyue had seen Ning Yuxuan secretly crying while calling Gu Yunhao from her room and had angrily said, “I don’t understand why you keep calling him. Can’t you just stop begging? Have some dignity and break up already.”

Ning Yuxuan cried but shook her head, “No, you don’t understand... I love him!”

Ning Shiyue was so angry he felt dizzy and blurted, “I don’t understand! All I know is if you don’t break up with him now, even if he hurts you to death, I won’t care!”

...

He remembered that after that argument, he and Ning Yuxuan didn’t speak for a long time.

Their occasional encounters were met with silence and avoidance.

Looking back now, Ning Shiyue felt some regret.

He had probably been too harsh.

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“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Ning Yuxuan’s curious voice beside him pulled Ning Shiyue out of his thoughts.

His gaze flickered slightly. “I...”

The words “I’m sorry” were on the tip of his tongue, yet he didn’t know how to say them.

As children, when they played around, Ning Yuxuan was especially sensitive and often teary after being accidentally hurt by him.

Whenever he said the words “I’m sorry” and comforted her, she would quickly brighten up again.

Those three simple words, easy to say back then, now seemed incredibly difficult.

Ning Shiyue took a deep breath and finally resolved, “I’m...”

Before he could finish, Ning Yuxuan interrupted, “You must feel really regretful and sorry, right? Saying such harsh things to your own sister, now you want to cry and beg me to forgive you?”

Ning Shiyue looked puzzled.

The emotions he was about to express suddenly receded, and his expression became somewhat comical.

Ning Yuxuan curved her lips and continued, “Luckily, your sister is magnanimous and doesn’t hold grudges!”

Ning Shiyue was speechless.

“All right,” Ning Yuxuan waved her hand, “I’m going to rest in my room. See you at dinner.”

She turned and headed to her room but suddenly heard a very soft voice calling her name.

Ning Yuxuan turned around.

Ning Shiyue lowered his head and quietly said three words.

Ning Yuxuan raised an eyebrow, “What did you say? I didn’t hear.”

“Good things aren’t said twice!” Ning Shiyue looked away, “If you didn’t hear, then forget it.”

—

Meanwhile, on the car ride back to the apartment, Cen Meng and her assistant were alone.

At the moment she fainted in front of everyone, Cen Meng’s last thought was: if only when she opened her eyes again, she could find that it was all just a dream.

But there was no “if.”

Actually, Cen Meng hadn’t truly lost consciousness; her head was dizzy and blood rushed upward, making her legs instantly weak.

The suddenness of the event, combined with the fear that a poor response would worsen the situation, pushed her into a psychological collapse.

Her body gave out, and she instinctively chose to escape.

Once in the car, Cen Meng gradually regained consciousness.

The half-hour drive helped her find a sliver of hope within the despair.

This battle was temporarily in Ning Yuxuan’s favor.

But she had not lost yet!

Only Cen Meng and her assistant were in the car; Qiao Yazhen’s whereabouts were unknown, and Cen Meng didn’t care.

Cen Meng took out her phone; among many missed calls, she returned one.

As the call connected, Cen Meng took a deep breath and said, “Sister Gao.”

On the other end, her agent launched into a torrent of accusations.

Cen Meng endured without retorting.

After all, this mess was her own doing, and she hadn’t yet fully relied on the Gu family’s support, so she wasn’t ready to fall out with the agency.

Once the agent finished scolding, Cen Meng spoke, “Sister Gao, tonight I’ll release an apology video explaining that I had no knowledge of the mistress rumors. Please help me and the company with the public relations. Is that okay?”