Chapter Twenty-Three: The True Culprit Behind the Scenes

"Ouch! My butt!"

A miserable cry rang out, the sound of someone who had clearly taken a heavy fall. Yet he was stubborn—though he'd been found out, his first instinct was still to run. But he hadn't managed to get far before Song Wannin caught up with him. With a swift over-the-shoulder throw, she pinned him firmly to the ground.

Now that she was closer, Song Wannin could see him clearly: a chubby man in his thirties, wearing thick black-rimmed glasses and a black hat.

"What were you trying to do just now?"

Feeling him struggle desperately to break free, Song Wannin only tightened her grip.

"It hurts, it hurts! I won't run, just let me go!"

After a brief pause, she did release him. The man didn't try to escape again; he knew he was no match for her, either in speed or strength.

Song Wannin fixed him with a cold stare. The man grew uneasy under her gaze, stammering, "I... I just thought the scenery here was lovely and wanted to take some photos..."

"That's not what you said before. Who sent you? This isn't the kind of place someone like you just wanders into."

Though the man was dressed all in black, their close-quarters struggle had revealed his collar and cuffs—already faded and frayed with wear.

"That's an insult! What do you mean, 'someone like me'?" He tried to steer the conversation away from dangerous ground.

"It was Jian An'an who sent you to secretly photograph me, wasn't it?"

"I... It wasn't her! I just had a moment of madness and came here on my own." The man shivered as he spoke.

Seeing he wouldn't admit the truth, Song Wannin picked up a stone and raised it, as if to bring it down on his head.

The man, having witnessed her ruthlessness in a fight, hugged his head and shouted, "Don't hit me! I'll talk! It was Jian An'an, she sent me!"

"And then?" Her eyes were now icy cold.

"She paid me a lot of money—told me you'd be here and asked me to get some, well, compromising photos of you..."

Before he could finish, Song Wannin produced a phone from her pocket. The man stared in shock. "What the—! That's my phone!"

"I've already recorded everything. You'd better tell me the whole story, or I'll drag you to the police myself!"

"No, please! Miss Song, I have a family to support—if I go to jail, they'll be ruined!" He threw himself at her, reaching for her bathrobe.

She stepped back, easily avoiding him.

Song Wannin knew this incident, seemingly minor, was actually grave. Never mind Jian An'an's malice—it was shocking enough she'd hire someone to take such photos. If they leaked, a young woman's reputation could be destroyed by rumor and gossip.

Jian An'an's heart was poisonous, but she wasn't smart enough. To do something like this and let a paparazzo know her identity—unbelievable. In truth, Jian An'an had tried to conceal her involvement, but was eventually found out. The most troubling aspect, in Song Wannin's eyes, was that Jian An'an seemed to have an accomplice within the crew. The hot spring spot had been assigned by the production team—how else could Jian An'an have known in advance, even sending the paparazzo ahead of time?

Moreover, Song Wannin felt her hot spring location was exceedingly remote. Even if the crew separated men and women, they wouldn’t typically isolate the female guests from each other.

The man said, "Actually, I didn't know the way—this is the set for ‘Let’s Fall in Love,’ right? A man with a mole on his ear brought me in. From his manner, he seemed like crew."

Song Wannin nodded. "And?"

He quickly shook his head. "Nothing else, I swear!"

"What's your name?"

"Fang Cheng."

"Where do you work?"

"Jinwu Studio—this is my staff badge, you can check it, I swear I'm not lying!"

Fang Cheng eagerly produced an ID from his pocket, terrified she might hit him again if he hesitated.

"I've noted your phone number. If anything comes up, I'll find you. Since you dared to come and spy on me, you must know who I am. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, maybe I can’t find you, but someone always will."

Fang Cheng had been thinking he could brush her off now, then move out of Rong City overnight. But then he remembered Song Wannin was the future third daughter-in-law of the Wen family—from the capital, no less...

His thoughts of escape died instantly.

"Also, do not tell Jian An'an I discovered you today."

"Don't worry, Miss Song! I swear I won't! But what should I do if she contacts me?"

"I'll handle it," Song Wannin replied, then abruptly asked, "The password."

"Huh? What?"

"Your phone password."

"698451. Why do you need that?"

Seeing he had no intention of running, Song Wannin waved her hand, signaling Fang Cheng to leave. He hesitated. "Uh, Miss Song, my phone..."

"Wait. Let me borrow it. I'll return it when I'm done." Without looking back, she walked on.

"But it cost over ten thousand—and there are a lot of files..." Before he could finish, Song Wannin had already vanished into the mist.

On the other side, Song Wannin powered on the phone and searched through WeChat, finally finding the chat history between Fang Cheng and Jian An'an.

Jian An'an: Let's find a time to meet. I have some explosive news to sell you; the price is negotiable.

Fang Cheng: You’re giving me information and paying me too?

Jian An'an: Yes.

...

Song Wannin skimmed through the messages, then pocketed the phone, intending to confront Jian An'an. That woman had shown up with nothing underneath her clothes—who knew what tricks she’d pull next?

But considering how large the hot spring area was, Song Wannin decided to head down the slope first to find the staff member who had brought her here.

Before she reached the changing room, she heard hushed voices nearby.

Song Wannin’s footsteps were naturally light; now, treading carefully, she was like a ghost. She edged closer, recognizing a familiar voice—the staff member who had led her here.

"I've already brought her over."

"Yes, don't worry, nothing will go wrong."

"Young Master Wen? He’s on the southwest side. Just follow the stone steps for a hundred meters, then turn right for another twenty or so meters—you’ll find him."

"Yes, yes, don't worry, I won’t let anyone else through."

When the person finally left, Song Wannin stepped out from hiding. To avoid alerting anyone, she refrained from confronting the staff member directly—the fewer people involved, the better.

Still, learning Wen Jingxing’s location by accident wasn’t a bad outcome. It made the trip worthwhile. With that, Song Wannin headed toward Wen Jingxing’s hot spring.