Chapter Twenty-Five: An Awkward Situation

Although Wen Jingxing wasn’t sure what had just happened, as long as Song Wanning had spoken, he absolutely would not turn around.

Jian An’an, having taken quite a tumble, was dizzy for a good while before she came to her senses. Staring at Song Wanning, who had just landed a punch on her, her eyes widened in shock. “What are you doing here?!”

Her tone was filled with surprise.

“And why shouldn’t I be here? Am I not supposed to interrupt you while you’re trying to seduce Wen Jingxing?” Song Wanning replied with a wickedly amused expression, all the while casting a leisurely glance at the state of Jian An’an’s disheveled clothing.

It was only then that Jian An’an realized her situation. She scrambled up from the floor and hurriedly fixed her clothes, this time pulling her collar tight and fastening her belt securely.

Her face burned with both humiliation and anger as she accused Song Wanning, “How can you treat people like this? I just accidentally left my belt untied, that’s why my clothes came undone. How could you just hit me without even asking?”

Song Wanning had used a subtle force in that punch, and now, moments later, Jian An’an’s face was already swelling alarmingly.

With her hands clasped behind her back, Song Wanning replied, “Accidentally? That was some accident. Tying two straps is hardly rocket science, and you want me to believe it just came undone by itself? You’ll have to do better than that to fool anyone.”

She added, “You can turn around now, Wen Jingxing.”

At her words, Wen Jingxing turned around and immediately saw Song Wanning’s hand—still behind her back—holding his phone, flicking it back and forth with a mischievous air.

He hesitated a moment but then took the phone from her and slipped it into his pocket.

Right after, Song Wanning flashed him a thumbs-up.

The gesture made Wen Jingxing break into a smile, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Jian An’an, eyes brimming with tears, looked up just in time to see this exchange. She mistakenly thought Wen Jingxing was smiling at her.

With even more misery in her voice, she cried, “Ningning, how could you think so little of me? Am I really that sort of person?”

Seeing that Song Wanning hadn’t mentioned her speaking ill of her behind her back, Jian An’an assumed Song Wanning had only just arrived. She continued, “I like you so much. I want so much to be your friend. How could I possibly… possibly try to seduce Brother Jingxing?”

Song Wanning neither revealed that she had recorded everything nor that she had been there the whole time. Instead, she said, “But the moment I arrived, I saw you undressing in front of my Jingxing. Who else was I supposed to think you were trying to seduce? If I hit you by mistake, I suppose I owe you an apology, don’t I?”

Her tone was light and airy, almost teasing, as if she were simply mocking Jian An’an.

But the facts spoke for themselves.

Jian An’an had set up a paparazzo to secretly photograph her, and there was no need to check WeChat records to guess her true intentions. With a heart as malicious as hers, it was obvious she would have splashed those photos all over the internet for maximum effect.

Since Jian An’an dared to treat her this way, Song Wanning saw no need to show mercy—she firmly believed in giving as good as she got.

Still, she wasn’t about to reveal her hand so soon. After all, everyone knows a villain’s downfall comes from talking too much; the best strategy was to catch her off guard.

“Um, right, yes—of course, this was all my carelessness. I should have tied my clothes properly…” Jian An’an knew that if today’s incident had involved only her and Wen Jingxing, as long as she kept quiet, things would never have gotten out of hand. In fact, if Wen Jingxing had seen her exposed, she could have played the victim.

But before Song Wanning even appeared, one shout from her and Wen Jingxing had turned away, seeing nothing. And from Song Wanning’s words, it was clear she meant to accuse Jian An’an of trying to seduce Wen Jingxing.

If word of this got out, how could she ever show her face on set again—how could she survive in front of everyone?

“Well… since it’s all a misunderstanding, I don’t want anyone to know. Losing my clothes in front of a man is mortifying enough. As for this injury on my face, I’ll just say I fell by accident…”

For once, Jian An’an’s voice was earnest, her every word pleading with Song Wanning not to spread what had happened.

But Song Wanning feigned innocence, deliberately misunderstanding her. “I don’t think that’s right. After all, I’m the one who hit you. How could falling down give you such a bruise? And Wen Jingxing didn’t see a thing, did he? Don’t accuse people without evidence.”

Jian An’an grew desperate. “Yes, he really didn’t see anything, so this bruise is just from my own fall!”

“You’d better go put some medicine on it. Celebrities depend on their faces—don’t delay or you’ll end up with permanent damage.”

Seeing that her fun had run its course, Song Wanning finally spoke to Jian An’an with a touch of seriousness.

She wasn’t exaggerating. The moment she realized Jian An’an had the audacity to try such a stunt in front of Wen Jingxing, Song Wanning’s irritation had turned into action. She had gathered all her strength and landed the punch with far more force than she’d used on that paparazzo earlier.

Song Wanning was trained in martial arts and knew exactly how much damage her punch would do. Had she not held back for fear of really hurting someone, she could have shattered the bones in Jian An’an’s face.

If Jian An’an didn’t treat the injury properly, there was a real risk of lasting consequences.

Not wanting to stay a moment longer in this place of humiliation, Jian An’an fled as soon as Song Wanning suggested it.

With the bothersome pest finally gone, Song Wanning’s mood brightened considerably.

In her sudden joy, she even forgot that Wen Jingxing was still standing behind her. Turning around, she walked straight into his arms.

“Sorry, I—” she started, immediately stepping back, but before she could finish, Wen Jingxing’s strong arm circled her waist, holding her in place.

He had acted on instinct, thinking Song Wanning might slip on the ground and fall.

Looking down, he suddenly noticed—she wasn’t even wearing shoes!

“Where are your shoes?” he asked at once.

“Oh, I forgot to put them on…” Song Wanning only then realized, having rushed over so quickly when she saw Jian An’an’s attempt to ensnare Wen Jingxing.

Wen Jingxing frowned, ignoring Song Wanning’s feeble attempts to pull away and leading her inside the garden wall.

“It may be summer, but you shouldn’t go barefoot. Just look at your feet—how dirty they are!”

His words sounded reproachful, but every syllable was infused with concern.

After guiding her to the edge of the hot spring, he even reached out as if to touch her legs.

Song Wanning instinctively drew her feet back, then, thinking that too obvious, stretched her legs out and dangled them in the water.

“I… I can manage on my own.”

She suddenly felt as though she’d fallen into a wolf’s den, and, in this situation, it was all the harder to escape.

Only when he saw her sitting obediently, feet soaking in the spring, did Wen Jingxing’s frown ease. He asked, “So, how did you end up here? And how did you know I was here?”