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That evening, Sister Na finished recording a new song in the recording studio and was in a good mood.

Recently, Na Jie has been in great shape. Her voice has warmed up, and she can hit high notes steadily. Even the producer couldn't help but praise her, saying, "With Na Jie's voice, she can sing for another twenty years without any problem."

"Haha, then I'll have to rely on your good wishes."

In a good mood, Sister Na immediately took Xia Luo out for drinks. Knowing full well what was going on, Sister Na valued Xia Luo's musical talent even more.

The two found a quiet bar, ordered a bottle of red wine, and chatted while drinking.

Na Jie has a high alcohol tolerance; a bottle of red wine is nothing to her, but she can't resist her tendency to talk too much after drinking.

So, Sister Na started talking about things around her, about the sachet, about the White Dragon King, and about Aunt Qiong.

After drinking a lot, they became more talkative. Suddenly, Sister Na leaned over and whispered mysteriously, "Xia, do you know who the person who helped Aunt Qiong with feng shui is?"

"..." Charlotte shook her head.

"It's your high school classmate, Su Ning."

Charlotte paused, her wine glass still in her hand. "What? Su Ning?"

“That’s right, it’s him.” Sister Na popped a peanut into her mouth, chewing it with a loud crunch. “Don’t let his young age fool you, he’s incredibly capable. Even the White Dragon King of Thailand said that Su Ning is the real master. He was the one who set the premiere date for Aunt Qiong’s drama. Ten million for just a date. Isn’t that amazing?”

Charlotte didn't say anything.

My mind was buzzing, and Su Ning's always calm face came to mind.

He scored full marks on the college entrance exam, but instead of going to Tsinghua or Peking University, he went to the Beijing Film Academy to study directing.

Na Jie personally went to see Su Ning and invited him to dinner.

The premiere date for Qiong Yao's "Princess Pearl" was actually set by Suning.

Ten million, they just randomly picked a date.

This money is too easy to earn.

"Sister Na, you've had too much to drink." Xia Luo picked up her glass and downed the rest of her drink in one gulp.

Sister Na waved her hand, "I'm perfectly sober! Don't tell anyone about this! Aunt Qiong forbade it. Su Ning's actions depend on a specific opportunity."

Charlotte nodded, but inwardly cursed the whole "opportunity" nonsense, saying it was nothing but fabricated lies by Su Ning.

Since Xia Luo is a reborn person, he naturally knows that "Princess Pearl" was destined to be a hit, a huge hit, so popular that people still remember it more than a decade later.

It has absolutely nothing to do with any of those bullshit feng shui masters.

But what about Suning? He didn't have to do anything; he just picked a date and made ten million.

Ten million.

He thought about how Xia Luo had worked so hard to copy songs, copying them one by one and selling them one by one, and how much money he had saved up so far.

Suning earns more than him just by talking.

Why?
On the way back, Xia Luo sat in the taxi, looking at the night view of Beijing outside the window, and clenched his fists.

One thought kept running through my mind: Why can Suning do it so easily?
How can Suning earn ten million without doing anything?

Why is it that Suning got a perfect score on the college entrance exam, didn't go to Tsinghua or Peking University, but came to Beijing Film Academy to study directing, and still has Sister Na and Aunt Qiong revolving around him?

How did Suning manage to win over a top beauty like Yan Ruyu?

However, his Qiuya is only third-rate compared to Yan Ruyu.

The taxi stopped downstairs at Charlotte's rented apartment building. Charlotte paid the fare, went upstairs, opened the door, sat on the sofa, and didn't sleep all night.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get. I absolutely cannot allow anyone to be better than me.

We cannot allow charlatans like Suning to run rampant in the entertainment industry; we must find a way to expose Suning's tricks.

……

The next day, Charlotte summoned her henchman Zhang Yang to the recording studio.

Zhang Yang is now the person he trusts the most.

She followed him from Xihong City to Beijing, helping him with all sorts of miscellaneous tasks, running errands and doing all kinds of work.

Charlotte closed the door and said in a low voice, "Zhang Yang, I need you to do me a favor."

Seeing that Xia Luo's expression was off, Zhang Yang immediately felt a little nervous. "What's wrong?"

"Post it online. Say that Aunt Qiong has been scammed. That so-called feng shui master is a fraud, just fooling people. Let everyone know."

Zhang Yang was stunned. "Luo'er, how did you know? It's better to believe something is true than not. What if they really are capable?"

"What kind of skill does he have?" Xia Luo sneered. "That's our high school classmate, Su Ning. We're from the same school, don't we know his background?"

Zhang Yang was even more stunned, "Su Ning? The one who got a perfect score?"

"Yes! You know that! Back in Xihong City, he was just an ordinary student, with slightly better grades. All that talk about feng shui masters is just a scam."

Zhang Yang hesitated, "Luo'er, we're classmates with Su Ning. Although we didn't talk much in high school, we were still in the same class. Isn't it a bit much to do this to him?"

Charlotte glared at Zhang Yang with displeasure, "Just do what I tell you to do, why are you talking so much nonsense?"

Zhang Yang opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Having followed Xia Luo for so long, he knew that when Xia Luo lost his temper, he wouldn't listen to anyone.

"Okay! I'll make the arrangements." Zhang Yang nodded, then turned and left.

……

That evening, a post appeared simultaneously on several original forums.

The title is eye-catching: "Unveiling the scam behind Aunt Qiong's new drama: the so-called feng shui master is just a student."

The post was written in great detail and with seemingly specific information.

It is said that Aunt Qiong was cheated by a so-called feng shui master and spent ten million to buy a date.

That "master" wasn't a genius at all; he was just a student at the Beijing Film Academy, not even twenty years old.

He scored full marks on the college entrance exam, but instead of going to Tsinghua or Peking University, he chose to study directing, all for the purpose of dating female celebrities in the entertainment industry.

I don't know how I fooled Aunt Qiong, making her believe it and willingly hand over ten million.

The post ended with the comment: "The success of 'My Fair Princess' is due to the quality of the show itself, and has absolutely nothing to do with any feng shui master. Qiong Yao was tricked this time."

The person who posted the message registered several accounts and bumped each other's posts on various forums, pretending to be different people discussing the topic.

Is this question true or false? One person said, "I've heard about it too," and another said, "Qiong Yao wouldn't be that stupid, would she?"

These online trolls are putting on a very convincing act.

At that time, the Internet was still in its infancy, there weren't many people on the forums, and the posts didn't initially cause much of a stir.

Zhang Yang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the matter might just be over.

The next day, a tabloid reporter saw the post and was overjoyed.

In Beijing in the late 1990s, entertainment reporters racked their brains every day to find news.

These entertainment reporters are most envious of the paparazzi in Hong Kong, so they diligently dig up celebrity scandals everywhere.

Who's dating whom, who's broken up with whom, which celebrity is throwing a tantrum, which director is replacing an actor...

I've written everything that can be written; readers are already tired of it.

The sudden emergence of the claim that "feng shui masters are frauds" and its connection to the currently popular TV series "Princess Pearl" is like a windfall.

The reporter went to the Beijing Film Academy that same day.

At the school gate, a reporter stopped several students and asked, "Excuse me, is there a student named Su Ning in your school's directing department?"

"Yes! It's the one who got a perfect score." The student who had been stopped perked up. "What happened to him?"

"I heard he acted as a feng shui master for Aunt Qiong and received ten million yuan from her. Is that true?"

The student paused for a moment, then laughed. "You believe this? It's all over our school, it's just something made up online. Su Ning, he's usually so quiet, a feng shui master? If he's a feng shui master, then I'm a living god."

Undeterred, the reporter asked a few more students.

Some said they didn't know; some said they had heard about it but didn't know if it was true; others said that Suning's girlfriend was Yan Ruyu, the one who played Qing'er, and that they should ask her.

The reporter wrote down everything he heard and went back to write a report.

……

The next day, an entertainment newspaper published a headline: "Aunt Qiong's 'Feng Shui Master' is actually a sophomore at Beijing Film Academy."

The report simply recounted the content of the online post, added a few sentences from student interviews, and included a photo of Suning when he first enrolled...

He wore a white shirt and looked quietly at the camera.

The wording was tactful, using terms like "suspected," "rumored online," and "to be confirmed," but the title already set the tone.

In the late 1990s, the influence of print media far surpassed that of online forums.

As soon as the newspaper was published, a flood of media outlets followed suit with their own reports.

Some directly reposted the content, some added embellishments, and some simply removed "suspected" and wrote "confirmed".

The television station's entertainment news also joined in the fun, with the host saying to the camera: "Recently, there have been reports that the selection of the premiere date for Aunt Qiong's new drama 'Princess Pearl' was actually done by a second-year student at the Beijing Film Academy. It is rumored that this student received a fee of up to ten million yuan. This station will continue to follow this matter."

When the news spread, public opinion exploded.

Some people called Aunt Qiong an idiot: "Ten million to buy a date? Has Qiong Yao gone mad? How much money does she make from filming, and she just wastes it like this?"

Some people criticized Su Ning: "This 'master' has it too easy, all he talks about is money. A student from the Beijing Film Academy? Instead of studying properly, he's out here swindling people?"

Some people even criticized "My Fair Princess," saying, "No wonder this show is causing such a stir; it turns out the scammers picked the date for it. It's strange that this kind of show can become so popular."

Of course, some people defended Qiong Yao: "She's willing to spend the money, what's it to her? The show was a hit, why should you care how much she spent?"

Few people spoke up for Su Ning: "Maybe he really is capable? You don't even know him. Someone who got a perfect score on the college entrance exam and didn't go to Tsinghua or Peking University, can that kind of person be a fraud?"

Few people spoke up for Su Ning and Aunt Qiong; many criticized them.

In those years, there were many superstitious practices related to feng shui in the entertainment industry, which the general public had long been disgusted by.

The so-called White Dragon King and the so-called master are all scams to swindle money.

Now I hear that Aunt Qiong spent ten million to hire a college student, who is also called a feng shui master. Isn't that treating the audience like fools?
……

The next day, when Sister Na sobered up, she immediately saw the news in the newspaper.

Then he called Xia Luo and asked bluntly, "Xia, did you say that?"

"..." Charlotte remained silent.

Sister Na understood. "Do you even know what you've done? Su Ning helped Aunt Qiong and me. What did he do to offend you?"

Charlotte remained silent.

Na-jie hung up the phone in anger, and began to feel disappointed in Xia Luo.

……

……

Aunt Qiong's side was in an uproar.

The secretary rushed into the office, her face pale. "Aunt Qiong, the newspapers are criticizing you, saying you've been scammed. The TV stations have reported it too, it's all over the place."

Aunt Qiong took the newspaper, read it once, put it down, and read it again.

Her face looked terrible, but she didn't get angry.

He remained silent for a long time before saying, "I understand."

The secretary asked cautiously, "Should we issue a statement to clarify? Say that the master isn't a fraud, and that you personally invited him."

Aunt Qiong shook her head. "Issuing a statement now would only make things worse. If people ask you why he's not a fraud, what are you going to say? That he can exorcise ghosts? That even the White Dragon King submits to him? If people say that, they'll just criticize me even more."

"What should we do? Just let them curse us?"

"Let's wait until things calm down." Aunt Qiong leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "These things get more complicated the more you explain them. They'll just disperse on their own once they've had their fill of this."

After the secretary left, Aunt Qiong picked up the phone, intending to call Su Ning, but then put it down.

What should you say on the phone at this point? An apology? An explanation?
She did nothing wrong; it was she who leaked the information outside.

I shouldn't have said those things to Sister Na; it was obvious that Sister Na had leaked the information.

Then Aunt Qiong dialed Sister Na's number, "Na, did you tell Xia Luo?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Aunt Qiong, I'm sorry, I had too much to drink and accidentally told Xia Luo."

"..." Aunt Qiong didn't reply. Sister Na continued, "I really didn't expect him to spread it. He's not usually like this."

Aunt Qiong sighed, "Alright, I understand."

Then she hung up the phone and sat there thinking for a long time.

Why did Charlotte do this? It wasn't for the money, it was for the person.

Charlotte and Suning were high school classmates, and even in the same class.

There's something going on here, but Aunt Qiong can't figure out what it is.

Aunt Qiong only knows now that this matter is troublesome.

……

Sister Na wasn't having an easy time either. After hanging up with Aunt Qiong, she called Su Ning again, "Su Ning, did you see what happened in the newspaper?"

"I saw it." Su Ning's voice remained calm.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said those things to Charlotte. I had too much to drink and I couldn't keep my mouth shut."

"fine."

"You...you're not angry?"

What's the point of getting angry?

Na opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Na suddenly realized that this young man was much more mature than she had thought.

After Su Ning hung up Na Jie's call, she continued reading in the library.

At that moment, roommate Liu Wei rushed in, holding up a newspaper and whispering, "Su Ning! Look! Someone's criticizing you on the news!"

Su Ning took it, glanced at it a few times, and then handed it back to him, "That's all?"

Liu Wei got anxious. "That's all? What else do you want? The newspapers say you swindled Qiong Yao out of ten million yuan, that you're a feng shui fraudster, and that you're a disgrace to the Beijing Film Academy! How can you still sit still?"

"These entertainment magazines are all talking nonsense."

Aren't you going to explain?

"How do you explain this? Didn't you see that Aunt Qiong has remained silent?"

"..."

Suning didn't say anything more, but instead stood up and walked out.

Liu Wei chased after him, shouting, "Where are you going?"

"go home."

……

Inside the courtyard, Yan Ruyu and Ma Dongmei also saw the news.

Holding the newspaper, Ma Dongmei paced anxiously. "What should we do? This is terrible for Suning's reputation! Chenchen, you have to think of something!"

Yan Ruyu sat there, looking at the news on her phone, her expression also unpleasant.

But she didn't panic at all; she just sat there quietly.

Ma Dongmei then said, "Why don't we go find that reporter and explain things to him? Su Ning isn't a liar at all; Aunt Qiong came to us herself!"

"Explain what?" Yan Ruyu looked up at Ma Dongmei. "Say that Su Ning can exorcise ghosts? Say that Qiong Yao is possessed by a ghost? Say that even the White Dragon King said Su Ning is a master? If these words get out, people will say we are frauds even more."

Ma Dongmei was stunned. "Then what do we do? Just let them curse us like that?"

"We'll talk about it when Suning comes back."

When Su Ning pushed the door open and came in, Yan Ruyu immediately stood up. "Su Ning, you know?"

"Ah."

What are you planning to do?

"There's nothing we can do."

Yan Ruyu was stunned. "What should we do?"

"Do you think I lied to Aunt Qiong?"

"of course not."

"That's fine then. What others say doesn't matter. Aunt Qiong isn't chasing me for a refund."

Ma Dongmei was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet. "How can it not be important? So many people are criticizing you in the newspapers, aren't you going to explain?"

Su Ning smiled. "What's there to explain? Say I'm not a liar? It'll only make things more complicated. Look at Aunt Qiong, did she say anything? No. Why? Because she knows that explaining these things will only make things worse. It's better to wait until they've had their fill of drama and things fall apart on their own."

Ma Dongmei wanted to say something, but Yan Ruyu stopped her, saying, "Dongmei, listen to Su Ning."

……

The topic is being discussed everywhere on the Beijing Film Academy campus.

In the cafeteria, classrooms, and dormitories, some people spoke up for Su Ning, some joined in the cursing, and some just watched the spectacle.

"I heard that Su Ning, the one who got a perfect score, actually became Aunt Qiong's feng shui master and charged her ten million."

"Really? Isn't he studying directing? How does he know about feng shui?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's a scam. Getting a good score on the college entrance exam doesn't mean you're capable."

"But his girlfriend is Yan Ruyu! The one who played Qing'er. How could Yan Ruyu have bad taste?"

"Who knows? Beautiful women can make mistakes sometimes. They're most likely to fall for these high-IQ con artists."

Liu Wei was furious and got into several arguments with people.

Chen Kai remained calm and advised Liu Wei not to act impulsively, "The more you argue, the more they'll think something's wrong. Just ignore them, and they'll forget about it in a few days."

Liu Wei glared at him, "You'll forget about it in a few days? Didn't you see how awful it was in the newspapers? They called Suning a fraud and a disgrace to Beijing Film Academy!"

Chen Kai patted him on the shoulder, "Suning himself isn't in a hurry, why are you?"

In the days that followed, Yan Ruyu continued to attend classes and rehearsals as usual.

People were whispering behind her back, saying she was the girlfriend of a charlatan, but she pretended not to hear them.

Ma Dongmei was furious and wanted to confront someone, but Yan Ruyu stopped her, saying, "Dongmei, don't make a scene."

"I'm just so angry. What right do they have to talk about you like that?"

"Let them say whatever they want, I don't care."

Ma Dongmei's eyes were red. "But I care."

Yan Ruyu looked at Ma Dongmei and suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

Ma Dongmei is a person who never says nice things, but she remembers everything in her heart.

Aunt Qiong's side is gaining more and more attention.

Reporters camped out at the company entrance, asking questions every day.

The secretary was in a complete mess, but Aunt Qiong remained calm and composed.

He sat in his office, saying nothing and doing nothing.

The agent couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Qiong, are you really not going to explain? Those reporters are writing more and more outrageous things, saying you've been fooled by swindlers, saying you're senile."

Aunt Qiong looked up. "So you also think I'm getting senile?"

The agent quickly shook his head, "That's not what I meant. I meant that if this continues, it won't be good for your reputation."

"Reputation?" Aunt Qiong laughed. "I've been acting for so many years, what storms haven't I seen? This little thing is nothing."

She paused, then continued, "Besides, that young man didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who leaked the information. Now that something's happened, am I supposed to shift the blame to him? Would I even be human?"

The agent dared not say anything more.

Public opinion is still fermenting.

Major newspapers are all following this news, some embellishing it, some making things up, and some simply fabricating stories.

They say Suning has been good at feng shui since childhood; they say he is the successor of a certain master; they say he swindled many people at the Beijing Film Academy.

It gets more and more outrageous as it's written.

Strangely enough, as the criticism continued, the wind began to shift.

Some people noticed that Aunt Qiong didn't say a word from beginning to end, didn't clarify, didn't explain, and didn't call Suning a liar.

Some people noticed that Suning did not show up at all, did not defend itself, did not retaliate, and even refused to be interviewed by reporters.

Some people started to wonder: If Suning really is a fraudster, would Aunt Qiong be so quiet?

With Aunt Qiong's temper, when has she ever suffered in silence?

After all, Aunt Qiong has connections with those gangsters in Taiwan. If she had really been deceived, she would have had someone slash Suning with a knife long ago.

An old journalist wrote a commentary titled "Aunt Qiong's Silence and Suning's Composure".

The article says, "The most interesting part of this whole affair isn't how much money Aunt Qiong spent, or whether Suning is a fraudster. It's the reactions of the two people—one silent, the other calm. Aunt Qiong has been acting for decades; what storms hasn't she weathered? If she were truly scammed, would she have remained completely silent? That student from the Beijing Film Academy, not even twenty years old, was being relentlessly criticized by the national media; anyone else would have been crying and screaming. But he just went to class as usual, went home as usual, acting like nothing had happened. Neither of these reactions seems like those of a fraudster. A fraudster, when cornered, will jump over the wall; these two seem more like spectators watching a show."

After this article was published, more people began to reflect on it.

Some people said, "That's true! Aunt Qiong is such a shrewd person, how could she be fooled by a student?"

Some people said, "Maybe that student is really capable? Otherwise, why would Aunt Qiong trust him so much?"

Some even said, "Forget it, it's their own money, they can spend it however they want, what does it have to do with us?"

Public opinion gradually shifted in that way.

……

Charlotte sat in the recording studio, looking at the comments in the newspaper, her face growing increasingly grim.

He read through each of the insults directed at Suning, and the more he read, the more relieved he felt.

But as I watched, the wind direction suddenly changed.

Some people started speaking up for Suning, some said Qiong Yao's silence was strange, and some said that the student might really be capable.

Zhang Yang sat beside him, carefully observing his expression. "Luo'er, this has blown up. There are all sorts of opinions online now. Some say Su Ning might really know, others say Qiong Yao's silence means she trusts him. If you keep going like this, what if..."

"What if what?" Charlotte glared at him.

Zhang Yang dared not say anything more.

Charlotte slammed the newspaper on the table, stood up, and paced back and forth.

He unconsciously recalled his past life, in which he accomplished nothing, stayed in that old house in Xihong City, and never even held Qiuya's hand.

He would lie in bed fantasizing every day and sing along with his broken guitar, only to be humiliated and beaten by drunkards.

He still has to rely on his wife, Ma Dongmei, to make a living by pedaling a tricycle. He can truly be called the ultimate loser among losers.

In this life, Xia Luo was reborn. He plagiarized so many songs, became famous, became rich, and married Qiu Ya. He thought he was a winner in life.

But what about Suning? They did nothing but pick a date and made ten million.

Now everyone in the country knows about Suning, even though people are criticizing it, it's still famous.

Charlotte suddenly felt that she was still losing in this life.

……

As for Aunt Qiong, there has been no movement.

The reporters waited for several days, but seeing that Aunt Qiong really wouldn't speak, they gradually dispersed.

News in the newspapers has decreased, replaced by other gossip.

Who's dating whom, who's broken up with whom, which celebrity is throwing a tantrum again...

Readers will always have new gossip to enjoy.

And that was the end of that incident.

Suning didn't say a word from beginning to end.

...(End of this chapter)