Chapter 2 The Reporters’ Arrival

• Qin Yushi stumbled into the lift - to her dismay, the aluminum interior reflected her disheveled state clearly. Blue and purple hickeys spanned across her shoulders and neck - the strapless dress that she was wearing did nothing to hide them.
• Qin Yushi’s expression darkened - if anyone were to catch in such a state, there was no doubt that she would make the headlines!
• Not that she didn’t mind the attention - just that it wouldn’t bring any good to her reputation.
• After all, everyone knows how important and scrutinised a female star’s reputation is - so many big stars have had their precious reputations tarnished all because of a scandal about their private lives. If even such big stars were unspared, who was she, a mere third-rank star, to think that she could escape the vicious public eye?
• The lift reached the third floor.
• Gritting her teeth, Qi Yushi ripped off a portion of her dress from knee down, wrapping it around her shoulders to act as a shawl in order to cover the marks. It looked rather ridiculous due to the inconsistency of the colours - they did not match.
• Ding-
• The lift reached the first floor.
• Qi Yushi lowered her head, some of her hair cascading around her face and quickly shuffling away, hoping that no one would recognise her. She did not realise the reporters gathered outside the hotel door - the moment she stepped out, she heard people murmuring, “Isn’t that Qi Yushi?”
• “It can’t be - even though she’s just a small star, she wouldn’t dress so shabbily, right?”
• “Qi Yushi!” Just then, a charming voice called out, so loud that it echoed throughout the quiet lobby.
• Qi Yushi turned around to be met with a taunting smile etched on an otherwise beautiful and glamorous face - Tao Yuhan.
• “Oh, it’s really Qi Yushi!”
• “And Tao Yuhan!”
• The reporters outside came in immediately, holding up their cameras, snapping away.
• Ignoring the soreness of her body, Qi Yushi creased her eyebrows. “Is there something that I can help you with?” she asked.
• Tao Yuhan twirled her curls as she sneered tauntingly. “Last night, Producer Li expressed interest in you - and here you are the very next day, in a hotel lobby so early in the morning! Did something happen last night?”
• Of course Tao Yuhan knew what happened - after all, she was the one who had called all these reporters. She just pretended not to know so as to embarrass Qi Yushi by rubbing it in her face.
• Qi Yushi returned a cold smile. “I see that you’ve turned up early in the morning in the hotel lobby as well - don’t tell me that something had happened between you and some film producer as well?”
• Tao Yuhan scoffed. “Ziming had too much to drink last night, so I was taking care of him the entire time. Unlike you, Ziming and I are engaged - if I don’t remember wrongly, haven’t you always proclaimed that you are single?”
• Upon hearing Cen Ziming’s name, a flash of dejection flashed across Qi Yushi’s eyes. She bit her lower lip, reminding herself not to take the words of the woman before her seriously.
• That person no longer mattered to her.
• “It’s none of your business.” Qi Yushi curtly stated. Seeing no point in prolonging the conversation, she turned to leave.
• Unwilling to let Qi Yushi go just like that, Tao Yuhan suddenly reached out and ripped the latter’s makeshift shawl off her shoulders.
• “Oops, I’m so sorry Qi Yushi, looks like my hand slipped.” Tao Yuhan pretended to cover her mouth in dismay, when, in fact, she was bursting with satisfaction on the inside.
• The hickeys scattered across her shoulders and neck were completely exposed - they were so blatant and clear that any adult could tell exactly what there were.
• The reporters were seething with excitement!
• “Miss Qi, have you really been with Producer Li last night?”
• “Miss Qi, are you aware of the fact that Producer Li is a married man?”
• “Have you been lying to everyone when you said that you were single?”
• The camera lights flashed so incessantly that Qi Yushi was forced to take a few steps back. The reporters’ voices had long been drowned out as the sequence of events from the night before to the present played out in her head - she felt like vomiting.
• There was only one thought on her mind -
• She was done for.
• Qi Yushi was so stunned that she just stood there, out in the open and exposed, letting the reporters capture her from all angles.
• Just them, a warm presence approached her from the back, covering her shoulders with a Western-style suit that was tinged with cologne.
• “Producer Li who?” The cold voice rang beside her ear. “She’s been with me the entire time last night.”
• Not knowing how to react, Qi Yushi looked behind, only to see a familiar face.
• It’s the man who was wrapped around her this morning!
• “Let go of me!” Qi Yushi trembled as she struggled to break free.
• She’s already in such hot soup - why must he come and add salt to the wound?
• Despite her protests, he did not let go - instead, he held her waist firmly with an iron-like grip, leading her away.
• As he walked, he muttered: “Mr Yan, please help me settle this.”
• Mr Yan bowed his head respectfully before presenting a black and bronze business card before the clamouring reporters.
• “I am the temporary spokesperson for the Zhan Family. You may ask me directly if you have any questions.”
• Upon hearing the name “Zhan Family”, the reporters were all shocked. Slowly, they lowered their cameras and notepads, looking at each other helplessly and incredulously.
• The Zhan Family! The most powerful and richest family in all of China - having been accorded British nobility status, the family commanded tremendous influence over various businesses, especially in this economically prosperous city - the Zhan Family was without doubt the King of City A!
• The reporters instantly stopped taking pictures - it was meaningless for them to carry on.
• After all, the Zhan Family wielded incredible control over the media - in addition to regular company dynamics, other reports and articles could not be published without the Zhan Family’s approval beforehand.
• With taken into consideration, it is without a doubt that any news especially involving the Zhan Family would never bypass the auditing stage. Everyone only knew the heir of the Zhan Family as Zhan Senyu - not even a single photograph of him had been publicly released.
• There was once an incident in which a newspaper company published a side profile photograph of Zhan Senyu - within the same month, the company was bought by the Zhan Family.
• If they wished to keep their lives, not one picture that they had taken today must be released.
• Tao Yuhan, who was standing at one side, was equally stunned.
• Clutching her purse with a death-like grip, fear was written all over her face.
• How did things turn out like this? I thought that I had gotten Qi Yushi for good, such that her whole entertainment career would be destroyed - how did things take such an unexpected turn?
• Of course she had heard of the Zhan Family - they commanded such incredible reputation and prowess that even encountering their spokesperson was frightening, let alone facing the heir - she was completely not qualified to even dare to talk to him.
• How could a person like Qi Yushi be associated with a person like him in the first place?
• The reporters had already begun packing away their things at the dismissal of Mr Yan. Feeling dissatisfied, Tao Yuhan fished out her phone and dialled a number.
• The moment the line connected, Tao Yuhan tutted in a low voice: “Didn’t you say that you had everything settled? How did the Zhan Family come into the picture?!”
• The other party was confused. “M-Miss Tao, I did do things accordingly as planned, I brought Qi Yushi up to Room 3008 once she was drunk, I did! What Zhan Family?”
• Upon hearing his words, Tao Yuhan became so mad that she was about to go crazy. “What Room 3008! It’s Room 308!”
• Last night, she had ordered Yu to spike Qi Yushi’s drink and bring her into Producer Li’s room once she was drunk - only for that idiot to have mixed up the room numbers!
• Yu was shocked - Tao Yuhan no longer wished to hear any further explanations.
• That bitch Qi Yushi actually got together with a member from the Zhan Family!
• “Yuhan, let’s go.”
• A gentle-sounding male voice sounded from the back. Momentarily trembling like a cat who had its tail stepped on, Tao Yuhan then wiped off the maddened expression on her face with an innocent-looking, sweet-tempered smile. “Ziming.”
• Cen Ziming stepped forward to embrace her. “I found the charger, it dropped under the bed. Let’s go.”
• Tao Yuhan smiled and nodded, leaning into his embrace as though she was boneless. They walked out of the hotel together - alas, a flash of hatred glossed over her eyes.
• It’s okay, I won’t fail the next time.