Wen Tingli felt a chill shoot from her feet straight to her heart.

【Another lie exposed—Miss Wen Tingli once claimed in an interview that her parents were small business owners who ran a Western tailor shop in Ping’an Li. But according to insiders, Wen’s mother was once the top courtesan at the Red Powder Flower House in Nanjing, known by the working name A’Rou. After being exposed for swindling money from two sides, she was forced to flee to Shanghai to make a living. With a mother like this, no wonder Miss Wen… let us guess how many more lies remain hidden in Miss Wen’s mouth?】

The entire article was a naked attack, the wording extremely vicious, accompanied by an old photo of her mother—likely taken right after she was sold into the brothel. In the photo, her mother wore an old-style short jacket and a black long skirt, her young face not yet bearing that conspicuous scar.

Wen Tingli clenched her teeth with all her might, yet her body trembled uncontrollably, like chaff being sifted.

With a ripping sound, she tore the newspaper to shreds without a second thought. Even after finishing, her fingers were still trembling.

Chen Maoqing was so vile he wouldn’t even spare her mother.

If she let Chen Maoqing off this time, she wouldn’t deserve to call herself human!

She hadn’t noticed that beneath this article was printed another statement.

【Joint Statement from the Xiude Girls’ Middle School Board of Directors: During Miss Wen Tingli’s time as a student at this school, her performance was outstanding, and there was never any misconduct on her record.】

The Qiao Residence.

Mrs. Qiao laughed sharply at the newspaper, and while laughing, said to Meng Qiguang beside her, “Qiguang, you insisted I get the school to issue a statement for Wen Tingli, but what good did that do? Even Mrs. Wen’s background has been dug up now—I think Wen Tingli is finished this time.”

Meng Qiguang’s face was expressionless. “Have you said enough?”

Mrs. Qiao hastily fell silent, but before long, she started up again, looking delighted. “This time it’s not our Qiao family framing her—she brought this calamity on herself. There’s a saying: if you don’t want others to know, don’t do it in the first place. So-called ‘younger sister,’ turns out to be her own bastard child after all. No wonder she was so skilled at dealing with Xingchu back then—such a young age, yet so much experience. Xingchu was never a match for her.”

Just as she was getting into her stride, she was suddenly cowed by the chill in Meng Qiguang’s eyes and dared not say more. The atmosphere in the living room turned stiff and cold for a moment. Coincidentally, Qiao Xingchu came down from upstairs, and Mrs. Qiao instantly seized on him like a lifeline.

“Where’s Liyun?”

Qiao Xingchu’s expression was no better than Meng Qiguang’s. He said hoarsely, “She’s still asleep.”

“Have you seen today’s paper?” Mrs. Qiao suppressed the smile at the corner of her mouth. “Back then you only hated us for separating you and Wen Tingli—now you should understand what kind of person she really is. Lucky you let go of her early, or you might have ended up picking up a cheap father-in-law to boot.”

Meng Qiguang’s expression darkened as he looked at Qiao Xingchu.

Toward Qiao Xingchu’s silence, his eyes were full of contempt and mockery.

Qiao Xingchu’s face couldn’t hold its composure. “Ma, enough!”

“Bothered by how ugly Ma’s words sound? The newspaper says it even uglier.” Mrs. Qiao said coldly. “Don’t tell me you still want to help her out of this mess? Just try it! If Liyun finds out, your grandfather will break your legs for sure.”

But in the end, she closed her mouth and left.

Qiao Xingchu sat down silently across from Meng Qiguang.

Outside, it looked like rain was coming, the air unusually sticky. In this stifling atmosphere, Qiao Xingchu couldn’t help loosening his collar, and said in a low voice, “I heard she’s been seeing Lu Shicheng for a while. Now that something this big has happened to her, hasn’t Lu Shicheng thought about helping her? People’s talk is a fearsome thing—if she doesn’t find a way to deal with this soon, her future… will be ruined.”

Meng Qiguang’s face was clouded with thought; he said nothing.

Just then, Mrs. Qiao came back in, cradling a vase, and picked up her son’s thread. “Who is Lu Shicheng, and what kind of family is the Lu family? How could they be deceived by a woman like that? I’d guess Lu Shicheng can’t shake her off fast enough right now. I’ll say just one thing: if Wen Tingli were truly innocent, she’d have produced that little bastard’s hospital birth record long ago. She’s kept quiet this long—do you really believe she’s innocent?! Just watch, Lu Shicheng definitely won’t help her this time. Who would believe the nonsense of a woman with such a complicated past?”

Kuang Zhilin looked at the newspaper in his hands. It had been a full three days, and Wen Tingli still hadn’t responded publicly.

Though he was extremely wary of Wen Tingli, that was one matter and this was another—this kind of rumor was simply too filthy and vile for a young girl to endure!

While secretly anxious on her behalf, he couldn’t help feeling puzzled: given Wen Tingli’s outstanding personal abilities and her never-give-up character, why hadn’t she struck back after all this time?

Could it be—

Should he tell Young Master Shicheng about this? No, Miss Wen had already become a demon in Young Master Shicheng’s heart—if the two of them kept entangling further, it would only pull Young Master Shicheng in deeper.

In the end, he suppressed the urge to call Guangzhou.

But the next second, the telephone rang. He picked it up and said in astonishment, “Young Master Shicheng?!”

After listening for a few sentences, Kuang Zhilin sighed silently in his heart, and said gently, “Young Master Shicheng, don’t worry. I know the situation is urgent, I’ll go find her right away. Yes, I’ll tell her it was my own idea.”

At this moment, Zhou Sao was at home chanting sutras nonstop.

“Amitabha! May the Bodhisattva surely protect Miss through this crisis.”

Suddenly seeing Wen Tingli come out of her room, she hurried over anxiously. “Miss, take me to find those lawyers. I raised Xiao Taozi with my own hands—I don’t believe my word can’t serve as evidence!”

“It’s no use. They all know you’re kin to us sisters.”

“Are we just going to let them slander us like this?”

“As if I’d allow that!” Wen Tingli sneered coldly. “Don’t worry, I’ve already thought of a plan. I’m going out for a bit.”

Just then, someone rang the doorbell outside. Wen Tingli went to open the door and froze in surprise. “Mr. Kuang!”

The moment Kuang Zhilin entered, he said in a deep voice, “Miss Wen, the situation is urgent, so I won’t beat around the bush. I need you to provide a photo of your late mother while she was alive, as well as her household registration certificate from that time. Leave the rest to me.”

He added, “This is my own idea. Miss Wen and I are friends, after all—when a friend is in trouble, I, Kuang, cannot simply stand by and watch.”

Wen Tingli’s throat tightened, and she abruptly turned her face away.

“Miss…” Zhou Sao looked at a loss.

Wen Tingli only felt a sting at the bridge of her nose. Helping her in secret, yet still insisting on attributing it to being Kuang Zhilin’s own idea.

After forcing herself to calm down for a few seconds, she turned back to face Kuang Zhilin.

“Mr. Kuang.”

Kuang Zhilin seemed to sympathize with Wen Tingli’s loss of composure. “I know Miss Wen has had a very hard time these past few days. It’s a shame that someone so young has run into such a huge storm. Don’t worry, it will all pass. Don’t be anxious—sit down and take your time.”

Wen Tingli shook her head at Kuang Zhilin with unusual firmness. “No, I’ll resolve this matter myself! Thank you very much for your righteous help, Mr. Kuang. I’m about to go out to find a friend. If things go smoothly, the clouds will clear by tomorrow morning. Please go home first—I’ll let you know how things develop the moment I can.”

Kuang Zhilin was startled at first, but was gradually moved by the trace of resolve in Wen Tingli’s eyes.

“Miss Wen has always known how to win through unexpected means—such tenacity and wit, even I, Kuang, admire it!” Kuang Zhilin sighed, filled with mixed emotions. “I too let my concern get the better of me. Alright then, I’ll head home first, and tomorrow morning I’ll wait to hear your good news.”

The moment Wen Tingli walked through the door, Li Chengying and Head Nurse Liu both came out to greet her.

Li Chengying handed Wen Tingli a worn “Cixin Hospital Birth Record Book.”

“Everything’s been arranged according to your plan.”

At the very bottom of the last column, a new line had been added without a trace:

(Mother’s name): Kuang Xiuzhen.

(Newborn’s name): Xiao Taozi.

(Newborn’s gender): Female.

(Time of birth): xx year, xx day, xx hour, xx minute.

The attending physician was Dr. Mao Yulin, head of obstetrics at Cixin Hospital, and the delivery room midwife was Nurse Liu Anna.

Both had signed their names in the signature column, and the medical orders for that day were also complete—in other words, this was a Cixin Hospital delivery room birth record from “four years ago.”

Li Chengying said, “Don’t worry, they’re both our own people.”

Wen Tingli held the delivery record tightly against her chest and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

Head Nurse Liu waved to Wen Tingli from the inner room. “Xiao Wen, come quick, take the call.”

A strange premonition suddenly welled up in Wen Tingli’s heart. She stared blankly at Li Chengying, who nodded encouragingly at her.

Wen Tingli walked to the inner room as if in a trance, took the receiver from Head Nurse Liu, and a familiar voice came through the line: “Xiao Wen, long time no see.”

Wen Tingli instinctively covered her mouth, yet tears had already begun sliding uncontrollably from her eyes.

She spoke, trembling: “Dean Deng.”

Deng Yi laughed kindly. “It’s me.”

Wen Tingli’s nose flared; the moment she opened her mouth, her words were choked back by tears and heat.

Head Nurse Liu patted her shoulder comfortingly and left the room to Wen Tingli alone.

Wen Tingli forced her emotions to settle and asked in a trembling voice, “Have your injuries healed?”

“Very well. Recently I’ve been able to walk a few hundred meters, and my fingers have gotten a bit more nimble,” Dean Deng’s tone was quite optimistic. “I believe it won’t be long before I can return to normal work.”

Wen Tingli listened, holding her breath. It had taken nearly a year of recuperation before he could even walk—one could imagine how dire Dean Deng’s condition had once been.

“I want to thank you for taking the risk last year to help investigate the person who tried to murder me. Chengying also told me that over this past year, you’ve secretly done a great deal to help us.”

“That’s what I should do!” Wen Tingli said incoherently. “I’ve been thinking of you constantly. You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice tonight.”

“To be honest, I heard about the success you’ve had recently, and I was very happy for you too. It’s a pity we still can’t see your films here in northern Shaanxi.”

“You’ll get to see it sooner or later.” Wen Tingli smiled through tears. “I still remember what you said to encourage me to act in Southern Beauty. I couldn’t have gotten where I am today without your guidance back then. I’ll come visit you when I have the chance. This time Cixin Hospital was willing to step forward and help—that’s because you spoke up for me, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Mao Yulin is my student, and Liu Anna is also one of us. They already know the full story and will stand up to testify for you.”

Wen Tingli’s eyes reddened again.

“When dealing with this kind of rumor, the truth matters, of course, but attitude is what matters most. From here on, you don’t need to have any reservations—go ahead and fight back without hesitation. Listen well: it’s not the storm that will defeat you, it’s your conviction. As long as you hold onto your conviction, you’ll grow rapidly through the raging storm.” Dean Deng encouraged her gently.

Wen Tingli nodded fiercely through her tears.

That night, incited by several ill-intentioned “fans,” a group of strangers suddenly rushed to Golden Film Company to cause trouble.

They threw a pile of rotten eggs at the entrance and hung a conspicuous banner on the outside wall.

【Reject morally corrupt actresses appearing on screen—firmly boycott the release of The Graceful Detective.】

Even the Wanguo Theater, which was set to premiere the film, suffered the same fate—the flower baskets at the theater entrance were all knocked over, and Wen Tingli’s movie posters were all torn to shreds.

The news quickly reached Chen Maoqing’s ears.

He was leisurely eating a butter chestnut cake just delivered from Federal Bakery, and asked idly, “Has Liu Menglin’s side pulled any more tricks?”

“What tricks could they possibly pull—these are all disgraceful things Wen Tingli did herself, only now they’ve been dug up. Tsk, who would’ve thought a nineteen-year-old female student would have an illegitimate daughter three and a half years old. This time we really should thank whoever sold us this good news—I’d guess Liu Menglin and Huang Yuanshan’s guts must be green with regret by now. Out of all the choices, they had to pick this kind of goods.”

“Tell A’Cheng to make sure to stir up more fans over the next couple of days to keep causing trouble. The bigger the fuss, the better for us—best if we can force The Graceful Detective off the schedule entirely, so our Foggy River Romance can smoothly follow after Peiling’s A Loyal Heart.”

“Yes.”

Chen Maoqing carefully wiped the powdered sugar from the corner of his mouth with his napkin, humming with pleasure. “You’re still too green at navigating this world. This time I’ll let you taste what it’s like to be trampled into the mud!”

Just as he was smiling, the office door was suddenly flung open. “This is bad, Boss Chen! Look at the Morning Post quickly!”

Chen Maoqing impatiently took the newspaper, and the moment he looked at it, his temple twitched violently, and he leapt up from the sofa.

At the same time, Huang Yuanshan and Liu Menglin were also reading the newspaper in their office. Unlike Chen Maoqing, their faces were beaming with joy.

That morning, three morning papers simultaneously published a statement from Wen Tingli.

In response to the series of rumor-mongering acts by tabloids like the Hujiang Tabloid, Wen Tingli had formally entrusted attorney Liu Yaqiao to file suit.

The statement read: “Wen Xiaotao is indeed the daughter of Mrs. Wen, Ms. Kuang Xiuzhen. This has been personally confirmed by Cixin Hospital’s Chief of Obstetrics, Dr. Mao Yulin, and delivery room midwife Liu Anna.

“Because Dr. Mao Yulin was on business in Nanjing last week, Miss Wen was unable to reach her in time. Director Mao returned to Shanghai yesterday, and out of an innate conscience respecting objective fact, immediately decided to come forward.

“According to Midwife Liu Anna’s recollection: on that day, Mrs. Wen gave birth before reaching the hospital, but the placenta cleanup and subsequent postpartum care were all completed in Cixin Hospital’s delivery room. Every detail of the medical process is recorded in the delivery record from four years ago.

“Both women also stated that, if necessary, the Cixin Hospital delivery room staff are willing to accompany Miss Wen to court against the rumor-mongers.

The article further stated: “Miss Wen’s attitude has been entirely clear from the start—regarding the recent series of slanders against her in the papers, she states she will pursue this to the end.

As for the account in another newspaper regarding her mother Ms. Kuang Xiuzhen’s past, Miss Wen responded sternly: her mother was indeed sold into a brothel in her early years due to her family’s decline, but this was a tragedy caused by the oppression of women in the old era. Following the New Culture Movement, society ought to hold deep sympathy for women of the lower classes. Yet now, someone has turned this tragic experience into a shameful weapon for attack—is this not a serious regression of social civilization?!

Miss Wen also stated: the so-called claim that “Wen’s mother fled to Shanghai after being exposed for swindling money from two sides” is likewise a rumor fabricated by certain people to disparage her character.

Regarding this matter, she will likewise pursue it to the end.

Yesterday evening, she submitted two lawsuits to the French Concession Mixed Court: one for herself, and one for her mother.”

“Well sued!” Liu Menglin clapped his hands in delight. “Cixin Hospital is a renowned charitable hospital—with these doctors coming forward to testify, now it’s Chen Maoqing’s turn to panic!”

Huang Yuanshan didn’t respond to that, only clutching the newspaper excitedly, muttering to himself: “What a line—’someone has turned this tragic experience into a shameful weapon for attack.’ To think she once hesitated over whether to take the role of Naqi. Now, facing this storm, she can respond with such calm and strength. I wasn’t wrong about her—she’s growing, she’s been growing all along!”