In the hotel, Luo Ning slowly opened her eyes and raised her hand to rub her swollen, aching head.
The surroundings were both unfamiliar and familiar.
She propped herself up to stand, the floor strewn with empty bottles.
Seeing the table full of dishes in front of her, with a cake in the middle, she finally remembered why this scene felt familiar. Indeed, she had come back.
Luo Ning's gaze lingered on the candle with the number "1" on the cake, a memory from long ago yet echoing clearly in her mind.
She remembered this was for the one-year anniversary with Ji Xinghang. She had used the hotel kitchen to make the cake by hand, along with a table full of dishes. Unfortunately, the other person had been absent.
Then she turned and quickly walked to the bathroom, staring intently at the person in the mirror.
The reflection showed her youthful and beautiful. Not only had she come back, but she had returned to a time where everything could be salvaged.
Suddenly, a ringtone sounded. Luo Ning went to pick up the phone, the incoming caller ID showing "Brother Yan," and her eyes cooled.
After answering, the other party spoke first, "Xiao Luo, have you seen today's trending searches?"
Luo Ning had only just come back and hadn't seen the trending searches, but how could she forget that memorable incident?
She remained silent for a moment before saying, "I saw it."
Yan Qiuping deliberately said, "Last night, Bo Xiangxiang encountered a bit of an accident and ended up at the police station. Xinghang is in the same drama cast, and knowing about it, he couldn't ignore it and went to help. This is why he couldn't make it to dinner with you on time."
Luo Ning let out a scoff, her tone laden with sarcasm, "So, you've come to explain Ji Xinghang's absence last night? There's no need, after all, it wasn't the first or second time he's stood me up."
Yan Qiuping choked on his words, not expecting Luo Ning to be so sharp today. Suppressing his displeasure, he said, "It was a sudden incident; he didn't do it on purpose."
"I have something I want to discuss with you." He decided to cut to the chase.
Luo Ning asked, "What is it?"
"Last night, Xinghang visited the police station to pick someone up, and the paparazzi took photos, but Bo Xiangxiang's face wasn't captured. Now everyone is guessing who it was, so I want you to take the initiative and admit that the person in the trending photos is you," Yan Qiuping said as if it was the most natural thing.
Luo Ning asked coldly, "Why should I admit to something she got photographed for?"
"Obviously because Xinghang is worried that if she is exposed, people will start speculating about their scandal. After all, you are his girlfriend."
Yan Qiuping continued, "Even though your relationship isn't public, you and he are both stars under my management. If you got into trouble and went to the police station, it would make sense for Xinghang to come help you."
He knew how much Luo Ning cared about Ji Xinghang and thus knew exactly what to say to make her agree without hesitation; she would certainly not be happy with her boyfriend being linked romantically with another woman.
"So, you push me out front, and when the scandal of having been in the police station falls on me, Ji Xinghang's fans will curse me. You're really turning all the firepower onto me; you sure are considerate towards Bo Xiangxiang," Luo Ning's voice grew even colder.
At that time, Bo Xiangxiang was a mere third-tier celebrity, while Ji Xinghang was a top-tier star with a massive following of fans who adored him as their boyfriend or husband. Exposure would undoubtedly lead to a savage tearing apart, influencing her future career for sure.
It had been the same in her previous life. Yan Qiuping had made this call to her, and because Ji Xinghang was her boyfriend and she didn't want him to be associated with Bo Xiangxiang in a scandal, she took the initiative to post on social media that the woman in the photo was herself.
That very day, she ended up trending with Ji Xinghang's fans cursing her, telling her to stop dragging their beloved down. They slurred her character, accused her of attention-seeking, and her having been to the police station became a blemish.
Consequently, when she participated in that reality show, from the very first episode, she faced orchestrated backlash and boycott, which significantly affected her mood and performance.
And indeed, this matter would be deliberately exposed in the future, revealing the true female lead in the photos. She would become the manipulative woman who shamelessly clung to Ji Xinghang's fame, and it would be the fuse that led to her being universally despised online.
Yan Qiuping's face showed a look of surprise, as he clearly did not expect Luo Ning to say such a thing.
He frowned, "Luo Ning, I know you're not happy about last night's incident, but I arranged it for the benefit of both Xinghang and you."
"I won't acknowledge it. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up," Luo Ning said coldly.
She had returned, and naturally, she wouldn't show any face to those who had betrayed her.
Yan Qiuping was Ji Xinghang's agent. When she entered the entertainment circle and signed with the same company, he became her agent as well.
It was just unfortunate that this guy was now interested in Bo Xiangxiang. They had already become involved in secret, and that woman would soon transfer over. Consequently, Luo Ning was the one being abandoned.
Luo Ning closed her eyes and then reopened them, suppressing the surging emotions. She vowed to repay all the mistreatment she received from these people twofold.
Yan Qiuping was hearing Luo Ning reject his arrangement for the first time, his brow furrowing even deeper, "This is Xinghang's wish, are you sure you want to decline?"
Luo Ning asked with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Is this really Ji Xinghang's wish, and not yours and Bo Xiangxiang's?"
She knew this was something Yan Qiuping and Bo Xiangxiang had discussed, and after she agreed to it, Ji Xinghang hadn't objected either.
It was after her death that she learned of this through the content in that book.
In her previous life, after her death, her soul unexpectedly entered a System Space and found out that in a novel, she was just a supporting character meant to be trampled underfoot for the female lead to ascend, by sucking away her luck. And Bo Xiangxiang was the novel's protagonist.
She was filled with resentment then, and a system appeared, telling her that she could exchange for a reward to return to the original world if she earned enough points by fulfilling the wishes of the supporting characters in various "Little Worlds."
Furthermore, the Power of the World that had bound her in the book would completely disappear, resulting in the formation of a real world.
So, she agreed and traversed different Little Worlds to complete tasks. Today, she finally accumulated enough points to redeem the reward. After severing ties with the system, she was sent back here.
She now realized that the force that once bound her every moment, even driving her to unwilling actions, had truly vanished. She felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
Yan Qiuping's heart skipped a beat. Why would Luo Ning counter-question him like this? Could she have learned something?
"I am the agent for both you and Xinghang. I only wish to minimize the impact of the trending search. What does this have to do with Bo Xiangxiang? Don't take out your anger over last night's incident on others."
He deliberately added as if to explain, "There is really nothing between Xinghang and Bo Xiang. Don't misunderstand."
"I'm considering the future exposure of the relationship between Xinghang and you, which is why I made this decision. After all, this matter can serve as a foundation to promote and bind your names together for publicity. What do you think?" he persuaded.
Luo Ning decisively refused, "I don't agree, and there will be no such exposure of a relationship in the future. Let's leave it at that."
Having debuted for a year and rising to fame with a web series and good looks, her popularity was currently higher than Bo Xiangxiang's. But gaining publicity by being linked with a top celebrity would only result in being hated more by Ji Xinghang's fans and the general public. She wouldn't make the same emotional mistakes again.
After saying her piece, she hung up the phone, too lazy to waste more words with him.
Opening a web page, she indeed saw the top trending search, "Top celebrity spotted at night with a mysterious woman."
Clicking on it, there were two photos inside. Ji Xinghang was captured from the front and side. The woman beside him had her head lowered, wearing a duck-bill cap and a mask, her face indiscernible.
According to the plot in the book, this was all orchestrated by Bo Xiang.
Firstly, it was to ruin Ji Xinghang's rush over last night to celebrate their anniversary, creating a greater misunderstanding between them; secondly, it was to smear her, to gradually pull her down from her pedestal.