Chapter 53: Trending Once Again

“Qu Wu Yan is the mistress, and Fan Chi is a scoundrel—there’s no denying that. But, Youyou, forgive me for saying this, all these grudges belong to the previous generation. Why do you cling to them?” Richard said. “After all, Fan Chi is your father. Surely he still has some affection for you.”

“You think too much. Not every father loves their child,” Lian Youyou replied, gazing absentmindedly at a scene by the roadside, where a father carried his child on his back.

Once, she had harbored some hope for Fan Chi, believing that, however he behaved, he was still her father and wouldn’t go too far. Yet her daughter’s diary and the stories her parents told her about Fan Chi made her see his nature more clearly than ever.

Back when she gave birth, Fan Chi, along with his father Fan Daxiang and mother Ma Shoujuan, discovered the baby was a girl and promptly handed the child over to her parents, never paying a single penny for her upbringing.

Those who raised her were her parents. Those who raised her daughter were also her parents...

The car rolled into the village where Lian Youyou’s parents lived. On the narrow village roads, the shade kept patches of snow from melting; a thin layer of ice covered the ground. Richard, wearing leather shoes, nearly slipped as soon as he got out of the car.

“Careful, don’t throw your back out!” Lian Youyou caught Richard just in time, preventing an unfortunate encounter with the earth.

Steadying himself, Richard took in the half-aged tile-roofed house before them, and after a long silence, he finally spoke, “You grew up here?”

The daughter of a legendary actress, raised in a village—it was difficult to believe.

“What’s wrong with this place?” Lian Youyou replied calmly. “My mother grew up here too. Didn’t you also grow up in the countryside?”

“My childhood was different from your mother’s! You can’t compare.” Richard was puzzled. “I remember your mother bought an apartment for your grandparents in the city. They moved in at the time. Even if she hadn’t, she must have left them a considerable inheritance, right?”

Lian Youyou forced a bitter smile. “Now you understand why I hate Fan Chi’s family so much?”

Richard’s eyes widened with a bold guess. “Could it be that Fan Chi... pocketed Mengmeng’s inheritance? Damn it, if that old bastard really did something like that, I’ll skin him alive!”

Lian Youyou understood Richard’s fury completely.

From her debut to winning the Arthur Award for Best Actress, Richard had accompanied her every step, sharing hardships and winding roads. He was her comrade in both honor and disgrace, her dearest friend through thick and thin.

“Don’t say anything without evidence. Be careful—there might be paparazzi lurking,” Lian Youyou cautioned.

She walked up and knocked the heavy iron ring on the gate.

Clang—clang—clang—

Perhaps sensing a stranger’s scent, the watchdog in the courtyard began barking before Richard had even taken a few steps.

Soon, Shi Xuezhen hurried over to open the door, calling out as she approached, “Who’s there?”

Rubbing her frozen hands, Lian Youyou replied, “Grandma, it’s me!”

“You’re home—why’s our dog barking? You’re not a stranger,” Shi Xuezhen said, puzzled, as she opened the gate.

Before Lian Youyou could speak, Richard exclaimed with delight, “Auntie, it’s been so long!”

Back when he was Lian Meng’s agent, Richard often accompanied her to family meals.

“It’s Xiao Li!” Shi Xuezhen was equally surprised, “Xiao Li, how many years has it been since you ate at Auntie’s house? You haven’t changed a bit—all these years, you still look so young. Auntie’s gotten old.”

Richard, thrilled, gripped Shi Xuezhen’s hand, as if at a grand reunion. “Auntie, you haven’t aged at all—you’ll always be the great beauty in my heart...”

“Let’s handle business first, then chat,” Lian Youyou reminded. “I didn’t bring you here just to eat for free.”

“Oh, right!” Richard turned back to the car, opened the trunk, and hoisted a camera onto his shoulder.

Shi Xuezhen was bewildered, “What are you two doing?”

“Auntie, could you and Uncle help me out? We need to film a few videos,” Richard said, crouching and filming as he slowly walked through the courtyard.

Shooting scenes at home was her first step toward clearing her name.

Since it was just a short video, filming didn’t take long.

While Richard reviewed the footage, Lian Youyou’s father, Lian Changsheng, beckoned her over, “Youyou, come here. Grandpa wants to talk to you.”

He looked quite serious.

“Grandpa, what is it?” Lian Youyou followed him to another room, standing upright at the doorway.

“I saw your news online,” Lian Changsheng, wearing reading glasses, flipped through the new smartphone Lian Youyou had bought him. “You’re here filming today to clarify those rumors about you, right?”

She hadn’t expected her elderly father to master a smartphone so quickly, keeping up with the times. She always thought her parents knew nothing about showbiz gossip.

“Youyou, listen to Grandpa. Don’t go acting or filming commercials anymore.” Lian Changsheng set down his phone, sighing deeply. “You know, your mother met Fan Chi because she became an actress. The entertainment industry is too chaotic. Listen to Grandpa—find a stable job in a proper workplace.”

“Grandpa, Fan Chi is shameless, but that isn’t my mother’s fault for being an actress,” Lian Youyou explained. “Men like Fan Chi exist everywhere.”

“Youyou, just listen to Grandpa!” Shi Xuezhen came out of the kitchen, her voice choked with emotion. “Your Grandpa and I have already lost one daughter. We can’t bear for anything to happen to you. The entertainment world isn’t somewhere we can stand firm. If you end up like your mother, how could Grandpa and Grandma go on...”

Clearly, her mother’s death had left deep scars on her parents’ hearts.

“Grandma, don’t be upset. I promise you—I’ll protect myself!” Lian Youyou gently wiped away her mother’s tears.

Shi Xuezhen was still hesitant. “But Youyou, Grandpa and I still think...”

“Grandma, Grandpa—because of my mother, I have to go into showbiz! I must seek justice for her, ensure that the guilty don’t escape punishment!”

Resolve radiated from Lian Youyou’s eyes; her presence was unwavering.

...

The next day, Lian Youyou trended again.

Top trending: Lian Youyou’s residence exposed.
Second: Binhai University speaks out.
Third: Lian Meng’s will remains a mystery.

The video Lian Youyou filmed during the day was published by Xin Cheng Entertainment’s official Weibo, gaining even more influence.

In the video, the humble house hardly resembled a wealthy home for someone who could fund a film production. The camera slowly moved into the courtyard, where her grandparents, two elders with snow-white hair, wore worn cotton coats—one chopping wood with thin gloves, the other scrubbing clothes on a washboard, a rusty kettle at their feet.

Grandma Shi Xuezhen poured water from the kettle into an old metal basin, billowing steam rising—evidence of winter’s harshness.

Then came an interview by Richard with her grandparents.

“Uncle, did you and Auntie raise Youyou from childhood?”

“Yes, Fan Chi didn’t want her, said she was just a girl. My wife and I are old, but we couldn’t leave a child on the street. Besides, she’s the only memory Mengmeng left with us.”

“Auntie, how was Youyou’s child support handled?”

“How else? The Fan family never acknowledged her as a daughter! Never gave a penny! They even took all the money Mengmeng earned. Poor Youyou, orphaned, Grandpa’s meager earnings barely kept the household afloat. But Youyou is so filial—she never complained about wearing her cousin’s old clothes, never asked for expensive snacks.”

To add drama, Richard added a sorrowful background score.

The video had fifty thousand likes, and hardly a single negative comment about Lian Youyou. All were sympathy for her and her grandparents, and hatred for Fan Chi.

“Heart aches for Grandpa and Grandma—white-haired elders burying their daughter, raising Youyou with hardship. Fan Chi is inhuman!”

“Anyone claiming this is staged, try it yourself! As a fan of Lian Meng, I can tell you this is the house where she grew up. Don’t talk about how much money she earned—her will is still a mystery!”

“Fan Chi, hand over Lian Meng’s inheritance! Thousands demand justice for Grandpa, Grandma, and Youyou!”

Xin Cheng Entertainment’s top Weibo post was now a statement: “Recently, regarding the excessive and defamatory comments about our artist Lian Youyou circulating online, our company will pursue legal action against the rumor-mongers, using the law to protect Lian Youyou and Xin Cheng Entertainment’s rights.”

Not only Xin Cheng Entertainment and Lian Youyou, but even Binhai University’s official account was active, posting all of Lian Youyou’s academic transcripts and poverty subsidy applications. “Regarding online claims that our student, Lian Youyou, entered productions with financial backing or was kept as a mistress—these are unfounded. Lian Youyou is an outstanding student, diligent and hardworking. The difficulties of her family are well known to the school leadership. Please stop spreading rumors about her!”