Chapter 57: Merely a Victim

"I swear, I never even considered taking revenge on you!" Lian Youyou pressed her index and middle fingers together and raised them above her head. "I only want to get back at Fan Chi!"

"So, you came to see me today because you want me to help you get revenge again?"

"Yes." Lian Youyou answered without a hint of disguise. "I know, Qing’er, that you are kind by nature. We should join forces to make Fan Chi pay for what he's done, so no more innocent girls fall victim to him!"

Quan Qing’er fixed her gaze on Lian Youyou. Her eyes, sunken from weight loss, brimmed with irony, disbelief, and exhaustion.

"Why are you still using me? Lian Youyou, let me tell you, I’m not the only one Fan Chi’s been with. Go find someone else—stop ruining my life. I don't want to be a pawn for any of you anymore!"

Quan Qing’er strode to the door and flung it open. "Please leave!"

Her voice was not loud, but it carried a tightly suppressed fury.

Lian Youyou raised an eyebrow, her gaze so calm it betrayed no emotion. Quan Qing’er’s reaction was exactly as she’d expected.

"Qing’er, you lost your child, your job, your lover—I know how much it hurts. I also know you’re terrified of Fan Chi and Qu Wuyan taking revenge again, so you’ve chosen to endure and hide," Lian Youyou said, walking over and gently closing the door. "But do you know what my mother, Lian Meng, lost?"

"I don’t know, and I don’t care."

Whether it was illness or frailty, Quan Qing’er’s lips were so pale they seemed to blend into her ashen skin.

But Lian Youyou paid her words no mind.

"My mother lost her life!" Lian Youyou finally laid her cards on the table.

The words were barely out when she regretted them. She didn’t even know Quan Qing’er that well, and yet she’d revealed her biggest secret… one she hadn’t even told Lu Ming, Qiao Jing, or Richard.

"Who told you that!"

Quan Qing’er’s eyes widened in shock, her look of enmity replaced by terror as she stared at Lian Youyou.

Who was this petite, seemingly delicate woman, who nevertheless exuded a powerful, almost innate aura? Was she really the same Lian Youyou she’d once known?

"Who told you your mother died because of Fan Chi?" Quan Qing’er demanded. "Your mother died when you were just born. Who told you it was because of Fan Chi?"

"I just know." Lian Youyou’s lips curled in a smile, its meaning unreadable. "Because I witnessed the entire thing."

Leaving Quan Qing’er frozen in shock, Lian Youyou returned to the sofa, crossed her legs, took up the cigarette she had snuffed out earlier, and lit it.

She’d never been a smoker, nor had she ever developed the habit. She had learned to smoke years ago only for the TV series "For Your Sake."

Wreathed in smoke, Lian Youyou lowered her gaze and breathed steadily, her elegant and poised manner of smoking exuding a detached coldness, as if nothing in the world could touch her. For a moment, in the haze, Quan Qing’er seemed to see the once-famous screen queen, Lian Meng, from television.

"You…" Quan Qing’er’s lips trembled. "Who are you, really…?"

Lian Youyou flicked her ash, her gaze languid. "Just another victim ruined by Fan Chi. So, what do you say? Will you work with me—think about it?"

"No, no. I can’t agree to that so quickly…" Quan Qing’er waved her hands, collapsing onto the sofa in defeat.

She couldn’t keep letting herself be swayed by a few words from Lian Youyou. Yet every time she closed her eyes, she saw Qu Wuyan leading people to beat her, the horror of losing her child replaying over and over.

Could she really let the one who cost her her child walk free? But she was just a mistress… a mistress beaten so badly by the wife that she lost her baby. To outsiders, it was as if Qu Wuyan was blameless, and everything had been her fault.

"Don’t let yourself feel guilty toward Qu Wuyan," Lian Youyou saw straight through her. "Qu Wuyan herself was a mistress. When she destroyed Lian Meng, you were still playing in the mud with other children. If you knew the things Qu Wuyan has done, your whole worldview would collapse."

But wasn’t Lian Youyou not even born then? How did she speak as if she knew everything?

"Okay, take your time to think it over." Lian Youyou slung her Gucci bag crossbody. "I’ll be heading back for now. One last reminder: Don’t think that by putting up with it, the wicked will ever let you go."

Quan Qing’er looked up. "What do you mean by that?"

But Lian Youyou acted as if she hadn’t heard, leaving without a backward glance.

…

News about Fan Chi and her previous will had vanished from the headlines after just two or three days, as if they’d sunk into the sea. Fan Chi’s PR team had not only removed the trending topics but also pushed unrelated gossip about other celebrities and online personalities to the top of the search lists.

Aside from celebrity scandals, another trending topic was news of Qiao Jing allegedly defaulting on 1.5 million yuan in credit card debt to a certain bank.

In reality, Qiao Jing had only lent the card to a relative, and with year-end busyness at her company, she’d simply forgotten to pay. But somehow the story broke, and it was blown out of proportion.

"Qiao Group’s heiress can’t even pay 1.5 million now? Looks like the Qiao Group is really doomed."

"It’s just over a million—Qiao Jing could pay that off by selling a car. One Ferrari and the debt’s gone."

"Don’t think the Qiao Group only owes 1.5 million in credit card debt. Does anyone here actually know how much debt a company carries?"

"With all this fuss over someone else’s 1.5 million, how many of you have paid off your own credit cards?"

Although Qiao Jing and the Qiao Group clarified the issue as quickly as possible, netizens refused to believe it. The wave of criticism only grew louder.

As a result, the Qiao Group’s stock price plummeted, hitting the limit for several consecutive days.

And the greatest beneficiary of the scandal was none other than Fan Chi, who, on the surface, had nothing to do with the Qiao Group.

With public attention diverted, the masses quickly forgot about Fan Chi. His New Year’s film, which he directed, was still set to premiere as scheduled during the Spring Festival.

Lian Youyou knew all too well that this was most likely Fan Chi’s revenge on her—a warning to others as well.

As the year drew to a close, Lian Youyou’s scenes were nearly finished. With the director’s final "Cut!" her first screen appearance in this new era was brought to a perfect close.

"Great job, Youyou!" Director Li took a bouquet from the producer and presented it to Lian Youyou with due formality. "Thank you for your dedication to this drama. I look forward to working with you again!"

"Thank you, Director Li. Thank you, everyone." Lian Youyou bowed to the crew. "Thank you to all the seniors for your patient guidance—I will always be grateful!"

Fu Yuanye, looking reluctant to part, pouted. "Sister, once you leave, I’ll have no one left in the crew who speaks my language."

"If you’re bored, I wouldn’t mind if you jumped ship to join us at New Star," Richard, standing beside Lian Youyou, never missed a chance to poach talent.

"You’d better discuss that with President Guo." Fu Yuanye shrugged.

President Guo was the head of Fu Yuanye’s agency, Yuejia Entertainment.

Director Li patted Lian Youyou’s shoulder. "Youyou, you have a bright future ahead. I believe I’ll see you on the awards stage before long!"

After bidding everyone a brief farewell, Richard and Coco helped Lian Youyou pack her things at the hotel, lugging bags to the parking lot.

"Actresses are such trouble—every time, they have way more luggage than the actors," Richard grumbled, carrying bags on his shoulders and in his hands.

"Then I’ll be your agent, and you can handle the filming and the busy schedule."

Though Lian Youyou looked delicate and frail, she was carrying twice as much as Richard.

"Youyou, you mentioned last time you were going to win over Quan Qing’er. How come there’s been no word for so long?" Richard asked casually.

"It’s only a matter of time. Don’t worry—Quan Qing’er will definitely agree to work with me!" Lian Youyou replied confidently.

Where did that confidence come from?

…

That night, Quan Qing’er had just stepped out of the bathroom and was sitting at her vanity, applying skincare when noises drifted up from downstairs, disturbing her.

Could it be a burglar?

She took several deep breaths to calm her fear, gripped her phone tightly, and tiptoed to the stairs.

"Honey, I never realized you had so many properties. Just how rich are you?"

"You should be more surprised that your boyfriend from ‘Wulin Chronicles’ is actually the famous director Fan Chi. With all these properties, that’s hardly surprising anymore."

"Alright, darlings, you two stay here a few days. Tomorrow, I’ll bring my stretch Lincoln and take you out for a real spin, okay?"

Quan Qing’er watched as Fan Chi, arms around two women, strolled through the living room. Her face went paler by the second.

"But honey, didn’t you say no one lived in this villa? Why are the lights on in the living room?" The woman on his left, scantily clad with a mane of big curls, seemed to retain some common sense—she hadn’t been completely blinded by love and money. "And this place is a mess. Didn’t you hire a housekeeper?"

"Yeah, what’s going on?" The woman on his right was dressed even more provocatively, her features decent enough, though her lips were distractingly large and painted a vivid red, giving her an aggressively sultry look.

The three glanced around, and finally all their eyes fell on the figure at the top of the stairs—Quan Qing’er.

The second-floor hallway was dark. Quan Qing’er’s freshly washed black hair fell over her shoulders, the white nightgown she wore almost glowing. In the dim shadows, she looked chillingly ghostly.