"Zheng Qing, I was starting to really like her. Such a pity."
"What's there to pity? Knowing she did all those things makes her not a good person. Her actions forced the first wife into a mental institution and soon after, she took over where the first wife left off. This is such a hateful woman. That adulterer is also a bad person. Why can't the two of them just die together?"
"Luckily, the paparazzi are good at what they do. I was just wondering why the sudden disappearance for that period of time even though her career was already on the rise. It turns out that Zheng Qing went on the down-low to give birth to a child when no one was looking. Bah, she was even born a bastard too."
Ming Jing had just arrived at the classroom that morning. It was morning reading time right then but no one was paying attention or doing any reading for that matter. Everyone was busy gossiping amongst themselves.
Ming Jing kept up with her regular schedule and went to bed at nine o'clock right on the dot every night. Therefore, the shocking scandal of a popular actress in the entertainment industry that broke out in the middle of the night never entered her ears.
Tao Xingxing leaned against the desk and greeted in a weak voice, "Good morning, Deskmate."
"Good morning."
Tao Xingxing headed over and studied Ming Jing's face. "You look very refreshed. It appears that you slept very soundly last night."
She was different. Her shallow skin was the color of green and black. In fact, all the students in the class had the same sickly coloring because they had stayed up all night to catch up on the sensational news.
Hu Tian began collecting all the class' homework according to the order of seats. Now it was Ming Jing's turn. As he pursed his lips, he turned to look at Ming Jing. Then, as if he was feeling guilty over something, he quickly turned his head to look away.
Ming Jing placed her homework on the pile that was accumulating in Hu Tian's hands.
As Tao Xingxing was handing in her homework, she teased, "Class Monitor, is your face turning red? Do you not feel well or something?"
Hearing her words, Hu Tian released a loud "Ah!" He appeared a little flustered as he moved on to the next row.
"Damn it, you're out of your league. Dream on!" Tao Xingxing exclaimed.
Ming Jing touched her desk as she frowned slightly.
Several beautifully wrapped envelopes were in her hands. Drawn all over them were exaggerated pictures of love…
"Deskmate, you're famous now. As a completely sought-after beauty, you have everything from body, face, and good grades. You're so much better than that Zhu Xiangxiang. I'll be sure to create momentum for you. There's nothing stopping you from becoming the next school belle."
"It's just that your hair is a little strange. It affects your looks too much." Tao Xingxing took a step back to get a better look at her and said, "If you change how you style your hair, you should be very stunning. How could you stubbornly sport the same hairstyle every day? No, right away after school, I will take you to a hair salon for a makeover."
Ming Jing ignored her words and took out an English book to begin studying.
Right then, the girl sitting in front of them said in an angry voice, "Zheng Qing is such a bitch. She was so shameful as to get Qu Feitai involved in her mess. Qu Feitai's variety show debut was ruined because of her. I'm so angry about this."
Tao Xingxing patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "I've been yelling at her all night long. Qu Feitai had never participated in any variety shows before. This was his chance. Because of what's going on with Zheng Qing, even the variety show that was going to be aired was canceled. All of us fans are very bitter. But, I won't scold Zheng Qing. If I drag her down with me, I will be as big a loser as her."
Having said that, she took out her phone and began texting while muttering curses to herself.
After she was done with her curses, Tao Xingxing took out a photo and stabbed the picture with a small knife. She continued to curse as she stabbed.
Ming Jing just happened to glance over and see the person in the photograph. Upon seeing the photo, her pupils started constricting.
It was like a stone had been thrown into what was once a peaceful lake, causing ripples in the water before returning back to its calm state.
And under such a peaceful front, who knew what kind of undercurrent was actually surging underneath.
Tao Xingxing took note that Ming Jing was staring at the photo and she became interested. As she smiled, she said, "You actually know who she is?"
Ming Jing shook her head back and forth.
"Such an immortal like you who doesn't reside in the mortal world like the rest of us would definitely not recognize any of these celebrities in the entertainment world. However, you don't even know about such a popular actress like Zheng Qing? Which mountain did you roll out of?"
"Come on, let me give you the details. Who is this ugly woman? This woman is called Zheng Qing. She just turned thirty-four years old this year. She is a well-known actress in the entertainment industry. Of course, that all changed last night. Last night, her scandal was exposed for all to see. Now, she is like a rat everyone wants to beat up."
"Though this woman may look beautiful to the eye, underneath it all she has done a lot of bad things including giving birth to an illegitimate child behind everyone's back. She even caused the first wife to be sent to a mental hospital. After the first wife was taken away, she took over the first wife's position and everything that woman once had. Such shamelessness has never been seen before. Tsk, tsk…"
Ming Jing was startled as she studied the woman in the photo.
The beautiful young woman's smile on her face was bright and pure. It seemed that every move she would make would end up being soul-stirring.
Soon, this face became one with her memories.
Twelves years had come and gone, and nothing was the same.
But she was still as gorgeous as ever.
…
Jiang Chunlan said in an angry voice, "Who leaked this? If we don't beat them ahead of their game, all our previous efforts will be a waste."
Jiang Hui's expression was ugly as he said, "It's all my fault. I await your punishment, Madam."
"What's the point of punishing you? Zhao Kang is now an abandoned child. Everything he has been working so hard towards is thrown to the wayside."
Jiang Chunlan said in a calm voice, "Let Nighthawk know about this. Let's move forward with this."
Jiang Chunlan sat in the living room, waiting all night long when Jiang Hui finally sent her a message. "Zhao Kang committed suicide. The item…"
"… is now gone."
Jiang Chunlan sneered outright. "He actually killed himself?"
"Where did Zheng Qing go?"
There was no need to say anymore. Jiang Chunlan could already guess it. "I underestimated this Zheng Qing. She is no ordinary person. Without knowing it, Nighthawk only needed to do a little digging to find her."
This was proving to be a tumultuous night.
…
In the western suburbs of the capital.
A car was driving alone on the dark road at night. It passed through the main road and turned into a desolate path. After traveling for ten miles, it drove through the forest. An abandoned factory was its final destination.
A woman dressed from head to toe in black and wearing a black mask to disguise her features got out of the car. The woman appeared very cautious. She first looked around her to make sure that it was safe, then touched her back with one hand before gradually making her way to the factory.
With a creak, the dilapidated iron gate of the factory slowly opened. As the moonlight shined down, a tall figure came into view.
It was like a lone wolf who apart from its shadow walked by itself in the darkness of the night.
"I see that you're late." An old and cold voice was heard in the empty factory, as if it came straight from hell, making people quiver in fright.
The woman snorted loudly. "I was being tailed. I had to spend some time to shake them off."
"I brought you what you wanted. You should hold up your end of the bargain and release me at once."
"I never thought this was a negotiation." She thought she could hear a disdainful sneer coming from the man.
The woman said in an angry voice, "A person must keep honest. I've been working hard for the past twelve years, waiting for this day. Are you going to keep your word now?"
"Honesty?" The man's laugh was so noisy that it echoed in the empty and cold factory, making people's scalps go numb and their blood run cold.
"I knew it. You were just bullshitting me. Otherwise, back then…" All of a sudden, her face visibly paled and she stood rooted on the spot, frozen.
She had just caught sight of a red light targeting the center of her brows.
