Money 3%

Because the male lead for the drama *Solemn Oath* had yet to be officially announced, rumors about the original actor, Chang Ze, being abandoned by the industry were swirling nonstop.

In just a few days, Chang Ze’s fans had surrounded the Jiang Group building so tightly that not even a drop of water could seep through, determined to fight the power of capital to the bitter end.

Even today, when Jiang Tangmian came to the office for a meeting, her car—a stretched pink Rolls-Royce—was blocked outside the building by the crowd.

As soon as the fans spotted the Jiang family’s heiress, their spirits soared, swarming toward her like zombies, layer upon layer.

“Miss Jiang, this…” The driver was at a loss; with chaos like this, even a pilot couldn’t get them out.

Jiang Tangmian, who had been napping in the back seat, opened her eyes to the commotion but wasn’t startled. Frowning, she made a call.

Within moments, several security teams rushed out of the building, leading dozens of people to form a human wall, forcibly carving a path between the fans and the luxury car.

The sedan pulled up slowly to the red carpet at the entrance. The driver opened the rear door and respectfully extended his hand, waiting for the woman inside.

Today, Jiang Tangmian looked very different from before. She wore a pink hat adorned with a soft white veil, her delicate features half-concealed, half-revealed.

She was dressed in an ultra-short, pink leather cocktail dress, the fresh color accentuating her flawless skin, her posture dignified and elegant.

She gently smoothed her skirt, placing a gloved hand—lambskin—on the driver’s palm.

On her feet were this season’s limited-edition pink high-heeled lambskin shoes. She stepped gracefully onto the red carpet, every movement as if meticulously choreographed.

Chang Ze’s fans were in a frenzy, determined to “bring down” this venomous woman today.

But the chaos around her seemed to have nothing to do with Jiang Tangmian.

She wore sunglasses, a gentle smile on her lips, and, escorted by security, entered the Jiang building without incident.

As long as the male lead for *Solemn Oath* remained undecided, Chang Ze’s fans would be relentless, just like today.

But Gu Yanxun—Jiang Tangmian was about to find him!

Why insist on Gu Yanxun? Because of his powerful protagonist aura: from his debut, every project he touched became a hit. It was impossible for Jiang Tangmian not to go all out to find him.

The young Miss Jiang, full of determination, carried one of only five limited-edition handbags in the world to work, her pink ensemble making her look like a walking Barbie doll.

But—

“Jiang! Tang! Mian!”

Someone shouted her name in a rage. Instinctively, Jiang Tangmian turned her head.

At the same moment, she saw a cup of water flying toward her. She dodged aside, but her high heel twisted, and she fell into the solid chest of a man.

“Protect Miss!”

“Help her!!”

…

The scene erupted into chaos, but the Jiang Group’s bodyguards, rigorously trained, quickly subdued the troublemaker.

“Are you… alright?”

Still shaken, Jiang Tangmian clung to the man’s collar until his deep voice brought her back to her senses.

It turned out a Chang Ze fan had disguised herself as a cleaner to sneak in, intending to splash Jiang Tangmian with acid for revenge. Getting in was hard enough; getting sulfuric acid was even harder.

The planned acid had been swapped for Sprite by the extreme fan, so half the drink splashed on the floor, the other half on the man who had heroically shielded Jiang Tangmian.

As the chaos cleared, Jiang Tangmian recognized the man before her.

She’d seen him in entertainment magazines: the genius director Zhou Xicun, whose graduation film had won the International Golden Calyx Award for Best New Director—his future limitless.

The article had shown him in simple sportswear, tall and muscular, with tanned skin and a buzz cut, his handsome, angular features giving the camera a defiant look.

Most distinctive of all was the detail at the end of his left eyebrow—a deliberately styled cut, a rebellious touch.

If not for the money, he would never have appeared here, let alone taken on a cliché costume drama like *Solemn Oath*.

But the producer’s offer had been too high.

He couldn’t refuse.

Jiang Tangmian remembered now: the genius director whose arms she’d fallen into was, in fact, her official match.

Morning sunlight spilled over Zhou Xicun, casting a golden halo around him, his cold exterior and warm heart making her momentarily dazed.

In the plot she’d read, she was the idol contestant, and Zhou Xicun the sharp-tongued mentor in charge of acting guidance. Jiang Tangmian’s small face and striking features made her a natural for drama; every music video focused on her.

For the sake of perfection, Zhou Xicun had her repeat a single movement dozens of times.

Jiang Tangmian, petite and tearful, would complain about her mentor, leading the show’s producers to remind Zhou Xicun in post-interviews that he lacked compassion. Even the famous Director Zhou began to feel awkward.

Later, there was an explosion on set, very close to Jiang Tangmian. Zhou Xicun, thinking she was hurt, carried her straight into the emergency room, shouting for a doctor.

That scene was replayed countless times, becoming classic CP material for fans.

It was then that a spark of ambiguous feeling began to flicker between them.

Because of their mentor-student relationship, Zhou Xicun had to hide his feelings, only daring to watch her from behind the monitor.

But when Jiang Tangmian, obsessed with the male lead, turned into a deranged, villainous supporting character, Zhou Xicun, for her sake, abandoned all restraint and even kidnapped the female lead.

Thus, the genius director fell from grace for love, a cautionary tale.

“Are you—”

That sudden dodge had twisted Jiang Tangmian’s ankle.

Zhou Xicun shrugged off his jacket, draping it over her exposed thighs, ready to lift her in his arms.

“Come on, let’s go to the hospital.”

Jiang Tangmian was baffled. Today was supposed to be Zhou Xicun’s first time meeting her, yet his actions were as practiced as if they’d played out a hundred times before.

She remembered Zhou Xicun’s downfall had more or less started because of her, and hurriedly jumped away, tossing his jacket back at him—

“No need! Thank you!!”

Jiang Tangmian, with a dragon’s tail flick, flatly refused any physical contact from Zhou Xicun.

Her attitude was icy, her gaze unwavering.

Close call.

She’d nearly sparked a moment of ambiguous intimacy.

The first sword of the villainess and the obsessive male supporting lead’s redemption arc would be wielded by her, Jiang Tangmian—best to sever feelings early.

At that moment, her bodyguard arrived, perceptively wheeling over a chair.

Without hesitation, Jiang Tangmian sat down, and under the gaze of the crowd, was wheeled off to the hospital in a rather undignified fashion.

After a thorough medical examination—

If Miss Jiang had arrived five minutes later, her ankle might have healed on its own.

The new drama’s project meeting had to be postponed. Zhou Xicun left a threat: if the male lead wasn’t in place within three days, he’d quit on the spot.

Truly, his sharp-tongued genius persona never faltered.

The threat left Jiang Tangmian, still lying in her hospital bed, so shaken that she hurried to post on Xiaodigua, pretending to be searching for a childhood friend.

“Very handsome, fair-skinned, from a single-parent family, lives with his mother, very gentle, and his dimples are especially charming when he smiles…”

Feeling like a genius, Jiang Tangmian recalled the original author’s description of the male lead and added one last line.

“I remember his name is Gu Yanxun.”

Satisfied, she switched over to WeChat.

The incident with the idol’s fans could be serious or minor. Even though the Jiang family elders were abroad, word had spread, and she’d already received several calls inquiring after her health.

What had started as a minor drink-splashing incident had, through the grapevine, become a story of the Jiang heiress being disfigured and left with a broken leg, prompting her parents to drop everything and prepare to return home.

Jiang Tangmian had no choice but to dance a girl group routine in her hospital bed to prove she was perfectly fine.

Susan, encountering such a vicious situation for the first time, immediately reported it to the police and wanted to issue an official statement as a warning to others.

It had taken all of Jiang Tangmian’s effort to calm her elders. If an official announcement went out, the family might just order her to shut down Jiang Entertainment and come home to rest.

Then what would happen to her favorability points? What about her life-extension system?

Just as she was trying to persuade Susan to downplay the incident, a bombshell exploded on the forums without warning.

[Oh my god! C-list idol’s explicit video leaked! Click now!]

1L: Help, quick, look! My eyes can’t be the only ones ruined: dfahkdhshiaw

2L: Oh god, I saw it. It’s over.

3L: With content like this, aren’t they afraid of getting banned?

4L: What, what?

5L: What happened, I’m late, it’s already gone.

…

334L: Saw it elsewhere, can’t believe it, looks like 2cm.

335L: Hahahahaha, is it Chang Ze?

336L: Careful mentioning names up here, fans will come for you…

337L: Already got the evidence.

…

788L: What kind of video is it, can someone explain?

799L: Was lucky enough to see it early. It’s definitely him, doesn’t look AI-generated—the camera shakes too much for that. The sugar mommy’s not that great either, hahaha, and he just keeps calling her “sister, sister,” with several people involved, and then this and that, this and that…

800L: What this and that??? My data’s not so precious!! I’ve turned into the King of Urgency today, save me.

801L: (This reply has been automatically hidden)

802L: Hahaha, I wrote it above, but it won’t post (covers face)

…

Susan, the gold-medal agent still working overtime, was furious over the attack on Jiang Tangmian by fans.

She didn’t understand why her boss refused to pick Chang Ze, who seemed perfect in every way and had considerable star power.

But indulging lawless fans was unforgivable, even for Chang Ze.

She made it clear today: even if it meant offending idol fans, she would not let Jiang Entertainment be trampled like this!

She advised her industry contacts to start quietly blacklisting him.

Susan began typing furiously, planning to release a statement from the PR department describing the day’s harrowing events, the viciousness of the opposing fans, and the devastating blow to Jiang Entertainment, reserving the right to pursue legal action against those responsible—there would be no leniency.

Just as her fingers hammered the keyboard, her assistant quietly opened the office door and said, “Susan, maybe you should check Weibo?”

Susan: “?”

She opened Weibo—and there it was.

She hadn’t even done anything yet, but the other side was already finished.

“Chang Ze’s Scandal” was blazing at the top of the trending list, marked with an explosive tag.

Jiang Tangmian, who had known about Chang Ze’s downfall since transmigrating, had expected to be harassed by his fans for a while longer, but now, peace had come swiftly.

Hugging her phone, Jiang Tangmian refreshed Xiaodigua and saw a red notification—someone had replied to her missing person post.