CHAPTER 277: CHAPTER 277: NOT EVEN A GLIMPSE OF THE GOSSIP DETAILS

As Duan Wenhui’s "understanding flower," Qingyue could naturally sense that her mood wasn’t very pleasant at this moment.

He stood up and attentively massaged her shoulders. "Sister Hui, you can’t say it’s just pointless persistence. I simply feel indignant for you. Why should someone like Sang Ning, a nobody without any backing, be able to single-handedly take on the lead role in a movie, while you can’t even squeeze me into a regular supporting role? They’re clearly not taking you seriously. I feel aggrieved for you."

Qingyue feigned sincerity as he said this. He didn’t believe that someone as proud as Duan Wenhui would allow her dignity to be trampled underfoot.

"Since they want Sang Ning to take the lead so badly, why not just ruin Sang Ning? I’d like to see if this film is truly irreplaceable without her!" Duan Wenhui flicked a layer of ash into the ashtray.

Qingyue’s hands froze for a moment. "Like what was done to Wen Jiu before? But Wen Jiu didn’t go under last time, and besides, Sang Ning is quite skilled. We might not succeed."

Duan Wenhui smiled and turned to Qingyue, blowing out a large puff of smoke. A chilly expression surfaced on her face. "Xiao Yue, why are you so naive? No matter how skilled Sang Ning might be, she’s just an ordinary person. Does she truly have the confidence to dodge a sneak attack?"

Qingyue understood now. Someone like Duan Wenhui, a high-ranking figure in the entertainment industry, must have witnessed plenty of dirty schemes in private. Since open tactics like a public smear campaign failed to take Sang Ning down, it was time to resort to covert maneuvers.

In the entertainment world, there were countless ways to utterly destroy a female celebrity.

"Sister, I feel Sang Ning is very alert, plus she seemingly has a bodyguard following her around 24/7 these days. Even playing dirty tricks might not be easy." Qingyue voiced his concern.

"Then we’ll make her lower her guard." Duan Wenhui responded carelessly. "Isn’t now the perfect opportunity? Xiao Yue, you should understand what I’m talking about."

Qingyue racked his brain, trying to digest the meaning behind Duan Wenhui’s words. After some time, he slowly spoke up, "Sister Hui, I understand. But I’ll need you to assign me a few capable assistants to help out."

"That’s a small matter." Duan Wenhui’s tone appeared dismissive, but it was laced with hostility.

She had never personally encountered Sang Ning before, so logically speaking, she shouldn’t have had any reason to hold a grudge against her.

But Sang Ning had been nothing but trouble for Qingyue, and when a pet she raised was bullied, how could the owner tolerate it?

The fact that Sang Ning was still allowed to stay in Qin Jiaxiang’s new movie production was, to her, nothing short of humiliation.

Duan Wenhui couldn’t allow her authority to be undermined by an insignificant nobody.

**

Sang Ning had been hiding behind the camera, closely observing Qingyue and Duan Wenhui. After dealing with their "business," the two lingered in the living room, chatting for quite some time.

Sang Ning was curious what they had to talk about that kept them up so late.

They stayed in the living room for at least ten more minutes before leaving. Only after the living room lights were entirely turned off did Sang Ning retrieve her camera.

It seemed Qingyue and Duan Wenhui had gone into the bedroom to rest. She quickly transferred all the photos from her camera to her phone, flipping through them at speed.

She didn’t know how long Qingyue had been with Duan Wenhui, but judging from the photos, the two appeared to be in the midst of a passionate affair. Their intimate actions were quite telling, with Duan Wenhui practically plastered onto Qingyue.

She had photos to leak, but Sang Ning started to worry about how to make them public.

Sang Ning wanted to rip off Qingyue’s mask, but at the same time, she wanted to protect herself. Duan Wenhui wasn’t just any average big shot.

If she were to leak the photos under her own name, she would surely face retaliation from Duan Wenhui, who would undoubtedly press charges for invasion of privacy and drag her to prison.

Using an anonymous account wouldn’t work either. The police could track her down through her internet IP address.

Sang Ning mulled it over. Perhaps she could send the photos to professional paparazzi. They were experts at breaking scandals and likely had methods to handle the fallout afterward.

But shortly after, Sang Ning dismissed the idea.

Paparazzi were cowards who bullied the weak and feared the strong. When the opponent was someone like Duan Wenhui, they would hesitate to release the photos, fearing the consequences.

At best, they’d use the photos to blackmail Qingyue for a hefty sum of money.

Sang Ning decided not to dwell on it for now. The task of snapping valuable dirt on Qingyue had already been accomplished; the most important thing now was to head home and get some sleep. After staying up until the wee hours, her energy was utterly drained.

She also had to thank Qingyue for not being genuinely famous yet, which allowed her to squat for an entire night and obtain valuable material.

If Qingyue got big in the future, such reckless behavior—like bringing his sugar mama home—would likely become impossible.

Wan Shaohu was already asleep. Sang Ning knocked on his bedroom door but received no response, so she tried the doorknob. It wouldn’t budge.

Sang Ning: "..."

It seemed Wan Shaohu treated her like a burglar, taking precautions against her.

Unable to wake him up, Sang Ning simply called Wan Shaohu’s phone.

The call went through, and Sang Ning distinctly heard the phone ring in the bedroom.

The ringtone echoed for quite a while, but Wan Shaohu still didn’t answer.

Sang Ning frowned. Exactly how deeply did this man sleep?

Late at night like this, Sang Ning didn’t dare knock harder, afraid of disturbing the neighbors.

Just as she was about to hang up, the bedroom door opened. Wan Shaohu peeked out through the crack, his hair disheveled and eyes squinting. "Big sis, what do you need?"

"Nothing." Sang Ning shook her head. "I’m leaving. Just wanted to say goodbye."

"Thanks for being so polite!" Wan Shaohu gritted his teeth, his anger instantly clearing the last remnants of his drowsiness.

Sang Ning had to be insane. Knowing he was asleep, she intentionally woke him up anyway.

"Give me your phone. I need to erase all records of contact between us." Sang Ning reached out her hand, revealing her actual motive.

Wan Shaohu exhaled heavily and suppressed his urge to commit murder, then turned back into his bedroom to fetch his phone for her.

Once she got the phone, Sang Ning meticulously deleted every single record before handing it back to him.

"From now on, pretend you’ve never met me. Also, please return the camera that’s still set up on the balcony," Sang Ning said, pointing toward the tripod-mounted camera.

Showing clear indifference, Wan Shaohu replied, "Got it."

After Sang Ning’s series of disruptions, Wan Shaohu’s sleepiness had mostly dissipated. When he heard the sound of the front door shutting firmly at the entryway, Wan Shaohu was entirely awake.

Wait, didn’t Sang Ning say she wouldn’t leave his house until she’d captured some juicy dirt? Did she already get what she came for?

Wan Shaohu hurriedly rushed to the balcony and glanced outside. Qingyue’s house was completely dark.

He then turned on the camera to see what Sang Ning had filmed earlier, only to find the memory card completely wiped.

Damn! The itch of curiosity, left unsatisfied, was enough to drive one crazy.

This Sang Ning had already dragged him into her mess, but couldn’t even leave him a single crumb of gossip to nibble on. That was unbelievably unkind.