The most beautiful space

54. Strike first to gain the upper hand.

Hunan TV's evening entertainment news program is broadcasting a live interview with Liu Ning about Lin Shanshan.

After a banquet in the capital of N province, Liu Ning was surrounded by a large group of media reporters who seemed to have arranged it in advance. Amidst a dazzling barrage of flashing lights, reporters from numerous media websites pointed their microphones at Liu Ning, who looked slightly flustered in the center.

Unlike her usual meticulously applied makeup, Liu Ning wore a subtle, sickly-looking base, with her eyebrows drawn in a gentle, pitiful, slightly drooping shape. Her face was pale, and her brows were slightly furrowed. She was already a delicate beauty with slender eyebrows and eyes, and a petite figure, but now she looked tired, haggard, and had a melancholic air that evoked pity. Her dark long dress further accentuated her thinness and sickly pallor. Under the reporters' persistent questioning, she kept shaking her head and remained silent, while her agent and assistant pretended to push away the reporters carrying their long lenses and microphones with great force.

A reporter from Hunan TV rushed to the front, speaking sharply and rapidly, and asked loudly: "Ms. Liu Ning, as we all know, your first big-budget film role was with Ms. Lin Shanshan. You are known for your gentle and low-key personality, and your popularity in the industry is widely acknowledged. So why is your relationship with Ms. Lin Shanshan so strained? Ms. Lin Shanshan has repeatedly ignored you in public. Our reporter also heard from your friend that you often cried alone during filming, seemingly under a lot of pressure, and only gradually recovered after filming ended. Regarding the recent rumors that Ms. Lin Shanshan bullied newcomers like Fan Keqin on set, what is your opinion? Furthermore, did Ms. Lin Shanshan behave similarly towards you, who was a newcomer at the time? The audience needs the truth, so please answer truthfully!"

A reporter from another television station, Hong Kong Television, followed up with a clear and forceful question: "The production team seems to have determined that Ms. Fan Keqin spread rumors, so she was allowed to finish her scenes and leave the set today. Although actress Lin Shanshan is arrogant, many in the industry have praised her for her hard work and dedication; she's not the type to bully newcomers. On the other hand, Ms. Liu Ning, you also seemed to have left the set early during filming. Did you do anything inappropriate at that time? Ms. Liu Ning, please answer!"

"Miss Liu Ning, may I ask your opinion on Miss Lin Shanshan...?"

"Miss Liu Ning, please answer directly..."

Amidst the barrage of questions from reporters, Liu Ning's tears, which had been welling up in her eyes, finally slid down her cheeks. She exchanged a glance with her agent, who then raised her hands in a gesture of silence towards the crowd. "Please, media friends, calm down and don't put too much pressure on Liu Ning. After all, Ms. Lin Shanshan is a well-established actress, and it takes courage for Liu Ning to speak the truth, which is bound to offend some people. Please don't push her too hard. Thank you for your cooperation."

The reporters, who were eagerly anticipating some explosive news from Liu Ning, immediately fell silent. The reporters from Hunan TV had been notified by Liu Ning and already knew what she was going to say. They exchanged a glance with Liu Ning, who was wiping away tears, and confidently began their live broadcast. Liu Ning gave the reporters a bitter smile and said, "Actually, I really didn't want to say these things, but..."

Su Tong sat in front of the TV, watching the close-up of Liu Ning's sorrowful yet beautiful face on Hunan TV's entertainment news. After a bitter smile, tears streamed down her face as she helplessly said, "I never wanted to say these things in my life. Although Sister Shanshan is a bit strict with her juniors and sometimes a bit unconventional at work, her looks and talent are undeniable. I just never expected that Fan Keqin would also be forced to leave the crew by her..."

At this point, Liu Ning choked up, took a tissue from her assistant to wipe the tears from her face, took a deep breath to control her emotions, and continued, "Back then, we filmed together. There was another girl in the crew named Ren Xuan. Heh, maybe everyone has forgotten her by now. She was beautiful, warm, and easy to get along with. Like me, she had gone through many auditions to get the role. I don't know why, but she had a small conflict with Sister Shanshan, and then she disappeared from the crew without explanation. Since then, she has never received a good role, and even after leaving the entertainment industry, she has always had a lot of bad luck in life. I didn't dare to have any complaints about Sister Shanshan. I just started to keep a low profile from the time we were on set and tried not to cause trouble for her. Now that it's all in the past, I just think that sometimes Sister Shanshan could be a little gentler in educating the younger generation, and that would be enough."

Then the reporter from Hunan TV pressed further: "Ms. Liu Ning, when you said Lin Shanshan is strict with her juniors, does that actually mean she bullies newcomers? And when you said she's not meticulous about work, does that mean she's often late and goes on strike for no reason, and you only dared not say it because of Lin Shanshan's background and family connections? And since your debut, you've always been cautious because you're afraid Lin Shanshan will target you too, right?"

In the video, Liu Ning is just sobbing softly, looking sad and unwilling to say anything more.

The scene then shifts to the host in the studio. Dressed in an elegant suit, the host looks at a comparison photo on the big screen of Liu Ning's tearful face and Lin Shanshan's haughty and beautiful face at the Golden Fox Awards ceremony, and sighs: "Lin Shanshan once won the Best Actress award for her outstanding portrayal of the female lead Sun Shangxiang, becoming a top-tier actress. Liu Ning, on the other hand, gradually rose to fame after getting the role of Xiao Qiao, becoming a well-known actress. But who could have predicted that Lin Shanshan, who seemed only a little haughty on the surface, would be like this behind the scenes? We can only sigh that the entertainment industry is truly chaotic."

Su Tong was watching TV, while Xie Chengjing, who was reading a book next to her, would occasionally glance at her and notice that although Su Tong's expression remained calm in front of him, there was a small spark of anger in her eyes.

Xie Chengjing picked up the remote and switched to Hong Kong TV. Su Tong was slightly puzzled, but she just continued watching the Hong Kong TV program and immediately discovered that the channel was also broadcasting this news. After being questioned by the Hunan TV reporter, the Hong Kong TV reporter also sternly questioned her: "Ms. Liu Ning, you are clearly blaming Lin Shanshan for the reason why Ren Xuan left the filming two years ago, and implying that Lin Shanshan also made things difficult for you, and that you only barely got through that period because you were low-key and tolerant. Can you provide any evidence? Otherwise, I believe Ms. Lin Shanshan has every right to sue you for defamation."

A reporter from a major website also asked, "Ms. Liu Ning, your statement is too vague. Can you provide some details to prove your point?"

Liu Ning's expression stiffened slightly, then she began to cry even more sadly, still unwilling to elaborate, only managing to squeeze out, "We're all in the same industry. Although Sister Shanshan... she went a little too far, being an artist isn't easy for anyone. I don't want to say this and make it difficult for everyone to meet in the future." Then, supported by her manager and assistant, and with the help of the security team, she struggled to squeeze out of the reporters' encirclement.

Xie Chengjing said calmly, "Because once Lin Shanshan went on a Hunan TV program, and one of the people in charge tried to take advantage of her, so she suddenly stopped appearing on that episode and left, leaving the program unfinished. This caused a falling out with Hunan TV. Later, Fengyu Entertainment, a company closely associated with Hunan TV, deliberately created a scandal between one of their male artists and Lin Shanshan, which made her very unhappy. The relationship between the two sides deteriorated even further, which is why Hunan TV reported on Lin Shanshan's negative news extensively. Other channels and online media wouldn't all do that."

Su Tong had always thought that it was just Lin Shanshan who had a crush on Xie Chengjing, but she didn't expect that the cold Xie Chengjing actually knew Lin Shanshan quite well. She was stunned for a moment before answering, "Oh, I see. But I guess Lin Shanshan isn't so easy to defeat. She's probably already preparing to fight back. I'd better not think too much about it."

Xie Chengjing wasn't about to let Su Tong's momentary daze slip by, staring at her and asking, "What were you thinking about just now?"

Since he had already asked, Su Tong smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's nothing, I just didn't expect you to know her so well."

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed that Xie Chengjing's gaze was even more focused on her. The black pupils beneath his imposing, sword-like eyebrows seemed less cold, yet they were so deep that they seemed to draw Su Tong in completely. He said to Su Tong, "I didn't know before, but now that I see how much attention you're paying to her, I had Wang Lu specifically get her information."

The two of them ate lunch quite early in the afternoon, but because they had picked up Xie Mingyuan, they got home rather late. Su Tong was a little hungry, so she suggested steaming some of the buns that she had made and frozen in the morning, which she had originally planned to eat the next morning. Now, feeling a little flustered under Xie Chengjing's gaze, and not expecting him to explain so carefully, she got up and said, "Well, the buns in the kitchen should be ready by now. I'll go check."

Xie Chengjing watched as Su Tong walked steadily but slightly quickly into the kitchen. He lowered his head to pat Xie Er'er's head, then looked at Kongkong, who was lying next to Xie Er'er, grinding its teeth with a large bone in its mouth. Kongkong, being watched by the "more powerful animal" Xie Chengjing, instinctively bristled its fur and raised its head, baring its teeth and glaring at Xie Chengjing as if facing a formidable enemy. However, Xie Er'er slapped its head down with a paw, and Kongkong let out two aggrieved cries, its imposing manner vanishing. Xie Chengjing watched the interaction between the two, a touch of tenderness appearing in his eyes.

It's not good to eat anything too greasy or heavy at night, so Su Tong only steamed two small baskets: one with a filling of shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and meat, and the other with a vegetarian filling of pumpkin and osmanthus. Seeing that Xie Chengjing seemed to be in a good mood while eating the buns and playing with his pet, she asked, "Xiao Yang hasn't sent anyone to the set to deliver food these past few days. Did you take care of it?"

Xie Chengjing replied, "He's still having people deliver it, but it can't be delivered in now."

Su Tong wanted to ask again, "Xiao Yang seems to have a very high status in the capital. Is it okay for you to do this?" But after thinking about it, she decided it was better not to question Xie Chengjing's abilities, given his domineering nature, and so she let it go.

While reading the news about "Liu Ning responding to Lin Shanshan's bullying of newcomers," Lin Shanshan, the person involved, remained incredibly calm. Facing Qin Jing's slightly worried gaze, she simply smiled and said, "Just watch. Liu Ning and Ren Xuan did such stupid things, and I thought it best to be forgiving and didn't pursue it too deeply. Now that Liu Ning has gained some fame, she actually wants to strike first against me. I'll make sure she loses so badly she can never get back up." (166 Reading Network)