Chapter 44: Earth-Shattering Conspiracy

After Huang Xiaohong finished speaking, she lunged to snatch her phone from Zhang Xiaofan’s hand, cursing, “Why are you taking my phone? Give it back!”

“Why are you so desperate to get it back? Is there some secret on it?” Zhang Xiaofan’s suspicion grew as he spoke. Why was Huang Xiaohong so protective of her phone? Could it be… there really were secrets on it?

Seeing Huang Xiaohong’s face change dramatically, he quickly scrolled up through her messages. Finally, his pupils contracted as he uncovered messages from over a year ago—messages that were explosive.

Huang Xiaohong: “Tonight Zhou Jiajia will be driving home alone, passing through Yuzhou Shuilin Road. There aren’t any surveillance cameras there. You can hit her.”

Shen Daiying: “Received. I’ve already transferred one million to you. The rest will be paid after it’s done. Remember, tell no one.”

A month later, another message.

Huang Xiaohong: “Zhou Jiajia is completely disfigured now. Some directors just came to see her and confirmed she can’t play those roles anymore. You can contact those directors now.”

Shen Daiying: “Alright, I’ll transfer the money right away.”

Some time later.

Shen Daiying: “I’ll deliver some corpse grass later. Leave it in her hospital room. I want Zhou Jiajia to suffer a fate worse than death…”

Huang Xiaohong: “Don’t forget the payment…”

There was much more—nearly all of it was evidence of Huang Xiaohong colluding with Shen Daiying to harm Zhou Jiajia. Zhang Xiaofan sneered. “I didn’t think I could deal with you before, but now, with this… Heh, Huang Xiaohong, you and Shen Daiying can look forward to prison!”

Realizing she couldn’t win the phone back, and that she might go to jail because of its contents, Huang Xiaohong turned pale. This time she was truly frightened. She clung to Zhou Jiajia’s leg, begging, “Jiajia, please, let me go! I can’t go to jail! I have elders and children to take care of!”

Zhou Jiajia leaned in, sneering, “You made millions from hurting me, and you’re afraid your family can’t survive? If they really can’t, that’s on you!”

Huang Xiaohong trembled, pleading, “Please, spare me! It was all Shen Daiying—she made me do it. I’ll help you testify against her, please, I beg you!”

Zhang Xiaofan nodded slightly at Zhou Jiajia, who understood immediately. She said, “Alright, when the time comes, you’ll point her out for me. But you and Shen Daiying worked hand in glove—there’s no escaping your crime.”

Zhou Jiajia waved her phone triumphantly. She had just recorded the entire conversation, so now there was not only written evidence, but audio as well—a rock-solid case.

Soon, the police arrived to take Huang Xiaohong away. However, at Zhou Jiajia’s request, the police kept things confidential because she had come up with an idea to utterly destroy Shen Daiying.

The next morning, Zhang Xiaofan woke up in the neighboring hospital room. He had already warned Liu Yu not to “help” him vent his anger anymore, so he slept peacefully all night.

When he went to Zhou Jiajia’s room, he was greeted by the sight of a woman with skin as flawless as a baby’s. Her complexion was porcelain, lips like ripe cherries, her beautiful face radiant with youthful energy. It was Zhou Jiajia, completely transformed.

“How beautiful,” Zhang Xiaofan exclaimed sincerely.

Perhaps having survived such a calamity, Zhou Jiajia saw life differently now. She showed none of the airs of a celebrity, pulling Zhang Xiaofan inside and giving him a big hug. Delighted, she said, “It’s wonderful! My skin is healed—really, I never dreamed this would happen. Zhang Xiaofan, from now on, you’re my little brother, because you gave me a second chance at life.”

Zhang Xiaofan was genuinely happy for her. She seemed like a decent person, but he didn’t take the brother-sister talk seriously. He replied, “Congratulations! But I’m in a bit of a hurry. I need to find Shen Daiying, and even more so, Jiang Jianhao. I hear Jiang Jianhao is Shen Daiying’s agent. Do you know him?”

Zhou Jiajia paused, then said, “Of course I know that scoundrel. Back when Shen Daiying tried to harm me, he also made moves on me, but I turned him down.”

She looked at Zhang Xiaofan and said, “Actually, you’ll be able to find her today. Shen Daiying is holding a film press conference at Century Pearl Plaza. Jiang Jianhao even called me two days ago, wanting me to show up for hype, to help Shen Daiying’s film become a hit. This is the perfect opportunity.”

Zhang Xiaofan nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

He rode in Zhou Jiajia’s car, trailed by several other vehicles—her bodyguards, he figured.

Besides the bodyguards, Zhou Jiajia also had several assistants with her. The entourage was impressive enough for Zhang Xiaofan to click his tongue in amazement. “Did you hire all these bodyguards recently?”

“No, my uncle arranged them. He has some influence in the city,” she replied calmly, but Zhang Xiaofan could tell her uncle was no ordinary man. Otherwise, how could she have fared so well after all she’d been through?

At last, they arrived at the press conference. Zhou Jiajia kept her face covered, so at first no one recognized her. After all, she’d been out of the spotlight for over a year—no one would expect her to show up here.

The scene was a sea of people. Over the past year, after Zhou Jiajia’s misfortune, many major directors and programs, believing Shen Daiying to be close to her, had showered Shen Daiying with opportunities. Now, Shen Daiying was at the peak of her fame.

“Xiaoying, you’re the best! Yay!”
“Xiaoying, I love you! Marry me!” A few crazed fans were dragged away.

The fans were as wild as they could be. On stage, supported by her agent Jiang Jianhao, Shen Daiying slowly emerged.

“That’s him, that’s Jiang Jianhao,” Liu Yu snarled from her box. “I can recognize his scent. I want to kill him!”

“Calm down,” Zhang Xiaofan cautioned. “There are too many people here, too much yang energy. How could you make a move?”

“Mm.”

“Liu Yu, just be patient. You’ve waited this long—what’s a little longer?” Zhang Xiaofan soothed.

On stage, the host beamed, “Our lovely Xiaoying values her fans so much—even though she injured her foot recently, she insisted on meeting everyone. Such determination is something we should all learn from.”

The fans applauded wildly.

Shen Daiying, quite attractive herself, smoothed her hair and took the microphone. “My agent and those around me did want me to rest, but when I thought about all of you waiting in line for so long, I couldn’t bear it. So I decided to come.”

Of course, the staff all knew this was just Shen Daiying putting on a show to win over fans, but it worked wonders. The fans became even more frenzied, shouting at the top of their lungs from below the stage.