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The inability to stop the live broadcast was simply the most ruthless tactic.
This grand spectacle was like a fire catching the wind, starting to burn fiercely and spectacularly.
In this fast-paced internet age, netizens managed to dig up the identity of this highly anticipated male guest within a single minute—
"Song Ziming? What the hell? Just some random guy???"
"Why does his name sound somewhat familiar to me..."
"His wiki page says he used to be a director, have you seen any of his work?"
"No, but it just rings a bell..."
At this moment in the seating area, Ning Ye did not join the surrounding discussions, but instead continued to observe Xu Lanyi on the stage.
The woman on stage looked as if she had completely imploded. Her face was pale, her fingernails trembled, and she resembled a collapsing statue wrapped in a gorgeous evening gown. Enhanced by the live high-definition camera equipment specially provided by Wujiang, the blankness and breakdown on her face, along with her suppressed madness and fury, were all captured in minute detail, broadcast accurately to a global audience every single second.
Under such extreme circumstances, Xu Lanyi might do something desperate like a cornered beast.
And this very action would determine all of Ning Ye's subsequent moves.
Meanwhile, Xu Lanyi's fans were also going crazy! Their emotional breakdown at this moment formed a ten-thousand-meter cliff-like drop compared to their previous arrogance. Everyone plummeted without warning, only to realize that having shared the glory of the Best Actress's career halo, they now had to collectively endure the agonizing pain of being relentlessly mocked.
What kind of joke was this? How could it be possible? To be chosen by their idol, even if he was an ugly, greasy man, he must have some redeeming qualities, right?!
Thus, holding onto this last shred of blind trust, the fans spontaneously initiated emergency public relations to save face for their idol, and for themselves as well.
[He graduated from a formal directing program, on the path of an orthodox great director. He even won academic awards in his youth; he is a very talented person.]
[Can some people stop being so materialistic? Our Sister Xu said she doesn't care about wealth and status. You didn't believe it, but now you've been slapped in the face, haven't you?]
Although the fans' own faces were already swollen from being metaphorically slapped, what was the most important thing in a war between fans and anti-fans? Being stubborn.
As long as no red lines were crossed, they could still hold on and continue supporting her—
"Holy crap, I know why he sounds familiar! It's because he was the winner of the Golden Broom Award the year before last, hahaha! You know, that grassroots-organized award for the worst movie of the year!!"
"Hahahahaha???"
"Damn, I'm dying, is Xu Lanyi crazy??"
"For a guy like this, was there really a need to make such a massive fuss?"
Hearing the laughter from the audience, Xu Lanyi squeezed her eyes shut.
Of course she knew Song Ziming was doing poorly! All of this wasn't prepared for him anyway!
But it was okay, it was fine, he was just doing poorly... there was still room to maneuver.
The information instantly spread across the entire internet, and the mass mockery began. At this moment, the rival fans also went crazy—crazy with laughter.
[Where are the Xu Lanyi fans from just now, hahahahaha]
[Yue fans army, come out, it's time for team building]
[Xuan fans, I know you're there, don't just laugh secretly by yourselves]
[Yan Wang: Dawn has arrived]
Every word of teasing and ridicule aimed at Song Ziming struck Xu Lanyi like a boomerang.
All of Xu Lanyi's fans were besieged and crushed by the other fandoms, left with no choice but to cry and beg their idol for an explanation.
[Sister Xu, say something!]
[This isn't true, right?]
At this moment, Xu Lanyi could only suppress all her anger and look pleadingly at the man opposite her. She only prayed that Song Ziming wouldn't go crazy, that he would leave the last bit of dignity for himself and her, and not destroy her!
Xu Lanyi picked up the microphone, forced a smile, and said to the man in front of her with a hint of suggestion, "There might be some misunderstanding here..."
Have you forgotten what happened to you before?! Have you forgotten what I smoothed over for you?!
If you know what's good for you, get the hell off the stage right now!!!
At this moment, Song Ziming slowly raised his head. In truth, if it weren't for the paternity test report in his hand, he would have already lost his nerve and fled.
But whenever he thought of backing down, the words that the man in the room had spoken to him rang in his ears like a mighty bell.
As a fellow man, every single word he said pierced his heart like a steel needle!
He had cowered for so many years; did he really lack even this final shred of courage? As a man, couldn't he be brave just once for his own flesh and blood?
Therefore, Song Ziming stood firmly rooted to the spot. His entire body trembled like a leaf, but he resolutely raised the microphone.
Xu Lanyi's gaze looked ready to devour someone, frantically signaling the staff: Grab it back!! Don't let him speak! Drag him away immediately!
Summoning a lifetime's worth of courage, Song Ziming shouted loudly.
"Zixun is my son!"
As his words fell, the world practically detonated.
A screen full of question marks online instantly blew past the rhythm the fans had barely managed to maintain.
In the celebrity seating area, the corners of the mouths of several artists who held grudges against Xu Lanyi were harder to suppress than an AK-47's recoil. Meanwhile, Yue Shiqing was clapping wildly—hahaha, Brother Song; hahaha, her assistant; Xu Lanyi's husband!
Good heavens!! You've finally opened your eyes!
Xu Lanyi's face was deathly pale. Only one thought echoed in her mind: what method could overpower this incident, what method could divert the public's attention and buy her time for damage control?
It had to be something more thrilling, rarer, and more eye-catching than her own scandal.
Her eyes darted wildly across the vast audience until they suddenly fixed on a particular spot, a fanatical gleam flashing in her eyes.
The moment Ning Ye met that gaze, she knew exactly what was coming.
She had guessed right after all.
The most common emergency PR tactic in the entertainment industry: divert attention and disperse the heat.
Right now, for Xu Lanyi, what could possibly be more bizarre and unbelievable than her own situation?
Xu Lanyi held her breath: Her daughter! Her daughter had time-traveled here!!
If my life has turned out like this, do you think you can get off easy?
Ning Ye raised her hand, and Assistant Zhang, who had been waiting on the sidelines, immediately sprang into action.
The stagehands had already been replaced by their people, pushing the schedule forward simultaneously—Gu Zixun and an extremely large, precise instrument were rolled onto the stage together.
Xu Lanyi herself couldn't say a word in protest, because this was the originally planned procedure. She was supposed to perform a modern blood test in front of the public, using the machine to test the DNA of Gu Zixun and Bian Xun, manipulating the results to make them 99.99 percent true father and son.
At this moment, the instrument was actually even more sophisticated than the one they had used during rehearsals. On its steel leg, there was also an engraved Wujiang logo.
When Xu Lanyi saw the machine, her feverish mind finally cleared up. That's right, there was still this method.
She wasn't stupid after all and immediately came up with a countermeasure—
Originally, she wanted to publicly confirm them as true father and son, but wouldn't it be fine to publicly declare them as fake father and son now?
It was a very simple reverse logic: use technical means to deny that Song Ziming was Zixun's biological father, and this farce would end immediately!
Understanding the expression on Xu Lanyi's face.
Ning Ye leaned back slowly against her chair.
This was merely the first step.
...
She was certain that Xu Lanyi would jump right into this deep pit.
First, trying to use Taotao's time-traveling incident to divert attention wouldn't solve the root problem. Moreover, the cost of explaining this matter was too high; after all, the public didn't know Ning Zhitao, so why suddenly bring her up?
Second, Xu Lanyi hadn't completely given up on Bian Xun yet. If she really exposed this matter, it would be equivalent to offending Bian Xun to the core.
Therefore, she would definitely choose to fake the machine results.
What Ning Ye had to do—
Was to make sure that from now on, Xu Lanyi's words would never hold any credibility again.
There had been no sound from the earpiece for a long time. She didn't know what state Bian Xun was in right now, but she could imagine.
The plot was approaching its final climax. He even had to tie himself up tightly to avoid losing control.
She didn't dare to imagine what he actually looked like right now.
Ning Ye took a deep breath, suppressing the anxiety in her heart to maintain her composure.
On the stage, the moment Song Ziming saw Gu Zixun, he was so thrilled that he wanted to step forward.
When Ning Ye saw the needle marks on the spine of Gu Zixun's back, she actually felt a moment of pity. But showing pity would only indulge the plot's development and make everything even more tragic. Could wrongdoings really just be covered up?
Besides, who would pity her child?
She tightly held the chubby little paw of Taotao beside her, her almond eyes now completely clear and resolute.
On the stage, Xu Lanyi looked at the machine, her heart calming down a bit.
As long as the paternity test proved false, wouldn't everything be fine? She was going to prove right in front of hundreds of millions of viewers online that Zixun was not Song Ziming's son. Then the ending of this whole farce would at most be that a female celebrity once dated a scumbag, something to be laughed off.
As long as she lived happily afterward, those things would just be minor interludes.
After the stagehand rolled out the machine, he whispered in Xu Lanyi's ear, This is the latest equipment sponsored by Wujiang Group, Sister Xu.
Upon hearing this, Xu Lanyi seemed to have grasped an important arguing point. She adjusted her expression and tone, picked up the microphone, and gave a helpless smile to the crowd. Since that's the case, Wujiang's technological level is widely recognized across the internet. No one can refute that, right?
She looked as if she was helpless against this farce, only waiting for the results to prove her innocence.
Xu Lanyi's fans, who had been hiding in their shells for a long time, finally came alive again and started showing massive support.
[This Song Ziming suddenly rushed up on his own. Our Sister Xu just couldn't be bothered to explain.]
[If what this man said is true, could Sister Xu still do a paternity test so calmly?]
[Rival fans, don't take advantage of the chaos to smear her. Sister Xu has already reached a height your idol will never touch in a lifetime.]
At this moment, even Yue Shiqing, who had been excitedly watching the drama unfold offstage, became a little uncertain. She turned her head and looked over at Ning Ye from afar, wanting to see if she was also nervous.
Although they knew Song Ziming was the child's biological father, what if Xu Lanyi tampered with the test?
They couldn't just rush up and physically stop her!
Yue Shiqing was so anxious she couldn't sit still. They absolutely couldn't let that dog Xu turn the tables this time!!
Ning Ye remained calm, her gaze fixed on the stage.
With the help of the staff, the process began to move forward. Since they were doing a paternity test, the most common DNA sample was naturally blood, which was also easy to collect.
Gu Zixun looked at the man in the distance who claimed to be his father and raised his arm. I'm not afraid of needles.
Song Ziming felt a surge of emotion and quickly said, Me too—
Let me help you!
Xu Lanyi's slightly shrill voice came through the microphone, stopping the two of them.
Hearing this sentence, Ning Ye let out a soft breath from her lips, silent and unnoticed by anyone in the arena.
The second step had already begun.
...
Ning Ye knew very well that Xu Lanyi couldn't possibly draw blood in public.
Xu Lanyi walked toward the machine in her high heels, cursing Song Ziming as an idiot in her heart. She really wished she could stab him to death, but now was not the time.
Zixun wasn't afraid of needles because he had been pricked enough times since childhood due to that illness. She absolutely couldn't let the public find any clues about this!
And that stupid thing Song Ziming, the moment he heard they were drawing blood, he started rolling up his sleeves to find a vein. Was this a normal person's reaction?! What if there were still needle marks on his arm? Once discovered under such a high-definition live broadcast lens...
Xu Lanyi simply didn't dare to imagine!
They couldn't draw blood; they couldn't use blood for the test!
And most importantly—under the watchful eyes of the public, it wasn't easy to tamper with blood samples, and she couldn't just casually prick someone else to drip it in.
So what kind of test would make it easier to fish in troubled waters? ...
Let's use hair.
Walking up to the machine, Xu Lanyi smiled faintly.
It's such a good day, let's not make everyone see blood.
[Ahhh, Sister Xu is so cool!]
[This is what confidence looks like!]
[Sister Xu, hurry up and slap their faces, ahhh!]
Xu Lanyi's male assistant came on stage to take the samples. While helping to pluck Song Ziming's hair, Song Ziming lowered his head cooperatively. Then, feeling no pain on his scalp, he saw that the male assistant already had a handful of hair in his hand.
The assistant turned around and submitted this sample.
Xu Lanyi's heart completely settled down.
The assistant had plucked his own hair in advance to use for the test with Zixun. Of course, there was no blood relationship between them!
It wouldn't be long before the whole world would know that this garbage man Song Ziming had absolutely nothing to do with Zixun or her!
At this point, Xu Lanyi finally calmed down completely. Recalling the entire process just now, she understood—
Song Ziming had been sent up by someone.
She admitted that Ning Ye played this move very well. Her ability to accurately find Song Ziming in the vast sea of people was indeed an incredibly precise move to pull the rug out from under her.
But even if she could dig up Song Ziming, that was as far as it went.
Xu Lanyi smiled and bent down, gently taking a hair sample with a follicle from Gu Zixun, as if perfectly confirming the special meaning of Mother's Day.
She stood up and handed the two samples to the staff at the same time. At this moment, in the public's view, it was the hair of Gu Zixun and Song Ziming being taken for testing.
A sure thing.
Hundreds of millions of people online were waiting for this result at the same time.
Ning Ye was also waiting.
The final step.
Was right before their eyes—
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Xu Lanyi saw a figure in the waiting room opposite.
Bian Xun had stood up!
Xu Lanyi's heart fluttered with excitement; in that moment, she almost felt a sense of surviving a disaster.
Bian Xun was also waiting for the result, wasn't he?
As long as she proved herself, and Bian Xun made his appearance again, the whole incident would complete a massive reversal, and the internet's emotions would climb even higher to the peak!
That man didn't even know what he truly represented. As long as he walked toward her, all of Ning Ye's conspiracies would be completely meaningless!
All the ridicule and mockery could be wiped clean by him single-handedly; he was just that kind of man!
At the same time, Ning Ye also heard movements in her earpiece.
She heard a scraping sound, like someone forcefully dragging a heavy object to stand up, and the sound of suppressed breathing echoed in her ear.
Ning Ye's fingertips clenched tightly. As the climax approached, could Bian Xun still control himself?
In the narrow, dim waiting room, the man's core strength actually dragged the bench up with him as he stood, leaning himself against the wall.
The deep sea surged in those black eyes, the hair at his temples soaked with sweat, as if he were standing before a black hole.
For a few seconds, Bian Xun actually hallucinated.
The powerful push of the plot made him unable to see the scene before him clearly. In his hallucination, he should push the door open right now, walk out, and step onto the brightly lit stage. That was a boundless sea, free and vast; as long as he walked over, he would find happiness.
Bian Xun took a deep breath, his jawline completely taut, and raised his hand to pinch the watch dial on his wrist.
As long as he twisted the crown, the needle on the back would be ejected, sending him into a mandatory three-day and three-night hibernation.
He didn't know if he could still be controlled after the hibernation. He looked at the bank card balance on his watch; the countdown had little time left, and in ten minutes, the all-in program would be activated.
Even if it meant emptying his bank account and becoming completely broke, he would not allow himself to walk out.
She had already persevered to this point.
How could he hold her back.
From Ning Ye's angle, she couldn't see what Bian Xun looked like in the room. She could only see Xu Lanyi's lips curling up bit by bit.
Amidst the dense sense of anxiety, she finally heard Bian Xun's voice.
His voice was completely hoarse, almost semi-conscious, yet he somehow managed to squeeze out a smile.
"Do you know why Wujiang wanted to build that machine."
Ning Ye looked at the "paternity testing machine" provided by Wujiang on the stage.
Yes, that was not a machine meant for paternity testing.
This was the final step of her plan.
"Because... if there's a next time, I want to find you and the child on the very first day."
He took a breath.
"Believe in yourself..."
Ning Ye gently pursed her lips.
At this moment, she slowly raised her clear almond eyes.
She saw the red light on the machine begin to flash.
She also saw Xu Lanyi's increasingly uncontrollable smile.
She could hear the clamor of Xu Lanyi's fans around her, regaining their confidence and demanding the whole world apologize to their idol!
But—
Xu Lanyi was caught completely off guard, so she simply had no time to think carefully about the clues hidden within.
Moreover, because she knew very well that the secret hidden for years had been handled perfectly by her. For her own future, she had completely erased all possible traces of Song Ziming, so absolutely no one could ever use this point against her.
Therefore, she forgot a very important thing.
Paternity testing for DNA.
And hair testing for drug screening.
—used the exact same thing.
Xu Lanyi looked at the machine excitedly, as if the results were about to come out—
Ning Ye watched all this calmly.
From the very beginning, Ning Ye had decided to use hair.
And Song Ziming's hair had long been placed into the machine.
Because hair is the sample with the longest trace-back period among all samples.
Marijuana in the blood maintains a detection window of 3 to 7 days at most.
In urine, it can remain for 30 days.
But in hair, the window can last for months, and at its longest... it can trace back years.
Xu Lanyi excitedly watched the changes on the machine, and hundreds of millions of people across the internet were holding their breath at the same time.
Could a paternity test really produce results this quickly??
Of course not.
But there is one type of test where the initial screening results can be issued within minutes.
This was a drug testing machine disguised as a paternity tester.
Why?
Because they had already obtained Gu Zixun's blood sample earlier and done a DNA comparison report with Song Ziming. Why waste time on it now?
She only needed one result.
...
Xu Lanyi excitedly waved her red fingernails, pointing at the indicator light above the machine: "The results are out!"
At the same time, the entire audience, following the Wujiang employees hidden among them, passed the motion from person to person, reaching under their seats to feel for something.
They didn't know what they were looking for, but seeing others searching under their seats, they started looking too.
With this touch, everyone actually found a stack of papers under their chairs, looking like some kind of document report.
Just as people felt it, they heard a long beep from the machine on stage.
To make sure everyone could hear clearly, Xu Lanyi even held the microphone over the machine, her smile distorted with excitement.
All of Xu's fans were waiting for this moment of vindication. As long as it proved that Song Ziming was not the father of Sister Xu's child, the entire internet would have to kneel before them in the future. Their Sister Xu was the most awesome—
"Sample T012, adult male, Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, tests positive; confirmed history of drug use. Local police have been notified..."
The cold mechanical voice broadcasted through the microphone.
It echoed across the entire internet.
Meanwhile, every stunned spectator opened the report in their hands.
—Song Ziming, Gu Zixun, supports paternity relationship 99.98%.
Paternity test and drug test, two pieces of information superimposed simultaneously.
The microphone in Xu Lanyi's hand fell to the ground with a thud, emitting a loud boom.
Like a real thunderbolt, it just crashed down to earth.
Not only did Xu Lanyi have a child with a trashy man!!
This man even used! Drugs!!!
...
The scene was like a war zone, collapsing everywhere.
Outside the venue, the distant sound of police sirens seemed to ring out.
At this moment, even the anti-fans were scared and only wanted to flee.
This lunatic, this crazy woman??
Did Xu Lanyi put on such a huge spectacle just to drop a bomb on the netizens?
What were the fans still hesitating for?
The machine had already detected a positive result for marijuana!!
Who else could it be?? Everyone was watching just now. There were only two people's samples put into the machine. Could it be that the four-year-old boy was taking drugs??
The fans completely collapsed and began a frenzied backlash.
At this moment, a red line was raised high. Xu Lanyi stood alone outside the line, with no one behind her to support her anymore, and no one would listen to her speak.
Her whole persona shattered, exposed under the spotlight, going mad.
"Ahhh it was her doing! She's framing me!!! Don't go! Someone wants to frame me! Because her daughter—"
Xu Lanyi completely lost all face, screaming in a twisted manner at the retreating crowd.
But at this moment, who would listen to a lunatic?
Yue Shiqing took one last look at Xu Lanyi and left with her new assistant.
Ning Ye had asked her before if the announcement of this matter might involve her name, since Song Ziming was her staff member, and wondered if it would affect her career.
Regarding this, Yue Shiqing stated: "Make it public, I beg you, make it public!!!"
She just wanted the whole world to know! Xu Lanyi's ex-husband! Her child's biological father! Was her assistant!!!
She would never be able to act arrogant again in this lifetime!
But when this moment truly arrived, Yue Shiqing stared blankly at Xu Lanyi, who clearly occupied the advantages of time, place, wealth, and status, yet suffered a crushing defeat, her life collapsing into ruins, slumped on the ground completely unable to stand up.
In her heart, she suddenly thought of Ning Ye's thin and slender, yet never bending back.
Only then did she truly understand how much that quiet and peaceful girl could shoulder in her heart.
How much she could achieve—
...
The crowd scattered in chaos.
Ning Ye held Taotao's hand, protecting her as they passed through the intensely shaken crowd, jogging toward that waiting room.
The shocked and shattered gazes of the crowd collectively built the memory of this day. Connected to the hundreds of millions of viewers watching online, it was etched indelibly in their hearts.
Her silhouette, jogging while holding the child's hand, looked like a scene from a slow-motion movie.
Ning Ye had always been wondering: how could she truly break free from the plot?
Would completely derailing it at the very climax count as a true breakthrough?
Later, she figured it out.
No matter how powerful the force of the plot was, or how easily it could control a single person, how could it possibly control the collective consciousness? How could it erase the memories of hundreds of millions of people?
When everyone across the entire nation shared this very moment, this became the new history, the new plot.
Ning Ye pushed open the small door in front of her.
The man was leaning against the wall, half-unconscious, his neck tilted back. His fingertips rested on the watch crown, which was already unscrewed by one notch. That thick needle was about to pop out and pierce him—
"Bian Xun!"
Ning Ye lunged forward, snatching his fingers away. Trembling, she unbuckled his watch and hurled it fiercely to the side.
"Daddy!"
Ning Zhitao scrambled onto the chair, standing on it and shaking the man's head desperately. "Daddy, please don't die!"
After being frantically shaken for a good while, Bian Xun seemed to finally break free from some massive invisible control. He came to his senses and coughed violently, "I'm... not dead yet. That's enough... kid, that's enough."
Ning Ye also lost all her strength. As if she had just finished a long, exhausting trek, she collapsed weakly toward the floor.
Before she could hit the ground, an arm caught her and pulled her into a warm embrace.
Bian Xun's lips pressed against her temple in a devout kiss.
Hearing the steady heartbeat within his chest, Ning Ye let out a deep, long sigh of relief.
There was so much she wanted to say, but for a moment, she didn't know where to start.
The two of them simply rested in silence for a while.
Suddenly, she heard Bian Xun's heartbeat grow frantic.
Ning Ye looked up nervously, only to see Bian Xun's thin lips trembling as he pointed at the watch dial she had thrown aside. "Hurry..."
His voice was hoarse, and for a second, he couldn't even catch his breath.
"Hurry and what?" Ning Ye asked.
Bian Xun's dark eyes were filled with restraint. Seeing that there were only ten seconds left on the dial, his voice trembled.
"Hurry and stop it..."
"?"
Bian Xun closed his eyes.
Hurry up and stop the countdown that is about to empty my bank balance—
How am I supposed to marry you if I go bankrupt!
