Late last night, the emotional entanglement between Cen Meng and Ning Yuxuan dominated several trending topics, with one even topping the list.
People naturally love drama, especially when it involves someone like Cen Meng, who already has a certain level of fame, and Ning Yuxuan, whose mother is an award-winning actress and whose brother is a top-tier celebrity.
Almost the entire internet was watching this sensational entertainment industry love story unfold.
In just one night, netizens devoured every piece of gossip they could find.
The most frustrating part? The identity of the man at the center of it all remained a mystery.
Online speculation ran wild, with every possible candidate listed, yet no consensus was reached.
With the drama only half-consumed, everyone was left craving more, and the moment the live stream began, they flooded in.
["How can Cen Meng still smile like that? Is this what they call 'small people getting their way'?"]
["Opening the stream to see her face—what bad luck!"]
["I heard Ning Yuxuan didn’t give Cen Meng a single nice look in yesterday’s episode. Hope she keeps it up today and gives us some satisfaction!"]
Of course, Cen Meng’s fans also came to her defense, firing back at the critics.
["How are you all so sure Cen Meng is the other woman? Are you all internet judges, handing out verdicts like this?"]
["Nothing’s been confirmed yet, so why are you all hurling insults? Feeling self-righteous, huh?"]
Some even turned the criticism back on Ning Yuxuan.
["Why are people so quick to believe rumors? First, it was Ning Yuxuan being called the 'other woman,' now it’s Cen Meng. Seems like you all just want somewhere to vent."]
["Ning Yuxuan herself hasn’t even accused Cen Meng of anything. Do netizens really know more than the people involved?"]
After last night’s revelations, most of Cen Meng’s fans stood firm in their disbelief, with only a small number wavering or unfollowing.
To them, the conversation between the mystery man and Ning Yuxuan in the video was far from solid evidence.
In Cen Meng’s fan communities, supporters insisted: She would never do something like that. We’ll wait for her to explain herself.
Big-name fans in group chats urged others to rally in the live stream the next morning, steering the narrative in Cen Meng’s favor.
So, many of her fans timed their entry, clashing with the curious onlookers in the chat.
Watching the live stream’s soaring numbers from the start, the director couldn’t contain his excitement.
Dear Mom was his first variety show project. As a relatively niche family-themed program with mid-tier guests, the network hadn’t initially given it much attention.
Unexpectedly, the first season performed exceptionally well, rising above all other airing shows through word of mouth, and the crew had bonded like comrades-in-arms.
With that foundation, the network now fully backed the second season, providing ample budget and manpower.
But the show also faced a crisis—
A rival network, seeing Dear Mom’s success, had quickly copied the format, releasing a nearly identical family-themed show around the same time, with an even starrier lineup.
This time, the entire crew, including the director, was determined to hold their ground and make Dear Mom the undisputed leader in its genre.
That’s why, when the scandal between Ning Yuxuan and Cen Meng broke, everyone in the production meeting unanimously agreed: Proceed with the next day’s filming as scheduled.
This heaven-sent buzz was something they couldn’t afford to waste.
In the live stream, moderators were busy banning accounts spewing vulgar language.
But for comments simply discussing the drama or criticizing Cen Meng, they took no action.
It was an unspoken encouragement—the more people debated, the hotter the live stream became.
Cen Meng, however, remained oblivious.
Once the stream started, she maintained a flawless, gentle smile.
The crew first asked everyone how they’d slept the night before.
Seizing the moment, Cen Meng turned to Ning Yuxuan with concern. "Yuxuan, did you not sleep well last night?"
Ning Yuxuan glanced at her and replied lightly, "Are you hoping I didn’t?"
Cen Meng’s eyes widened slightly. "Yuxuan, why would you think that? I’m just worried you might be upset and wanted to check in."
On the surface, she looked genuinely puzzled and hurt. But inwardly, she was thrilled.
This exchange only proved Ning Yuxuan’s hostility toward her, reinforcing the narrative that Ning Yuxuan had stolen her boyfriend.
The worse Ning Yuxuan treated her, the more the public would resent Ning Yuxuan—and the more they’d pity her.
What Cen Meng never expected was that her actions would backfire spectacularly.
After a while of venting in the live stream, many casual viewers, realizing neither Cen Meng nor Ning Yuxuan knew about the trending scandal, began losing interest and prepared to leave.
Everyone was just here for the drama, not professional haters—no one would waste their precious weekend time solely on bashing Cen Meng.
But then Cen Meng suddenly said something to Ning Yuxuan, instantly stopping the netizens who were about to leave.
[Damn, Cen Meng is way too arrogant! Is she deliberately provoking Ning Yuxuan?]
[Today’s been eye-opening. There are plenty of cases of people stealing boyfriends in the entertainment industry, but I’ve never seen someone as shameless as Cen Meng.]
[What does Cen Meng even mean by that? Why is she asking Ning Yuxuan if she slept well? Is this a taunt?]
[Of course it is! Cen Meng is flaunting her victory after stealing someone’s boyfriend right in front of the original girlfriend!]
[How can a homewrecker act so proud? Is stealing someone else’s man something to brag about?]
Along with these, vulgar comments flooded the live chat. The moderators were busy deleting rule-breaking messages and banning users, their mice practically smoking from how fast they were clicking.
Cen Meng’s fans couldn’t control the backlash at all—every supportive comment they posted was instantly drowned in the sea of insults.
The livestream descended into chaos, and the viewership skyrocketed.
Meanwhile, on the set of the show, it was eerily calm, like the quiet before a storm. The guests had no idea what was happening.
Today’s livestream was scheduled for promotional photo shoots.
In the morning, professional makeup artists would style the guests and pick outfits for them.
The afternoon would be dedicated to photographers taking group shots of the guests.
This segment had been planned long ago, meant to encourage interactions between each mother-daughter pair.
Originally, the director intended to capture their dynamics while also gathering promotional material for the show.
But after the incident, during last night’s emergency meeting, a staff member suggested changing the segment—
perhaps to something more interactive, like having the three daughters work together, forcing more contact between Cen Meng and Ning Yuxuan.
However, the director ultimately rejected the idea.
The drama between Ning Yuxuan and Cen Meng was already generating enough buzz to keep the livestream’s numbers high.
If they deliberately increased their interactions and lost control of the backlash, a full-blown war in the chat could drag the entire show down.
In the end, everyone agreed to stick to the original plan—ride the wave of attention while staying cautious.
Once the photo shoot segment began, the guests started getting their makeup done.
Cen Meng tried to strike up a conversation with Ning Yuxuan a few times, but both Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei gave her the cold shoulder.
Many viewers who had tuned in just for the drama, seeing no explosive confrontation, gradually left the livestream.
As the casual spectators dwindled, the viewership dipped slightly but eventually stabilized at a relatively high number.
The director was satisfied—everything was still under his control.
But the drop in live viewers didn’t mean the incident was losing steam.
On the contrary, more and more people online were talking about it, and other celebrities were getting dragged into the mess.
The first to be implicated was Guan Cheng, who had previously been involved in a PR relationship with Cen Meng.
Guan Cheng had been at an event earlier that morning. After it ended, during a media Q&A, a bold reporter brought up Cen Meng.
"Last night, some unfavorable rumors about Cen Meng surfaced. Have you heard about them? What’s your take on this?"
Seeing someone take the lead, other reporters jumped in:
"Mr. Guan Cheng, could you comment on this?"
"Yes, Mr. Guan Cheng, you and Ms. Cen were colleagues, and it’s said you two were once very close. Given what’s happened, is there anything you’d like to say in her defense?"
The scene instantly turned chaotic as staff rushed to maintain order.
Guan Cheng’s assistant tried to deflect: "Sorry, everyone, we won’t be addressing this—"
But before he could finish, Guan Cheng cut in.
Raising a hand, Guan Cheng said, "It’s fine. I can say a few words about this."
The reporters perked up, eagerly waiting for his response to the trending scandal.
Guan Cheng cleared his throat. "Well, actually, Ms. Cen Meng and I were purely colleagues. We haven’t been in touch since our collaboration ended. I did hear about this incident, and honestly, I was just as shocked as everyone else. I never expected Cen Meng to be caught up in something like this."
"So you’re saying you were also surprised to learn Cen Meng was the other woman—is that correct?"
Guan Cheng smiled and nodded. "I'm not entirely clear about the specifics, but if the rumors about the third party are true, I can only say I'm deeply disappointed and hope she realizes her mistake."
Had it been before yesterday, Guan Cheng likely wouldn’t have chosen to wade into this mess.
But during last night’s livestream, Cen Meng had repeatedly humiliated him.
In the past, their collaboration in promoting their on-screen couple had been mutually beneficial—both were little-known actors who needed the buzz from their shippers.
Yet yesterday, Cen Meng had abruptly turned on him without warning, publicly making him look like a desperate fool chasing after her.
Guan Cheng couldn’t swallow his anger, so he deliberately threw shade at Cen Meng in front of reporters.
Of course, his response was carefully calculated—hinting that Cen Meng might indeed be the third party while distancing himself from her, yet leaving room for ambiguity.
If the situation took another turn, he could always claim ignorance and walk away unscathed.
After answering a couple of questions, Guan Cheng had his assistant deflect any further inquiries about Cen Meng.
A few veiled remarks were enough; saying too much would only drag him deeper into the scandal.
His response quickly spread online, sparking heated discussions.
[Does anyone else feel like… Guan Cheng is subtly throwing Cen Meng under the bus?]
[You’re not wrong! Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even comment on this, but here he is, saying he hopes Cen Meng "realizes her mistake."]
[I think he’s low-key implying Cen Meng is the other woman—he just can’t say it outright.]
[Seems like Cen Meng’s character really is questionable if even her former co-star can’t stay silent.]
[I was skeptical at first, but after Guan Cheng’s remarks, I’m 99% sure Cen Meng’s guilty.]
Meanwhile, Ning Shiyue, who was attending a brand event at a shopping mall, also got dragged into the drama.
The public event was packed with fans and curious onlookers, filling the entire mall.
The crowd was so large that even with security struggling to maintain order, waves of screams and chatter kept erupting.
As Ning Shiyue waved to the crowd, someone suddenly shouted at him from behind the barricade.
"Ning Shiyue! Can you clarify the situation with Cen Meng? There’s no way she’s the homewrecker who ruined your sister’s relationship!"
The outburst immediately drew the crowd’s attention, stirring a flurry of murmurs.
"Who is this guy? How rude…"
"Oh my god, is he talking about that trending scandal?"
The person shouting was one of Cen Meng’s obsessive male fans.
He had been a fan since her debut, right after his messy breakup with his girlfriend. Bitter and resentful, he’d projected his feelings onto Cen Meng, who bore a resemblance to his ex—only purer, gentler, and more perfect in his eyes.
From then on, he transferred all his unresolved emotions onto Cen Meng, becoming a rabid supporter who attended countless events. Even Cen Meng and her team recognized him.
When rumors of Cen Meng and Guan Cheng’s relationship surfaced, he’d stalked Guan Cheng, nearly getting arrested before toning it down.
After the scandal broke, unable to reach Cen Meng or Ning Yuxuan (since the show’s filming location was confidential), he’d rushed straight to Ning Shiyue’s event.
Convinced Cen Meng was innocent, he demanded answers from Ning Shiyue—after all, Ning Yuxuan was his sister!
The fan glared fiercely at Ning Shiyue after his first shout.
Ning Shiyue’s steps faltered for a second, as if he’d heard.
But a moment later, he continued walking, ignoring the outburst.
Enraged by the dismissal, the fan screamed even louder, "Ning Shiyue, why won’t you answer? Are you guilty? Do you know Cen Meng didn’t do anything, and your sister made it all up?!"
He even broke through the barricade, lunging toward Ning Shiyue.
Thankfully, Ning Shiyue reacted swiftly, dodging with a frown as security rushed in to restrain the fan.
But the man was strong and hysterical, putting up a fierce struggle against the two guards.
As he fought, his voice grew even more desperate. "Ning Shiyue, say something! Cen Meng’s innocent—your sister’s the real homewrecker, isn’t she?!"
Finally pinned to the ground, the fan knelt, still glaring up at Ning Shiyue with burning eyes.
Amid the chaotic buzz of the crowd, Ning Shiyue looked down at the kneeling man and slowly began to speak.
"Remember this." Ning Shiyue's expression was icy, his voice chillingly cold. "I don’t care why you're here—whether you came on your own or were sent by someone. I’ll only say this once."
"Ning Yuxuan doesn’t falsely accuse others, and she would never be the other woman. Spreading these slanderous rumors? You’ll be hearing from my lawyers soon."
The male fan was finally dragged away by security, and footage of the incident was uploaded online almost instantly.
Most people were shocked by the fan’s behavior.
[OMG, this fan is terrifying! He looks like a sociopath—like he’s about to pull out a knife any second.]
[No surprise here. Cen Meng’s fans are just as shameless as she is, twisting the narrative like this.]
[This is horrifying. Are we going to see Cen Meng’s fans hunting down anyone who dares to dislike her now?]
[After watching this, I hate Cen Meng even more. Can we just kick her out of the entertainment industry already?]
The fan likely never expected that his so-called act of "defending Cen Meng" would only further tank her already dismal public image.
Or perhaps, in his mind, he simply wanted to preserve the illusion of a "perfect" Cen Meng—no matter the cost. What Cen Meng herself actually thought didn’t matter to him.
A smaller group of people focused on Ning Shiyue instead.
[Gotta admit, Ning Shiyue standing up for his sister like that was seriously cool.]
[Agreed. I was neutral about him before, but seeing him defend her without hesitation? I’m kind of a fan now.]
[Right? Most A-list celebs would’ve played it safe and stayed quiet to protect their image.]
In the end, public opinion of Cen Meng plummeted even further, while Ning Shiyue’s unwavering support for his sister only solidified Ning Yuxuan’s position as the victim in this scandal.
Even Ning Shiyue’s solo fans, who had previously been indifferent toward Ning Yuxuan, began defending her online.
After all, if their idol was openly standing by her, they had to align with his stance—anything less would be a betrayal.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted in Cen Meng’s fan groups.
Some questioned whether the male fan was even a real supporter.
[Meng’s Little Cake: Is this guy actually a fan? Or is he a fake planted by antis to make Meng look bad?]
[Forever Loving Cen Meng: Yeah, could this be a setup by rival stans? They’re probably exaggerating their behavior just to smear her!]
But the speculation was quickly shut down.
[Little Dreamer Meng: Stop guessing. He’s a long-time fan—anyone who’s followed Meng for over two years knows who he is.]
Once it was confirmed the fan was genuine, Cen Meng’s supporters split into two factions.
One side argued that while his actions were extreme, his intentions—to clear Cen Meng’s name—were pure. They believed fellow fans should rally behind him and fight the overwhelmingly negative backlash.
The other side insisted the fan had gone too far. They wanted to distance themselves, labeling him an "extremist" to shield Cen Meng from further damage.
The infighting left the fandom in disarray.
The only thing they agreed on? They needed Cen Meng to speak up.
If she publicly declared her innocence, they’d stand by her no matter what.
As the scandal grew, even the Gu family took notice.
In the widely circulated video, Gu Yunhao had only appeared briefly, his face half-hidden, and his "cheating scumbag" lines were vague enough to keep netizens from identifying him.
But among the elite circles, his voice and mannerisms were unmistakable.
The wealthy heirs of Beicheng, always tuned into online drama, quickly pieced together that the scandal’s male lead was none other than Gu Yunhao, the Gu family’s eldest grandson.
Still, in high society, affairs and infidelity were hardly shocking—mistresses and side relationships were practically the norm.
Most of these heirs, raised in such an environment, weren’t morally outraged by Gu Yunhao’s actions. They just found it amusing that he’d failed to keep his mess under wraps.
None were foolish enough to expose his identity online, though. There was no benefit to it, and many had skeletons of their own to hide.
Why risk their own scandals being dragged into the light?
Yet within their circles, gossip spread like wildfire.
It wasn’t long before the news reached Gu Yunhao’s mother—Wang Yahui.
In the ancestral home of the Gu family, Wang Yahui was scolding her son with exasperation: "How could you be so careless, leaving behind such obvious evidence? Thankfully, your face wasn’t clearly captured in that video, or else the reputation your father and I have built over the years would have been ruined by you!"
In Wang Yahui’s eyes, her son, as the young master of the prestigious Gu family in Beicheng, fooling around with women was hardly a big deal.
What infuriated her was his sheer stupidity—allowing himself to be caught on camera, forcing her to clean up his mess now.
Fortunately, the matter hadn’t yet reached the ears of the family patriarch. If handled properly, once the social media storm blew over in a few days, the impact on her and her husband would be minimal.
Gu Yunhao didn’t dare utter a word under his mother’s scolding.
He knew the gravity of the situation. Right now, the family was embroiled in a power struggle, with his uncles eyeing his father’s shares and corporate control like vultures.
If his scandal were fully exposed to the public, it would be handing his uncles a sharp blade to stab his father in the back.
Gu Yunhao was at a complete loss, desperately hoping his mother could help him weather this crisis.
Since childhood, whenever he got into trouble, it was always his mother who bailed him out.
Wang Yahui was a decisive woman. After berating Gu Yunhao, she declared firmly, "Yunhao, you will break up with that woman, Cen Meng, immediately. Cut all ties with her. As for the trending scandal, I’ll find a way to suppress it and keep your identity hidden."
Gu Yunhao instinctively nodded, then hesitated. "But… Mengmeng, she—"
Wang Yahui snapped, "Mengmeng? Are you seriously risking your father’s and my reputation for some woman?"
Gu Yunhao fell silent.
Seeing her son yield, Wang Yahui’s stern expression softened slightly. "Good, Yunhao, listen to your mother. Now, tell me everything else you’ve been involved in with Cen Meng. I need to prepare countermeasures in advance."
At this, Gu Yunhao hesitated again.
Wang Yahui immediately saw through him and demanded sharply, "You’re still hiding things from me at a time like this? Do you think you can handle the consequences if something goes wrong?"
Gu Yunhao flinched and confessed, "N-nothing much. Just… I lent her and her family a villa in Jinshui Bay."
Before the show’s filming, Cen Meng had whined to him, complaining that her own home’s decor was too plain to stand out on camera.
So, Gu Yunhao had handed over one of his father’s luxury villas to her, even allowing her to renovate it for the show, where she and her family would stay during filming.
The moment he finished speaking, Wang Yahui exploded. "You absolute fool! Jinshui Bay has barely two dozen residents! Anyone with half a brain could trace that villa’s ownership back to your father!"
Gu Yunhao broke into a cold sweat, stammering, "I… I didn’t think it would come to this…"
Wang Yahui took a deep breath, knowing that scolding her son further was pointless.
She asked, "Does anyone know Cen Meng is staying there now?"
Gu Yunhao’s voice was almost inaudible with guilt. "Meng—Cen Meng filmed the show’s teaser with her family in that villa."
Wang Yahui couldn’t hold back—she slapped him hard across the face. "You idiot!"
She, Wang Yahui, had spent her whole life being shrewd. How could she have raised such a moron?
Gu Yunhao trembled, clutching his stinging cheek, but didn’t dare defend himself. "Mom… what should I do now?"
Wang Yahui closed her eyes. "I’ll handle it. What you need to do right now is get Cen Meng and her parents out of that house—immediately!"
……
While chaos reigned outside, the filming set remained miraculously undisturbed until the very end.
By evening, all three groups of guests had finished shooting their promotional photos, and the second day of live broadcasting was about to conclude.
The first episode, spanning two days and one night, was finally wrapping up. After one last shot of the guests departing, everyone could call it a wrap.
But just as the guests began leaving the villa, an unexpected incident occurred.
To ensure filming secrecy, the shooting location had been kept confidential.
However, one of Cen Meng’s die-hard fans, unable to bear the online abuse she’d endured all day, decided to seek answers firsthand.
By studying the live broadcast replay, he pinpointed the supermarket where the guests had shopped for groceries, narrowing the search radius to a few kilometers.
Then, using street-view maps to match the villa’s exterior scenery, he finally zeroed in on the exact filming location.
After locating the place, this fan brought along several "fellow supporters" and staked out the perimeter of the recording site.
Among all the guests, Cen Meng was the first to step out of the villa.
As soon as Cen Meng exited the villa entrance, she noticed several people holding up their phones, cameras pointed directly at her face.
These fans didn’t trust the production team to be fair and impartial, so each of them had their own devices ready to record, intending to personally capture video evidence for later use.
A staff member accompanying Cen Meng moved to intervene, but she stopped them herself.
Though puzzled about how they’d found this location, Cen Meng reasoned that since they’d gone out of their way to wait and film her, they must be her devoted fans.
To maintain her approachable and fan-friendly image, she had to "spoil" them.
"Hello," Cen Meng stepped forward, smiling warmly at the group filming her. "I’m Cen Meng. Did you come here specifically to see me? Is there something you’d like to say?"
The fan eagerly spoke up: "Hi, Mengmeng! We’re here to ask you to address that fake video circulating online and clear your name! We fans all believe you’d never break up someone else’s relationship. Please don’t hold back—just tell the truth!"
Cen Meng froze. "What fake video?"
The fan pulled out a pre-prepared tablet, turned the volume to maximum, and handed it to Cen Meng after playing the video.
As the footage played, Cen Meng’s expression grew increasingly grim.
Outside the screen, countless eyes were fixed on her reaction.
Cen Meng first furrowed her brows, then bit her lower lip, her face turning paler by the second.
By the time the video ended, she was so unsteady she nearly stumbled.
How could this be? Where did this video come from?
Could it be…?
Her lips trembled. "Wh-where did you find this… Has it already been seen by a lot of people?"
The fan nodded. "It’s trending on hot search, but don’t worry, Mengmeng! Even if the whole world believes this video and slanders you, we fans will never doubt you!"
Cen Meng felt like fainting on the spot.
So… now the entire internet had seen this video? Everyone knew she was the one who’d sabotaged someone else’s relationship?
What were they saying about her right now?
The fan’s eyes remained fixed on her, burning with intensity. "Mengmeng, this video is fake, right? Ning Yuxuan and that guy are just smearing you, aren’t they? Say something!"
Cen Meng: "…"
All day, she’d assumed the trending topic was about Ning Yuxuan meddling in her relationship. She’d spent the entire livestream playing the victim, subtly mocking Ning Yuxuan.
Now… the truth was the exact opposite?
So today, she’d been performing like a clown in front of the audience?
This realization was a hundred times worse than simply finding out the video had been exposed.
Even the fan began to sense something was off, their confident expression shifting to doubt.
The livestream chat exploded, some mocking her:
[LMAO, Cen Meng’s fans are the perfect example of "asking for proof and getting wrecked."]
[I’m terrible—I just want the drama! Why isn’t the crew showing Ning Yuxuan? I wanna see her reaction!]
Yet, many of Cen Meng’s die-hard fans refused to give up, still waiting for her to explain:
[Mengmeng, say something! Debunk the rumors!]
[What’s wrong, Mengmeng? Are you hesitating? Prove your innocence!]
[Stop being so kind-hearted! Tell everyone you’re the real victim here!]
Amid the taunts from onlookers and the desperate pleas from fans, the woman on screen suddenly swayed.
The next second—Cen Meng collapsed in a faint.
