An hour earlier, at Golden Water Bay.
Before attending the recording of the second episode of the show, Cen Meng had made thorough preparations.
She had discussed the talking points with her company and prepared a complete script to address the recent controversy.
When the timing seemed right, Cen Meng gave Qiao Yazhen a subtle glance as a signal.
Cen Meng knew her mother had always looked down on her, treating her as a burden to her remarriage.
But ever since she entered the entertainment industry, she had been sending her mother a monthly allowance and frequently buying her gold and silver jewelry.
This allowed Qiao Yazhen to hold her head high in front of relatives and friends, often boasting about her daughter’s success and wealth.
Recently, after moving her mother and stepfather into the luxurious mansion at Golden Water Bay, her mother’s attitude toward her had shifted dramatically. Even her usually indifferent stepfather had started smiling at her.
When she asked her mother to appear on the variety show with her and follow her lead, Qiao Yazhen agreed without hesitation.
Once again, Cen Meng felt that money was omnipotent—even between family members.
But she hadn’t expected the first episode to go awry, embarrassing Qiao Yazhen in front of their relatives. For the past two days, her mother had been threatening to quit the show.
Cen Meng had no choice but to transfer an additional sum of money to Qiao Yazhen, reassuring her that if she stayed until the end of filming, she would receive even more.
Sure enough, after seeing the extra 200,000 yuan in her bank account, Qiao Yazhen stopped mentioning quitting and promised to cooperate fully on the show.
Now, noticing Cen Meng’s signal, Qiao Yazhen quickly caught on.
On camera, Qiao Yazhen looked at her daughter with concern. "Mengmeng, are you tired? You’ve been in such low spirits lately..."
Cen Meng feigned surprise. "Mom! Didn’t I tell you not to bring this up...?"
Qiao Yazhen frowned. "But I’m really worried about you."
Their exchange immediately tugged at the heartstrings of fans watching the livestream.
Seizing the moment, Cen Meng naturally delivered her prepared speech to the camera: "I’m sorry. I didn’t want my personal matters to affect the show, but I’d like to take this opportunity to say something to everyone who supports and cares about me."
"The past week has been the hardest time of my life. But please don’t worry—I’ve already completely let go of that past relationship and am ready to move forward. With the support of my family and all of you, I know I’ll get through this."
Cen Meng spoke with conviction, her emotional delivery resonating deeply with her fans.
At the time, the rumors about Golden Water Bay and the Gu family were still circulating only in small circles, not yet fully exposed. The livestream chat was filled with encouragement and sympathy for Cen Meng.
[Stay strong, Mengmeng! No one chooses to meet a scumbag—we’re all on your side!]
[We get it. Everyone runs into a few jerks in life. Breaking up was the right call.]
[Support! Those netizens have no brains. You’re clearly the victim here.]
Even casual viewers who had tuned in out of curiosity were moved.
After all, if Cen Meng had truly been deceived by a scumbag and immediately ended things upon learning the truth, the backlash she was facing would be incredibly unfair.
But after the true owner of Golden Water Bay was exposed, every word Cen Meng had confidently spoken became an obvious lie.
Those who had sympathized with her felt deceived and grew even more resentful.
[Cen Meng, if you never broke up, why lie? How dare you play with the emotions of people who genuinely felt sorry for you!]
[Disgusting. I actually defended you earlier. Never thought you were this kind of person!]
[Homewrecker, living in a house your scumbag boyfriend gave you, yet still pretending to be some strong, independent woman. Have you no shame?]
Faced with the relentless accusations flooding the livestream, Cen Meng desperately tried to defend herself. "I really don’t understand what you’re all talking about! I didn’t lie—this is my home. I’ve lived here for a long time!"
But the audience wasn’t buying it.
[Oh, please. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice?]
[You really think netizens are stupid? Someone already dug up the property records for this house.]
Seeing no one believed her, Cen Meng turned to Qiao Yazhen in desperation. "Mom, say something! This is our home, right?"
Qiao Yazhen, already nervous about appearing on the show, was now terrified.
She had no idea where the house came from—only that her daughter had suddenly moved her and her husband there one day.
Panicking, Qiao Yazhen could only shake her head repeatedly. "I—I don’t know anything!"
Her reaction only confirmed the audience’s suspicions.
If Cen Meng had truly been wronged, Qiao Yazhen would have been furious or confused, immediately defending her daughter—not acting like this.
The backlash grew even fiercer.
Watching Qiao Yazhen uselessly shake her head, Cen Meng felt despair creeping in.
But she had already suffered from her last livestream mishap—the clip of her fainting under pressure was still circulating online, a laughingstock.
This time, she knew she had to hold on, at least long enough to give some explanation before the situation became irreversible.
Out of the camera’s view, Cen Meng pinched Qiao Yazhen’s arm hard, forcing her mother to look at her.
"Mom," she said through gritted teeth, "if you’re not feeling well, go rest first. I’ll handle this."
At this point, her mother was nothing but a liability.
Qiao Yazhen, already overwhelmed, nodded frantically. "O-okay, I’ll go then..."
Now alone in front of the camera, Cen Meng took a deep breath, trying to ignore the hateful comments flooding the screen.
"Thank you all for your concern," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "But I truly don’t understand what you’re referring to. There must be some misunderstanding..."
[What misunderstanding? Isn’t this house Gu Yunhao’s?]
[So did you break up with Gu Yunhao or not? If you did, why are you still living in his house?]
Cen Meng avoided answering these questions directly.
In a live broadcast, one wrong word could be disastrous.
Cen Meng evasively denied: "I truly don’t know what’s going on. This house... was rented for me by the staff. Please believe me—I’ll get to the bottom of this as soon as possible, but things are absolutely not what you think!"
[LOL, now she’s trying to blame the staff?]
[Why won’t she address the rumors about Gu Yunhao? Because they’re all true?]
According to the original schedule, the audience interaction segment was supposed to last twenty minutes.
Amid the chaos, two-thirds of that time had already passed.
Cen Meng was barely holding it together. After once again insisting she knew nothing, she turned to the staff for help.
Forcing herself to stay composed, she said, "I’m sorry for this unexpected situation. Can we end today’s live broadcast early? I... need to handle this emergency and uncover the truth to give everyone a proper explanation."
A staff member hesitated. "Let me check with the director."
Cen Meng pressed her lips together and nodded.
She had done everything she could to deny the rumors. Now, she needed to contact Gu Yunhao immediately and get him to cooperate with her PR efforts.
If the Gu family could help prove the house had been legally rented to her, she might still have a chance to salvage her reputation.
But before the production team could make a decision, a loud knock suddenly echoed through the villa.
"Hello, property management!" a rough male voice called out. "Open the door! We’re here on behalf of the owner to resolve an issue!"
At those words, Cen Meng flinched in fright.
Property management? Why would they show up unannounced?
This was one of Beicheng’s most exclusive residential complexes—the property management wouldn’t come without a serious reason.
The door was pounded again, harder this time. "Open up! The owner has authorized us. If you don’t let us in, we’ll have to force our way inside."
[OMG, did you hear that? Someone’s banging on the door!]
[This is getting scary—who the hell is trying to break in?]
[Where is this even going? Are we switching genres to action or true crime now?]
The production team exchanged uneasy glances.
"Miss Cen Meng..." a staff member ventured, "should we just open the door?"
If the people outside really forced their way in, this would turn into a full-blown live broadcast disaster.
Cen Meng was completely panicked now.
She had thought the worst she’d face was online backlash—something she could weather behind a screen.
But now, strangers might burst into her home at any second.
Her voice trembled. "Then... o-open it. You do it."
When the staff opened the door, several men in formal suits strode in.
The leader addressed the crew, "You’re live broadcasting, correct?"
After getting confirmation, he pulled out an ID badge and held it up to both the staff and the camera for a few seconds.
Then he turned to Cen Meng, his tone icy. "Miss Cen, we’re from Jinshui Bay Property Management. The owner of this residence has been informed of your unlawful occupation. They’ve authorized us to handle the matter. You are to vacate the premises immediately."
Cen Meng was stunned. "W-what did you say?"
The man repeated impatiently, "You and anyone else living here must leave now, or we will call the police."
With that, he gestured sharply, and the other men closed in around her.
Cen Meng had no time to prepare. Surrounded by hostile men, she was nearly paralyzed with fear.
Blurting out in desperation, she cried, "You can’t do this! Gu... he would never make me leave!"
In her panic, she barely stopped herself from saying "Gu Yunhao" outright—but the microphone picked up the "Gu" clearly.
[Holy shit, did you catch that? Cen Meng just admitted the house belongs to the Gu family!]
[Self-sabotage at its finest! So she’s still with that scumbag Gu, and he gave her this place?]
[Wait, if her boyfriend gave her the house, why is she being kicked out now?]
[I’m confused—sounds like the Gu family just found out she was living here?]
[Didn’t he say "unlawful occupation"? So Cen Meng moved in without their knowledge?]
The drama unfolding on screen had netizens buzzing with excitement. It had been ages since a show delivered this level of chaos.
Meanwhile, the property manager, seeing Cen Meng frozen in place, issued a final warning. "Miss Cen, this is your last chance. Leave now, or the next people removing you will be the police."
It wasn’t that Cen Meng refused to go—her legs had given out.
Her feud with Ning Yuxuan had been messy, but at least it was just personal drama. If she got arrested on live television...
Terrified by the thought, she nodded frantically. "I—I heard you! I’m leaving right now!"
She gripped the armrest of a chair to stand, her legs wobbling so badly she nearly stumbled.
Seeing this, the production team knew they couldn’t continue the broadcast.
With their guest literally being evicted, the show was over.
After a hasty apology to viewers, the live feed cut off abruptly.
The internet’s gossip mill instantly shifted from the stream to Weibo, where several hashtags rocketed to the top of trending searches:
#CenMengTrespassing
#CenMengEvictedFromJinshuiBay
#CenMengGuYunhao
#CenMengLies
Clips of Cen Meng being forcibly escorted out spread like wildfire across social media.
The backlash was merciless. Her previous scandal—the affair rumors—had barely died down when this new disaster struck.
Two major controversies in just one week? Netizens roasted her without restraint.
This time, even her staunchest fans began wavering.
Before, they could pin everything on Ning Yuxuan. But now? There was no one else to blame.
Cen Meng’s sheer terror as she was removed made it obvious: the mansion wasn’t hers.
And that slip of the tongue—"Gu"—shattered any remaining denial. Rational fans couldn’t lie to themselves anymore.
One by one, people left her fan groups. Only the most delusional diehards remained, desperately spinning excuses to themselves and others.
Meanwhile, at the Gu residence...
Gu Yunhao knelt before his mother, Wang Yahui.
The decision to send someone to evict Cen Meng from Jinshui Bay was made by Wang Yahui.
When news of her son's involvement with Cen Meng began circulating online, Wang Yahui immediately guessed that her useless son had disobeyed her orders and failed to kick Cen Meng out.
This matter couldn’t be handled directly by the Gu family, so Wang Yahui swiftly contacted people in Jinshui Bay to forcibly remove Cen Meng from the property.
No matter how much speculation arose online afterward, the Gu family would insist that Cen Meng had trespassed on private property, and the incident was merely due to a lapse in management that allowed her the opportunity.
This way, her son would avoid too much backlash, and the Gu family’s reputation would remain somewhat intact.
Only after handling all this did Wang Yahui find time to reprimand her son.
"Gu Yunhao, oh Gu Yunhao, you truly are my wonderful son," Wang Yahui said with a bitter laugh, her anger at its peak. "You’ve grown wings, haven’t you? Learned how to lie to me?"
Gu Yunhao kept his head lowered. "I was wrong, Mother."
Wang Yahui glared coldly at her kneeling son, listing his offenses one by one. "Last time I asked you, what did you tell me? That you’d already broken up, that she’d already moved out, hm? Since when did you learn to lie so effortlessly? It seems I haven’t disciplined you enough—you’re practically rebelling now, aren’t you?"
Gu Yunhao didn’t dare argue. As with countless times before, he silently endured his mother’s scolding, occasionally murmuring an apology.
She only had one son. No matter how furious she was, she would eventually calm down.
Sure enough, after a while, Wang Yahui grew tired of yelling.
She was already busy managing social engagements for her husband and business associates. Now, thanks to her son’s stupidity, she’d had to step away to handle this mess.
Exhaling slowly, she looked at her disappointing son. "I’ve already had that woman thrown out. The keys to Jinshui Bay stay with me—don’t even think about touching them again. As for what you need to do next… I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you, should I?"
Gu Yunhao stammered, "I swear I’ll never see her again, Mom."
Wang Yahui waved him away wearily.
Soon after, the Gu family’s official account released a statement:
The Gu family has no connection to Cen Meng. Gu Yunhao and Cen Meng were never in a romantic relationship. An employee within the group accepted bribes and privately allowed Cen Meng to reside in a Gu-owned property. The employee involved has been terminated.
Most netizens didn’t buy this explanation. The evidence overwhelmingly suggested that Gu Yunhao and Cen Meng had been involved in more than just a casual acquaintance.
Many criticized Gu Yunhao for being a coward who abandoned his girlfriend when trouble arose.
However, since Gu Yunhao wasn’t a public figure and didn’t even have a verified social media account, most of the backlash fell on Cen Meng instead.
The scandal in Cen Meng’s livestream also affected Ning Yuxuan and Jiang Ning'an.
Viewers flooded both their streams with comments about Cen Meng.
Originally, the show’s schedule had all three sets of guests reuniting that evening after departing from their respective homes.
But given Cen Meng’s current state, there was no way she could continue filming.
After an emergency meeting, the production team decided to cut the day’s livestream short and resume the program the next morning.
Fans who cared little for Cen Meng and just wanted to watch the other two pairs were devastated.
[Nooo, why’s it ending already? I thought we’d get to see Ning Shiyue all afternoon!]
[Cen Meng is such a nuisance. Is the whole show going to get canceled because of her?]
[Please no! Can’t the producers just kick Cen Meng out? I only want to see the Ning family’s daily life!]
With the livestream abruptly halted, the crew dispersed.
Ning Yuxuan, however, was in high spirits. "I thought we’d be filming until tonight. Since we’re done so early, why don’t we go out for a nice meal?"
With both her son and daughter present, Ning Fei was also in a good mood. "Sounds great."
Ning Shiyue crossed his arms, eyeing Ning Yuxuan. "Aren’t you even a little curious?"
Ning Yuxuan blinked. "About what?"
Ning Shiyue: "Aren’t you wondering what Cen Meng did to make the whole show shut down early?"
The production team had only vaguely cited "issues with Cen Meng" as the reason for stopping filming, without elaborating.
Ning Yuxuan let out an indifferent "Oh." "I don’t really care. All I know is we’re off the hook for today, and we’re still getting paid."
Ning Shiyue couldn’t help but laugh. "You really are something else."
Then again, maybe it was for the best. At least it proved Ning Yuxuan had moved on from Gu Yunhao—otherwise, she wouldn’t be so indifferent toward his girlfriend.
Ning Yuxuan steered the conversation back. "Alright, enough of that. Let’s decide what to eat tonight! I’m starving!"
......
Online, aside from the drama surrounding Cen Meng’s eviction, Ning Yuxuan’s academic background also sparked discussion.
However, the sheer absurdity of Cen Meng’s situation overshadowed the revelation that Ning Yuxuan had graduated from A University.
Still, many netizens were skeptical and dug for proof.
Before long, someone unearthed footage from A University’s official channel—a clip from the School of Management’s graduation ceremony years ago, featuring Ning Yuxuan.
In the video, Ning Yuxuan wore the same graduation gown as her peers, but her tall frame and fair complexion made her stand out.
Someone edited the clip to highlight Ning Yuxuan’s appearance and reposted it.
[Wow, Ning Yuxuan really did graduate from A University! I thought she was just making it up!]
[The School of Management is A University’s most prestigious program—the admission scores are insanely high!]
[Now this is what a true intellectual looks like. Unlike Cen Meng, who kept bragging about loving books but never had the grades to back it up.]
[Ning Yuxuan is so gorgeous. Natural beauty really is unbeatable—no awkward "who’s that?" moments when looking back at old footage.]
[LOL pretty sure you’re shading certain celebrities who get "upgrades" every year and end up unrecognizable.]
Some viewers, however, focused on something else entirely.
[Check out the guy standing behind Ning Yuxuan—he’s kinda cute! And he keeps looking at her, doesn’t he?]
[You’re right! I slowed it down, and his eyes are glued to her.]
[Even in this grainy video, the chemistry is unreal. Shipping is truly an art.]
[That guy is definitely into Ning Yuxuan. That look in his eyes? Not platonic.]
......
After years in the entertainment industry, Ning Fei had developed a habit of restraining her appetite, never placing too much importance on food.
Ning Shiyue also claimed he didn’t care, so the decision of what to have for dinner ultimately fell to Ning Yuxuan.
Remembering she had just gotten a pimple that day, Ning Yuxuan chose a light stir-fry restaurant.
The three of them arrived at the restaurant, and while waiting for their food, Ning Shiyue picked up his phone and started scrolling.
Compared to Ning Yuxuan, he was far more invested in the current online buzz.
He just wanted to know how that detestable Cen Meng had managed to crash and burn this time.
Ning Shiyue scrolled through the trending list, then suddenly paused.
#TheLookFromThatGuyAtNingYuxuansGraduation#
What kind of ridiculous hashtag was this?
He tapped on the topic, his frown deepening the more he read.
By the time Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei finished their conversation and noticed Ning Shiyue’s expression, his face was twisted in displeasure.
"What are you looking at? You’re all scrunched up," Ning Yuxuan asked.
Ning Shiyue lifted his head indignantly. "They’re saying you and Shen Chipeng are a couple! Absolute nonsense!"
He remembered the guy from the video—Ning Yuxuan’s college classmate, also from Beicheng, who used to invite him to play basketball during breaks.
Eventually, Ning Shiyue realized Shen Chipeng always shamelessly followed him home afterward, finding excuses to talk to Ning Yuxuan.
It had annoyed him back then, so he stopped accepting Shen Chipeng’s invitations.
Hearing this, Ning Yuxuan and Ning Fei exchanged a glance and spoke simultaneously.
Ning Fei: "Who said that?"
Ning Yuxuan: "Who’s Shen Chipeng?"
Ning Shiyue: "…"
Suddenly, he didn’t feel quite so irritated anymore.
---
In a private residence in Beicheng, Xie Zhiyan had just replied to his last email of the day.
Hengjiang was still in a phase of rapid development, and even on weekends, there was no shortage of matters requiring his attention.
After finishing his work, the man leaned back in his office chair and closed his eyes for a brief moment of rest.
His phone vibrated twice on the desk—a message from Jiang Shao:
"I’m returning to the country tomorrow. Thanks again for lending me your car these past couple of days. I’ll send you an invitation once the wedding date is set.
YH
Ah!"
Xie Zhiyan replied: "Mm."
Jiang Shao sent another message: "Sometimes it feels like time flies. In the blink of an eye, I’m about to get married. You should pick up the pace too, Zhiyan!"
Same as always—prone to sudden sentimental outbursts.
Xie Zhiyan didn’t respond further, but a certain figure surfaced in his mind.
He remembered today was the day of the program’s live broadcast, though by now, it should already be over.
For once, he opened his long-unused Weibo.
The name "Ning Yuxuan" jumped out at him.
Xie Zhiyan’s brow furrowed.
